Perception Shifting with Gemini's New Moon
June's and Gemini's New Moon falls on Wednesday, June 13th at 12:45pm PDT and 3:45pm EDT. Perception-shifting is the name of the game as we move through the Geminian portal that invites us into a space of wonderment, curiosity, and awe. Imagine seeing the world through the eyes of a child again, beholding everything with bright eyed-ness and bushy tailed-ness, as though taking life in for the first time! Yet sometimes, these virtues feel about as far away as our Aunt Edna in Wisconsin! Just as true, life graces us with a moment that is mind-blowing and epiphany-creating, moving us to the aforementioned qualities. The remembrance here is that we have to be open to being moved, or the moment passes us by like a sack of potatoes.
Evolutionarily, Gemini needs to keep the lens of life free and clear, accessing what we might call in yoga "beginner's mind". Each of us probably knows in our own way that life can be filled with the doldrums, the drudgery, and that this can sometimes get the best of us. Although Gemini seems to mentally (and sometimes physically!) move at the speed of light, this is its happy place, and it needs to continually be shifting the scenery in order to maintain this openness. As my teacher Steven Forrest says, "boredom is the cardinal sin of Gemini," so of course she's whizzing around with many things to do and often lots of energy with which to do them, fitting as much into one lifetime as is possible! Those of us without much of this sign in our charts might be exhausted just watching someone who does; and, of course, it IS possible for someone with lots of Gemini in her chart to get moving even too quickly for herself! This is Gemini's shadow, and once the mind flutters a million miles a minute, the nervous system and body are effected too, leading to an incessant freneticism that's much like the rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland." Being late isn't necessarily the issue; the mind on overdrive and its inevitable overflowing into the body IS!
So if a lack of focus and a craving for more stimulation are issues arising in your own life at the moment, you're likely sensing this New Moon's energy! It can be helpful to switch things up spontaneously, welcoming small changes to your routine, or "playing hooky" for a day or even an afternoon, doing something out of the ordinary to keep your mind stimulated in just the right way. Activities that engage the body can be helpful here, as the mind can focus on moving and breathing rather than the whirlwind of indistinct thoughts racing through its arena! Anything that invites you to "suspend your disbelief" is an awesome idea, as this frame of mind invites the openness that Gemini so craves. And if you're not used to doing this, challenge yourself to a story, movie, or situation that does! Now's definitely a good time to try it on for size...
Gemini's archetypes are the story-teller who's always suspending her disbelief, the ever curious and inquiring journalist, the mentally sharp and often talking teacher, and the witness. In Sanskrit, the phrase for the witness is "sakshi bhava," which refers to the part of us that is inherently open to all that arises in life without needing an outcome to look a certain way, without grasping for life. It literally describes our innermost nature. This isn't something that's outside of our regular experience, for it lies at the very core of it. Yet so often the mental chatter is playing LOUDLY, and the inner witness is content being quiet, doing what its name describes: witnessing! I love that the witness, too, is a part of Gemini, for it's not just about being a literal witness to an accident or something unfortunate. It's the part of us that is always present, within each and every experience, that never goes away, that is aware of thoughts, ideas, belief systems, emotions, literally everything that we ever experience! And when we are embodying this place within ourselves, we are at One with all of life. The witness merges with Life, able to move with it gracefully, lovingly, excitedly, calmly, in just the right ways and times. What moves you to a place of such openness so you can experience the part of you that's always present? Who is aware of your thoughts, your experiences?
Synchronicity is a lovely word for the intelligence of the universe working and making itself known in our own lives. When we're open to life, we notice things that we may not have otherwise, and this absolutely shifts our perception of reality. The Universe is constantly communicating with YOU, and in unique and beautiful ways. Gemini is all about communication, but this communication isn't limited to other people! It's about a conversation that takes place between you and Life itself, in all the ways that Life intimately reveals itself to you in the most perfect of ways. There is an inherent movement of life, and Geminian energy has both a unique ability to recognize the different ways that this movement chooses to express itself, and an ability to delight in the ever-shifting play. It's kind of like being in the right place at the right time. For example, if you hadn't decided to go home a different way than usual from work, you wouldn't have had the urge to stop at your favorite park and watch the sunset, running into an acquaintance whom you hadn't seen in 10 years, gone out for dinner, and had a ridiculously lovely and spontaneous evening with plans to hang out more. Not to mention the breath-taking sunset that reminded you of the last sunset you watched with your grandmother before she passed across the threshold of this world and the next. Wow! What a magical evening, and all because you broke your routine, got out of your own way, and went with life and its abounding synchronicity!
For this New Moon, I invite you (and myself!) to suspend your disbelief for just a moment or perhaps many more, and open yourself to the magic that is life. Now would be the time to "become like a child." Not the tantrum-throwing kid, but the one who's curious about and awed by it all. It literally only takes a moment for this shift of perception to happen! In what ways will you play? As always, enjoy!