The Three Magic Gifts of Gemini

Gemini, Latin for twins, is a sign blessed with a trio of magic powers. The wellspring of these mystical forces is the enigma of the double. A Gemini is a creature living in two worlds, or of two minds, simultaneously. The paired personalities—sometimes thought to symbolize light and darkness—are always united and often at odds.

The sign is associated with sorcery and magicians, with the casting of spells and the lifting of curses. The Twins find logic, and even faith, in the workings of that two-way conversation with the universe known as synchronicity, and are often adept at divination in its myriad forms: runes, tarot cards, and bibliomancy (the art of finding meaningful messages in seemingly random book passages).

The Supernatural Twin 

The first magical power accorded to Gemini is the concept of "the timeless self," a second persona not bound to the earth, who ventures out during astral travel and may also observe the physical body at the time of death. 

In "Twins and the Double," comparative mythologist, author, and teacher John Lash writes: "At the deepest level, Twins exemplify the theological proposition of our hybrid nature; half human, half divine. Castor was mortal, Pollux immortal."

Gemini melds a divine being with a mortal one. There's a sense of having a different self that exists apart from the one we recognize in the mirror. The astral twin travels outside the physical body in dreams, or as a doppelganger, who is you, but at the same time, is not you.

"Castor and Pollux . . . have different temperaments but manage to agree and join in many heroic exploits together," Lash wrote. "This contrasts to the majority of mythical twin-sets where conflict and competition are prominent. Twins are a tight but troubled alliance."

The first magic is that of traveling back and forth from one level of perception to another. It is the "troubled alliance" in which the elusive eternal knower within reveals mystical knowledge to the waking twin, knowledge not formed by observation with the human eye.

The Divine Trickster

Gemini's second magic gift is the ability to defuse and de-escalate potentially explosive situations. When Shakespeare said, "Many a true word hath been spoken in jest," he might have been talking about Gemini. With their uncanny knack of revealing facts via humor rather than confrontation, the Twins are often able to turn dangerous scenarios around and show combatants how to think outside the box of their conflicts to find a mutually satisfactory resolution.  

Ruled by Mercury the cosmic "translator" that reveals not only what you know but how you know it (known by Greeks as the messenger god, Hermes), it comes as little surprise that those born under the sign of Gemini are not only adept at juggling words and concepts but are well able to use this power to their advantage.

In his article on The Mythology of Hermes, astrologer Barry Goddard observed that when London Mayor Boris Johnson (born under the sign of Gemini) was asked if he'd ever tried cocaine, his honor's response was, "Yes, but I sneezed." The author goes on to cite the example of President Bill Clinton (another Gemini), who admitted he'd smoked weed—but didn’t inhale.

"Boris Johnson...clowns his way out of a situation that would be a serious reputational issue for most politicians," Goddard noted, "and gives it a Gemini twist. Because he has turned it into a joke, he can’t be accused of lying. And in so doing he legitimizes a taboo subject, allows the truth to come out, which is yes, of course, we politicians have taken drugs of some sort, just like everyone else has."

Some Geminis are gifted with a magical form of understanding that transcends the mortal plane. This ability to see and translate images from an "otherworldly" mirror can be developed as an art that is often in service to a higher calling. 

The Matrix Buster

The logic of mutable Gemini tends to take a spiral rather than a linear course. In complex situations, they're apt to circle back to re-examine information they've picked up to figure out where that piece fits in rather than moving straight ahead.

Gemini also has the ability to stand outside a tense or baffling situation—or matrix—and observe without judgment.  When conflict arises, when new information challenges the status quo, or when contradictory statements fly, they remain impartial until the truth is revealed and discord is reconciled.

In times of intense manufactured confusion, hoaxes, and entrancements, the Twins are able to ponder outrageous claims and hear out all sides before making up their minds. Airy Gemini can entertain opposing possibilities, and then winnow what resonates into a more authentic picture, allowing them to playfully reveal truths— while keeping everyone laughing at the same time.

This ability does not come without cost, however, and it's why the Twins sometimes need to be alone without any external stimulation. While "going dark" can be seen as part of a natural restorative cycle to calm the mind and soul in solitude, when taken to the extreme, it can signal Gemini-style depression, for which some form of intervention may be required.