GEMINI I: The Art of Destructive Procrastination

8 of Swords

“I did this so I didn’t have to do other things.”

— Carmy, The Bear, Season 4 Finale

We’ve left Taurus III and the 7 of Pentacles, where we put in all the work but had yet to see an outcome, and enter the season of Gemini. While bold expansive Jupiter rules the decan, intellectual lightning bolt Mercury rules the sign. Unfortunately Jupiter isn’t happy here — it can’t expand and grow cleanly, and seems to be caught in a nest of Mercury’s tangled threads.

T. Susan Chang notes the major arcana ruling this decan as the Wheel of Fortune (representing Jupiter and also Fate) and the Lovers (for Gemini, representing choice). Chang describes the decan as embodying the question “what happens when fate runs into free will?” Astrologer and artist Nicola Allan notes that “sometimes, the desire for multiplicity generates overthinking,” and Austin Coppock labels this decan the “Apple of Eden,” arguing that the awareness of a boundless capacity for knowledge can create frustration and anxiety. In 36 Secrets, Chang writes of the clash between the Wheel and the Lovers, “You ate the fruit of knowledge. You thought you were smart — and now you must live by your wits. You think you want self-determination and free will? Go ahead and knock yourself out!”

I think we should consider what comes after that anxiety, or what Allan called analysis paralysis. The Golden Dawn description hints at the result — the Lord of Shortened Force / Interference: “admires wisdom, yet applies it to small and unworthy objects.”

When we are paralyzed by too many options, by the weight of making a choice, it can sometimes drive us to focus on the mundane minutiae in an effort to feel productive. In short, we micromanage.

It’s Carmy, unable to commit to the menu because committing to the menu means committing to what The Bear actually is.

8 of Swords - Rider Waite Smith

Carmy was obsessing over every tiny detail to avoid focusing on the larger issues and choices (relationships — family — grief!). He was driven to this state by trauma — a traumatic upbringing, a traumatic job, a traumatic loss — but none of that is unrelated to our 8 of Swords. When we are in that state, we are blind to the options around us, like the woman in the RWS card. She is seemingly trapped (Chang calls her “trapped by toilet paper”) but were she to use one of the many sharp instruments around her, she’d readily be freed. If only she were able to use the intellect paralyzing her to free herself. There’s the rub.

Benebell Wen also points out that the 8 of Swords figure has her back to the castle in the image — she has turned away from the castle behind her, a symbol of support. It’s an important factor and a reminder that when we are faced with the paralysis of too many choices we would do well to rely on our support systems to help us cut through the bindings of our own mind.

Carmy ultimately discovered the answer wasn’t in the details.