New Moon in Gemini
New Moon in Gemini 06.06.24 - 13.37
A new moon marks the beginning of a new 29.5-day lunar cycle and occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun, with the sun illuminating the side of the moon that faces away from us. During this alignment, the moon is invisible to us from the earth. Although we don’t experience this version of the moon visually, we do energetically. During a new moon, the gravitational forces from the sun and the moon result in a phenomenon known as spring tides. Spring tides are characterised by peak high tides and neaps: the lowest of low tides. This tidal intensity occurs because the gravitational pull from both the sun and the moon acts in the same direction, leading to increased tidal bulges on earth's oceans.
This idea of tidal flux and reflux, and the phases of the moon, speaks to the mutability part of Gemini – it is a mutable air sign. Gemini is supremely at home with change, evolution and transformation. There is something innately experimental, innovative and independent about the Gemini approach. Helen Mirren, who has Gemini rising, puts it like this: “Don’t allow other people to make the rules for you. Make your own rules...and basically there are no rules...People fall into habits so easily, and they imagine that the world is just going to fall apart if they break a habit. That just is not the case. And, therefore, it’s a really good idea to break your own rules on a regular basis.”
During this new moon, think about the rules you have made for yourself as you move through this world. What are they? Do they make sense? Do they actually belong to you, or are they inherited, for example?
Personal rules can be followed in flexible or rigid ways. A rule such as I must always work hard may be sensible but can be taken to the extreme if you try to follow it perfectly.
There are costs to following rules too strictly. A pattern of overly rigid adherence to rules may increase distress, make it harder to adapt to change, and cause difficulties in relationships.
Recognise signs that you follow rules rigidly. All-or-nothing thinking (eg, ‘We must always…’ ‘I can never…’), discomfort about altered routines, or informal feedback from others can serve as clues.
Create distance between you and the rule. Use the skill of defusion and observe a rule at arm’s length, such as by saying: ‘I am noticing the thought that I must do X a certain way.’
Practise urge-surfing. Focus on your breathing, notice any urges that arise, and decline to act on them for a few minutes. This practice can show how the urge to follow a rule will pass if left alone.
Try not doing what you say. Practise behaving at odds with your thoughts or words, such as saying aloud ‘I cannot speak out loud.’ It’s a reminder that you can think of a rule without having to follow it.
Practise breaking your rules. By deciding to not follow your rule to a tee, or even ‘going opposite’ to the rule, you can build psychological flexibility for the future.
Manage distress by calming your body. ‘The Big Three + 1’ – taking slow breaths, smiling, raising your eyebrows and (if sitting) leaning back – may help you feel more open and relaxed.
Remind yourself why you’re relaxing your rules. Reflecting on who you want to be, or how you want your relationships to be, can motivate you to keep practising flexibility even when it’s challenging.
Rules are often tied to who we think we are or should be. Gemini recognises that we have not one, but multiple identities, as we intersect with the world. We are defined by our race, gender, class and sexuality and more. Intersectionality theorists argue that " our identities based on race, gender, class, and sexuality accompany us in every social interaction.” Think about your all your identities – make a list is a great way of to comprehend our own multiplicity – as we move through the world. The list may include things like partner, mother, friend, artist, sister, reader, dreamer, professional, thinker, explorer, lover, care giver, etc. Studies have shown that, when we consider our own plurality, our creative and flexible thinking is boosted. This Gemini new moon creates the perfect space to hold – to be - all aspects of ourselves all at once.
During the new moon we have not just the sun and the moon in Gemini, but a stellium of celestial bodies in the sign (a stellium is a cluster of three of more planets in a sign, which, in its multiplicity, is very Gemini): the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. Gemini gathers and shares. It rules the nervous and circulatory systems and the function of movement, peristalsis, urination and breathing. It is about the processing and filtration (of air, information) of sense data and the subsequent sharing, or outputting. This input/output - taking thoughts, for example, and putting them into words – coupled with innovation, imagination and vision, are what make Gemini such a powerful manifestor. Gemini can take the intangible and make it tangible.
“By creating a powerful picture in your mind of what you want and learning how to infuse it with intention, feeling and desire, you can learn how to create happiness in your life by the real results you manifest in the physical world.
Life is a journey and as you travel from birth to death a series of doors open for you. For many of us, we stumble through doors by accident without thinking much about our choices. When you intentionally manifest, it’s different. You choose which doors you are going to open." Carolyn Boyes in The Art of Manifesting .
How to work with the energy of this new moon in Gemini? This is an ideal moment to be inspired by the infinite possibilities open to us, getting clear and starting the journey of manifesting. A new moon is traditionally a time to set intentions for the things we want to bring into our lives. Manifesting through setting intentions is about bringing your desired reality into existence by focusing your thoughts, energy and actions on what you want to happen. By tapping into our multiplicity through the exercises above, we can creatively and flexibly align to a truly bigger picture; one where we are not a static, single version of ourselves. Three is so much information on how to manifest. This article on Insight Timer is useful as it looks at some different ways of manifesting, while asking you to trust what feels right for you. There are so many ‘you’re doing manifestation wrong’ videos on YouTube, which is unhelpful, too ‘rulesy’ and very unGemini.
Also, this 6-minute mediation by Dexter and Alessandrina, also on Insight Timer, might help connect to the process.. "A guided meditation that helps beginners in meditation, and others who are new to the law of attraction and manifestation, learn how to clearly set intentions, focus on them, and consciously prioritize their intentions over the expectations and demands of others.”
Rule breaking practice from: here
Intersectionality quote from: here