Poland is heading towards another battle over EU values with a proposed tax on media advertising being seen as the latest in a series of steps by the ruling conservative party with strong ties to the influential Catholic Church, to curb independent journalism. Since the Law and Order Party (PiS) took office in 2015, Poland has tumbled from 18th to 62nd place in the World Press Freedom Index — below Niger and Armenia. And there have been other EU conflicts over sweeping changes to the judiciary that critics say have subverted democracy and the rule of law as well as a controversial court ruling that all but outlawed abortions.
Some Polish journalists fear that the EU’s fifth biggest state could end up following a similar path to Hungary, where Viktor Orban’s government has suffocated much of the country’s independent media.
And there are Geminis as far as the eye can see. Orban has a Gemini Sun; as does Mateusz Morawiecki , the Polish PM with his Boris-like collection of Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars in Gemini square Uranus Pluto in Virgo; as does Jaroslaw Kaczynski, firebrand founder and leader of PiS and now Deputy PM with his Sun and Mars in Gemini. Who’d have thought free-roaming Geminis would turn out – in some cases – to have such a dictatorial, narrow-minded, retrograde mindset? Mind you the Vatican 1929 chart has a New Moon and Mercury in Gemini which always struck me as odd.
The modern Poland 24 August 1989 1.05pm Warsaw chart, is in a mega-confusing, not to say devastating year with the Solar Arc Neptune square the Pluto, with the tr Uranus square tr Saturn banging against the Pluto as well – upheavals, disruptions, rebellions, logjammed.
The EU Accession chart of 1 May 2004 looks equally rattled with a separating tr Saturn square the Taurus Sun and tr Uranus conjunct, picking up next month and continuing on throughout the year. A totally blocked Solar Arc Pluto opposition the Saturn late 2021. And there’s an undermining tr Neptune square the Pluto and Venus before moving onto an even more panicky-failure square to the Mars in 2022/23.
Diplomatic relations won’t be getting any easier anytime soon with the EU already threatening to withhold funds if community values are not upheld. In 2018 Poland was a net recipient of EU funds to the tune of twelve and a half billion euros.
if you guys want to watch a religous version of the archetypal seasonal zodiac,then battlestar galactica from 1978,2003,and the new updated version on nbc tv here in the usa peacock streaming media service coming in fall 2021 might be your cup of tea,cause they literally have 12 groups of humans representing all 12 seasonal phases of our zodiac,and spatial points of spatial based astrology going from the otherside of our galaxy,going from one planet of humans called the 12 colonies to a cyclon/human hybrid earth,then to our earth,and glen larson gave it mormonism,ronald moore added depth psychology,and whoever run this future version of battlestar will add more to the polytheist vs monotheist debate,which seems to fit the gemini/sagittarius seasonal axis to a tee,plus at the end of ronald moore’s version we humans are genetic descendants of the hybrid cyclon/humans,and there is a theory in battlestar that this stuff keeps coming around like a much longer version of pluto,neptune,and uranus return phases,which at the end of ronald moore’s version was 150000 years from ancient to current at that time north america mostly manhattan,ny ,just stuff to watch,and ponder,if you guys enjoy deeply philosphical stuff on us humans through science fiction,or could it be at somepoint more science fact in the future,plus you guys could really see which characters in the 1978,2003 versions represent which seasonal phases of the zodiac,and why their shifting from one phase,and spatial points really adjusts them as humans then,and how it plays out now through indepth astrology if you want to explore this stuff indepth.
Religion aside, some other thoughts on the Dark Ages.
https://www.history.com/news/6-reasons-the-dark-ages-werent-so-dark
https://lithub.com/the-dark-ages-werent-as-dark-as-we-thought/
ps Pluto still in Capricorn, another 4% and a bit yet to go. Brought it to the surface for us to deal with.
