The Glyph and Myth of Gemini

Throw away any and all preconceived notions you have regarding the split nature of Gemini, because they are simply not true – at least, not entirely true. No one can possess more than one personality, but their personality can be fluid thus leading people to believe more than one exists. Gemini’s astrological symbol  is a representation of a set of Twins, two lines means two people. But astro-Twins are not merely two people in one. Multiply Gemini by itself and you get the real quantity of persons.

Now, astrology and celluloid alike have taught us a restrictive explanation of twins and that there is usually one good person and one bad person (or something similar). The Twin figure holds a bevy of insight into the behavioral patterns and internal struggles of this chatty and changeable sign. But duality is only half of the story.

Gemini is split between the four desires represented by the pillars of the glyph, and cannot stand upright without each column working in tandem. It is a well-established fact that Gemini doesn’t like restrictions or confines of any kind. And it’s usually the restrictions imposed by reality that offend them the most. When all four lines are shooting off in their own direction, pursuing their own desires, it leads to the scattering of Gemini’s mind, heart, attention and purpose. If you were to remove one of the lines, the very essence of Gemini would leak out like smoke from a genie’s lamp.

Gemini’s Twin Symbol

In Greek mythology, Castor and Pollux were divine twin brothers born from Zeus and Leda. When Castor was killed, Pollux begged Zeus to allow him to share his immortality with his brother so that the two could be joined together forever. Zeus permitted this, but decreed that only one twin could inhabit Olympus at a time.

The Dioscuri characterize the reuniting of the twins Castor and Pollux as stars in the sky as the constellation Gemini. This is a fate written for every set of astro-Twins, and is illustrated by their glyph. Like the heavenly Twins, Gemini can never be simultaneously present on the same day, which leads to a split nature and wavering personality… There is a cauldron of character division inside this sign that both transcends and encompasses the dark side and the light side. And because society typically disapproves of duplicity, there is an embedded feeling of shame and conflict deep inside Gemini that forces them to feel misunderstood.

So there you have it, a brief history of Gemini’s glyph explained by way of myth (excerpts taken from the Gemini Chapter of my book, The Zodiac Abstract). If you’re dying to know more astrology’s 3rd sign, then get your copy of Gemini: the Rave. Or get the entire astrological anthology here.