One of the first things we learn about Mercury, at any 
rate if we study the older text books, is that it is 
"convertible" and assumes the nature of the body with which 
it is in closest contact.  That links with the idea of 
childhood, for the normal child is receptive to surrounding 
influences and can be educated by them, for good or ill as 
the case may be.  The same seems true for Gemini in relation 
to bodies occupying it; it does not appear to mentalise 
them, but they colour the mentality.  One may think of 
Gemini as a mirror.  The notion of the mind as a mirror will 
be familiar to students of Buddhism, especially Zen 
Buddhism. 
    The body is like unto the Bodhi-tree, 
    And the mind to a mirror bright; 
    Carefully we cleanse them hour by hour, 
    Lest dust should fall upon them. 
Of course this conception of Gemini as a passive mirror is 
more apparent in some cases than in others.  Thus, Gemini 
rising is usually definitely Mercurial.  But Sun in Gemini 
often appears to indicate not an active Mercurial mind so 
much as a dogmatic stubborn one.  For example, George III, 
who had Sun and four planets in this sign and was certainly 
not noted for mental agility but was notorious for 
pig-headedness.  Whether it is true that he asked "how did 
the apple get into the dumpling?" I do not know. 
I do not find many eminent people with an untenanted 
Gemini rising, probably because, though intelligent, it is 
not particularly ambitious and commonly lacks definite 
purpose.  Except by accident, one cannot achieve celebrity 
unless one has a clear idea of what one wants and a 
persistence in seeking to get it.  This is not a strong 
point with Gemini, which childlike runs from one object of 
pursuit to another, accumulating a lot of knowledge of facts 
but without the steadfast application of all its powers to 
one end.  Of course its discursions give it a lot of fun and 
make it more interesting as a companion than the one-track 
man, who is liable to be a bore.  In fact, Gemini is a 
popular sign, though perhaps less so than Sagittarius. 
That polarity...Gemini-Sagittarius...is the most restless 
of the sic, mentally and physically.  It represents the 
conflict between the so-called "lower mind"...the mind which 
is said to be "the slayer of the Real"...and the intuition. 
So one is apt to get people with "religious difficulties," 
as also under Mercury-Jupiter squares and oppositions, and 
other less obvious but in principle similar formations. 
Take Tennyson and the doubts and hopes expressed in In 
Memoriam: how well that goes with Gemini rising and Jupiter 
in the 3rd! 
Gemini-Sagittarius loves an argument of any kind, but 
above all on religious or philosophical subjects.  But in 
cases where the mind has not evolved very far, the same 
principle is expressed in physical restlessness; the native 
may be a fidget, and give others the fidgets too. 
Indeed, Gemini by itself can be a taxing companion.  It is 
the eternal child, and when it is also actually a child in 
years, it is very Gemini in this respect! 
In an article by L. Protheroe Smith published in the 
Quarterly for March 1931, we find that is remarkable "by 
virtue of its insatiable desire for knowledge, pursued 
remorselessly without regard for the comfort and convenience 
of those around it. From early morn to dewy eve the growing 
Gemini will fire conundrums one after another upon all and 
sundry in the neighborhood; deadly shafts that differ 
entirely from the more or less straightforward, if persistent, 
inquiries of his sister Virgo. Geminian children have, in 
fact, an infinite capacity for asking awkward questions, and 
a happy knack of making you reveal your ignorance on the 
most inopportune occasions." 
But this desire to know may lead to a blossoming forth as 
a famous scientist or an efficient detective. 
Indeed, Gemini has a wide choice of vocations: post 
office, the schools, gymnastics and such sports as running 
and fencing, journalism, and clerical employment of many 
kinds, photography, and so forth.  It is often a good 
conjurer and some of the worst types may even manipulate 
cards to their own pecuniary advantage! 
If Gemini rising untenanted does not produce eminent 
people, and if Sun in Gemini does not appear to be much 
better in this respect, there are Gemini values, as we shall 
see, that seem very useful. 
However, there are some "pure" Geminians who have achieved 
success. 
Jules Verne had Gemini rising, untenanted, but the 
ascendant was in pretty close aspect with no less than six 
bodies.  So perhaps that fortified the rising sign. 
Bernadette Soubirous is another with Gemini rising, empty. 
But it has an excellent trine from Venus. 
So it seems that Gemini rising needs, if one looks for 
success, to be supported either by a rising planet or by a 
very close aspect. 
I will not trouble you with a very long list of examples, 
because one can have too much of that sort of thing in a 
lecture.  But a few may be of interest. 
Lady Burton, one of the most eccentric and restless of 
women, had Moon rising in Gemini, and ascendant square 
Mercury, trine Jupiter-Uranus. 
