Category Archives: Gemini

Sphere of Ether, Meteors and Fire – Cancer Ingress 2021

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Cancer Ingress of The Sun. 21 Jun 2021. 4:32:09 am. Greenwich, England.

The ingress of the Sun into Tropical Cancer marks the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and one of the four Cardinal points of particular interest in Mundane astrology. The four cardinal ingress charts refer to the ensuing period of three months.  These Tropical events define the seasons. The next cardinal ingress will be in, the beginning of Autumn in the northern hemisphere.

We do well to consult the Chart of the Year for the same location, with the ingress of the Sun in Aries earlier this year. That chart revealed that Saturn was the LoY. Interestingly, Saturn was in the 9th House in that chart as well, while the Lord of the Ascendant was Mercury fallen in Pisces.

The chart for the present ingress is calculated for GMT and my comments are specific to that location. The comments I will make are by no means exhaustive and I’ll be elected to convey the essential spirit of the Solstice and central themes.

.Of Immediate interest is the Fallen Moon in Via Combusta. Both the Moon and the 6th House are indicative of the common people, separating from a punchy Mars in Leo in the 3rd House. She is also applying to a square with Saturn. We can say that she’s besieged and Mars, Lord of the 6th House is an otherwise poor aspect. The opposition of Mars to both Saturn and PoF is highly significant and this becomes quite clear as we consider the chart as a whole.

Luna is in the 18th Lunar Mansion According to H. C. Agrippa (1533 AD) the Moon in this Mansion causes discord, sedition, conspiracy against the powerful and, revenge from enemies, but frees captives and helps buildings. According to Ibn ‘Arabi (1200 AD ): Meaning: The Heart [of the Scorpion} Attribution: The Sphere of Ether, Meteors and Fire. Divine Attribute: The Seizer.

The clear and accelerated tension between the common people and what passes for the establishment is palpable.

In Mundane astrology, the Ascendant and First House show us the general conditions of the natives as a collective and the position of the nation in the world.

Mercury in Gemini is the Lord of the Ascendant is well placed by Sign and House but in apparent retrograde motion. The chart is for the Hour of Mercury and he is also the Almuten. Strikingly, Mercury is also the doryphory, [dorypʰóros] “Spear-Bearer” to the Sun.

England is under Aries, but the city of London is under Gemini, so this narrows the focus more precsiely. The Phase of Mercury is Matutine Waxing. Mercury goes Stationary Direct the following evening at 16 ♊︎ 07′ 37″ of Longitude

The often-cited 1066 Chart for the Coronation of William I indicates an Aries Ascendant of 22°︎ 17. 

Crucially, Venus is the Significator of Manners, also known as the Lady of the Geniture. The placement and the relationship of Jupiter in the Exaltation of Venus, whilst Venus shines in the domicile of the Moon is a strong signature of how the will and needs of the people may be realized.

In traditional astrology, the Moon’s nodes are referred to as Caput Draconis – “Dragon’s Head” and Cauda Draconis – “Dragon’s Tail”.  In Indian astrological tradition,  the nomenclature is Rahu and Ketu respectively.

Detail: Descending node of the lunar orbit (The_Tail) -Wellcome L0030675

Notably, this Mercurial chart has the N. Node in the Exaltation of the Sign Gemini. The Node is with Aldebaran, the S. Node is with Antares. This is a highly dynamic, intense placement of the Nodes with clear implications regarding Britain’s place in the world at this time: projecting its renewed engagement on the international stage outside and along with the EU while struggling with core events whose effects will be felt for a generation. These include the implementation of the goals of Brexit as well as the internal stress on institutions such as the NHS.

In Mundane astrology, the ninth house relates to judicial systems, including jurisprudence, morality, religion, diplomatic entities and foreign affairs in general. Afflictions to this house or its Lord by the malefic planets, including Rahu or Rahu like planets, bring the spectre of corruption and setbacks for the fortune of the country. Saturn is Lord of the 9th and the 8th house. The 8th House relates to plagues. We can see that ineptitude in the face of catastrophe exists in plenitude. However, this is offset by the condition,  placement and reception of the two benefics.

The Nocturnal triplicity ruler of the Financial Significator is Mercury. While Sun and Venus are in aversion to the POF and Saturn, there is a favourable relationship with the Ascendant

Jupiter is stationed in his Nocturnal domicile in Pisces in the 10th house. Venus in Cancer is in the Sign of Jupiter’s Exaltation, handily received by Jupiter in the Exaltation of Venus, as has already been indicated  Considering the 2nd House placement of the Sun and Venus, economic stresses will be largely alleviated.

Nevertheless, the situation is tense and the dynamic of frustration and revolution is in the air. What we are seeing are outlets for the pent up emotional damage caused by 18 months of lockdown. To prevent an outlet from becoming an explosion, astrological analysis reveals the nature of the way forward.

Here’s wishing all my readers, friends, colleagues and clients a Blessed Solstice!