I remember Gregory of Tours’ Historia Francorum as part of the Medieval History A level course I took. The fall of the Merovingians and Carolingians rising and vying for power – all a bit ‘Game of Thrones’. I love this period – watched the film ‘The Dig’ at the weekend where Basil Brown who unearthed the Anglos-Saxon Sutton Hoo treasure tells the crowd, “this was an advanced, sophisticated culture”. It’s thought that the subject of the ship burial may have been Raedwald, (599-624) a warrior king of East Anglia. Raedwald converted to Christianity but kept two altars, one to the Pagan gods, one to Christ – his household and wife were Pagan – so this period is pivotal as the point at which England becomes Christianised.
Me too, I was deeply affected by it as a kid when I saw the exhibition in a black room, black walls black drapes, it was incredibly atmospheric, and as for the name Sutton Hoo, how wonderful is that?
Although I confess to being deeply disapointed in that film, given it contained almost nothing about the actual treasure, its significance etc etc. Extraordinary how they manged to avoid it so entirely. And imv the GOT bollocks, is just another excuse to project our worst ‘values’ into the past, reinforcing our subconcious justifications.
Prefer John Boormans Excalibur,The Name of the Rose and Lady Hawk for Medieval fantasy.
Actually tbh I preferred my history class when we learnt all about the wool trade and guilds and a day in the life.
I was impressed by womens comparitively powerful position, certainly in comparison with the Renaissance, a putrid overrated part of history inmv 😉
Yes, the film was more about the relationship between Edith Pritty and Basil Brown. But I still enjoyed Feinnes’ character partly because he gets the impossible-for-actors Suffolk accent so well. My partner is from Suffolk, also has the accent and was a little picky about it, but to my ear it was impressive!
Im glad youre picking up on the global Gemini tsunami of tricksters and conmen.
Its bizarre, there is nothing overtly obvious in the transiting planets beyond the ongoing [square to Gemini] position of Neptune in Pisces, yet its been notable leading up to Brexit/Trump.
Perhaps theres a fixed star active that Ive missed?
Or perhaps Ive just become more aware of it since 2015 when I started making lists of Gemini politicians and ‘influencers’.
Eitherway when Uranus moves into Gemini and approaches the US Mars and Uranus, I hope we become more self aware of that dynamic, afterall Gemini is in all our charts, just as the Taurus issues of values, habits, consumption, self worth and greed are currently in the spotlight of the Uranus Taurus zeitgeist.
Oh dear! I have a lovely Gemini daughter married to a delightful Gemini ( rising and sun) son in law. My daughter is the only member of my family who remembers not to blab secrets! Surely all these Gemini leaders show the dark side of the sign because they chased power for themselves and use their dark side to obtain and cling on to it. Any sign intent on power would do the same. I am a Virgo sun and am sick to death of the critical fuss-ass in the service of others portrait of my sign. However, I do see it in myself and am careful not to overdo it. Self awareness is all and, happily, I do not crave power!
Catherine. So true. All signs have positive and negative traits. It is symbolic of the duality of life which incidentally is what Geminis themselves as divine twins represent. The symbolism is very ancient and it crops up in Greek, Roman, Jewish, Vedic and Babylonian mythology. The twins were healers and helpers of mankind, rescuing those in peril and guiding the Suns chariot across the sky. In the latter aspect they represent horses and there is an obvious link to the opposite sign of Sagittarius which is part man and part horse representing humanities roots in the natural world. The archetype also joins the human to the divine as in the stories one twin has a divine father and one a mortal father. The negative aspect of bloodshed also appears with Cain slaying Abel, Romulus killing Remus. The message is that the human and the divine/nature need to be integrated or one will destroy the other.
Thank you, Hugh! Fascinating and explains a lot.
I do feel bad for all the evolved Geminis reading this – they have been given a bit of a pasting on here. 🙁
The Twins sometimes appear as young children on the 19th tarot card, ‘The Sun’ perhaps a reference to their Solar role in myth. I believe the twins here represent Romulus and Remus with the wall behind them indicating the foundation blocks of Rome.
You are so right Hugh. I did a dissertation years ago studying the legend of Faust and Mephistopheles and all the writers, composers fascinated by that story such as Goethe and Thomas Mann etc. Their charts all showed a strong Gemini, sagittarius influence . Faust is a very Sagittarian figure and Mephistopheles a very Geminian figure,( The Trickster, the guide to the underworld) and generally the mutable signs seemed peculiarly significant in these charts. The dark shadow side of humanity it seems.
