Full Moon - 20 Sagittarius - 6/11/06

Full moons tend to be stressful, as they concern the tension between two opposite signs. The opposition is about relationships, and since this full moon highlights the friction between Gemini and Sagittarius, we get caught up in disagreements about our thoughts (Gemini) and beliefs (Sagittarius). Gemini loves facts, Sag loves theories.

This Full Moon in Sagittarius is conjunct Pluto. Pluto in Sag relates to extremism and the uncovering of dirt in publishing (James Frey, Kaavya Viswanathan), religion (sex abuse scandals, The Da Vinci Code, Al Queda, the religious right), higher education (Duke rape scandal) and international relations (immigration, border issues). These issues will be illuminated during the Full Moon, and you may also experience these themes in your own life. Is there anything in your life regarding issues of belief, faith, religion, philosophy or the world at large that you've been hiding, or that you have been compulsive about? Now is the time to come clean.

The Moon is also making a stressful square to Uranus and a beneficial sextile to Neptune. Uranus squares tend to be surprising and disruptive. However, Neptune can soften the edges, allowing us to indulge in our dreams.

New Moon - 5 Gemini - 5/27/06

My midheaven -- which rules vocation and public reputation -- is at the last degree of Taurus. I've been reading that any planet or angle at the last degree of a sign is just dying to finally enter the next one. So it makes sense that I feel so drawn to writing, which is Gemini's domain. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, messenger of the gods. Anything related to communication relates to Mercury: journalism, gossip, books, learning.

Gemini is hungry for information, and loves to talk about what she's learned. I'm currently subscribed to about 30 astrology blog feeds, which allows me to grab the headlines from these blogs, all on one page. Although I have no planets in Gemini, I can totally understand the yearning to read 100 magazines and blab on to my friends about what I've gleaned. This is what I've been doing with my Astrology at the Movies blog: notifying readers -- either by posts or by links on the sidebar -- about the latest essays on film stars by the internet's astrologers.

During this Gemini New Moon, our desire to start a new project -- be it writing, picking up a book, or starting a salon -- is supported by a sextile from Saturn, which gives our Geminian fickleness a needed boost of commitment and groundedness. The planet of hard work, about sixty degrees away from the Sun and Moon, makes it easier to study without taking too many snack and TV breaks. And being that the New Moon is in a waning sextile to Saturn, there is an Aquarian quality to the aspect: use the next two weeks to read and talk about humanitarian efforts or the next great web 2.0 application.