Gemini III: The Truth Tellers of the Zodiac

Today, I continue my exploration of the Decans of the Zodiac with Gemini III, the third Decan of Gemini. Gemini is an air sign. It's ruled by Mercury, the god of communication. He was Hermes in the Greek pantheon who brought messages back and forth to the gods. Air signs all have to do with thinking and communication. They're all associated with the swords in tarot cards, if you're a tarot aficionado. Gemini is also a mutable sign, so it has this playful, flexible quality about it.

What Differentiates Gemini III

We're going to find out that what differentiates this decan of Gemini from the other two is that it has this sense of the battle being over—a completion of the thought process. Folks who have important planets or points in this part of the Zodiac tend to be the truth-tellers of the world, the people who perhaps want to ensure that we're looking at what reality is, as opposed to what we wish it were. Sometimes they can tell that truth to their own detriment.

We're going to find that in the case of Edward Snowden, who has his Mars, Sun, and North Node in this decan. The famous comedian George Carlin has his moon in this decan and enjoyed telling the truth in a funny way, which can be mercurial, about United States policies. We're also going to see Sigmund Freud had his Saturn here, and he was the founder of psychoanalysis who talked about the “reality principle” and so forth. There's a lot to unpack.

If you enjoy the video, like and subscribe. It helps people find my content.

Planetary Rulership

The first step we always take in exploring the Decans is to look at which planets rule the decan. Of course, we have Mercury that rules the whole sign, so he's got some energy here. But then we also have Saturn and the Sun. Under the Chaldean order, the Sun is responsible for this decan, and under the Triplicity system, Saturn is.

When we blend the energy of these three planets, we get the vibe of something about consciousness. The Sun has to do with what we know, what we can see, because the Sun shines light on reality. Then we have the limitations, or what is real, what is possible—Saturn. And finally, we have communication—Mercury—and ideas—Mercury.

When we put all three of those together, we can really get the essence of this decan. People with planets here tend to be people who want to shine a light—the Sun—on what is real—Saturn. Saturn's the last planet we can see with the naked eye. He's about what's real, what's possible in the material world. He does not bullshit you the way Jupiter might. I love Jupiter. He's an expansive, optimistic, happy energy. But he can sometimes inflate the truth. Saturn does not do that. Saturn's like, "What is real?"

People with planets in this decan may also use their voice to communicate about the truth. Hence, the examples of Edward Snowden, George Carlin, Sigmund Freud, and other folks.

Ancient Esoteric Texts

After we look at the planets that are responsible for the decan, we can also look to ancient esoteric texts like Ibn Ezra, the Picatrix, and Agrippa. I'm just going to quote from Ibn Ezra first. Some of the language here is a little wonky because it's from the 14th century, so hold that in mind, but you'll get the vibe.

Ibn Ezra says that this face of Gemini is, quote, "a man seeking arms who has a bow and a quiver, and in his hand an arrow and clothing and golden ornaments, and he desires to play music and laugh and mock in all sorts of ways."

The idea of laughter and mocking—we really see that in George Carlin, who was a comedian who loved to make fun of the truth about some of the crazy shit that the United States did back in the '60s and '70s.

Then we have the Picatrix, which describes this decan as "a man garbed with a cuirass, holding a bow and arrows and a quiver. And this is a face of boldness, honesty, and the division and alleviations of labor."

From those last two, we get the idea of boldness and honesty, as well as jests. The jesting part—you can bring in George Carlin. But if you think about Edward Snowden, there was a boldness about his move to release the classified documents that led him to have to flee the United States. I'll talk more about his biography later.

This decan is about bold action that’s also, at times, funny or poking fun, or speaking the truth to power.

Tarot and Symbolism

If we look at the tarot cards and the associated numerology and Kabbalistic ideas tied to this decan, we have the Ten of Swords in the Rider-Waite deck. Here, we see a man lying face down with ten swords in his back. As Rachel Pollock notes in 78 Degrees of Wisdom, it takes only one sword to kill someone. This is kind of overkill, including a sword in his ear.

10 of Swords, Rider-Waite Tarot

At the same time, in the distance, the skies are clearing, and we get this sense of an insight or some understanding. Symbolically, this card gives the sense of a completion of a thought cycle. I say "thought" because swords are always about thinking, as well as communication and ideas.

