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.