Bridgerton: Reconcilation with Duality Gemini Faces 🦋

The words of duality from Penelope Bridgerton, former Feathertington ✒️

"In the beginning,

I never thought anyone would take my writing seriously.

Why should they?

No one has ever taken any part of me seriously.

I only realize now how common that feeling must be.

To be a young lady to whom no one listens.

I wrote about all of you because I was captivated by you,

living your lives so out in the open.

And in writing about all of you, I suddenly felt as if I had a life.

I had power.

And for anyone in this room who has ever had a taste of that,

they should know it can be intoxicating.

But I was careless with that power.

It was easy to cast aspersions from the shadows where I could not be found.

But I see now how much courage it takes to live a life out in the open.

To honor one’s weaknesses publicly

for all to see.

And to know,

regardless of the outcome… one always has worth.

All of us talk.

We gossip.

Gossip is information.

It forges bonds.

Especially for those of us who are told so little.

But I can no longer conceal the biggest piece of information I have.

My identity.

That is why I am so very grateful to our queen

for forcing me out of the shadows with her most cunning scheme.

If she affords me the chance to continue,

I mean to aim my quill more responsibly.

That is my repentance

and my plea."- Penelope, Bridgerton Season 3, Episode 8

Gemini Decan I: The Unsuspecting Gossipmonger Scribe📝

"The first decan of Gemini has the face of Jupiter. Its name is Manuchos. It is an armed man having an ass's face, holding a sword in his right hand. This rules the climate of the Trojans." Liber Hermetis.

It's funny because when I first read this, I was like that is a funny image wtf 😂, but while watching Bridgerton, I realized how starkingly these images related to that of the situation of Penelope and the discovery of her being Lady Whistledown. Why, with all the stallions around, would you pay attention to the mere donkey? Donkey's for as long as I remember have been mostly found at kid's parties to be ridden on for entertainment. A stallion however which is a male horse is dignified and marked for its stamina, competitive sport, and to be gawked at for their brilliant mane, speed, and strength. Would you bet on the donkey or the horse? The other part about holding a sword in his right hand made me think of traits of a person with right brain dominance, which is said to support more of the creative, visual, and free-thinking side of things. Penelope is a great example of this face, because we begin with her not getting much attention or respect at all, but instead she ends up using that force of a quill to push and become innovative in her creative writing pursuits as a woman who traditionally wields no power in a room during this time period. However when we take in account the last line, "This rules the climate of the Trojans", I found that the mythology intertwined with this narrative pretty well. Here is one finding:

"Traditionally, the Trojan War arose from a sequence of events beginning with a quarrel between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Eris (Penelope?), the goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, and so arrived bearing a gift: a golden apple, inscribed "for the fairest". Each of the goddesses claimed to be the "fairest", and the rightful owner of the apple. They submitted the judgment to a shepherd they encountered tending his flock. Each of the goddesses promised the young man a boon in return for his favour: power, wisdom, or love." Wikipedia

Is this not the plot for all the lady's wanting to be courted by the most eligible bachelors? In the start of Penelope's pursuit of becoming Lady Whistledown, you might see her as a woman who just gossips about things that does not concern her and as a person who is able to gain a lot of knowledge quickly. I mean she has the time as no one has really shown interest in marrying her. I think it is important to note what it takes to be a person who holds this type of power. A person that is undetectable, quiet, observant. Ibn Ezra states: "A beautiful woman standing in the air, and she can sow." Picatrix, Book II, Chapter 11 states: "A beautiful woman, a mistress of sewing; and with her ascends two calves and two horses. And this is a face of the art of the scribe, of reckoning, of number, of giving and receiving, and of the sciences." We can see that both sources emphasize a woman of beauty. Calves, which are babies and that could actually mean children, but to me signify the natural state of giving birth to something young that needs to be taught, given nourishment to grow, appreciated for it's youth. Certain planets will alter the affect.