Sir Laurence Olivier has Pluto rising in Gemini, Sun in 
Gemini above the horizon. 
G.B. Shaw is said to have had 20 Gemini or thereabouts 
rising, square Neptune exact, if the time given by Maurice 
Wemyss may be relied on.  There was no planet rising.  With 
his fiery beard and pioneering nature I would have preferred 
an Aries ascendant myself. 
What is certain is that bodies in Gemini, wherever 
situated in terms of the houses, do affect the mind.  Such a 
statement is commonly met with the objection that "thousands 
of people must have been born with Jupiter in Gemini" and so 
forth.  No doubt there are many millions born with that 
emplacement, or with Venus in Gemini, or whatever planet you 
like; and they are not all strikingly similar in mentality. 
Nevertheless I maintain they are similar in certain basic 
respects.  How far these can be expressed is another matter 
altogether.  One must make allowances for the material that 
the planets have to work through.  Many a chicken, no doubt, 
has been born at the same moment as a child and near the 
same place, but no one demands that the chicken shall 
respond to its horoscope as the child will.  In like manner, 
though to a much less extent, will an Eskimo respond 
differently from a cultured European. 
Curiously enough, perhaps, since Gemini is the detriment 
of Jupiter, this planet in the third sign seems propitious, 
bestowing a rich and versatile intellect. 
Two people with Jupiter rising in Gemini, both of whom 
reached the top of their professions, were President Ebert, 
who began life as a working-man, and George "Babe" Ruth, 
"the greatest baseball player of all time." 
C.W. Leadbeater is also said to have had Jupiter rising in 
Gemini, though the time is uncertain.  In any case the 
planet was in Gemini. 
When it comes to this Jupiter in Gemini position, 
irrespective of mundane location, we can compile a list that 
is quite impressive. 
One point is particularly interesting, and that is that 
the German horoscope and that of the U.S.S.R. both have 
Jupiter in Gemini; and it is certain that many eminent 
Germans, good and bad, have this emplacement, beginning
with William II and the Crown Prince, "Little Willie." We have 
also noted Ebert, and can add Hess and Ribbentrop (born only 
four days apart and in each case with a conjunction of 
Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto) and also Max Schmeling, the 
heavy-weight boxer. 
Two other famous Germans, Johann Kepler, the great 
astronomer and astrologer, who had Neptune rising in that 
sign; and Albrecht Durer, who had Sun, Moon, Mercury and 
Saturn in Gemini, 26 Leo rising. Says Longfellow: 
Here, when Art was still religion, with a simple, reverent heart, 
Lived and laboured Albrecht Durer, the evangelist of Art; 
Hence in silence and in sorrow, toiling still with busy 
hand, Like an emigrant he wandered, seeking still the Better 
Land.  

This picture hardly seems like either Leo or Gemini which 
is not usually reverent  or silent, or particularly simple, 
either. 
He was not only a painter, but also an engraver and 
draughtsman, which is Geminian, and he had seventeen 
brothers and sisters, which is decidedly true to type. 
Longfellow's sad words seem more applicable to the 
greatest of all children of the third sign...Dante 
Alighieri, who had Sun in Gemini in the 12th, and Mercury 
and Saturn in the 1st in the same sign.  He indeed was a 
wanderer and one who knew the bitterness of eating others' 
bread.  He tells us he was born under Gemini, but the day 
itself is uncertain, and the maps given by Isabel Pagan and 
in Notable Nativities are quite different. 
Here are some more examples of Jupiter in Gemini. 
Dickens, Balzac, Thackeray, Compton Mackenzie and Kenneth 
Grahame among novelists, also Conan Doyle, whose religious 
interests were also well marked, and with him we may place 
C.W. Leadbeater, and Proclus, the Neo-Platonic philosopher. 
I suppose we may say that Henry VIII had a good deal to do 
with religion, at any rate from the political angle.  In 
fact, he was originally intended for a Church career. 
Lord Byron represents the poets and Marshall Hall the law. 
Among astronomers we have Halley, Schiaparelli who 
"discovered" the so-called canals of Mars, and Simon 
Newcomb, one of the greatest American astronomers. 
Erasmus and Richard Garnett fall amongst the men of 
letters. 
Clement Attlee and Lord Rosebery are among the 
politicians, and Edison among the inventors. 
Finally, Charles de Foucauld, who after a youth of 
debauchery, became a solitary anchorite in the Sahara. 
One would expect Jupiter in Gemini to bestow a fertile 
mind but it is rather surprising to find so many outstanding 
examples of intellect.  Since Jupiter is said to be in 
detriment in the sign, one would expect a certain silliness 
and superficiality; but that does seem to be the case. 
