sun signs – True Tarot Tales

Libra Season 2026: Weighing the Balance In The Stars

Our stories in the Stars: The Stories behind the Zodiac Signs

Sep 22, 2026

Libra season, here we are again. The equinox occurs either today, 22 September, or 23 September BST depending where we are in the world. Now we are in the zodiac sun sign territory of the autumn/fall equinox in the northern hemisphere, in a year astrologically dominated by the unusual alignment of all the outermost planets, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

So what? One might reasonably wonder. This line-up out of outermost planets in our solar system speaks of affairs between now and 2044 (Pluto in Aquarius) driven by events way beyond the control of any individual. A cycle that changes the world as we used to know it earlier in our own lifetimes.

Generational change is nothing new. It is the common experience of old age, the increasing sense of alienation from the world we used to know. But we are all observing and experiencing close at hand, a level and scope of change that goes beyond that, like the people living at the beginning of the first Industrial Revolution in all its astounding progress…and in its tragedy and brutality, aka “collateral damage” as the countryside became/was made unsustainable, and people moved away from the villages to the strangeness of the poorest dwellings in the mushrooming cities.

A modern equivalent would be the noisy, water hungry megalithic data centres being built on federal land in the US (Pluto-power in tech-Aquarius, the new feudalism presented as progress for the people.)

Libra season this year starts with Mars still in Cancer but not for much longer, until 27 September, having done its thing since 11 August. The storyboard says tensions, strife or war at home/in the home/land, or issues to do with parents or the health of older relatives.

This time last year Mars was right at home in its home sign of Scorpio. In theory this can bring good news. A push of energy just when and where we need it. But this was not just another transit—it was described as a cosmic ignition point, as Sweden and Germany scrambled Gripens and Eurofighter jets in response to Russia’s illegal incursion over Estonian airspace and over the Baltic Sea…the illegality of which Russia denied. And now, a year later, as of a few hours ago at the time of writing, Russia is still testing, prodding and provoking NATO. Germany has scrambled fighter jets to Latvia and emergency alerts have been sounding out over Poland.

Donald Trump seemed poised to significantly escalate US military action against Iran only a few days ago. Now he has reconsidered, and meanwhile, clearly not coincidentally, he has…for the second time…delayed the delivery of over $400m in US military aid to Taiwan, delaying drones and munitions, prioritising a trade deal with China, marking a significant shift in Washington’s Taiwan policy. This, at the behest of President Xi whose relationship with Iran at this critical time is the likely factor in this potentially fateful decision.

“A soft answer turneth away wrath: But grievous words stir up anger.”‭‭ –Proverbs‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬ ‭KJV

Libra is the zodiac sign of the iron fist in the velvet glove. ‬‬

Traditional Associations

Quality: Cardinal…instigation

Element: Air

Affirmation: I (seek to) Balance

Ruling planet: Venus, as with Taurus

Seventh House: partnerships, personal, professional and legal

Body: Lower back, loins, buttocks, kidneys

Colour: Indigo Blue

Flower: Rose, Hydrangea

Birthstones: Sapphire- September birthdays. Opal- October birthdays

Lucky Number: 6 and 7 (community, service, childhood, partnerships)

Tarot cards: Justice, showing the dual goddess, Astraea and Dike. Also the Queen of Swords, Ace of Swords, and the 2, 3 and 4 Swords

Justice from The Legacy of The Divine Tarot, Ciro Marchetti

Astronomy

Libra (technically, it is correctly pronounced Ly-bra as in Library) is a small but distinct constellation, 29th in size of the 88 constellations, next door to the constellation of Virgo

The zodiac sign that represents the zenith of human civilization, law and order, fair and equitable dealings, and the principle at least, of human justice, is also the only zodiac sun sign that is represented by a man-made object; the scales, and not represented by a human being or indeed any living creature.

And yet the constellation of Libra shares its stars with Scorpio, borrowing the claws of the celestial scorpion next door. Venusian Libra shares its starry meeting ground with Mars in Scorpio.

The constellation has been described as looking like a lop-sided diamond, and is visible from April to July in the northern hemisphere. Libra, like Cancer, is faint in comparison with other constellations, and contains no spectacular first magnitude stars, but it does contain its own galaxy cluster, possibly around 10 billion years old, the same age as our own galaxy, The Milky Way.

