We had the results yesterday of the India election, greatest democratic election on earth, the Lok Sabha, held once every five years. I saw the news and was reminded of a reading I did back in April, in a conversation on twitter with a friend, journalist, author, and previous client who shall, for reasons of her personal privacy, remain anonymous for the purposes of this post. I’ll call her D.
My REPLYYou may not like this, my friend. Treat it as an exercise in Tarot-style analysis. The question as stated to the Tarot was, do we see a third term as PM for Narendra Modi?
Cards from the Legacy of The Divine Tarot
See that 3 Cups tarot card and the 3 Hearts at the end of the 2 rows? Two threes are indicative of a third term for Modi and he draws a victory card on the future timeline (6 Wands). But there are “buts.”
That King Wands card drawn reversed/upside down is talking about Modi’s ambition to win the south. (King Wands = “king of the south” and the suit of Wands is the suit of politics) But, though he may gain more seats, even in Kerala, this does not look likely to go his way. Though nor does it suggest a victory for Rahul Gandhi. He may still do well in the south but as a prospective PM, it seems the global times are not favourable to his proposed reforms, however excellent in intention. Women’s issues may not be a priority at this election. 2029 might be different. But, see that central Queen of Pentacles? Women/a woman politician may emerge more powerfully from this process. Working against Modi -agriculture issues (7 Pentacles) unemployment-jobs for young people (Jack Diamonds) Why will he win, if he wins? Strength card. National security on the international stage. Lack of confidence in cohesion of other parties. Dangerous times globally, Modi may currently be seen as India’s strongest arm and best bet should there be confrontation with, say, China or Russia. (Despite govt failures to stop/contain the horrors in Manipur.) But as ever, only time will tell.
D. Thank you for taking a look. Disappointing to me for sure because if he has his way, elections don’t seem to be in his plans at all in 2029 and too much damage may have been done by then.
REPLYHe doesn’t seem to be getting things all his way, even if he does win a third term. And winning it and completing it are not the same thing. But the cards that are drawn, I share without fear or favour. Another poss scenario…at least as shown here in this card spread – 3 party coalition. Re Astrologer X and the rise of women’s issues. That Queen of Pentacles, who is she? As a principle this card says the critical issue is the India economy. Tis Queen reps Capricorn. India’s future is looking increasingly strong overall. Despite economic demographic challenges. But this “queen” is also likely a real person, rising on the political scene.
D.
Let’s wait and see. Not very long to go now. Again, thank you for reading.
5 June 2024: What has the Tarot reader seen/interpreted correctly?
The reader has correctly forecast the overall outcome in answer to the question as stated. Modi seems likely to secure that third term. But, also as detected in the cards, Modi is indeed weakened, and he and the BJP will not be having things all is/their own way. Continue reading HERE
Re: women’s issues
D. “Re: astrologer X, I don’t see the bit about women rising happening anytime soon. Not this election certainly…”
REPLY“Women’s issues may not be a priority at this election. 2029 might be different. But, see that central Queen of Pentacles? Women in India /a woman politician may emerge more powerfully from this process.”
My understanding via the cards was somewhat ambivalent on this point, indicating both a yes and a no answer. One thing is clear. That Capricornian Queen of Pentacles card is clearly NOT depicting Mayawati of The Bahujan Samaj Party.
The BSP, “which contested 424 seats across the country and 79 in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, could not win a single seat.”
As to the value of the BJP manifesto pledges for women in India, I do not feel qualified to judge. Their pledges as follows:
1/ “The BJP will extend the “lakhpati Didi” scheme that empowers women to have an income of more than Rs 1 lakh per annum. “We have empowered one crore rural women to become Lakhpati Didis (prosperous sisters). We will now empower three crore rural women to become Lakhpati Didis” (Is this a big enough deal? What is the current baseline? )
2/”We will empower women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with the skills and tools in key service sectors like IT, healthcare, education, retail and tourism with an aim to increase their income.”
3/”We will integrate women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with ongoing initiatives such as One District One Product (ODOP), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Ekta Mall, ONDC, GEM, One Station One Product, enhancing better market access for their products.”
4/ “The BJP will also facilitate participation of women in the workforce through various means. “We will ensure development of infrastructure such as working women’s hostels, creches etc. with the specific focus on locations near industrial and commercial centres to facilitate increased participation of women in the workforce.”
5/ “Our women sports persons have brought honours to our country. We will encourage greater participation of women in sports by launching women sportsperson focused programmes and facilities.”
6/ Public toilets for women (OMG, this requires a manifesto pledge?) “We have provided dignified lives to women by constructing public and individual toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission. We are further committed to upholding the dignity of women by continuing to construct and maintain public toilets.”
7/”We will expand the existing health services focussed on the prevention and reduction of Anaemia, Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer and Osteoporosis, ensuring a healthy life for women. We will launch a focussed initiative to eliminate cervical cancer.”
8/ Low down the list-Women in Parliament—to constitute 1/3 The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam seeks to reserve one-third of the total number of seats for women in Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and Delhi Assembly.
9/ Shakti desk. Women help desks at police stations “for their safety”.
These pledges, which may seem conservative or long overdue to many readers outside India ARE personified in that central Queen of Pentacles. Is it enough, soon enough?
But that powerful, grounded, fiscal card; te Queen of Pentacles is followed by the Six Wands. This is undeniably a card of progress…and it is fast moving.
I surmise the next 5 years will show that Astrologer X (Jessica Adams) was not wrong.
“India will be truly successful only when women occupy equal space in our society. They must take their rightful place in politics and shape India’s destiny.”
-Rahul Gandhi
What has the Tarot reader not seen/interpreted correctly?
The identity of the powerful female politician represented by the Queen of Pentacles card remains unclear. I surmise she is Sonia Gandhi, although she did not stand for election herself.
“Sonia Gandhi‘s sharpest weapon, it is often said, has been her silence. It was so this election as well when the once reluctant politician and Congress leader helped forge the opposition INDIA bloc, speaking little and seldom in public but wielding enormous power. The 77-year-old didn’t campaign this time, possibly because she has been unwell, and chose her words and moments carefully.” – Economic Times of India
I understated the success of her son, Rahul Gandi in this election.
“Though nor does it (Tarot) suggest a victory for Rahul Gandhi. He may still do well in the south but as a prospective PM, it seems the global times are not favourable to his proposed reforms, however excellent in intention.”
The prediction was correct both in respect of saying Rahul would not be PM and the rising strength of the opposition. But still, I, the reader,underestimated the strength of his performance in this election. He has done WELL. The opposition overall has done much better than Modi seems to have anticipated.
“NEW DELHI, June 4 (Reuters) – Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, mocked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his supporters for a decade as an entitled dynast, marked a stunning comeback on Tuesday, emerging at the centre of an alliance that made deep inroads into ruling party strongholds.
The scion of India’s fabled Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, he embarked on two cross-country marches against what he called Modi’s politics of hate and fear, giving a jolt of enthusiasm to his Congress party and rehabilitating his own image.”
Since I started writing up this tarot reading, the opposition has conceded defeat, but with defiance. This from Al- Jazeera…
“Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in his opening remarks at the continuing opposition INDIA alliance meeting says the coalition “fought well, fought unitedly, fought resolutely. The mandate is decisively against Mr. Modi, against him and the substance and style of his politics,” he said in a post on X. “It is a huge political loss for him personally apart from being a clear moral defeat as well.”
“Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance on their victory, and the nearly 650 million voters in this historic election. The friendship between our nations is only growing as we unlock a shared future of unlimited potential.” 3:40 PM · Jun 5, 2024
“Looking in the glass darkly”. That’s what the reader is doing. The act of divination is one thing. It can take us a long, long way, far extending our reach, and it is a mystery how this happens. But context is key when delving deeper. Having either a clear brief or instruction, or having access to at least some basic knowledge of the situation under investigation is what enables a deeper analysis of the cards.
Weekend #Tarot#astrology 3 Wands and 8 Wands. Snapshot in time. Whatever deck you’re using, it’s a study exercise. Draw cards in the morning, review in the evening, personal level and in the news.
Author’s own cards: Thoth Tarot
3 Wands or 8 Wands stand alone as positive cards, but combinations count. Here we are looking at a double dose of FIRE energy in airy Gemini season= solar flares, electric storms or combustion, literally or metaphorically. The cards are showing Aries action + Sagittarius long reach and long range. At home, you may have been a busy bee-or a bit stressed. News/comms travelling fast. But these cards say you get unstuck. Forward momentum.
-In Pozzuoli: Super volcano Campi Flegrei is awake and growling. A 4.4 earthquake last Monday night drove people out of their houses in terror. (Solar flares again?) I associate the Knight Wands with eruptions (like the 8 Wands, this card is also Sagittarius.)
Last time Campi Flegrei erupted (1538) the ash cloud reached Russia- which yesterday bombed a DIY store in Kharkiv. Bravo Putin. A 12 year old girl and her mother were among the dead. Four fragments of bodies to be identified. Oh well done, Mr Putin. The heroes of Stalingrad would be so proud.
Sweden and the UK are allowing Ukraine to use weaponry against Russia, that has been supplied to Ukraine by UK and Sweden, if it is used in compliance with international law. The US is *said* to be reconsidering its position.
-Hamas has fired missiles into Tel Aviv and alleges it has captured Israeli soldiers, which Israel denies. The Israeli army has responded, bombing a displacement camp in NW Rafah, 30 Palestinians reported killed.
UK election pending, and I will be looking again but the signs in the cards are it will indeed be a Labour win, and it is going to be a rough ride, while we hope for the best. What is Keir Starmer going to do about his proposed deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner? Here comes the election campaign. She is quiet.
US Election, the cards are mighty peculiar. Biden looks weak at home and overseas. Eight Swords. Hamstrung. Democrat voters deeply divided re US policy in Gaza. Republicans unhappy re US support of Ukraine, however conservatively it is being managed. Trump is also weak, Five of Pentacles (disappointment) Mr Trump is not to be written off, however, says the surging, go- ahead Knight of Wands (a card which also says July/Aug and November/December in timing issues) However, This Knight -which CAN mean a new government- is not in the critical position in the spread, and could signify another episode of civil unrest in the event of an electoral defeat for Trump, and this would be happening Nov/Dec . But a win for Mr Biden, or at least a Democrat win, is still more clearly indicated, picking up more campaign points after mid-summer. The appearance of The Empress suggests the added significance of the women’s vote this coming election, due at least in part, likely, to the overturning of Roe v Wade
We are in a year of the Dragon. OK, it is the Wood Dragon. It is somewhat more open to reason than other Dragons in the Chinese zodiac. But still, it is a dragon. Dragons gonna do what dragons do.