It would be a mistake to expect too much from a sign 
position, but within its limits, this seems a happy one. 
Venus in Gemini gives us some good cases, too, and they 
illustrate the undoubted effect of Gemini positions upon the 
disposition. 
There is a gentleness about most of these people and often 
a grace of expression and a delicate and pleasing style of 
writing. 
However, most astrological rules have apparent exceptions, 
and the Duke of Wellington was by no means famous for 
pulling his verbal punches.  He had Venus in Gemini, but it 
was conjoined with the star Bellatrix, the maiden warrior, 
said, if prominent in a woman's map, to make her "loquacious 
and shrewish" and it "gives a high-pitched, hard and sharp 
voice." In the old days all astrologers were men and they 
omit to say what its effect is in the nativity of a male. 
Perhaps some modern authoress will investigate this point 
and avenge the insult to her sex! I make her a present of 
Arthur Wellesley, to start with! 
Gemini is rich in bright stars.  R.C. Smith, "Raphael I," 
remarks on this and modestly suggests that this is why so 
many Geminians are famous.  He had it rising himself. 
We may now pause to mention some of these stars: 
Aldebaran, in 9 Gemini but in the constellation of the 
Bull and therefore probably indicating Venus qualities.  It 
has only 5 degrees of south latitude, and is of the first 
magnitude. 
Rigel, also of the first magnitude, in 16 Gemini but in the
constellation of Orion, the giant hunter, and with 31 degrees
of latitude, that is distance from the ecliptic. 
Bellatrix, also in Orion, and of which we have just spoken,
17 degrees latitude. 
Capella, the brightest star is Auriga, the Charioteer, of 
a pleasant yellowish hue.  It has 23 degrees of latitude 
and is in 21 Gemini. 
Betelgeuse, 1st magnitude and the brightest star in Orion, 
but in 27 Gemini, with 16 degrees of latitude. 
Stars with considerable latitude do not rise with the zodiacal 
degrees they occupy but they do culminate with them and so 
can be readily studied from that point of view. 
My own theory is that such influence as they may possess
is probably allied to their constellations, not to the signs.
Thus the Twins themselves, Castor and Pollux, are in the 
sign Cancer but the constellation Gemini, and I regard 
them as Mercurial values and have indeed found them so in 
my own case. 
As for all the more or less deplorable "effects" that the 
ancients ascribed to them, and which Robson has faithfully
record, I believe we may dismiss them as pure rubbish.  
If, in addition to the malefic planets (as in one sense we
can still call them) we have all these cut-throat stars 
to contend with, we might as well "pack-up" and, like Socrates, 
take a dose of hemlock. 
This attractive old philosopher...he must have been attractive,
else you bloods like Alcibiades would hardly have cultivated
his company...is said to have had Mercury and Venus in Gemini, 
and appropriate configuration for one who was the first, at 
least in the Western World, to pursue truth by careful 
dialectical methods.  He did not rouse opposition, as Mars 
in Gemini would have done, by outspoken attacks upon what he
believed to be false but he undermined it by patient prodding; 
Sun conjunction Jupiter in Taurus, both trine Pluto. 
His disciple and exponent, Plato, had Mercury, Mars, 
and Venus in Gemini, according to a map calculated by Robson,
and to the last position we may ascribe his style, which has 
always been praised for its peculiar beauty. 
But the greatest of all writers, he who composed the Sonnets
and the Plays, had Venus in Gemini.  Whether this genius was 
indeed the "man of Stratford" or whether it was Lord Oxford,
in either case Venus was there.  We may dismiss Francis Bacon 
in this context; he had Saturn in Gemini and was true to that
emplacement. 
Other Venus in Gemini poets were Tennyson and Sir Edwin Arnold; 
and Mr. Krishnamurti may almost be described as a poet or at any
rate a writer of poetic prose. 
Two outstandingly Gemini personages are the last Czarina and 
the Duke of Marlborough. 
Maurice Wemyss gives the data for the former, the unhappy and 
deluded woman who played her part in the downfall of the
Romanoffs.  The hour is only approximate, but he credits her 
with ascendant, as well as Sun, Moon, Venus and Mars, in Gemini. 
Thus Mercury disposes of five important factors and it is near 
Pluto, though otherwise well aspected. 
But the exact conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus is highly critical. 
Intrinsically capable of much, it is involved in a heavy "T" square.
She was certainly emotionally unstable to the last degree and this may
be attributed to to having so many planets in one sign, with a badly 
afflicted Mars in the midst of them.  It is implicated by semisquare
and sesquiquadrate in the great "T" square. 
