By: Janette Dalgliesh – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
17 – 23 May 2020
It’s a Gemini week, featuring a new lunar cycle beginning with a New Moon in Gemini (exact times below).
But first, Sun moves out of earthy, practical Taurus and into curious, fresh-air Gemini, bringing a lightening of the mood and blowing away the cobwebs.
Next, Venus in retrograde mood crosses Mercury – ruler of Gemini – adding in her passionate clarity around desire to the mix.
If you’ve hesitated to explore your own most secret, deep desires – this week and the upcoming lunar cycle will be the time to allow them to surface.
Jung made the link between Mercury and our unconscious, because mythical Mercury had the unique ability to visit the underworld – Pluto’s realm – and return, at will.
Astrology Liz Greene makes the link between Venus and our own most unapologetic desires, since Venus helps us know who we are by the things she rules – what we find beautiful, our core values, and who we like to hang out with.
This all feeds perfectly into the upcoming lunar cycle, which starts this week with the Dark Moon in Aries, Taurus and (for a moment!) Gemini.
The Dark Moon is really the end of the previous lunar cycle, but it’s also a perfect time to tie up loose ends, rest and recharge, and set up to incubate the next cycle. The one we’re in this week incorporates Aries, Taurus and – for a day – Gemini.
Bold warrior Aries will relish the burning away of everything that needs to be released. Anything that involves literal fire or simply works up a sweat will do: running, digging in the garden, ceremonially burning a breakup letter with the past, torching the debris from an old and irrelevant romance or identity (with appropriate seasonal fire precautions and within local bylaws, of course!).
When Moon moves in to Venus-ruled Taurus, we switch our attention to the pampering and nurturing of our physical bodies. Find time to be alone with her, to tend her with nothing but love and adoration. How does she like to be touched? What flavours does she adore? What are her favourite aromas? Try a cleansing bath, healing orgasms (solo or with your favourites acolyte), scented candles and lush bouquets dedicated to your inner goddess. This is the lush decadence of letting top-quality organic chocolate melt on your tongue, not the mindless brutality of shoving a whole Mars bar down your throat in one sitting.
New Moon
This New Moon at 2° of Gemini is the perfect time to activate intellectual curiosity.
Not the brain drama of whiny “I don’t knooooowwwww“
But the genuine curiosity of “hm, I don’t know … I wonder …” and then be willing to listen to the messages.
If your brain kicks up thoughts like “oh, I could never…” or “but I don’t know how …” – please ignore it!
Yes, there might be gaps to bridge, but if you indulge your brain’s old opinions of what is possible, you block those incoming messages. So don’t do that!
The New Moon lights up the big 2020 Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, so let that be an inspiration and a clue as to where you might want to point that curiosity.
What’s the thing you decided to start creating with the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in January 2020? What new things have you learned since then which you could incorporate? How could you be going bigger, more robust, more expansive?
(And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out all the details here – this is important stuff for EVERYONE!)
The Lunar Cycle
Working with a lunar cycle works best when we remember the pattern and the dynamics behind it. It’s like surfing. You wouldn’t try to catch the lull, the calm between waves – you’d aim for the barrel for maximum momentum. Following the rhythm of the lunar cycle puts you in the pocket.
If you’re working on a bigger project – the kind of multi-year adventure you’ve been working on with the Saturn-Pluto conjunction – the lunar cycle can be used to work on a specific goal, target or inspiration as part of that project.
Here’s the cycle and how it works
- New moon – good for new wishes, intentions, leaving lots of wiggle room to incorporate new data
- Crescent phase – collect information, allows the thing to take shape – leads into:
- First Quarter Moon – take action to resolve any issues, and to build whatever is being built
- Gibbous phase – organise, integrate, plan, analyse – lead into:
- Full Moon – launch – time for full exposure, blossoming, harvesting – go public if appropriate – can get a new perspective with the illumination from the moon
- Disseminating phase – share information – leads into:
- Third Quarter Moon – readjust, respond to any issues on you awarenesses – learn from the project – prepare to drop/close the project or phase
- Balsamic phase – a period of transition in preparation for the ending of the cycle- leads into:
- Dark moon – the end of the cycle, time to release, clear, let go – tie up loose ends, rest and recharge – set up to incubate the next cycle
Full Moon will be a lunar eclipse at 15° of Sagittarius, so as we think about our New Moon activities, it is smart to look ahead to that heady, optimistic Sagittarian energy, and of course the overarching larger work we’re embarked upon.
New Moon
We humans cannot exercise full intellectual curiosity effectively while we are stuck in judgement, fear or unconscious rules about how-things-work. This New Moon plus the Venus-Mercury combination is ALL about curiosity, and we want to take advantage of it.
So judgement is definitely something to release with the lead-up Dark Moon.
All the rules in your head about what is possible come from your own brain, acquired from all the years of messaging, input and experience you’ve already had.
