Curiosity killed the cat... but satisfaction brought it back

Reflections on the resilience of Gemini as Jupiter transits this mutable sign

The roots of the saying “curiosity killed the cat,” extend all the way back to 1598 when English playwright Ben Jonson included the following line in his play Every Man in His Humour:

“Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care’ll kill a Cat, up-tails all, and a Louse for the Hangman.” (source)

So actually it was originally “care” that killed the cat, as in, “worry” or “sorrow.”

The earliest example of curiosity killing the cat dates back to 1898, according to this article.

I’ve actually never heard the second half of the expression until recently: “Curiosity killed the cat… but satisfaction brought it back.”

I.e., the risk of following one’s curiosity was worth it, even when faced with the worst consequences.

The cat then returns for another one of its nine lives I guess?

I find the evolution of this phrase interesting as it seems to track society’s conflicted relationship with the Gemini-trait of curiosity.

When we are curious we are in an open, exploratory, unguarded state - the opposite of what we might be like when experiencing worry and sorrow.

But curiosity indeed worries many people - particularly those who would rather we accept the reality presented to us and not question it. Being curious and asking too many questions might… well, kill you, is the underlying message of this cat proverb…

…until someone decided that the satisfaction of following one’s curiosity is worth everything and even has the power to catalyze a resurrection, apparently.

What is your relationship to curiosity?

The answer to this question might tell you a lot about your relationship to the sign of Gemini.

Curiosity is one of three traits of resilience that I associate with Gemini.

Jupiter in Gemini

If I were to ask you which of the twelve zodiac signs is the most resilient, how would you answer?

Capricorn, Scorpio, Taurus… those are some signs that immediately come to mind for me. You know, the tough and strong signs. I might also respond to this question by saying that the fixed signs are the most resilient because of their capacity to persevere and hold the course. Or the earth-signs, for their resourcefulness and steady groundedness.

But ever-changing non-committal flaky Gemini? The most mutable of all mutable signs?

That chaotic wind storm?

I suspect very few people would respond by suggesting Gemini is one of the most resilient signs in the zodiac.

And perhaps I’m completely biased since Jupiter is transiting my natal moon in Gemini this week, but lately I’ve been reflecting a lot on Gemini’s innate resilience due to a few of its defining traits.

At the time of this writing we’re hurtling through the last degree of Gemini Season toward the Solstice moment - i.e., the beginning of Cancer Season.

However, Jupiter will continue on with its transit of Gemini from May 25, 2024 until June 9, 2025; about one year.

This further motivates me to write about Gemini’s resilient traits and their relevance to the world, to all of us, for the next twelve months especially.

Jupiter as a planet is naturally buoyant and resilient. Jupiterian people (i.e., those with a prominently placed Jupiter in their chart) easily get up again. They are those folks who take a tremendous hit from life that knocks them briefly to their knees, but yet within minutes they are preparing plan B, plan C, plan D, etc. It’s incredible really.

Therefore, Jupiter has the potential to really expand and amplify the innate resilience of Gemini as it transit the mutable double-bodied air sign.

Of course, you may have also heard that Jupiter is considered to be in detriment in Gemini, that Jupiter struggles in the sign of Gemini. This too, can be true.

Jupiter operates most effortlessly when it has access to the big picture perspective. Jupiter deeply appreciates wholeness, oneness, cohesive order - whereas Gemini dances gleefully through thousands of swirling previously organized paper the wind just tossed up in the air.

It’s a lot of diverse multitudes to collect and make compliant within the cover of a folder or a book as Jupiter would like to.

I have a recent real life example of Jupiter in Gemini that just occurred to a friend of mine today, June 20th.

Today is the Summer Solstice (and the beginning of Cancer Season), but before the Sun crosses into Cancer it has to pass through the 29th degree of Gemini. This is where my friend has her natal Jupiter. It was during this time that she decided to attend an early morning Solstice yoga class in the park at 5:00 AM.

However, when she arrived to the park she discovered that a large group of highschool graduates, who had just gone to prom the night prior, had also chosen the park as an after-party location.

The Solstice yoga class began anyway, but my friend described the first 30 minutes as “absolute chaos”!

This is what Jupiter in Gemini could feel like at times - absolute chaos, especially when involving a party-like situation or a big group of people (both of which tend to coincide with Jupiter activations).

But Jupiter is also spirituality; a buoyant flotation device in the midst of a storm.

Jupiter in Gemini was also the order that was eventually brought to the environment as the partiers drifted away and the yoga class participants were able to bring their attention back toward their energy source, their body, their senses, as the early morning sun invited them into a deep meditative state.

