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Dear Friends,

We have all heard the aphorism that there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything we need or want to do.  This phrase couldn’t describe my experience any better at the moment.  No matter how focused I am, no matter how efficient, no matter how determined, unexpected issues and complication seem to throw themselves in my path and demand immediate attention, preventing me from accomplishing all of the task on my “to do” list.  The fact that the New Gemini Moon is today (Saturday, June 12) seems to reflect that energy nicely.  Gemini is the butterfly of the zodiac, flitting from one thing to the next, never sitting still for long, constantly in motion.  It is fitting that Gemini rules the mind, for the mind can be very much like this butterfly, a little wild, a little random, and always in motion.  This Gemini New Moon will bring information to us that we need in order to move forward successfully. It will also bring a great deal of useless or incorrect information, as well.  Whether or not we process this information in a productive way is up to us.  The feelings of being overly busy, having many demands upon us, and feeling like we cannot stop moving do not relieve us from the responsibility of making good choices and decisions for ourselves.  There is so much information available, or at least so much that appears to be information.  How do we separate the wheat from the chaff?  This is the gift of the Gemini New Moon: we will receive opportunities to do just that — to discern between good, useful information, and background noise.

This Gemini New Moon sets the stage for the week ahead!  I am especially excited about this week because Venus will move into Leo on Monday, June 14th.  Leo is the sign that rules our passions and brings out the feelings of pride and pleasure in our hearts.  It is very important to understand the Leo energy in our charts, because if we are engaged in our lives in ways that bring both pleasure and pride to our experience, then we are more than likely happy and fulfilled.  Mars just left the sign of Leo after a prolonged occupation.  Usually, Mars only spends 6 weeks in a sign, but he just spent over 7 months in Leo.  During most of this time, Mars was retrograde, which means that we should have been doing some soul-searching in the Leo recesses of our psyches.  Times are tough, and getting tougher.  The Mars retrograde in Leo period gave us lots of time to dig deep and reach a superior understanding of what makes us happy, brings us pleasure, and instills pride in our hearts.  Hopefully, you got the memo!

Mars has moved on to the next sign of Virgo, bringing our attention to our routines, our health, and our ability to adapt, all of which have been tested over and over again for the last 2.5 years with Saturn moving through that sign.  Saturn will be at 28 degrees of Virgo all week, which is the degree of the most recent Saturn-Uranus opposition.  Whatever issues were vexing us in late April or early May will come back this week for resolution.  We have some new tools to help us deal with the situation in new, fresh ways, which is what the sign of Virgo is all about.  Venus in Leo is our newest tool, and it will help us to attract situations, people, and resources that give us an opportunity to feel pride, pleasure, and passion.  Of course, passion is judgment neutral, so beware how you allow this energy to manifest.  We create our own experiences, so if you are having experiences you don’t like, chances are that you should point your fingers at the mirror.

Venus in Leo is trine to the conjunction of Uranus and Jupiter in Aries, which could give us lots of fuel to dig deep and bring pride and authenticity to our experience.   It could also make it easy to express anger, self-confidence, and our own deepest desires.  Since we will be operating under the Gemini New Moon, we will want to make sure that whatever comes up for us is expressed with as much integrity as possible.  We should not let the messages we need to receive or to transmit become sullied by bad information or excessive emotion.  Venus in Leo is asking us to practice integrity, and to associate with those who are doing the same.  Mars in Virgo says we must pay attention to the details, and the ongoing opposition of Saturn and Uranus makes it clear that we we should respect tradition where it works, and innovate where it does not.

A Gemini New Moon is a time that we must take special care not to pollute ourselves with gossip, small-minded conversation, or hateful rhetoric.  Garbage in equals garbage out.  If we want to have better experiences, happier lives, and more fulfilling relationships, then we must begin by only communicating that which is both true and well-intended.  Intention is the key, as any good Buddhist or yogi will tell us, but it is also the hardest thing to keep pure.  We need to be aware of how our intentions, our words, our actions, and our choices affect the entire world.  Just look at the crisis in the Gulf:  if our society didn’t want oil so badly, there wouldn’t be any oil rigs to explode.  How do we, each and every one of us, contribute to this situation?  How can we, each and every one, contribute to the solution?  These are the questions that we should be pondering as we move forward.

Pluto in Capricorn is demanding that we all learn how to take responsibility for ourselves, and how to hold others accountable for their choices.  These will be tough lessons, but the sooner they are learned, the sooner we can move forward.

Once again, I feel compelled to share Marshall Rosenberg’s groundbreaking work from the 60s: Nonviolent Communication.  This Gemini New Moon is the perfect time to spend some time familiarizing or re-familiarizing ourselves with technique.

Be well and be happy!

with love

m