Real
Life Astrology: Gemini 
May 21-June 20
© Maria
DeSimone
When I’ve had a bad day, I pick up the phone and call my
brother, Basil. If he happens to answer, I’ll tell him to
hang up. After all, it’s not like I want to talk to him.
I’m calling to listen to his latest answering machine message.
It’s a verbal skit he conjures up weekly that, no matter
how rotten of a mood I’m in, guarantees to have me doubled
over in hysterical laughter.
Basil, born May 29th, has his Sun in Gemini. The realm of communication
- thinking, reading, speaking, writing, learning and teaching - all
mental pursuits - are part of his essence. He is “learning
to become” a communicator.
Gemini is ruled by the planet Mercury, blessing him with endless
curiosity, a quick, clever mind and a nimble (although sometimes
jittery) body that’s always busy doing something or going somewhere.
Gemini’s are well known for having that “Peter Pan” quality
about them and often look much younger than their years.
The first of three signs in the element of air, Gemini is intellectual
and logical. With that cool, airy temperament, my brother is never
insulted when I tell him I don’t want to talk to him. Actually,
he revels in the fact that so many people call his answering machine
to listen to what he has to say. Air signs seldom become overemotional;
they’re too busy being rational.
Every other Friday I do actually call Basil to remind him and his
wife Mary that it’s pizza night at my house. If you could only
be a fly on my kitchen wall, you’d witness the most remarkable
spectacle of fickleness and changeability that Gemini’s are
famous for. This is due to their mutable nature.
I live in New York so you can imagine how many dozens of pizzerias
are in my neighborhood. Well, my darling baby brother has a penchant
for changing his mind every week about which one makes “the
best” pizza. He walks into my house, plops down in a chair,
bites into a slice and begins his Gemini dance:
“Where’d you get this pizza from?” he asks, with
a scrunched up face.
“I got it from Gina’s just like you asked – last
week you said they make the best pizza” I reply.
“No, no, next time order from Mario’s pizzeria, they
make it better. And don’t get any pepperoni.”
“But I thought you loved pepperoni?" By now I’m
looking at his girlfriend and we both roll our eyes.
“Yeah, but I’m not in the mood for it. Just get regular
next time.”
I sit down, grab my own pepperoni slice, look over to Mary and wink, “Typical
Gemini!”
If I didn’t understand his nature maybe I’d get annoyed
at the fact that I have 20 pizza menus in my house and have to play
this ongoing game of “who makes the best pizza?”. But
since I know it’s part of his character, I recognize this fickle
nature as symbolic of something much deeper.
Gemini’s are perceived as dualistic and flighty because they
have an intense need to look at an issue from every possible perspective
in order to process it. Gemini is constantly collecting new information
and thinking about what he’s just experienced. Since this is
a never-ending cycle, his mind is in a continual process of growth
and evolvement. Of course, opinions change like the wind during this
growth.
That explains why my brother can be on one side of the fence in
the morning and move onto the other side by afternoon. He’s
not being two faced. He’s not being a double talker – no – he’s
evolving!
You’ll always find this quick witted sign up to date on the
latest news. Basil reads the newspaper daily, feeling that he can’t
get through his morning if he doesn’t know what’s going
on in the world. His greatest talent and passion is playing the drums.
Mercury rules the nervous system and Gemini’s are one of the
more jittery signs in the zodiac. Have you ever noticed how fast
a drummer moves those sticks? I get tired watching my brother banging
away, wondering to myself how his wrists aren’t killing him.
But to Basil, moving fast is second nature.
Gemini’s are called the “jack of all trades and master
of none”. This is because Gemini often has so much that interests
him, and so many talents and abilities; he can’t seem to focus
on one long enough to become an expert.
If something doesn’t hold their interest – including
a relationship – Gemini will move on to collect something new
to hold his attention. Ahhh… relationships. It isn’t
that a Gemini is unfaithful or incapable of commitment – that
trait can’t be determined by the Sun sign alone. A Gemini does,
however, need to be with someone that understands and respects his
need for variety and stimulation. These needs are apparent in career
path as well and Gemini’s are known for having more than one
career path, sometimes even juggling them at the same time!
Early education experiences and siblings will often be very significant
in Gemini’s life. My brother had a difficult time in elementary
school because of not being diagnosed with Dyslexia until later grades.
It was harder on him still because his two older sisters went through
the school system first and teachers were often comparing him to
us. This blocked his ability to learn even more because it sent the
subtle message that something was wrong with him because he learned
in a different way from his siblings.
Not every Gemini has a learning disability but every Gemini has
a communication lesson to learn, and for my brother, one of his central
communication lessons has been to overcome his Dyslexia and believe
in his ability to learn and communicate effectively. As an adult
he’s become a master debater; some of my favorite times with
him are around my kitchen table on pizza night after I’ve put
the kids to bed and the adults start talking. The conversation is
never boring!
Gemini’s, as they tackle this lesson of collecting and processing
knowledge in order to become better communicators, often end up being
some of the most significant teachers to the rest of us. They teach
us to have an open mind, laugh at life and question what we don’t
understand. They show us that a little flexibility isn’t so
bad, and that there are several sides to any story. In my opinion,
Basil is doing an amazing job learning his communication lessons.
There’s no one else I’d rather call to brighten my day.
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