My twins are eight at this writing on Valentines Day, 1983. Reflecting on our lives together, it is almost unimaginable a time before them. I can still summons up those soulful first few feelings upon realization that I was carrying three hearts, yet their presence has always been known to me.

For first clues, astrology and its totems will shed some light. I am a double Gemini, with my moon in Leo. My twin girls are both (naturally) Leos. Their slight differences in birthing time gave me all the proof needed to trust the wise use of astrology ever since. The marked differences in who these two people are as twins is accountable to the difference in degrees of their rising sign, and the planet which was exactly in the east at my footing breech’s delivery, and then minutes later on the rise in my head first’s natal chart.

As Gemini, the "twins" of the zodiac, I always associated myself with twins- in fact, my only sibling was born just 16 months after my own arrival and we were raised like twins. In addition, I would often imagine my future family seeing the birth order of my twins. When eleven years old I gave up a childhood practice of creating paper dolls of my family-to-be- usually there were several sets of twins almost always buffered by singletons. To date, we have our Loi, who is 13 years, the twins, our Oceana and Cheyenne, and our little brother Gannon, Just now 3 years. The twins want us to have another set of twins, preferably girls. My husband wants a brother for Gannon and a sister for me! Myself, I’m leaving it up to God (us).

I am tempted to "call" for twins again, even with remembrance of the terrible two (times two) phases. When we would run into the definite limitation of one mother for two "REALITY testing" toddlers, I’d surrender. The greatest way I grew as a person was by extending my need and sharing my children during the first few years of the twin life. The twins made for us life-long friends and a community sprung up around them. This could be easily prophesized by the fact that 100 people came to visit the twins within days after their homebirth. Their ability to bring together friends extends to this day, and though we naturally homeschool our children, there is still little obstacle to them having many good friends, both gold and silver!

The amazingly only thing I didn’t really like during that period was two toddlers running off in opposite directions in dangerous situations. That and the exhaustion of course. Yet for nursing them both for years, and their brother’s pregnancy bringing extra call for my energy, I was indeed glad when they weaned themselves. That closeness continues to this day and curling up between my "twin sandwich" is one of our favorite things to do together.

When the elementary school years drew near, experiences with Waldorf Education, as beautiful and soul-making as it was, drew my attention to the possibility of homeschool. All in all, the twins attended half a week for the first year and one year after that. From then on, they have stayed home. When we moved to central Utah, they were curious about the public school here so we brought them one day. Suffice to say, I found the environment unhealthy, unaesthetic, radioactive (with fluorescence and television/computers everywhere) and otherwise unappealing. I kept my opinion to myself and was ushered in to meet the principal. After interviewing, he thought it best the girls stay home- as if they were intelligent, they would soon be brought down to " average". And so with the blessing, of sorts, of the local school board here, we stay home during most school hours/days.

In actuality, homeshool is a 25 hours a day affair. The twins are then with one another all the time- yet within our family, this is not unusual, as all of us are with one another most of the time. We call it being householders, and especially so in the winter we are continually together as a family indoors.

And so the twins, with the added challenge of being leos by natal birth are learning to share in more and more subtle ways. I am continually amazed at the close connection they have. Even at this time, they will start a sentence together or one will begin it and the other will end it. Their bodily functions are of the same rhythms often as are their tastes and preference in material goods. And their actual timing of accidents are in complete accord with their birth timing and that the planet Mars was on my firstborn twin's charted ascendant, and back away in the twelfth house for my second born twin.

And as many other mothers of twins do note, first one twin might hurt herself in a certain place, and the other will in so many minutes do the same bizarre thing, of course in the same place, or mirror opposite, I’ve heard some mothers tell. I find this all fascinating and try my best to put this information to good use in raising heal thy and happy children.

I am noticing that their relationship grows stronger as they mature. In primary school at church for example, the twins will stick up for one another in a sisterhood uncommon amongst their peers and younger kids. They indeed have a sense of self and confidence which comes as much from their souls (and being leos is another way to explain that) as from caring and unique parenting. They learn easily and are rarely even ill. And as a family of vegetarians, the twins have compassion and reverence of life that far exceed their years. In part that is the fringe benefit of being a twin- an ability to extend compassion to other (s).

And yet- each on her own does well enough. And the attraction/ repulsion dance goes on…. And when I say their relationship grows stronger, this is meant in all ways. The fighting is easing up, and the practice of "give and take" takes less a toll upon the pride and passion of two very strong little sisters. The older they get, the kinder and we are blessed to participate in the continuance of their special bond. It is truly an honor to witness the "two in the one" as their twinship so well expresses. As each paints one half of a detailed landscape, their art shares beauty of soul as well. A rare beauty of two souls so close they seem to be one.