The evil monk, Rasputin, seems well indicated by Neptune in the 11th,
the highest planet in the map. 
Her husband's Mars was on her Neptune and his Sun on her ruler, and 
of 27 Taurus Charubel says "Such a person must beware or he
will be tempted to dabble in black magic, which would terminate in
his utter ruin." There may be something in this ascription.  What is
more certain is that Algol, the Skull, is a dangerous star, in Taurus 25. 
It is the Head of Medusa the Gorgon, and is known as Lilith by
the Hebrews, this being the name of Adam's first wife, a vampire. 
John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, was by no means unstable
mentally or emotionally, at least during most of his life.  He was
notably calm and imperturbable.  He had Aries rising, but must be 
acclaimed a Gemini of all Geminis on the strength of Sun, Mercury,
Venus, Mars and Pluto not only in Gemini, but in the 3rd. house, 
with the possible exception of Mars. 
His life was one of intrigue, and he had to endure perpetual political 
animosities and frustrations and ingratitudes. 
This is not surprising, for he had Sun exactly conjunction Pluto, 
opposed by Uranus and Neptune.  But there were plenty of good
contacts too. 
But we are concerned in his Gemini positions, which gave him a tact 
he so often needed in dealing with his allies, and also a capacity
for attention to details in his military preparations that almost 
amounted to genius. 
So much for Venus in Gemini. 
Sun in Gemini, as I have said, does not always produce notably 
intellectual types, although, if one knows them well the position does
come out. 
However, we have the following well-known writers: Thomas Moore, Thomas 
Mann, and Thomas Hardy...truly Gemini is the sign of the
sceptic and St. Thomas is the prototype of the sort of mind that "likes 
to be shown."  Chesterton had Sun, Mercury and Mars in Gemini,
and he was a controversialist, as Mars in Gemini usually is.  Ralph 
Waldo Emerson had Sun and Mercury in Gemini; Sir Oliver Lodge
had the Sun.  You will notice that Gemini often appears interested in 
religion.  Abbas Effendi, leader of the Babi sect, had the same
positions as Chesterton...Sun, Mercury and Mars in Gemini.  
Moon in Gemini seems to produce about an equal number of writers...perhaps 
more.  For here we get a blend of the imaginative powers
of Cancer with the expressive ability of Mercury.  However I will not
weary you with a list of examples. 
Mercury in Gemini comes in with Karl Marx, and as he had both Lights in 
Taurus, one gets a combination that seems to agree very well with 
ponderous statistical compilation. 
Saturn in Gemini is apt, I think, to produce rather dull minds in ordinary 
horoscopes; but there are several celebrities with this position and in 
some of them the effect of the Saturn-Mercury combination is quite
clearly shown and seems to have affected the career appreciably. 
For example, Thomas Merton who became a Trappist and wrote Elected Silence. 
Mussolini had both malefics, and the Moon, in Gemini, and Jack Doyle 
had Mars and Saturn there; in both cases a hard or at any rate
a tough character. 
So was Cellini; and his career as a worker in metals seems appropriate.
He is famous, among other things, for his stature of Perseus
holding the severed head of Medusa, and sure enough he has the Sun in 
20 Scorpio opposite Algol, with Venus and Mars just behind
the Sun.  He had Jupiter rising in Aries trine Mercury in Sagittarius 
on cusp 9, and his famous autobiography contains plenty of religious
sentiments, which he finds quite compatible with his deeds of violence,
executed on men and women alike.  People really did express
their bad aspects in those days and made no bones about it. 

Pierre Laval had Pluto, Saturn, Venus and Mercury in Gemini.  
This sort of satellitium, combined with Virgo rising, can indicate a
dangerous character, subtle and unscrupulous. 
Hard but able, one may say of Saturn in Gemini and Francis Bacon 
comes in here as a good instance.  It is favorable for a scientific
career. 
Mars in Gemini is usually well-marked.  The native will be courageous 
and often mentally gifted, and of course, very active.  But under
afflictions there are dangers. 
I have placed on the board the natus of the painter Van Gogh, which will,
I think, be new to many of you.  It is taken from Marc Edmund
Jones's Sabian Symbols.  He was born in Brabant (Groot-Zundert) on 
March 30, 1853, at 11 a.m. 
Notice the painter's degree (22 Pisces) on the midheaven. 
In early life he aspired to a religious career, and that is not strange, 
since he had the Moon conjunction Jupiter in Sagittarius. 
