by StillSmallVoiceTarot | Jun 16, 2024 | Decan Walk 2024/25
Decan: 20°-29° Gemini
Dates 2024: 11 -20 June 2024
Ruling planet/luminary: Sol
Zodiac sign : Gemini ~ Mutable Air 🜁
Tarot card: 10 of Swords
Golden Dawn Title: Lord of Ruin
Associated Major Arcana:
The Sun XIX (The Sun) & The Lovers VI (Gemini)
The Sun in Gemini ~ tomorrow is another day
I had my cards read for me just this week, which is always a lovely treat. Among a number of other Swords in the spread there was the the 10 of Swords at the top – the end of a difficult cycle. And it is true, on a number of fronts some good news would be very welcome… or at the very least the absence of more difficulty would be nice. But then what would I worry about? I’m sure I’ll find something.
If the 9 of Swords represents a person at war with themselves, an internal battle, then I see the 10 of Swords as a release from that. As the Sun goes down on a period marked by self-doubt, indecision, insecurity and isolation, so it must inevitably rise on a new dawn, a new day… you can’t experience the day without going through the night.
As the Lovers will often relate to choice, perhaps the 10 of Swords is a challenge to decide who we want to be and how we want to show up everyday in our lives despite what has gone before. Will we be fearful and cling to the past and old patterns that may feel comfortable/comforting but are ultimately destructive? Or will we show up with confidence and positivity and a willingness to embrace change, release what no longer serves us in order to move forward and grow?
As with previous Decans, I have found it useful to look at some keywords to see what ideas it may spark about the current Decan of Gemini III.
The Sun ~ attributes
- Fire
- Yang
- Energy
- Growth
- Confidence
- Success
- Enthusiasm
- Positivity
- Openness
- Trust
- Warmth
- Life
- Light
- Radiance
- Centre
- Ruler of Leo
- Ego
- Strength
- Creative/destructive
- Force of nature
Gemini ~ attributes
- The Twins
- The Lovers
- Mutable
- Airy
- Sociable
- Communicative
- Expressive
- Open-minded
- Curious
- Adaptable
- Enquiring mind
- Analytical
- Mercurial
- Changeable
- Smart
- Overthinking
- Restless
- Ruled by Mercury
The Fear
The Sun in Tarot generally signals a happy event. Growth. Confidence. A bright future. But the arrival of the Sun on a new day is not always a welcome event.
For anyone who has ever experienced the Fear, you’ll know that I mean. It’s the morning after the night before. Or the anxiety induced by the sound of the birds’ morning chorus when you’ve yet to get a wink of sleep. For me it’s a reminder of that feeling of Sunday nights when the weekend is nearly done and I hadn’t done my homework for Monday morning or anxiety dreams (that I still have to this day) about sitting my history A Level exam and not having done any revision.
Doom.
And the 10 of Swords certainly does look like doom on the face of it. But when we are facing something inevitable, unavoidable or seismic, the best way is to face it head-on and shine a light right on it.
Prompts for 10 of Swords ~ The Sun in Gemini
When you are struggling with life’s challenges, struggling to let go of the past and fearful of what tomorrow may bring, ask…
Ask yourself:
- What do you need to let go and release from your life?
- Are you holding on to the bitter end? How’s that working out for you?
- What are you fearful of facing?
- What negative beliefs and patterns of behaviour do you need to break free from so that you can move forward?
- Can you see hope ahead as one thing ends and another begins?
Observations and synchronicities ~ on Gemini III
I’m making a space here to return to over the coming days of Gemini I, to add any thoughts, ideas and synchronicities as they arise…
It seems to me that the 9 of Swords will often represent a fear that the morning might never come. Such catastrophizing can be a symptom of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and pain. The 10 of Swords, however, may indicate a fear that the morning is dawning all too soon.
Notes on the Decan Walk 2024/25
For more information on Decans, Astrology and Tarot and how they all synchronise please read this Substack article by Rebeka Kulcsar-Kurdi and T. Susan Chang’s 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.