In order to get the best of what Jupiter in Gemini has to offer, we will need to be strategic with the Gemini parts of ourselves (with the Gemini-containing parts of our natal charts) in order to direct Jupiter’s powers of expansion and amplification toward Gemini’s ingenious resiliency.

That’s what the rest of this post is about.

3 traits of resilience that are inherent to the sign of Gemini:

(1) CURIOSITY

A while back a family member shared that even during times when they witnessed me drop deep into the depths of depression, they always trusted in the power of my curiosity to pull me out of even the darkest chapters.

It was my curiosity (of my Gemini moon) that kept propelling me to engage with life when I simultaneously wanted to withdraw.

Sure, I might have been freefalling into a dark pit, but on the way down I was observing the rocky surroundings as I sped past them, wondering what minerals were there.

I may have been drowning in deep emotional and psychological pain, but still, there was a little Gemini part of me that was thinking:

Wow, interesting! I’m depressed! I wonder why?! I should read articles on this, look up podcasts on depression, read a ton of books on it. I wonder what else I can learn about depression?”

Curiosity is an antidote to apathy, indifference, and depression.

Curiosity as a state of being, is an open and active stance that moves us forward. It helps us take risks - which yes might kill the cat, but following our curiosity also opens up the possibility of greater adventure, expansion, and a fuller, deeper and more meaningful experience of life.

Addressing the risks & liabilities of curiosity

Of course, there are some risks and liabilities to curiosity (besides killing the cat) which Jupiter in Gemini may amplify.

I have a very prominent moon in Gemini in my natal chart and I have 3958 books listed on my “want to read list” on Goodreads, and boxes of printed articles I hope to read one day. I currently have 91 books out from the library, 25 tabs open on my browser (have to limit it or else my old computer chokes), and 154 podcast episodes downloaded, yet to be listened to.

You get the picture.

My curiosity and hunger for new learning knows no bounds and this can lead to pretty intense OVERWHELM via information overload.

It is tough to live as a Gemini-type during this time in history when we are inundated with so much information moving at such a high speed. It puts incredible strain on our powers of attention.

Our capacity to direct our attention is one of our most precious resources.

Ongoing research that began in the early 2000s has documented a shortening of our attention spans, from about 2.5 minutes, to about 47 seconds over the past two decades (Time magazine). This refers to the length of time a person can focus and concentrate on one thing before their attention shifts to something else.

Other studies indicate we are now working with an attention span of about 8 seconds.

This is detrimental for a number of reasons, one of which is that overwhelm from information overload can lead to increased stress and anxiety.

My word for 2024 has been: FOCUS.

Focus. Focus. Focus.

This is a good word to keep in mind when attempting to gently restrain Jupiter’s reach in Gemini.

Jupiter has an association with horses through its rulership of Sag. Encouraging Jupiter in Gemini to focus makes me think of how race horses are given blinders to reduce distracting visual input in their periphery and keep them focused on the finish line.

I enact my word of the year in my daily life by keeping my phone in airplane mode and always having it on silent, for example.

I developed a stricter daily schedule for myself this year where I do my best to only focus on one thing during a chunk of time before switching to the next task. I also started meditating daily this year to train my “brain-muscles” of attention and focus.

I want to allow my curiosity to roam freely and feed my need for diverse sources of information - but without reaching a place of overwhelm where I’m spinning in circles and not getting anything done.

I recommend the following book, which is full of strategies for making the best of Jupiter’s transit through Gemini:

(2) PERCEIVING MANY OPTIONS, PATHS & POSSIBILITIES

Perceiving endless options, paths, and possibilities is an antidote to a sense of powerlessness and feeling trapped (e.g., what occurs during the trauma response of being in freeze or shut-down).

For example, it is common for trauma therapists to ask clients which chair they would like to sit in and how they want the space arranged, as a small way of restoring their power of choice during the session.

Making choices is empowering.

Gemini never finds itself “between a rock and a hard place” (i.e., caught between two unpleasant choices feeling trapped).

According to Gemini, there’s the possibility that someone might parachute down and rescue them from this tight spot… or that a wild horse might come galloping through and they could hop on its back… or that they could sweet-talk their enemy into helping them roll away the rock.

There are always a multitude of possibilities and paths according to Gemini - this is a resilient perspective that keeps us moving forward when our life circumstances would otherwise appear to be getting more and more narrow and restrictive.

