The Sun moved into Gemini on May 20, initiating the last month of spring and the transition into summertime. This time of year, we often see wind gusts and sun showers, pointing to the mutable Air sign’s changeable nature.
After Taurus season rooted us more deeply into the Earth, allowing us to explore our five senses during the peak of spring with all the bountiful greenery that surrounded us, Gemini season takes us further along the evolutionary path by going beyond just the tangible world and into the mind (associated with the Air element).
This Air sign’s keywords “I speak” reveals Gemini’s need to communicate. Gemini seeks to gather information and understand the world, and then finds a way to communicate their perceptions outward to create communion and understanding. Naturally, there is an element of playfulness, sociability, and curiosity to the way Gemini seeks and conveys knowledge. And as always, plenty of quick wit!
Gemini: The Sign of Duality
Gemini’s symbol is a pair of twins, representing the dual nature of Gemini: masculine/feminine, yin/yang. It points to communication as a two-way street: that information is received and exchanged. This Gemini season, specifically, we are realizing that there are two sides to every story, and we are rationalizing how to best communicate our perspective while being open to other thoughts and ideas we may be hearing.
Seeing all sides to a situation can lead to a lot of discomfort if we are not grounded, and feeling ungrounded is something most Geminis know all too well! Yet as children of this Universe, we are meant to embrace duality and multiple perspectives (or opinions) with the knowing that all is in perfect harmony in the eyes of the Universe. Gemini season asks us to find balance amidst the obvious contradictions. It’s the paradox of duality: opposites are a necessary part of the whole.
From one became two. Two continued to divide and multiply, giving way to the world as we experience it. Duality and multiplicity allow for all the interwoven pieces of this universal web to communicate with and develop relationships to one another. Without duality, we would not be able to perceive the whole.
This duality also represents the two sides of reciprocity: give and take. We must always balance our taking with our giving when it comes to our conversations with others, our human relationships, and most importantly, our relationship with Nature.
While Taurus season was all about connecting directly to the Earth and to the tangible world, Gemini season reveals that the Earth we have been physically engaging with is, in fact, alive and intelligent. We see the many ways that she is actively communicating to us. We become more perceptive of her language and start to understand that the Earth speaks and listens in terms of reciprocity. She gives us abundant and innumerable gifts that sustain our very lives; our gifts to her are gratitude and compassion.
Gemini Energetics
The key energetic patterns of the Gemini sign are:
- Mode: Mutable
- Element: Air
- Planet: Mercury
As a mutable Air sign, Gemini is one of the driest signs and the clearest embodiment of the Air element. The changeable winds of this mutable Air sign also lend themselves to tension.
Dryness in Gemini season can manifest as a dry respiratory tract and a “dried-out” nervous system—the latter a classic representation of dry “wind” leading to tension. Tension shows up as muscle spasms, anxiety, stress, nervous tension, and emotional irritability. Geminis or those with a lot of Gemini influencing their chart can easily tend towards nervous tension and restlessness, much like their opposite sign, Sagittarius.
As an archetypal sign of the planet Mercury, we see characteristic Mercurial energetics in Gemini, further contributing to the dry/atrophy and tension tissue states, primarily acting upon the respiratory and nervous systems.
If we are prone to excess Air/Mercury, Gemini season may make us feel more ungrounded and changeable, like the wind. If symptoms arise (likely dry or tense in nature), they are often acute or flare-ups of a preexisting condition.
Gemini-Associated Organ Systems and Disease States
Gemini rules the arms and hands. As a Mercurial and mutable Air sign, it also rules the lungs and aspects of the nervous system.
Energy is starting to ramp up as we head into summer. This can definitely take a toll on our nervous systems, especially if we haven’t properly grounded ourselves during the previous Taurus season. Restlessness, nervous tension, and stress tend to pop up during this season due to the perfect storm of energetics: mutable mode (tension), Air element (tension), and Mercury (more tension!).
As a ruler of the lungs, Gemini can contribute to dryness of the respiratory tract and dry, spasmodic coughs (often reflective of allergies). If Gemini energetics are imbalanced, asthma and respiratory infections can result.
Tension can also sneak up in the arms and hands, including tension in the upper arms and shoulders or carpal tunnel syndrome. Our arms and hands are extensions of our self-expression, and suppression of our truth or ability to communicate our experiences can lead to physiological tension and stiffness.
Psychospiritual Tendencies
As the ruler of the lungs and the breath, Gemini symbolizes our communication with the inner and outer worlds. Our inner world is our own body, our own perspective, and our own truth. Our outer world is ‘the other’: other human beings and the natural world around us (from which we are not actually separate).
The inhale and exhale of the breath serves to forge this two-way communication and embodies the sense of duality in a world derived from one. As a physiological function that is governed by Mercurial and Air energetics, the breath has a strong correlation with the nervous system. This is why deep, mindful breathing helps to calm the sympathetic nervous system: we are literally changing the way we communicate to ourselves and the world around us.
If Gemini is in balance,you are able to speak your truth and engage in relationships and communication in a reciprocal manner. You are able to mindfully perceive, translate your perceptions and experiences into your own expression in alignment with YOUR truth, and listen attentively to others. You are discerning about what information you engage with and communicate, and you are grounded in your alignment with your higher purpose while able to fully rationalize with your intellect.