Context is key for getting at specifics, aside from when reading the cards purely for meditation purposes. Here, the reader is simply “looking in the glass dimly”, not working to any particular brief, just drawing cards at random, taking the temperature, so to speak, and noting any significant real-time, real world synchronicities.
This year the sun is in the sign of Gemini from May 20- June 19, 2024. The dates for the sun signs can vary by a day or two from year to year for astronomical reasons. This year the sun leaves Gemini and enters Cancer on the day of the summer solstice, June 20.
The word ‘zodiac’ comes from the Greek meaning ‘circle of animals.’ The only zodiac sign that is non-representative of a living creature is Libra, the sign of the Scales. But in astronomy, even the Scales of Libra are borrowed from the stars of Scorpio and the claws of the giant scorpion in the heavens next door.
Gemini is the third sign of the Western Tropical Zodiac, and represents the end of spring and beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere.
Gemini associations
Symbol:
The Roman numeral for 2 is joined top and bottom in representation of the unity of duality
Hebrew letter: Zain, meaning, sword, weapon.
Ruling planet: Mercury
Affirmation: ‘I think, I inquire.’
Body: shoulders, arms and hands, lungs, autonomous central nervous system. The cell salt for Gemini is Kali Mur- potassium chloride, which builds fibrin in the blood, organs, and tissues of the body. Gemini is vulnerable to upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, and asthma (pollen season).
Birth Stone: If born in May, Emerald. If born in June, Pearl (although it is not a stone, it is thought to be ruled by Mercury)
Lucky stone: Tiger’s Eye. Why? The Tiger’s Eye is made of silicon dioxide with bands of iron. Grounds ‘flighty’ Gemini energy. Brings focus.
Public domain
Colour: Yellow
Tree: all kinds of nut trees
Flower: Lily of the Valley, Lavender
Tarot cards: Major Arcana: The Lovers (love, choices, decision-making) For some readers The Magician, associated with the Norse god Odin/Woden/ruler of Wednesday and the rune OS/ANSUZ (mouth, speech, oratory, answers.) Court card: The Knight of Swords. Minor Arcanacards: 8, 9 and 10 Swords.
Gemini is the northernmost constellation in the zodiac, and the thirtieth largest in size, appearing high in the winter sky in the northern hemisphere looking north east of the constellation of Orion between the Taurus and Cancer constellations. The best time to view Gemini is in February, and then by April and May, we’ll get the best views looking west soon after sunset.
Gemini was recorded by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century as “The Star of Apollo” (Castor) and “The Star of Heracles” (Pollux).
The two brightest stars in the constellation are the “twins” themselves – Castor and Pollux, representing the heads of the twins from Greek mythology, while fainter stars outline their bodies. Pollux, the westerly twin, is a red giant star 33 light-years from Earth and Castor is about 51 light-years away. A light-year is the distance that light travels in a year – about 6 trillion miles/9.6 trillion kilometres.
Pollux is the brighter of the two stars with a massive planet orbiting it; Genorium Beta, 1.6 times bigger than Jupiter (and Jupiter is so massive Earth could fit inside it x 1,300 times.)
Castor is actually not a single star, but a star system made of up six stars not visible to the naked eye.
History and Mythology
The concept of twins in mythology goes back at least as far as the so-called Age of Gemini, during the Palaeolithic, 6, 500 BCE, arising from our understanding of the duality fundamental to the nature of reality. There are male and female twins in world myth, but there are many twin brothers in particular standing for night and day, light and dark, heat and cold, male and female, war and peace, good and bad, life and death. The creation myths of ancient cultures reflect this eternal battle of seeming opposites. Many surviving objects feature twin gods and goddesses; a major theme across all cultures.
The ‘twin stars’ have been recognised as representing twins across all cultures, each with their own names and stories. In Arabic astronomy the twins were seen as peacocks. In Egyptian astrology they were twin goats, or else the two gods, Horus the Elder and Horus the Younger, while classical Greek mythology identified them as the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux, aka The Gemini, from the Latin word for twins. The name Castor comes from the Greek Καστωρ (Kastor) and means “to excel, to shine.” The name Pollux comes from the Roman form of the Greek Πολυδευκης (Polydeukes) meaning “very sweet.”
The circumstances of their birth were unusual to say the least. Queen Leda of Sparta was seduced by Zeus though seduced is putting it too politely. She was bathing in the river when he glided up, disguised as a swan, preening his feathers, and then pounced.
Later that evening, notwithstanding the undoubted trauma of this shocking event, Leda slept with her husband, King Tyndareus, and went on to produce four children all in one go; Castor, Pollux and their sisters Helen (later Helen of Troy) and Clytemnestra (later married to Agamemnon as queen of Mycenae.) Pollux and Helen were immortal, fathered by Zeus but Castor and Clytemnestra were mortal, fathered by Tyndareus.
Public Domain, the young Castor and Pollux (Meissen)
The mortal Castor was renowned as a horseman and a master at fencing, while the immortal Pollux was known for his great strength and skill at boxing. They went everywhere together. But then Castor was killed in a quarrel, in a disagreement over dividing the spoils after a cattle raid, and the sorrow of Pollux was so great he told Zeus he didn’t want his immortality, not if it meant eternal separation from his twin brother. Zeus scratched his head, wondering how to fix this, and then decided to place them both in the stars, to be together forever as the constellation Gemini.
The Greeks worshipped the twins as gods who helped shipwrecked sailors while the Romans later developed a cult around Castor and Pollux dating back to 484 B.C. building a temple to the twins in the Roman Forum in 414 BC in thanks for their help in defeating their old enemy, the Latins, in the battle of Regillus. Castor and Pollux were the patron gods of horses and the Roman cavalry, the equites, appearing as such on early Roman coins.
Gemini Zodiac Archetype
Mercury by Hendrick Goltzius, 1611, Public Domain
All the zodiac signs represent archetypes; meaning something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing. The natal zodiac sun sign in western astrology paints a poetic portrait of a person born at a particular time of year, in a particular season as experienced in the northern hemisphere, in a tradition originating at the thirty sixth latitude (Sumeria, modern day Iraq).
The planetary ruler of Gemini is Mercury, the planet nearest the Sun, representing the winged god Mercury or Hermes; patron deity of all forms of communication, media, trade, global commerce and travel, medicine, research and analytics. Hermes was the son of the goddess Maia, one of the seven sisters of The Pleiades who gave her name to the month of May.
Mercury has a lesser known role as a psychopomp; one who can go between the realms of the living and the dead, a go-between and safe escort to the dead. It was Mercury/Hermes who escorted the souls of the newly dead to the banks of the Acheron or The Styx, where they waited for Charon to come in this boat and ferry them across to the Underworld. It was Hermes who escorted Persephone out of the dominion of Hades to be reunited with her mother Demeter.
Painting by Frederick Leighton
Gemini is a mutable sign, ruling the borderline between late spring and early summer. The other mutable signs are Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. The mutable signs are considered the most changeable and agile of the signs; inquiring, agile, adaptable, talented, cerebral, analytical, logical and restless.
The Gemini temperament is friendly yet watchful, generous but changeable -mercurial as personified by Hermes with his winged sandals and the caduceus- emblem of messages and trade. The well-known delivery company of the same name clearly chose its name for this same reason. At the same time, Gemini can also be surprisingly dogmatic, attaching themselves to causes, whether it is to do with religion or an entirely secular social or political manifesto, or to do with lifestyle; for example, exercise or diet choices. Gemini may become a born-again convert- or crusading missionary. Intellectually, Gemini is quick, but emotionally, can become fixated. Taurus is stubborn too, but Taurus doesn’t seek to convince or convert others to its own way of thinking.
Gemini can be, not insincere, at least, not in that moment, but quick to lose interest, fluttering like butterflies, looking for the next new thing, looking for some better, brighter flower. This can apply to the way they interact with other people, here today and gone tomorrow, even though once mature, and once committed, they make dutiful, devoted partners and parents.
Every suit in the Tarot deck has its own court with a king, a queen, a knight and a page. The principle court card associated with Gemini is the super- fast moving Knight of Swords.
Smith Waite Tarot
Card Meanings: news, sudden developments, strongly worded email, legal action, surgical procedure, dental procedure, shock, blow, attack, air strike, plane,missile, bird of prey, assertiveness, intelligence, calculation, a confident, forceful young person (aged about 25-40), injury, snow, hailstorm, windy weather, cold wind, east wind,
The Decans of Gemini
The word ‘Decan’ comes from the Latin meaning ‘ten.’ Each zodiac sign lasts about 30 days and is further divided into three blocks of roughly 10 days each. These are the decans or as they’re sometimes called, the ‘thirty-six faces of astrology,’ bringing added depth and nuance to the psychological profile associated with your natal sun sign. The minor arcana cards associated with Gemini; the Eight, Nine and Ten of Swords, correlate with the decans.
If you don’t feel like you are a ‘typical’ Gemini, well, we’re all unique, and our natal sun is the keynote in our natal chart but not the whole story. But it may be because you’re a second or third decan Gemini native, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Gemini. It’s all still equally Gemini, whatever the decan and this holds true for all the zodiac signs. But an early-born Gemini and a later-born Gemini are born under slightly different planetary influences.
First Decan Gemini (0-10 degrees)
21-31 May
Eight of Swords
Smith Waite Tarot
Card Meanings:Entrapment, uncertainty, helplessness, waiting for rescue. There is a way out if only you will open your eyes, look around and take a step forward. I have also come to associate this card with practical plumbing/drainage issues.
This decan gets a double dose of the planetary influence of inquisitive, rational, Mercury. This is an alert, perceptive, intellectual and forceful personality. The acumen is sharp. The negative side of this coin is a Gemini native who is just as inquisitive but careless, flighty, forgetful, restless and unreliable. First decan Gemini is a multi-talented juggler, light on their feet, graceful and agile. But at the same time they tend to develop a strong point of view on a wide range of subjects, and they have a clearly defined belief system. For all their apparent flightiness they are also tough and resilient-even stubborn, a quality more usually associated with Taurus, its next door neighbour and predecessor in the zodiac. Gemini make devoted partners, contrary to whatever people might assume. They will hang on in there when the going gets tough, though they are prone to boredom and quickly tire of routine. They have considerable charisma and sex appeal. But they also know when they’ve got a good thing, so long as there’s plenty of social interaction and sufficiently frequent short distance travel to keep their restlessness under control.
Second Decan Gemini (10-20 degrees)
June 1-10
Nine of Swords
Card Meanings: The so-called Nightmare card, also nicknamed “cruelty.” Worry, ‘the black dog,’ anxiety, stress, grief, insomnia, depression, the things that keep us awake at night.