This is the total decimation—the end—or the realization of truth hitting this person.

In the Nine of Swords, we see a woman up at night having a nightmare. If you know anything about depth psychology, you understand that when we're in a position where some new insight is trying to penetrate consciousness, we often get into a state where our mind goes crazy. It’s called "perseveration," where everything flies around in your mind until the moment you integrate the truth, and it settles into your body.

9 of Swords, Rider-Waite Tarot

That’s where we get to the Ten of Swords—the lightning flash of revelation about the thing you didn’t want to know, and the whole world didn’t want to know. Now you know it, and knowing it can lead to your ruin. It can lead to difficulty when you speak the truth about things people might not want to hear.

Now you know it, and knowing it can lead to your ruin. It can lead to difficulty, right, when you speak the truth about that which people might not want to hear—the truth. And so this “Ruin,” the Ten of Swords, is the Thoth tarot deck description for this card and this decan.

10 of Swords, “Ruin,” Thoth Tarot

If we put all that together, we can see that people with points or placements like the Ascendant in this part of the chart may be people who see things, see reality, and perhaps speak something about that reality. The speaking comes from Mercury.

Edward Snowden and the Energy of Gemini III

Applying these concepts to the examples I gave, let’s first talk about Edward Snowden. His Mars—Mars is the god of war—is in this decan of the Zodiac as well as his Sun and the North Node. I believe Gemini is also his rising sign, but his Ascendant is in one of the earlier points of Gemini.

Edward Snowden was a former CIA technical assistant and an NSA contractor. He disclosed classified information or documents in 2013 that revealed the U.S. government’s extensive surveillance programs. These programs included collecting global phone records and internet activity.

On his own, he voluntarily disclosed these documents and then revealed his identity, taking the repercussions. He stated that his goal was to inform the public about the NSA's invasive operations, which he believed threatened democracy and personal freedoms.

He had a really comfortable life. He was making over $200,000 a year. But after he disclosed this information, he ultimately had to flee the country. He is now in Russia, where he sought asylum.

Snowden had his Mars, the Sun and the North Node in this decan, and he suffered a more difficult fate than George Carlin, who was also a truth-teller but had his Moon here. The Moon is a very different planet than Mars. Mars is what we call a malefic planet—it can lead to difficulties in our lives in the material sense.

Snowden made a great sacrifice by revealing these documents and suffering the consequences. He made a bold choice—remember how we talked about that idea of being bold from the Ibn Ezra text—to expose these surveillance practices.

This was a clear act of conscious awareness. The Sun, which relates to conscious awareness and rules this decan, is part of this. He wielded this energy through communication, using Mercury, which rules Gemini. He suffered the harsh consequences of telling the truth—Saturn, the last planet that rules this decan. Saturn also represents the government, which came down hard on him.

I believe Snowden also has Saturn conjunct Pluto in his birth chart, which can bring a sense of imprisonment or being held down in life. I thought that was interesting.

The tarot card associated with this decan, the Ten of Swords, illustrates themes of intellectual and spiritual catharsis. This card represents that cathartic moment when you realize the truth and let go, speaking it no matter what the consequences are. It dismantles illusions and transforms us through disclosing the truth.

George Carlin: Humor and Truth-Telling

Moving on to George Carlin—one of the most iconic comedians of the 20th century—his humor perfectly reflected the bold, truth-telling energy of the third decan of Gemini. Carlin used his sharp intellect and biting wit to expose uncomfortable truths about politics, religion, and human behavior, often mocking the absurdities of societal norms with brutal honesty. This relentless drive to shine a light on reality aligns strongly with the Sun’s influence in this decan, while his ability to communicate these truths boldly and unapologetically reflects Mercury’s rulership of Gemini.

Carlin’s humor wasn’t just about making people laugh; it was about forcing his audience to think critically about the systems they lived in. His famous routines on topics like war, consumerism, and censorship often pushed boundaries and made people confront the darker realities of American society. In many ways, his comedy was a form of rebellion, using satire and mockery as tools for exposing the flaws in institutionalized beliefs—a perfect example of the boldness Ibn Ezra described for this decan.

