ALL I'S ON GEMINI
In very Gemini fashion, I left and returned to this piece innumerable times. This writeup is lengthier than planned but it is nerd-city storytelling and I'm stoked about it! It's really like a mini masterclass on Gemini. For clarity's sake and for those of you who prefer a more concise style, I've broken it down into a few parts. Let the pieces that work for you light you up and leave the rest alone :)
On one other important note, I will be opening my September books this Thursday, August 25th at 3pm PST. If you would like a session in the month of September, please keep your eyes peeled for the link via my newsletter and schedule your session before my calendar closes at midnight on August 31st. If you want to know more about working with me one on one, you can read about my consultation methology here.
The TLDR
On Saturday early morning, Mars entered Gemini, where it will stay for 215 days, an unusually long amount of time for Mars to spend in one sign. While Mars is in Gemini, it will station retrograde, recovering a portion of the sky, before pivoting again to continue on around the zodiac.
The house that contains Gemini in our chart is a place in our life where we are fated to live between worlds. Where we are blessed to have ride or die friends, as well as tricky adversaries. It is a place where we feel the deep etching of sacrifices we make for those we do not want to live without. This relinquishment is not easeful. In fact, it requires frequent trips to the underworld. It is a place where we choose core company over comfortable environment. Where we rely on togetherness rather than individualism. Where the tricks are less about hurting others and more about upholding the spirit of our core couplings.
The last time Mars retrograded in Gemini was the fall 1990-winter of 1991. For those of you who were alive at the time, you might recall some of the choices you were slowly making or struggles that stretched themselves out during that time. This practice of careful reflection will help you trace threads of themes that can carry you through this particularly variable moment.
Dates to Know
August 20th, 2022: Mars enters Gemini
September 4th, 2022: Mars enters pre-retrograde shadow
October 30th, 2022: Mars stations retrograde at 25°36’ Gemini
December 7th, 2022:
Full Moon at 16° Gemini
MarsRx in Gemini opposes the Sun in Sagittarius, both at 16°
January 12th 2023: Mars stations direct at 8°7’ Gemini
March 25th, 2023: Mars enters Cancer
Surveying the environment and scanning for safety in astrological practice
In the spaces where I practice embodied attachment, one of the first things we do is recognize and root in the environment. Scan the room. Take note of doors and windows, of objects that jar the nervous system, and the spaces or points of focus which settle it.
So I apply this “observe and ground” practice to astrology. When we know a planet is about to undergo a serious rite of passage, we begin by surveying the environment in which it will make its way.
We can do this in two ways:
By looking at the sign a planet is in. This will tell us what the climate is like, what resources are available to the planet, what behaviors, ideas and tools might be most accessible.
By looking at the house a planet is in. This will tell us what area of life is impacted, what subject matter is up for review, what parts of your world will be affected. This is more specific to an individual natal chart so if you want to talk about the house in your chart that contains Gemini, I recommend booking a session with me in September.
Familiarizing ourselves with our environment helps us learn what aspects of our space provide us with nervous system nutrition. When surveying the environment, notice if you sigh, expel, eyes water, muscles come undone; these are all signs of down-regulation. Take note of what you were looking at or doing when that happens and do it again.
As you read through this newsletter, pay attention to what activates and what settles you. Note which parts of the Gemini myth and symbolism help you down-regulate and hold onto those pieces. You might return to them over the next few months.
Gemini in Myth and Essence
Gemini is the sign of the Dioscuri (Dioskouroi in Greek).
Dioscuri translates to “sons of the god”. More specifically in this case, the Dioscuri are the sons of THE god, meaning Zeus.
Consistent with much of Greek mythology, there are multiple versions of various myths involving the twins most commonly known as Castor and Pollux.
The boys were born to their mother Leda but their father - or fathers rather - are often debated. In some versions, they are both sons of Zeus. In most versions, Pollux is the son of Zeus, while Castor is the son of King Tyndareus. Regardless of their fatherhood, the boys are mythically known as twins. Consistently, Pollux is a son of Zeus and Castor is granted godly boons by association - we’ll get into this later.