Jupiter in Gemini is only going to increase the number of options we have and the many different paths that could take us out of what may feel like a really limiting corner.

Addressing the risks & liabilities of perceiving so many options and possibilities

Having access to many options and possible paths forward is empowering, enlivening and exciting, but it can also be… stressful.

The sign of Gemini and the planet Jupiter both express big YES energy. YES to everything energy. Neither Gemini nor Jupiter like to close doors. Neither can really tolerate the idea that a “no” could end up forever barring them from exploring another interesting life experience.

This easily results in decision paralysis, as well as being stretched thin trying to follow so many paths and opportunities at the same time.

If you have Gemini strong in your natal chart as well as prominent fixed sign energy (i.e., Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius), or an emphasis on the safety and security-focused sign of Cancer, this combination can create intense amounts of internal tension. You may need to assign an internal mediator to step in and negotiate between the Gemini parts of you that delight in change, and other parts of you that resist change and feel threatened by it.

Again, Jupiter with its bigness, its expansive powers, could potentially increase decision-making anxiety while it is in Gemini. Maybe because the types of decisions you are making are actually “bigger” and more significant than they typically would be, or maybe because you are hyper-focused on them and their potential outcomes.

Jupiter in Gemini will be moving through squares to Saturn in Pisces throughout the second half of 2024 (exact on August 19 and December 24).

During the time period while these two planets linger within a three degree orb of a square, we will likely be facing some serious decision-making crunches where we absolutely will need to exercise our “no” muscle, so we can then give a full 100% YES to something else.

These decision-making challenges can be addressed very logically by making a pros and cons list for each option, or very intuitively by centering yourself and following your gut instinct.

If you tend to be very heady about your decisions (perhaps because you have a lot of Gemini or air energy in your chart), then maybe this is an opportunity to practice listening to the waters of emotion and the subconscious psyche that wants to speak to you.

If you tend to respond to choices with a lot of emotional reactivity, then you have plenty of support from Jupiter in Gemini to practice a more logical, analytical approach to decision-making.

Gemini rules the arms and hands. You’ll notice that Gemini-types are often very animated with their limbs when they communicate; they are “hand-talkers.” They are always ready to move forward, to reach out, connect, and interact with life.

With Jupiter in Gemini we may want to balance out this energetic focus by repeatedly bringing our attention (and therefore our energy) back to our core, our solar plexus, which is where our willpower is located.

However, at the same time, we may want to work directly with the energy that our arms and hands give us access to. In honour of Jupiter in Gemini, below are two intuitive arm/hand based exercises that may be able to help you make some decisions this year!

1. Try asking your body questions and then muscle test using your arms or hands to find out what your deep truth is in response (see here and here for instructions).

2. Experiment with drawing and writing with your non-dominant hand to see what emerges from your subconscious (see here and here and here for instructions, or check out the book below).

(3) ADAPTABILITY & FLEXIBILITY

Life will always be throwing curve balls at us. It is said that change is the only constant in life, and Gemini possesses an innate capacity for surfing the winds of change with its resilient traits of adaptability and flexibility.

Gemini is a sign that resonates with high speeds.

Fast-moving change that would completely disorient some people, is as natural as the blink of an eye for a Gemini-type.

Left, then right, then plunging off the well-trodden path, then circling around again to where you began - Gemini embraces it all. Every plot twist. Gemini is here for it.

A tree that is rigid will snap in a hurricane, while a tree that is flexible will bend and not break.

Wherever you toss a Gemini-like spirit, it will land on its feet. Like a cat.

Then it will stretch out its hands and pull itself closer to its environment, matching its rhythm with a single inhale.

Addressing the risks & liabilities of adaptability & flexibility

A liability of this flexible quality that allows Gemini to shapeshift and adapt quickly to new circumstances and environments, is the potential for there to be a lack of groundedness and stability. Even among the most Gemini of us all, this can eventually lead to the type of frayed nerves and mental distress that we can be vulnerable to when we are moving through life without a sense of solid containment around our being and psyche.

It can be dizzying to constantly be shapeshifting at high speeds to ever-changing circumstances and environments. Our sense of self and identity can even start to disintegrate at the edges in ways that are detrimental, leading to increased anxiety.

Jupiter can worsen this vulnerability as it spreads us thin over a broader stretch of literal or psychic space.

The antidote to this is to slow down whenever possible to let the rest of our psyche, body, and soul catch-up. We can also increase our sense of groundedness and firm up our life’s containers (e.g., the felt sense of our body, our schedule, our budgets, our physical home).

