Gemini

1. Gemini Tim Baby Steve Period - 4

2. What Gemini Represents

3. Greek Mythology In classical Greek mythology, the stars in the constellation of Gemini were named Castor and Pollux, known collectively as the "Sons of Zeus." Although Leda was mother to both, the twins had different fathers. Pollux was the son of the chief Olympian God, Zeus, who had changed himself into a swan in order pursue the lovely Leda. Thus, Pollux was immortal. Castor was the son of Leda's husband, Tyndareus, King of Sparta, and thus destined to die. According to legend, they were hatched from an egg and were brothers to the beautiful Helen of Troy (over whom the Trojan War was fought) and also brothers to Clytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae. Castor and Pollux were known to be well-educated, strong and daring, while remaining gentle individuals. They were celebrated as healers, physicians and protectors of humankind. Castor and Pollux were also Argonauts, being among the crew who sailed with Jason in the Quest for the Golden Fleece. During that voyage, a fierce storm threatened the mission but abated as a pair of stars appeared over the heads of the twins. Since that time, seamen have called upon the brothers for protection from peril and the eerie lightning phenomenon sometimes called Saint Elmo's Fire has long been regarded as the spirits of the twins playing in the sails. It is considered by sailors to be a most favorable omen.

4. Greek Mythology cont. Castor and Pollux were also counted among the number who fought at the Siege of Troy. Castor (a horseman) and Pollux (a boxer) fell in love with beautiful sisters, daughters of Leudippus, who were already betrothed to suitors. According to the myth, these suitors, named Idas and Lynceus, were reputed cousins of Castor and Pollux by virtue of Poseidon, God of the Sea, who was rumored to be their father. The twins challenged Idas and Lynceus in battle and slew their rivals, but Castor was mortally wounded by Idas in the process. Overcome with grief, Pollux would have committed suicide in order to be with his beloved brother, but since he was an immortal, this proved to be impossible. Finally, Zeus placed both their immortal souls together in the sky as symbols of brotherly love...the precept they had demonstrated so gallantly throughout their lives on Earth. However, this gift did not come without a price. Zeus determined that for the rest of eternity, the twins would have to alternate between the light and the dark...spending one day on Olympus and then the next day in Hades.

5. Gemini throughout History Many statues and temples were once erected to Castor and Pollux and they were often carved as figureheads on ships. Images representing this constellation have been found on both Greek and Roman coins, and the image of the twins also appeared on Babylonian boundary stones as well as charts of the heavens. Known to be handsome and adventurous young men, they perpetuate the memories of a roving and carefree life by acting as the protectors of sailors and of hospitality. Their nature was said to be energetic and volatile, vain, talkative and curious. In modern times, the twins have once again been ingrained in history as a critical part of Earth's journey into space when Project Gemini placed into orbit two men aboard one spacecraft.

6. Symbol The symbol...or glyph...of Gemini resembles the Roman numeral II. It is representative of twins, as well as the possibility of choice between good and evil. In Vedic Astrology, this glyph symbolizes the manifestation of the Spirit as it enters the phase of duality. As thought reflects the subject...the object expression of Spirit...the glyph becomes an representation of the division of Spirit and is indicative of polarity. Within the material world or manifested state, all things oscillate between the positive and negative...up and down...right and wrong...in and out, etc. The two vertical lines are also said to represent, as division, the male and the female. Thus, in a sense, the act of reproduction is governed first by Gemini.

7. Location In October and November Gemini will appear along the eastern horizon in the morning sky prior to sunrise. The best time to observe Gemini at night is overhead during the months of January and February. By April and May, the constellation will be visible soon after sunset in the west. The easiest way to locate the constellation is to find its two brightest stars Castor and Pollux eastward from the familiar “V” shaped asterism of Taurus and the three stars of Orion’s belt. Another way is to mentally draw a line from the Pleiades star cluster located in Taurus and the brightest star in Leo, Regulus. In doing so, you are drawing an imaginary line that is relatively close to the ecliptic, a line which intersects Gemini roughly at the midpoint of the constellation, just below Castor and Pollux.

8. Gemini Stars Pollux is a red giant and the brightest star in Gemini. It is located in 36 light years away from Earth. Castor is the second brightest star in constellation Gemini, and it is located in 51.6 light years away from us. In fact, Castor is not just one star, but a combination of six stars. When compared to the Sun, the brightness of all stars in Castor is 52.4 times of the brightness of the Sun.