"Jupiter [Zeus], changed into a swan, had intercourse with Leda near the river Eurotas, and from that embrace she bore Pollux [Polydeukes] and Helen; to Tyndareus she bore Castor and Clytemnestra.”
-Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 77
Castor and Pollux were also the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. In one version of the siblings’ birth, Leda bore two eggs, from one of which emerged Helen and Pollux, the other which held Castor and Clytemnestra. Technically, this makes them quadruplets as opposed to twins, or two sets of twins, but neither set held both brothers. There is a thread of divide and connect that follows their stories. The duality of their emergence interrupted by the hierarchy of their divinity.
In the lifetime of their stories, accompanying friends and foes often arrive in twos. It was more their fate than their birth that sealed Castor and Pollux as twins in the sky. The multiplicity that is Gemini refers to our perpetual choice of who or what or where to be in relationship.
And if our choices define us, then our identities reveal themselves in the decisions we make about our relationships.
"Let us be . . . like Dioskouroi (Dioscuri) to the poor wretches, ‘saviours and benevolent guardians,’ as those gods are commonly described.”
-Aelian, Historical Miscellany 1. 30 (trans. Wilson) (Greek rhetorician C2nd to 3rd A.D.)
Castor and Pollux ride or die for their friends and family. They are most known as saviors and aids, credited with rescuing folks in grave danger, especially at sea. They save Helen from her abduction by Theseus. They help Jason and the Argonauts retrieve the golden fleece. Despite modern stigma of flaky or fair weather, they are the emblem of what Gemini represents: faithful friends. Of course, as with every sign, they embody the full spectrum of an idea. This is why Gemini can sometimes receive a bad-rap for being two-faced. Where to place our faith is a choice we make everyday. As suddenly as we can be full of faith, we can also spin out in a swirl of facts that make us question it.
"Now [in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar] the Gemini (the Twins) [Dioskouroi (Dioscuri)], not stars of heaven as yet, came cantering up, both brothers striking, both on snow-white steeds; and both poised quivering spears with flashing points.”
-Ovid, Metamorphoses 8. 370 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.)
Revered as patrons of Roman knights, Castor and Pollux were pedestaled in martial ceremonies. As Mars begins to make way through the sign of Gemini, we might notice clear alliances forming, solidifying or restructuring themselves, on both macro/political and micro/personal levels. This is a time to consider who you are for, and who is for you. Who you are putting on a pedestal when you could be matching them with your own poise.
Plans will begin and they will change. People will show you who they are and you will show them.
Any planet moving through Gemini is resourced with sibling-like relationships, people who come through in the most painful of pinches.
People can change, and so can you. Leave space to decide again and again who you are. Grant others the space to show you something new.
While Mars is what we call “peregrine” in this sign, meaning it is neither well-resourced nor lacking, the stories that surround Gemini nearly always contain battles, fights, and feuds. Interestingly, while some of these stories are of the more impressive variety, the conflicts are usually small scale events that, strung together, set the Trojan War in motion. We can expect thus, that this Mars in Gemini transit will contain a series of micro-tensions that relate to, but do not necessarily determine grander outcomes.
In the myths of the Dioscuri, hardship that befalls their friends and family begets revenge - with a ripple effect. When Helen is abducted by Theseus, Castor and Pollux lay seige to Theseus’s city of Athens, take Theseus’s Mother Aethra to Sparta, force her to become Helen’s slave, and place Theseus’s rival Menestheus on the throne. In other words, choose your battles carefully. One attack can inspire tenfold vitriol. If you feel assaulted in one way or another, ensure you are well equipped with those who will backup your case. Know that there are likely many twists and turns to the unfolding story.
The twins are widely respected for their sportsmanship and skill, particularly as sailors, boxers and horsemen. Themes of of voyaging or taking on an intriguing quest might arise under Mars in Gemini, in addition to the literal equestrian, athletic, nautical, and sibling-related anecdotes that I am already seeing float across the news cycle.
