A special series on Twins and Astrology by Astrologist Ruth Orvis. Twins run in Ruth's family and she has always had more than a passing interest in the subject. In an exclusive essay for Twinstuff, she discusses how twins who are basically born at the same time can have different astrological signs and personalities.

By the way, do you know why the astrological sign Gemini is known as the sign of the twins? It's for the two brightest stars in its star pattern, Castor and Pollux, the mythlogical twin brothers of Helen of Troy. Pollux is the brighter of the two star clusters; it's an orange-giant star that is about 35 light years from Earth. Castor is actually a cluster of about six stars and is approximately 50 light years from Earth.

According to myth, Castor was a horseman and Pollux a boxer. They were inseparable on their journeys and usually accompanied by the Argonauts on their journeys. They are different from most twins in that they share the same mother (Leda) but had different fathers, Castor was the offspring of a King of Sparta, Tyndareus, while Pollux was the son of Zeus. Pollux was the only one of the twins who was a full brother to Helen of Troy.

Castor and Pollus were rambunctuous fellows, mostly spending their time raiding cattle and abducting young women, as Greek Gods tended to do. On one such raid, a cousin, Idas, became enraged at Castor and killed him. Zeus immediately threw a thunderbolt at Idas, killing the cousin.

Pollux, the son of Zeus, was immortal, but was so distraught over the death of his twin brother that he wanted to follow Castor to Hades. In later mythology, it is said that Zeus decided to place both twins in the heavens side-by-side, where they can still be seen on most clear nights.

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Part 1: An Introduction to Astrology

Part 2: Why are My Twins so Different?

Part 3: What it Means to a Parent

Part 4: Case Studies