The Bull, the Blossom, the Bee, and the 5.5 second Breath
The Sun has entered the buzzy sign of Gemini, but a lot of slow Taurus energy remains. Balance the emergence of another hot-girl summer with an ancient practice for slowing down: Resonant Breath.
Hey y’all.
Thanks for all your messages in response to my last post about eclipse season, our internal trees of shame, and the power of healing through community. It is really nice to hear when my writings resonate with you. It makes this project so worth it. :)
On the topic of shame, I read a quote from Jessica Dore’s Substack last night that really resonated with me, about how we are inherently relational beings at our core:
“What if when I feel ashamed of the past- or proud, for that matter- I’m taking entirely too much credit, not recognizing the many forces that were shaping me into what I look back on and call “I”. So many stories I hitched a ride on, other people’s armor I pried off and word, horses I rode that weren’t specifically mine.”
What a great mindset to remember when thinking about our past (and present, and future) selves. We are not static, contained. We are a part of a larger web of relations, always.
Which brings me to the astrology of Gemini season
The moon is steadily growing larger after last Friday’s new moon in earthy Taurus, and yesterday the Sun entered the airy part of the sky we know as Gemini, the chatty twins. The Sun will spend the next month in the sign of the twins, moving our conscious awareness from the embodied sensuality of Taurus to the interconnected web of relationships that Gemini represents.
Although the sun has moved onto buzzier pastures, many planets still remain in Taurus; almost half the celestial bodies in the solar system are packed into this part of the sky. Gemini’s ruling planet, Mercury, will be in Taurus until June 11. Uranus, the planet of eccentricity and innovation, has been in Taurus since 2018, and will stay until 2026. The North Node of the Moon, the point of destiny, will stay in Taurus until July. The asteroid Vesta, goddess of devotion is in Taurus until June 22. And finally, Jupiter, the giant planet of expansion and abundance, just entered the sign of the bull and will transit through until May 2024. That’s a lot of Taurus energy!
Taurus vibes: The Bull and the Blossom
Taurus, the opposite sign across the Zodiac from our dear friend Scorpio, represents earthly delights. Plants. Animals. The body. Material wealth. Ruled by the goddess Venus, Taurus is the 2 year old toddler, discovering the elemental world through her senses. for the first time. Taurus is enmeshed in sensuality, desire, and value. Taurus is the seed/idea that began with Aries in an incarnated form- incarnated means in the flesh.
I’ve been trying to embody the chillaxed nature of the sitting bull as much as possible lately. I am rich, dark soil. I am an emergent blossom. I am a fluffy, sleepy bull, gently blinking my long bovine eyelashes as I lounge up to my face in a verdant meadow of flowers. The wild tulips, peonies, daffodils and dahlias’ intoxicating perfumes lull me into a theta-wave meditative state. The taste of sweet grassy green nectar lingers on my long tongue as I chew in a hypnotic, circular rhythm.
Taurus the bull has been important to humans since early times- the Taurus constellation rose with the sun during the spring equinox from 4300 to 1580 BC, which was also the time of a significant rise of agriculture, aided by the power of the bull. The earliest known cave art in Lascaux, France, contains bulls painted 17,000 years ago. Ancient Sumerian Venus goddess Innana - goddess of fertility, sex, and war - was often represented with a bull. Minoan civilization in Crete, which emphasized the mother-goddess, revered the bull and even had a sport of acrobatic bull-leaping by both men and women, visualized on several frescoes like this one:
The Taurean overflowing garden of earthly delights is juxtaposed with its shadow side, that of possessiveness and stubbornness surrounding materials, desires, and values. This possessiveness is depicted in the myth of Zeus/Jupiter and Europa, for whom the continent of Europe was named. Europa was a Phonecian princess, mother of King Minos. Zeus was enamored with Europa, and transformed into a white bull to seduce her. She fell for his power, and he abducted her and swam to Crete with her on his back. There, she became queen of Crete, and Zeus recreated the white bull in the heavens as the constellation Taurus.
On the other side of the globe, the Buddha was born, achieved enlightenment, and died during Taurus season. The Taurus full moon, also known as Vaisakh or Wesak full moon, is celebrated in the Himalayas as the festival of Gautama Buddha's enlightenment. Siddhartha Gautama grew up amongst luxurious material possessions, and his spiritual evolution to the Buddha took him away from attachment to materials and desires. This mirrors the higher nature of Taurus, one who is awakened in the present moment and resourced by nature and spiritual values.
