Changing Stories : The New Moon in Gemini

Shine

This is your time
You are glowing under the moon
You are shining near the fire
You will arise
each morning
moving yourself up
to the highlands
of your own heart
Keep going
you deliciously sweet framework
of brains and bones
Your existence is a miracle
But don't force a smile
Instead,
honor your humanity
Speak in sentences
of boquets and thorns
Dig in the dirt
and pull up the weeds
of your past
Stretch the length
of your body
along the trunk of a tree
raise your hand
to the branches in the sky
and wrap your fingers
around th largest
keenest
truest fruit
you can find.

- Kim Adonna -

Gemini is a sign of our times with it’s emphasis on social connections, fast-moving information, and, when the energy gets carried away, saying something before we’ve thought it through. Words and their many meanings dance around us like a playful wind. Oracles and visionary signs abound during the New Moon in Gemini. It might mean spending time with your divinatory tools, but be sure to be open to the oracles of the everyday. Pay attention to words the books you're reading, the signs of passing street corners, enigmatic combinations of emojis, and snippets of conversations in a new and open way. The New Moon in Gemini is a time that we can hear what we need to know, but it requires us to listen carefully. 

After the New Moon in Taurus, the New Moon in Gemini is the young kid who is pulling their parent up from relaxing and saying “Come on let’s go!” And on the way to wherever they want you to be they’ll regale you with the latest school ground gossip. While stillness is a quality of Taurus, quickness is the energy of mutable Gemini. The New Moon in Gemini can be a time of information expansion in your life - and depending on where you’re at in life this can be overwhelming or exactly what you need (or a combination of both). It’s an auspicious time to release old stories that you tell yourself and others that you’ve outgrown as well as make announcements about new projects, identities, and ambitions. If you’re someone who struggles with words, whether speaking them aloud or finding the ones that fit what you want to express, the New Moon in Gemini, when properly focused (check out the plant ally below for help with that) can help you find or create your words.

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All New Moons are times of new starts, new beginnings, and new perspectives. With the New Moon in Gemini we have the opportunity to tell a new story to and about ourselves. Instead of "not" and “can’t,” Gemini urges us to speak with "can" and "do" as our words of power. Think of a story you’ve been telling yourself for years. It might be something like:

I don’t deserve to be cared for in the ways that I care for others.

Replace the negatives in the sentence with positive words. So the story is transformed to:

I do deserve to be cared for in the ways that I care for others. 

It’s not about believing that the latter story is true (yet), for Gemini is less a sign of belief as it is a sign of talking about and analyzing belief. But it is a sign of memes and persistent thoughts, so why not create a persistently positive meme for yourself? It takes practice, but the New Moon in Gemini is an auspicious time to start, helping to give your re-storytelling an energetic boost. 

It’s time to tell your story, instead of being told it.

Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
New Moon in Gemini Plant Ally

Lavender is a wonderful herb for the New Moon, bringing soothing and centering energy to magick and medicine. The gentle purple flower helps us to slow down and take a breath during the energetically busy time of Gemini. In general, Lavender is an herb that addresses physiological tension from muscle spasms to tension headaches. It can be used internally (it’s a great addition to tea) and it’s a wonderful massage oil for tired and tense bodies. Lavender is one of my favorite herbs to use in room sprays to shift the energy of a space. 

Lavender works with the nervous system very intelligently - it stimulates a sluggish nervous system when needed, bringing clarity and focus while lifting lethargy and can also calm an aggravated nervous system that needs to be re-centered, and settled. Lavender can help to soften the jolts of energy that run through our bodies while enhancing our energetic output, clearing out lethargy and laziness. The scent of Lavender alone does remarkable things to our nervous system, helping to ward off depression, alleviate stress, and bring the spirit back to the body. I highly recommend including it in your New Moon in Gemini magick-making especially when undoing the knots of tension that can come from untangling stories so that we can find our own words. 

Flower + Gem Essences for the New Moon in Gemini: Cerato (Ceratostigma Willmottiana), Mimulus (Mimulus Guttatus), Lavender (Lavandula spp.), Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), Blue Delphinium (Delphinium spp.), Aquamarine, Clear Quartz.

Essential Oils for Gemini: Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Basil (Ocimum basilicum), Peppermint (Mentha piperita).

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Changing Your Story of Healing

The work of a healer is to ease suffering by connecting those we serve with hope and an expanded vision of what is possible. We, as healers, deserve the same and believing so starts with examining the stories we tell about what can and cannot be healed about ourselves. Be sure to read the first part of the post about why powerful words (whether or not our beliefs are quite there yet) are an important part of Gemini magick before performing this ritual.

Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). Think about the current story you tell yourself about what you think is broken. Notice the physical sensations that arise and where they are in your body. Spend a moment observing the sensation. Speak the story in a concise sentence such as:

• I’ll never heal from my broken heart.
• My shyness won’t let me connect with others as a healer.
• I don’t deserve the healing that I help others achieve. 