In the story leading up to their death, Castor and Pollux fell in love with the consorts of their cousins Idas and Lynkeus. Upon discovering their betrothed had bedded with the Dioscuri, a family feud ensued. Idas and Lynkeus tricked Castor and Pollux into a losing bet which conferred to them Castor and Pollux’s portion of a cattle herd. Later, Castor and Pollux snuck out of a gathering in an attempt enact revenge by freeing Idas and Lynkeus’ cattle. Idas and Lynkeus followed the Dioscuri and ambushed them, killing Castor. Before Idas could send Pollux to the same fate, Zeus intervened, hurling a lightning bolt to kill Idas and Lynkeus, thereby protecting his son. Zeus then spoke to Pollux:
‘Thou are my son; but after in thy mother's womb was set the mortal seed of this thy brother, sprung from her hero husband. But see then, none the less this choice I will give thee: if freed from death and the harsh years of age, it is thy will to dwell beside my throne upon Olympos, companion to Athene and to Ares, god of the shadowing spear, this choice is thine to take. But if, in thy heart's travail for thy brother, thou art in mind to share all things alike with him, then half thy days shalt thou beneath the earth draw breath, and half within the golden citadels of heaven.’
-Pindar, Nemean Ode 10 ep3 - ep5
Pollux was offered a choice, live the rest of his days as a god on Mount Olympus, or split his immortality with Castor, and both would spend an eternal cycle of one day in the heavens, the next in the underworld. In true Gemini fashion, Pollux chose an eternity between worlds with his twin.
Recalling that the sign of Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the only planetary god that can travel between the heavens and hell, we understand that
soul retrieval, choices which imply sacrifices, commitments that involve both benefits and loss, and cycles of life and death are all part of the grander Gemini story.
The moral, perhaps, is be not afraid of choices. Do not lose out on connection because you see only the loss of what wasn’t. Loss is part of life and of gain. There are things that are not really a choice. There are decisions your spirit has already made. Returning to the core of what it is you desire, and with whom, makes the little things matter less.
Dioscuri Symbolism & Ideas for Resourcing
Attuning to symbolism can be done in many ways:
visually, meditating on symbols and images
experientially, looking for synchronicities
adding devotional associated items (plants, idols, drawings, rocks, trinkets, etc. to an altar
wearing fragrances that connect you to a particular energy or myth
ingesting (associated plants and foods)
volunteering time, energy, resources to those who struggle with specific maladies (physical, sociopolitical, cultural, etc.) connected to a myth with which you are working
Attunement in any form is useful practice for interrupting expressions of planetary transits which we'd rather not experience. Below I offer more symbolism and ideas for helping all the Gemini energy express itself.
St. Elmo's fire
"Bring forth your favouring stars, Oebalian brethren [the Dioskouroi (Dioscuri)], and sit upon the twin horns of the yard-arm [i.e. in the form of St. Elmo's fire]; let your light illumine sea and sky; drive far away, I pray your Ilian sister's tempestuous star [the star of Helene was considered dangerous to ships], and banish her wholly from the heavens.”
-Statius, Silvae 3. 2. 1 (trans. Mozley) (Roman poetry C1st A.D.)
The Dioscuri are revered as patrons of sailors, presenting as St. Elmo’s fire, a weather phenomenon that creates a luminous atmospheric electric field. Essentially the fluid is ionized by wind surrounding a conductor, such as the mast of a ship, creating a corona discharge. The mast of the ship will literally have a bright blue or violet glow. Scientifically, St. Elmo’s fire is often a warning of impending lightning strike. In ancient Greece, it was often considered to be a good omen, laced with awe, that signified safe emergence from a storm. As the sons of Zeus, the god who literally throws lightning, Castor and Pollux were often equated with St. Elmo, the patron saint of sailors.
What’s interesting about St. Elmo’s fire is that it requires high-voltage differentials between clouds and the underlying ground, an ode to the Dioscuri’s every other day navigation between the heavens and the underworld. It is also a nod to the extreme pendulum swings we see in the Gemini spectrum.
Lightning and St. Elmo's Fire is a powerful visual to work with both mentally and somatically. To be clear, for folks who are experiencing severe anxiety, I don't recommend working with this symbol unless you are entering the trancework in a very safe space with a guide, or are experienced in dosing the field with safety before using this visual.
