Welcome to the twin-for-the-win season of Gemini. Among the most maligned and misunderstood of the zodiac signs, Gemini is ruled by Mercury, messenger demigod and planet of communication. Gemini energy is curious, anxious, enthusiastic and extreme. An air sign, Gemini mimics the shifting, elusive element that governs it. At best, Gemini is investigative, expansive, with a mind as wide open as the many roads they seek to travel. At worst, Gemini is erratic, incessant and prone to gossip.
To add intrigue and calamity to Gemini season, Mercury goes retrograde from May 29 through June 22. Mercury influences all conversation, transaction and communication. In retrograde it heralds a time of contemplation rather than initiation. Weigh words and appreciate their capacity to build or burn bridges. Speak with care, and listen with compassion as distance and reflection have the power to change perspectives.
Gemini
May 21 to June 20
My friend Aine, a Gemini of the highest order, admitted, “I’ll do anything, sometimes.” The ability to entertain all possibilities and discern when and how you engage them is the magic of your constellation. As your ruling planet goes retrograde for the next few weeks, hold fast to the knowledge that no is not forever and yes is not a standing commitment.
Notable Gemini: Bucky Sinister/June 13, 1969
Cancer
June 21 to July 22
There is no valor in suffering, moon children. The word “care” derives from the Old English caru, meaning “anxiety caused by the weight of many burdens.” As you are more apt to deliver than receive care, consider this: “A burden shared is a burden lifted.” Please, allow yourself that levity and those who love you the grace of your need.
Notable Cancer: Benazir Bhutto/June 21, 1953
Leo
July 23 to Aug. 22
My sister, a regal Leo herself, discussing heartbreak and starting over, imparted this hard-won knowledge to me: “Relationships, and our pursuit of them, are the hope that lightning can strike twice.” As you move through a season of doubt and recovery, may these words be medicine and may the lightning strike of surprise soon light your way back to believing.
Notable Leo: Carl Jung/July 26, 1875
Virgo
Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
At 6 years old, after the death of her grandmother, poet and fellow Virgo Sonia Sanchez developed a terrible stutter. The impediment and introversion it triggered were a source of great pain and great introspection. She spoke less and read more, paying acute attention to language and sounds. Pay respect to silence and speech by taking your time in cultivating both.
Notable Virgo: Kwame Nkrumah/Sept. 21, 1909
Libra
Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
In his analysis of the paintings of Hans Holbein, Ford Max Ford writes, “the eyes look at you as if to say: ‘I do not know exactly what manner of man you are, but I am very sure that being a man you are no hero.’ This is not a condemnation, but acceptance of the fact that from pope to peasant, poor humanity can never be more than poor humanity.” I share this to release you from the pressure of heroics while reminding you of your own simple humanity. You don’t have to save anyone, but you would be better for humbly and truly revering everyone.
Notable Libra: Mae Jemison/Oct. 17, 1956
Scorpio
Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
Writer and fellow Scorpio D.A. Levy burned bright but brief, publishing renegade and obscene works of literature throughout his short tenure on earth. When he died by his own hand at 26, he asked an artist friend to turn his ashes into a calligraphic painting of Levy’s own words. May you too reconstitute the remains of what you were into the star-dusted letters of who you are becoming.
Notable Scorpio: Phillip Lamantia/Oct. 23, 1927
Sagittarius
Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
Fellow Sagittarius and leather-clad lizard king Jim Morrison never learned to play an instrument. He formed a band because he couldn’t silence “the concert being played in my skull.” Musicians were ambassadors to the sounds in his head. In answering his call, they gave the world sonic sustenance. Imagine what would have gone to waste if Morrison hadn’t asked for support. Consider a similar delegation for the sake of your own creation, archer. Strike up the band.
Notable Sagittarius: Crazy Horse/Dec. 4, 1840
Capricorn
Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
Writer, outlaw, professional pervert and fellow Capricorn Henry Miller writes, “Every man, when he gets quiet, when he becomes desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source, there is no mystery about the origin of things. We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up, only to discover what is already there.” There’s nothing you can’t do, you either will or you won’t. I hope you will.
Notable Capricorn: Alice Mary Robertson/Jan. 2, 1854
Aquarius
Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
In her poem “Which Side Are You On?” poet and fellow Aquarius Janine Pommy Vega asks, “How many times will you enter a room and leave it vacant: in and out, in and out, visiting a temple of possibility and never leaving anything on the altar?” As an air sign, you often operate from a position of emotional distance, preferring observation to participation. In the weeks ahead offer the gift of your present, vulnerable self to the altar of another.
Notable Aquarius: Manuel Noriega/Feb. 11, 1934
Pisces
Feb. 19 to March 20
In 2010, writer and fellow Pisces S.A. Griffin gathered 900 poems and adapted a Vietnam War-era practice bomb to house words rather than explosives. Griffin dubbed his “Poetry Bomb” a “weapon of mass discussion” and invited folks to add their own poems to its interior. May he and it inspire you to disarm one of your own defenses and repurpose it as a home for communion.
Notable Pisces: Ray Bremser/Feb. 22, 1934
Aries
March 21 to April 19
Aristocrat essayist Marcel Proust writes, “Creative acts originate not from a knowledge of their laws, but from an incomprehensible and obscure power that is not fortified by being explained. A woman does not need knowledge of medicine to give birth to a child; a man need not understand the psychology of love in order to love.” I hope Proust’s observation frees you from the need to grasp the mechanics of your making before you begin. Trust that when it comes to creation, action is more vital than understanding.
Notable Aries: Marvin Gaye/April 2, 1939
Taurus
April 20 to May 20
The Greek root for the word enthusiasm translates to “divine possession.” You, Taurus, more than any other zodiac sign, are prone to enthusiasm and exhaustion in equal measure. To honor the divinity that enthusiasm stirs, it is not enough to be inspired, you must also be intrepid in your follow-through.
Notable Taurus: Harper Lee/April 28, 1926
