House of Gemini

Gemini is Latin for twins.

The glyph symbolizes two children, twins, which are representative of the duality of perspective.

The Twins symbolise Gemini's change of thoughts and ideas, as well as Gemini's shifting perspectives.

Gemini is known for its versatiiity and dexterity.

Gemini is an Air sign.

Air is associate with thoughts, intellect and communication.

To read more about Air signs click the button below:

AIR

The Twins are represented in myth by Castor and Pollux, known as the Dioscuri in Greek mythology.

Gemini is known for its adaptability to the point that the Gemini personality may be viewed as two different people.

This quality of being "two faced", comes from Geminis ability to quickly change perspectives, allowing Gemini to understand various viewpoints and rationales.

A quote that helps in understanding Gemini is "Just give me five minutes", for in five minutes time their viewpoint may be very different, even opposite to the understanding they held.

Gemini's Ruling Planet is Mercury

Mercury is known as the swift messanger of the gods.

Mercury is said to be the mind, the intellect. This is partially true. A more comprehensive description of Mercury would be, Mercury is the way we understand ourselves as well as the physical, social & spiritual worlds around us. Mercury's sign and house placement reflects the energetic signature of how our mind will collect, sort & discern information. It represents how we communicate, what sparks our curiosity, & reveals what we are a voice for in the world. Our language, logic, timing, movement of our ideas, & mode of learning are all flavoured by our mercury signature.

Mercury is the impulse to be curious about life. Mercury seeks out experiences & opens doorways, both figuratively and literally. The Sun seeks experience, Mercury helps us understand experience.

To read more about Mercuy click the button below:

Mercury

If you are born between May 22nd and June 21st, it may shift a day either way at times, then the Sun was in the constellation of Gemini when you were born. Each planet represents an urge, the urge of the Sun is to shine. With a Sun in Gemini, you are learning through being in the world, and expressing yourself through a Gemini energy. Gemini is inquisitive, it loves to ask questions and learn through discourse. Gemini represents two objects in dialogue. While it is often described as the sign of the Twins or of duality, which are both true, it's deeper impulse is interaction. Interaction with the self, the physical world, the social world, and spirit.

Gemini is the butterfly of the Zodiac, and is known to be social and expressive, but also fickle. Skipping fom one topic to another is common with Gemini, and they must learn focus.

As Gemini rules the hands, they are often very skills with their hands. It is not uncommon for Gemini to want to have a hands-on approach to anything it is involved in. When anxious, this may cause a degree of micro-managing.

Just as the wind cannot be seen, only felt, heard, or revealed through the movement of objects, Gemini is learning about the power of words and ideas, and how they shape reality. Gemini can talk too much, share to much, and gossip too often. Gemini is learning to be careful with their words, and gain awareness of the longevity and impact that a statement, offhand remark, or joke taken the wrong way may have on their or others lives.

The constellation of Gemini is located in the northern hemisphere. It is made up of 85 stars, the brightest being Pollux and the second brightest being Castor, twin brothers in Greek mythology.

Castor and Pollux were celebrated for their heroic deeds and were associated with horsemanship and as protectors of sailors.

Zeus transformed them both into the two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini.

There are various versions of the myth of Castor and Pollux in Greek and Roman mythology.

One of the most common classical accounts is that Castor and Pollux were twin half-brothers, with twin half-sisters Clytemnestra and Helen. Zeus was the father of Pollux and Helen, while Tyndareus, the King of Sparta was the father of Castor and Clytemnestra. Being born at the same time but from two different eggs, they are two sets of twins.

They are also a set of quadruplets in that they all share the same mother, from the same birth. But this is not often spoken to, and they are remembered as two sets of twins, born from two different eggs, that were birthed at the same time.

The Queen of Sparta, Leda, was one of, if not the most beautiful women alive. So beautiful that she caught the attention of Zeus, King of the Gods. The Queen would often bathe alone in the river. One day when she was bathing, she noticed a swan. The swan was Zeus transformed. The swan swam towards her. As he did an eagle swooped down and attacked him. Zeus managed to escape the eagle and swam to the Queen. Taken by his plight, the Queen embraced the swan. She found that the swans embrace was soft and sensual. Overcome by the sensuality and beauty of the swan she laid back and let the swan enter her and made passionate love. After the swan ejaculated in her he left. Zeus had sown his seed in the Queen of Sparta. Overtaken with lust, the Queen returned to the palace and had a night of passion with her husband King, who also planted his seed.

The Queen became pregnant to both Zeus and the King of Sparta. She gave birth to two eggs, from which two sets of twins were born. The first set of twins were twin boys, Castor, who was the mortal son of the King of Sparta and Pollux, who was the immortal son of Zeus. The second set of twins were twin girls, Clytemnestra, the mortal daughter of the King of Sparta and Helen, the immortal daughter of Zeus. Helen of Sparta, would grow up to be Helen of Troy, who's abduction would lead to the Trojan war.