The sub-ruler of this decan is Libra, ruled by Venus, planet of love, beauty- and money, while Libra is the natural ruler of the seventh house of marriage, partnerships, close associates, associations, and legal matters. This Gemini is more of a “me-too” person, rather than an “I-am” person compared with, say, a first decan Gemini. This Gemini native needs to be especially discriminating in their selection of companions/associates and to avoid making early decisions about a choice of partner. Gemini 2nd decan is often drawn to quiet, reserved people. Their reserve fascinates Gemini-Libra which matches up well with reliable, practical types who can get a job done with little fuss or excitement. This person will ground, refine and complement the Gemini-Libra.
People respond well to the Second Decan Gemini warm and effusive nature. They also have a sense of adventure, same as the other Gemini decans, and they enjoy travel for the sake of new experiences. Sharing is part of the Gemini-Libra life; they are generous with their time and friendship and also with possessions. Gemini-Libra is great company. Just don’t be surprised or upset if they disappear as suddenly as they appear, or if they go quiet on you without warning. It’s not personal. It’s just the way they are.
Third Decan Gemini (20-30 degrees)
11-20 June
Ten of Swords
Smith Waite Tarot
Card meanings: Destruction, despair, betrayal, stabbed in the back, ruin, dark night of the soul, and the darkness before dawn, the only way is up, illness, comatose, a fall, spinal injury, head injury.
The personal planets of the third decan Gemini are Saturn and Uranus, painting a portrait full of contradictions. Sometimes this person is ultra-careful, dutiful, responsible, serious, at other times carefree or even careless. Uranus combined with the planet Mercury suggests an unusually active or even brilliant mind possibly even verging on genius. This person may be a thinker who is ahead of their times. Or maybe they are just zany.
Aquarius – natural ruler of the eleventh house of friends, hopes, and wishes-makes this Gemini a social type, a friend-oriented individual interested in social causes. This Gemini is an optimist, always interested in trying out what is new, and never happier than when they are on the move.
Life is rarely dull with a cheerful Decan 3 Gemini around, but they are the most independent- natured Gemini decan. They need plenty of space and freedom, with a partner who makes few demands on their time and attention. They are very hard working when they put their mind to it. But keeping promises, fulfilling obligations and routines are not their strongest suit. It is a mistake for this Gemini native to marry early or settle too soon. Adventure, exploration and experimentation with ideas, people and places- this is what they are about. This is what makes them tick.
The Cusps of Gemini
Birthday May 21 through May 23
This is Gemini with Taurus tendencies. The ruling planets are Mercury and Venus. This is a strong and magnetic personality, often with talents in music, art and literature. They are lively and sociable, good conversationalists hospitable and fond of travel. They desire to excel but may suffer from a fear of rejection, and at times may worry overmuch about the opinion of others at the expense of their intellectual independence and the exercise of their personal agency.
Birthday June 18 through June 21
This is Gemini with Cancer tendencies, ruled by Mercury and the Moon. This native possesses foresight and analytical ability combined with idealism. They will do well so long as they stay practical and do not go in for speculation and risk taking. This birthday does not bring that particular kind of luck. They may at times be too sensitive for their own good, liable to take offence or be sorry for themselves. But, graceful in movement, tidy in appearance, affectionate in nature, this native is a good friend. If they say they will do something, they keep their word.
Famous Gemini natives
John F Kennedy, Donald Trump, Frank Lloyd Wright, Boris Johnson. Johnny Depp, Queen Victoria, Charles 11, George 111,George V, Muammar Gaddafi, Angelina Jolie, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Carl Linnaeus, Peter the Great, Adam Smith, Richard Wagner, Arthur Conan Doyle, John Maynard Keynes.
Keynote Astrology Dates in Gemini 2024
May 20: Sun enters Gemini ruler of the third house of intellect, communications, siblings and neighbours
May 23: Full Flower Moon in Sagittarius. Futurism, a breakthrough, foreign affairs, possible summit, visionaries, possible progress on a ceasefire
May 23-June 16: Venus enters Gemini coming together with Jupiter. Feeling good, looking good. Dating and socializing. Making Art. Writing. Just watch the spending.
May 25: THE astrological event of Gemini season 2024. Jupiter enters the sign of Gemini until June 9 2025. Here is an intense focus on fact-finding, fact-checking and the power and meaning of words. Here are big things in public discourse, deep fakes, AI and space tech and all things, welcome or otherwise, carried on the wind and in the air. We are witnessing the Fourth Industrial revolution. Last time we had Jupiter in Gemini, June 12, 2012-June 26, 2013, Voyager 1, launched September 5 1977 was the first man-made object to enter interstellar space. Just be aware, Jupiter in Gemini can mean disinformation and cults. It can mean the mob and witch hunts, especially when Pluto is in Aquarius (think too of the French Revolution and the guillotine). It’s best not to rely on any one single information or news source before arriving at our conclusions about anything.
May 31: Mercury conjunction with Uranus in Taurus. Sudden changes, surprises or breakthroughs to what we may have thought were insoluble problems.
June 6: New Moon in Gemini. This one falls at in the second decan of Gemini correlating with the Nine of Swords. On the plus side, it’s conjunct Venus. Fun times. We’re in demand. There is a real buzz of adrenaline and mental energy. But it’s also square Saturn. We may gallop about the place non-stop, spreading ourselves too thin, or struggling with issues or memories to do with a difficult parental relationship.
June 9: Mars in Taurus: our energy might hit a bit of a slump but it’s all good. We can adapt, go a walk, feed the birds, tend the flowers, take it easy, refuse to brood, and work on long term planning
July 20: Mars in Gemini. And the energy is back again. You’re taking charge and it shows, but prioritize your health, rest and relaxation, especially if you are a natal sun sign Gemini.
To the witty, brilliant, charming and cheerful Gemini sun sign native, we say Happy Birthday! Pluto calls you to new learning, crafts and foreign travel, or even a permanent relocation over the next twenty years, while 2024 is the year to reassess your professional trajectory and your place in your chosen community. This is not the year for flightiness. This is a time to stand firm and concentrate. Tis is a time to dig and build. Or rebuild. Deep and emotional Pisces in Saturn, planet of duty, responsibility, or possibly even care for older relatives, in your tenth house of your public life and your career calls for a plan, for discipline and focus. Stand firm. August in particular may be a real roller-coaster ride or a turning point. This is your on-going challenge- and your great opportunity in 2024
This year the sun is in the sign of Gemini from May 20- June 19, 2024. The dates for the sun signs can vary by a day or two from year to year for astronomical reasons. This year the sun leaves Gemini and enters Cancer on the day of the summer solstice, June 20. Gemini is the third sign of the Western Tropical Zodiac, and represents the end of spring and beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere.
Associations
The Roman numeral for 2 is joined top and bottom in representation of the unity of duality
Hebrew letter: Zain, meaning, sword, weapon.
Ruling planet: Mercury
Affirmation: ‘I think, I inquire.’
Body: shoulders, arms and hands, lungs, autonomous central nervous system. The cell salt for Gemini is Kali Mur- potassium chloride, which builds fibrin in the blood, organs, and tissues of the body. Gemini is vulnerable to upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, and asthma (pollen season).
Birth Stone: If born in May, Emerald. If born in June, Pearl (although it is not a stone, it is thought to be ruled by Mercury)
Lucky stone: Tiger’s Eye. Made of silicon dioxide with bands of iron. Grounds ‘flighty’ Gemini energy. Brings focus.
Colour: Yellow
Tree: all kinds of nut trees
Flower: Lily of the Valley, Lavender
Tarot cards: The Lovers. The Magician, Knight of Swords, 8, 9 and 10 Swords.
Gemini is visible to the naked eye, the northernmost constellation in the zodiac and the thirtieth largest in size appearing high in the winter sky in the northern hemisphere. looking north east of Orion between Taurus and Cancer. The Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century recorded Gemini as “The Star of Apollo” (Castor) and “The Star of Heracles” (Pollux). February is the best time to view Gemini. By April and May, we get the best views looking west soon after sunset.
The two brightest stars in the constellation are the “twins” themselves – Castor and Pollux, representing the heads of the twins while fainter stars outline their bodies. Pollux, the westerly twin, is a red giant star 33 light-years from Earth, and Castor is about 51 light-years away- the distance that light travels in a year = about 6 trillion miles/9.6 trillion km. Pollux is the brighter of the two with a massive planet orbiting it; Genorium Beta, while Castor is actually not a single star, but a star system made of up six stars not visible to the naked eye.
The concept of twins in mythology goes back at least as far as the so-called Age of Gemini, during the Palaeolithic, 6, 500 BCE, arising from our understanding of the duality fundamental to the nature of reality. There are male and female twins in world myth, standing for night and day, light and dark, heat and cold, male and female, war and peace, good and bad, life and death. The creation myths of ancient cultures and many surviving objects reflect this eternal battle of seeming opposites.
In Arabic astronomy the twins were seen as peacocks. In Egyptian astrology they were twin goats, or else the two gods, Horus the Elder and Horus the Younger, while classical Greek mythology identified them as the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux, aka The Gemini, from the Latin word for twins.
The name Castor comes from the Greek Καστωρ (Kastor) and means “to excel, to shine.” The name Pollux comes from the Roman form of the Greek Πολυδευκης (Polydeukes) meaning “very sweet.” The circumstances of their birth were unusual to say the least. Queen Leda of Sparta was seduced by Zeus, though seduced is putting it too politely. She was bathing in the river when he glided up, disguised as a swan, preening his feathers, and then pounced.
That night, notwithstanding the undoubted trauma of this shocking event, Leda slept with her husband, King Tyndareus, and in due course delivered four children all in one go; Castor, Pollux and their sisters Helen (later Helen of Troy) and Clytemnestra (later married to Agamemnon as queen of Mycenae.) Pollux and Helen were immortal, fathered by Zeus. Castor and Clytemnestra were mortal, fathered by Tyndareus.
Public Domain, the young Castor and Pollux (Meissen)
Castor was renowned as a horseman and a master at fencing, while Pollux was known for his great strength and skill at boxing. They went everywhere together. But then Castor was killed in a quarrel and Pollux told Zeus he didn’t want his immortality, not if it meant eternal separation from his brother. Zeus scratched his head, wondering how to fix this, and decided to place them in the stars, to be together forever as the constellation Gemini.
The Zodiac Archetype
Mercury by Hendrick Goltzius, 1611, Public Domain
All the zodiac signs represent archetypes; meaning something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing. The natal zodiac sun sign in western astrology paints a poetic portrait of a person born at a particular time of year, in a particular season as experienced in the northern hemisphere, in a tradition originating at the thirty sixth latitude (Sumeria, modern day Iraq).
