Mercury, your ruler, is the planet of the mind and your most outstanding characteristic is your mental energy and agility. Your thirst for knowledge enables you to flit from idea to idea with dizzying, dazzling speed.

You need constant change and stimulation in all that you do, are quickly bored with routine and have a tendency to spread yourself a little too thinly. You probably talk quickly, using your hands to add emphasis, your words trying desperately to catch up with your thoughts. You are adaptable, eloquent, versatile, logical, inquisitive, rational, restless, analytical and witty. You gobble down facts while looking around for the next mouthful, often failing to properly digest what you have already devoured.

Because the health angle of your solar chart is ruled by the powerful and intense planet Pluto, your levels of energy can be dynamic and you run the risk of living on your nerves and pushing yourself too hard and too far. Since Gemini is associated with the lungs, you are susceptible to bronchial conditions. Smoking should be avoided at all costs. Emotional or mental pressure or tension tends to manifest itself in the shoulders and can, in some cases, result in asthma. Long periods of concentration may cause aches, pains and stiffness. You are also prone to broken arms and collar bones.

Typical Geminis tend to be small and wiry with permanently youthful faces, childlike enthusiasm and an impish charm. Generally healthy, you are most likely to suffer from psychological or psychosomatic ailments or illnesses. A feeling of breathlessness can be an early indicator that all is not well with the Gemini system.

Geminis seldom bother much about their bodies or pay attention to their bodily needs. Your spontaneity and the fact that you tend to be in a constant hurry, encourages you to skip meals which can make you testy and touchy. In fact, your need for sleep and proper meals is greater than that of possibly any other sign. An over-tired Gemini can become irritating and superficial.

Your quicksilver mind (quicksilver is, of course, liquid mercury) can result in inconsistencies in your views and ideas. A mercurial temperament and a need for constant activity can make it hard for others to know precisely where you - or they - stand. You frequently possess a dual personality - symbolized by the Twins - and your moods can swing from the heights of happiness and optimism to the depths of depression and despair. In business you can be shrewd, even cunning, but you need to beware of making decisions too hastily without thinking them all the way through.

In common with the other two air signs - Libra and Aquarius - you are not entirely at ease with your emotions, mistrusting them and fearing that their irrationality may threaten your position of detached objectivity. However, to ignore or neglect your emotions can result in a build-up of internal tension which is negative and unhealthy. Getting in touch with their emotions is of prime importance for Geminis.

Beneath their butterfly personalities, Geminis are basically insecure. Your fear of feeling trapped makes it difficult for you to commit yourself to anyone or anything. It is sometimes said that Geminis spend much of their lives seeking their intellectual soul-mates and you do need the support of someone who is totally on your wavelength.