Dark Moon is always a good time to release those old rules, especially as curiosity god Mercury is semi-squared by Uranus – leader of our own inner rebel alliance. Paradigm shattering is well within the realms of possibility here.
We’re also well inside the unusual dynamics of a powerful retrograde party featuring Venus (desires), Saturn (our life mission), Pluto (transformation) and Jupiter (expansive optimism). It’s a pause, a shift in perspective, which allows us to re-examine and reassess the things those planets are interested in.
At the New Moon, we activate the Gemini curiosity to ask ‘who am I now, and how am I different to who I was back then?’
We engage “I wonder …” across the board – and especially in the area where we have been doing our Saturn-Pluto conjunction work.
We pro-actively wonder about any new ambitions, ideas, concepts, inspirations.
We give ourselves credit for the growth already achieved, and we recognise our own shifted perspective. (These are especially important to ensure Saturn doesn’t go into meltdown in our brains, simply adding more pressure)
I know for me, on that last one, what’s working is to reduce the pressure and increase the fun. That requires conscious work during a pandemic, so I know implementing more fun and ease will be part of my lunar cycle work. Meditation and magical support + remembering to come from love + time dedicated to Lego building. Yours might look just as weird and wonderful!
I know I’m not even who I was a month ago, let alone in January. I’m pretty sure the same might be true for you.
And that’s not only to do with external circumstances like viruses and politics.
That’s also to do with the inner work to which I am committed.
Some questions you might play with at the New Moon:
- I wonder what I’d like to do next in my business?
- I wonder who I’d like to spend time hanging out with next?
- I wonder what I like best about my sweetie?
- I wonder what habitual thoughts I’d like to change, in the interests of growth and expansion?
- I wonder what I’d like to do when I grow up?
- I wonder what uncomfortable truths I’ve been avoiding? [no judgement, remember!]
- I wonder what’s working and not working, in the foundations of what I’m creating next?
Full Moon
In two weeks we get the Full Moon at 15º Sagittarius. This is Jupiter’s territory, the planet which reminds us that dreams and goals should be fun and over-the-top and big and AMAZING!
It’s also a lunar eclipse, adding big oomph for a fiery spirit of exploration and optimism.
It also lights up Mars in Pisces.
This action warrior hero is in the sign where everything is everything, where the butterfly effect is in full force and even tiny actions make big ripples.
It’s Mars interested in the potential for our actions to be of service to the whole of humanity, rather than focusing purely on our own interests.
But Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, doesn’t DO martyrdom, so our humanitarian action has to have its roots in our own personal joy.
It’s our job to find that sweet spot where we make a difference in the world by doing the thing that most lights us up and brings us joy and hope.
With the New Moon, we can also prepare the way by asking, from a spirit of pure curiosity and wonder:
- How might I be of service AND delight myself?
- How do I take what I’ve been building and make it even more useful, even more joyful?
- Who am I now, and what am I bringing to the world?
In the lead up to Full Moon, we dive into curiosity, and then we take those answers and insights and weave them into some action plans which light up our dreams of what the world might look like.
This might feel like BIG stuff. That’s because potentially, it is.
Doesn’t matter. You can start with something small and easy. In fact, with a Jupiter-influenced Full Moon, that’s the best approach of all.
It could mean volunteering one hour a week to a worthy cause, pro-actively managing your social media to be a source of hope for many, planning out a whole new course of study to prepare for a new career, setting up a business to help change the world – or any number of other things.
Apply curiosity plus optimism plus a review of all your old concepts and ideas.
Drop judgement and bring only curiosity and possibility to the process.
It sounds like a fabulous opportunity, to me.
PS if you’d like to receive these articles direct to your inbox along with coaching tips to help make the most of the astrology du jour, sign up here.
PPS if this process of claiming and creating something new in your world sounds like too big an undertaking, that’s the kind of work I do with my clients. Astrology = deep insights into your unique life mission and purpose. Coaching = making that shit real. For more information, check out my website.
Exact times (US Eastern timezone):
- 20 May, 9.49 AM – Sun into Gemini
- 22 May, 4:41 AM – Venus conjunct Mercury at 21º Gemini
- 22 May, 1:39 PM – New Moon at 2º Gemini
- 5 June, 3:12 PM – Full Moon Penumbral Lunar Eclipse at 15º Sagittarius
Janette Dalgliesh has one mission in life – to wreak more joy in the world. That means no more walking through the day like a zombie, doing the job-from-hell, twisting yourself into a pretzel to suit other people, or putting off those secret dreams you’ve had since childhood. Janette uses her unique blend of astrology and neuroscience-based coaching to help women uncover what they came to the planet to do, and how to make that real. If you’d like Janette’s help with doing the world-changing work that most lights you up and brings you joy and hope – check out her website.