The planetary ruler of Gemini is Mercury, the planet nearest the Sun, representing the winged god Mercury or Hermes; patron deity of all forms of communication, media, trade, global commerce and travel, medicine, research and analytics. Mercury has a lesser known role as a psychopomp; one who can go between the realms of the living and the dead, a go-between and safe escort to the dead.
Gemini is a mutable sign, ruling the borderline between late spring and early summer. The other mutable signs are Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, considered the most changeable and agile of the signs; inquiring, agile, adaptable, talented, cerebral, analytical, logical and restless. At the same time, Gemini can also be surprisingly dogmatic, attaching themselves to causes, whether religious or secular, social or political manifestos, or to do with lifestyle, for example, exercise or diet choices. They can be born-again converts- or crusading missionaries.
Every suit in the Tarot deck has its own court with a king, a queen, a knight and a page. The principle court card associated with Gemini is the super- fast moving Knight of Swords.
Smith Waite
Card Meanings: news, sudden developments, strongly worded email, legal action, surgical procedure, dental procedure, shock, blow, attack, air strike, assertiveness, intelligence, calculation, a confident, forceful young person, injury, snow, hailstorm, windy weather, cold wind, east wind, motorbike
The Decans of Gemini
The word ‘Decan’ comes from the Latin meaning ‘ten.’ Each zodiac sign lasts about 30 days and is further divided into three blocks of roughly 10 days each. These are the decans or as they’re sometimes called, the ‘thirty-six faces of astrology,’ bringing added depth and nuance to the psychological profile associated with your natal sun sign. The minor arcana cards associated with Gemini; the Eight, Nine and Ten of Swords, correlate with the decans. All the decans are equally Gemini, whatever the decan and this holds true for all the zodiac signs. But an early-born Gemini and a later-born Gemini are born under slightly different planetary influences.
First Decan (0-10 degrees)
21-31 May
Eight of Swords
Smith Waite
Card Meanings: Entrapment, uncertainty, helplessness, waiting for rescue. There is a way out if only you will open your eyes, look around and take a step forward. I have also come to associate this card with the prediction or identification of practical plumbing/drainage issues.
This decan gets a double dose of inquisitive, rational, Mercury. This is an alert, perceptive, intellectual and forceful personality. The acumen is sharp. The negative side of this coin is a Gemini native who is just as inquisitive but careless, flighty, forgetful, restless and unreliable. First decan Gemini is a multi-talented juggler, light on their feet, graceful and agile. But at the same time they tend to develop a strong point of view on a wide range of subjects, and they have a clearly defined belief system. For all their apparent flightiness they are tough and resilient-even stubborn, a quality more usually associated with Taurus, its next door neighbour and predecessor in the zodiac. Gemini make devoted partners, contrary to whatever people might assume. They may have considerable charisma but they also know when they’ve got a good thing, so long as there’s plenty of social interaction and sufficiently frequent short distance travel to keep them occupied.
Second Decan (10-20 degrees)
June 1-10
Nine of Swords
Smith Waite
Card Meanings: The so-called Nightmare card, also nicknamed “cruelty.” Worry, ‘the black dog,’ anxiety, stress, grief, insomnia, depression, the things that keep us awake at night.
Here is Putin and Zelenskyy experiencing another peak of aggression and strain this Gemini season 2024. Or instigating it, in the case of Putin, while Zelenskyy tears his hair out, the west bickers and vacillates, and others rub their hands. The sub-ruler of this decan is Libra, ruled by Venus, planet of love, beauty- and money, while Libra is the natural ruler of the seventh house of marriage, partnerships, close associates, associations, and legal matters. This Gemini is more of a “me-too” person, rather than an “I-am” person compared with, say, a first decan Gemini. This Gemini native needs to be especially discriminating in their selection of companions/associates and to avoid making early decisions about a choice of partner. People respond well to the Second Decan Gemini warm and effusive nature. Gemini-Libra is generous with their time and friendship and also with possessions. Just don’t be too surprised or upset if they disappear as suddenly as they appear, or if they go quiet on you without warning. It’s not personal. It’s just the way they are.
Third Decan (20-30 degrees)
11-20 June
Ten of Swords
Smith Waite
Card meanings: Destruction, despair, betrayal, stabbed in the back, ruin, dark night of the soul, and the darkness before dawn, the only way is up, illness, comatose, a fall, spinal injury, head injury.
The personal planets of the third decan Gemini are Saturn and Uranus, painting a portrait of contradictions. Sometimes this person is ultra-careful, dutiful, responsible, serious, at other times carefree or even careless. Uranus combined with the planet Mercury suggests a thinker who is ahead of their times. Or maybe they are just zany. Aquarius – natural ruler of the eleventh house of friends, hopes, and wishes-makes this Gemini a social type, a friend-oriented individual interested in social causes. This Gemini is an optimist, always interested in trying out what is new, and never happier than when they are on the move. This is the most independent- natured Gemini decan.
The Cusps of Gemini
Birthday May 21 through May 23
This is Gemini with Taurus tendencies. The ruling planets are Mercury and Venus. This is a strong and magnetic personality, often with talents in music, art and literature. They are lively and sociable, good conversationalists hospitable and fond of travel. They desire to excel but may worry overmuch about the opinion of others at the expense of their intellectual independence and the exercise of their personal agency.
Birthday June 18 through June 21
This is Gemini with Cancer tendencies, ruled by Mercury and the Moon. This native possesses foresight and analytical ability combined with idealism. They will do well so long as they stay practical and do not go in for speculation and risk taking. This birthday does not bring that particular kind of luck. Graceful in movement, tidy in appearance, affectionate in nature, this native is a good friend and if they say they will do something, they keep their word, but they may at times be too sensitive for their own good.
Famous Gemini natives
John F Kennedy, Donald Trump, Frank Lloyd Wright, Boris Johnson. Johnny Depp, Queen Victoria, Charles 11, George 111,George V, Muammar Gaddafi, Angelina Jolie, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Carl Linnaeus, Peter the Great, Adam Smith, Richard Wagner, Arthur Conan Doyle, John Maynard Keynes.
I’m not seeing a Presidential inauguration for Gemini native Donald Trump January 2025. He draws The World card and the Death card, signifying the end of a cycle or a chapter. But he did draw the Ace of Wands. New venture. New government. There may still be surprises
This year the sun is in the sign of Taurus 19 April 2024 -20 May 2024. The dates for the sun signs can vary by a day or two from year to year for astronomical reasons.
The word ‘zodiac’ comes from the Greek meaning ‘circle of animals.’ The only zodiac sign that is non-representative of a living creature is Libra, the sign of the Scales. But in astronomy, even the Scales of Libra are borrowed from the stars of Scorpio and the claws of the giant scorpion in the heavens next door.
Taurus, from the Latin for Bull, is the second sign of the Western Tropical Zodiac and represents the height of spring in the northern hemisphere, ruled by the planet Venus and the goddess herself in all her verdant mythological glory. Venus rules Taurus by day, and the Moon, which is exalted in the sign of the Bull, rules Taurus by night.
Symbolic Associations
· Ruling planet: Venus
· Element: Earth
· Quality: Fixed (mid-season)
· Birthstone: Diamond (April)Emerald(May)
· Metal: copper
· Body: neck, throat, tonsils
· Homeopathic salt: Nat Sulph (Sodium sulphate) used for indigestion or at the onset of cold and flu symptoms
· Flower: the Daisy; innocence, sanctity
· Tree: the Apple Tree; happiness, immortality. Avalon, the resting place of King Arthur was the ‘isle of apples’
Taurus is a large and prominent constellation bordered by Aries to the west and Gemini to the east. It ranks 17th in size of the 48 Greek constellations as recorded by Ptolemy in The Mathematics of the Heavens, the Almagest, written AD/CE 150.
The stars of Taurus depict the face, horns and forepart of the bull’s body. His face is made up of a triangular cluster of stars called The Hyades. There are no legs. The bull is imagined half-submerged like the mythical Bull from the Sea. A cluster of stars, The Pleiades, also known as The Seven Sisters, swarms like bees above him.
Via Earthsky
The best time to observe Taurus is December and January. By March and April, you might see it in the west in the twilight. To find Taurus first you need to find the three stars of Orion’s belt. This is very easy on a clear winter’s night. Now look up to the right, looking north- east, See that bright orange-red star? That’s Aldebaran, ‘The Follower,’ a red giant. Aldebaran is the biggest, brightest star in the constellation, the famous red eye of the Bull, glaring down towards the Hunter. Orion isn’t after the Bull. Orion is chasing the hare, Lepus. But the Bull doesn’t like him anyway.
Public Domain
Should the Bull ever escape his heavenly pen, said ancient Arabic legend, he would stampede the universe to pieces, and it would be the end of things for all time. Let’s hope nothing upsets him up there, and there are plenty of daisies and buttercups, and no flies or mosquitoes to bother him.
Wiki
History and Mythology
Taurus has been recognized as a sky bull since at least the Early Bronze Age, when the figure of a bull was discerned in the stars by the Sumerians around 3000 BC, and was later recorded in cuneiform by the Babylonians.
In modern astrology Ariesis the first sign of the western zodiac, ushering in the spring (vernal) equinox along with the culmination of the first lambing season. Aries was encoded as the first sign of the zodiac by Ptolemy. This remains the case symbolically, although the vernal point of the spring equinox is now technically occurring in the constellation of Pisces owing the wobble of the earth, and the effect known as the precession of the equinoxes. The invisible celestial point that represents the spring equinox changes roughly every two thousand years
4000 years ago, it was still happening in Taurus. For Babylonian astronomers Taurus was the first sign of the Zodiac, and the Bull was also the first sign for the early Hebrews, who called it Aleph, as in A, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Why is Taurus celebrated in spring? Taurus coincides with the calving season. The bull, like its ancestors, the wild aurochs, is a potent symbol of strength and fertility. But where Leo the lion, represents wild strength, Taurus the bull is domesticated, controlled strength, just as the power of the oxen was harnessed for ploughing the fields. One of the archetypes associated with Taurus is ‘The Farmer.’
But the sheer animal power and potency of the bull has exerted a magical influence on the human imagination long before the dawn of agriculture. Paintings of aurochs, the wild ancestors of the modern bull, were discovered in the Lascaux caves in France in paintings, thought to date from 15000 BC/BCE. The most famous section of the Lascaux caves in the Dordogne in France is the Hall of the Bulls, featuring four black bulls, or aurochs. One of these bulls is 5.2 metres (17 feet) long, the largest animal so far seen in cave art.
