As a young school girl, I remember looking forward to this time of year. School was out and summer break beckoned: A three month stint of lazing by the pool, playing with friends, camping trips, trips to visit relatives and plenty of time to whittle away at my Nancy Drew book collection. Mostly I looked forward to freedom– from the ho-hum of same stuff, different day. By May I was fidgety and bored, ready as a bottle rocket to burst out the school door and while I didn’t have the superpowers make the world brand new again, I suspected that summer could.

Now I know astrology’s divine hand was behind it all, guiding our lives as naturally as the seasons do.  As summer approaches, our collective spirits hunger for change, variety, and the magic of fresh spanking new perceptions. A season for vacationing to places near and far, with the right eyes and an open-mind for magic we don’t need to go far; we could take a walk around the block to get a new perspective, or find it in our own front yard. I usually write you from my office, but not today. Today I am perched in my front yard where chickens cluck, birds chirp, the trees sway in the breeze and the sunshine puts the sort of sparkle on everything that makes me wonder if it’s trying to sell out on springtime… because summer’s moving in.  Sun and Moon are in Gemini, goading me out of old patterns, reminding me of my hunger for fresh air, a change of scenery, new inspirations. I am ready to be inspired.

Gemini is the archetype of the storyteller, networker, communicator, teacher. Through language and ideas, through cross-pollinating different influences, takes and strategies, through experimenting with new ideas and techniques, Gemini comes up with something fresh and new. Gemini’s greatest resource is childlike curiosity, which often arrives in the form of a question. What would that be like? Ooh, what would that look like? How much fun would THAT be?! Curiosity, when vigilantly followed, guarantees they’ll never be bored – an often challenging condition for restless Gemini. So Gemini’s strategy is to fit as much as it can into a summer’s day (or a lifetime), to taste, try and touch everything, which often includes (but is not limited to): learning new things, books, travel, social events, chatting, dance, movement …anything novel refreshes our spirit.

We all have Gemini in our birth chart, an area that when explored with curiosity will yield thousands of hours of endless fascination during our lifetime, and an area when touched off by a planet or lunation inspires our voice and enlivens our spirit. We can also collaborate with and receive feedback from others here, as Gemini needs input and stimulation from the environment to truly thrive and grow.  In what area of your life are you ready to both speak and listen, to be invigorated by spirit and made brand new again? To find out, look to where 25’07’ Gemini falls in your birth chart. For one client, this Gemini New Moon is in her fourth house. She’s a natural storyteller. Memories are bubbling up from her unconscious, ready to be written, spoken. “I can see it now; these stories are lining up like people wanting to come into being. They need midwifery!,” she exclaimed. Synchronous with this discovery, she received an invitation to tell her story at a “tales and ales” open mic night. For another client, a Gemini Rising, this Moon falls in her first house. All it takes is one conversation and the beast is unleashed; a brainstorm session between us yields a potpourri of ideas for her newly published author identity to try on and run with. She leaves my office like a woman on fire, ready to take on the world.

Speaking of fire, New Moon joins hot Mars, planet of action, courage, honesty, anger, sexuality, energy. This is no shy, retiring Moon! If you need the courage to express yourself, you may find it. Boldly express. Mars sharpens words so be sure and use non-violent communication strategies. As we hunger for action, motion, mental stimulation and an overall change of pace, Mars fans the flames of our curiosities and interests with gusto and enthusiasm, and brings focus to this often scattered-in-ten-directions sign. While new projects involving communication and learning now have the energy to back them up, Gemini is a mutable sign which means we will need to make adaptations in order to carry out our goals. Stay loose in your approach. We might do well to adopt the spontaneous attitude of an improv storyteller or comic on open mic night: be experimental, flexible, open-minded and keep your sense of humor.

At this New Moon, we need breadth instead of depth, variety and flexibility instead of fixed ideas. Consider everything, throw out nothing. Ask questions, reach out, take a trip, have conversations, learn, tell your story. This is a new moon, always a time for new beginnings. Don’t wait for the stale air to dissipate; do something. Pick up the phone, reach out, make that connection, do a vision board, set an intention. Lunch, laugh, launch. With Mars seeding this cycle, the time for mulling it over is over. It’s time to take action.