Let’s have a little Aquarian fun, boys and girls. At the Sunday dinner table this evening let’s tell mom and dad that we’ve figured out what we’d like to do in life – tell them you want to live a wandering ascetic life devoted to music, poetry and philosophy.
Are they fully supportive? Or are they a little worried about your ability to pay the rent and have health insurance?
Now you’ve just experienced a little of what it’s like to be a fixed air Aquarius. If you’re born in the sign of Aquarius (end of January through mid-February), you’re probably used to having this type of reaction from mom and dad as well as the moms and dads of the entire planet.
If you’re a fiery Sagittarius, you probably also enjoyed this experience as Sagittarius seeks experience. Check off the bucket list “Know what it feels like to be an Aquarius.” The other two fire signs (Aries and Leo) would have also enjoyed stirring the pot a little for amusement and attention.
If you’re one of the three earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), you may have had a difficult time convincing mom and dad you were serious, but if you did, you may have been surprised by their reaction. If they were unsupportive, you would have learned exactly how much that college degree means to them. If they were supportive, you may have experienced fear of living a wandering life as you have so many plans and wondered how you’d store your stuff.
If you’re one of the other two air signs (Gemini, Libra), you would have enjoyed the experience as though it were a science experiment and then spent time wondering if truly you did want to lead a wandering ascetic life devoted to music, poetry and philosophy. That would be a big change from yesterday’s life plans to be a . . .
As for the water signs, Pisces may be asking if there is truly any other life to lead while Scorpio and Cancer have a little more attachment to the emotional parts of life on earth. A wandering life has precious little attachment and water likes to relate. A rolling stone gathers no moss and water signs and moss are simpatico as both enjoy a moist environment.
More about Aquarius
Café Astrology says this about Aquarius:
One of the standout characteristics of those born under the Sun Sign of Aquarius is their unwillingness to follow the beaten track. With advancement and progress on their minds, there can be an irreverence to old and outdated ways of thinking and doing things.
Many Aquarians aim to free themselves of personal and social conditioning. Although open to change in theory, Aquarians can be surprisingly stubborn. Their idealism runs strong, but they can be very fixed in their opinions.
Often a bit aloof and even standoffish, Aquarians nonetheless are usually well-liked. They are curious and observant, and tolerant in a broad sense. Prejudice and bias is offensive to the typical Aquarius.
Aquarians are generally very clever, witty, and intellectual. They value progress and frankness. It’s difficult to throw Aquarians for a loop—they’re generally on top of things.
There is a bit of reformer in Aquarius. They’ll try to get you to see through superficiality, and encourage you to be open and forthright. “Be true to yourself” and “Don’t follow the crowd” are mottos we easily associate with this sign.
Aquarians need space and value personal freedom. Any attempt to box them in will likely fail. They’ll happily return the favor; and they will treat people from all walks of life as equals. Equality and fairness are hallmarks of the sign. If you’re quirky and “different”, all the better.
Ali Sher Navai
If life as an Aquarius is challenging in the 21st century, imagine it in the 15th century. (Since Aquarius is also associated with futuristic thinking and genius, probably no century is easy).
February 9 is the birthday of Ali Sher Navai a 15th century polymath and considered the founder of early Turkic literature. Aquarian Navai had a day job during the 15th century Timurid Empire, living in what is today Afghanistan.
To be born on February 9 in the 15th century meant that the sun was in 29 degrees of Aquarius. Today this same date is about 19 degrees of Aquarius. The shift is due to precession of the earth’s axis.
While Navai appears to have traversed the worlds of earth, air, water and fire equally well, his chart suggests that his domain was primarily air with sun and Mars (in Aquarius), moon (in Libra) and Uranus (in Gemini) in air signs.
In addition, Navai had Mercury, Jupiter and Venus in the mystic and empathetic water sign of Pisces. Navai’s The Language of the Birds is, according to the translators, “a story about the hard journey to Sufi enlightenment.”
Navai’s Neptune in Virgo and Mercury in Pisces are in what’s called mutual reception so work for Navai must have taken on a spiritual significance.
With Saturn in Taurus, material concerns did play a role in his life. What I find with Saturn in Taurus is a sense of material want even in the midst of wealth. There is a sense that others have something you do not. Combined with Neptune in Virgo, this thinker, poet and mystic probably elevated a dreary work-life into a heighted sense of meaning.
Providing for material needs often does suck up one’s time and artistic endeavor often needs empty space, chance encounters and unusual situations that don’t occur in the middle of routine. Somehow Navai managed to balance the daily world with the creative world as he was a prolific writer. Maybe that was possible in the 15th century when there was no rush hour?
Aquarius in its highest, non-rebellious, nature is a humanitarian.
Know all humankind: Amity with the world is a great blessing. Enmity the greatest curse.
Alisher Nava’i (from introduction to The Language of the Birds)
Alice Walker
In the 21st century it is possible to earn one’s keep entirely through artistic achievement. Another February 9 birthday is writer Alice Walker.
Walker’s chart is composed primarily of air and fire with a touch of earth and no water. Astro.com gives her a Sagittarius rising.
Having a Sagittarius rising, Aquarius sun and moon/Jupiter conjunct in Leo provides a very energetic, headstrong personality that has no problems with challenging the norms. In other words, the unique and rebellious Aquarius has brought a troop of equally unique and rebellious friends.
Moon in fiery Leo loves attention and Jupiter adds even more drama to a naturally dramatic and engaging personality. However, moon in Leo is opposite sun in airy Aquarius so Walker is by turns passionately involved and emotionally detached.