Mars in Leo – Turkish Miniature

Gemini: Sign, Myth & Meaning

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castor_and_pollux_by_zerolexa-d55ja88

We are fortunate to have such access to many Classical texts on astrology In the  The Anthology of Vettius Valens of Antioch, Book I. Concerning the Nature of the Stars  (Schmidt & Robert Hand p. 3). Valens introduces Mercury with these words:

“The star of Hermes (Mercury) is significant for the education of children, letters, disputation, speech, having brothers, interpretation, the herald’s office, number, counters, geometry, commerce, youth, playthings, theft, community, announcement, service, profit, discoveries, following, contest, wrestling, declamation, sealing, sending messages, setting up, being suspended, scrutinizing, hearing, versatility.”

L0068353 Monas hieroglyphica

John Dee – Modified Mercury Glyph from Monas Hieroglyphia . The Crescent of Soul is being drawn down to the centre of the Sun His glyph for the Monad adds the Horns of Aries at the Base and a Dot in the Circle of Spirit, signifying consciousness..

Hermes has two domiciles viz. Gemini and Virgo. Hermes is the most protean of all planets and is only masculine or feminine according to placement, that is to say Oriental or Occidental of the Sun. As the messenger of the gods you will find his glyph to be Solar and Lunar over the Cross of Matter; Mercury contains all three symbols, signifying the potential integration of spirit, soul and matter.

Hermes is the Primordial Hermaphrodite, adept at communicating with lightning speed. The price of speed however is lack of depth. This comes when he co joins other planets either by Aspect of Reception. It is important to note that Apollo is an ancient Greek name for Mercury as a morning star

Valens writes of the Sign Gemini:

“Gemini is male, bicorporeal, articulate, the house of Mercury, upward-trending, celestial, feminizing, a freedman, sterile, public. Under it are born scholars, those working in education and letters, poets, music-lovers, declaimers, stewards, those who receive trusts; also translators, merchants, judges of good and evil, sensible people, practicioners of the curious arts, and seekers after mystic lore.

Flora And Zephyr by William Bouguereau, 1875

Flora And Zephyr by William Bouguereau, 1875

In general, whatever the house ruler usually produces according to its own nature, whether good or bad, greater or lesser, this it produces in each of the signs according to the operative or inoperative configuration of the houseruler.”

I find this less satisfying than the description of Mercury itself.  It’s not that any of what he writes is false; but it has little meaning until the last sentence brings it all into focus. I dare say this is more true of Gemini than other signs, including Virgo.

Let’s turn now to the Gemini Myth. The tale of Castor and Polydeuces is complex. Other than the fact that they are called the twins (Gemini) it takes a bit of effort to find other elements of the myth that point to the sign.

They were the Dioscuri, twin sons of Zeus and Leda or Tydareus and Leda. When Tyndareus is called the father, Castor and Polydeuces — or Pollux, as he is known in Latin, are known as the Tyndaridae. Sometimes Castor is considered the son of Tyndareus and Polydeuces the son of Zeus, just as the Dioscuri’s sister Clytemnestra is the daughter of Tyndareus, while their sister Helen of Troy is the daughter of Zeus. Only Polydeuces  was divine.

Gemini finds its place in the Air triplicity, as the mutable (or common) expression of that element. The Air triplicity is concerned with the Intellectual faculties and the world of Mind. The sign is hot and moist, masculine, human and barren.

Mercury2

Hermes stirring up the Ether – Botticelli’s Primavera.

Like the element Mercury, Gemini likes to run over the surface of things, without ever penetrating the surface. This can manifest as the joy of intellectual play. Gemini is a dual sign and needs focus in order to resolve the apparent dual natures of their being, as illustrated in the myth of Castor and Pollux. It is only apparent: this is not like the situation with Pisces where the two fish are bound together and swimming in different directions. Although one is an equestrian and the other a pugilist, the Gemini twins are inseparable and move as one .

When Castor was slain in battle, and Polydeuces, inconsolable for the loss of his brother, besought Zeus to be permitted to give his own life as a ransom for him. Zeus so far consented as to allow the two brothers to enjoy life alternately, passing one day under the earth and the next in the heavenly abodes. According to another form of the story, Zeus rewarded the brothers by placing them among the stars as Gemini the Twins. They received divine honours under the name of  Dioscuri. The key here is knowing what it is to be human and divine at the same time.  Hermes weds Earth to Heaven.

Roman ruins – Temple of Castor & Pollox

Using Alchemical language, Paracelsus tells us that “The world is as God created it. In the beginning, He made it into a body, which consists of four elements. He founded this primordial body on the trinity of Mercury, Sulphur and Salt. These are the three substances of which the complete body consists.” (Paracelsus Ed. Jacobi . Trans Guterman p. 14) Salt is Base Matter, Sulphur is omnipresent Spirit of life and Mercury brings about the divine fusion of opposites.

Hermes is given many attributes in Classical sources. One of the better known is the association with the West Wind or Zephyr, the subject of much artwork, including Botticelli’s  Birth of Venus.