In my opinion, one of the most effective criticisms of how astrology can work involves twins. I have observed a number of them and inquired into the events of their lives to see how similar or dissimilar they are. While they often have lives that unfold in parallel, they sometimes don’t – or at least not at first glance. Astrologically speaking, each will experience the same transits to the same natal planets at the same time. The response to each transit, however, can and does differ. So how to account for the uniqueness of each twin when they share virtually the same place, date, and time of birth? Some would say environmental factors; others might cite (epi)genetic differences. A numerologist would say it’s in their different names. I think astrology can be much more refined than how it is normally portrayed. For example, I found that the average time between the births of twins is 17 minutes. The Ascendant (Rising Sign), which is the most personal point in the chart and would have much to do with astrological differences between twins, changes about 1 degree every 4 minutes. Each degree – of the 360 degree circle of the zodiac – has its own meaning according to various texts. This could be one way to differentiate twins astrologically. There are more, but that’s for another time.

Pluto Uranus Saturn and Earth (October 3, 2009)