Full Moon in Gemini: Change vs. Fixed Rhythm
Dec. 4-8: The Sun is in Sagittarius Gate 5 (Fixed Rhythms) opposite the Earth (& Full Moon) in Gate 35 (Change)
Hey friends,
We continue on through the work of Integrating Polarities, a series that focuses on practicing the art of wholeness - weaving opposites, moving beyond the binary, and bridging the divide.
Every 5–6 days, as the Sun enters a new gate in the Human Design Mandala, I’ll share a timely transmission you can read like an integrative horoscope for the days ahead.
Today (Thursday), right as the sun & earth change gates, the moon will follow the earth into the Gate of Change (35), opposing the sun in the Gate of Fixed Rhthms for this month’s Gemini full moon. The moon being here adds an extra oomph to this polarity: the conscious sun highlights our Sagittarian tendency to keep on strutting toward our far off end-goals, and it is opposed by the moon’s emotional mood swings and earth’s body wisdom that both want to change it alllll up.
You’re invited: a Sagittarius Season Breathwork Journey
Next Wednesday, December 10, 5-7pm MST (on Zoom).
(Paid subscribers: Use this link for your free ticket!)
This Week’s Transits:
The Sun 🌞 is in the Sagittarius Gate of Fixed Rhythm (5)
The Earth 🌍 (& full Moon 🌝) are in the Gemini Gate of Change (35)
Thursday, December 4 - Monday, December 8: Fixed Rhythm vs. Change
The full moon in Gemini each year is a time when most of us feel the Sagittarius/Gemini polarity the strongest. The 2 signs lie across the Zodiac wheel from each other along the axis of knowledge: Sagittarius is the time-tested knowledge of philosophy and dogma, while Gemini is the in-the-moment knowledge that comes from chatting with your local community.
Neither is a better or worse way to know. Both are “true”. And both are needed in order to formulate a cohesive and complete picture of the world around us.
Gates 5 and 35 mark the midway points through Sagittarius and Gemini, respectively, and they highlight the polarity of Waiting Patiently vs. Hunger for Progress.
Let’s get into it.
The Gates in the I’Ching, Human Design, Gene Keys, and the Zodiac
🌞 Sun in Gate 5: “Fixed Rhythm”
I’Ching: “Waiting” (Water over Heaven)
Gene Keys: Impatience → Patience → Timelessness
Zodiac: Sagittarius
Bodygraph Center: Sacral
🌍 Earth (and full Moon) in Gate 35: “Change”
I’Ching: “Progress” (Fire over Earth)
Gene Keys: Hunger → Adventure → Boundlessness
Zodiac: Gemini
Bodygraph Center: Throat
(Want to know which of these gates you have defined in your bodygraph? Download your Human Design Chart here to follow along with this series in a personal way.
If you have a gate defined, you will probably be more familiar with it’s energy, and it can be interesting to look at it’s polar opposite gate too! )
On Thursday’s Full moon and the 5 days afterward, the assignment is to balance your hunger for adventure with patiently waiting for deeper rhythms to reveal themselves.
Sun in Gate 5: Fixed Rhythms
After the precision and focus of the past few days’ Gate 9 energy (and the raw vitality of the powerful Gate 34 before that), the Sun moves into Gate 5 and shifts the field from focus to rhythm. Gate 9 reminded us how to narrow our attention on what we care about, and now Gate 5 will teach us how to settle into the larger pattern that attention belongs to. When the sun is in the Sagittarius Gate of Fixed Rhythm, its lesson is simple: everything unfolds in its own time.
In the I’Ching, Hexagram 5 is known as “Waiting,” made up of the trigrams Water over Heaven. The image evoked is of a vast sky holding a gathering storm. There is a knowing that the rain will come when it’s meant to come - not a moment earlier, and not a moment later. This hexagram doesn’t describe passive waiting or waiting in vain. Instead, it is aligned, embodied readiness for when the right timing comes.
In the Gene Keys, this energy unfolds from the shadow of Impatience to the gift of Patience to the siddhi of Timelessness. Here, Impatience is when your mind tries to outrun your body’s true pacing, with the frantic underlying feeling that the future should already be here. The gift of Patience is reached when, like the centaur’s animal body, you drop back into a natural somatic tempo, allowing your next step to reveal itself instead of forcing it with your mind. The siddhi of Timelessness is the state that can be reached reach when a conscious sense of rhythm dissolves altogether and your body becomes seamlessly part of the greater cycles of time.
Like the previous 2 Sagittarius gates, Gate 5 is also found in the Sacral center in the bodygraph. Like Gate 9 (Focus), its intelligence is physical and rooted in the gut. In a generative energy center, this gate speaks in pulses, urges, and reliable patterns. Sagittarius season brings forth the collective desire to leap ahead, chase meaning, and roam freely toward new horizons, and Gate 5 reminds us that even the wildest adventures run in ever-evolving cycles. Every sunrise, every breath, and every return to a steady gallop after a sprint is a part of this. I think about a pack of centaur archers, after shooting their arrows into the distance, all galloping in perfect rhythm toward the sunset- not too fast, not too slow, using their strength but also preserving their energy for the potentially long quest ahead.