It is thought that the aurochs migrated at this time of year; a dangerous but potentially highly rewarding hunting opportunity for sabre toothed tigers- and for human hunters. Not only did the aurochs provide the luxury of meat, but the horns,hide and sinews had many uses. Elsewhere, the physical remains of auroch have been discovered on Salisbury Plain near Stonehenge in the UK. Salisbury Plain was once a “lek” -a mass gathering site of the auroch on their annual migration route. These mighty stones were not raised simply on account of ancient ancestors or solar solstice alignments, but to honour the rich and ancient hunting grounds along this resting place on the migration route of the auroch.
Hunting gave way to farming, guaranteeing vital survival supplies with less risk attached. The first evidence of the domestication of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs was found in the ‘Fertile Crescent;’ a region covering eastern Turkey, Iraq and south-western Iran from about 12000 years ago.
These farming practices spread westwards, and in time had a genetic effect on the human population, with the sudden appearance of a gene mutation that enabled humans to digest raw cow’s milk into adulthood. It’s not known when this first occurred, but it happened in Northern Europe, probably driven by the food challenges of longer colder winters. Today, an estimated 35 % of the adult human population can digest the milk sugar, lactose, mostly in Europe, while this is much lower in other countries and as many as 99% of Chinese people are lactose intolerant.
Bull Worship
The bull was considered a divine animal throughout antiquity; a symbol of the moon, fertility, rebirth, and royal power, while today, the Lithuanian word ‘taurus’ means ‘noble.’
There is evidence of bull cults throughout the Mediterranean starting in Anatolia, dating from at least 70000 BC. From the worship of the Apis bull in Egypt, to bull-leaping in Knossos and the sacrificial portrayal in Roman Mithraism, the bull has been an integral part of many diverse and important religious traditions. The High Priestess in the Tarot deck wears a two- horned or crescent moon crown with the full Moon in-between in token of Hathor, the cow goddess of Thebes (Egypt).
Smith Waite Tarot
Greek legend associated Taurus with the legend of Zeus and Europa, in which the god Zeus, up to his tricks yet again, disguised himself as a beautiful white bull, coaxed the princess Europa into climbing on his back, then swam away with her to Crete, and made her one of his mistresses, giving her the gift of a pet dog that later became the constellation Canis Major. Their children included Minos, King of Crete, the builder of the Labyrinth and the famous palace at Knossos where the bull games were held.
Bull worship; the concept of the bull as a divine concept, gradually migrated westwards and northwards. The Celtic druids held Tauric festivals at least 2000 years ago, and there is archaeological evidence of bull worship near Newcastle and York in northern England in the UK.
The Buddha was born when the Full Moon was in Taurus (Vesak.) The Buddha’s birthday is celebrated at the Vesak Festival which in 2024 will be celebrated on the day of the Full Moon May 23 based on the Vedic lunar calendar. Vesak day honours the day of the birth, the enlightenment, and the death of the Buddha and is considered a public holiday in South East Asia in countries including Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.
All the zodiac signs represent archetypes, meaning something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing. A zodiac sign paint a poetic portrait of a person born at a particular time of year, in a particular season. A baby born in summer in either hemisphere arrives into a different physical environment from a winter baby; differences of temperature, hours of daylight, maternal diet during pregnancy and so on, with potentially different effects on the baby’s physical makeup and constitution.
As a fixed sign, Taurus rules anything associated with the mid- zone of spring, the height of the season. The other fixed signs are Leo, mid-summer, Scorpio, mid-autumn and Aquarius, mid-winter. The fixed signs are traditionally considered the most stable and steadfast signs, rooted in their ruling element, protectors of the status quo, the signs in tune with ancient things, the guardians of conservation and protecting continuity.
Taurus rules the ears, neck and throat. Taurus is known for its particularly pleasant or distinctive voice. Taurus may seem slower to learn compared with say, a mercurial, quicksilver Gemini native. But their grasp is both intuitive and thorough, and they possess an excellent memory. Once learned, never forgotten.
Taurus has an equable, pleasant, even magnetic personality, always excepting the grumpy, taciturn, self-opinionated natives. Taurus is known for a quiet style of physical attractiveness. Ruled by the Moon and Venus, these are sensual people. This sign especially needs to watch they don’t overdo the whole comfort thing, over-eating and so on. Taurus is a singer and a dancer. They have natural rhythm, but while they are strong and they have good stamina, they are not known as sporty types. This beautiful model is wearing the colours of Taurus.
Taurus won’t be pushed about. Many a bull has worn a ring through his nose for the safety of the farmer. Masters of passive resistance, notoriously resistant and stubborn, their strength and stability is the bright side of this same coin. Taurus has a gift of soothing and reassuring others, though, like a bull shaking off gadflies while chewing the cud, they can be irritable if you try to rush them, crowding them while their thoughts are elsewhere.
Bulls cannot actually see the colour red. It’s the movement of the matador’s cape that provokes them in the bull ring, and not the colour. Taurus is slow to anger but rarely loses in a fair fight. The bull ring is not a fair fight. The bull is weakened by the picadors on horseback, injured before he meets the matador, who would have a far smaller chance of survival otherwise. Still, the matador requires superb courage to meet the mighty bull in an open space, and this is the chance for the bull to have his revenge for his death, a chance denied to other bulls who will go to the slaughter house.s
When the human bull ‘sees’ red they either dig in hard or else charge head on. Taurus in a full-on rage is a ‘bull in a china shop’ – the Earth sign that will withstand or demolish the opposition of the other more famous ‘fighting’ signs, Aries, Leo, and even the famously lethal Scorpio, its opposite number in the zodiac. Other people get a shock when Taurus suddenly turns and starts lowering their head and hoofing the turf. The mistake of the other person was in pushing the boundaries once too often, taking their good nature for granted.
If a Taurus is being unreasonable, or being a ‘bully,’ stay calm and quietly stand your ground. Do as you would be done by, and more often than not, the typical Taurus will respond in kind.
Thank you for reading. Back soon with the story of the Decans, Taurus in the Tarot and the weather in Taurus season 2024…
Salutations Aries! Spring is here, announced by the vernal equinox which occurred about 3 this morning UK time. But what’s the story behind the zodiac sun sign?
Symbolic Associations
Symbol:
Dates: 20 March – 19 April
Ruling planet: Mars
Lucky Day: Tuesday
Energy: Yang (Masculine/Extrovert. Not gender specific)
Element: Fire
Quality: Cardinal (Initiation- the start of a new season)
Key phrase: I am
Body: Aries rules theHead ConstitutionalCell Salt: Potassium Phosphate, “brain food” -helpful for nerve and brain health. Foods containing this salt include but are not limited to: beans, beets, carrots, peanuts, milk, cheese and avocados
Tarot Cards: The Emperor, Queen of Wands, and 2, 3 and 4 Wands (Rods, Batons).
The Spring/Vernal Equinox
Aries is the first sun sign in the year of the Tropical Western Zodiac. The word ‘zodiac’ comes from the ancient Greek word meaning ‘circle of animals.’ The only zodiac sign non-representative of a living creature is Aries’ opposite number Libra, the sign of the Scales of Justice, but even the Scales are borrowed from the claws of the giant Scorpion and the stars of Scorpio in the heavens next door.
We enter the zodiac sun sign territory of Aries on the day that once upon a time used to mark the spring/vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, and the day of the autumn/fall equinox in the southern hemisphere.
The vernal equinox happens when the Sun is exactly above the equator, and day and night are equal length as the Sun crosses the celestial equator going north.
2,500 years ago, the annual conjunction of the sun and the star Hamal happened at the invisible point of the vernal/spring equinox, and this was the data used in the astronomer, mathematician and astrologer Ptolemy’s modelling of Western Tropical astrology in the 2nd Century AD.
But now, astronomically speaking, the position of the Sun on the day of the vernal equinox is in the constellation of Pisces near the border of Aquarius. Modern star maps project that the vernal equinox will be entering Aquarius in about 600 years. The spring equinox technically happens in Pisces owing to the effect over time of the wobble of the earth and the precession of the equinoxes.
In the system of Western Tropical astrology however, and for profound historical and symbolic reasons, the spring/vernal equinox is still referred as the First Point of Aries, marking a great energetic re-set.
Astronomy
We can picture the star-ram lying or sitting head downwards, perhaps looking over his shoulder as if to admire his own fleece, or perhaps he’s just chilling, and chewing the cud.
New life is ignited. The planetary ruler of Aries is Mars, the red planet of action, energy, enthusiasm, courage, passion, initiative- and war. The real life ram is strong, brave, and at certain times of year, downright aggressive, charging headlong into the field, king of all he surveys. Ewes can be aggressive too, if disturbed by strangers when they have lambs to protect.
The constellation of Aries is located between the stars of Pisces to its west and Taurus to its east. It contains a galaxy about 100 million light-years from our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and it also contains a planetary system called 30 Ari, consisting of a gas giant and four stars. A supernova in Aries was recorded in May, in the year 1012 AD.
The brightest star in Aries is Hamal, from the Arabic Al Ras alHamal, meaning “the Head of the Sheep.” Hamal is twice the size of our own sun, an orange giant star, the 49th brightest in the night sky-as bright as Mars when the planet is at its farthest point from Earth.
The two lowest stars at the bottom are Sheratan, a blue-white star, and Mesarthim, a whitish binary star, and these mark the horns of the Ram.
The very best time to see Aries is in December.Spring in the Northern Hemisphere spring or autumn/fall in the Southern Hemisphere is the worst time for viewing the stars of Aries, lost in the glare of the sun this time of year.
History
The Sumerians called the sun ‘Subat,’ meaning ‘Ancient Sheep’ or Ram and the planets were known as the ‘Celestial Herd’. The Sumerians were one of the oldest known urban civilizations in what is now Southern Iraq, during the Neolithic-Bronze Age, 4500 BC/BCE to 1500 years BC/BCE.
The sheep was among the first animals domesticated by humans around 11000 – 9000 BC (BCE) and the spring equinox which at that time happened in Aries marked the end of the main lambing season of wild sheep in Europe.
In ancient Egyptian astronomy, Aries was called ‘Lord of the Head’ – a reference to its symbolic significance, and it was associated with the god Amon-Ra, who was depicted as a man with a ram’s head and represented fertility and creativity. Because it was at the invisible point identified as the location of the spring (vernal) equinox, it was called the “Indicator of the Reborn Sun.”
Historically, the stars of Aries have also been envisioned in human form, as an agricultural worker. But the Ram has triumphed supreme.
