I am the alchemy of communication
Have you heard the scoop?
Symbol – Twins, Ruler – Mercury, Metal – Mercury, House – 3rd, Element – Air, Modality – Mutable, Humor – Sanguine, Body – Respiration/Nervous System, Polarity – Sagittarius, Quality – Masculine
The name Gemini comes from the Latin word for twins. The Gemini glyph ♊️ depicts the duality and neutrality that’s inherent in Gemini. The twins, Castor and Pollux, were amongst the gods worshipped by the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac; it presides over the third house, the house of communication, and is the first of the mutable signs. Mutable signs are flexible and adaptable. The mutable houses, called cadent houses, come at the end of each quadrant. Gemini starts when the roses are beginning to bloom, and we prepare for a midsummer’s night’s dream. And who could be more of a Gemini archetype than Puck in Shakespeare’s eponymous play: endless enthusiasm, mischief, charisma and fun, and maybe a little bit dangerous.
Gemini is ruled by the planet Mercury, and like the winged messenger, Gemini is fleet of foot, a communicator, a networker and a social butterfly. The energy is yang and quintessentially masculine. Gemini is an air sign which correlates to the sanguine humor, hot and humid.
Geminis are known for their playfulness and curiosity, constantly juggling their passions, careers and social lives. They may be a jack of all trades and a master of none as their talents are manifold but often scattered. They are also known for their loquacity, and they can talk for hours to anyone about anything. They are intelligent, quick witted, eloquent, charming and fun to be with. They make excellent sales negotiators. Often very nimble and dexterous, they may be good dancers.
On the negative side, they are fickle, duplicitous, and inconsistent. You might compare them to a chameleon that can change its colours to suit different situations. They may be voracious gossips and love you today but not tomorrow. But my personal experience of Gemini is that once they do commit, they are very loyal. They may resist growing up, hence their association with Peter Pan. The latter embodies many Gemini traits such as intelligence and adaptability; he also exhibits negative traits such as inconsistency and irresponsibility.
Homeopath, Luke Norland, associates Mercury with Sankaran’s acute miasm, ”winged messenger, moves between the underworld, earth and heavens.”
Gemini governs the nervous system, the respiratory system, the larynx, the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers.
The pathology of Gemini is often caused by nervousness and restlessness. They may be prone to nervous exhaustion as well as respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia.
The archetypal remedy picture of Gemini is Phosphorus. Phosphorus, like Gemini, exhibits heightened sensitivity and impressionability. They are vivacious and their company makes others feel invigorated. They are easily excited and easily anxious. Sometimes they are overly flirtatious.
Phosphorus is commonly prescribed for respiratory ailments associated with Gemini’s governance of the lungs and bronchi. It is also a well indicated remedy for nervous and restless conditions, and hypersensitivity to external influences such as noise and odours.
In his writings about astrology and the periodic table, homeopath, Luke Norland, maps stages 13 to 18 of the periodic table to the mutable signs. He equates stages 13, 14 and 15 to Gemini. Phosphorus is in column 15.
Ruled by Mercury whose metal is mercury, the remedy Mercurius is also suited to the Gemini archetype in particular its connection to quicksilver. It has the highest volatility of any metal, vaporising to become a colourless, odourless gas. We even have an adjective to describe its properties, mercurial.
Mercury is highly toxic. Until the early 20th century (1941 in the U.S.), mercury was used in the hatting industry to stiffen felt. Some hatters became intoxicated by the mercury vapour. This intoxication was referred to as mad hatter’s disease and it is where the well-known expression comes from, ‘mad as a hatter’. Symptoms of poisoning include psychosis, irrational fears, excitability and tremors, all Gemini traits.
Mercury was widely used in medicine from the 17th century up until the time of modern medicine when the danger of using crude doses of it became apparent, yet it was still used in dentistry for amalgam fillings until recently. It was so widely prescribed for so many common ailments that doctors were called Quicks (from quicksilver) and later that name morphed into Quacks!
In Lewis Carroll’s, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter must surely be Gemini matching the Mercurius picture.
To paraphrase homeopath, Peter Morrell on Gemini
Mercury is the chatterbox, ceaselessly talking and gossiping, sometimes harmlessly, sometimes bitchily. Mercury makes a good messenger, diplomat or go-between, yet they can be two-faced and cannot keep a secret! They appear as all things to all people, somewhat promiscuous in every sense and rather changeable. They love books, letters, newspapers, magazines, journals, correspondence, reading, writing, telephones, crosswords, languages, jobs like teachers and writers, servants, doctors, diplomats, entertainers. Mercurius, Tuberculinum, Cannabis Indica and Stramonium are related remedies.
Because of Gemini’s association with the respiratory system, Tuberculinum and Bacillinum may be well indicated remedies, notwithstanding Phosphorus is closely related to Tuberculinum in the treatment of TB.
Other remedies that have an affinity with the respiratory system and the Gemini constitution are Spongia and Antimonium Tart. Also, the remedy Blue, the colour of the throat chakra associated with the third house governed by Gemini.
I see a correlation between butterfly remedies and Gemini given their ability to shapeshift. Gemini is a networker; it pollinates and works the room like a butterfly amongst the flowers.
Kali Muriaticum is the designated tissue salt for Gemini. It is beneficial for respiratory conditions.
There are many other remedies that match the archetypal Gemini picture, and a homeopath/astrologer would always consider the full picture as we are all a unique melée of magical stardust. The above is a light and airy overview.