There also is a red dwarf star Gliese 581 with three orbiting planets, two of which may possibly be suitable for life, about 20 light years from Earth.

The brightest star in Libra is a binary star about 77 light years from Earth. α Librae. or Zubenelgenubi, meaning in Arabic “the Southern Claw.” The second-brightest star in the constellation of Libra is β Librae, or Zubeneschamali, from the Arabic for “The Northern Claw.”

Keepers of The Equinox

Aries and Libra are the two cardinal signs marking the equinoxes. Aries stands for the seasonal rising of the sun in the northern hemisphere, Libra for the setting of the sun in the northern hemisphere.

The Sun used to pass through the constellation of Libra at the time of the equinox (c. 23 September) when the length of hours of night and daylight were almost the same- hence the Libran concept of natural balance.

In fact, the zodiac sign of Libra ceased to coincide in real time with the actual placement of the constellation of Libra way back in AD 730 because of the wobble of the Earth, and the resulting effect known as precession – the movement of the equinoxes relative to Earth. Since 2002, the Sun has actually appeared, astronomically speaking, in the constellation of Libra from October 31 to November 22.

This is different to the dates used for this sign in your media horoscope, which is based on modern western or tropical astrology, and says Libra begins around 23rd of September, coinciding with the autumn equinox (in the northern hemisphere).

However. Western astrology works differently, functioning as a seasonal symbol system, marking the journey of the sun in relation to the Earth and the changing hours of daylight across the 360 degrees of the ecliptic, named for 12 of the constellations that touch or straddle the ecliptic at any time. But astrology references only 12 of these constellations for ease and elegance of arithmetic (sorry, Ophiuchus, you didn’t make that cut.)

This does not invalidate the working principle of Western/Tropical astrology in any way. The real time facts of astronomy which says the sun is now entering Virgo do not invalidate your horoscope; a fact of cultural astronomy that many modern astronomers still utterly fail to grasp. The symbolic, historic and astrological concepts of western astrology still stand in all their original meaning, based on this seasonal, arithmetic model of the western or Tropical zodiac as codified by the mathematician Ptolemy in the 2nd Century.

Mythology and History

Libra was known in Babylonian astronomy as MUL Zibanu (the “scales” or “balance”) but it was also known at the same time as the Claws of the Scorpion, while in ancient Greece Libra was also seen as the Scorpion’s Claws.

The Scales were sacred to the Babylonian sun god Shamash, the patron of truth and justice, and that is why, since very early times, Libra has been associated with law, fairness and civility. Because 3000 years ago, the Sun entering Libra marked the equinox, when days and nights were of equal length, i.e. balanced, Roman astrologers likewise considered that the constellation of Libra represented the principle of natural balance, equality, equilibrium and hence, justice.

In ancient Rome Libra was associated with the scales of justice held by the pre-Greek goddess Astraea, or her Roman counterpart Dike, although in Greek mythology she had always been associated with Virgo.

What is she talking about? Claws. Scales. Libra is part Virgo, part Scorpio? Eh? Que? What is all this gobbledygook?

I know, I know. Don’t shoot the messenger. The actual constellations and the zodiac signs after which they were named are inextricably linked in meaning, but they are not one and the same thing. And Libra is extra complicated.

According to the Roman writer and poet Marcus Manilius the greatest Roman judges were noted to have been born under the sign of Libra, while The Moon, which in astrology governs The People, was said to be in Libra when Rome was founded, in a historical passage, which states “qua condita Roma.”

The early born Libra native may therefore resonate more strongly with the expression of Virgo and Astraea, while the later born Libra may have quite a lot of Scorpio going on. This same principle applies to all the zodiac signs, depending whether you were born early or late in your own sun sign. But it’s particularly acute in the case of Libra, on account of its shared/borrowed stars.

The Libra Archetype

Libra is Cardinal Air- it is intellectual. Cool. It instigates, negotiates and codifies into treaties and law, where Aquarius (cloud) is Fixed Air and stabilizes ideas into creeds and systems, including IT and literally…The Cloud…and Gemini (breeze) stands for the evolution and agility of Mutable Air, news, and chat and trade.