The position of Aries at the zenith at that time coincided with the rising of Sirius in the east and the flooding of the Nile and the Temple of Amon-Ra at Karnak bore the likeness of the supreme sun-god with the horns of a ram.
Though long ago recognized as a constellation, and though the ancient Greeks oriented the construction of many of their sacred temples in relationship to the brightest star in Aries, Hamal, Aries was not listed as a constellation until the second century, by Ptolemy.
The Zodiac Archetype
All the zodiac signs represent archetypes, meaning something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing. Aries is a cardinal sign, marking the start of a new season. The other cardinal signs are Libra, marking the start of autumn in the northern hemisphere, and Capricorn, marking the onset of winter. The cardinal signs are traditionally considered the most innovative and proactive, the signs most at ease with driving change.
Aries is frisky, young at heart, the metaphysical ‘baby’ of the zodiac; adventurous, optimistic, generous, curious, brave, passionate, direct, self-willed and inclined to lose its temper if denied or crossed. Aries represents the concept of The Self. It seeks to express itself through exploration and pushing at boundaries, and it wants its own way.
But of course there is no such thing in reality as THE Aries personality. You are a unique individual. Your zodiac sign (sun sign) is a major keynote, but it is nothing like the full picture in real life – or in astrology either. There are many other factors in play; your ascendant or rising sign, your Moon sign; the planets in your houses and their aspects, and the decan and degree of the actual day and moment you were born.
Aries in the Tarot
The Tarot cards associated with Aries are The Emperor, the Queen of Wands and the 2, 3 and 4 of Wands.
The major arcana card associated with Aries is The Emperor, setting the overall tone for this zodiac sun sign. The Emperor of the Ram seeks to claim territory and to create and impose order in that territory. At his best, he rules wisely and with care and justice. He is the best of fathers. Or he is an able administrator. At his worst, he is a bully; an overbearing or inefficient bureaucrat, or a tyrant and a warmonger.
From the Smith Waite Tarot
Card Meanings: a man of authority, virility, parent, employer, a military man, maturity, order, experience, hard won leadership, discipline, authority, government, organizations, rules, bureaucracy, doing things by the book, ego, I am in charge, what I say goes, Drawn reversed: bully, tyrant, warmonger. Note the ram skulls decorating his throne.
Every suit in the Tarot has its own court with a king and queen, a knight and a page. The Court card associated with Aries is the Queen of Wands though this card may equally represent a man born under Aries. Aries is ruled by the element of fire in the Tarot, Wands is the suit of fire. Aries is ruled by the Sun, the Ruler of the Day, and this Queen holds a sunflower in token of her royal sceptre.
From the Smith Waite Tarot
Card Meanings: A helpful woman, a mother figure, a lucky person (signified by the black cat, also notice the royal lions) She is proud, with good instincts and may possess occult abilities.Warmth, directness, spontaneity and independence, nurturing, generosity, enthusiasm, impatience, ambition and competitiveness are her archetypal qualities. Queen of Clubs. Be there or be square. She may be either male or female in a real life reading. A man born under Aries may appear in a reading as the Emperor, a King of Wands or the Queen of Wands.
Lastly, the minor arcana cards associated with Aries are Two, Three and Four of Wands. These are the cards that talk about the decans (or decanates) of Aries. If you don’t feel like you are a ‘typical’ Aries, well, we are all unique, but perhaps you are also a second or third decan Aries sun sign native, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Aries.
The decans
The Zodiac is the belt of sky we can see from earth, tracking the path of the sun across the sky over the course of the year. We call this annual pathway of the sun ‘the ecliptic,’ as mentioned previously when we were talking about the spring/vernal equinox.
In the second century, Ptolemy, the Greek mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, chose twelve of the constellations straddling the ecliptic, and named the sun signs after these chosen twelve constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and lastly, Pisces. Ptolemy chose only twelve for reasons of elegance of arithmetic in dividing the 360 degrees of the wheel of the zodiac.
Each of these zodiac signs therefore represents a 30 degree section of the zodiac belt. Each sign is then further sub-divided into three blocks of ten degrees, each about ten days in length though with slight variations. This gives us the ‘decans,’ from the Latin meaning ‘ten,’ (also called decanates.)
Nicknamed the ‘thirty-six faces of astrology’ the decans bring added depth and nuance to the story of the zodiac sun signs.
First Decan Aries (0-10 degrees)
21 March-30 March
Two of Wands
From the Smith Waite Tarot
Card Meanings: vision, ambition, trade, exports, entrepreneurship, agreements, partnerships, government, meetings, the world is my oyster. Reversed: fear of the unknown, overweening ambition, lack of planning, delays and disappointments
The ruling planet is Mars and the co-ruler is also Mars, giving this first Aries decan a forceful double dose of fiery, headlong Mars, bringing out the positive and dominant side of this Aries subject. They are up for new challenges. This is after all, the first decan of a whole new zodiac year.
Aries seeks power and often has great charisma too. But one of the nicknames of this card is ‘The Melancholy of Alexander,’ referring to the restlessness of the conqueror Alexander the Great, who won great lands but was never satisfied.
The personality is independent, forceful, temperamental, often generous, while potentially domineering, dictatorial or even aggressive. This super active first decan- not coincidentally- tends to be athletic and sporty. They are also known for a gift with words and public speaking abilities.
These natives of Aries think fast and act fast-sometimes too fast. They can be hasty and irritable with others who act more slowly. This person learns quickly and seemingly effortlessly, and will often perform well in a leadership role, but they need to learn to moderate their impatience and practice patience and understanding to have the best experience with other people and get the best from them in return. Respect, it must be remembered, is a two-way street.
Famous first decan Aries natives: Harry Houdini, Robert Frost, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga
Second Decan Aries (10-20 degrees)
1 April-10 April
Three of Wands
From the Smith Waite Tarot
Card Meanings: progress, expansion, overseas opportunities, new horizons, a launch, your ship comes in, planning, critical timing, preparation, teamwork: Reversed: lack of foresight, timidity, thinking too small, unexpected delays
The co-rulers of this decan are Mars and the Sun, the ‘Ruler of the Day.’ The sun is the centre of the solar system, the bringer of life itself, and here it stands for dignity, honour and ambition. This Aries personality not only welcomes change but actively seeks it out, relishing a challenge. This gifted Aries native desires a creative challenge and maybe a global challenge too, why not, while they are at it.
They are generally known for their directness and honesty, but they can be rather stern in outlook. They will tell you something to your face, but though they really do not like to be told what to do, they won’t hold back from telling others.
This Mars-Sun combination is considered a particularly lucky planetary combination. Everyone gets their own mix of luck, good and bad. That’s just life. But still, The Sun governs pride and personal ambition, and this lucky influence can offset the more challenging aspects of the Mars effect. These Aries natives have a knack of landing on their feet.
Famous second decan Aries natives: Otto von Bismarck, Hans Christian Anderson, Bette Davis, Al Gore, Russell Crowe, Jackie Chan, Celine Dion, Quentin Tarantino
Third Aries Decan (20-30 degrees)
10 April-20 April
Four of Wands
From the Smith Waite Tarot
Card meanings: celebration, achievement, professional qualification, property improvements, building, setting up home, homecoming, publishing, creating an artwork. Reversed: bad luck, frustrations, roadblocks
This Aries native is generally more peaceable and easy-going than the other two decans; co-ruled by Mars and Jupiter, the God of Fortune. Jupiter brings good fortune and opportunity in alliance with the energy, drive and ambition of Mars.
There is sincerity, honesty and a gracious, warm-hearted nobility in this last Aries placement. Like the second decan Aries, these Aries natives often have some particular and well-developed creative or artistic talent. They are witty, personable, and with a sense of humour, and gracious to others, although they have a short fuse. These are passionately devoted family people with a keen sense of justice, much concerned with right and wrong. They can become a tad righteous, some might say self- righteous on occasion, and others may find them arrogant, as with other decanates of Aries. They are proud, and they may well have every good reason. They just need to remember that others have their own dignity too.
Famous Third Decan Aries natives: Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Charlie Chaplin, Tom Clancy, Francis Ford Coppola, Victoria Beckham, Gary Kasparov
The Cusps of Aries
Pisces-Aries
If your birthday is March 21 through to and including March 21, you are an Aries sun sign with Pisces tendencies and your ruling planets are Mars and Neptune. These natives are known for combining unusual intelligence, understanding and originality with a studious and cautious approach, and though they are amiable they deeply resent being forced or interfered with in the way they do things. These natives may well have a special talent for mechanical or electrical sciences and they like to lead and direct others. These natives tend to be independent critical thinkers, happiest outside the mainstream. They have an adventurous streak, are loyal to their small circle of friends and often end up with a career very different to where they started out. They can do very well indeed if they can learn to curb a certain tendency to impatience and irritability
Aries-Taurus
If your birthday is April 17 through to and including April 20, you are an Aries sun sign native with Taurean tendencies and your ruling planets are Mars and Venus. This sun sign cusp native is fiery, romantic, ambitious and determined, hardworking and talented but with an impatient or nervous streak. They dislike disorder and can get rattled when things can’t be done properly, one thing at a time. The Aries-Taurus native is competitive, wants to succeed and most likely will, but not at any cost, not if it means trampling roughshod over the rights of others. These natives are exacting and demanding in their own standards, and in their expectations of others. They may come across as arrogant to some, but are well-respected by family, friends and business associates for their honesty, integrity, their sense of honour and fair play.
This penumbral lunar eclipse begins at 4:53UTC on March 25, 2024. This will be 12:53 a.m. EDT in North America. Greatest eclipse is at 7:12 UTC on March 25 (3:12 a.m. EDT.) Its total duration will be 4 hours and 36 minutes.
The spring awakening of the spring equinox 19 March is reinforced a week later by the March 25 Libra full moon, the first eclipse of 2024. This lunar eclipse is at 5 degrees of Libra. The corresponding Tarot card is the Two of Swords, signifying a pause, indecision, a truce, a standoff, or a stalemate.
From the Smith Waite Tarot
This lunar Libra eclipse links back to the new Moon and solar eclipse in Libra which happened October 14, 2023. The Two of Swords suggests we will now see, if not a ceasefire, then a stalemate or a standoff to do with the shocking events in Israel and Gaza, international efforts of diplomacy, and the threat of an impending humanitarian disaster in Rafah.
On a personal level, this first lunar eclipse to aspect Pluto in Aquarius may cast an eerie or melancholy light on troubled relationships or partnerships, and some may now have run their course. It is time to let something go. We may well have no choice in the matter. But how we handle loss is up to us, and only we can decide to let bygones be bygones.
