Beyond the Mask: Gemini Rising
If you’re still working on Taurus Rising or have more questions on Taurus, please continue.
When you’re ready for Gemini Rising, begin reading, pp.45-60.
Gemini Rising: Mutable Air. Instinctual Ruler, Mercury, esoteric Ruler, Venus.
We leave Taurus, grounded, resourceful Fixed Earth for changeable Gemini Rising, Mutable Air. It’s a big shift. The Ruling planet is associated with mental, rather than physical or emotional instincts.
While the Taurus persona is like a rock, solid, implacable and loyal, Gemini usually comes across as a light spring breeze. While Taurus continues moving in the same direction and usually perseveres, Gemini is more likely to have a short attention span. While Taurus is often called the Immovable Object, flexible Gemini is sometimes called wishy-washy. Unless of course, Saturn, Pluto or one of the other outer planets makes a close contact to the Rising Sign degree, is in the First House, or contacts Mercury, the instinctual ruler.
This chameleon-like Rising Sign is the most versatile of all. Gemini could wear almost any Mask comfortably, which confuses school career counselors. “She could do X, but she could also do Y, Z, and A, B. or C. She has so much potential!”
Ruled by Mercury, aka precocious Hermes, (Trickster or Prankster), Gemini Rising is quick to adopt the vocabulary of many different fields. And like Hermes, Gemini Rising is very convincing. With very little formal education, Gemini can pass for a credentialed professional, hanging out his shingle for awhile and persuading people he’s both qualified and experienced, when he’s not. He enjoys word games and verbal sparring contests, but seldom holds a grudge when he doesn’t win.
In youth, this Rising Sign resembles C.G. Jung’s puer or puella, Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle. We think of Gemini as the Twins (like Castor and Pollux, or Romulus and Remus.) Multi-taskers, they easily juggle more than two tasks, roles, or Masks at a time. Like Hermes, Gemini is mentally agile and inventive. A chatterbox rather than a listener, he’s full of curiosity and prone to gossip.
In the first half of life, many seem to be late Bloomers, who, like George Bernard Shaw, take a long time to “create themselves.” (See the quote from GBS, p.45, on inventing his personality.)
In the second half of life, happy, stable relationships seem to get easier for Gemini.
Discussion Questions 1-4
Please read the Element, the Mode, the Instinctual and Esoteric Rulers, pp. 48-59.
Venus-Aphrodite is the spiritual Ruler of Gemini. How does Venus, as a symbol for Jung’s “Feeling Function,” aid Mercury, when Mercury is viewed as a symbol for Jung’s “Thinking Function?
Might integrating the spiritual Ruler help the personality appear warmer, more likeable, and/or help Gemini Rising sustain relationships over time?
Early environment (childhood and youth) put G.B. Shaw in touch with Venus through music and the arts. Do you think getting in touch with Venus first (before Mercury) helped Shaw, even though he chose a “Mercury career?” Mira Alfassa Richard also loved to draw as a child and wanted to be surrounded by beauty.
Aphrodite has a daughter named Harmonia. Might developing the spiritual Ruler through the arts bring harmony, sensitivity, kindness and tolerance? Soften the tone of Mercury’s message?
For Advanced Students:
Discussion topic 5:
Please read the list of quotes for Henry Kissinger, Mira Richard, GBS, Luigi Pirandello (the “values playwright”) and Marianne Williamson on p. 45. Next, match the five Gemini Rising examples to the list, below:
a) Venus/ Sun aligned; Neptune in a challenging contact to the Ascendant, Neptune and Mercury in easy contact to each other in the Water Element
b) Venus /Sun aligned, makes a challenging contact to the Ascendant; Mercury-in- Aquarius makes an easy contact to the Ascendant in Air, Pluto in loose contact to the Ascendant from the Twelfth House.
c) Mars on the Ascendant; a challenging Uranus/Ascendant contact, and Venus makes an easy contact to Pluto.
d) Neptune makes an easy contact to the Ascendant in the Air Element. Mercury is aligned with Pluto; Venus/ Uranus/ Sun aligned.
e) Venus on the Ascendant, Neptune in easy aspect to the Ascendant, Moon exalted in Taurus.