Taurus, even in this higher state, is the delicate blossoming flowers, radiating their beauty out to the world without attachment. The satiated, sitting bull, absorbed in the depths of pure sensuality: taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound.
But… what is the sound in this luxurious field? I can hear it now… bzzzzzzzzzzz.
The Bee: the Sun in Gemini (until June 21)
Gemini is akin to pollinators: Bees. Sphinx moths. Hummingbirds. Bats. Welcoming in the new season with their voices and their incessant activity. Letting us all know that the pollen sitting in the perfect Taurean blooms is being gathered, transported, moved around. The bees are transmitting the golden powder from flowers near and far, cross-pollinating. Spreading messages between the floral beings who have only known their own essence ever since they emerged from their seed back in Aries season.
Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the messenger of the gods, so it’s no wonder this sign is associated with socializing, communicating, pollinating. Gemini is often portrayed as 2 twin children, and I love to think of Gemini as the childhood stage of life, where socializing and learning about the world through perspectives of others becomes so important.
In Greek mythology, he constellation Gemini is associated with Castor and Pollux, twin brothers who were born out of the same egg. They were the sons of Leda, queen of Sparta, and siblings of two sisters who were born out of the same egg- one being the infamous Helen of Troy, for whom the Trojan war was fought. Castor was the son of Tyndareus, the King of Sparta, and Pollox was the son of Zeus/Jupiter, who transformed into a swan and seduced Queen Leda the same night as she copulated with the King. (I’m sensing a theme here with Zeus…)
The royal human Castor and the demigod Pollox were inseparable in life, becoming master boxers and horsemen, curious about all life had to offer, showing off their skillfulness across all corners of the globe, including joining Jason and the Argonauts in their seafaring adventures to find the Golden Fleece (and thus becoming patron saints of sailors). The glow that emits from tall objects like sail masts during storms at sea, known as St. Elmo’s Fire, is thought to be spirits of Castor and Pollux protecting the ships.
After their many adventures, the two fell in love with twin sisters who were already betrothed to their cousins. They carried the women off to Sparta, pursued by the cousins, and Castor was mortally wounded in battle. The demigod Pollox could not stand to be without his brother, so he begged Zeus to make him mortal so that they could be reunited. Zeus took pity, and gave Pollux the option to give up half of his immortality and share it with his brother. The brothers then took turns dwelling in Hades and with the gods on Mount Olympus, sharing a body in the underworld and up above. On one day, Castor would be with the gods and Pollux would be in Hades, and the next day they would switch. After some time, Zeus cast both brothers up to the sky to form the constellation Gemini, immortalizing them forever.
Gemini vibes: Skillful, communicative, buzzy bees. Master boxers, sailors, horsemen, travelers between worlds. God and human. Light and shadow. 2 sides to every story. Stronger working together. Brotherhood is more important than immortality. Descending and rising. Retrograding and direct, like Mercury. Don’t need biology to be related. The world is inter-relational. Play with it, move within it. Make up your own rules.
Here’s my favorite Gemini song, by Princess Nokia:
…Intelligent, adaptable, agile, communicative
Informative, creative, and everybody hates it
Imagination colorful and I just entertain it
A poet and a dreamer, I’ma seize the world and take it
Of course, there is the bad, I'm really superficial
I ain't called you in three months, still I maintain that I miss you
A Gemini with issues, social, isolated
I pray that I'ma make it or at least that I can fake it
And like a Gemini, I'm really prone to changes
I'm really indecisive and I really fuckin' hate it
Picking food or picking clothes, it always make me anxious
But thank God I'm androgynous, 'cause boys clothes what I stay in… :)
Gemini Season’s Mars-Jupiter-Pluto T-square … I’m not scared, you’re scared
In addition to the Sun entering Gemini and Jupiter entering Taurus, there are several other celestial bodies in the early degrees of new signs. Mars just entered Leo, and Pluto is at 0 degrees of Aquarius. These two planets - the traditional and modern ruler of Scorpio- are in currently in opposition to each other, forming a tense T-Square with Jupiter over the next couple of weeks.
Early degrees in signs indicate threshold moments, doorways to new places you’ve never been before, so feelings in the next week or so may tend to oscillate between excitement and anxiety, especially with Mars and Pluto facing off. Their squares to Jupiter indicate movement and expansion- Pluto square Jupiter is about walking through the doorway to transmute into an entirely new way of being. Mars square Jupiter is about walking through the doorway toward our truest, deepest desires. Both could bring a tendency to overdo it, to try to bring in transformation toward a way of life that is more aligned with our desires too quickly. Leo, Taurus, and Aquarius are all fixed signs, so the desire for change requires a bit of a waiting game. It requires thinking about where you’re being stubborn and where you need to maintain boundaries.