Thanks Hugh, It does crystallise the light-and-dark Gemini temperament into a battle/search for balance between the Saturnine leaden (Luciferian) tendency and the polar opposite elevated, idealistic strand. Gatekeeper to the underworld and messenger of the gods on Olympus. No surprises that some fall into the dark pit.
I’ve had to delve into studying sound these last years… we were building out a tenant suite in the basement and wanted it to be very soundproof. Absolutely fascinating how sound moves… the different types of waves that are created.
Anyways… I’ve had a feeling that even though Pluto moves on to a new astrology sign, the ripple wave from it being in the previous sign is still VERY strong.
So Pluto in Sag. revealed the rot underlying media, fanaticism, ideologies, etc., but now the larger “sound waves” of that reveal have really been made apparent during this Pluto in Capricorn time.
Of course, Gemini is opp. to Sag, so many of these Gemini people experienced a profound Pluto hit during that time…. never mind eclipses and such.
This “ripple” wave reminds me of the experience of processing a major trauma. (I actually had one when Pluto went over my Sag asc. in 2005). At first it’s just what it is, but then…. there are waves and waves of the effects of that event/time many years later.
Could these Gemini “leaders” be bringing forward the Pluto in Sag. revealed issues? Mostly it seems all crazy and horrible, but maybe there are just as many Geminis doing “good” things with this energy!!??
Honestly.. this is just me throwing out an idea!!
🙂
Marjorie….and all of you…
it is such a joy to be connected to you.
thank-you, thank-you
“Could these Gemini “leaders” be bringing forward the Pluto in Sag. revealed issues? ”
I’d say thats partly the issue. On that basis perhaps the spotlight will move to the worst excesses of Cancer post Pluto in Capricorn.
Feelings over facts, xenophobia fear of strangers etc all exacerbated by Covid, brexit and Trump?
The lesson in that, is while we may need to limit travel and shut borders to protect ourselves from pandemics etc if we dont all work together, developing and sharing vaccines,sharing info on terrorism, preventing the worst of Climate Change and limiting the spread of Nuclear weapons, then we are all collectively vulnerable.
Agree completely…v need to b cautious but not secluded to not reach out for unity in finding safety n solutions
“…worst excesses of Cancer post Pluto in Capricorn.”
More conjecture here from me, but given this theme, something to ponder further with Uranus passing over this axis during most of the 2030s.
Another thought is this planet is our Home. And rather than this obsessive reach for the pinnacle -Pluto in Capricorns Plutocrats fulfilling their obsessive egoic need for recognition driving us onwards to Mars, taking the focus from all ours home, and not just our species!
We are mass murders all and we have the unmitigated nerve to even suggest we should sully another planet because of our insane hubris and greed.
Exploit and die – Scorpio ruled by Mars and Pluto
Sorry for the rant, I just realised how furious I am about all this Mars bollocks ….;)
Moons in Cancer n all and about to be oppressed by Pluto again, expect more misogyny in the papers…
Do you think the eclipses this year will have any impact on these Gemini leaders?
Just a thought on why so many Geminis have risen to power around the world in recent years. Much of the world is hyper-polarised on a range of issues, perhaps stranding the fixed and cardinal signs behind their barricades. Those with Gemini prominent in their chart tend to be flexible and even duplicitous thinkers and speakers, giving them the ability to move through the polarised minefield and step into the breach.
If you think of the nature of Gemini, divisiveness is one of characteristics. Its a chicken/egg situation, inextricably interlinked between the geminian influencing ie talkback radio etc and the response on fertile ground.
But it all goes back to education/teaching/understanding in both the classroom and through the environment [gemini] and how we process and expand our view through interaction with other cultures etc[sagittarius].
If either point is weakened through lies, propaganda and fear then we get divisiveness.
i keep using the US Mars and Uranus as examples as imo thats the underlying dynamic in there ongoing black versus white, North versus South, right versus left dilemma.
Thats not to say we dont all do it, people and nations , gemini belongs to us all, but in the US its writ large on the world stage, and its influence.
