The Aesthete

Double or Nothing

This week Mercury merges with Jupiter and throws the dice to Gemini, a boon for communication and travel however a voyage on the 25th is a gamble

by Shelley L. Ackerman

With Gemini month officially upon us, there’s a heightened emphasis on communication, travel, language, and literacy. Now that's a mouthful.

Gemini is all about thought, talk, gadgets (they’re ALWAYS the first kid on the block with the latest smart phone or GPS equipment) and mental acrobatics. There’s literally a gymnasium going on 24/7 in the head of everyone I know born under the sign of the twins. For Gemini, variety is the spice of life and the ongoing challenge for them is to make a choice and to focus on one thing, one person, or one goal at a time. And crazy-makers that they are, what would our world be like without the steady stream of thought forms and iconic imagery emanating from the likes of Bill Hader, Mike Myers, Marilyn Monroe, Sandra Bernhard, Robert Preston, Paul Lynde, Dr. Ruth, Roy Innes, Bill Moyers, Allen Ginsberg, JFK, Ian Fleming, Judy Garland, Josephine Baker, Walt Whitman, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Mel Blanc, Miles Davis, Joan Rivers, Lillian Hellman, Harvey Milk, Morgan Freeman, and Bob Dylan?

It’s so fitting that Gemini month begins with The Literacy Partners 27th Annual Evening of Readings Gala at Lincoln Center with Liz Smith at the helm and Bill Maher, Sally Bedell Smith, and Jeff Toobin on board to raise funds for this worthy cause.

Thankfully, this Monday night event is celestially backed by the Mercury/Jupiter meet-up in the heavens which bodes well for communication and the abundance of carefully selected syllables that will undoubtedly be savored by all in attendance. Had this been slated for later in the week, the mojo may not have been as gracious.

Maybe it’s Murphy’s Law, but it almost never fails that either when the holiday weekend begins or sometime during the weekend, the most challenging planetary aspect for travel invariably kicks in. Mercury enters Gemini (its home sign) on Thursday, May 24 at 7:12 AM EDT. That in of itself is fine, but that night and on Friday, Mercury and Neptune are in a compromised state (90 degree aspect known as a “square” in astro-lingo) making for slippery communication and general traffic spacey-ness. Add to that, iPhone and Blackberry addiction, and you have a recipe for increased mishaps and collisions. Travel if you must on Friday, but measure twice and cut once. Above all else, err on the side of caution.

Talk of finances and values dominate on Monday and Tuesday, (May 21st and 22nd), and there’s no shortage of passion about either on your end. But remember to remain flexible: Two days later, Mercury changes her venue and enters Gemini. So what was true for you on Tuesday, may not be so on Thursday or Friday. At week’s end, don’t expect much clarity (from yourself or anyone) but that’s a temporary collective spaced-out moment. Things even out on Sunday. Consider taking the weekdays off and working Memorial Day Weekend: Could be a good move.

ARIES DO'S/DON'TS: Still trying to figure out what your dream job is? This could be the ticket: Employee of the Month at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater at 307 West 26th Street with a special interview session with Jodi Kantor, Wyatt Cenac and Morgan Spurlock on May 23rd. Don’t go skateboarding on the 25th or try to beat your best record at the gym.

My, you’re quite the Chatty Cathy on Monday and Tuesday, but no matter how well you’ve honed that rap of yours, you’re apt to sing a different tune when Mercury (that “trickster” of a planet), changes signs on the 24th and moves into your all-important 2nd house of financial activity. In Gemini, Mercury presents all sorts of possibilities and options, but nothing is etched in stone. Each lead must be carefully and thoroughly investigated before attempting to make any of it permanent. There’s another eclipse and more in the first week of June. Be patient.

TAURUS DO'S/DON'TS: If the weight of Jupiter in your sign has finally gotten to you, get to Monday’s closing night performance of American Ballet Theater's Giselle at the Metropolitan Opera House. It’ll remind you of what it feels like to be lighter than air. Best to avoid that 2,000 calorie dinner before you go (or after) which will weigh you down.

