Each summer in the Pacific Northwest, I get to experience the delight of very late sunsets. I’m from the northeast and have lived in every corner of the country, but nowhere else have I experienced dusk after 9:30pm. The languid pleasure of a three-hours long “golden hour” amuses me every year. I appreciate each season for its unique flavor, and there is something particularly special about spending extended gilded evenings draped over a hammock swinging in the perfume of sun-baked grass, cedar chips, and wildflowers. And when the bats start diving in the bluey haze, I know it’s bedtime. 

 

This is one of the ways I reset my nervous system: phone on silent or inside, barefeet, watching the ladybugs or reading or making walking patterns in the tall grass (much to the chagrin of my neighbors with manicured lawns.)

 

I recognize the inherent privilege in this. I don’t own my home, but I am very lucky to rent my particular little house with its sprawling yard. In the same breath that I acknowledge the help from unseen forces, I also take pride in the fact that I co-created this reality by holding fast to the vision I had for myself, committing only to actions that would scaffold this vision, and trusting in the timing of each step; even when it felt like I was moving backwards or farther away from what I wanted.  

 

Part of practicing that trust is allowing for space. The rhythms of life are not all the same pace, but in a culture of immediacy we tend to fear slowing down, or the forbidden pause. For sure, some of us are better at taking said pause, but many of us want to keep things moving, gotta keep things moving. 

 

Gemini Season is an airy, intellectual, and expressive time. As things warm and open up in the Northern Hemisphere, we reach out more, we reach for more. Air is light, moves quickly, and things can change on a dime. It’s why Geminis are so adaptable. This zodiac season lends itself well to new ideas, new connections, and playful experiences. And the sign of Gemini correlates appropriately to the nervous system. It’s easy to let the ungroundedness and the excitement of summer destabilize our nervous systems. School’s out! Sun’s out! Hit the beach! Hike every mountain! Grill! Pick fruit! Party in the park! And if we normally operate under stressful conditions, it can be that much harder to regulate during this time. We tend to exchange one stress for another, always promising that we’ll “take it easy when____ happens…”

 

An overactive nervous system will condition responses toward what has been safe in the past; it will rush into situations with these conditioned responses to establish a sense of control. It’s like a glitch that displays the same error message regardless of the input. Tonight’s New Moon in Gemini will offer us a potent opportunity to embrace the pause and to commit to regulating our nervous systems.

 

 

The New Moon in Gemini heralds the beginning of another lunar month! This is the weekend to close the book on expired invitations, to release what no longer serves you, and to embark in a new direction. When the Moon is in Gemini, we really want to express ourselves and our emotional side. This can be a great time to share with trusted friends and loved ones, as well as make new connections with potential friends or love interests. Mind that you’re staying very present with your experience as things can move quickly. Communication is not about talking, it’s about creating an understanding. Allow yourself the space and the grace to pause and touch in with how you’re feeling, how certain relationships feel to you. This will give your nervous system a chance to regulate before responding.

 

This moon is square Neptune. And while this aspect can bring about a heightened sensitivity and the desire for spiritual experiences, things can feel emotionally murky, dreamy or veiled. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but use the skills and tools you have to communicate your emotions as clearly as possible, to externalize them so as not to become lost in them. Practice a pause in order to get your bearings, to re-acquaint yourself with the present moment.

 

If manifestation is part of your New Moon practice, this is a beautiful moon to reflect and 

 

Other supportive aspects to this weekend’s moon are Mercury sextile Venus and Jupiter sextile Saturn Retrograde. A Mercury sextile Venus aspect can help us find balance in our communication. It lends an energy of charm and charisma, while still being able to express what we hold truly valuable. Jupiter sextile Saturn Rx will give us a sense of stability and the opportunity for review. This weekend we have the opportunity to apply past lessons of communication to current and future growth. And with the Sun moving into Cancer early next week, we will be entering an introspective season of care for ourselves and our relationships.

 

Our dear friend, the global mobilizer for transformation, Pluto has been back in Capricorn, and this weekend forms a sextile with Neptune. Neptune is usually dreamy and spiritual, and in this aspect to Pluto has a harmonious and long-lasting effect. We may not see the fruits of this transit immediately, but it can enhance peace-building and synergetic collective transformation. Perhaps throughout this summer we will see more action toward progressive unity.

 

June 21 is Litha, the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. In euro-pagan traditions, this was a time of great celebration much like the winter solstice. Communities shared in the fresh food of the season, made great fires, danced, reveled, and celebrated unions and births. What was sown in the spring has come to flower and fruit. The natural world expresses great abundance. And by taking the time to enjoy it, to show our appreciation through the sharing and the celebration of it all, we honor the generosity of the Sun and the life supported by our Earth. 

 

Modern ways to honor this day is by having a picnic with fresh picked fruit; review your goals from this spring, create a plan for completing what’s left, and celebrate all that you’ve achieved; have a backyard clean-up day. If you can, go camping! Stay up late (or all night) dancing and wake early to watch the sun rise again.

When the New Moon is exact at 9:36 pm Saturday night PDT, the Sun and Moon will both be in Gate 12, The Gate of Caution—Standstill. This gate in the throat has a natural tendency toward poetic communication, and those with this gate defined tend to have a deep impact on strangers just with the quality and tone of their voice. However, as a collective conditioning force (when the Sun/Moon are in this gate), we tend to experience the Caution either as an inclination toward meditation and inaction, or as a freezing restraint. 

 

If conditioning forces in childhood or as young adults made us feel unsafe to express ourselves or share our feelings, we are more likely to experience this energy like a hand clamping down on our mouth. At some point we learned painful lessons about communication with an unreceptive audience and we fear that pattern repeating. However, we can also experience this energy with curiosity and reflect on what has been happening that led us to the current moment or circumstance. 
What has recently been communicated to us? 
What would we like to communicate in response? 
What is the overarching goal of the interaction? 
Caution and standstill can be allies in effective communication.