The Gemini moon, Pisces wisdom, and creating unity
I fell in love with writing in third grade. Polly Whitcomb, my teacher at The Aspen Community School, initiated me through poetry. I remember taking my first baby steps via William Blake’s The Tyger. Polly instructed the class to begin our own poems with his opening lines: “Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night.” I had no idea what Blake’s poem meant, but I didn’t care. The moment I added my own words beneath his, something ignited. I was hooked. I dove headfirst into my artistic mind and haven’t surfaced since. So much of what I still love today began in that log cabin school, on the plateau in Woody Creek.
I now understand that Blake’s poem questions creation itself. How the tiger can be both elegant and terrifying. He ponders who could forge such ferocious power, juxtaposed against his poem, The Lamb. Blake was grappling with the duality of destruction and innocence — who created both, and why? His writing contemplates the nature of creation, and even the creator itself. How apt to be reminded of this poem now, in our severely dualistic world, where violent attacks against the innocent are the norm.
Tomorrow’s first quarter moon in Gemini is concerned with duality and creating unity from it. As is Mercury stationing retrograde on Wednesday, showcasing the polarities within our minds. Mercury and Gemini share much in common: a need for freedom, moving past our limitations, ingenuity, seeking perspective, and a playful, trickster energy.
Many people fret Mercury turning retrograde, but there’s no need.
Mercury changing course is an opportunity to expand beyond our linear, do-do-do mindset, and relax into the right hemispheres of our brain where we see life in cycles and do our best creative thinking.
Mercury stations retrograde in Pisces — a heart-based archetype, filled with compassion and empathy. Mercury slows and stills in the sky before appearing to change direction, steeping us in Pisces’ universal love and longing for union.
A retrograde Mercury invites us to embrace our creativity and tap into our imaginations. That may be literal art making, or it could be looking for a wider view when ruminating on a problem. Mercury reversing invites a pause and a deceleration of our obsession with doing. Remember that when your internet goes down or your computer has a snafu. Mercury retrograde gives us permission to sit in beingness for a minute before we act. It reminds you to take a moment to simply feel what is right for you, bypassing the autoresponder yes.
Mercury will be retracing its path through the sky until the spring equinox — which is cool in and of itself. The equinox teaches us about balance. This Mercury retrograde prepares us for the equinox’s equilibrium.
How can we unify a little piece of our inner duality, merging our destructive and innocent sides? What is one way we could create more balance in our lives preceding the equinox, when the Aries spring energy ramps things up energetically?
How can we both do and be?
How might we learn to be kind to ourselves and still get things done? How do we uncover compassion for the fear-based actions we see in the world while still pushing back against tyranny?
I recently read a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh, “Peace in oneself, peace in the world.” How can we expect to see peace in the world if we don’t have peace within ourselves? That’s the opportunity this Pisces retrograde Mercury brings, following the half-lit Gemini moon — guiding us into the Aries spring equinox.
It’s only through cultivating peace inside that we stand any hope of making change outside. If I refuse to see the fear and hatred that drive those I don’t understand within myself, how can I expect the world to be any different? To quote Bad Bunny, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Love can’t be limited to just me and those I agree with. I wonder if William Blake pondered these same questions as he wrestled with the nature of the creator.
For more astrology insights, you can find my regular astrology coaching columns in The Aspen Times.
🌙 Sheridan
Astrology Coach & Moon Sisters Circle Guide
I work with women to break old patterns, make clear decisions, and take real-life action using astrological insight