Not all talk behind our backs is problematic: Mercury conjoins lucky Jupiter in your hidden 12th house on the 21st and 22nd and what is being discussed may actually be beneficial to you. So let others do what they will (everyone talks about everyone), and assume that their higher nature is running the conversation. By midweek, your ruling planet enters your sign and though you may feel a sense of liberation, the shaky aspect between said ruling planet and nebulous Neptune encourages you to delay revealing all until after the 26th.

GEMINI DO'S/DON'TS: On the 21st, do your best to get to the Sackett Writers’ Workshop Reading Series — a literary roundtable of non-academia bookworms — at Book Court General Books in Brooklyn. The fab line-up is worth the trek. Don’t try to sell your boss on what you’ve heard: Until next week, they’re in a totally different space.

There’s plenty to discuss amongst friends, associates, and cohorts on the 21st and 22nd, and then a brief timeout is in order. Emotional waves and mixed messages dominate on May 23rd to 25th, so why fight it? Tap into the unfocused energy creatively, but privately. As a matter of fact, the theme of "sitting this one out" is best for the time being (and though the weekend). You need to regroup and taking the pressure off is the way to go.

CANCER DO'S/DON'TS: Not in the mood to spend money? This baby’s free: a celebration of Mark Dery's book I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts: Drive-by Essays on American Dread, American Dreams with Mark Dery at Cabinet in Brooklyn. And leave the naysayers behind!

The Monday-Tuesday meet-up of Mercury and Jupiter (the communication mavens) at the top of your chart could deliver the professional home-run you’ve been working toward forever. But don’t buy the champagne or begin celebrating just yet. The very next day, your ruler, the sun, forms a trying aspect to Neptune and you could be off-center or faced with others who are clueless. Then Mercury (ruler of house of finance) is loopy with Neptune through the 26th. Chill out and contemplate your next move, but don’t push for solidity until a few days after the June 4th lunar eclipse.

LEO DO'S/DONT'S: Let loose with a foray into the informal at Comedy Central’s live comedy show Corporate Retreat at Upright Citizen's Brigade East on May 21st and see which up and comers the network thinks has “it”. Quit after the 2nd drink, lest you be tempted to get up on stage and show them how it’s done.

The philosophical part of your nature is booming and brimming with insights and opinions that can’t wait. Tuesday’s the day to “sing out Louise” and after that, you turn into a pumpkin and lose your audience like the rest of us (at least until the 26th). The four day disconnect can be a thing of beauty, as it gives you an excuse to unplug. Just don’t try to do too much accounting or organizing as the Bermuda Triangle-like energy of Mercury square Neptune can deem the best of us quite ineffective.

VIRGO DO'S/DON'TS: On May 22nd and 23rd, the 92nd Street Y presents The New Yorker's art editor Françoise Mouly's Blown Covers: New Yorker Covers You Were Never Meant to See, a preview and discussion of illustrations that never made it print. Don’t bring the Pisces (or any Neptune types with no sense of discernment with you). This is a celebration of your critical eye and must be savored with the right person or alone.

Deep and substantial conversations about life and death issues and shared resources begin the week but the mood shifts and becomes lighter- even lightheaded as Mercury moves into mutable Gemini on the 24th. As with all members of the human race, the first couple of days of this transit is dicey, and the static (through the 26th) for you may manifest as a disconnect between your high-minded self and coworkers or “helpers” who are either MIA or just don’t get it. Manage expectations along those lines at least to the 27th.

LIBRA DO'S/DON'TS: Free Party! At Housing Works on Crosby Street on May 22nd, Granta magazine returns to celebrate their latest issue "Britain," a collection of of Britain-centric poetry, memoir and fiction. And if the travel bug bites on Memorial Day, don't insist on an adventure in a brand new locale. During Venus-reto, stick with a "who and where" you are familiar with.

