12 string guitar

hi guys,
I am a beginning guuitar player, I've been messin around teachin myself for about 6 months and am becoming a good player, not super good, but havin fun anyways. I have no problems tuning my guitars, but the other day I was given a 12 string from my uncle. I know how to tune the normal 6 strings, but the matching ones are done in octabes, I know that much. What I am askin is how are they tuned? I know the high e string and it's couple are both tuned to e, but I also know the low e and it's couple aren't both tuned the same, so how's it work? thx for your time

It's tuned the same way as a six string except the 4h to 6th strings are tuned in octaves. The first and second strings are tuned in unison.
There's a chart at the bottom of the alternate tuning page on guitar tricks showing the tuning...
http://www.guitartricks.com/2000/trick.php?trick_id=1754

u have been blessed with a glorios uncle. playing the 12-string is like skiing, a bit trickey at start if u are trying to teach yourself, but well worth it in the end. the thing that inspired me to learn was the song Love Of My Life by queen. listen and be petrified. i have been trying for years and still can't play it. try anyway, its a great laugh.

12 strings are marvelous. If you want to hear a broad range of its potentional listen to (amoungst other things) bands from the 60's and 70's like The Seekers, The Hollies, The Merseybeats and, of course, The Eagles. Also, Peter Buck from REM uses a twevle string Rickenbecker on many songs. There's tonnes of things you can draw from.
Try some songs you already know, you'll be inspired to come up with new ideas.
As for tuning, Hootayah was absolutely right. I would look something like this:

Ee, Aa, Dd, Gg, bb, ee

Where the capital is the six string tone and the small letter is the octave.

I got distracted while stringing my tweleve string and ended up with

eE, aA, dD, gG, bb, ee

Has a slightly different sound. Something worth experimenting with!

Good luck and have fun!