May/June is the birth time for Gemini, commonly known as the Twins. Gemini is ruled by the planet Mercury, named after the Winged Messenger and Roman god of commerce, local travel, borders and crossroads. Mercury, also known as the trickster and storyteller, is fast and dexterous. Of the 12 houses of Astrology, Gemini rules the third house.
Briefly, each house in astrology represents, among other things, the stages of growth. The first house describes the birth, the energetic moment proclaiming “I am.” The second house is where the infant becomes aware of its own body, learning what “I have.” After exploring his own hands and feet, the small child starts to venture outside of himself into the immediate environment and begins to communicate with the outside world. “I see.” This exploration of the environment is the domain of the third house of astrology, associated with the sign of Gemini.
And so we can understand the curiosity of the Gemini personality, the restlessness and urge to explore through first crawling, then walking, then running, then cycling, then traveling by car, by train, etc. Just as the ancient kingdoms ventured out along local trade routes, the young child encounters his or her immediate neighbors, i.e. brothers and sisters, gets signals and feedback that soon results in language and the exchange of information. Eventually this results in local trade, the barter of what we have (2nd house) for what we don’t have. This open-mindedness and flexibility are both characteristics of Gemini.
An interesting fact about Gemini is that it rules the breath, respiration, and oxygenation of the blood. Again, taking in what is outside (oxygen) in exchange for carbon dioxide. Not only does Gemini rule respiration, but it rules pulmonary circulation. Think of the messengers of old, running through the winding roads of the surrounding land, or the young teenage bike messenger of today, traveling the streets of his neighborhood. And so Mercury rules the flow of the blood through the body.
Gemini, “the Twins,” learns through perceiving things dualistically. Hot and cold. On and off. Good and bad. Let’s go back to the developing child, and the third house. Venturing outside of himself, the child perceives something he has never seen before. He does not know what it is, but he knows what it is not. In trying to understand what he sees, the child, or the Gemini/Mercury personality, notes the similarities and differences, connects the dots, and comes to a logical conclusion. As a society we have invented the ultimate machine based on dualistic or binary thinking: the computer
One of the things that I find most interesting about Gemini, Mercury and the third house, is that it also rules memory. We know that Mercury rules the mind, but memory is something very different. It is deeply entwined with the senses. May and June are months for planting, smelling the flowers, new growth; a time for exploration and discovery; weddings and new ideas. The senses heighten, forming seeds from which memories are made. In the same way, the sensory stimuli that touch the child’s small body, become imbedded forever and begin the long journey and path that child will travel. All this is the domain of Gemini and Mercury.
Finally, the butterfly and the bee are ruled by Mercury. And so in the spirit of Gemini, as springtime turns to summer, may we each find the butterfly within us and use this season to alight on new ideas, breathe in new experiences, open our senses, and collect wonderful memories.