The next part is a play on an old knot magick technique (which is aligned with air magick and the sign of Gemini), but you’ll be unknotting instead of binding. Gently touch the place in your body where the energy of your story is tangled and say:

By touch of one, the knot's undone.

Visualize the knot of your story loosening and undoing itself. You might feel resistance - take a deep breath. You might feel joy - take a deep breath. Touch the spot on your body again and say:

By touch of two, the energy is true.

Visualize the clarifying energy of the New Moon flowing into the area where the knot used to be. Pay attention to the color and quality for additional healing insight. Take a deep breath, being sure to expand your lungs to their full capacity. Touch yourself for a third time and say:

By touch of three, I am set free!

Now it’s time to fill that spot with the words of your new story. 

• My heart is resilient, adaptable, and whole.
• My sensitivity helps me connect to those who need a gentle healer like me.
• I deserve all of my healing.

Breath in the new words deep. Open your arms wide to embrace the energy of the New Moon and then give yourself a big hug. Say with power:

So mote it be!

Oracle

With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journaling.

What stories do I tell myself prevent me from being the healer I am meant to be?

Additional queries to consider:

• How can I better use my words as a healer?
• In what ways do I need to be more mindful of what I say?

Tarot Cards of Gemini

Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Taurus magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Gemini).

• The Sign of Gemini: The Lovers
• Jupiter in Gemini: Eight of Swords
• Mars in Gemini: Nine of Swords
• Sun in Gemini: Ten of Swords
• The Air Signs of Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius: Ace of Swords

Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.

Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Gemini by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. Check out the magick of each phase of the Moon. For those of you ready to learn how to live your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join the The Lunar Apothecary.

Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!

Gentle Herbal Magick For When You Feel Lost

You may not have even noticed that you've lost yourself.

You find yourself looking up from your phone realizing you've been elsewhere. You feel disjointed. Your heart and mind are disconnected. But you yearn to step out of the busy-ness into something more still. Even if that scares you.

Or maybe the struggle has been long and hard against the forces which seem to tear each of us asunder. The racism, transphobia, religious discrimination, ableism, microaggressions, snotty passive-aggressive antics by people who are hurting but don’t know it and are smearing their pain around. All of it. We think that stillness equals inaction. That if we don’t go to the march or repost the latest meme or write righteous comments that we’re not doing the work.

But the price of not being still with ourselves is heavy.

It means that we lose sight of who we are. The shore of our sovereignty by which we set our compass gets lost in the fog of so much noise.

There are a thousand things you might choose to do when you’re lost. A thousand magicks, a thousand remedies. But if you’re seeking something gentle and a plant ally to work with, the following is my uncomplicated herbal magick for when want to be present with yourself. 

For the spell, all you need are three fresh branches of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). It's an herb of the Sun (which represents out inherent vitality and shines light in the shadowy places of our mind) and Aries (the sign of the individual identity and the guardian of the head). Both correspondences align with our modern understandings of its medicinal uses. “Rosemary for remembrance” goes the old adage and we know that Rosemary help us think clearer and improves the function of our mental faculties. The magickal powers of Rosemary as a re-membering herb (or an herb that put things back together) are powerful, too. Rosemary helps us to return to a state of being that aligns with our inner sovereignty by helping us to re-member those things which really matter to us. The herb calls home parts of ourselves that we may have forgotten.

The following spell is simple minimalist magick. Like most herbal magick, I recommend doing it outside, but make adjustments as needed to make it easy for you and where you’re at. Call upon Rosemary help you to expand the possibilities of what may happen for you. For the purpose of magick is not to perform it with clear expectations of what will occur, but to enter into sacred space ready to engage mystery. Magick calls us to bring all parts of ourselves home to the sacred now.

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A Rosemary Spell for Being Present

When the Moon is in her dark phase and she has pulled the veil of night tight around her, pick three branches from the Rosemary bush.

Draw two circles in the earth and sit between them, so that one is at your right side and the other to your left. Place a branch of Rosemary in each circle. Hold the third branch in between both of your hands and at your heart.

To your head to the left and say:

This is what was.

Offer what was to the Rosemary in the left circle. You might visualize past projects, relationships, ideas, and visions. The point is not to dwell on any of them but to let them rise up and offer them to the confines of the circle to your left.

Turn your head to the right and say:

This is what may be.

Offer what shall be to the Rosemary in the right circle. You might visualize worries and hopes about the future, upcoming projects and deadlines, visions and dreams. Again, let them pass through you swiftly and into the circle at your right. 

Bow your head towards your heart and rub your hands together so that the scent of Rosemary fills the aid. Say:

And here I sit,
steady between.

Take a deep breath and pull yourself back home, carried on the scent of Rosemary. Whatever thoughts rise up, observe them and let them flow through to either the right or left of you. Return again and again to your breath and the scent of Rosemary.

At the time you feel is right, when there is a sense of peace and nowness within you, no matter how small or fleeting, or how big and grand, ingest three Rosemary leaves to lovingly ground your spirit to the present. 

When the ritual is over, give thanks to the Rosemary and give thanks to yourself. Leave the two branches of Rosemary in their circles and carry the third with you or placed on your altar until it dries. Once it has dried, burn it as sacred incense with the purpose of seeking out and finding any parts of you that still remain out there and not present with who you currently are.