Your sense of well-being early this week is in direct proportion to your ability to be a good, no, make that a GREAT, listener. On the 21st and 22nd, the Mercury/Jupiter meet-up takes place in your house of partners and significant others. Try to emulate Scorpio Dick Cavett (who perfected listening and responding to a “T”), and take in what your mate, business partner or BFF must get off their chest. Yours is not the only truth in the world! From midweek-through Saturday watch spending on entertainment, recreation, paramours and kids. It could get out of hand.

SCORPIO DO'S/DON'TS: Find out how the professionals keep their ear to the ground at the "Spy: the Secret World of Espionage" show on at Discovery Times Square on through the end of the month. No bright colors or over-the-thop sunglasses — you'll blow your cover.

Can you possibly deal with any more work on your plate? You Betcha! Your ruling planet, Jupiter (the bountiful) conjoins with Mercury (the thinking machine) on Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd. And in the last degrees of Taurus, the stuff you’re involved with may be labor-intensive and moving slower than you’d like, but that’s the way it is with rich desserts. (There WILL be a payoff!!!) However, as is the case with everyone, please "Take Five" for a few (May 23rd to 26th) as communication and travel gets slippery. The disconnect for you could be between a partner and family member, or a significant other and their comfort level in your home. Either way, don’t push, it will resolve soon enough.

SAGITTARIUS DO'S/DON'TS: On May 23rd, get a whiff of the outdoors, inside, at Symphony Space where Hollywood and Broadway actors including Leonard Nimoy will read selections from Central Park by Paul Auster, a collection of odes to New York's most famous and nostalgic park. You can leave your hiking boots and paddles in the closet.

Your creative self is so on the front burner and simmering with ideas and inspiration. Please- stop what you’re doing and give over to it. Monday and Tuesday are your days to put pen to paper, brush to pad, or voice to recorder. Whatever the venue, listen to the downloading from your inner guidance and don’t worry about the finished product. You can always refine it later. There may be wobbly communication or a complete rift between siblings (or a neighbor) and coworkers, or even a health worker. This will pass after the 26th. Keep frustration in check.

CAPRICORN DO'S/DON'TS: On, May 23rd Russ Kick is worth hearing at the Rubin Museum of Art and the launch of The Graphic Canon. A ticket buys you entry to the book signing the pre-program tour of the comic exhibit "Hero, Villain, Yeti: Tibet in Comics". Conspiracy theorists welcome — drop off your more naive friends at the bar.

Looks like Monday and Tuesday, the 21st and 22nd, are the days the heavens have set aside for you to have a salon in your home. We’re talking the legendary kind of meet-ups with great minds, original thought and lots of rich content. Yes, content is king in your living room, or a spot that you make your own. The intimacy (uncharacteristic for Aquarians) that you’ll provide is rare and will never be forgotten by those in attendance. Watch your spending and keep your purse and/or pockets zipped on the 23rd to 26th. You literally may not know what you’re doing, so let someone else pick up the tab for a change.

AQUARIUS DO'S/DON'TS: Now through May 23rd, catch the solo exhibition of Croatian artist Mangelos's Pythagoras show at the Peter Freeman Gallery. So cool with  books, globes, and symbolism for days. Don't forget to take a chill pill fron the 24th to the 26th.

If a brother, a sister, a cousin or a neighbor has been waiting for a chance at a tête-à-tête with you, then schedule nothing else for either Monday night or Tuesday. This is an important conversation that may serve to correct years of misunderstandings. Hold off on a “follow-up” chat until after the 26th. You may be quite porous and “not quite there" from the 23rd to the 25th. But you’re back, better than ever, and ready to tackle a financial knot on the 27th. Holiday weekend or not, you’re effective as all hell on Sunday. Use it or lose it.

PISCES DO'S/DON'TS: Free at The Bryant Park Reading Room on May 23rd is "Word for Word" with authors Andrew Revkin and Andrew Ross. They'll discuss how New York compares to the most polluted cities in the world so lose the styrofoam cup and container across the street please.