A Treasure Story with a Twist: Wily Hermes in Old Age
Please read, “Good Advice,” pp. 61-66.
Discussion Question 6: Is the instinctual ruler sometimes as important as the esoteric ruler?
The Hermes Negotiator:
Recently, a woman with Gemini Rising told me she identified with the Italian family in the story, “Good Advice.” In her mid 70s during the Great Recession, she and her family found themselves in a struggle with their bank. In fact, they nearly lost their home. Viewing the bank as a modern “priest-landlord,” she used Hermes’ wiles to convince her “landlord” it was better for them that her family occupy the house than have it vacant, moldy or vandalized. In fact, who could they find better than her family, who’d lived there for years, loved the house and kept it up beautifully? They’d keep the grass mowed and put up the hurricane shutters when needed. The bank could do a lot worse! Tenants would be risky; younger people were losing their jobs. Her family, however, had a fixed income. In the end, the bank modified her loan and she kept the house.
An esoteric Gemini Rising person, who greatly prefers peaceful Venus to Mars' battles, she found this situation stressful. But in the end, she was happy to discover, “I still had it in me to do that.”
Perhaps you know an older person, or an older couple, with a similar story of Hermes’ ingenuity?
Or,you may know someone with Gemini Rising who cleared away two problems at once, as happened in the tale, “Good Advice.” The peasant rid himself of both the landlord and the box of thugs at the same time.
Or perhaps you know of a situation like Shaw’s, where “GBS the critic” made time for “GBS the playwright” to finish his play. Wearing his critic’s Mask, GBS reviewed a flop, praising it to the skies, so that people would rush to see it. The bad play was held over for 6 weeks, long enough for Shaw to revise his own play for the same theater.)
Discussion Question 7:
Please read the progressions for Gemini Rising
Erika Jong wrote Fear of Fifty around the time her progressed Mask changed from Cancer to Leo. How would this new Mask work with Natal Gemini Rising? Might it help with her fear of fifty, and if so, how?
Discussion Question 8: Relationships
Many Gemini Rising clients have told me that marriage became easier for them after midlife; they were quite content after 50. Some, like Erika Jong, were married several times by their late 40s, while others, like GBS, waited until fifty to marry for the first time.
How might 2 cycles of progressed Ascendant changes make marriage seem easier? (Clue, what changes occur on the 7th House cusp?)
Discussion Question 9:
The Times, They are a’Changin.’
Do you think it’s an advantage or a disadvantage to have a Mutable Rising Sign in the 21st Century? Why or why not?
Discussion Question 9-10:
From June 2012 to June 2013 Jupiter will be in Gemini. If you have Gemini Rising, this will affect yourpersona. If you don’t, what House will it impact in your horoscope? (Which one has Gemini on the cusp?) What would you everyone like to do with the “Mercury year?”
Jupiter is in Detriment in Gemini. Do you see that as good, bad, or neutral?
Replies
Ah yes I have GBS as a. on my notes here... You mentioned before it was a learning experience for you here - not sure which post - but I meant to say I think your input here is extremely useful its an excellent medium. I do courses online in a forum which is slightly more convenient than this forum, but in terms of how you are showing us the material and addressing us each from our own positions of knowledge - its great - I am learning so much.
I would say though I have your kindle version and sadly kindle hasn;t got its page numbering sorted out - so the pages you quote are usually out +- 2 or 3 pages, I tend to find where you mean though.
So jupiter conjunct my sun - looks like that's later to me - its conjuct the sign my sun is in though is that what you mean? Certainly this race is going to be a peak experience one way or another.. I will either do it or get myself to a place of exhaustion I have never been to before! I am intending to taper for 2 weeks before hand - ie not train much and to eat lots :D need to eat lots on the race too according to other competators - hopefully I will have done all my training by then, and have it in me to complete it, providing I don't get caught up in the enthusiasm of everyone else when we start off. That sounds like more jupiter + mercury stuff - tendancy to rush and not pace oneself - if I pace it right I may be able to achieve it. My training will tell me more nearer the time. I am aware I have a birthday camping party planned the weekend before, and was nervous of putting it then, but tarot was good for it, and not for all other dates so I have decided to go for it - juptier will still be in taurus then - so sensible enough and the downtime should help I am imagining.