April 1-April 25: Mercury retrograde in Aries
The two week period between the lunar eclipse 25 March and the approaching solar eclipse 8 April is likely to bring significant developments in global events, national events and also possibly, closer to home. More haste, less speed, as the old saying goes, and this is not a time to act in haste. We are liable to have an accident. We can’t go wrong the last week of the month, backing up data and devices, reading the small print or making calls, double checking documentation, plans and arrangements.
April 8 New Moon/Total Solar Eclipse in Aries
This total Solar Eclipse on April 8th, 2024 will be happening at 19 degrees and 24 minutes of Aries, most directly affecting those born with personal planets and points at approximately 14 to 24 degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.)
The first New Moon and eclipse of the Astrological year is a powerful launching pad for new beginnings. However, it is also occurring during a Mercury retrograde in Aries. This may be the time to try again with something that failed to take off before, or to finish something that we started before but never completed. Meanwhile we can expect all manner of revelations and surprises. It could get pretty intense. With the North Node in Aries and the South Node in Libra all year, there is a powerful push and pull between the First and Seventh Houses in our natal charts.This is “me” versus “we” energy, navigating heightened conflicting needs and obligations of sovereignty/alliances, independence/co-dependence/partnerships, autonomy/exchange.
The degree of this eclipse corresponds with the cusp between the second and third decans of Aries, and the corresponding Tarot cards are the Three and Four of Wands. This may be anticipating imminent fresh challenges to do with trade, shipping, and naval power in the Red Sea, the Black Sea or the South China Sea.
A solar eclipse is classically associated with the advent of a departure of a highly significant man. This can mean a head of state. Astrologers are particularly fascinated by this eclipse, not only because Aries represents the idea of The Emperor or Head of State, or potentially war, thereby doubling up on that reading of the omen, but this one this will be the only total solar eclipse in the 21st century that will be visible throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada occurring at the time of the first Pluto return of the United States. The Roman Empire endured two Pluto returns. A metamorphosis is taking shape in the United States but it may take until at least 2028 to see what it will look like
For all the heat and action, there is also an undertow of nostalgia in the air, tender and affectionate. A sense of longing for something difficult to define and hard to satisfy. Borders and boundaries blur under Venus in Pisces. The shadow side of this position is illusion and delusion, falling prey to wishful thinking, or we may find we are only getting part of the story, dealing with poor information or evasive or dishonest behaviour. We might overspend. We might overlook practicalities. We need to pay attention, and listen out for what is not being said.
But Venus is exalted in Pisces. It’s deep, beautiful, compassionate, generous and capable of sacrifice. Here is Art and Heart. Here is Grace. Venus in Pisces somewhat soothes, slows and offsets the heat and energy of Aries 2024.
Most of us know our Western Tropical zodiac sun sign, but what’s the story behind it? And what are the decans? It’s time to find out more about Pisces the Heavenly Fishes
Tissue Salt: Ferrum Phos (Iron Phosphate) An oxygen booster.
Birth Stone: Aquamarine but also amethyst, ruby, blood-stone and jasper. Aquamarine is the blue variety of beryl. Emerald is a green beryl. The aquamarine is believed to enhance foresight, clairvoyance and a sense of well-being.
Colours: Purple, violet, sea-green
Herbs/Flowers: the water lily (associated with Neptune)
Tarot cards: The Moon: ebb and flow, cyclical shifts, intuition, dreams, visionary capabilities, ghosts, fertility, instinct v societal norms, wild creatures, difficulties with travel, infection, poison, uncertainties, shadow boxing, wild creatures.
Other cards: the Knight of Cups and the 8, 9 and 10 Cups.
Pisces, named for the Latin plural of fish, is the 14th largest constellation overall, located in the first quadrant of the Northern Hemisphere and covering a large V-shaped region. But although it’s a fairly large constellation its stars are faint, none brighter than fourth magnitude. Not easy to see with the naked eye.
Even so, its brightest star, Eta Piscium, also known as Alphergor Kullat Nunuis a bright giant star 294 light-years from Earth, 316 times more luminous than the sun. Its Babylonian name is Kullat Nunu, ‘Nunu’ meaning ‘fish’ and ‘kullat’ meaning a bucket.
The fish of Pisces are often depicted in art as two koi carp swimming at right angles to each other; one to the north, one to the west, and attached by a cord. This imaginary cord, Alrescha or Alpha Piscium, is made up of a pair of white dwarf stars. Astronomer Ian Ridpath explains: “A cord joins the tails of Pisces. The horizontal dashed line passing through the southerly fish is the celestial equator, and the diagonal dashed line is the Sun’s annual path, the ecliptic. The point where they cross is known as the vernal (spring) equinox.”
Pisces rules the feet. Symbolically Pisces has one foot in the death of the old year, and one foot in the new life of springtime.Pisces is the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac year, ruling the twelfth house in a personal horoscope, representing hopes, dreams and fears- what lies beneath. “Can thou draw forth leviathan from the deep?”
In Christianity, Pisces represents Christ, and its opposite sign of Virgo represents Mary, the mother of Christ.
February and March is the time of the winter melt, the fullest mountain rivers and the first spawning of fresh water fishes in the Northern hemisphere. This was the flooding season in Mesopotamia where the zodiac signs and stories of the Western Tropical zodiac first originated. There is evidence of recorded astrology dating back to the third millennium BC/BCE.
Pisces is a mutable sign, marking the subtle transition of one season into another. Pisces marks the end of winter leading up to the vernal equinox. Of all the zodiac signs, the mutable signs; Pisces, Gemini and Sagittarius, are traditionally the most adaptable, the ones most at ease with endings, transitions and change.
The fishes of Pisces are attached by a cord of stars, just as life and death, and winter and spring are conjoined, and cannot be separated. Pisces is not only the last sign of winter, moving into spring; it is the last sign of the zodiac year; a symbolic culmination of all the signs that came before it.
From Urania’s Mirror, Sidney Hall, 1824
The end of winter often brings mourning. More than any other season, it is the end of winter that carries away the old and frail. A mild or green winter was especially feared as it “made fat the graveyard,” as the old saying went.
Pisces straddles winter’s grief and the bright green shoots of spring.
The court card of Pisces is the Knight of Cups, signifying an offer, an invitation, a proposal, a welcome message, a bringer of good news, an admirer, lover, chivalry, a Sir Galahad, good health, a healing cup, a loving cup, fertility, pregnancy.
Pisces is famous for its emotional depths and visionary capabilities; sensitive, intuitive, psychic, often musically or artistically gifted, but also capable of not only scientific or technical competence, but brilliance.
These are talented individuals and famously loyal once committed; compassionate and sensitive. They adapt with ease, are spontaneous and full of surprises, but while their steel may be largely hidden, all the same, it is there. Not much is said about this Piscean steel but Pisces can be, not just resilient, but downright tough in its own quiet way.
Many police officers, arbitrators and judges are born under Pisces, as well as artists and musicians. Administrative work, although Pisces can do it perfectly competently, is not their forte by and large.
Strengths
Pisces can make excellent and approachable leaders of small teams, loyal to the staff in their charge. They will take on injustice, and challenge those of superior status. But Pisces, unlike Aquarius, confines their remit to action on an individual basis. Pisces is not temperamentally disposed to the mounting of group actions, campaigns or crusades. Unless perhaps, they are early Pisces, born on the Aquarius cusp. The later subjects of this sign, born close to the Aries cusp are potentially very much the warrior ‘doers’ of Pisces, and they will keep their own counsel and act alone if their blood is up.
Pisces is brave, kindly and instinctive, but their constitutional physical energy, once depleted, is not buoyant or easily restored. If Pisces is prone to headaches at the back of the head, there may possibly be related bladder infections or other issues.
Pisces, while sociable, needs a fair bit of time to itself. Pisces thrives on rest, music, hobbies and relaxation time near to rivers, ponds and sea. The writer personally knows two freshwater anglers who are Pisces sun sign natives. One keeps his own pond of koi carp at home.
Challenges
Depending on other planetary placements, Pisces may fall prey to wishful thinking, melancholy or unhealthy lifestyle habits. They may struggle to recover and regroup from setbacks. Without enough to do, or without a clear sense of purpose or direction, Pisces can drift loose from their cord, becoming detached and living too much in their own imaginary world.
But of course there is no such thing in reality as the Pisces personality. You are a unique individual. Your zodiac sign (sun sign) is a major keynote, but it is nothing like the full picture in real life – or in astrology. There are many other factors in play in your natal chart; your rising sign, your Moon sign; the planets in your houses, the aspects, your decan, and the degree of the actual day you were born.
If you don’t feel like a ‘typical’ Pisces, perhaps you are a second or third decan Pisces, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Pisces.
The decans (or decanates) are a further way of marking time, breaking down each of the zodiac signs into three shorter blocks of roughly ten days each.
While the Mesopotamians (Babylon and Sumeria in what is modern day Iraq) were developing the signs of the zodiac and the concept of natal astrology, astrologers in Egypt were developing the system of the decans. These two astrological traditions came together sometime around the 1st Century BCE and the 36 decans were merged with the astrological signs.
The Zodiac is a belt of sky we see from earth, tracking the path of the sun across the sky over the course of the year. We call this pathway of the sun ‘the ecliptic.’ The Greeks named the zodiac signs after twelve of the constellations appearing on, or crossing this zodiac belt: Aries, Taurus, Gemini Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and lastly, Pisces.
Each of these designated zodiac signs represents a 30 degree section of the zodiac belt. Each sign is then further sub-divided into three blocks of ten degrees ten days in length, with slight variations. This gives us the decans or decanates from the Latin meaning ‘ten.’
The decans are popularly known as the ‘thirty-six faces of astrology,’ adding subtle depth and nuance to the stories of the signs of the zodiac, distinguishing between someone born at the start of their zodiac month from someone who is born during the middle or at the end of the zodiac month.
Readers may also use decans to help with the determining of timing issues.
Card meanings:Moving on, cutting ones losses, leaving something behind, but not in anger. Reversed: disillusionment, regret
The first decan of any sign is considered the most typical. Pisces makes for versatility and adaptability, while Neptune presents a soft or gentle manner or appearance. This Pisces decan is rarely aggressive or confrontational.
But there is a sense of a push and pull going on here. Jupiter means Pisces thinks big and steps forward. Neptune means Pisces swims in circles or hides in the weeds. This Pisces native connects with other people on an unconscious level, almost hearing what they are thinking. Maybe they haven’t noticed this about themselves yet, or they take their telepathy for granted, but if this is you, watch out for the signs.
