Is there something in the air?

Could the difference between a careless connection and a relationship of great depth lie in the motives of the heart? How sincere are you? And how present are you?

Gate 44 carries an instinctive memory that’s part of our survival intelligence. It can recognize patterns from the past before the mind has a chance to make sense of what’s right in front of you. Do you judge someone through the lens of conditioning and buried trauma, or can you recognize what’s actually there?

Your intuitive knowing can reveal much if you listen to its whisper.

This gate closes the Quarter of Duality, which is about bonding with others in relationship. Coming to Meet is the way of this quarter. You come to meet others who can support you, and whom you can support, or not. Beneath the attraction, the familiarity, and the stories you tell yourself, what are you actually sensing?

Gate 44’s awareness is rooted in the sense of smell, both literally and figuratively. Do you have a nose for business? Can you smell a rat? Does a person or situation simply not smell right?

I have Gate 44 in my natal design through Saturn, and I’m particularly sensitive to smells. When something doesn’t smell right to me, I take it as a signpost to pay attention. Smell is deeply connected to memory, and I’m fascinated by how quickly a scent can bring the past into the present. One breath, and suddenly, something long forgotten is with you again.

The biological correlation is the lymphatic and immune systems, constantly circulating, ever vigilant, tasked with neutralizing what may cause harm. There’s a beautiful parallel here with Gate 44’s instinctive awareness, which recognizes patterns that may be significant to our survival.

The Earth in Gate 24, Rationalization, grounds us in the Individual process of knowing. The mind returns to a thought, revisiting what it senses it knows, until an insight emerges. This isn’t about forcing a logical explanation or thinking your way to an answer. It’s about allowing the mind its own process. The insight can’t be demanded, yet when it arrives, it has the potential to empower.

When you find yourself judging someone harshly, there’s also an opportunity to look inward. What might this reveal about your own conditioning? What could be transformed or healed within you as you come to meet another?

Sometimes, what we recognize in another touches something we haven’t yet recognized in ourselves.

This has nothing to do with what you think and everything to do with what you sense.

Love Yourself,
Ruth Brennan