Solar eclipse in Gemini
/On June 10, at 6:52 AM (ET), we have a New Moon Solar Eclipse occurring at 19° Gemini.
Solar eclipses are look super-powered new moons. Usually, a new moon will planet the seed for the next 28 day lunar cycle — from new moon to new moon. Eclipses, however, mark important moments of change, crisis and pivots. Instead of playing out over 28 days, they work on a much more "macro" level, working in 6 month cycles. This is a moment of something new coming through — whether it's as profound as a new vision of your identity, or as mundane as forming a new habit.
Eclipses are moments when the natural cycle of light and darkness is interrupted. For ancient peoples, it would have terrifying to have the moon turn red or for a shadow to fall over the Sun, once every six months or so. Eclipses have a sense of shadow — things that are usually hidden come to the surface, and the things we usually see move into the shadows.
In our personal lives, it can feel like hidden parts of ourselves come to the surface — those deep wounds, those hidden fears, those secrets we deny to everyone — especially ourselves — are ready to be revealed. Our deepest patterns, our long term dynamics, those deepest roots... this is a time when we can change them. This is a time when the foundations of our lives start to shift.
The lunar nodes have been in Gemini and Sagittarius since May 2020. The first eclipse took place on June 6, 2020 — a lunar eclipse (full moon) at 15° of Sagittarius. What events or themes started popping up in your life around then? If you know what houses Gemini and Sagittarius occupy in your birth chart, that can give you some clues as to what topics of life will be affected by this eclipse season.
On November 30, 2020, we had a lunar eclipse (full moon) at 8° Gemini. Today's solar eclipse is likely to be a continuation of whatever started back then — what have you let go of and released since that time? And what space has that left for you to start planting new seeds? Remember, eclipses play out over many months, so it's possible that those changes happened a few weeks or months after the actual eclipse takes place.
The last eclipse in the Gemini-Sag cycle will be a solar eclipse at 12° Sagittarius on December 3, 2021. Whatever we start around this time will continue to play out over the next six months. The nodes will move into Taurus and Scorpio in mid-December — we are in the home stretch of this particular eclipse season!
Keep scrolling to find out which house topics these eclipses have activated for you.
Mercury cazimi: a moment of insight and clarity... if you’re listening
This solar eclipse is unique for a couple of reasons. The eclipse takes place in Gemini, which is the zodiac sign ruled by Mercury. This means Mercury is "responsible" for the eclipse, and can either provide support or challenges, depending on what they are up to.
In this case, Mercury is cazimi — which is a fancy astrology way of saying "Mercury is conjunct the Sun." Whenever a planet is within 15° of the Sun, they become invisible to the human eye. It's as if the planet is travelling into the underworld, journeying into darkness. And when the planet makes an exact conjunction to the Sun, it is said to be in the "heart of the Sun." The Sun acts as a kind of purifying force — it burns off whatever wasn't working before, and leaves the planet with some special insights.
Typically, this was seen as painful process for the planet. However, because Mercury is in their home sign, Mercury is protected from the worst of the Sun's scorching rays. In fact, Mercury is empowered by this dynamic. There is a kind of fusion between Mercury and the Sun — a moment of enlightenment, revelation and insight. This is an opportunity for new knowledge to be revealed, or for there to be some kind of reversal in your Mercury retrograde journey thus far. Mercury cazimi marks the halfway point of the retrograde, and it's usually around this time that some of the confusion of the retrograde station starts to clear up.
Unfortunately, this message, insight or download might not be very obvious or clear in the short term. That's because Neptune is sitting at 23° Pisces, within 3° of Mercury, and adding a layer of confusion to matters. It's important to remember that we don't know the whole picture — yet. Neptune fogs up our minds, makes us confused, and makes it difficult to think clearly. Neptune can also make us prone to anxiety and fear.
This is not a time for certainty. This is not a time for clarity. We are going to have wait a little longer for the message to become clear.
In the meantime, practice listening with all your senses. Practice connecting with your artistic and creative self to try and access the messages. The insight and enlightenment from the Mercury cazimi won't necessarily come to you in a straightforward way.
The message is waiting inside of you. During this eclipse, it's our job to create as much space, as much quiet, as possible, so that the message can come through. Can you get quiet enough to listen to the whisper of your inner voice?
North node in Gemini — and why you should put your phone in greyscale this week
Today’s solar eclipse takes place near the North Node. In ancient Hellenistic astrology, the north node represents a place of increase — it's where our appetites are directed, a place of hunger, desire, a place of more, more, more.
This eclipse could make us ravenously hungry for ideas. We might want to consume many different voices and perspectives. We might want to drown out the anxiety we feel inside by filling it other people's platitudes.
Instead, what would happen if you got quiet? If you went for a walk without your phone? If you didn’t listen to a podcast while you washed the dishes? This is a great time to practice good digital hygiene. For me, I’ve started charging my phone in the living room over night, so that it’s not the first thing I see in the morning. I also put my phone in greyscale, and holy crap, it REALLY helps to soothe the nervous system.
Try to create as much quiet space as possible, so you can hear yourself think. The less information you consume, the more space you can make for the messages inside of you to come through. There are important messages out there for you... can you slow down long enough to listen?
Solar eclipse in Gemini - through the 12 houses
Here is a quick overview of the topics this solar eclipse in Gemini might bring up for you, based on your rising sign.
Aries — siblings, friends, neighbourhood, your daily magical practices & rites
Taurus — money, assets, resources, how you make money
Gemini — identity, body, health, sense of self
Cancer — deepest secrets, self-destructive patterns, where you go to hide
Leo — friends, networks, alliances, collaborators, coworkers
Virgo — vocation, career, public roles and reputation
Libra — belief systems, values, religion/spirituality, higher education, foreign travel
Scorpio — the assets and resources shared with other people, debt, inheritances, taxes
Sagittarius — significant partnerships and relationships
Capricorn — health, daily routines, relationship to labour and power
Aquarius — creative projects, pleasure, recreation, play, gambling, children
Pisces — home, family, parents, ancestry, lineage
What themes and changes have the eclipses in Gemini and Sagittarius brought up for you since last May? Let us know in the comments below.
Confused about what this means for you? Don't forget, you can always book a birth chart reading to get personalized insight into what these eclipses mean for you and how you can work with these energies most effectively.