And, if you care to join me for this continuing solar return, you’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram hanging out on the corner of #decanwalk2024 and #decanastrology And I will be following @astroco_op and @tsusanchang
Here’s to another trip around the Sun!
by StillSmallVoiceTarot | May 31, 2024 | Decan Walk 2024/25
Decan: 10°-19° Gemini
Dates 2024: 31 May-10 June
Ruling planet/luminary: Mars
Zodiac sign : Gemini ~ Mutable Air 🜁
Tarot card: 9 of Swords
Golden Dawn Title: Lord of Despair & Cruelty
Associated Major Arcana:
The Tower (Mars) & The Lovers (Gemini)
Mars in Gemini ~ It does what it says on the tin
The 9 of Swords, representing the Decan of Mars in Gemini, seems very much to do what it says on the tin.
The worst has happened, disaster has struck, and your world is crumbling. Or so it would seem in the dead of night when you are awake and alone, entertaining your anxieties. The stuff of nightmares, night sweats, destructive thinking and negative self-talk. Insomnia.
As with previous Decans, I have found it useful to look at some keywords to see what ideas it may spark about the current Decan of Gemini II.
Mars ~ attributes
- Fire
- Yang
- Energy
- Passion
- Drive
- Ignition
- Ambition
- Action
- Movement
- Dynamism
- Bravery
- Anger
- Aggression, war
- Destruction/Tower energy
- Construction
- Reconstruction
- Ruler of Aries
Gemini ~ attributes
- The Twins
- The Lovers
- Mutable
- Airy
- Sociable
- Communicative
- Expressive
- Open-minded
- Curious
- Adaptable
- Enquiring mind
- Analytical
- Mercurial
- Changeable
- Smart
- Overthinking
- Restless
- Ruled by Mercury
Destructive thinking & negative self-talk
This 7th Decan of the year brings us back to Mars and the Tower. But this time with a more destructive energy than we saw with Aries I and the creative 2 of Wands. Mars brings fuel for the restless Gemini mind.
Here is someone at war with themselves, and perhaps with others, and it is robbing them of their peace of mind and their sleep. Isolating them in the darkness. Creating a disconnect with the world beyond the four walls, with loved ones, with reason and even from reality in those small, strange hours.
Prompts for 9 of Swords ~ Mars in Gemini
During the dark night of the soul, when anxiety and insomnia threaten your mental state…
Ask yourself:
- What fearful beliefs are you holding on to?
- How can you face and release these fears?
- What is keeping you up at night?
- Whose is that negative voice inside your head?
- Who do you need to forgive to move on?
- Whose forgiveness do you seek?
Observations and synchronicities ~ on Gemini II
I’m making a space here to return to over the coming days of Gemini II, to add any thoughts, ideas and synchronicities as they arise…
I thought this one was going to be easy, after all the 9 of Swords, as tough as it is, is one of the most relatable cards in the deck. And yet, I found this post difficult to get out on time. I agonised over the words – am I just regurgitating the thoughts and words of others, am I adding anything to the discussion, who wants to hear from me anyway? Insecurity and inadequacy oozing from every pore.
Still, I write because it feels good and scratches the creative itch. The act of writing, marshalling my thoughts ‘on paper’ isn’t that the very essence of Mars in Gemini in itself?
Notes on the Decan Walk 2024/25
For more information on Decans, Astrology and Tarot and how they all synchronise please read this Substack article by Rebeka Kulcsar-Kurdi and T. Susan Chang’s 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.
And, if you care to join me for this continuing solar return, you’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram hanging out on the corner of #decanwalk2024 and #decanastrology And I will be following @astroco_op and @tsusanchang
Here’s to another trip around the Sun!
by StillSmallVoiceTarot | May 21, 2024 | Decan Walk 2024/25
Decan: 0°-9° Gemini
Dates 2024: 21 May-30 May
Ruling planet/luminary: Jupiter
Zodiac sign : Gemini ~ Mutable Air 🜁
Tarot card: 8 of Swords
Golden Dawn Title: Lord of Shortened Force
Associated Major Arcana:
The Wheel (Jupiter) & The Lovers (Gemini)
But it looks good on paper, why all the interference?
