Gemini New Moon: Embracing Curiosity

Sometimes, there comes a moment when you realize the earth has shifted on its axis, and your life will never be the same.

Memories flood in…

Me, age 6, one big shoe in each hand, carrying the kicks to my dad as we played Shoe Store, a fantastical game of make-believe.

“Would you like to buy some shoes?” I’d ask my dad, imitating a salesperson.

“Why yes, I need some dress shoes. Do you have any?”

Delighted, I’d feign measuring his feet, carefully listening to his desired footwear description, open and intrigued. Then, information in hand, I’d scramble off to my parents’ walk-in closet, searching on the floor for the perfect pair.

“What about these?” I’d giggle, grabbing some tan loafers and helping him put on the 1970’s fashion statement.

Wiggling his toes this way and that, he’d pretend, “Hmm… these are a little tight. Do you have any other sizes?”

And off I’d go again, in search of something different.

When we’d tire of Shoe Store, we’d play Pirate Ship.

Arrrrrrr ya ready to hear about Pirate Ship? 😂

Dad would lay with his back on the floor and pull his legs to his chest, feet flat and horizontal in the air. Then, I’d crawl into a sitting position onto the bottoms of his feet, as he’d hoist me up-up-up into the air, straightening out his legs.

“What do you see from up in the crow’s nest?” he’d ask. And from the lookout, I’d describe vast seas and colorful birds and jumping fish and a faraway cruise ship… and wait, is that land that I see over there?

“Let’s head that way,” he’d say, swaying his legs in the air while I held on for dear life, my little hands clinging hard to his upside-down toes so I wouldn’t fall off, as the boat turned around.

Dad never dropped me. Not once.

Now, looking back, I realize how wonderfully these inspired games of illusion taught me imagination, curiosity, and playfulness, as well as how to calmly listen and communicate.

As I write this, my dad has now entered hospice care, in the sunset of his life.

Reflecting on my dad’s big-hearted inventiveness, I’m grateful as I think about all the beautiful times we shared when I was a child – and the gentle, tender, lighthearted way he raised me.*

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There is freedom waiting for you,

On the breezes of the sky,

And you ask, “What if I fall?”

Oh but my darling,

What if you fly?

- poet Erin Hanson

Thinking back to my childhood calls to mind the zodiac sign of Gemini – which in part represents memories, growing up, exploring our neighborhood, and interacting with the folks in our immediate environment. And on June 17, 2023 (11:37pm CT), we welcome a New Moon at 27° Gemini.

New Moons always occur when the Sun and Moon stand together in the sky, encouraging us to start something fresh. All New Moons begin a 4-week, 6-month, and 2.5-year cycle – so they’re helpful times for planting seeds for the future.

The sign of the Twins is the social butterfly of the zodiac – flitting here, flitting there, collecting little bits of information, and disseminating them. Inquisitive Gemini is associated with thinking, speaking, and listening – with communication of all kinds, really – and with information and learning, among other things. Grade school and high school, for example, are ruled by Gemini. So are your siblings, cousins, and neighbors – those who are nearby.

Dynamic Gemini is ruled by let’s-explore-our-options Mercury, currently passing through its chatty home sign. The speedy messenger planet that travels between our visible world and the invisible one is highly effective here, and is encouraging mind aerobics right now: Can you embrace curiosity and beginner’s mind? How can you seek to understand something new and be open to a spirit of inquiry?

This language-focused New Moon is at odds with let’s-not-use-words Neptune in cloudy Pisces, adding a dash of otherworldliness and drift to this lunation. How can you steer away from unhealthy habits and confusion, and instead connect to your spirituality (whatever that means to you)? Can you slow down, invite imagination and inspiration in, and lean into meditation, music, art, healing, creativity, and nature?

Capable steward Mercury recently had words with the school principal of the zodiac, serious Saturn, which just turned retrograde at 7° Pisces and is drawing attention: Despite the foggy, wandering nature of this lunation, how can you buckle down and focus a little?

When storyteller Mercury and stony Saturn interact, it can sometimes feel like a reality check: What old, unhelpful narratives do you have playing in your head? How can you take those storylines and gently surrender them to intrigue?

Can you choose wonder over what you think you know? How can you hear with intention, and show interest with the goal of understanding and discovery? Can you close your eyes and try to put yourself in another’s shoes? At its finest, querying Gemini seeks to gain knowledge.

This transmissive New Moon is welcoming all of us to marvel at the storyline of our lives, consider what helpful messages we can learn from our early development, discover the beauty and environments that surrounds us, and take in and connect as much as possible – with minds wide open.

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The blurry games of childhood can become long forgotten as time marches on.

But Shoe Store and Pirate Ship have stayed with me over the years; they helped teach me how to give voice to my artistic vision, and how to share and connect with those I love. My dad opened up a whole world of delightful recreation and exchange – two people chatting, listening, envisioning, and having some goofy fun.

This communicative, gossamer Gemini New Moon speaks to something similar: How can you tap into your imagination, spirituality, and dreamworld – and aim your thoughts and words in the direction of learning and healing? How can you offer up to curiosity that which you don’t understand? And how can you take the burgeoning seedlings of your ideas, and benevolently spread them out into the world?

How strange it is, as I try to navigate my day-to-day world while such a big transition for my dad, my mom, and my family unfolds in the background of our existence.

But this airy Gemini New Moon is inviting you to peer from the crow’s nest, creatively spin your beautiful thoughts, and consider the idea: What if you fly?

So dream your big dreams, listen hard, and dispatch your messages with care and compassion onto the breezes of the sky.

 Essay and photos ©2023 Jen Braun, JJ Boots Productions LLC

*If you’re new here: Yes, I know I’m lucky to have the gift of this relationship with my dad… not everyone has that. ♥ (To learn about my work with teens in foster care, visit my “About” page.)

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 June 18th is Father’s Day, and I want to send a big thanks to my parents – who gave their blessing to post this essay.

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