©2016 Lynn M. Keefer
New Moon in Gemini
June 4/5, 2016
I Will Be With You
Oh, the gift of a minimally programmed day!!! Moon phases… timelines…deadlines… relationships… responsibilities… all these really important people and things and yet… more important than all of these to me these days seems to be the care of my most intimate and cherished partner… my body. She has so often taken last place on my to do list… quite often not making the list to her detriment. When I forge deeply into a project or over load my calendar, there seems to be no time for her needs and she suffers. And so, these days, I allow myself to take care of her as she deserves, arriving “a little late to the party” for now, at least until the new routines take hold.
On the day of the Gemini New Moon we were attending our daughters college orientation. I was so impressed with the process, their attention to important issues, like consent from the “sex, drugs and alcohol talk” so beautifully done, and the ease with which my daughter adapted to her new home. On the evening of the first day of orientation I was already wondering where she had disappeared to, responding to my text-quiry about where she had gone with “I found my group.” What more could a mother want? She also graduated from High School in this cycle. Truly, bittersweet and one of several losses that I hold in a special place in my heart this year.
Transition is a big buzzword this year. My spirit told me that in January as I created a dream wheel and placed a butterfly at the top – dead center. In the transition cycle, there is a time to die before one can truly live again, and I’ve been feeling that sadness and actually recognizing it as sadness rather than delving mindlessly into a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. How mature! Lol… Throughout the course of this cycle I was invited to change my mind…change my thoughts… to move from un-easiness and sadness to comfort, calm and strength… not through anything I did necessarily – all I did was pay attention – but rather, by invitation after invitation.
The Mandala
©2016 Lynn M. Keefer
When I look at this Gemini New Moon Mandala I see “Thought Bubbles” and “Idea Eggs” – seven each as a matter of fact – which create a lot of chaos in this visual – truly a cluttered mind with many possibilities. There are many ways to interpret seven, typically as the symbol of perfect completion, security, safety and rest. But, the one that speaks most directly to me in conjunction with the other symbols and the theme of this cycle as it unfolded for me is the seven of the Tarot…The Chariot, symbolic of the need to focus. I chose the colors of the rainbow to further illustrate the myriad of possibilities and not solid in color – rather wispy actually. These thoughts and ideas are not yet concrete.
In the background we find a square on point, when put together with the thought bubbles and idea eggs, speaks to me of the possibility of a “change of mind.” Along with the cross lines it also appears to me to be a kite which invites us to uplifting thoughts or “higher thoughts” – lightheartedness, and playfulness. I chose two of my favorite summer colors for this “kite” – orange (the color of the spectrum associated with Gemini) and hot pink! (Interestingly enough, a new Dunkin Donuts opened near my house this cycle – same colors! Lol and No. I’ve not yet visited. Also a mature decision considering my focus on taking care of my body. 😉
In the center we find the yolk of the “idea eggs” – the food for the new life to come – a symbol I lovingly refer to as the God flower – a triangle in bloom. In my morning walks on more than one occasion I came across this same symbol in nature: Rabbit, Robin, Bird. The first time I saw the configuration the second bird was a mourning dove…and then at another time the second bird was yet another robin. Characteristics of these messengers are:
Rabbit in the center at the top point of the triangle:
“Symbolic rabbit meanings deal primarily with abundance, comfort, and vulnerability. Traditionally, rabbits are associated with fertility, sentiment, desire, and procreation. Rabbit meanings are also closely linked to the seasons, the changes of Mother Earth, and specifically Springtime.”
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolic-rabbit-meanings.html
In my experience of Rabbit this cycle, I also saw in her a deep stillness…waiting to see if I were friend or foe and only acting when absolutely necessary.
Robin at the bottom left:
“Foremost, the red robin is a portent of spring. “
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-symbolism-robin.html
For me the symbolism goes deeper… Robin is a messenger of great transition, of death to this life and of new life in the next. Life changes…it does not end.
Mourning Dove bottom right, and harder to see in the triangle above:
“Holy Spirit, Hope, Peace.”
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/homework-help-literature/69722-mourning-dove-symbolism/
And/or Bird: “Air animal totems are also symbols of strength (both physical and mental) and sovereignty. Very important traits, particularly when we are experiencing new transitions or surroundings in our lives.”
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/air-animal-totems.html
In addition to this triangular configuration, I saw an eagle flying through the park on the summer solstice and on the first full day of the summer solstice (having arrived at 6:34pm EST on June 20.) Eagles are a very rare sight in this area. And, I haven’t seen it since. Strength, Sovereignty and a nod to the divine are reinforced with Eagle.
The Month:
The first invitation came through the clouds on my morning walk.
Thin, wispy, and soft in nature, they often reminded me of angel wings, or a veil… like the veil between heaven and earth.
My eyes were drawn heavenward and my spirit lifted.
Another fond site that captivated me this cycle – literally craved – was the stillness of the water in the park where I walk each morning. So still, it was like a mirror reflecting the trees at the water line across the way. This stillness invited me to stillness.
Then there was Rabbit, Robin, Dove, pictured above, which I immediately connected to the central triangle in the mandala offered by Sandra Mosley at the start of the cycle. Adding the eagle I had seen at the solstice, I began connecting dots: Abundance, comfort and vulnerability; herald of renewal; Holy Spirit, hope, peace, physical and mental strength, and sovereignty.
I often also see God’s invitation in the soft light of early morning and early evening – threshold times of day. One day I was quite sad, and walked into the kitchen to find this soft, beautiful light cascading onto a flower I had brought in from the garden the day before. I knew in that moment that I was not alone and that all was well. It made me cry and smile at the same time as I offered up gratitude for the consolation I felt.
At the end of the cycle, we replaced the door to the patio at the back of our home – a 3 paneled window which takes up most of the wall on that part of the house. Interestingly, the handle was not in the box. Because it took so long to replace the missing handle and the lengths with which the carpenter went to replace it, I began to pondered the meaning of its absence.
A handle can refer to one’s name…how they’re known – often a nickname or a even username. It can also mean to “get a handle on something” – to have firm, clear understanding. In a manner of speaking, at this point in my life my “handle” is changing. While I am still a mother, Mother is no longer my primary role. And truly there are things in this world that we will never be able to get a handle on – too mysterious to understand or comprehend.
Near the end of the cycle, this license plate was in front of me.
Once again, I was consoled knowing that the same God that loves, nurtures and guides me does the same for my daughter and my friend who is moving way next month.
Whether these are truly invitations or promptings from God cannot be proven with a logical mind. Only faith can take us there. What is most important is that the events in our lives draw us nearer to God, the One who promised to be with us always – never alone. The One Whose presence calms my heart and even puts MY mind at ease. No small feat!
In addition to all the “visits,” the new music director at our parish shared with me a new song that we’ll use for funerals called I Will Be With You by James E. Moore, Jr. I would often hear it as I woke up in the morning and on my walks, as if God were singing it to me:
“I will be with you.
That is my promise.
I will be with you
forever more.
Trust in My love.
Bring Me all your cares, for
I will be with you
Forevermore.”
Truly peace to the heart…and balm to my spirit.
Love, Hugs and Blessings,
Lynn xoxxx
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