My first thought about Jupiter in Gemini, as the Decan represented by 8 of Swords, is “but it looks good on paper”.
Surely, expansive Jupiter in sociable, communicative, open-minded, adaptable Gemini suggests positive exploration of new ideas, situations and people and expansion of the mind.
But, I have been reminded, Jupiter is in its detriment in Gemini. What might look good on paper doesn’t quite sit right with the Tarot card associated with interference, mental overwhelm, limiting beliefs, victim mentality and feelings of helplessness and being trapped. In the 8 of Swords, we see someone bound and blindfolded, trapped in a bog – they cannot see a way out nor move in any direction.
Being of the suit of Swords, and the element of air, this represents a mental trap, mental overwhelm, mental paralysis even.
As with previous Decans, I have found it useful to look at some keywords to see what ideas it may spark about the current Decan of Gemini I.
Jupiter ~ attributes
- Expansion
- Growth
- Good fortune
- Luck
- Abundance
- Optimism
- Generosity
- Excess
- Overwhelm
- Overshadowing
- Addiction
- Over optimism
- Rules Sagittarius
Gemini ~ attributes
- The Twins
- Mutable
- Airy
- Sociable
- Communicative
- Expressive
- Open-minded
- Curious
- Adaptable
- Enquiring mind
- Analytical
- Mercurial
- Changeable
- Smart
- Overthinking
- Restless
- Ruled by Mercury
8 of Swords ~ When the signals are jammed, all we can hear is static
Jupiter expands and fills. In this case this gas giant fills the mind and overwhelms it so you can’t think outside it.
As the Wheel of Fortune (Jupiter) turns, the figure in the 8 of Swords is in a downward spiral. They are victim to the flip side of abundant, expansive Jupiter, which can be excessive, overwhelming, overshadowing.
For the enquiring, analytical Gemini mind this triggers overthinking, overanalysing and ultimately an inability to choose any course of action. This mental overload leading to inertia must feel very uncomfortable in the restless Gemini mind.
When the signals are jammed, all we can hear is static. And we feel alone, isolated, disconnected.
And what of the Lovers? Ruled by Gemini, this Major Arcana card represents relationships and the deep need for connection as well as balance, self-love and the importance of make healthy choices and setting good boundaries in our lives, work and relationships.
The 8 of Swords is not a conducive environment for any of that. There are boundaries in this card, but not the good, healthy kind. They are more like constrictions – set by self or some other.
What is the antidote?
Perhaps Jupiter is both the poison and the antidote.
Ruler of free-thinking, freedom-loving Sagittarius, Jupiter calls us to think bigger – outside the mental box of our own making – to look beyond the confines of our own circumstances. The jobs, families, relationships that sometimes overwhelm us.
There is a need to expand your thinking, step outside of yourself to take a look at the situation objectively. Stare down the truth, no matter how challenging that might be to the ego. Shine a light in those dark places. Then step into that light.
And, perhaps most importantly, to ask for help.
Prompts for 8 of Swords ~ Jupiter in Gemini
When considering predicament, when you feel stuck, trapped, overwhelmed, helpless, not enough, powerless…
Ask yourself:
- What negative beliefs do you hold about yourself?
- Where do they come from? Whose voice is that?
- How do these beliefs serve you?
- And how do they damage you and hold you back?
- How can you conquer and banish these thoughts in order to move forward?
- How can you ‘think outside’ your mental box?
- How can you be brave and be your own hero, everyday?
Observations and synchronicities ~ on Gemini I
I’m making a space here to return to over the coming days of Gemini I, to add any thoughts, ideas and synchronicities as they arise…
Notes on the Decan Walk 2024/25
For more information on Decans, Astrology and Tarot and how they all synchronise please read this Substack article by Rebeka Kulcsar-Kurdi and T. Susan Chang’s 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.
And, if you care to join me for this continuing solar return, you’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram hanging out on the corner of #decanwalk2024 and #decanastrology And I will be following @astroco_op and @tsusanchang
Here’s to another trip around the Sun!
