Gemini Full Moon: November 24, 2007

A few days after Thanksgiving, we are trying to remember what we are grateful for. The abundant meals, the large families, the sense of bounty in our lives ... we forgot all this on Friday when we went shopping. And on Saturday, we're focused once again on the minutiae of the Olsen twins' health and love lives.

The Gemini Full Moon features the stressful opposition between the Sagittarius Sun and the Gemini Moon. It is a culmination point, when information comes to light. However, do not trust the news during this lunation. Gemini's ruling planet, Mercury, is in Scorpio in an exact (partile) square to Neptune. Mercury-Neptune is the aspect of deception and lies, confusion and delusion. Poetic language may be nothing more than a veil covering over the ugly truth. And with Mercury in Scorpio, how can the information that's been exhumed be anything but dark and dirty? The gossip pages will likely offer "suggested" evidence regarding a celebutante's or politician's sexual proclivities, accompanied by the Neptunian spin of his or her publicist, denying the facts without actually stating that nothing happened.

The Fine Print: The Full Moon is at 1 degree 55 minutes Gemini. Mercury is at 19 Scorpio. The Full Moon will mostly impact natives with personal planets in the first few degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces).

Gemini New Moon opposite Pluto in Sagittarius - June 14, 2007

For some, the thrill of reading TMZ.com and gossip rags is that they expose celebs' secrets and public gaffes: drunk driving, cocaine abuse, racist comments. Seeing the underbelly of the carefully controlled image reminds us that even the fabulously wealthy are flawed human beings.

But we have to be careful of how we ingest the news. Our minds crave distraction from the humdrum of our daily lives, yet how often does our media diet contribute depth and substance? Are we, as a collective, over and done with Paris Hilton, as low as she's sunk? Could it be that the press is a tool of the government, trying to control us so that we don't question our nation's destructive foreign policies? Does the Bush administration own TMZ? Are Paris, Britney and Lindsay nothing but pawns of the American Enterprise Institute?

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm just making a point. Gemini can be superficial and gossipy, oblivious to the dangers perpetrated by those in power. Sometimes we get so stuck in absorbing mindless information that we don't pay attention to world affairs.

The Sun and Moon in Gemini opposite Pluto in Sagittarius can by symbolized by the investigative reporter who exposes human rights abuses in Guantanamo Bay, pedophilia in the Church, date rape at universities. Even in the context of celebrity news, the exposure of racism (Mel Gibson, Michael Richards, Don Imus) provides a useful service.

What does this have to do with you?

This New Moon is at 23 Gemini. It is making several aspects:

• Opposition to Pluto at 27 Sag
• Exact semisquare (45 degrees ) to Venus at 8 Leo
• Tight sextile to Mars at 22 Aries
• Sextile to Saturn at 20 Leo
• Square to Uranus at 18 Pisces
• Trine to Neptune at 21 Aquarius

As you can see, the degree areas between 18 and 27 are being highly stimulated, by both hard aspects (Pluto, Uranus, Venus) and soft aspects (Saturn, Neptune, Mars). Mars, Saturn and Pluto are in a Grand Fire Trine. Saturn and Neptune are finishing up their opposition. This New Moon is activating all these configurations.

So if you have any planets or angles around this degree area, something will be up for you. Share your chart in the comments section, and maybe someone can help you out.

Full Moon in Gemini - December 4, 2006

There are ideas, and then there are philosophies. Our chattering mind is constantly running. What gives our thoughts a sense of cohesion is an over-arching framework -- something that gives the many little facts in our heads a sense of meaning.

Facts are the realm of Jeopardy. But of what use is information -- other than winning on quiz shows -- if these bits and bytes do not cohere into something bigger?

Of course, the danger of a belief system is that we tend to filter out the data that does not fit our philosophy. Whether you're a Christian, a Nietzschean or an astrologer, you seek out evidence to support your view of the world.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this. Life can feel pretty empty without a sense of meaning guiding us, so we latch on to a philosophy or religion that inspires us. But there's no one "truth." The realm of facts and figures is quantifiable, but the domain of meaning is subjective. We can all agree that an Electric Mini can go from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, but this statistic will inspire some (greenies, car enthusiasts) and do nothing for others.

The Full Moon highlights this conflict between ideas (Gemini) and philosophies (Sagittarius). Our will is directed towards expansion and inspiration, while our comfort needs are met by solving Sudoku puzzles and reading gossip blogs. Geminian pursuits provide pleasure, but reading about Britney Spears doesn't significantly enlarge our perspective on life. (Or does it?)

Uranus in Pisces is making a square (a 90-degree angle) to both the Moon in Gemini and the Sun in Sagittarius, challenging us to shake up those ideas, opinions and beliefs of ours that have stagnated over time. Uranus introduces information to shift our paradigms, to bring fresh insights into our lives. During this Full Moon, you may receive a shocking e-mail, or you may have a conversation that disrupts your mental equilibrium. Since Gemini also relates to short-distance travel, neighbors and siblings, you may have an unpredictable encounter with the girl next door, or get into a bicycle accident. Wear a helmet!

This Full Moon will most directly impact people with planets or angles around 12 degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), as well as those with birthdays around March 3, June 3, September 5, and December 4.