Lack of water indicates lack of emotional connection. That might seem odd for a writer but that’s simply the difference between air-sign connection and water-sign connection. Air is mental and water is emotional. Air connects through language and ideas. Water connects through shared emotional experience.
Walker also has Uranus, Mars and Saturn in air sign Gemini. She probably is air-sign moody and changeable, but that is not the same as water sign emotional. For example, a person filled with air energy may feel the need, for no particular reason, to sleep on the couch rather than the bed tonight. Our water energies are put on full alert for emotional rejection of highest order. Your air-sign partner doesn’t get it. He/she simply wants to sleep on the couch — this has nothing to do with you.
In the world of elements, I find the changeability of air is often confused for the emotionalism of water.
Saturn in Gemini suggests insecurity over language. This also should not come as a surprise as we often select careers where we overcome our own insecurities.
Mercury and Venus in Capricorn suggest maturity and seriousness with a desire for respect. As transiting Pluto is soon to cross over Venus, Walker may find a new social group or lifestyle. In a few years when it crosses over Mercury, she may find a new writing style or role in communicating. If she’s not a professor now, she may be at that time.
When transiting Jupiter enters Leo next summer, she may receive some additional awards or honors. In January 2015, transiting Saturn will cross her ascendant adding energy to the thought that she may change aspects of her personality to take on a role in a position of authority.
Travis Tritt
Now let’s move on to another February 9 birthday – this time for musician Travis Tritt.
Tritt has sun in Aquarius with Saturn conjunct. He has moon in Virgo tucked in between Uranus and Pluto.
Like Walker, Tritt has Mercury and Venus in earthy Capricorn. He has Jupiter in watery Pisces and Mars in fiery Leo. The Astro.com chart provides a Cancer rising.
My first thought upon seeing this chart was “nervousness and anxiety.” While you might say Walker’s Aquarius sun brought some friends with similar energy, Travis’ Aquarian sun brought a bunch of people who are telling him what to do all the time.
Aquarius hates that.
Saturn on the sun suggests authority who keeps whispering in his Aquarius ear how things should be done. In life that often is a father, teacher or other authority figure.
Moon in Virgo is mentally active 100 percent of the time and Uranus and Pluto sitting on either side are egging this on. Uranus and Pluto won’t let this man relax. This placement indicates excessive worry and nervous exhaustion. Tritt definitely needs a discipline like yoga that promote mental calmness.
Tritt’s artistic expression might be born of this very need to fuel excessive mental energy into something creative. I’m guessing sleep is difficult to achieve and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a man who wakes in the middle of the night with music in his head.
If he does have a Cancer rising as the Astro.com chart suggests, then Tritt is also extremely shy. Performing might be the only time he comes out of his emotional and mental armor.
While Tritt has the same need to be his own person as other Aquarians, his chart provides more conflict with going it alone or bucking the norm. Neptune in Scorpio keeps telling him that emotional connection won’t happen if he’s too different. Mars in Leo tells him that expression demands he do his own thing. Sun-Neptune-Mars forms what is called a T-square.
Transiting Jupiter in Cancer is crossing Tritt’s ascendant which provides a happy home life and lots of warm and comforting food. Jupiter also brings abundance so weight gain is also suggested.
As Jupiter moves into Leo next summer, Tritt will be energized to come out of the warm comforts of home to socialize. Maybe there’s a tour coming?
Transiting Saturn is in Tritt’s 4th house transiting natal Neptune. Again, there is a reluctance to leave home life due to strong feelings coming from that area of life. Possibly even some new family members? A family situation that needs extra attention?
Transiting Pluto in crossing natal Venus in the house of work (6th). Transiting Uranus is at the midheaven and will soon move into the 10th. This suggests hard work for a new career or endeavor. Sounds, again, like a tour with a different twist than past tours.
Zhang Ziyi
In the world of film, February 9 brings us actress Zhang Ziyi.
Zhang has Mars, Mercury and sun all in Aquarius. Mercury and sun are in a nice, tight trine to Pluto in Libra. Moon is inconjunct that sun/Pluto trine in home-oriented Cancer. Zhang has a great need for independence but seeks an equally independent partner. The moon in Cancer has a strong need for home, family and the familiar. Likely these conflicting needs create the desire to create one’s own unique family and circle of friends.
Neptune in Sagittarius creates an attraction to the new, unique and foreign. There is also a love of travel here, travel being the equivalent of a high.
Saturn in Virgo combined with Aquarian energy creates a strong need for perfection and belief one is never perfect enough. Saturn square Neptune also is a little bit of a drag on Neptune as Neptune wants to soar into the sky and Virgo worries about the anchor (while the Aquarius sun has already signed up for a new experience).
Uranus in Scorpio is also in square to the sun suggesting that Zhang is prone to strong sexual attraction to emotional types that hinder her freedom. At the same time moon in Cancer sort of likes that someone is obsessed with me . . .you get the idea.
Transiting Saturn in Scorpio is probably triggering this very problem right now. Uranus is also very sudden and the desire to connect or break free is very strong right now. Air Aquarius is meant to live in the world of ideals not the world of emotional obsession.
By late 2015 and into 2016, Zhang will be sorting out the need for interesting and unique experiences and how to have those experiences without becoming entrapped in others emotional needs.
Transiting Jupiter in Cancer crossed Zhang’s moon making her more emotional than usual. Maybe a little bit of pregnancy going on? A few more tears than usual? More connection to her mother?
When Jupiter enters Leo next summer, the emotional upheavals will turn into more personal expression with a little love and attention thrown in. Children, again, come to mind.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to our unique Aquarian friends.
Alice Walker
Ohio Astrology 