Thanks for all your comments - I really am learning so much from all of this and really appreciate all the work you put into responding here.
Yes, when we were talking about your Big Adventure (the long-awaited climb.) I took that as timed for Jupiter conjunct Natal Sun... (?)
Adjusting classroom discussion questions to the online seminar format has been challenging. The multiple choice question, for instance, worked better with more people participating in the discussion, so, yes, I'm learning a lot.
Sorry kindle is skewed on the page numbers. I don't have it, so I'm assigning from the paperback book.
Looks like you've already planned your approach to the Peak Event, good!
You're putting a lot of time into this too; I really appreciate your comments.
What you say reminds me of Anna Freud, it's a rare person who acts on common wisdom! We could add, 'and knows her own mind".
A Jupiter pleasant is usualy a pleasant time to escape one's rut for awhile.
You're right, Anne. For example, bigger isn't usually better when it comes to weight gain. Unfortunately, Jupiter crossing the Ascendant and moving through the First House often coincides with that.
Those of us wiho have Gemini Rising will need to pay attention to the size of our portions and whether or not we really need that second trip to the restaurant buffet table. We may also find ourselves craving a doughnut along with our morning coffee, and habits once established can be hard to break.
That said, it should be an exciting period for travel, teaching or learning, doing new things with neighbors and relatives (Gemini Archetype includes siblings) and discovering new opportunties around us.
Interesting - I like your positive take on this - just tried to find some positives myself having only skim read your response here (I think I have a thing about cheating - which is bizarre as I become conscious of it!), now I read it properly, I really like the connection of learning a lot of things - and travel too - I will be having a holiday abroad this year myself - its been a few years since the last one. Your adventure sounds really exciting :D
An excellent synopsis. Has it been awhile since you traveled alone? That's an interesting point on heroism and training heroes. With Chiron and Jupiter, an adventure of some sort awaits. Travel, and being on one side of the desk or another, student or teacher, sounds likely.
And thank you so much for that amplification and for looking up the first Natal planet that Jong's progressed Leo Ascendant reached.
I think you see more clearly now what's meant by "setting the tone" for the new 30 year cycle. This is a difficult concept to get across in an online seminar. In a classroom, everyone would choose their favorite Mutable creative person, do the calculation, then we'd all discuss what everyone found..
I hope those following the discussion are gaining an understanding of how the progressed Asc works. It's useful to look at our own horoscope for self-understaning but it also helps to study another example, a creative person like Erica Jong or George Bernard Shaw.
There are several quotes from Jong on the Web in which she describes her acceptance that all change will initially have an element of fear or anxiety involved, but we need to take risks and move through our anxiety.
This is still true in second half of life. The Pluto change, death, is just another change, though a huge transition! "Pluto fear"surfaces for everyone at some point in the second half of life, often after losing an older relatives, like a parent.
But Jong also writes of Joy--if we don't accept change, we miss out on a lot of that. (She has Jupiter on her Natal Ascendant, and Mars, as part of her persona, so this was animportant period for her. Risk-taking and accepting Eros, passion.
You are right, too, it's a Solar journey, a Fire journey, archetypally speaking. And many Fire qualities will be assimilated, according to the potential in the Natal chart (planets to be contacted.)
Thank you for your patience. At the same time you are learning about personas and progression, I'm learning about conducting an online seminar!
I know I am not advanced, but I thought I would have a go at this, using what little I know and a bit of guessing too.