We’re in the threshold now, the waiting room, the doorway to something new. Look around. Take note. Check in with yourself. Prepare. You’ll soon be taking that first step into a whole new stage of life. So while you’re waiting here, your back to the old world… take a few deep breaths.
Somatic Practices for Gemini Season and the T-Square: Calibrating with Nature & Resonant Breathing
After a retrograde-eclipse season, the energy of the sun in Gemini and Mars in Leo are welcome fuel to take action toward new ways of being. But with so many planets still in Taurus and Pluto retrograding backward toward Capricorn, there is a certain stubbornness in the air. The rest of May and early June are centered around this tension between the solid earth of the past and the future that fire and wind are ushering in. This can bring up sentiments of confusion and, again, shame, as we are called to put our money where our mouths are regarding our real, unconditioned values. Essentially, we are being tasked over the next couple of weeks with backing up and confirming our personal desires that are pulling us toward the future.
After my last post, a couple people asked me about somatic practices that could help with identifying and gently pruning the shame tree so that we can be more in alignment with our true selves. I would say that intentionally slowing down is the best answer to that. I have found that shame branches out quickly when there’s a sense of urgency- which creates more urgency, and more defensiveness or disassociation. Somatic experiencing practices are all about deliberately slowing down to the speed of feeling.
For me, calibrating with the speed of nature (sitting by a river or in an aspen grove for an hour or so) is a great way to start slowing down. It’s by far my favorite go-to when I’m feeling like I’m getting sucked into the shame spiral whirlpool or feeling anxiety.
If you can’t get outside right now, a great daily practice for slowing down anywhere is called Resonant or Coherent Breathing. This practice simply entails breathing at a rate of 5.5 breaths per minute. This works out to an inhale for 5.5 seconds followed by an exhale for 5.5 seconds. Lather, rinse and repeat. 5 and a half: it’s the magic number.
This type of slow breath regulates our nervous systems, tones the vagus nerve, calms our fight or flight response, increases Heart Rate Variability (HRV), and increases blood flow to the brain. With resonant breath, the systems in our bodies enter a state of coherence, when the heart, circulatory system, and nervous system are coordinated to peak efficiency and connection.
One of the coolest things about this breath pattern is its ancient origins across the globe. The Buddhist chant of Om Mani Padme Hum takes 5-6 seconds to vocalize, followed by a 5-6 second inhale before the chant starts again. The traditional Om chant takes the same amount of breath, as does the sa ta na ma chant from Kundalini yoga. The original Latin version of the rosary, the Catholic prayer cycle of Ave Maria, also takes 5.5 seconds to vocalize, followed by a 5.5 second inhale.
All of these prayers and meditations, from vastly different parts of the world, converged on this simple breath pattern, consciously synchronizing breath with internal cardiovascular rhythms of the body. Cool, eh? Vocalizing on the exhale among a group of people is a powerful way to practice this breath pattern, as the sympathetic resonance among voices in a space add to the feeling of social coherence!
Practice Resonant Breath Anywhere
It’s easy to practice this breath anywhere- it is a quiet and discrete breathing practice, so can be done without being noticed too much! However, I prefer to set some time aside and do it sitting or laying down with the conscious intention to breathe for 15-20 minutes. My favorite pose to do Resonant Breathing in is laying on the floor with my legs up a wall (known as Viparita Karani in Sanskrit).
Once you’ve found a comfy position. it’s time to close your eyes and start breathing. To track these slow, balancing breaths without having to count, there are several tracks on Spotify and Youtube composed specifically to guide the process of 5.5 second inhales and exhales.
To breathe with the video below, inhale through your nose as the animation expands and music goes up, and exhale through your mouth with pursed lips as the animation contracts and the music goes down. You don’t need to breathe in to your deepest capacity- about 50% of maximum depth is a good amount. Click play on the video and prepare to sync your lungs, heart, and body with an internal wisdom that has been known across the world for millennia.
If your legs get tired up the wall, you can totally bend your knees with the soles of your feet together or against the wall.
Join me! It’s so relaxing! :D
I invite you to return to this Resonant Breath as much as you’d like as we settle into the dualities of Gemini season and all the new energies of these early planetary degrees!
All the love until the next full moon! <3333