Linda Goodman's Sun Signs

by Linda Goodman

  There’s a deep-seated need in all June people to disguise their true motives. Like the Pisces they feel a compulsion to behave in a way exactly opposite to their real desires. But this amazing Gemini versatility and facility of speech makes them terrific politicians, not to mention experts in the field of human relationships. A Gemini knows how to swerve you from your most stubbornly held convictions. He can twist you like a pretzel with his mental karate, get you to agree with him and love him for doing it to you. But if trouble develops, he knows instinctively just where the skeletons are buried in your closet, and he can use his fast mind and clever tongue to rattle those bones dangerously.

  There’s a strange thing about Geminis and writing. The Sun sign itself rules writing. Therefore, practically every Mercury man or woman can turn a clever phrase and string words together intelligently. You’ll find whole slews of them writing speeches, commercials, documentaries, plays and books. But the books will be novels, textbooks, nonfiction or biographies. Very seldom will you find the Geminian writing his own life story. And it’s extremely rare to find one who likes to write personal letters. The typical Gemini hates to answer correspondence. He’ll procrastinate for weeks.

  It may seem to be contradictory at first, but the reason is clear, when you realize the reluctance of Mercury people to be pinned down to an opinion. They hesitate to put their thoughts on paper because they instinctively know that what they believe today, they may not believe tomorrow—and they don’t want to be committed in writing. Few Geminis need to be warned by their attorneys to “Say it, don’t write it.” They were born with that defense mechanism. There are an astonishing number of Gemini authors who choose to use a pseudonym—and even the average Geminian will eventually find some reason to adopt an alias—either a complete change—a different spelling, or at the very least, a nickname. The rule is so consistent, you can win a nice nest egg betting on it with all the Geminis you know.

  Almost every Gemini speaks, understands or reads more than one language and French is the favorite. One way or another, the Gemini will triumph with words. He cut his teeth on Webster’s Unabridged. He can sell ice cubes to an Eskimo or dreams to a pessimist. If you happen to catch him in some dodge, he can change the subject so fast, and direct the conversation away from himself so adroitly, that the whole affair ends with you on the carpet instead of him. Sometimes the Mercury tendency to fool people can lead to dishonesty or criminal activity, but not as often as you’ve been led to believe. Although his talents can tempt an occasional Gemini to live in a web of lies and deception, most of them are too idealistic for a life of crime. Still it must be admitted Mercury gives them superior equipment for success in that field—and they can be brilliant con artists if they choose. With their manual dexterity, if they pick a pocket, forge a check or counterfeit a sawbuck, at least they’re neat about it and seldom get caught.

  If you come across a smooth-talking used car salesman who was born in June, and he tells you the blue Studebaker had just one former owner—a little old lady who drove it only to church every Sunday morning—you’d be wise to ask the name of the church and check with the little old lady (unless she’s a Gemini, too). But seriously, unless the afflictions and planetary positions in the natal chart are marked, the majority of Geminis are honest—and some of them are even painfully honest to a fault. They seem to go from one extreme to another. Yet, they all—petty thief—con man—and upstanding citizen alike—will be unable to resist putting a light coat of varnish on a story at times. Of course, that’s not lying. That’s imagination.

  As promoters, all Mercury people are absolutely superb. They have no equal, not even Aries. The promotions can be strictly aboveboard, but few people are strong enough to outlast the combination of charm and sharp intellect Gemini dishes out, and that alone may be taking unfair advantage. When a Gemini tackles a worthwhile project—to sell something mankind deeply needs and wants, the angels smile on him, and we can thank those born under this Sun sign for many great and lasting improvements which have benefited all of us. At heart, every Mercury-ruled person is a salesman, even the Gemini Jesuit priests and Protestant missionaries. Take two entirely divergent examples which prove it. Gemini John F. Kennedy sold the whole world a shining ideal—and Gemini Clint Eastwood sold Hollywood a dream or two. Each in his own way, a Mercury child. Both the world and Hollywood are notoriously jaded and hard to sell.