Its geopolitical history has been one of divisiveness and undermining others democracy while claiming it themselves.
Of course Gemini comes out of the previous stages of Aires and Taurus and morphs to the feeling world of Cancers feelings and sense of security based on ideas and beliefs that have picked up on in the Gemini phase.
Given that Gemini Mars and Uranus divisiveness and fear spreading [ and Trumps full moon eclipse cleaved to US mars] one could understand the neurotic over self protectiveness and xenophobia of the US Cancer sun.
I confess, I always felt nervous about the expansion of the EU into some of the former Eastern Bloc countries. You can’t just change a traumatised, formerly totalitarian nation’s mentality with lots of money and club membership but on the other hand there were good reasons for Europe to restore countries like Poland and Hungary following the collapse of communism. I wonder how history will view eu Eastern expansion. The refugee crises of the 2010s further tested the EU’s coherence. In 2018, Mateusz Morawiecki, speaking alongside Orban, predicted a “year of great battles” against western Europe’s multicultural and integrationist values. It’s clear that populism, for whatever reason has found more fertile ground in Hungary and Poland.
As for the Vatican, I echo Jo – what a nest of vipers and opportunists those hypocrites are.
Yes, VF, I have felt the same. I think the expansion was done too fast, and possibly without full understanding of the underlying conditions and difficulties existing in those countries. The cultural and economic dissonance we are seeing as a result within the EU is concerning.
And regarding the mystery of the populist Geminis….as Marjorie says, it does seem odd. I wonder if it is partly to do with the Gemini love of games and strategies? Those aren’t always anchored by emotional empathy, or an understanding of the consequences of words and decisions. Where airy intellectual games rule, damage can occur. Mercury/Hermes was also associated with money and business, as well as trickery etc. As a god, his character appears to be much more challenging than our contemporary thoughts on the astrological Mercury. Maybe there’s some insights to be had there?
I also wonder about the fixed stars in the Taurus constellation that are now in Gemini. This description of them – in particular the affinity with Saturn – offers some potential clues I think:
“Ptolemy makes the following observations: “Those stars in Taurus which are in the abscission of the sign resemble in their temperament the influence of Venus, and in some degree that of Saturn . . . the stars in the head (except Aldebaran) resemble Saturn, and, partly, Mercury; and those at the top of the horns are like Mars.” By the Kabalists Taurus is associated with the Hebrew letter Aleph and the 1st Tarot Trump “The Juggler.” In all the ancient Zodiacs, Taurus is the beginning sign and marked the Vernal Equinox from about 4,000 to 1,700 B.C. [Robson*, p.63.]
Mercury/Hermes is the god of financial gain – so greed is in there and my recollection is Geminians figure prominently in the mega-wealthy lists. Also the god of thieves and deception. And both a visitor to the underworld as well as a messenger on-high between the presumably more elevated gods, which may well induce hubris.
Lists of sadists and serial killers from memory also have more than you might expect plucked from the ranks of Gemini.
At a stretch, working off Sun sign astrology – Pluto in Capricorn has been going through the Solar 8th house for Geminis in recent years – for most that would be restrictive. But Hitler had Pluto in the 8th natally and he did an effective job at wielding power – until he imploded.
Yes, the hubris possibility is interesting. Jupiter was Mercury’s father I think, so the mythic god would have a king for a father. His mother was Maia, one of the Pleiades stars – the Seven Sisters which has mixed meanings, including sorrow and death (roughly 29 Taurus – 0 Gemini). Maia and Mercury shared a festival in Ancient Rome, in May – all about the usual spring time fertilty and growth which alllies well with making money.
I think yes, there are a lot of Gemini serial killers, also Sagittarians, and quite a few Pisces and Virgo. Libra figures quite prominently too, although less so for Aquarius. The idea of Mercury travelling from the underworld to the mountain tops of Olympus could be a hint of traveling between the darkest depths of the unconscious and then acting it out “above ground”?