However, if your Gemini energy becomes imbalanced, you can easily become ungrounded, mentally scattered, indecisive, or go on talking without listening. As a mutable Air sign, Gemini season is notorious for its potential to feel ungrounded, so if you experience that, you are definitely not alone!
In Gemini season, we are reminded that the mind should ultimately serve the purpose of the heart. The way we think, rationalize, and speak should align with what we feel in our hearts to be Truth. An incredible amount of research has shown that the heart communicates directly to the brain—in fact, the heart actually sends more communication to the brain than the brain to the heart! This physiological connection is so significant: we really must be listening to our hearts and our intuition first and foremost, and then use our thinking mind in a conscious manner to bring the truths of the heart into the sphere of our mental awareness.
Sajah Popham says in his book Evolutionary Herbalism: “Balance cannot be obtained through the mind itself; it requires the synthesizing and unifying force of the heart.” Such truth.
Gemini-Sagittarius Polarity
Gemini’s opposing sign is Sagittarius, a mutable Fire sign. Their mutable natures predispose them both to restlessness, nervous tension, and changeability.
Whereas Gemini rules the breath (Air), Sag governs the distribution of oxygen throughout the body’s tissues via the arterial system, stoking the metabolic Fire of the body. The breath is our dual exchange of energy with the Earth; it’s how we communicate on a physical level. Gemini communicates directly with the breath and Sag transforms it to feed both our physiological Fire (metabolism) and psychological Fire (our spirit).
While Gemini seeks out knowledge for the sake of knowing and being in relationship, Sagittarius pursues deeper wisdom. Gemini is all about curiosity and intellect, but it’s its complementary sign Sagittarius that provides the global perspective needed to transform that knowledge into conscious understanding of the truth, in alignment with their ultimate purpose in life. It’s the analogy of not being able to “see the forest for the trees”: Gemini is concerned with details (trees), while Sag is all about the bigger picture (forest). Both perspectives are needed (there’s the concept of duality again!).
Plant Medicine for Gemini Season
Based on the energetics of Gemini season, we need to focus on the following herbal actions:
- Soothe the respiratory tract to resolve dryness and spasm: respiratory relaxants/antispasmodics (diffusive, warming, moistening)
- Soothe the nervous system to resolve tension: nervines
- Bring clarity and coherence to a scattered nervous system: nootropics, nervous system trophorestoratives/tonics
Angelica archangelica
I talked about Angelica archangelica in my Sagittarius post as well, because it’s an incredible herb for both complementary signs.
Angelica is an aromatic bitter that diffusely warms the vital organs and stimulates blood flow to the lungs. It is a useful ally for respiratory complaints due to its expectorant actions. It also helps relieve tension both in the respiratory tract (think spasmodic coughs) and in the nervous system.
Plants from the Umbelliferae family (which includes Angelica, Osha, Fennel, and Anise) have feathery clusters of flowers (umbels) at the top of stems; a trait that is correlated with the Air element.
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
As a tall, thin plant with an affinity to the lungs, Mullein embodies the Air element. It’s a moistening remedy that helps relax spasms in an irritated respiratory tract and can be useful for dry coughs. The flowers are often used for nerve pain.
Mullein is an ally when we need help embracing duality. As a sign symbolized by the Twins, Gemini is all about finding balance between duality. With her tall, strong talk and fuzzy soft leaves, Mullein asks us to bring awareness to the opposing qualities of strength and softness.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Fennel’s thin, feathery leaves are an embodiment of its elemental Air and Mercurial qualities. Fennel relaxes the airways, making it helpful for tight, spastic coughs. It’s carminative effects also work on the gut in cases where there is too much “air,” as in cases of gas and bloating.
Ginkgo biloba
The doctrine of signatures is apparent in the leaves of the Ginkgo tree: each leaf looks like the two hemispheres of the brain. (“Bi-loba” = two lobes)
Ginkgo promotes healthy circulation, especially to the brain. Its nootropic activity improves mental clarity and cognitive function.
Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)
Skullcap is an effective nervine remedy for restlessness, nervousness, and physiological as well as psychological tension (symptoms of excess Air). A strong infusion of Skullcap tea can do wonders for a scattered mind and an overactive sympathetic nervous system.
Milky Oats (Avena sativa)
Milky Oats are the top parts of the oat plant, harvested during the milky stage. Milky Oats is a trophorestorative and nutritive tonic for the nervous system. I consider it to be the ultimate herb for rejuvenating an exhausted nervous system. I think of the milky latex literally coating frazzled nerve endings, restoring a healthy myelin sheath and healthy communication between nerves.
As the ultimate nerve tonic, Milky Oats is a highly indicated herb for Gemini season. If you feel burned out, tense, restless, or scattered, Milky Oats may help bring you some peace.
HAPPY GEMINI SEASON!
Even if Gemini does not play a significant role in your astrological chart, we could all benefit from some Gemini plant medicine this month. Feel free to comment below and let me know what plant medicine you intend to work with this season!