While quiet, this Pisces has deep passions and their love life can be tempestuous. Their ideal partner will be lively and communicative with a can-do approach but the first decan Pisces tends to go on a lot of detours before arriving or settling in their happy place or rightful destination.
They often look younger than their age, but they need to be especially aware of their dietary and other habits in order to protect their health; mood, and the chest, lungs and feet in particular. Pisces is extra-sensitive to the effects of overindulgence of alcohol or mind altering drugs.
Card Meanings: the wish card, dreams come true, food and drink, the hospitality industry. Reversed: overindulgence, complacency, self-satisfaction
The sub-influence for this decan is Cancer, ruled by The Moon. Cancer is the natural ruler of the fourth house of home, family and security. These Pisces subjects typically stay close to birth family members. This Pisces may struggle to loosen parental ties, becoming fully independent, but must do so if they want to progress and develop and become the adult in the room (Saturn in Pisces
The zone of the sky from March 1 –10 houses the stars of the water of Aquarius, Eridanus the river and the western fish of Pisces. These are the faintest, most elusive stars. Now you see them, now you don’t.
These Pisceans blend in anywhere. Sensitive and psychic, this decan absorbs like moss. For the same reason these highly empathic people need to choose their company with care, and form healthy habits early on in life. These subjects are supremely susceptible to the influence of others in their environment, and this can work positively or negatively.
Card Meanings: contentment, completion, arrival, family life, stability, safety and security, team effort, a happy home Reversed: losses,family conflicts, break-ups, unhappiness
The sub-influences for this decan are Scorpio and its rulers, traditional Mars or modern Pluto. Energetic Mars and Scorpio – natural ruler of the eighth house of desire, willpower, drive and determination – brings to this Pisces extra charisma, and the drive and determination to push forward where Pisces in general can tend to err on the side of caution, holding back. This Pisces native has the artistic creativity of Pisces/Neptune with extra sticking power to turn dreams into realities.
Pluto brings depth and Mars brings speed and energy of attack. This Pisces native needs to keep busy, with plenty of energy outlets. Pisces marks the completion of the zodiac wheel. This final decan marks the point at which we move into Aries, the cycle starts over again and Aries too, is ruled by energetic Mars. What these Pisces natives start, they finish.
These Pisces natives, like the other decans, are enormously attuned to their environment, but they tend to stay more aloof and watchful, less likely to blend in. They are highly observant, natural detectives, well suited to police work or other kinds of investigative work. Pisces-Scorpio listens between the lines and notices what is not being said.
The Cusps of Pisces
Aquarius-Pisces: February 15-21
Aquarius-Pisces: This is a Pisces native with Aquarius tendencies; a person of high principles, quiet, refined, and with strong likes and dislikes. This Pisces native is likely to do a lot of travelling. They have executive capabilities and can earn or make a lot of money, but tend to become bored quite easily. This native needs to be careful not to get trapped, committing too soon in a relationship that doesn’t suit them, simply out of a fear of being left on their own.
Pisces-Aries: March 17-23
Born on the Pisces-Aries cusp, this native is especially instinctive and brave. This mix of energy combines physical and moral courage with compassion for others which can make this Pisces individual a successful leader. This person is loyal to friends and colleagues and they are also generous, and eager to see others do well.
Famous Pisces subjects
Michelangelo, Copernicus, George 111, Albert Einstein, Neville Chamberlain, Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, Yuri Gagarin, Michael Gorbachev, Osama Bin Laden, Steve Irwin, Steve Jobs, President Erdogan of Turkey
Once upon a time there was a fertility festival called The Lupercalia. Men in wolf masks ran about the streets of Rome, and, in honour of the fertility god Lupercus, and in memory of the she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus, would symbolically thrash (lightly touching) any women they met of child-bearing age. Any woman not wanting to be fertile had better stay indoors. But some would deliberately loiter in the streets, hoping to encounter the wolf men.
Later, Christianity claimed the festival originally held on February 15th, renaming it in memory of Valentine, a Christian physician who was beheaded in Rome after doing many a good turn to other people, including the daughter of his jailer, whom he apparently cured of blindness. The violent death of a well-disposed person on religious grounds. What could be more romantic? Another account tells us he was a priest who was conducting illegal marriages, at a time when Claudius 11 did not want military men to marry, because it deterred them from seeking active service overseas. This story makes more sense.
Valentine’s Day is nowadays an uber commercial-fest, but, still, it serves to remind us, if we ever needed a reminder, of the eternal power of that magical experience of the human condition – ‘that ol’ Devil called Love’.
The Devil card however, more truly speaks of infatuation than love. The Devil card in the Tarot speaks of passions and powerlessness. It betokens entrapment, frustration, and the urgent need to break free, even if the wish to escape is not there.
Scorpio gets the rap -or the credit-for all things sexy. But The Devil card of Capricorn also represents the nature god Pan, and the imperatives of our most earthy animal nature. And it is mighty powerful. In terms of human body chemistry, sexual passion might as well be regarded as an addiction.
Image from The Gilded Tarot Royale
The Energy of The Devil card
I have more than once encountered the experience of what we might term a psychic vampire, in my professional reading work. One such reading left me so physically drained I had to go straight to bed afterwards, where I slept like a stone all night, but not in a good way, feeling slightly unwell.
It stands to reason. The Devil is fear, and people can be very upset and worried when they come for reading. Sometimes this fear or worry is palpable. And so is obsession.
The client was a very pleasant person to read for, but she was struggling with ‘the ol’ Devil’ all right. She wanted another man but he was married. So was the lady. Her husband brought her to the reading to make sure she would be safe, and that I was who I said I was. Then he left and later returned to take her home.
This was an agreeable, congenial, good looking and glamorous lady, and I could tell from the cards that the other man in question had powerful charisma. Then I had a bolt from the blue, an outright ‘psychic’ moment, and I saw a picture of the man in my mind’s eye. I told the lady who I was ‘seeing’, and asked if this was the person we were discussing. This man was a well known circus and stage performer.
The lady was extremely shocked that I correctly guessed his identity. And so was I, actually. But so it goes sometimes. She said to me, rather sharply, “you know him!”
I did not. I had never met him. and I knew nobody else who knew him. But he had a public profile, and all at once, looking down at my cards, I seemed to ‘see’ him standing behind her, looking out over her shoulder. These things happen every now and then, though I know readers far more clairvoyant than I am.
Would she get to be with this man for keeps? This was what the lady wanted to know. I felt she might get a taste of what she was hoping for. She might get a little more time with this man. But if she did, I had to tell her I could see no ‘happy ending.’ Sometimes, rightly or wrongly, we can only say what we do not see.
I hope she got free of this unhappy situation one way or another and was happy. But I doubt it. That man moved away to the U.S, to Las Vegas. I found that out because she must have given him my number. One day I got a call from the States from this man, using a different name, saying he “had heard about me, and he wanted to know his future.”
I didn’t let on that I knew who he really was, although his accent was an immediate alert. But I declined to do a reading then and there, just like that over the telephone, and recommended he find a local reader. It’s funny sometimes, how some people will deliberately mislead or misdirect a reader, but still expect to receive accurate feedback. If we can deliver that, then we can also see they are not playing straight with us, and no-one likes to feel they are being made a monkey of.
It is another curious thing, that often there will be a succession of readings all dealing with the same card as their main focus. It is almost as if The Everything is setting homework for the reader. The Devil turned up in the following three readings, and in each one we also drew the Moon card, signifying hunting, fantasy, dreams, emotional extremes. Obsession. Illusion.
Image from the Smith-Waite deck, U.S Systems
In each case, some poor soul was having a desperately unhappy time, struggling to let go of a romantic relationship, though they had decided that they must. They no longer felt wanted or respected, or welcome.
One such client was now in danger of starting to behave like a stalker, and I had to warn them against certain behaviours, although on none of these subsequent three occasions did I feel quite the same physical impact of the ‘show biz’ client.
Perhaps this was physical impact was only to be expected. A showbiz sized energy field is likely to carry a highly charged aura, to be anticipated in such readings, and when we talk about a vampire in real life, this is what we’re talking about. A habit, an encounter or a situation that can physically utterly drain your batteries on contact.
William Blake’s illustration, ‘A Whirlwind of Lovers’…from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Obsession Has Consigned the Lovers To A ‘Circle Of Hell’…in Tarot…captivity, servitude, an dependent, obsessional and un-free state of mind.
The Devil card drawn upside down or Ill-Dignified, is usually better for being drawn upside-down, as this tends to say the worst is over, denoting clarity and self control, which is to say, liberation and the recovery of our equilibrium and the reclaiming of our personal sovereignty.
If you need to move on from a damaging personal relationship or a habit that’s proving harmful, this card is an encouraging sign when drawn reversed.
The Devil card is known, with justice, for its powerful negative aspects. It speaks of fear, frustration, anger, unhealthy habits, obsession and addiction, and the evil that can ensue from these things. Usually, the situation that it’s referring to could do with overturning.
The tough news is that it’s going to have to be us that overturns it. No-one else can do it. It is simply not in their power. Possibly too, there is no real solution as yet, and the situation meantime can only be managed or endured. Now it is a case of damage limitation.
ButThe Devil isn’t all bad.
As an image of Pan, god of all wild creatures, rather than in its guise as Christianity’s Devil, this beastly card is still strong stuff, requiring careful handling.
But this is the power and the glory of Cardinal Earth. And the animals, however “red in tooth and claw”, are ultimately innocent.
Artist Helen Stratton 1914
The Devil can be one heck of a sexy beast. It is charisma. It is the drive and passion to create. It is our connection to our roots in earth and our general animal vitality – (steady tiger!) – a strong glue for keeping relationships together over the long haul. And as they say, a little of what you fancy does you good.
The anger of The Devil comes in handy, is downright necessary, when you find yourself dealing with disrespect or downright nastiness. Let that Devil look out of your eyes, as you politely say ‘Excuse me?’
Subtext. ‘You better back off.’
If your inner Devil can clear some cr*p out of your space, there’s nothing the matter with that. Let him off the leash.
No. The Devil is not all bad. The challenge is to keep him in his place and not feed him too often. Just watch for the signs and make sure it’s your devil, or your cheeky imp, that’s under control, locked up inside that cage.
Meantime, Venus, the planet of love, beauty, luxury, fashion and finance leaves behind our friend Pan, The Devil of Capricorn, and meet up with Pluto in Aquarius today or tomorrow depending where you are in the world. The dates for this transit are February 16 to March 11.
Venus needs a bit of fresh air. She loves you. She loves everyone, but at a bit of a distance. Lucky colours for a bit of added Venus power during this transit: white and soft silver, hot cobalt blues, soft shades of lavender and aqua.
True Tarot Tales 