Different ancient texts and retellings distribute the children differently amongst the eggs. Some, that they are separated by parentage, and others where they are separated by sex. There is no single authoritative version of the birth story.

Castor and Pollux were inseparable. They were known for their strength and bravery. As the Dioscuri they were the twin gods associated with horsemanship, sailors, sailors at the peril of storms at sea, and St Elmo’s Fire.

St Elmo's Fire is a phenomenon in which a blue or violet glow appears around pointed objects. On ships it often appears on masts when the surrounding air becomes highly electrically charged. The glow that is visible is a result of a concentration of plasma that is formed when an electrical field ionizes the air during an electrical storm. Sailors interpreted the appearance of St Elmo's Fire with the protection of the Dioscuri.

The Dioscuri went on many adventures and were considered heroes. They were amongst the Argonauts that sailed with Jason on the Argos. Intensely loyal to each other, they followed each other into both peril and mischief. Whilst attempting to steal the cattle of Idas and Lynkeus, Castor was killed. Here again the myth varies. Yet it is commonly told that Pollux, who was immortal wished to join his brother. He Begged Zeus to be reunited with Castor. Zeus granted his wish. Castor and Pollux ascended into the heavens and were placed into the constellation Gemini. Pollux being the brighter of the two stars.

Due to Castor’s mortality the twins would spend half their time in the underworld and half their time in the heavens.

The myth of Twins helps us to understand a deeper meaning of Gemini. The bridging of worlds. In the myth mortal and immortal live in relationship with each other, they are inseparable, symbolising the connection between our humanity and our divinity. There is a constant interplay between the two. In Gemini thought becomes form, the etheric becomes physical. I am reminded of the proverb:

Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

In Gemini we see not only duality, but also tension within duality, such as the conflict between the ego and the shadow. The ego expresses our conscious self, the shadow holds and expresses all that we deny and other within the self. This can be observed in the tension between how we see ourselves, our conscious will (ego), and what we repress, the values and traits of our humanity we refuse to acknowledge (shadow). In myth the female twins Helen and Clytemnestra display this duality more clearly that Castor and Pollux.

The shadow will always find expression. In both Helen and Clytemnestra’s actions there are elements of the expression of conscious and unconscious desire. Helen, who's "abduction" by Paris causes the Trojan war, has been framed as both victim and villain though out history. So too has Clytemnestra. Her husband King sacrificed their daughter to the Gods before leaving for the Trojan war. Clytemnestra rules over the kingdom in his absence and then murders him on return.

Helen, governed by love, represses the responsibility of the consequences of her actions. She is aware that her husband King, Menelaus, will tear through Troy to find her. She does not own that the death of many innocent men, women, and children, will occur due her choice to leave her War Lord husband King, and does so for the promise of love. Helen is passive in much of her story. Clytemnestra, governed by vengeance, consciously acts to punish her husband King, Agamemnon. Her anger is righteous, but it blinds her to the cycle of violence she is perpetuating and ultimately falls victim too. Her son, Orestes, with the encouragement of her daughter Electra, avenger's his father’s death and murders her. Beneath this desire for justice, may also lay a desire for power, as with each murder there is a shifting of the crown of the kingdom to which, Agamemnon ruled.

In both stories we see the complexity of human desire and the danger of denying the shadow within the self. What we repress does not disappear, it drives our behaviour, and blinds us to a holistic understanding of what motivates us.

In Gemini we begin the understanding of the complexity of the ego-shadow dynamic through relationship. We see in others more clearly what we deny in ourselves, and it is through relationship with others that we begin to gain awareness of our shadow.

As the third sign of the Zodiac, Gemini is the first of the human signs, the first sign being Aries the Ram, the second sign being Taurus the Bull. This speaks to Gemini being the first sign where we start to observe and articulate the process of consciousness and the workings of the mind. We question, explore, and seek intellectual stimulation. The Zodiac is made up of twelve signs. These twelve signs represent six axes or oppositions. In Gemini we start to become more curious about the relational qualities of our psyche, the dynamic of what we own and deny, what we internally experience and outwardly express, and begin the journey of exploration into the dualities of our nature. Gemini drives curiosity, and at its best, it is a focused mind that bridges will and spirit.

Castor

Clytemnestra

Castor

Castor was the mortal twin of the Dioscuri. He was famed as a master horseman. Ancient poets praised his skill in training and handling horses. He embodied courage, loyalty, brotherhood, and dignity.

His death revealed the depth of the bond between the twins, in both life and death.

Pollux

Clytemnestra

Castor

Pollux, the immortal son of Zeus, was famous for his strength and skill in athletics and boxing, which earned him both honour and glory.

His greatest strength was not as an undefeated victor of the games, but his devotion to his brother. His sacrifice is a symbol of love, loyalty, and selflessness.

Clytemnestra

As a Queen that ruled in her husband’s absence, Clytemnestra was known for her authority and intelligence.