Carlin’s moon placement here likely contributed to his emotional connection to truth-telling, as well as his ability to connect deeply with audiences while confronting them with harsh realities. His work embodies the idea of dismantling illusions, a theme echoed in the Ten of Swords, showing us how humor—like the catharsis of this tarot card—can be a tool for intellectual and spiritual transformation. Carlin’s legacy shows how the energy of Gemini III can be sharp, bold, and transformative, using communication as a weapon to challenge what we see as 'normal' and provoke real change

Sigmund Freud: The Reality Principle

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, had his Saturn in this decan of Gemini—a placement that strongly resonates with the themes of reality, truth, and dismantling illusions. Freud is most famously associated with the concept of the 'reality principle,' which is essentially the idea that our ability to function as adults depends on confronting the truth of external reality, even when it conflicts with our inner desires or fantasies. This principle aligns perfectly with the Saturnian energy of Gemini III, which pushes us to face what is real, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

Freud argued that the human psyche is often at war with itself, torn between the pleasure principle—our instinctual drive to seek immediate gratification—and the reality principle, which forces us to delay gratification and accept the limits imposed by the real world. This tension is reflective of the interplay between Mercury, Saturn, and the Sun in this decan. Mercury brings intellectual awareness, Saturn enforces boundaries and limitations, and the Sun illuminates the truths we’d often rather avoid.

Freud’s work was all about uncovering these deeper truths, even when they were painful. Through techniques like dream analysis and free association, he sought to bring the unconscious into conscious awareness. This mirrors the themes of the Ten of Swords, the tarot card associated with this decan, which symbolizes the catharsis that comes from facing difficult truths head-on. Much like the figure in the card pierced by swords, Freud believed that transformation could only come through confronting the hidden wounds and illusions that shape our lives.

His work on repressed memories and childhood trauma also speaks to the Saturnian focus on structure and the foundations of our psyche. By dismantling the stories we tell ourselves to avoid pain, Freud’s theories encouraged people to face the hard truths of their inner worlds and integrate them into their conscious lives. Freud’s Saturn placement in Gemini III seems to have given him a unique ability to articulate and illuminate these truths in a way that fundamentally changed how we understand the human mind. His legacy is a testament to the power of this decan’s energy to confront reality, dismantle illusions, and transform the way we think.

Albert Hofmann: LSD and Perception

Lastly, Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who famously synthesized and discovered the effects of LSD has his Ascendant, the degree of his rising sign, in Gemini III. His life’s work reflects the energy of this decan. Gemini III is about bold truth-telling, insight, and dismantling illusions, and Hofmann’s exploration of psychedelics brought humanity a radical new way of seeing reality.

Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938, but it wasn’t until 1943 that he ingested it and experienced its profound effects. This moment, which he later called his 'bicycle day,' opened the door to a completely new understanding of consciousness. LSD helped users break free from the mental constructs and illusions that typically shape their view of the world, allowing people to confront the raw truth of reality in ways that were both exhilarating and transformative.

This aligns with the Sun’s influence in Gemini III, which sheds light on the unseen and pushes us to explore deeper truths. Hofmann’s work also embodies Mercury’s rulership over Gemini, as LSD often heightened perception, communication, and intellectual insight. Psychedelics, in many ways, function as a tool for seeing beyond the surface—a perfect fit for the curiosity and mental sharpness associated with Gemini.

Saturn’s influence in this decan also plays a key role in Hofmann’s legacy. While LSD offered groundbreaking insights, it also required responsibility and boundaries—Saturn’s domain. Hofmann himself was deeply aware of this duality. He advocated for the careful and intentional use of psychedelics as tools for self-discovery and healing, rather than as substances for escapism. He believed that responsible use could help us dismantle the illusions and constructs that hold us back, much like the Ten of Swords in tarot, which represents cathartic transformation through confronting hard truths.

Hofmann’s life and work exemplify the bold, transformative energy of Gemini III. By synthesizing a compound that allowed people to break free from illusion and gain profound insights into themselves and the world, Hofmann became a pioneer of human consciousness. His legacy highlights how this decan’s energy can illuminate hidden truths and bring about intellectual and spiritual awakening.

Make it stand out

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this exploration of Gemini III. If you did, please like and subscribe, and I’ll see you in about ten days for the first decan of Cancer. Thanks so much!