I’ve got quite a few Geminis in my life, all different ages. They all do love a game, a strategy, and a plot in various shapes and forms. They are all mostly reliable, yet there’s always the possibility of several late changes to plans, and I would not trust any of them with sensitive information that I wanted kept quiet. I’ve noticed they do seem to prefer to be in control of things in some way too. Is that a kind of puppet master trait? Anyway, I do think Mercury has been underestimated, and is now dancing around in politics all over the world. As a psychopomp, I hope this Mercurial influence will eventually lead us out into a less fractured world. Well, I can hope!
I knew a Gemini Rising at 29 degrees with the north node also at 29 degrees. I would witness them gushing effusively to a so-called friend and then destroy them verbally as soon as the interaction was over. It was chilling, and I had kniwn this person since childhood. My partner once said to me “you know xxxx probably does the same to us.”
I had to walk away from that individual in the end – the lying (they were master of telling half-truths), the hostility, passive aggression, the cancelling dates at the last minute or not turning up at all, the double speak and the pity-me tales which tended to result in me bailing this person out financially, money which was never paid back. That’s the dark side of Gemini for you, so it isn’t surprising that the age we live in suits these people very well, they are adaptable, they are skilled at using social media to mislead and cause chaos.
“Mercury/Hermes is the god of financial gain – so greed is in there and my recollection is Geminians figure prominently in the mega-wealthy lists. Also the god of thieves and deception.’
Definitely, and trade generally. So shopkeeping to stocks and shares, and of course anykind of internet trading.
I would argue that money specifically is as much a Gemini thing as Taurean. It doesnt really exist – its a language or device for describing the valuation of trade.
In Greek legend Hermes lulled the all seeing Argus Panoptes – the watcher of the herd – to sleep and then slew him. It was the first shedding of blood after Zeus overthrew Cronos and established the new divine order on Olympus. In so many ways this is symptomatic of what is happening to a free press currently (how many newspapers have used the title Argus down the years). Poland is just one example and it is not just a left versus right issue as many ‘liberals’ currently seem seem as keen on muzzling opinions they don’t like as the usual suspects on the right. So few seem to recognise that Liberty is indivisible
Hermes is also portrayed as an obsequious lackey in Aeschylus’ ‘Prometheus Bound’ in fact Prometheus describes Hermes as a ‘lickspittle’ and sees through his tricks and throughout their dialogue, Hermes uses and twists Prometheus’ own words against him. So even the Ancient poets recognise this type and no doubt such people were common in the political world of the time.
As I said in reply to Hugh, the sag /gemini angle was very strong in the Faustian legend. Basically we have no idea who or what pulls our strings. As astrologers we can only observe and wonder. It’s like watching a strange play being enacted
The Sagittarian/Gemini theme is interesting, especially considering current politics, the Nodes and eclipse cycle. Centaurus is in some myths the ancestor of the Centaurs, and had a twin brother, Lapithes. They were sons of Apollo, and needless to say did not get on well. Lapiths were warriors and kings – one of whom was named Coronus, funnily enough. I am now wondering what myths might link up with the Virgo/Pisces axis. Hermes/Mercury himself is one of the endless “tricksters” of global myth, an archetype we need, and one that we maybe don’t look at closely enough any more. Tricksters were rarely all bad, while the many tales of magical Twins have subtleties, even when one Twin carries the ‘dark’ energies.
Hinduism sacred texts depict this Age as age of hypocrites stating that those who claim to b Gods pupils will actually b monsters
When are people ever going to learn? When you put religion in a seat of power everything regresses to a deep, dark, disgustingly disturbing place. When the church ruled with iron rod for the best part of a thousand years, almost nothing flourished under its control. It was called the Dark Ages for a reason. Every time I see it creep in like a cancer and remove every human right under the sun while it’s privileged white men wallow in seedy corruption, I see religion as nothing but evil. It’s a sickening vehicle to manipulate the masses for its own gain. Total mind control at its best. There is nothing about compassion, kindness, support, and love in its energy at all. That’s just lip service. It’s frightening to see these kinds of governments grab the driving seats of power all over the world.
Is there anything in the stars to show these controlling populist waves will go out of fashion very soon, Marjorie? I mean, you’d think Pluto in Capricorn would have annihilated these kinds of organizations by now. But by God, their desperate cling to power and for control is proving they won’t go away any time soon