Twins in Astrology
If astrology is real, why are there twins who are seemingly the opposite of one another, and why do they have different fates?
Perhaps this question has previously come up whenever someone asked you about the validity of astrology, or maybe you’ve even pondered upon it yourself. Even Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE) thought about it all. He used this question as a means to condemn astrological practices later on in his life due to its “determinism"— it conflicted with the Christian doctrines of man’s free will and how God is not the cause of evil.
As Augustine refuted astrology with the idea of dissimilar twins, he asked:
“Why, in the life of twins—in their actions, the events that befall them, their professions, arts, honours and other things pertaining to human life, as well as in their very deaths—is there often so great a difference that, as far as these things are concerned, many entire strangers are more like them than they are like each other, though separated at birth by the smallest interval of time but at conception generated by the same act and at the same moment?”
I suppose no one told Saint Augustine how the smallest interval of time does in fact change the twins’ fates and how they manifest through their own free will. I’m also assuming he’s never met a set of twins who happened to have parallel interests and lives, even after being separated!
I’m reminded of the uncanny resemblances of the Jim Twins…
— [archived article, dated 1979]
James ‘Jim’ Lewis of Lima Ohio, and James 'Jim’ Springer of Piqua, Ohio were both adopted weeks after their birth. Despite being 45 miles apart throughout their lives, they both were renamed as James by their adoptive parents, had a dog named Toy, and enjoyed the same school subjects. They even both married and divorced women named Linda, then remarried women named Betty.
However after meeting, their lives changed as one of them remarried while the other did not. As these two are just one example out of many, it brings up a topic of debate surrounding twins and the impact of nature vs. nurture. This is where Maurice Fernandez of Opa Astrology acknowledges and explores the ’Psychological factors’ of twins and their presence or lack of similarities. Twins that were raised together, have the chance of developing a need to compete for resources and attention. Potentially, this could lead them to take steps towards distinguishing themselves apart from one another.
There’s always a flip side, where they could potentially develop the same interests as well. However, this doesn’t always suggest that they’d manifest it the same way either. This is where Fernandez refers to the ’Soul and Free-will Factor,’ which explains how each twin has a different level of consciousness that’s capable of activating certain aspects or areas of their natal charts.
Take for example a pair of Libra sun twins—they both enjoy the arts and have the charming nature associated with said sign. However, one may rather stay in to paint and express beauty through their creations, while the other may express it more outwardly as they go out to dance and entertain.
”I think it’s a bit like genetics. Even though twins can have the same DNA, their gene expression can be quite different due to lifestyle choices. Astrology is more about themes... how each twin chooses to personally develop will determine how their chart will express itself.“
”Astrology is a map, your body is the ship, and you are the captain. You decide what route and what energy you use to get there. Two million people may be born with the same chart but very few will want to go to the same place.“
As we take a step back again to analyze the natal charts of twins, we may notice how there are degrees that are ever so slightly differing from one another. I’ve previously written an Astro Observation where I explained how Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen had differences in their professional and love lives.
Through applying the Nikola Stojanović degree theory to the minutes, I was able to interpret the differences between Mary-Kate and Ashley. The former was deemed as less fussy during their time on Full House, and as adults, one had a divorce while the other never even tied the knot yet. Nevertheless, they still had similar paths! They both worked alongside each other in entertainment for the majority of their lives, and transitioned into the fashion industry as well.
Reading the Degrees
Each degree is associated with a zodiac sign, further painting another layer of information onto the native’s chart placements:
0° = Purest expression of the sign it’s in
Aries (1°, 13°, 25°)
37° , 49°
Taurus (2°, 14°, 26°)38° , 50°
Gemini (3°, 15°, 27°)39° , 51°
Cancer (4°, 16°, 28°)40° , 52°
Leo (5°, 17°, 29°)41° , 53°
Virgo (6°, 18°)30° , 42°, 54°
Libra (7°, 19°)31° , 43°, 55°
Scorpio (8°, 20°)32° , 44°, 56°
Sagittarius (9°, 21°)33° , 45°, 57°
Capricorn (10°, 22°)34° , 46°, 58°
Aquarius (11°, 23°)35° , 47°, 59°
Pisces (12°, 24°)36° , 48°
Please keep in mind that there are some astrological placements that actually move quicker than others!
Ex. The rising sign moves one degree every 4 minutes, and moves into a new sign for approximately 2 hours… unless they are within the timeframe for Pisces or Aries since they only rise for approximately 1-1.5 hours on average.
This is why there are instances where twins have some differences, no matter how big or small. The exact birth time is incredibly important in order to read the characteristics of a person, but it does not wholly determine how they exactly manifest it into their lives. Perhaps Saint Augustine would have reconsidered his stance on astrology if he was exposed to the discoveries of Modern Astrology. After all, it was only recently that Nikola Stojanović introduced his degree theory to the world of astrology.
However, Vedic astrologers have always delved into the details of a native’s life through accurate birth times and divisional charts that are derived from the main one. The Shashtiamsa (D60) in particular must be as precise as possible since the Lagna (ascendant) of this chart changes every 120 seconds!
Vedic Astrology and Divisional Charts
Vedic astrology is quite precise when it came to reading the stars. That is why there are more answers regarding twins, and how they can be different from one another in terms of interests or even paths!from one another in terms of interests or even paths!
As I’ve previously explained, the Lagna of your birth chart changes degrees every 4 minutes. But in the divisional charts, each Lagna has the ability to change quite quickly. Therefore, they could give different results of Dasha. The Dasha is considered a major planetary period that could indicate whether there are good or bad effects of a placement. This is according to the sign (Rasi), house (Bhava), combinations (Yogas/Raja Yogas), and aspects (Drishti).
Overall there are 42 different Dasha systems, and I’ll be honest— I’m nowhere near being an intermediate - advanced Vedic astrologer, so I won’t be able to further explain the intricacies of each system. But I’ll have you know… Saint Augustine probably would have changed his mind about astrology if he knew about the Vedic methods of interpretation.
—(●’3)♡(ε`●)—