  Geminis need to rest their busy brains with twice as much sleep as anyone else. Unfortunately, since they’re so susceptible to insomnia, they rarely get enough. Nevertheless, they should try hard to achieve rest, rest and more rest, to heal those jangled nerves and renew the over-active brain cells, because nervous exhaustion is a constant threat. Gobs of fresh, unpolluted air and barrels of bright sunshine are also necessities to keep them out of hospitals. A lack of any of these, plus suppression of activity—can make Geminis susceptible to accidents and infections involving the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. The lungs may be weak, also the intestines. Problems involving the feet, back, elimination, arthritis, rheumatism and migraine headaches are always a possibility for the Mercury people who neglect their health. The odd thing is that the Gemini can suffer an emotional breakdown more easily from boredom and confinement than from over-activity.

  Deep inside his searching, impatient nature, the Gemini seeks an ideal, and his chief problem is in recognizing what it is. It could be anything, since his imagination knows no boundaries. Money, fame, wealth, love and career are never quite enough. Mercury calls Gemini higher and higher—on and on—above and beyond, with a seductive promise of something always just a little better. The grass always looks greener just across the road. The sky is bluer over another ocean. The stars shine brighter in a different place. What is it he seeks? Perhaps some hidden, undiscovered continent within himself. Gemini is the mental explorer.

  His eyes are sharp and his talents are multiple. He has a brilliant humor, tact, diplomacy and adroitness—yet he lacks persistence and patience. He throws away the precious old too quickly for the untried new, then lives to regret the instant disposal. In spite of all the people around him, he shares his deepest emotions only with his one constant companion—his other twin self. The air is his element and his real home. He’s a stranger to earth.

  Gemini can charm a bird right out of its tree and give it five new songs to sing. But the restless Mercurial mind can too easily overlook the bluebird of happiness waiting wistfully year after year in his own backyard. He wears clear yellows, greens and blues, silver and gray—and his moods reflect his glittering aquamarine jewel. He has the light touch, echoed in the delicate fragrance of the lily-of-the-valley, and he has breathed the fresh promise of the greenest ferns in the deepest part of the forest. But the cold metal of Mercury divides Gemini with twin desires, until he stops—and waits—and listens—to his own heartbeat.

  Famous Gemini Personalities

  Barbara Bush Thomas Hardy Cole Porter

  Johnny Depp John F. Kennedy Joan Rivers

  Bob Dylan Angelina Jolie Salmon Rushdie

  Ian Fleming Robert Ludlum Clint Eastwood

  Anne Frank Paul McCartney Donald Trump

  Judy Garland Marilyn Monroe Prince William of Wales

  Paul Gauguin Mike Myers Walt Whitman

  Che Guevara Liam Neeson Frank Lloyd Wright

  The GEMINI Man

  “I could tell you my adventures—

  beginning from this morning—”

  “At least I knew who I was

  when I got up this morning,

  but I think I must have been changed

  several times since then.”

  Being in love gives you a nice sense of warm security. There’s that heavenly comfort of always knowing someone is going to be there when you need him—that you no longer walk alone. All the doubts you knew before just melt away. That is, unless you’re having a romance with a Mercury man, which might take the edge off that “warm security.” In fact, you’ll adjust much
better to a Gemini if you send him out for a loaf of bread on Monday and don’t expect him back until Thursday. Never look for him until you see him coming—and don’t hang onto his coat-tails when he wants to leave.

  Once you’ve schooled yourself to accept his restless, unpredictable spirit, there’s a good chance of making it work. But not if you’re going to insist on “that heavenly comfort of always knowing someone is going to be there.” You’ll probably never know for sure when this man is going to be anywhere, and that can bring back some of those doubts romance is supposed to melt away. It’s true that when you’re in love with a Gemini, you won’t walk alone. You most certainly won’t. You’ll have at least two people to walk with you—and both of them will be him. He was born under the sign of the twins, you know. In his case, they’re never identical twins. The dual nature of Gemini combines two completely different personalities. You might even be involved with one of those Mercury men who are triplets or quintuplets, and if so, you have quite a crowd to keep you company, even when you’re alone with him.

