Last Quarter Moon in Gemini #2 ☾ Sep 21, 2019

Saturday, Sep 21 at 7.43pm PST

Artist: Vanja Vukelić

At the last quarter, the moon rises at midnight, peaks at dawn and sets at noon; this is true all over the world, no matter your time zone. The moon in Gemini squares the Sun in Virgo – again! We just saw this moon phase; it coincided with the first day of Virgo season. Now we have round two, two days before the equinox. It is time to clear out in preparation for another new moon. The moon initially enters Gemini on Sep 19 (two days before the quarter moon). On Sep 28 the moon enters Libra, marking the beginning of the new moon. 

Both Gemini and Virgo are ruled by Mercury. No moon phase could be more mercurial. Gemini/Virgo/Mercury are all associated with regulated intellectual environments and workplaces. Recipe for harnessing mercurial energy: wake up early. Start the day with deep breathing, movement and lemon water to energize your digestive system. Or soothe your organs with hot tea, then nourish your body with fruit. Awaken your strategic mind, map out your plans. Are you prepared to be in motion all day? Move with purpose, gathering yourself inwardly and outwardly. Consider your options for transportation. Is it possible to bike wherever you need to go? Biking is the single most effective mode of human transportation. Biking always reminds me of Virgo/Gemini/Mercury because it involves a simple machine with many moving parts which takes us where we need to go.

When you get to where you need to be, awaken your observing mind. Record your thoughts with pen and paper. Concretize your abstractions on the page. The essence of Mercury comes through cognition and analysis. Whatever kind of work you perform, use your frontal cortex for critical thinking. Orient yourself to your surroundings through fearless sensory exploration. Our main responsibility is to absorb information and stay alert. This is a day to ask questions, cultivate curiosity, and collect data.

Be realistic about how much you can accomplish in one day. This quarter moon will be absolutely packed with activity. The mercurial influence is energizing and exciting because it moves so quickly, but it is also inherently draining. At the end of the day you might feel totally exhausted. Remember to feed yourself and get some rest before and after this moon phase.

Coinciding with this quarter moon is a relatively rare and potent planetary aspect: Jupiter in Sagittarius square Neptune Retrograde in Pisces. This square makes us restless to the point of needing to go out and dance late into the night. We will more closely examine our belief systems and sparkling visions of the future. Which endeavors are most exciting at this time? Which ones need to be left behind? We will acknowledge the discrepancy between what we had hoped and how it is, or discover that how it is can be even better than what we had hoped. Any square involving fire (such as Jupiter in Sagittarius) needs to be released through physical exercise of some kind. It will be difficult to sleep at night, or you might not sleep at all. Artistic expression (especially in the form of music or dance) is highly recommended, as always.

In meditation, focus on the throat chakra. Visualize turquoise worlds glittering with blue gems. This moon phase will be so busy that you might not have much time to practice yoga or meditation, but fit them in if you can – this will help calm the sympathetic nervous system. On such mercurial phases, it is important to slow down and breathe. Digest your thoughts with Gemini Yoga. To find your personal moon sign, click here.

Affirmation:  I am a humble student