Libra may be the only zodiac sign that is not represented by a human or animal, but the scales signify the collective and enduring hardwired human need and indeed, hunger for justice. Why does justice matter so much to us? We talk about natural justice, but how do we see justice played out in Nature? The law of Nature says the weakest go down first, Nature “red in tooth and claw” (Tennyson)

So why do we cry out for justice like we do? And we do. Even babies have been shown to have a razor keen awareness of what is fair and what isn’t. Few things more corrosive than living with the knowledge of justice denied. Law and Justice are presented as one and the same. Judges are called Lord or Lady Justice, whatever. But there is the letter of the law and the spirit of justice. These things are not necessarily always one and the same.

More earthily, ancient astrology viewed Libra as an especially lucky sign because it signifies a peak of riches, just after harvest time, when hard work and good weather yields rewards…and we take stock and more clearly see, literally in the agricultural sense, the fruits of our labour.

Because Venus, the goddess planet of love, money, comfort and pleasure, rules Libra, as it also rules Taurus, the Libra subject is more than usually sensitive to beauty in anything, whether it is a person, nature, art, or music. Likewise, by the same token, airy Libra is super sensitive, not only to criticism, not that anyone enjoys that, but it intensely dislikes sudden, loud or sharp noises. Nasty vibrations in the air. Libra may start a fight with a well-placed word bomb with an added Scorpionic sting, but when a battle results they will want to keep the noise down. OK. Let’s fight, but let’s do it quietly. Libra at war is a stealth bomber.

In general, Libra will go to great efforts to co-operate and compromise with everyone around them. Libra can be more changeable even than Gemini. Those swinging scales are, after all, seeking balance, which is not necessarily at all the same as attaining it, or maintaining it. This can sometimes become a little tiring for their loved ones as they constantly re-assess their thinking, adjusting their position, while remaining emotionally unavailable for the duration. This may be infuriating at times, or even seem to call personal loyalties into question. Libra is trying to find a stable footing, while seeking to see the thing from all angles at once. They will stick to their position once they have arrived at their decision.

Botticelli: The Birth of Venus, ruler of Libra and Taurus

Libra is smiling, urbane, approachable, has a keen sense of humour and a sense of the ridiculous, adores flirtation, but does not receive or handle criticism as dispassionately as they dispense it. Libra has warrior energy, oh yes. It wields a sword cutting through any thorny problem where its own emotions are not invested, but Libra is more emotionally volatile than may at first be apparent. Swinging to and fro, searching for equipoise, and the centre of balance.

Every zodiac sign has its more challenging aspects, and every zodiac sun sign has its resident super-villains. But the more usual real-life Libra, the ones we love, and Libra itself; clever as anything, charming, that lollipop smile. Sunny side up, what not to like?

See here for Famous Libra natives in history

This Libra Season we have…

Full Harvest Moon in Aries 3 degrees 26 September. The harvest moon is the first full moon after the autumn equinox. It will be rising close to sunset for several evenings, and this is how it got its name. Traditionally this moon casts an abundance of light helping farmers bring in the harvest by virtue of this early rising. The tarot card for this degree of Aries is the 2 Wands, generally understood as a welcome card in forging partnerships but sometimes nicknamed the Melancholy of Alexander, as in, we are scanning the horizon, asking ourselves what else is out there? Or the world is not enough. A card of ambition, agreements, shipping, export and conquest.

New Moon in Libra 17 degrees 10 October: Tarot card 3 Swords, generally understood as signifying a separation, a severance, the end of a relationship, sorrow, heartache, a broken heart, or literally even heart health and cardiac health issues.

Mars in Cancer squares Chiron in Aries on September 27 before entering Leo. Defensiveness, old injuries, and the need to protect what feels vulnerable can complicate the conversation. Then Mars enters 1st Decan of Leo ruled by Saturn on 27/28th September, a potentially sticky transit. The associated minor arcana card is the competitive, potentially combative 5 Wands.

Venus retrograde in Scorpio between October 3 and November 14. The retrograde begins at 8 degrees Scorpio, intensifying issues in relationships tied to shared resources, family obligations and intimacy. This could bring conflict, resurrecting old sorrows. Tarot card, the 5 Cups, disappointment, and coming to terms with heartache and losses.

Back again soon with the decans of Libra.

Thank you for reading.