Her husband had sacrificed their daughter to the Gods before leaving for battle, and upon his return, she killed him.

She is known for justice, vengeance, and political skill.

Helen

Clytemnestra

The daughter of Zeus, Helen was the most beautiful woman in the world. As Helen of Sparta, and then Helen of Troy, her story talks to the power of attraction and desire, and the consequences of acting on both. Helen fascinated poets for centuries, and she remains an enteral symbol of beauty.

The Tarot card associated with Gemini is the Lovers.

The Lovers represent union and relationships that are mutually beneficial. It is often said to represent marriage as well as the merging of opposite forces in a harmonious way. Choice, and the weighing of options, is signified by the card. There is an innate knowing represented by the card that symbolises an ability to understand both our own motivations as well as the motivations of others. The Lovers symbolises a self-awareness of the various aspects of the psyche that are in play, and their competing drives. In the Lovers card, the masculine and feminine aspects of the self are working in harmony, and our values and desires are aligned in a way that creates stability, fruitfulness, and balance.

The Lovers reminds us that whatever we do to another, sits between the two of us. If we are kind, we place kindness between us and the other person, if we are cruel, that is placed between the two of us. The fabric of these choices then forms the connective network through which we relate. The Lovers card asks that we act in loving ways, making loving choices that will support self-love. The Lovers asks us to choose healthy relationships and can signify walking away from relationships in a way that honours both ourselves and others. It can also represent harmony directly following a period where trials have been overcome.

Arthur Edward Waite, the author of the Rider-Waite tarot describes the Lovers as attraction, love, beauty, and trials overcome. The angel in the card is said to represent the angel Raphael, who is the angel of Air, linking the card to Gemini and its ruling planet Mercury. The angel has his arms risen, with palms facing outwards. A modern interpretation may be that this symbolises the channelling of healing energy such as Reiki or Ashanti Energy. The man and woman in the card are said to represent Adam and Eve, naked in their truth and openness to each other. Adam and Eve symbolise a creative, youthful element in the card. Behind Eve is the biblical Tree of Knowledge. The snake wrapped around the tree is said to represent evil and/or wisdom. Behind Adam is the bibical Tree of Life, with twelve flaming fruits, which embodies passion.

The Lovers and Gemini are similar in that they represent duality, choice, a bridging of opposites and communication between two people. There is a youthful quality to both. Gemini seeks understanding through inquiry, the Lovers seeks understanding through self-awareness.

MC Esher

Maurits Cornelis Eshcer was a graphic artist whose work was deeply inspired by mathematics. Through his work Escher engaged in a dialogue between perception and reality. In Ecsher's work there is a repetition of positive and negative space merging into each other, transformation, and two realities existing simultaneously. Drawing Hands, 1948, embodies the Gemini quality of two objects in dialogue.

Born at 7:16am, on the 17th of June 1898 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, Escher was born with Sun, Moon, Mercury, Neptune, and Pluto, all in Gemini (Air). His planets in Gemini (Air), are located in the eleventh house, a house traditionally associated with Aquarius (Air).

His moon is trine Jupiter and Juno, both in Libra (Air), both located in the third house, which is traditionally associated with Gemini (Air).

Escher’s 7th house cusp in ruled by Aquarius (Air). As the house of one on one relationships, this seems to have manifested as an aspect of his psyche that favoured unique and original ways of relating, and an observation of relationship that appreciated the scientific, technical, and innovative qualities of being.

Sun conjunct Neptune in Gemini offers a sensitivity to curiosity and communication, and can create an openness to the mysteries within the dialogue of life. In Escher, it seems to have supported the development of a lens focused upon the relational quality between objects, and a curiosity to apply an analysis to these relationships.

The Moon, Mercury, Pluto conjunction may emerge within the psyche of an individual as a deeply perceptive mind and a strong urge to solve mysteries. In Escher it resulted in a drive towards hard work, focus, and an intense application to his craft.

Jupiter in Libra trine the moon may express as a confidence within an individual. It seems to have provided Escher with an aptitude and insight towards the harmonics and relational compoments between objects.

With an ascendant, how we meet life, in Leo, a sign known for creativity, as well as Leo being ruler of his second house, the house of talents, it is little wonder that Escher gravitated towards an artistic field.

Saturn in the fifth house, the house of creativity, may also develop a discipline around creative pursuits. With Mars in Taurus in his tenth house, the house of work and career, there would be a strong motivation to establish himself in his career and to achieve something substantial.

There is a potent dynamic in Escher's birth chart embedded within the Air triplicity of Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, with an undeniable dominance of Gemini.

What Escher achieved through his work is extraordinary, however it is perhaps not extraordinary that a person with his planetary placements would hold the gift, predisposition, and drive to create what he created.

Gemini is known to be a sign associated with thought, ideas, communication, and knowledge. In Escher's work we see Gemini come to life through an inquiry into infinity, mathematics, geometry, art, and ultimately the symmetry of relationship between objects, within the framework of the duality of positive and negative space.