This week is a great time to tap into a rhythm that helps you find the cadence that supports your life force. As we move toward the Winter Solstice, it’s the time in the wheel of the year to find an internal beat that allows your determination to become sustainable. This gate helps us create the daily, seasonal, and cosmic metronomes that hold our long-term growth with consistency.
Working with Gate 5 can help you you stop micromanaging your process and start listening for its natural pattern. Over the next several days, you might begin to notice the hours of the day when you’re naturally productive, the days when rest is the wiser thing to do, and the seasonal rituals that make everything flow.
Over time, a steady rhythm becomes its own distinct kind of power, one that holds you steady through expansion, transition, and uncertainty, aligning you with the deep drumbeat that has been carrying you forward beneath the surface for your entire life.
The Earth & Full moon in Gate 35: Change
As the Sun settles into the steady rhythm of Gate 5, across the sky the Earth and the Full Moon meet up in Gate 35, the Gemini Gate of Change. This polarity creates a tension between living known patterns and breaking off on new adventures. Wintry Sagittarius season often expands our inner horizon, and Gate 35 reflects the energy of that inner expansion’s active outlet that awaits in the early summer.
Hexagram 35 in the I’Ching is called “Progress” or “Advancement” The trigrams Fire over Earth representing early morning sunlight spreading golden hues across a shadowed landscape. It evokes the sense that something is beginning to reveal itself quickly, with a spark of clarity and adventurous excitement. Progress here comes through natural momentum- when the conditions support it, the next step becomes obvious, sometimes before you’ve fully caught up to it.
In the Gene Keys, this energy evolves from the shadow of Hunger to the gift of Adventure to the siddhi of Boundlessness. Hunger is the inner craving for something more…. alive. But we stay hungry when we don’t make a change to get that fresh perspective. That’s where the gift of Adventure comes in- the willingness to follow that craving and let our curiosity lead. And Boundlessness is the feeling that comes when making a change connects you to a larger field of possibility and new paths appear in every direction.
Like the majority of Gemini gates, Gate 35 is in the Throat center in the bodygraph. The Changes and Progress that arise in this gate come from that chatty Gemini energy, the willingness to share and put words to your desire for adventure. With this Full Moon in Gemini, your desire to speak change into being will be stronger. You might feel an urge to tell the truth about where you are, or to acknowledge a shift you’ve felt building for a while. Words can move energy here, and sometimes speaking the change you have in mind is what allows it to become reality.
With the Earth in Gate 35 as well, our embodied wisdom this week will lean toward new experiences, while our conscious minds are telling us to steady on with the race. You may feel restless or unusually aware of the places where life has gone stale. Gate 35’s energy draws you toward what feels alive and away from what has been holding you in repetition.
This could feel tense with the sun in Fixed Rhythms, but the polarity with Gate 5 can also give this lust for movement a stable baseline. You may be more able to follow the call of newness without losing your grounding, staying connected to your own pacing even as life rearranges itself.
This Full Moon brings a sense of turning, with something in your life wanting more space. You might feel pulled toward a new idea, a new relationship, or a path that has been quietly forming in the background. This full moon, Gate 35 reminds you that change is a big part of growth. It invites you into the next chapter with curiosity, honesty, and a willingness to let your experience evolve into the next great adventure.
Integrating Fixed Rhythm & Change
Gate 5 and Gate 35 create a dynamic where steadiness and movement can feed each other rather than compete with each other. The Sun in Gate 5 has the potential to offer the internal pacing that keeps your energy coherent, and Gate 35 brings the spark that moves your story forward.
When they are integrated, your internal rhythm is the anchor that allows you to explore new experiences without scattering yourself. And, your quest for change can be the fresh current of potential that keeps your unique rhythm alive and funky instead of rigid and boring. Together they help you stay attuned to the moment you are in, while also responding to the life that is trying to open next.
THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT (Dec 4–8):
Trust Your Rhythm (Gate 5)
This full moon week, let yourself settle into the pace your body is already moving at. Gate 5 invites you to honor the natural cadence of your energy instead of trying to rush ahead or force momentum. Rhythm is how your system finds stability. Simple rituals, consistent practices, and returning to what feels reliable will create the space your growth needs. When you follow your own tempo, clarity comes more easily and the next step reveals itself without strain.
—AND ALSO—
Follow What Feels Alive (Gate 35)
As you steady onward, take a beat to notice where life is pulling you toward something new. Gate 35 brings the spark of change and the desire for fresh experience. t asks you to stay curious, and to explore the conversation, idea, or opportunity that feels charged with possibility. This gate thrives on lived experience and honest expression, so allow yourself to respond to the openings that appear.
Is Gate 5 or 35 defined in your chart? Let me know how it shows up for you, or how you feel this full moon!
The next gate the Sun will enter on December 8 is Gate 26, the Sagittarius Gate of The Egoist. It is across the wheel from the Earth in Gate 45, the Gemini Gate of The Gatherer, also known as The Queen. This polarity will cause us to reflect on the balance between personal influence and collective belonging, asking where we are meant to stand in our own power and where we are meant to share that power in service of the larger community.
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All my best this full moon,
Alison
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