  The typical Gemini is the favorite of every host or hostess. He likes people. The more the merrier. It’s a rare Geminian who’s not a perfectly delightful conversationalist. He has exquisite taste, he’s loaded with witty remarks, and his compliments are masterpieces of warm sincerity. Usually a master of impeccable manners and social adroitness, he keeps the party moving in more ways than one.

  You know those scavenger hunts, where people pair off with a list of whacky items to collect, like a hair from the head of a famous movie star and the Boardwalk and Park Place property cards, and the couple which has rounded up the most items on the list gets the prize? It’s the Gemini’s favorite kind of party, because it combines the highest possible exposure to people of all kinds with the highest possible opportunity to move around from place to place—and he seeks both.

  If you meet him first at a social affair where he’s performing his fascinating multiple personality act, you haven’t a chance. You’ll be convinced he’s the most exciting, interesting, intelligent man you’ve ever come across. No one could quarrel with that analysis. He probably is. It’s no wonder you’re excited and impressed. But before you decide to change your name, be sure you’re capable of tackling an uncertain future with a man whose whims may change with the wind, and whose goals in life may shift drastically before the honeymoon is even over. Geminian Walt Whitman once wrote the lines: “Do I contradict myself? … I contain multitudes.” Whether he realized it or not, he was summing up the Mercury nature.

  One day your Gemini man may call on you with a chattering monkey perched on his shoulder and suggest going to a flea circus. He’ll bring you flowers, perfume, a bracelet or a couple of books, maybe even one he wrote himself. The hours will speed by as you happily sun yourself in his cheerful disposition, laugh at his bright, clever jokes and melt under his gay, gallant charm. He’ll say “I love you,” a hundred different ways, like no one else in the world could do.

  The next day, he’ll phone you and break a date for no earthly reason whatsoever, causing you to imagine all sorts of things. Was he only joking about loving you? Is he seeing someone else? Is he in trouble? Your fears may be true. Then again, they may be false. A week later, he’ll reappear, full of sarcastic remarks, moody and irritable. He’ll be impatient, critical and petulant. He may criticize your shoes, your lipstick or your literary taste, and have some pretty cutting doubts about the possibility of your happiness together. Either all this, or he’ll be sullen and troubled, his mind far away, distant and aloof. No use asking why, you won’t get an answer that makes any sense.

  If you survive that experience, a few more days will find you visiting an art gallery, theater, museum, library or opera with your Gemini man, absolutely hypnotized by his knowledge and wide interests. He’ll be unusually tender, full of fragile, butterfly dreams and imaginative hopes for tomorrow. Then he’ll propose. Like that. Quick as lightning. You’ll forget all the thunder and storm clouds, all the rain that fell before, say “yes,” before he changes his mind—and there you are—engaged to an enigma.

  Yes, I said enigma. If you expect anything else, like a man who’s stable and patient, who will gently play Darby to your Joan while life and love glide on as smoothly as a gondola down a romantic canal in Venice, you’re headed in the same direction as a merry-go-round. In circles. Get off fast and never mind about grabbing the brass ring. Don’t let the gay, light-hearted music seduce you into following a painted scene of constantly changing colors, with shades of dreary gray as likely to show up as sunny yellow or blissful blue. If you’re an incurable romantic, seeking perfect harmony, you’re in more than a little danger.

  No matter what the rest of his natal chart says, if the Sun was in Gemini when he was born, this man will not remain tomorrow what he is today, nor will he have any lasting memory of yesterday. In one way or another, he will change. Granted, the changes may always be for the better and he may consistently aim higher. But the element of chance is always there. If you’re a gambler, you may very well hit the jackpot with him, and find a glorious mental and emotional compatibility to celebrate on your golden wedding anniversary. But all good gamblers know the odds before they place their bet. Just be sure you do. Two rare exceptions to Geminian instability of purpose seem to be President Kennedy and England’s Queen Victoria. However, keep in mind that John Kennedy had, at all times a multitude of interests, which changed constantly, and Queen Victoria (who was very close to being a Taurus by planetary position) brought about a great many important changes in her country’s customs. Anyway, very few of us marry kings, queens or presidents, who have been forced by circumstances to mature and settle into a set pattern.

