The Gemini New Moon is also an annular eclipse of the Sun, which will appear like a bright, shiny band of the Sun’s rays radiating from behind the edges of the Moon. Eclipses often coincide with major shifts in our lives. As Gemini is a double-bodied sign, it may be that we start to drop the familiar face we show to the world and expose more of our hidden side — or that someone around us does so. This could come as a surprise or shock to whoever is not used to seeing this “other side.” In a personal sense, it indicates realizing something about ourselves that we denied or simply had not noticed before. If we can accept and integrate this aspect of ourselves, perhaps our experience of life can expand. Much the same applies if we’re seeing another side to somebody else’s character or situation. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to feel comfortable with something distinctly different from our prior experience. So, we need to allow time to adjust and try to get in touch with acceptance of this “new normal.”

The eclipse has Mercury tagging along with it, and that planet happens to be retrograde. This suggests that a conversation needs to happen, but we might initially struggle to find the words — or find the right opportunity to voice them, when we do. Remember that solar eclipses always occur when the Moon is New and, therefore, thoughts, ideas, and situations are still in seedling form. It would be natural for something to not quite have defined lines at the moment — to be in an early stage of development. We may need to allow time for whatever needs to surface to emerge fully, before we figure out the right way to speak about it.

Gemini themes often incorporate connections with siblings, cousins, and neighbors. Interesting developments involving some of these people may occur, whether or not we’ve had close or frequent contact with them before now. They could prove to be people who open doorways for us, towards something that is important to our future plans. With Mercury retrograde in Gemini, there may have been frustrating delays already, or we experience them now. Yet that planet won’t always be in that state, so we can expect movement sooner or later — maybe fairly soon after June 22, when Mercury turns to direct motion again. The planetary dots start to join up: Alongside ideas and paperwork coming together, conversations take off on a more upbeat note.

Mercury is not the only planet currently retrograde; Saturn is also retrograde. So, although we may have guidelines available to help us, we may need to be reminded of some of them. If we reengage with certain terms, conditions, or procedures, it will help us work out the best way forward with reaching a decision we must make. Although going over small print can seem like the least interesting task, we might be surprised to discover that, if we do bother — and perhaps if we also manage to make a few required calculations or estimates — we arrive at a better answer than we were expecting. Either way, getting to a place of clear information and definite answers seems wiser than relying only on assumptions.

There is an added reason for working harder on clarity and not leaving too much to chance: Neptune squares the Sun, Moon, and Mercury, which adds a perhaps frustrating vagueness to the already heavy atmosphere of the retrograde planets. However, we can take heart from the eclipse’s loose trine to Saturn, which, although a little outside the usual (6°) orb, places a more definite edge around a situation. Whilst Saturn often gets bad press, this planet can represent a rock in our lives, or some sort of guide or rulebook that helps us stay on the right track, despite how far off course we may stray. The Neptune square can represent the threat of someone else’s world falling apart, which is seldom easy to witness, particularly if we appreciate that the trials of other humans in some way reflect our own trials. With Mercury squaring Neptune in Pisces, we’re reminded of the biblical expression, “There, but for the grace of God, go I” — in other words, it may be time to count our blessings!

This article is from the Mountain Astrologer, written by Diana Collis.