Bees and butterflies!

‘Gemini’ © Alison Coals

The sun moved (astrologically speaking!) into Gemini this evening, at 21.30 BST.  Here in the UK, it’s definitely spring, with perhaps a hint of summer on its way!  I’ve been seeing butterflies all over the place, flitting from one wild flower to another.  Butterflies are often used as a symbol of Gemini, which is associated with the element of Air.  The butterfly darts from blossom to blossom, sampling different nectar, much as Gemini represents the gathering of bits of information from various sources.  In doing so, connections are made – socializing, networking...just as we do!

There are quite a few bees around, too. Bees are also symbols of Gemini; they pollinate flowers, reflecting the way in which Gemini disseminates information, collecting a bit of knowledge here and then dropping it off somewhere else.  It’s one of the mutable signs, so is interested in transforming what’s already been established.  Gemini is associated with communication (newspapers, email, telephone, etc.) as well as networks for transportation (roads, railways, vehicles) – anything that moves information or goods (Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the god of not only communication but also trade and commerce) from A to B.  Gemini rules short journeys, though – longer ones are the domain of Sagittarius. Gemini is more interested in the local environment, community, or market – so this covers trips to the shops, and travelling to work, for example.  It’s also associated with neighbours and siblings, as well as early childhood and education received while still living in the ‘home’ or local environment.

Gemini is often said to only be interested in the superficial, but that’s not really fair. Gemini represents intelligence, and a desire to get the facts right, rather like Virgo.  Gemini is interested in how things work, but whereas Virgo might approach this on a more practical basis, Gemini does this through thought, working it out in the head – and then communicating that through words.  Gemini loves language.  

This might be explained by looking at the myth behind Gemini. The constellation of Gemini is that of the twins, Castor and Pollux, who were separated at birth by Zeus. He placed one in the sky, the other on earth. The twins would swap places now and then, and were only able to meet when this exchange occurred. So there are two sides to the Gemini nature, which may be at odds with each other.  Perhaps the earthy twin is the more Virgoan approach, which needs to reach a compromise with its airy, more cerebral twin?! Duality is the key to Gemini – marrying the opposing side.  More of that soon, when we take a look at The Lovers, the Major Arcana card associated with Gemini...

Gemini in the Druidcraft Major Arcana: The Lovers

Today let’s look at the tarot card from the Major Arcana that’s traditionally (well, in the tradition I follow!) associated with Gemini - The Lovers.  With Gemini symbolized by the twins, Castor and Pollux, this association isn’t perhaps that surprising – twins, duality, a couple.

Although many people connect The Lovers to romantic love – the sign of a new relationship, perhaps – I see this card being wider-ranging.  Following on from cards that can represent Mother (Empress), Father (Emperor), and Education (Hierophant), the Lovers, in these terms, could suggest the teenage years, when we start to make our own choices – often beginning with what, or who, we are attracted to.  So yes, it can be about love and affairs of the heart, but it’s more about reminding us that we always have a choice.

The Lovers - Druidcraft (detail)

The Gemini glyph symbolizes the idea of duality and opposites that we all contain – masculine and feminine, yin and yang, light and dark, however you choose (!) to name them.  Here we see the opposites ready to be united, choosing to be united, choosing to make that connection.  The transformation (remember, Gemini is a mutable sign) is represented by the winged orphic egg and the serpent coiled around it, carved into the rock beneath them. Through this, we become whole, with love becoming the path to wisdom (see Rachel Pollack’s wonderful The Kabbalah Tree for more on the symbolism). 

These lovers have chosen to unite, and have also chosen to rest together afterwards, luxuriating in that choice.  Some decks include an angel, but here we have a hind in the background, watching them. The hind, in the Druid Animal Oracle, symbolizes subtlety, grace, and the feminine, and represents the call to the heart of things, beyond the material level. That too implies making a choice, to let go of the superficial and to be willing to go deeper and explore other options.  The ivy wrapped around the man’s head represents death and rebirth, a reminder that when we make choices, we often have to let go of something else. Ivy berries are poisonous, causing intoxication – and what greater intoxication is there than having the ability to choose, regardless of whether it’s physical, emotional, or spiritual in nature.

  

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections. 1988

The Druid Animal Oracle created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections. 1996

Pollack, Rachel. The Kabbalah Tree, Llewellyn Publications US, 2004.