One way to call back our energy and get grounded and steady on our feet, is to use our imagination in meditation to visualize our roots deepening into the ground like a tree. We can also bring our attention to our breath and use that as an anchor as well (Gemini is an air sign after all, with an affinity to the upper lungs).

Here are two 5-minute guided meditations for grounding that incorporate tree-based visualizations (see below or here and here):

BONUS 4TH TRAIT OF RESILIENCE: A playful spirit!

I was wrapping up this blog post when I started thinking of Gemini’s incredibly playful nature as a 4th trait of resilience.

Play isn’t just for children, and neither is play therapy. Both can benefit adults and build their resilience.

In a deadly serious world, engagement with forms of play keep our spirits young. Play connects us to our vitality, our creativity, and it helps us shed rigid protective coping mechanisms.

Entering into a playful state of being or a playful context can be a powerful way to move thick and heavy stagnant energy accumulated from difficult life experiences.

I hope Gemini Season offered you plenty of play time!

What themes did you notice during Gemini Season?

Gemini Season is currently ending as I conclude this blog post, but often times we learn the most from astrology when looking in our rearview mirror.

I invite you to reflect on what Gemini-themes you noticed in your life from May 20th - June 20th.

Some common themes I would expect to see during this time period include:

• Being exposed to many possibilities and paths that you can choose between (or thinking a lot about different options).

• Lots of multi-tasking.

• A significant increase in communicating (to many people in many different ways).

• Moving information around (e.g., through communication, entering info into a database, frequent copy and pasting, etc.)

• Having your horizons expanded through learning something new, or a focus and concentration on the theme of education in some way.

• Sibling themes (or themes relating to neighbors, roommates, and sibling-like friends).

You can add more nuance to your reflective interpretations by considering the house that Gemini resides inside, in your birth chart, as well as where your natal Mercury is placed (by house, sign and aspect).

I find the ruler of the sign being transited to be very descriptive of what someone might be experiencing. My Mercury is in the 8th house, for example, and there were some really prominent Gemini-like money themes for me over the past 30 days (such as pulling out my hair while trying to create a complicated Excel budgeting document and catch up on six months of transactions that required me to move A LOT of data around).

Here are some of the major dates in the past 30 days when Gemini energy was activated (with special emphasis on the first week of June: June 2 - June 9, 2024):

• May 20: Sun entered Gemini

• May 22: Sun in Gemini trined Pluto in Aquarius

• May 23: Venus entered Gemini

• May 25: Jupiter entered Gemini + Venus in Gemini trined Pluto in Aquarius

• June 2: Jupiter in Gemini trined Pluto in Aquarius

• June 3: Mercury entered Gemini

• June 4: Sun was conjunct Venus in Gemini + Mercury in Gemini trined Pluto in Aquarius + Mercury was conjunct Jupiter in Gemini

• June 6: New Moon at 16 degrees Gemini (still conjunct Venus)

• June 8: Venus in Gemini squared Saturn in Pisces

• June 9: Sun in Gemini squared Saturn in Pisces

• June 12: Mercury in Gemini squared Saturn in Pisces

• June 14: Sun and Mercury were conjunct in Gemini (exterior cazimi)

• June 17: Venus was conjunct Mercury in Gemini while squaring Neptune in Pisces at the 29th degree, before Venus and Mercury entered Cancer together

• June 20: Sun in Gemini square Neptune at the 29th degree of Pisces, before entering the sign of Cancer at the Summer Solstice point.

Gemini Season may be over, but don’t forget that Jupiter will remain in Gemini until June 9, 2025. This month may have provided you with some big clues as to what Jupiter in Gemini will be up to in your life over the next twelve months (particularly around the dates that held Jupiter conjunctions).

Jupiter’s big moves during its time in Gemini include:

• 1x trine with Pluto in Aquarius (June 2, 2024)

• 2x squares with Saturn in Pisces (August 19 and December 24, 2024)

• 3x sextiles to Chiron in Aries (October 2, November 2, 2024, and May 18, 2025)

• 2x aspects to the lunar nodal axis - Jupiter sextiles the North Node in Aries and trines the South Node in Libra on July 9th, 2024, and will square the NN in Pisces, SN in Virgo on May 18, 2025.

• Jupiter is retrograde from October 9, 2024 - February 4, 2025 (it travels backwards from 21°to 11° of Gemini)

In keeping with our Jupiter in Gemini theme, I hope this blog post gave you lots to think about!

Wishing you all a lovely solstice!