Till next time 🙂

Stories of Scorpio: Part 2

The Death card and a psychic dream premonition

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pexels-photo-5005210.jpeg — Photo by Jo Kassis on Pexels.comcaption…

Last time I was talking about on the origins of the Scorpio story: the history, natural history and the scorpion itself, the symbolism, and the astronomy and astrology. Now for a further look at the archetype.

The Scorpio Archetype

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 zodiac signs paint a ‘poetic’ portrait of a person born at a particular time of year.

Scorpio is The Sorcerer, The Witch, The Investigator, The Hypnotist, The Alchemist and the Necromancer. Scorpio is also the World Serpent, and the Eagle, and the mythological Phoenix, the fire-bird of resurrection, as new life rises from the ashes –The Phoenix.

a blurry photo of a yellow flower — Photo by Egor Litvinov on Unsplash

Scorpio is the season of fast dwindling daylight and with this comes the new season of chills and influenza. The medical salt associated with Scorpio, the tissue cell salt Calcium Sulphate, performs a cleansing and cooling function in the body. Injury or infection may produce pus which may form a boil, and then the boil bursts, expelling infection and with it, expelling the dangerous heat of inflammation. But better out than in. Though like a volcanic eruption, the immediate aftermath may be destructive. This can be viewed as an allegory of world events.

What has been festering, must either turn inward, bringing sepsis, rot and death, or must find a way to break out. Scorpio breaks out with heat and violence and/or conceals by means of stealth, wealth, secrecy and intrigue.

New readers will often discuss the water cards in terms of how healing they are, and and sensitive, ‘spiritual’ and emotional. True. But great emotions will just as readily wreak great turmoil. There are terrifying floods. There are storms at sea. Heaven help Jamaica at the time of writing. There are tsunamis. The fixed water sign that is the Scorpion of the zodiac is ruled by Mars and the red star Antares. It doesn’t freeze. It may steam. It may simmer. But it may scald. It may boil.

a pot sitting on top of a fire next to a log — Photo by Adams Arslan on Unsplash

The cards representing the fixed water zodiac sign of Scorpio are The Death card, The King of Cups, and the Five, Six and Seven of Cups.

The Death card sits in between two mutable cards: The Hanged Man card of Pisces, denoting twelfth house matters, hidden matters, and a time of inaction, and Temperance of Sagittarius, representing ninth house matters, and the power of right timing and targeted action, just as the arrow of the Archer flies to its mark.

Temperance is also the card of healing where Scorpio is Life or Death.

The Tarot is saying that Death too may be a way of healing. Or rather perhaps, that Death itself is healed. That the Dead go forward into the unknowable with the safe escort of the angel of Temperance, thought to be Michael, the angel of Fire, returning home again. They are going home to the source whence they came, reascending though the Gate of the Gods in Capricorn, rising through the Milky Way, straddled by the constellation of The Archer.

As mentioned last time, and the tarot readers here know all this, the major arcana card in the Tarot representing Scorpio is the Death card, one of the most feared cards in the Tarot deck. Note the Biblical ‘pale horse’ of Death and the white rose. The rose signifies beauty and immortality. The rose is meant to suggest all that has ever once been, is recorded somewhere, somehow, forever.

The Death card is rather played down these days. Many readers rush to assure us that the appearance of the Death card does not predict a death, or not in the physical sense. Rather, it is the end of a chapter. And this is often true. But not always. I have learned in my own experience as a reader, the Death card can mean exactly that, and there can be no bottling out. The Death card demands we face the truth of our existence.

A long time ago I saw in a dream the death of a long-ago neighbour, a friend of my parent’s. She was still only quite a young woman, the mother of five children. I woke haunted, the dream was still so vivid, and it sat with me all day. I had not seen this family friend, let’s call her L. for some years. What was she doing in my dreams? So often, when we wake, if we remember them, we clearly see that our dreams have only been processing recent events and conversations.

But what do you do with a dream like that? What can you do? Nothing. You forget it, blame it on cheese at bedtime, or you might log it and put it on one side. A fortnight later I was visiting my parents, and while I was helping my mother in the kitchen, I said, “by the way, Mam, how is L. W.…have you heard from her at all lately?”

My mother turned sharply. Her face set hard like stone.

“Why do you ask?”

“I had such a strange dream about her.”

“Tell me.”

I described the dream. How I had seen people and cars arriving at L’s house one street away from where we had used to live when I was growing up. Some, though not all of these visitors, wearing black. But it was my mother who opened the front door to greet them, and not L or her husband. L did not appear in this dream, herself.

