by Teri Parsley Starnes

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of
each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

Astrologers divide the lunar month into eight phases. These are:
New Moon: Dreaming
Crescent Moon: Beginning
First Quarter Moon: Manifesting
Gibbous Moon: Perfecting
Full Moon: Illuminating
Disseminating Moon: Sharing
Last Quarter Moon: Evaluating
Balsamic Moon: Surrendering

Come follow the Moon as we practice intentional awareness together.

Have you noticed that everything is movement right now? It’s the Gemini season and it’s becoming a real challenge to focus as distractions increase. That’s OK; diffused awareness can be a gift if we are able to be adaptable. With Mercury-the ruler of Gemini-about to turn retrograde, adaptability is the name of the game. What’s really going on is a pulsation between polarities.

Even in Gemini’s glyph, we see a representation of its twinned and restless nature. The two poles of the glyph stand side by side linked at the top and bottom, creating what looks like an opening. I like to imagine that Gemini’s glyph symbolizes the portal that exists between polarities. We sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that things have to be black or white, when the middle way holds the more powerful yet paradoxical truth. It is difficult for our minds to be truly still. Under the influence of Gemini our thoughts go from one pole to another. We jump between extremes. One instant we can perceive unity and synthesis, and the next how everything is separate and disjointed. Have you been struggling to find focus since this Gemini lunar cycle* began? The paradox may be to give in to the distraction while finding the form underneath it to anchor ourselves to.

Each natal Sun repesents a life mission described by the qualities of its sign and season. As a mutable air sign, Gemini’s mission is to integrate and synthesize a large amount of information which is continually arising in the form of words, thoughts, and connections. Geminis possess quick and curious minds. The challenge brought on by their mission, however, is a tendency to feel anxious and unsettled. Self-doubts creep in when so many cultural messages tell us to stick with things, make up our minds, and settle down. The current mutable air season feels even more charged with restless uncertainty. Can I trust myself? Am I right to take the day off to go to the beach, or should I be sending in those resumes, or putting my business plan in order? I might start a project only to find I can’t concentrate long enough to make any progress. Something is up. If we worry too much about it, anxiety can spin out of control. If we tune out entirely, we might let opportunities for new integration and understanding pass us by. How do we embrace these challenges and learn something meaningful? This question can guide us through this lunar cycle. We can use one exemplary Gemini quality to help us—detached curiosity. What if we told ourselves, there is no real crisis, but only an opportunity to notice something new about ourselves? The gift could be new strategies for dealing with self-doubt.

Forecast: June 1, 2014 – June 7

Moon enters Leo 8:43 pm CDT
June 1—Crescent Moon: Beginning. Are even minor disappointments nagging at you? The final hours of the Moon in Cancer sensitizes us to our emotions. There could be a tendency to let emotional information inflate past its real significance, what we could call making a mountain out of a molehill. Our abilities to perceive are wide open and the challenge is to not lose ourselves as we sense and feel more. The interplay between air perception styles and water perception styles is an important theme this lunar cycle. At this crescent phase commit to learning how to integrate greater awareness of others with a better sense of knowing who you are. As the Moon moves into Leo for the next few days, we will benefit from a balanced and aware ego. If you are hurting, don’t go it alone. Everyone needs to know they matter. Be generous with your praise.

Moon in Leo
Monday, June 2. Turn on your sparkle. The Leo Moon can uplift us if we can dial down the need for approval from others. Everyone’s spark is important. With the Gemini Sun and the Leo Moon doing a happy dance today, just enjoy the moment. Have fun. Fun can be very important. How important is it to you, today?

Moon in Leo
Tuesday, June 3. It could feel like the forces outside your control just don’t want you to be happy today. An adjustment needs to be made. Remember how Gemini provides us with the feeling of polarities? We can fall into the trap of either/or thinking when we meet oppositions or set backs. Try to take the middle path, neither blaming others nor surrendering to disappointment. Freedom comes from seeing a new pathway through the problems. Authority comes from acting in a new way.

