Lunar Mansion 16: (Ruler: Mars): This person needs to put their ideas to work in the world. It is very important that this person connect with other people in a deep way. This is probably going to mean that he won’t be connecting with many people – the number of them is not what matters, its the strength and depth of the connections that count.
When this person is at his best he is overflowing with the joy of being himself, and sharing with others is a natural result of this. When true to himself he never holds back on giving, and willingly accepts the challenge of communicating to others his deepest thoughts and feelings.
As he does as described above, he will inevitably encounter people who are not as high-energy as himself, people who are dull, disinterested, depressed, or who just can’t get into where he’s at. It is very important that he does not let these people’s gray attitudes cause him to feel worthless or insecure. If he doesn’t get the attention he wants, he might react by withholding his love, insights, and abilities.
In reacting to the negativity of other people he might adopt an egotistical attitude, or go to the other extreme and think that he has nothing to offer. This frustration can lead him into physical indulgence – the destructive activity of Mars, which rules this Lunar Mansion. He needs to assert himself from his vibrant and exhuberant core, and not get into the viscious cycle of reacting negatively to the negativity of others. His Mars core wants to share its passion, no matter how repressed or out of touch others may be with themselves, and no matter how much they may resent his aliveness.
Lunar Mansion `17: (Ruler: Gemini): This person may want to change the world (Gemini is the most helpful of the signs), but needs to realize that this desire is just a projection of his need to change himself. When attuned to his spirit he is continually letting go of the past – clearing away the accumulated stress of his personal history so that he is free to live vividly and completely in the present. (The great mystic Vicki Wall pointed out how Gemini is the energy of what she calls “clearing the time line,” that is, healing past karma, which is the same as what Eckhart Tolle calls “healing the pain body”).
This person is learning in this lifetime to adapt to constant change. Of course one of the most difficult types of change to cope with is a letdown, and so it is very important how he deals with disillusionment – and the greater the disillusionment is the more he can learn from it. If he fails to overcome his disillusionment, though, fear of loss or conflict can get the better of him, causing him to mask his insecurity by trying to fix the world, or by becoming obsessive about something – food, drugs, sex, exercise, a particular philosophical system, etc.
He needs to realize that he has become disillusioned because of the expectations he has held, and so the more he can let go of these and meet life as it is, without feeling a need for it to conform to his picture of it the more fulfilled he will be. Through deep soul searching he can eventually understand what the disillusionment is there for – what it is trying to teach him. As his learns this more and more fully he eventually overcomes his fear of risk and loss, and understands how they contribute to his personal growth.
When true to self he is honest and open, and his frankness touches others deeply, helping them to be more self aware and connected to the world around them. This is the epiphany of Gemini – pure communication which is a potent healer.
Lunar Mansion 18: (Ruler: Cancer): Love is the ultimate nurturing energy, as well as the purest of all emotions. Cancer is the sign of nurturing, and its ruling planet, the Moon, is the planet of the emotions, all of which are healed by love.
Lunar Mansion 18 is at its best when it is working to uplift society in some real, tangible way, through the energy of love. It is not enough for this person to just have an idea or a concept – their ideas need to be demonstrated by their actions.
Love conquers fear, and unconditional love means accepting whatever one receives, even if it feels as if it is not enough. If this person fears being cut off from other people, or fears being vulnerable in relationships he may become defensive (a negative Cancerian trait) and then try to avoid people or find ways of manipulating them into giving him reassurance. He may also try to heal his fears and frustrations by getting into self-indulgence of some sort – which is a manifestation of Cancer’s attempt to nurture itself through destructive excesses.
When out of tune with self this person may abandon people and retreat into his Cancerian shell. Or he may have superficial relationships because they feel safe to him, and because he’s trying to prove to himself that he doesn’t need anyone.
He needs to accept the world as it is, and keep loving people no matter how dysfunctional they are, or how unable to meet his needs. Staying on this wavelength of love is his greatest power is what will bring him ultimate self-fulfillment.