Gemini Full Moon Eclipse: Cultivating Curiosity

Last night my cousins and I held our Thanksgiving gathering over Zoom. The Nevada City contingent kept cutting in and out, but we made the best of it, thankful to see one another again after an entire year. For so many of us, the Internet has become a lifeline. Yet it’s also been unreliable lately, largely because millions have been trying to connect virtually.  For a person like me with the Moon in instant-access Gemini, this is frustrating. Over the past year, my life has increasingly become reliant on texting, Zooming and streaming.  And since I live alone and can no longer enjoy visits to the gym, sometimes days go by without any in-person interaction. It can send me into panic mode when tech lets me down.

This is an issue not just for me, but for many of us. Yet our collective love affair with technology is not likely to fade, even once the pandemic is under control. The December 21 Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Aquarius opens a doorway to bigger and better tech innovations. It could even usher in the progressive society we’ve long been seeking, although it will take some time for this to become fully expressed. Since Aquarius is an inquisitive air sign that symbolizes the greater good we can create together, it’s smart to start envisioning what astrologer Nina Gryphon calls the “personal and societal reinvention” that Jupiter-Saturn promises. What do you want that to look like for you? For the world? How can we harness these potent energies to solve our problems, and what role might you play? Begin looking at these questions as the potent Winter Solstice approaches.

Meanwhile, the Full Moon Eclipse in Gemini (Nov. 30, 1:30 am PST) blows in a gust of air as well. It’s a partial, penumbral eclipse, lacking the punch of the upcoming Dec. 14 total solar eclipse. Still, this Full Moon can bring to light key information (perhaps emotional) as well as disinformation. As we approach this eclipse, info or devices may be less reliable than usual. Bright ideas can occur, but your mind (Gemini) could also play tricks on you. Take care that you’re not making sweeping generalizations or falling prey to the opinions of others (Sagittarius).  Since Gemini is a double-bodied sign, two options or ways of seeing things might present themselves. If you find it difficult to choose, take a cue from Mercury in Scorpio’s insightful sextile to Jupiter and Saturn in Capricorn at this Full Moon, and go deep within to consult your intuition. Or, enlist the aid of a trusted expert to help you see all sides of the issue and make a wise decision.

Simple curiosity can also help. Being curious may sometimes get our feline friends into hot water, but a recent article in Science of Mind Magazine suggests that we humans can utilize curiosity (one of Gemini’s strongest traits) to dispel frustrations and make decisions. Neuroscientist Dr. Mark Waldman states that when in doubt or conflict, we should shift our minds toward curiosity to understand how things and people work. It seems that curiosity happens in a part of our brain that’s incapable of being judgmental. Waldman explains that we’re born with three natural feelings: Comfort, discomfort and curiosity. And the more we use curiosity to address discomfort, the more flexible we become and the less we suffer. He even goes so far as to call curiosity “the greatest secret to a happy life.”  So I’m going to start practicing it the next time that Zoom freezes up or some opinionated individual challenges my patience. I’d be curious (so to speak) to hear how this works for you – so please let me know if you give it a try!