The absence of L, at her own front door, with visitors arriving dressed in black, said this was a dream of death.

And now my mother told me, she had just heard from L’s husband who was a close colleague of my mother’s, that L., only fifty at the time, the mother of five children, a fun, brave and vivacious person, a real fighter always, a local politician, an educator, and something of a social justice warrior, had just a few days previously been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

In terms of the date, I will never know how closely the news of this dreadful diagnosis coincided with the dream of the funeral or wake. But how much closer did it need to be, my God.

L. had been in a minor road traffic accident. She had hit another car, no great damage done. But she hadn’t seen the other car. So she went to the opticians who saw something he did not like the look of, who referred her to a specialist and then they found the tumour.

How long did dear L have, my -always very hard-headed- mother now asked. How long did I think?

I am a Taurus sun sign sun native. People may not tend to think of the earthy mid spring sign of Taurus in terms of all things psychic, supernatural or occult. But The High priestess which is widely associated with Pisces, represents Hathor and the Bull Cult of Apis, and Walpurgis Night is in Taurus, April 30, May Eve, the spring time equivalent of Halloween and all things the other side of The Veil. The crescent moon of her headdress does double duty as the cow horns of Hathor, her throne festooned with the pomegranates of Persephone, queen of the Underworld.

Scorpio is the opposite sun sign of Taurus and vice versa. The shadow sun self, one might say, while my own personal Taurus natal sun is in the eighth house, ruled by Scorpio.

We are not defined by our birth charts. Or by our sun sign. We are zodiac kaleidoscopes. But still, we are the children of the place and season into which we were born. The rocks, the light, the animals, the flowers, the birds, the skies at night at the time of our birth. The hours of daylight and the vitamin D of our mothers. The melatonin. Our zodiac sun sign is our touchstone and our totem.

Back to my mother’s grief stricken question. How long did our friend L. have? Those children at home, and the youngest still only little? Of course I do not know the answer to such questions. Nor do I want to. But I told my mother what I felt, that she had maybe two years, and sadly, it was not even quite that. L died at home one night aged 52, sitting up suddenly, fighting for air, in the bed she still shared with her husband, and with her mother who had come to stay to help with the children, there in the next room and beside her when she died.

God bless and keep L. and her mother, now also long gone, detaching gently from the tree like a faded leaf.

But unpopular Pluto, Hades, lord of the Underworld has a compassion all his own. It is not Death itself that is our enemy, or the enemy of Life itself, but despair. Like the song says, after all, the ‘Seasons Don’t Fear The Reaper’.

Scorpio confronts us with Death. But this is not about any kind of a death wish. It is the cry of Life’s own longing for itself.

Many years later, when I started to work with the cards, I was trying to understand more about this dream, and other such experiences. Where did such dreams come from. And what was the point of them? What good did they do anyone?

I did not like it. But it is what it is. And later, when I started to learn to read the cards, I sometimes saw death in the cards, although I will never predict it. But still, a reader should be prepared to “go there” and at least discuss it if someone asks in all seriousness. To walk the road alongside. No ducking the tough discussions. There is much that can be discussed. Not least, family matters. Usually, a legal professional is already being consulted, as is wholly appropriate. But people have still wanted this other kind of conversation and there is a careful, critical line between respect, ethical responsibilities, and officiousness or nannying.

It is important to note that there are other cards in the Tarot deck that may indicate a death. The Three of Swords or the Six, Nine or Ten of Swords, for instance. The Death card, in my experience so far, has tended to denote a peaceful natural death.

The entirety of human experience is encapsulated past, present and the future unknown in a deck of only 78 cards. It is of no use for a reader to seek to work with the tarot or any oracle, shirking the most difficult questions, though we must still adhere to strictest ethics, and like Hippocrates, first we must do no harm.

It’s a tricky line at times. Readers are on the one hand, fallible, and need to remember this at all times, while on the other hand, to be of service, we have to trust ourselves sufficiently to speak clearly, and to the heart of the matter in service to this oracle of the human spirit.

full moon covered with clouds — Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash

“The man, who has seen the rising moon break out of the clouds at midnight, has been present like an archangel at the creation of light and of the world.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Old age is not our natural birth-right. Few animals reach old age living in the wild. The scorpion itself lives 2-3 years in the wild…although in captivity, incredibly it may live 25 years. The price of freedom, hey? But it is this sharp focus of such an awareness that gives Scorpio its drive, intensity, its passion, or its preoccupation with the “darker” side of life, and with the occult and the mysterious, but also its power of regeneration, and the drive to procreate new life.