Moon enters Virgo 9:20 am CDT
Wednesday, June 4. Get ready for a few days that could be very rewarding or very challenging. Most likely they’ll be both. Virgo Moon meets Gemini Sun for three days. Both of these signs are ruled by Mercury, who is being very unpredicatable as this planet is stationing to turn retrograde on June 7. Will our needs for order drive us crazy as we notice that less and less is really up to us? On the other hand, shouldn’t we try to focus a little more so we can enjoy the freedom of open possibilities? Where does balance between order and freedom lie for you? Neptune’s influence is strong today. That means, we will have a tendency to space out. The experience could be beautiful, since Venus is also involved. But the possibility of being disappointed with ourselves or others is strong. It is hard to both focus and dream at the same time. Give yourself space for both if you can.

Moon in Virgo
June 5—First Quarter Moon: Manifesting. This lunar cycle seems to be all about opening to greater perceptions but not losing track of ourselves or intentions. How has that been going for you? The good thing about mutable signs is that any discomfort we feel due to all this input can easily shift with the next distraction. However, if we are feeling frustrated or anxious about not getting anything done or that our best plans are not working out, then find a way to center and let go. Although we can feel anxious, we can also easily lighten up by engaging with the infinitely curious nature of Gemini. Learn something new. With the Moon in Virgo, we also want to learn something useful. If it could make your life run more efficiently, then all the better. However, don’t expect too much. With Mercury stationing retrograde soon, it is better to develop a sense of humor than a sense of expectation. We get temporary help from Venus, Pluto, and Saturn today. That means beauty, transformation, and committment can be good guides through changeable times.

Moon enters Libra 9:01 pm CDT
Friday, June 6. We awaken (in CDT zone) with a sense of inspiration and optimism for the day. The Moon in Virgo favorably contacts Jupiter in Cancer. Even in chaos, we remember what is really important. Our homes and families give us respite. The Sun in Gemini is in an encouraging sextile with Uranus today too. Creative ingenuity is rewarded. Yes, it may be hard to focus under the influence of Gemini, but somewhere floating in the dream is a really good idea. That good idea alights upon the field of your awareness today. Welcome it but don’t get too frustrated if you can’t immediately act upon it. The Moon is void-of-course most of the day until it enters Libra tonight. Stay present and open.

Moon in Libra
Saturday, June 7. This could be a gnarly day. Give others plenty of space, especially on the road. Mercury stations retrograde today in the early degrees of Cancer. However, because Mercury will move back into Gemini during this cycle, this retrograde period may be a little more disruptive or unpredictable than usual. This is not a cause for alarm. Mercury retrogrades are feared way too much. My strategy is to slow down, relax my expectations, and give myself the message that having to redo something is OK. We expect too much speed and perfection anyway.

In addition to the Mercury station, Venus in Taurus is quicunx to Mars Libra. Both of these signs are ruled by Venus, giving that planet the upper hand in the conflict. Recently, women have been speaking up strongly in the face of violence and oppression from men. Remembering the lessons of Gemini to step away from polarizing and move onto the third path, how do we move past old paradigms and into new ones? Women’s voices need to be heard. We are learning somethig important about seeing past our own privelege to hear what others’ experiences are. Relationships are important in this process. Dramatic actions could happen today. The Moon is in challenging aspect with both Mars and Pluto. We feel strongly about justice and injustice. The tension is building to an exact square between Mars and Pluto that happens on June 14. Anger doesn’t have to perpetuate violence. It can also be a teacher.

*The Gemini lunar cycle began on May 28 at the New Moon.

Read more about the beginning of this lunar cycle on my Starsdance blog at http://www.starsdanceastrologyastrology.blogspot.com

Contact Teri at teri@starsdanceastrology.com and visit her website at www.starsdanceastrology.com