Jupiter is dignified in this decan/face and Agrippa says: "Unto Jupiter are ascribed all privileged places, consistories of noble men, tribunals, chairs, places for exercises, schools and all beautiful, and clean places, scattered or sprinkled with divers odors." Jupiter signifies prosperity, knowledge, dignity, and abundance. Even though this may seem very positive, sometimes we can be so curious as to gather information that we don't know where to stop or what is truly valuable. When we think of faces, we are thinking of a person showing up to an event, the first thing that you notice is how they may dress and it is based of that your presumptuous assumptions of how that planet in the natal chart may interact. You dress like a donkey, may no one assume the power/burden you hold tightly underneath your mistaken appearance.

Some other sources on this face:

"The first face of Gemini is of Jupiter. It is the face of writing, giving and receiving money, of petitions and wisdom in unprofitable things." Johannes Angelus

"The first face of Gemini is of Mercury in which make an image to harm the senses and intelligence." Picatrixm Book II, Chapter 12.

"The first Decan in the third sign carries a bow, and his hand is bright with arrows. He is adorned with a garland of many colours, and his necklace is pendant. The instruments of his craft are prepared. He knows how to use swords and missiles, and he wears a diadem and armour." Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja

Gemini Decan II: Don't Step On Eggshells 🥚

"The second decan of Gemini has the face of Mars. Its name is Samurois. It has a double face. It is walking. It is armed. In its left hand it is holding a bow and arrows and with both its feet it treads upon hares. This rules the climate of the Persians." Liber Hermetis

This is the face where I connected the Gemini decans with Bridgerton so deeply for Season 3. It is the face where we find ourselves caught in the middle of two things and come to the realization of duality. Penelope does very well concealing her identity and living a double lifestyle that is traditionally forbidden, for how dare a woman write or make money for herself. We see her throughout live a lifestyle of attending balls and then when the timing is right, slip out to write the latest gossip of the town. Two very different things. Two very different personas. I remember when I was learning about this specific decan that I was having a hard time conceptualizing what it means to be two things at once. The idea that Penelope was both a successful writer making profit and a debutante succumbed to a life of a simple woman. I am brought to the idea of left-brained where you are more verbal, logical, linear in thought. That eagerness in the beginning fades as you begin to realize reality, contradictions, and become wedged with the thought of harsh truths. How shall you walk now when you've been discovered? In the manner of quickness, you are trying to obtain a specific piece of information, only instead of having a sword which I imagine is saved for larger slaughters, you are given bows and arrows, attempting to catch anything that will feed hunger, supply substance, and satiate the mouths of those who are awaiting dinner. This face kind of has anxiety tied to it and the feeling of compensation and worry. With Mars dignified in this face, we are talking about speed, courage, competition, quick-decisions, the severing and cutting off.

Which leads me to my next point the tarot card association: 9 of Swords- Lord of Cruelty.

Austin Coppock describes this tarot card as a person who is in a difficult state of mind. He says that people with planets in this decan struggle with self-knowledge, but in the end come out with a multifaceted view of themselves. (Paraphrased) and this stuck out to me because with Penelope she is in state of seeing the many aspects of her own identity. Going back to Mars which is hot, dry, and not a planet I associate with peace, rather strife and challenge. It is surely difficult to take on the position and quality of Venus which is cold & moist and the planet of reconciliation and jollity. Susan Chang in 36 Secrets says that Mars is relentless in his pursuit. In the image above, I see so many swords and I look at the person in bed thinking about all the decisions and avenues they could take in order to solve the impending problem, but below I see a blanket with this Venusian essence, a blanket covering the person as a temporary motherly protection that inevitably will have to come off in the morning. The night in which supports and safeguards vulnerability, secrets, and harsh truths soon dissipates as the Sun comes to shed light on the facts and what can be said deliberately about the situation with much confidence. In Colin Bridgerton's engagement with Penelope, we are met in a scene where Penelope is confronted by Eloise, Colin's sister, that which she tells Penelope she has till midnight to tell Collin of her secret or else she will do so herself. You see Penelope faint as she struggles on whether she shall keep her identity as Lady Whistledown or as Penelope Featherington/Bridgerton. They are both the same person. A perfect example of this face in my opinion.

