Exploration of Gemini-Sagittarius axis from the lens of Sufism
Story of mevlana & tabriz-i shams
Before meeting Shams, Mevlana was the quintessential high-expression Gemini. He was a brilliant academic, a master of theology, a collector of texts, and a beloved lecturer. Of course he was alwasy surrounded by books, which represents the Gemini tendency to gather facts, definitions, scriptures. Gemini is the "I think, therefore I am" stage of spiritual development.
Sagittarius doesn't care about what is written about God or truth; Sagittarius wants to experience it directly (that's why you'll see Sagittarius influenced people diving heads first into anything and absorbing the essence of it which can't be taught from books). Shams blew into Mevlana's life like a roaring Sagittarian fire, and basically sagitterrorized him in modern terms...
A story of Gemini-Sagittarius opposition;
Mevlana is sitting by a fountain, surrounded by rare, priceless manuscripts. Shams walks up and asks, "What is this?" Mevlana, feeling intellectually superior, smugly replies, "You wouldn't understand; this is knowledge that cannot be gained through hearsay."
Shams then takes the books and dumps them straight into the water. Mevlana is devastated and outraged.
Shams pulls the books out of the water, completely dry and untouched. Mevlana is stunned and asks, "What is this secret?" Shams replies "This is taste and ecstasy, you wouldn't understand."
True wisdom and integration can not be achieved through books.
Throwing the precious books into the water was Shams’ ultimate Sagittarius move. He was saying, "You are drowning in information, but you are starving for wisdom."
Shams forced Mevlana out of the Gemini lower mind (logic, reading, reciting) and dragged him into the Sagittarius higher mind (intuition, cosmic love, direct experience). Aside from their mentor-student dynamics, they became very good friends and Mevlana discovered the taste of oneness with Allah through Shams, which is how the concept of "Divine Love" was emerged. As Shams was a gateway to God and infinity for Mevlana, he was highly attached to him. After the said incident, Mevlana became utterly consumed by Shams. He abandoned his students, his teaching, and his books just to sit at Shams's feet. He was treating Shams like a new, walking "encyclopedia" of divine knowledge. His intense, agonizing attachment to Shams's physical form represents the shadow side of Gemini: clinging to the dual (twins cannot be seperated) and the tangible.
But in true Sagittarius fashion, Shams left...then he came back...then he left again.
First time he left, Mevlana was so devastated by the loss that he fell into deep grief and depression. Seeing that Mevlana’s intellectual rigidity cracked, Shams returned (partly coaxed by Mevlana’s son) to finalize the transformation. But Shams knew that as long as he was physically present, Mevlana would always look at him for answers instead of looking within. In Sufism, the bond between a master and disciple is meant to guide the student toward Divine Unity (Tawhid). Sagittarius is the sign of the distant arrow and the endless quest. By permanently vanishing, Shams forced Mevlana to stop being a "student" (Gemini 3H) and finally become the "Master/Prophet of Love" (Sagittarius 9H).
For Gemini, "Twin" is not just a friend; they are the missing half of the soul. For a Gemini archetype, losing the "other" feels like a literal death. Being mutable air sign, it takes the shape of its container. In relationships, Gemini energy becomes a perfect mirror of the partner. Mevlana didn't just love Shams; he became Shams. (This is why he named his book the Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi which he wrote as if he were Shams).
Shams’s constant disappearing acts represent the Sagittarian archetype of the wanderer. He was a catalyst and a spiritual nomad. He didn't come to be Mevlana's permanent fixture; he came to spark the fire ans awakening. Mevlana's intense grief during these absences turned him from a prose writer into one of the greatest poets in human history and gave birth to Sufism. He wrote entire poetry books about his experiences with him
“Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment. Cleverness is mere opinion. Bewilderment brings intuitive knowledge.” — Mevlana
“The chemistry of mind is different from the chemistry of love. The mind is careful, suspicious, & advances little by little. Whereas love says, ‘Let yourself go!’” — Shams-i Tabrizi
Foundations of New Age Spiritualty
It's also important to note, Sufism laid the foundations for new age spirituality. I mentioned in my last post that Sagittarius Pluto generation is when the new age spirituality wave has reached its peak. Under any post-modern "manifestation/spirituality" principle, you find sufist philosophies. The "Law of Attraction" or the idea that "the universe responds to your vibration" isn't a 21st century invention, it is what Sufi mystics like Mevlana and Ibn Arabi were writing about nearly 800 years ago repackaged.
A core teaching of modern manifestation is that the external world is just a mirror of your internal state. It can be tracked back to Ibn Arabi’s philosophy of Wahdat al-Wujud (The Unity of Being) writings that everything in creation is an outward manifestation of a singular, divine reality. Mevlana famously wrote: "You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop." If you want to change the reflection, you change the self.
Modern spirituality tells us that to manifest something, we must "align our energy" with it. Sufism teaches that the human heart (qalb) is a mirror.
Modern spirituality says: "What you seek is seeking you" or "Your thoughts create your reality"
Mevlana says in Divan-i Shams, “Whatever you are seeking, you are that.”
“If you are searching for a friend, you are looking at a friend. If you are searching for a piece of bread, you are a piece of bread. Understand this secret: Whatever your soul seeks, you are that.”
“The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are.”
“The world is a mirror, and it shows you your own face. Wash your face if you want to see a beautiful reflection.”
“Knowledge is to know yourself. If you do not know yourself, all your reading is in vain.” -Yunus Emre (Turkmen Sufi)
