Confetti
A parent, noticing their child’s love of the written word, presents her with a fancy pencil set and a thick pad of paper. They’re dismayed when she quickly scrawls something, picks up the paper and tears it into tiny pieces, then gleefully tosses them into the air.
As Mercury journeyed through Taurus, it gathered tools and supplies; when Mercury is in Gemini (June 3, 2024, 12:36 am PDT – through June 17), it plays with them. Mercury in its own sign enjoys writing things down, documenting thoughts and ideas – but it’s not all that attached to any of them. It’s enough to record them and then send them as a fluttering of confetti onto a fine spring breeze, reflecting the sunshine and reaching the obliging ear of the universe.
The Power of Names
Mercury’s trine to Pluto (June 3, 2024, 11:12 pm PDT) marks a moment when a portal opens for reinventing ourselves. It’s not unlike a young person who goes away to college and recognizes the opportunity to adopt a new nickname (or drop an odious one) and exchange their “partier” label for a spot on the Dean’s list.
Names and titles matter. They are Mercury’s way of telling the world what to think of us.
Mercury in aspect to Pluto calls attention to the power of names, words, and definitions to influence how we’re perceived. Usually, that begins with how we think of and talk about ourselves. This week, take notice if you find yourself using self-deprecating jokes or putting yourself down. Note how often you apologize reflexively, when no apology is required, apologizing for simply existing. When Mercury connects with Pluto, it’s time to take control over our labels, names, and stories. They matter. So do we.
Perspective
Mercury and Jupiter are opposites in many ways. Mercury delights in small details, while Jupiter’s purview is the big picture. When Jupiter comes up with a big idea, it’s Mercury that breaks it down into bite-sized pieces and actionable steps. And conversely, when Mercury is so preoccupied with the trees that it doesn’t even remember that the forest exists, Jupiter pulls out its wide-angle lens to remind us what all the minutiae adds up to.
This week, Mercury and Jupiter come together in a conjunction (June 4, 2024, 3:23 am PDT at 2º12’ Gemini). Look out the window of a plane as it begins its descent; tidy fields look like squares on a granny quilt, and cars on a crowded freeway resemble a child’s toys in stop-motion animation.
If we look at small things from a wider perspective, they create a kind of pointillistic landscape in which tiny dots of paint create a unified image. But it’s an image that relies on the individual pieces in order to exist at all.
Speaking Our Language
The Sun conjoins Venus (June 4, 2024, 8:33 am PDT, 14º29’ Gemini) on the Sabian symbol 15 Gemini, Two Dutch children talking – a symbol that reflects the comfort and affection that we feel when we’re with someone who speaks our language, both literally and metaphorically.
We were traveling in New Zealand, sitting at a café, when I overheard a voice from a neighboring table. “Why does that voice sound so familiar?” I wondered, then realized that the person had an American accent. I felt the urge to go over and bask in our kinship, a rush of affection toward someone I might not even like if I met them back home.
There’s something lovely about being with someone who speaks like you do, even if you don’t know each other at all.
Pinwheels
Gemini season boasts the perfect cosmic weather for exploring ideas. What do we want to learn? What sorts of people would be interesting to visit? Which are the books that belong on your summer reading list? Nothing in this month’s planetary picture should discourage you from brainstorming your Gemini heart out.
But this Gemini New Moon (June 6, 2024, 5:38 am PDT) – with five planets in Gemini – is like a pinwheel that is touched off by each fanciful breeze. One idea immediately collides with another, and then another, and another, until your mind is racing and you feel like you did as a kid, spinning around and around until you collapsed dizzily on the front lawn.
Heed the sensible advice of the New Moon, Sun, and Venus square sensible Saturn, which wisely points out that you can do anything you want to do—you just can’t do it all at the same time. Focusing on just one thing, one bright, glimmering idea, is the best way to slow the pinwheel when it starts to spin out of control. You’ll need to focus, hard, on your single most compelling idea, and broaden that picture in your mind until it glows with possibilities. Then make a plan and—this part is key—take a concrete, Saturn step, however small, toward making it a reality.
Squirmy
This week, Venus squares Saturn (June 8, 2024, 1:25 am PDT, 19º02’ Gemini and Pisces) and the Sun squares Saturn the next day (June 9, 2024, 3:36 am PDT, 19º05’). The Sun and Venus are on the Sabian symbol 20 Gemini, A cafeteria; Saturn is on 20 Pisces, A table set for an evening meal.
Could the symbolism be more apt? Gemini is a fast-food, cafeteria-style sign, well-suited to choosing from a variety of pre-made food and eating it quickly in a serve-yourself environment – the better to make a quick getaway. But when the Sun and Venus in this sign square Saturn in Pisces, we’re asked to slow down, to enjoy a nice evening meal with a beautifully set table, dress nicely, and have nice, long conversations.
The problem is, Gemini can feel a little bit squirmy if it sits in one place for too long, however pleasant the setting and company. Conflict between Venus and Saturn requires both parties to sacrifice a little bit in order to make the other more comfortable. In a relationship, for example, this might mean that one person is ready for a commitment while the other is not, and each needs to appreciate the other’s point of view.
The Sun’s square to Saturn is like finishing school in which we’re asked to restrict our natural Gemini desire to get out, see a lot of people, and have a wide variety of interactions. Instead, we’re tied down by a particular set of obligations. When the Sun squares Saturn, we can feel physically exhausted, as though we’ve carried a heavy load all day. But Saturn is always trying to teach us to be more disciplined and responsible, and this quick transit can remind us that slowing down and honoring our commitments will make our relationships – and our respect for ourselves – stronger.
Pulling the Plow
This week, Mars leaves Aries for the more measured pace and relaxed pastures of Taurus (June 8, 2024, 9:35 pm PDT). It’s true that Mars struggles a bit in this Venus-ruled sign, so antithetical to its fast-moving nature. The fixed nature of Taurus slows Mars down, which can be frustrating; Taurus’ desire for pleasure and relaxation can be distracting for Mars. But it’s also a stabilizing influence, and this could be a time we start to get some traction on the ideas and projects we’ve been thinking about over the past month or so, when Mars entered Aries on April 30.
Imagine an ox methodically pulling a plow, making the earth ready to receive seeds. What Mars in Taurus lacks in speed, it makes up for in strength, tenacity, patience, and joy in the effort of physical exertion. Enjoy its languid pace through July 20.
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
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