In Gemini Season, we step out of the fiery new beginnings of Aries season through the grounding earth energy of Taurus and into the gifts of Mutable Air. The Mutable signs (Gemini/Air, Virgo/Earth and Sagittarius/Fire) live between the seasons and act as energetic bridges that create a place for us to absorb and incorporate what was, so that we can prepare for what will be. The element of each sign reflects the way in which the sign functions. In the case of Gemini, its Air element reveals its communicative power and reflects the ways in which our thoughts and ideas influence our reality. This year, Gemini’s companion planet, Mercury, resides in Taurus, the sign of steadiness, beauty and all things that are of value. The theme of this Gemini season lives in any question, thought or story that asks us to consider what we truly value. With the discerning energy of Air, we are supported in this pursuit of understanding what is true to us and determining how we want to care for it. Whether it is of value to the body, the mind and/or spirit, Gemini - with a sweet nudge from Venus, the ruler of Taurus - asks us to consider how we can be of service to those ideals.
Air is expansive, powerful and primordial. Most of us cannot live without it for more than a few minutes. Air returns us into that first breath we take after being born, that first experience of life as an individual separate from the womb of creation. It connects us intimately to each moment as it carries the scents and flavors of the season, the music of birdsong and the stories that we tell ourselves and each other.
With Mercury - the great communicator - as its guide, Gemini and its Mutable Air wants us to remember the power of words to shape our experience and to influence those around us. We are encouraged to explore how these words express our truths, our faith and our values. We can feel the complex power of communication more intensely when we recognize that Gemini and the Heart Chakra share the element of Air. In conversation with each other, Gemini season and the Heart Chakra remind us that when we align our thoughts and words with the pure energy of the heart, we are able to move through the world with more compassion and kindness. We can move from a place of value and strength instead of doubt and fear.
“We all breathe the same air. Air is the medium of interflow between all people. It is also the medium of interflow between person and nature. All plants breathe in the air; in this way, the plant kingdom absorbs the ethos and the atmosphere of the planet. There is spirit in air.” John O’Donohue
Air is indispensable for individual life and for all life. It is the “interflow” that connects us to all beings. As such, Air - like the Mutable signs - is the bridge into and out of life. It is holy for, as the late, great Irish philosopher and mystic, John O’Donohue, points out: “there is spirit in air.” We meet spirit with each breath we take, for each breath is sacred. Our breath is a mirror for the quality of our life. When we find ourselves holding our breath, it can tell the story of anger or fear or excitement. When the breath becomes shallow or erratic, we may find ourselves in the story of stress. Deep, uncomplicated breaths communicate moments of ease and peace. One way to facilitate this narrative of relaxation is to focus the breath on the steady beating of the heart. When we focus our awareness on the sensation of the heart beat, we can begin to feel the inhale expanding the space around the heart center and its Chakra - the Anahata - the space that can never truly be struck, for it is perfect and whole just as it is. If we can allow the beating heart and the rhythm of our breath to continue to expand with each inhale and exhale, we can begin to feel that there is no separation - from body and breath, from hearts and minds, from ourselves and others - only connection. Without separation, we can begin to value ourselves more and to see more clearly the value that lives in all beings.
In the tarot, The Lovers card opens up a portal to this truth of unity and wholeness, holiness and sacred beauty. Like the breath, The Lovers card mirrors the nature of how we relate to our own self and to others. The Lovers card is deeply connected to Gemini and its associated planet, Mercury. The Lovers, Gemini season and Mercury ask us to be open to all aspects of ourselves - the shadow places and spaces that are full of light - so that we can find value in all the parts of ourselves. The Lovers card specifically asks us to look into the mirror of our own heart, to seed that sacred space with loving thoughts and affirmations. With The Lovers’ capacity for compassion and empathy and Gemini’s curious, intelligent flexibility, we can begin to amplify these qualities and bring them to all of our relationships. The magic of The Lovers card (Mercury also connects us to The Magician card) reveals itself when we consider it to be an invitation to become more intimate with the stories we tell ourselves. It reminds us that we have the power to choose what stories support us and what stories no longer resonate.
The Lovers ask, “How can you expand your heart and find forgiveness there?” When you are able to find forgiveness for yourself, you make more space to find forgiveness for others. In forgiveness, you open to the transformative power of compassion. Gemini, the Heart Chakra and The Lovers weave together the story of your heart’s infinite capacity to love and bring to you the gift of healing, for love transforms all things. Allow your heart to be the compass that will guide you to that place of wild beauty where love lives. May this Gemini season be a portal to deeper understanding of how your breath, your thoughts, your words and your relationships are always there to lift you up in support of your gracious heart.