Some other sources on this face:

"The second face of Gemini is of Mars and is a face of burden, pressure, labor and getting goods by labor and of unhonest actions." Johannes Angelus

"A man in whose hand is a pipe, and another being bowed down, digging the earth; and they signify infamous and dishonest agility, as that of jesters and jugglers; it also signifies labours and painful searchings." Agrippa

"The second Decan in Gemini is a black woman whose girdle is beautiful and whose garments are brightly coloured. She delights in the arts, in singing, and in story-telling. Holding a lyre, she is pleased and delighted. Her brows are lovely, and she is graceful." Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja

Gemini Decan III: This is who I am bitch

"The third decan of Gemini has the face of the Sun. Its name is Azuel. It has the beautiful face of Isis, having hair moves every which way. It induces illnesses of the nerves. This rules the climate of Parthia." Liber Hermetis

Okay, bear with me. Right at this moment, I am saying to myself "think brain, THINK!" as I sip on my 2nd cup of coffee. 😂 Let's break this final face down. This is where the Sun is dignified. The Sun's nature according to Demetra George is to build. It is our intellect, public reputation, authority, honor and it rules the heart. I'm thinking of these words from Penelope, where she says:

"But I see now how much courage it takes to live a life out in the open. To honor one’s weaknesses publicly for all to see. And to know, regardless of the outcome… one always has worth. All of us talk. We gossip. Gossip (Gemini) is information. It forges bonds. Especially for those of us who are told so little. But I can no longer conceal the biggest piece of information I have. My identity."

We go from a state of worry, to accepting the inevitable with the appearance and clothing of quintessential power. We are faced with the reality that true power comes from owning our actions, our persona's, our multi-faceted quirks, truths, and having autonomy. PERIODT.

That leads to the next point. Who is Isis? Isis in greek mythology was a goddess. Her name translates to "throne". She connected to the dead and was a magical healer. Often depicted with a thrown-shaped headdress adorned with a solar disk, she is known for her role as the protector of the dead and as the wife of Osiris. Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth with no known location of his body, because of this Isis set on a journey to find his remains (penis), eventually she pieced them together and used her magic to conceive her son Horus. All of this to reiterate back to Penelope who in her unselfish pursuit shocked everyone with her ability to take leadership and against everyone's judgement and ultimately took it upon herself with her own resources to give her identity up to Queen Charlotte, but not without helping her sisters with a ball and aiding clarity to her mother-in-law about her true identity. To be bold and realize the humility you have to have during this moment, that not all is lost. We must move forward. Later on in the scene, we see Penelope front and center for everyone to see her plea. It was during this moment that Penelope would have to give up being a writer or/and her marriage & reputation. The truth has to come out at this moment and I think that the main thing I got from this is that Penelope showcases who she really is unapologetically. Which is what I imagine the Sun would do. In astrology, Gemini is represented by the twins. It is in this face where we are dealt with the decision of which twin will fall or die to it's death. The ultimate sacrifice in order to control the situation and take power back. It's like in this example, it's saying yes I am both things and I own that.

Some other sources on this face:

"The third Decan in Gemini wears red clothes and a red, pendant necklace. He is pale with red limbs, violent and fierce. The tip of his staff is red (with blood). He is the chief of a multitude of men. He bears a sword and missiles." Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja

"A man seeking arms who has a bow and a quiver, and in his hand an arrow and clothing and golden ornaments, and he desires to play music and laugh and mock in all sorts of ways." Ibn Ezra

"A man seeking for arms, and a fool holding in the right hand a bird, and in his left a pipe; and they are the significations of forgetfulness, wrath, boldness, jests, scurrilities, and unprofitable words." Agrippa

Concluding words

So this is it. This is what I had to say that I could not write in merely a simple paragraph. I've been going through my own journey of the decans and trying to conceptualize it myself. This is not meant to be an article where you accept it for fact, rather take what information resonates and form your own opinion through your own experiences. Dearest gentle reader, I do hope you gain something from this, if not I hope I've given you enough sources to reflect on yourself.

Thank you

Yours Truly,

Tori Smith, Astrologer