“
Rainer Maria RilkeIf my devils are to leave me, I’m afraid my angels will take flight as well.“
The next New Moon falls on June 10th, falling in the middle decan of Gemini, beginning the next lunar cycle which will culminate in six months, with the Full Moon in the last decan of Gemini on December 19th 2021. This particular New Moon, also a Solar Eclipse, is connected with the tarot card of The Nine of Wands, associated with Mars in Gemini. The number nine in the Tarot has a strong affinity with the laws of cause and effect, where the actions of the past shape our future, and in the suit of Swords, most strongly expressed through our mental state, where our beliefs dicate our reality, not usually in a good way.
The energy of this particular six month cycle comes from the challenge to reconcile our devil’s and angels within a single soul.
The card of The Nine of Swords is not a happy card, often depicting a dark morass of confusion which results from the inability to reconcile dualities within oneself and within the world. There is certainly despair here, born of the struggle to reconcile warring factions within the self; not denying either voice, but allowing both side to have their say, for to deny one above the other is to deny part of our creative drive. The mind which can come to accept these oscillations between extremes can eventually come to understand the whole of the interaction, and being unbothered by either, knowing the other awaits its turn. The mind can thus attain, according to Agrippa, “infamous and dishonest agility, as that of jesters and jugglers”
The Nine of Swords 
Air 9 
The Nine of Swords
In Thoth Journey-The Oracle of Change, I found myself in a war torn landscape, where fugitives from unseen conflict waited in hopelessness, unable to gain the momentum to travel onwards. The exhaustion amongst them was palpable, and they were blind to any assistance and deaf to any offers of help. On my return however, I found that matters had improved, and that some light had been shed upon their problems; perhaps all that they had needed was rest…. something better was beginning to happen.
The secret of this card, I feel, is the challenge of overcoming the more negative words that can occupy our minds, the self crtical self talk and the undermining narrative that can run like a broken record i the background of our awareness, keeping us weak, impotent and disempowered. developing the story, to carry on from the foundations that have been laid, in the face of both fortune and disaster. No matter how well we may tend a garden and nurture our plants, it is the forces beyond our control that may, if we are unfortunate, wreak the greatest havoc and lay all our loving work to waste. Through such experiences, both great and small, over which we apparantly have no control, we develop an inner strength and maturity that helps us to develop the foresight and wisdom necessary to weather the storms that face us, and the humility to offer prayer, reparation or to seek practical assistance, so that our work may come to something that we would be proud of. Such trials and experiences help us to develop a deep inner resiliance which in it’s action, ties us ever more closely to the rhythm of the earth.
New Moon Blessing
I am the power of the bursting seed, dancing in the beckoning void, ripe with limitless potentials. A kaleidoscope of outcomes seduces, invites and tempts you, but be still in the darkness of the Moon. Sense the power of her black womb, and wait. Trust that in the stillness that I, the right “seed” for now, will find you, a vision for your soul to nurture…… In Gemini-I Think: And my thoughts flit out into the air of the world like butterflies in summer. I gather and distribute, collect and share, I link and lace wherever I find, bringing ideas and thoughts together, that would not otherwise find each other. I am mischievous, psycho-pomp, walker between worlds, light and dark. My face is always smiling and I hide my darkness even from myself. ©JKG.
At this New Moon, take a moment to pause, to reflect, to look within.
Gemini is interested in where everyone has been as well as curious about where they are going…… Restless, both physically and mentally and easily bored, plenty of stimulation and new faces are needed for the Gemini person, to fend off the twin dangers of boredom and apathy which can be very destructive to this sign. Represented as Twins, it has often been said that Gemini is two-faced, but this is an over-simplification, for Gemini is far more interested in opinions and facts than in emotional responses, an area which is somewhat confusing to a rational and airy sign like this one. With a mercurial mind, Gemini is exceptionally good at collecting information, but not always quite as good at perceiving its more subtle levels.
In this sign the emphasis can be on information for its own sake, whereas in Virgo, the other sign ruled by Mercury, it takes on a more purposeful role. There also seems to be an inherent duality in Gemini, in which one mode of expression may be light and breezy, while the other is darker and more intense. This can confuse not only friends and family, but the Gemini person too, since sudden waves of intense moodiness are not usually recognised as attributes of this sign. Gemini is very adaptable to new environments and situations, but its emotional changeability doesn’t always make for an easy time, due to the urge to rationalise everything, including itself!
The Astrologers Diary
The New Moon every month offers an opportunity to sow new seeds, and as an Astrologer, I find it to be a useful exercise for myself and in working with others, to use the energy of each particular New Moon, according to where it falls in the Natal Chart. Such considerations can be invaluable in steering through ups and downs, and in becoming “easy” with the ebb and flow of what life brings. MOON MENTORING
The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon is as follows:
PHASE 80 (GEMINI 20°): A MODERN CAFETERIA DISPLAYS AN ABUNDANCE OF FOOD, PRODUCTS OF VARIOUS REGIONS.
KEYNOTE: The assimilation of multifarious knowledge through the synthesizing power of the mind.
This New Moon falls in my own 12th House, the house of hidden matters, this, together with the retrograde emphasis in the skies at the moment suggests that I might be doing some retrospective work and digging up the past. My focus this month will actually be the celebration of the Summer Solstice, when I will be lucky enough to share it again with Constellation Camp Ireland at their annual gathering in Wicklow. As I wind down my own personal solar year, I wonder what ancestral stories will step forward to be examined at camp this year, it will be interesting to see what unfolds… quite a fitting time after all, I think, for this kind of work.
It is also nearly the end of the Decan Cycle which has 36 segments running from Summer Solstice to Summer Solstice. This Egyptian method of dividing the year is aligned with the 36 “small cards” of the Tarot, and I love its simplicity and wisdom, the way that the astrological symbolism is woven through the months. I will be taking a break from posting over the summer, as my book has practically sold out, and I feel that some much needed R&R is required… it has been a very busy 12 months!
Read about my new Book & Deck
Thoth Journey-The Oracle of Change HERE
My name is Joanna Grant, I am an Astrologer, Tarot Reader and Writer, who lives on the beautiful Beara Peninsula in the South West of Ireland. I can often be found at home, deep in arcane research, or practicing some new form of divination whilst burning the dinner! My children probably wish that I was “normal” but may well remember my eccentricities fondly when they come to face the challenges of their own paths. My long knowledge of Astrology leads and informs my practice, in offering guidance, empowerment and healing, helping others to lead a more authentic and magical life. You can read more about me here.
Joanna-Kate Grant 