  An excellent example of Geminian duality of expression is the confession of a woman who was exposed to it. The Mercury-ruled man was a producer, and the woman was a famous, dark-haired Pisces actress. After a weekend party with friends as the guest of the Gemini on his boat, during which he was openly insulting, rude and aloof to her, by turns, the actress was dismayed and puzzled. Later, she made the remark, “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He must hate me. I’ve never done anything to him, yet he hardly spoke a word to me all weekend.” Ah, but don’t you see, she had done something to him. She had made him fall in love with her. The emotion was serious enough for him to marry her soon after the incident. But how did he react to his first knowledge of a feeling of tenderness toward her? As though she were Lucretia Borgia.

  Her experience probably won’t keep you from leaping into a romance with a Mercury man. Still, it might soothe the wounds of a few of you women who have been suffering from the cold actions of a Gemini who’s probably helplessly in love with you and cleverly concealing it for his own, unfathomable reasons. Geminis have an unconscious urge to disguise their true intent, to fence with others verbally and cloak their motives with dual actions. In general, they seek to confuse you. Then with true Geminian inconsistency, they’ll turn right around and be so direct, they’ll fairly take your breath away with their frankness and bluntness.

  Loving a Gemini is easy and fun, if you don’t try to get too close. There’s a inner core that belongs only to him that he’ll never share with another human being, even you. Keep things cool and light, and don’t be overly passionate or dramatic. Don’t bore him, always excite him and your Gemini romance can be very special. Don’t rebel against his changeability. Change with him. Be as alert and interested in life as he is. Otherwise, the love affair could become just one of those things. He seeks a mental companion above all else. One who can match his wits, even top him now and then, because he’s not an egotist. He’s a realist, and he thrives on mental challenge. The last thing he wants is a doormat or a dull mouse. Let your brain show through your feminine image. It won’t scare him off, as it might some men. It will spin him around in the right direction—toward you.

  Geminis tend to discard old friends for new ones, but not because they’re heartless. Their own personalitie
s fluctuate and advance so relentlessly, it’s only natural for them to seek those who match their interests at the time. Anywhere Gemini hangs his hat is home. There’s seldom any deep, lasting attachment to old memories, places, people and things. During a long period of loneliness, he can shed some sentimental tears, but it’s the loneliness that does it, rather than nostalgia for yesterday. He’s gregarious, and he hates—even fears—being alone for extended periods. If you can hit him with the message that you’ll be a partner who will always be around, but who won’t lean on him nor expect him to lean on you, he’ll probably consider signing a long-term contract. But remember those odds. Many Geminis marry more than once, although multiple marriage is more likely to occur when they wed too young than if they wait for maturity. Not every Gemini has two wives, but he’ll have two of almost everything else—perhaps two cars, two apartments, two college degrees, two jobs, two dreams, two pets, two razors, two hobbies, two ambitions. He likes to double up.

  In financial matters, the duality takes over again. A Mercury man may be at first fabulously generous, then abruptly turn miserly. If you average out his twin attitudes, my guess is that the generosity would win, hands down. Gemini has little desire to accumulate either money or knowledge. In each case, he prefers to absorb it, sort it, and give it back improved. He’s the communicator whose function is to create ever new, original ideas and serve others through the versatility of his quick, brilliant mental processes.

  Will he be faithful to you? In his fashion, yes, he will. There are a thousand answers to that question where Mercury is concerned. He likes to converse and he likes to mix. He’s also strangely attractive to women, so there may be occasions for whispers and suspicions. But you can count on this: It’s a rare Gemini man whose deeply ingrained sense of fairness will let him be dishonest in his actions if you have faith in him. I mean real faith and real trust. Not the kind that secretly wonders. He’ll always be able to sense if you secretly wonder. Mercury minds often intercept your private thoughts as though you were broadcasting them. However, it’s not a good idea to expect a Gemini husband to give all females a cold shoulder just because he wears a wedding band. Females are part of the scene, and Gemini must make the scene. If they’re around, he’ll talk to them—maybe even laugh with them or have a drink with them. It’s only natural for Mercury to communicate, regardless of the sex of the listener. But that doesn’t mean he has to romance them.