SO
a/ Mira Richard - because of the feeling of surrender to all in her quote neptune and mercury in easy contact so able to express oneself through surrender and the geminian 'need to know' challenged by neptunes dreaminess
<><>b/ Henry Kissinger – mercury in aquarius – cold logical communication, the quotes come across this way, unconscious feeling of needing to change the world through pluto in 12th
c/ Marianne Williamsom – venus and pluto in good contact so personal expression with a need for things to transform people. Get a feeling of love of hedonism too – just started reading a book by her, and she was quite into being out of it though searching when she was younger. Perhaps too venus as softer feelings coming through transformation – as she blesses another she allows her own perception of being blessed..
d/ Luigi Pirandello – venus with sun – wanting to know why of a fact, how to come to it rather than just the fact, mercury and pluto being able to handle the difficulty of opposites also given asc is in air with neptune, can think outside the usual box
e/George Bernard Shaw – Thinking his feelings of enjoyment through the struggle of work – the effort put in – moon in taurus
As expected I found this hard, but interesting to try and get myself to think in this way – where could I find clues in the quotes and in the info you have .
I loved what you did with this, Emma, you have so much analytical insight into the symbolism. This was a very challenging exercise.
You asked where you can find the clues. They're in the biographies scattered through various parts of the text, p. 53 for Luigi Pirandello, for instance, the philosopher who corresponded with Croce about reconciling the opposites. He explored a philosophical issue associated with The Twins--various Gemini Rising perspectives. He tired reconciling the opposites by developing characters for his plays, interactions between family members who could not reconcile, for instance, in "Six Characters in Search of an Author."
Carl Jung in Alchemy mentions the alchemists' use of paradoxes to symbolize attempting the impossible, lines like "squaring the circle," or "reconciling the opposites." It's true that life is a constant struggle to balance, for instance,House Four and House 10, without neglecting either. And then,for many, after retirement, House 11 (volunteerism) with House 5 (creative project time.) All our lives, we struggle to balance House 1 with House 7, etc. The alchemists were right, we humans will never get into perfect balance. Some days we seem to achieve it, but that doesn't last for long.
However, it's also true that things impossible to the mercurial Mind are perhaps not impossible for the unified vision of Aphrodite/Harmonia. Love conquors All.
And according to physicists, there's a point in space where parallel lines do intersect, where the opposites come together. That's somehow reassuring for Gemini Rising.
The loose Pluto conjunction and its impact on the persona, clue on p 58.
Channeling the Evolutionary Life Force through writing a series of plays he knew weren't marketable (Neptune) and the religious core to his works (Gandhi's comment) p. 57.
I don't think there's a Henry Kissinger clue-- the longer section may have been edited out; it seemed less interesting. Yet, he's an example of someone more attuned to Mercury, in the sense of Situation Ethics in the story, Good Advice," than to Venus.
Diplomats and members of the intelligence profession are able to compartmentalize in ways most of us can't. As Count Otto von Bismarck put it, "nations have good reasons and real reasons for doing things, diplomats give each other only the good reasons."
The closest planet to Kissinger's Ascendant symbolizes his pioneering of Shuttle Diplomacy during the Cold War. From the horoscope, we can almost see him in perpetual motion,
Later Secretaries of State have keep up with the constant travel, which seemed to energize Kissinger, though it really tired some of them..Can you comment on why Kissinger would find it energizing?
I appreciated your comment on Williamson, I have seen TV shows with which she's been involved, I wanted to include a contemporary example, and she seemed an ideal choice.
I 'd now like to segue from Erica Jong, with Jupiter on her Ascendant, struggling in youth to do too many things at once, to the discussion question about Jupiter transiting Gemini from this June to June 2013.
How can we avoid spreading ourselves too thin, either through the persona, for Gemini Rising, (Jupiter transiting the First) or in the House of our chart which has Gemini on the cusp? If it crosses the cusp of the First, or conjuncts Natal Gemini First House planets, why should we more aware this coming year than we usually are about our diet? Can you think of positive and negative things to watch during the Jupiter in-Detriment year, as it travels opposite the Sign it rules? What are some interesting things we might do while Jupiter's in Gemini? What might people purchase? Technological gadgets? Houses? Clothing? Stocks and bonds?
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