As you will see, this conjunction was opposed by Mars in 26 Gemini, close
to Betelgeuse, and Venus was in square to these three
bodies, building up a powerful and disruptive "T" formation, helped, 
however, by the position of Mercury in Aries.  The Sun is almost
exactly between Uranus and Neptune. 
Van Gogh is known for his gorgeous colourings and his love of brilliant 
sunlight, and it was partly this that caused his mental instability, 
for he worked unceasingly in the hot southern sunshine. 
He lived for a time with Gauguin, but this companionship got on his 
nerves and he threatened his friend with a knife; then in remorse,
struck off one of his own ears.  Probably, since we have ears in
pairs, these come under Gemini, and in any case they are the outer 
part of our auditory organs...and all the senses must come in a 
wide sense, under Mercury. 
Finally he shot himself and died July 29, 1890, the death arc
being 37=20. 
This brings his M.C. to Pluto, his Sun to Saturn, and Saturn 
itself, by o-d, to opposition Jupiter. 
You will note that here we have the star Pollux, in constellation Gemini, 
just rising. 
Mercury rules the 4th and perhaps this is the indication of
posthumous fame, so often the lot of great artists. 
A fine example of Mars in Gemini is Queen Elizabeth I. 
The planet was in trine to Mercury, its dispositor, in 
Libra, and no doubt 
restrained the more vehement expression of Mars...when 
she wished to repress it, which was not always the case. 
Of her, a modern historian, our own Churchill, writes: 
"High courage in 
moments of crisis, a fiery and impetuous resolution when 
defied, and an almost inexhaustible fund of physical energy."  
She could speak six languages, and was well read in Latin 
and Greek. "A restless vitality led her hither and thither." 
"In quickness of mind the Queen was
surpassed by few of her contemporaries, and many envoys to 
her Court had good reason to acknowledge her liveliness of 
repartee." 
When we consider this powerful position and recollect 
that the Great Queen also had Jupiter in Sagittarius,
but her ruler Saturn in Cancer, we find we have a good 
key to her character, which irritate her councillors 
but never lost her the love of her people and the
grateful remembrance of their posterity. 
It is not surprising that Mars in Gemini should be 
related to Aviation. 
Count Zeppelin had Mars with Rigel and his navigator, 
Hugo Eckner, had it with Betelgeuse. D'Annunzio, who,
with many other strange qualities and activities, was 
also an airman at a time when this was unusual and
hazardous, had Mars in 2 Gemini.  Ivar Kreuger, the
Swedish match-king, committed suicide by stepping 
out of a plane when crossing the North Sea.  He 
had Mars with Aldebaran. 
Notice how often positions involving the great stars 
go with bigness, in 
some sense or other.  Van Gogh had an abnormally 
large head; Eckner and Zeppelin had to do with an 
immense airship; Kreuger was called a "king" in finance. 
A final Gemini example that must be recorded is that of 
Victoria, with Sun and Moon rising, in conjunction with Aldebaran. 
We must conclude our study of the third sign.  The first 
three are not as 
interesting as the last three or even the intermediates.  
This is not because they are not important.  They are 
indeed representatives of primary attributes: Energy, 
Form and Mind.  But because they are so basic, there 
is less to be said about them than there is concerning
the more differentiated types. 
It is significant that Gemini is the first human sign, 
but humanity appears 
first in the zodiac as children...very naturally.  
If Aries are energy and form, then animals have as 
much of these as humans.  Indeed, so
have minerals and vegetables.  But we have been told
that consciousness sleeps in the mineral kingdom and
dreams in the vegetable; it only wakes in man.  Some 
animals certainly possess a great deal of intelligence, 
but, with some exceptions, they can hardly be said to
think.  In fact, some humans hardly appear to do so, 
to judge by their conduct. 
However, Gemini presents man with the opportunity to 
develop his lower mind, the mind that cognises objects,
that differentiates and discriminates and analyzes. 
From this, he can expand his intellect to the illusions
and comparisons of Libra, the intuitions of Sagittarius,
the universalisations of Aquarius. 
Meanwhile, he is at all events a stimulating and lively 
companion. 
But do not be led away by his occasional scepticisms. 
The skeptical Gemini is really one who denies his own 
essential nature: the
power of the mind to know the truth.  Sometimes Gemini
manifests the truth of the adage that a little learning 
is a dangerous thing! 
Sometimes he demonstrates that one may have a lot of 
knowledge and seemingly not make much use of it.  
Perhaps he thinks that to know is enough in itself. 
He is a child with a new instrument and sometimes he 
does not quite know how to use it to the best advantage. 

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© Astrological Lodge Lecture  -§-  11 February 1957
© Astrology Quarterly  -§-  Vol. 31/2

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