The New Moon in Gemini occurs at 18:40 (UT) on the 28th May 2014 at 07°Ge20′.

When the New Moon is in Gemini, life normally speeds up. But with Mercury now in the shadow zone, there’s more of a sense of being overwhelmed! Maybe your very full inbox is staring at you with a beady eye, your to-do list is unwieldy, your car in need of cleaning or a service or communications and plans are all over the place.

I just went for a walk in the local park. The Sun was out, the birds singing. But as I wandered around, two dogs started a fight with each other. One owner threw his walking stick at the dogs but the aim was (thankfully!) poor so I ducked and so did the other person. Cue huge argument with dog owners! I kept walking as their shouts of blame echoed behind me, just glad that both dogs were none the worse for their scrap!

The challenge this New Moon is all about perception. What you think isn’t necessarily what others think. The New Moon is square to Neptune and Pallas and trine to Mars. Actions (like the flying walking stick!) could be ill-advised, unplanned or simply not well thought out because perception is skewed.

“All that we see or seem. Is but a dream within a dream.” Edgar Allen Poe

With the Gemini New Moon square to Neptune there can be a tendency to lose yourself in daydreams and unrealistic imaginings. The trine to Mars pushes you to take action but the square to Pallas suggests the plan is unformulated. What starts out as seeming a good idea could descend into a messy pile of half-starts and misfires. The best way of working with this is to simply write down what you are thinking. It’s perfect brain fodder for the up-coming Mercury retrograde. Let yourself sit with things for a while before charging off in the wrong direction. The ideas and dreams themselves may not be wrong, it’s just about how you execute them.

With the New Moon conjunct asteroid Hygeia, the focus is also on how to obtain a healthy mind so that you can clearly define your thoughts. You may want to start small with your to do list or take it large and dive straight into re-vamping your entire scheme of organisation. Meditation is another option or chanting if your mind is inclined to wander. Doodle, create a mind map or visualization board. Whatever method you chose, the focus is on getting a clear view of what is at the bottom of the pile. What is floating around in your subconscious that keeps pulling you off track? Watch if you find yourself stuck on words or Freudian slips. They can tell you a lot about what you are really thinking.

One of the biggest issues with the Neptune influence in this lunation is that there can be a tendency to deceive yourself or even another. Neptune by its nature sometimes reflects a distorted picture. You may not have the correct information. Maybe you don’t even know what you don’t know! It’s possible that it just seems easier to lie or to stick with the fantasy as this is far more entertaining than the facts. Taking the easy way out may seem highly appealing but once Mercury is in full retro swing, it’s likely that this will become problematic.

The trick really is to see both sides of things. This is the art of Gemini. By engaging a compassionate response, you are more able to put yourself in another’s shoes. It’s also about being compassionate with yourself. If you find yourself wallowing in negative thoughts, particularly those where you feel like a victim, fall back on Mars instead. What would it feel like to have more courage? What kind of thoughts do courageous, go-getting, successful people have? Most often, what you find is that it isn’t necessarily the thoughts that are different, just the responses to them. In fact, the New Moon square to Neptune and trine to Mars, could be perfect for the ‘fake it til you make it’ approach!

The New Moon falls on the Sabian symbol : –

Aroused Strikers Surround A Factory

This symbol shows the unrest that occurs when two conflicting points of view cannot be reconciled. This happens inwardly too. When your mind is in conflict about what to do, if you can’t decide, the result is inaction. Everything stops. At war with yourself, your life work lays undone. The difficulty with Neptune is idealism. Everyone has the perfect vision of how things ‘should’ be. There’s nothing wrong with idealism, it’s important to reach for the stars. But sometimes compromise is necessary just so that you can get back to work.

Neptune also represents the spiritual realms. If your soul hasn’t been allowed a word in edgeways, this too can cause a revolt. Of the Gemini twins, one was mortal, one immortal. Both aspects must be able to express themselves and be understood by the mind.

The mind is a beautiful thing but in order to make the best use of it at this lunation, there is a need to rein in wild imaginings , keep escapism in check and hold off choosing the prettier option. Mars gives you the impetus and the energy to clear your mind and have courage in your convictions.

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” Aldous Huxley

Painting – ‘Strike’ by Mihaly Munkacsy