If you have capacity, you can play with visualizing being in a storm and lightning or light landing in your body and then immediately carrying you into a new dimension/out of upset. What you're really trying to do here is train your capacity to hold it down when you're surprised by new information. It's about learning to recognize the unexpected as part of a synchronous sequence of events. It's also about giving you agency to move out of tension/anxiety when the nervousness becomes compulsive. To be clear, this is different than bi-passing or dissassociating. This is something to practice in a moment of calm so that when an anxious experience arises, you don't get stuck spiraling.
Breathwork
Perhaps one of the simplest tools for nervous energy is breath regulation. Gemini is connected to the lungs so any kind of breathwork is a great practice. You can start simple, just focusing on a reasonable in-breath and out-breath (between 3-6 counts).
Pears
The pear tree is associated with Castor and Pollux. Pears are known to help the lungs, which are also attributed to Gemini. I think because they spend half their time on Mount Olympus and the other half in the underworld, there is something about breath and aliveness. The rattling of breath that indicates death, and the revival which brings us back into life.
Houseless & Guests
"O Kastor (Castor), and you, Polydeukes (Polydeuces), tamers of horses, protectors of the homeless and guides of the guests.”
-Callimachus, Lyric Frag 227 (trans. Trypanis) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.)
The Dioscuri are considered protectors of homeless folks and helpers of guests. Gemini placements are generous with their service, love to host, and respond with care to invitations.
Taking time to engage with houseless folx in your hometown is important. If that frightens you or you don't know where to start, I recommend reading this guide by The Night Ministry.
You might also consider spaces or lands where you are a guest (this might even be where you live), and look to Gemini for ideas on how to be a good visitor. Making small offerings, active listening and acts of service are all usually good places to start.
Another translation of dioscuri is "youths of god". Mercury, which rules the sign of Gemini is also equated with youth. Specifically engaging with youth would be a beautiful way to attune with Gemini. You might consider looking into a Big Brothers Big Sisters-type program or just helping out friends by caring for their children.
It is also of note that Gemini has a tendency to come and go quite frequently, never staying in any one place for too long. Allow yourself to leave and return. Do not be insulted by others' quickly changing plans.
Community Acupuncture
This resource is a more specifically connected to Mars, god of pointy sharp objects. Gemini is a domain of small things. Thus, we get the literal medicine of many small needles. If you are finding yourself especially stressed by literally any ailment, you might look into working with an acupuncturist. Community (Gemini) acupuncture tends to be more affordable if available in your town.
Body Mind Connection and Nervous System Regulation
The realm of Gemini is rich with variability. Ripe with rabbit holes and red herrings. Filled with the fodder of friction between faith and tenfold facts, inevitably followed by a few more.
Given the variability of Gemini, perhaps most pertinent to my work here, with clients and students alike is to talk to you about how to resource yourself through what can present as a very mind-maddening period.
Gemini is flighty and not always the most focused. Talkative, yes. A great listener with great practice. Easily disassociates from the task at hand but still accomplishes it. Is a menace when it comes to multitasking but a fiasco when tasked with focus.
What this means is we might have a tendency to get entangled with unhealthy thought patterns and overly reactive to anything. We might have a proclivity for escaping the body because it doesn’t feel safe. The problem is that with so much Gemini, we tend to escape to the mind, which is a powerful magician, and not always to our benefit.
Last year, for a few a few months, I experienced some rather extravagant anxiety, exacerbated by a medication to which I had an adverse response. I could not bring myself into my body. My anxiety was beyond safe levels and I was admittedly not the most fun to be around. I was told by a somatic practitioner that focusing on my heart or third eye or stomach might actually be too much, and I did note at the time that practices which had previously yielded waves of calm instead released a deluge of nausea.
Resource to your hands
Interestingly, I found the one place I could focus was my hands. My hands felt no pain. No creeping concern. No joy or worry or thrill. Nothing. When I focused on my hands, I felt the relief of emptiness. And over time placing focus there, I began to perceive competency.
Gemini is associated with the shoulders, arms and hands. If you feel overwhelmed these next few months, see if there is a place along these meridians where you can resource yourself. Even if the resourcing is minute. Even if the focus is just for a second. Even if the capacity is the smallest of skills.
There is so much more I could say about the constellation of Gemini but I will save my breath and voice for client sessions. My booking link for September will go out this Thursday.
Until then, deuces :)