You can continue to carry this ritual with you without having to create the same setup with the circles and Rosemary branches by repeating the physical movements of the spell. Magick is, in part, muscle memory which you can use at your discretion whenever needed.

May you always know the direction of your heart and the peace that stillness brings. Blessed be.

Envisioning Healing : The New Moon in Aries

Where I place my attention
sets the stage
for the action of my life.

- juliett jade chi -

With the magick of the Spring Equinox coursing through our veins, the first New Moon of the season is in Aries. As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries the Ram can be a force to be reckoned with. It is a sign of the individual, helping us to find the “me” after the period of Pisces “we” that we’ve been in. We can take action in order to manifest our dreams of the New Moon in Pisces.  The New Moon in Aries challenges us to create what we've been called to bring into the world. The lunar energies are focused on you and your unique powers and gifts! The Aries New Moon tells you to set your heart as a compass and go out to find your horizon.

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Any Moon in Aries is a great opportunity to recognize places of stagnation in your life. Where are you feeling knotted and blocked? What relationships have you tangled? How do you need to move in order to no longer feel restricted? As the guardian of the eyes, Aries helps us to see what is really going on in our lives. If you’re someone who struggles to put your needs first, the New Moon in Aries can be challenging. But that’s a good thing because we have needs that require our attention. I believe strongly that to recognize your needs and learning how to answer them is one of the best ways to see and have compassion for the needs of others. When our needs are met, we’re no longer operating from a deficit and can be more generous as healers towards our families, lovers, and community. 

So take up the horns of the Ram and use some of this mighty Aries energy to bust through the walls and barriers holding you back from experiencing all that is you!

Nettles (Urtica dioica)
New Moon in Aries Plant Ally

As herbalist David Hoffman says, “When in doubt, Nettles.”

The herbs of Aries move stagnation and Nettles is a fantastically energizing herb. Nettles has a strong affinity for the blood, helping to move stagnant blood through improving circulation and enriching the iron content of our blood cells. The herb also works intelligently with reducing blood sugar levels and balancing blood pressure. Nettles are a nutritive herb, too, rich in vitamins and minerals which helps with general weakness and debility.

Nettle also has a strong relationship with the kidneys, stimulating sluggish kidneys, moving stagnant water, and generally cleansing the fluids of the body. As an anti-allergen (perfect for this time of year!), Nettles strengthens the outer membranes of cells which makes them less vulnerable to inflammation and allergic reactions. Nettles can be used in cases of eczema, hayfever, asthma, acne, and food allergies.

Traditional use of the herb includes hitting arthritic joints with fresh Nettles to alleviate pain and stiffness. I have found Nettles to be good (both internally and externally) for growing pains of all sorts, emotional and physical, which further aligns with Aries guardianship of youth and the young. Nettles helps to recenter the excited and “ready-to-go” mind that the energy of Aries brings into a focused power.

Flower + Gem Essences for the New Moon in Aries: Milky Oat (Avena sativa), Beech (Fagus sylvatica), Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Impatiens (Impatiens glandulifera), Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Jasper, Bloodstone, Rose Quartz.

Essential Oils for Aries: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Black Pepper (Piper nigrum), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis).

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Healing Vision

Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). You will need a handheld mirror for this rite, but you can improvise with any reflective surface that you can see yourself in.

Place the mirror before you, with the reflective part turned away from you and facing out into the world. Cover your face with your hands and contemplate the healing you desire. Observe what arises, but do not attempt to hold on to any of it. Let it pass through your mind unhindered.

With your healing desire firmly fixed in your mind’s eye, recite three times the following charm: 

Unmask the hidden
Remove the blindfold
I seek healing freedom
My path to behold

With the reflective part still turned out from you, hold the mirror to each of the four directions, then below and above you. Finally rest it at your heart. The mirror is seeing what you need to see in order to heal, for the outer world reflects our inner needs.

Take another deep breath and then turn the mirror towards you so that you see yourself in it. Soften your gaze and look at your reflection as you continue to breathe slow and deep. Observe whatever thoughts, feelings, and visions arise within you. If you so desire, perform the oracle for further insight.

When ready, look again at your reflection and say:

I love you, {your name},
I deserve all of my healing and more
I see my path
and hold the desire to explore.
Blessed be.

Keep the mirror on your altar on carry it with you to look at and recite the closing charm as needed until the next New Moon.

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Oracle

With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journalling.

What barrier blocks the view of my healing path?

Additional queries to consider:

• What relationships tangle me unnecessarily and hold me back from healing?

• What needs of mine do I ignore?

Tarot Cards of Aries

Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Aries magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Pisces).

• The Sign of Aries: The Emperor

• Mars in Aries: Two of Wands

• Sun in Aries: Three of Wands

• Venus in Aries: Four of Wands

• The Fire Signs of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius: Ace of Wands

Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.

Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Aries by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. For those of you ready to learn how to work your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join The Lunar Apothecary.

Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!