Views

Gemini is an Air Sign (along with Libra and Aquarius). It is also one of the four mutable signs (along with Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces). Its polar opposite is Sagittarius. It is the domicile of Mercury. Each astrological sign is assigned a part of the body, viewed as the seat of its power. Gemini rules the hands. The symbol for Gemini is the twins.

Mythology

Since this constellation is easily viewable as two parallel stick figures, considering faint stars visible to the naked eye, it was associated with the myth of Castor and Pollux (Polydeuces). The myth of these twins heavily concerns cattle theft, and may be connected to early views of the Milky Way, as a herd of dairy cows or cattle, by which they are situated.

The orientation of the constellation can vary (since they readily form stick figures whether leaning right or left), though the twins are usually viewed as left leaning. However, when right leaning, one of the twins resides in the milky way, and the other outside it, a situation making it appear that one of the twins is stealing the cattle, and the other is observing. In this situation, together with the area of the sky that is deserted (now considered as the new and extremely faint constellations Camelopardalis and Lynx), and the other features of the area in the Zodiac sign of Gemini (i.e. Orion, Auriga, and Canis Major), this may be the origin of the myth of the cattle of Geryon, which forms one of The Twelve Labours of Herakles.

Interpretation

Following is a brief overview of the meaning of Gemini in the birthchart. Please see Signs and Interpretations for more details.

Gemini qualities include a quick mind, silver-tongued eloquence, facility using the hands, and an ability to see many facets of a given issue. Negatively, Gemini can be very duplistic, dishonest, nervous, and anxious.

Rulerships

Countries: Armenia, Hyrcania

Mineral salt: Kali Muriaticum

Famous Geminis

Nigel John Taylor(June 20), Nick Rhodes (June 8), Dante Alighieri, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Paul Gauguin, W.B. Yeats, Thomas Mann, John Maynard Keynes, Al Jolson, Johnny Depp (June 9), Stan Laurel, Cole Porter, Moe Howard, John F. Kennedy (May 29), Dean Martin, Judy Garland, George H. W. Bush (June 12), Marilyn Monroe (June 1), Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan (May 24), Paul McCartney (June 18), and Morrissey.