Thank you for reading.

Back soon…the decans of Scorpio, and Halloween

Till next time 🙂

Birds and bees and all that flies. It’s time again for Gemini. But what’s the story behind the zodiac sign?

Gemini the sign of the Heavenly Twins is a mutable air sign, and the third sign of the western or Tropical zodiac, representing late spring/early summer in the northern hemisphere.

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, representing the Scales of Justice. But even the scales of Libra are borrowed from the stars of neighbouring Scorpio, the heavenly scorpion.

See the Scales of Libra, doing double duty as the claws of the Scorpion.

Gemini Associations

Dates: May 21- June 20

Astrological symbol:

Ruling planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Quality: Mutable

Affirmation: ‘I think, I inquire.’

Birth Stone: For Gemini born in May, Emerald. For Gemini born in June, Pearl (although it is not a stone, and it is a product of the sea it is classically ruled by Mercury)

Lucky stone, The Tiger’s Eye. Why? Grounding of ‘flighty’ Gemini energy, brings focus

Colour: Yellow

Tree: all kinds of nut trees

Flower: Lily of the Valley, Lavender

Astronomy of Gemini

The Gemini constellation was listed as one of the 48 ancient constellations by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century, though Ptolemy referred to it in terms, not of the constellation as a whole, but of its two brightest stars, Castor ‘ The Star of Apollo,’ and Pollux ‘The Star of Heracles’.

Gemini is the northernmost constellation in the zodiac, in size the 30th largest. To see Gemini with the naked eye, we need to look north east of the constellation Orion between the Taurus and Cancer constellations.

Best viewing is during February. By April and May, the constellation is visible in the west soon after sunset.

Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars in the Gemini constellation, represent the heads of the twins from Greek mythology. Fainter stars are the outlines their bodies. Pollux, the westerly twin, is a red giant star, 33 light-years from Earth while Castor is about 51 light-years away.

(One light-year is the distance that light travels in a year – approx 6 trillion miles/9.6 trillion KM.)

Pollux is the brighter of the two stars, orbited by a massive planet orbiting it, Beta Genorium B, 1.6 times bigger than Jupiter.

Castor is actually not a single star, but a star system made of up six stars not visible to the naked eye.

Ancient History

Gemini represents the key principle of duality or polarity, similarities and opposites, life and death, light and dark, night and day, hot and cold.

We see this principle in active operation in spring, in the climax of splitting or cloning. Pollen flies free. Eggs hatch. Butterflies and dragonflies hatch out of their chrysalis. The mythology of twins 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 countless stories of the twins in world myth, representing dualities and polarities; 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 across the world reflect this eternal battle of seeming opposites. Many surviving objects feature twin gods and goddesses. But there is a shadow side. In some cultures twins have been feared

In Egyptian astrology the stars of Gemini were twin goats, or else they were the two gods, Horus the Elder and Horus the Younger, while classical Greek mythology identified them as the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux, The Gemini.

Gemini is the first sign of the western tropical zodiac year that has a human representation rather than an animal one, following Aries the Ram and Taurus the Bull.

Castor and Pollux

Gemini is the name by which the constellation is known today throughout the western world. Gemini is Latin for “twins,” and Gemini is The Hellenistic names of the Heavenly Twins, Castor and Pollux.

Castor comes from the Greek Καστωρ (Kastor) and means “to excel, to shine.” In Greek myth Castor was a son of Zeus and the twin brother of Pollux.

Pollux comes from the Roman form of Greek Πολυδευκης (Polydeukes) and means “very sweet”.

The circumstances of their birth were unusual, to say the least. Queen Leda of Sparta was seduced by Zeus who had disguised himself as a swan. ‘Seduced’ is putting it rather too politely. She was bathing in the river. He glided about pretending to peck at things and then pounced on her while she was looking the other way, minding her own business. Later that evening, notwithstanding this shock, or perhaps, who knows, because of it, Leda also slept with her husband King Tyndareus and went on to produce four children; Castor, Pollux and their sisters Helen (later Helen of Troy) and Clytemnestra (later married to Agamemnon as queen of Mycenae.)

Pollux and Helen were fathered by Zeus, and were immortal, while Castor and Clytemnestra, fathered by Tyndareus,were mortal.

*Source: Public Domain, the young Castor and Pollux (Meissen)*

The brothers, known as the Dioscuri, meaning ‘Sons of Zeus’, were handsome, curious and always up to something. The mortal Castor was a renowned horseman and a master at fencing, while the immortal Pollux was known for his great strength and skill at boxing.

But then Castor was killed, possibly in a quarrel over dividing the spoils after a cattle raid. Pollux was distraught. He didn’t want immortality, not if it meant being without his brother, he said, and he begged his father, Zeus to make him mortal, and then kill him so he could be with his brother. Zeus couldn’t bring himself to do that, scratching his head, wondering how to fix this, and decided to place them both in the stars, to be immortal together forever as the constellation of the Gemini.

The Greeks, in particular the Spartans, though the twins had a temple in Athens, worshipped the twins as horsemen, and also as patron saints of shipwrecked sailors. Sacrifices were offered to the Dioscuri before a voyage, with a request for favourable winds.

The Romans later developed a cult around Castor and Pollux, dating back to 484 B.C. They built 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 the Roman cavalry, the mounted knights or equites, and appear in this role on many early Roman coins.

The Zodiac Archetype

Mercury by Hendrick Goltzius, 1611, Public Domain

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.

But 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 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, not knowing that despite his instructions that she was not to eat anything, or the deal was off, Hades had tricked Persephone into eating six seeds of her favourite pomegranate fruit. Seeds don’t count, Hades told her, and she believed him, but now she was bound to his side for six months of the year.

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 paints a poetic portrait of a person born at a particular time of year, in a particular season. A baby born in summer 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 mutable sign, Gemini rules a borderline between seasons, in this case late spring into early summer. The other mutable signs are Virgo and Pisces, and all three mutable signs are considered the most changeable and agile of the signs, inquiring, analytical, logical and restless.

Mid- May is the start of grass pollen season which then builds to a peak in mid July:-

“May is quite the roller-coaster when it comes to tracking pollen. Dock and lime pollen start triggering hay fever in May as they begin their season, while both pine and oil seed rape peak and end within the month. Oak and plane end their peak – but grass pollen begins hitting its high notes.“

The Gemini temperament is friendly yet watchful, generous but changeable -mercurial as personified by Hermes with his winged sandals and his staff, caduceus- emblem of messages and trade. The well-known delivery company of the same name clearly chose its name for this same reason.

In medical astrology, Gemini rules the arms and hands. The typical Gemini native is of above average personal appearance, personable, attractive, usually slim and of average height or taller and with neat, tidy facial features. The Gemini is socially gifted, cheerful, humorous, witty, capable and quick to learn.

Limbourg, Anatomy of The Zodiac, Wiki via
Photo. R.M.N. / R.-G. OjŽda

At the same time, Gemini can also be surprisingly dogmatic, attaching themselves to causes, even inclining towards fundamentalism, whether it is to do with religion or an entirely secular creed or manifesto, or to do with lifestyle, for example, exercise or diet choices.

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 and devoted partners and parents.

Gemini in the Tarot

The Tarot cards associated with Gemini are The Lovers, The Knight of Swords and the 8, 9 and 10 Swords.

Card Meanings: love, friendships, partnerships, agreements, contracts, difficult choices, decisions

Every suit in the Tarot has its own court with a king and queen, a knight and a page. The principle Court card associated with Gemini is the Knight of Swords.

Card Meanings: speed, action, forward movement, sudden developments, attack, assertiveness, intelligence, sudden news, cunning, calculation, good timing, a pre-emptive strike, a confident, forceful young person, windy weather, 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 to the psychological profile associated with your zodiac sign/sun sign.

The minor arcana cards associated with Gemini are the Eight, Nine and Ten of Swords, correlating with the dates of the decans.

If you don’t feel like you are a ‘typical’ Gemini, well, we’re all unique, but perhaps you are also a second or third decan Gemini native, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Gemini.

Gemini is still Gemini, whatever the decan and this holds true for all the zodiac signs. But an early born Gemini is born under a slightly different planetary influence than a later born Gemini. It’s all still Gemini, the same heavenly recipe, but with varying amounts of classic ingredients.

First Decan Gemini

(0-10 degrees of the sign)

21-31 May

Eight of Swords

Card Meanings: Entrapment, uncertainty, a sense of 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 personally also come to associate this card with 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, can quickly tire of routine quickly; and have considerable charisma or sex appeal. But they know when they have a good thing so long as there is plenty of social interaction and short distance travel to keep their restlessness under control.

Second Decan Gemini

(10-20 degrees of the sign)

June 1-10

Nine of Swords

Card Meanings: The Nightmare card. Worry, ‘the black dog’ anxiety, stress, grief, insomnia, things that keep us awake at night.

The personal planet of this decan is Venus, planet of love, beauty- and money. This Gemini has charm, and a generous and giving spirit. The sub-ruler is Libra, ruled by Venus, 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 when compared with a first decan Gemini.

This Gemini native needs to be especially careful in the selection of companions/associates. The choice of a mate is, of course, of the utmost importance. This Gemini especially needs to avoid making big decisions about a choice of partner when they are too young to fully understand what they are doing.

These are easy going and pleasant people. Gemini strives on change while Libra works to establish equilibrium. Their Venus/Libra influence is their salvation, because it makes them artful in their judgments and full of affection for those they do judge.

Gemini 2nd decan is drawn to quiet, reserved people. Not only do opposites attract, but the secrecy fascinates Gemini-Libra, ans they also match up well with reliable, practical types who can get the job done with little fuss or excitement. A person that will ground, refine and implement 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, with a great deal of magnetism. They are kindly, sharp and witty. Just cut your cloth to suit and don’t be too surprised or upset if they disappear as suddenly as they appear or go quiet on you without warning. It’s not personal. It’s just the way they are.

Third Decan Gemini

(20-30 degrees of the sign)

11-20 June

Ten of Swords

Card meanings: Destruction, despair, betrayal, ruin, dark night of the soul, darkness before dawn, the only way is up, illness, comatose, a fall, spinal injury, head injury.

Incidental perhaps, but this card has come up repeatedly in respect of events and outcomes affecting the personal destiny Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine, 24 February. We shall see what occurs during these forthcoming decan dates, June 11-June 2020.

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.

Famous Gemini people

Carl Linnaeus, Peter the Great, Adam Smith, Richard Wagner, Arthur Conan Doyle, John Maynard Keynes, John F Kennedy, Frank Lloyd Wright, Boris Johnson. Johnny Depp, Queen Victoria, Charles 11, George 111,George V, Donald Trump, Muammar Gaddafi, Angelina Jolie, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Happy birthday, Gemini 2023

What is the advice for Gemini in 2023?

Astro-dice Casting

We have drawn The Sun in Gemini in the Second House.

Here is the mystery of synchronicity at work in real time. I throw 3 dice, asking, what is the keynote message for Gemini in 2023, and, blow me down, we have drawn the Sun in Gemini, reflecting an exact mirror image of the question as stated, and then the Second House, ruled by Taurus, represents the answer.

And here is more real time astrology. The astro-dice are picking up on the current transit of Mercury (ruler of Gemini) in the second house of Taurus.

These die have already been cast. What we have been dealing with since April and May may start to bear fruit (or deliver further baggage) from June onwards in 2023.

The focus this year is on material and financial security, and also perhaps wining and dining and other earthy luxuries. The money sign of Taurus, ruled by Venus, planet of beauty AND money, as the best things in life may be free, but the basics cost money, and beautiful things cost more money. Taurus also refers to agriculture and food- all good things.

The second House is also to do with our values and priorities, and these can change over time.

This is a year for cautious rather than exuberant optimism. New opportunities and adventures are coming this year, and new relationships, though these may be slow to start with.

Taurus gets things done, sharpened by the wit of Mercury. But you may find yourself making slower progress than you are used to. Gently does it.

There is a sense of needing to make peace with the past, letting go of griefs or grudges to do with past disappointments in relationships and business.

Health wise, though butter for instance is a real food, where margarine is not, and Taurus is all about real, rather than processed foods, rich heavy foods may not suit the slightly slower Gemini digestion, or the Gemini mood this year.

Back soon with more to come on Gemini 🙂