Real-life, non-textbook Aquarians

I'm going to attempt to illustrate a remark in last Saturday's post - the comment that I've long wondered whether textbooks have Aquarius slightly wrong. Well, maybe not all textbooks, nor for everyone, but wrong for some age groups.

The position of a Sun sign's ruler is likely to modify the way the Sun sign manifests. I suspect that such modification is most easily identifiable in the case of Aquarius and its modern ruler, Uranus.

Uranus, moves very slowly, taking a long human lifetime(around 84 years) to make full circle of the zodiac. (Even Aquarius' traditional ruler, Saturn, is the slowest mover of the inner planets, but I'll ignore that for now, to avoid confusion.)

While Uranus is traversing each zodiac sign, a very wide swath of Aquarius-born folk will be be affected. Rulers of most other Sun signs cover the full zodiac in fairly quick order. There are millions of Sun Geminis with Gemini's ruler, Mercury in Capricorn, for instance, but they are not all of the same age group, they're scattered. The same applies to almost all other rulers of Sun signs.

I can confidently say that any Sun Aquarian who went to school when I did had their Sun's ruler in Taurus, and consequently were a similar variety of Aquarius. This would not be so for most other Sun signs. Pisces and Scorpio may experience similar effects - their modern rulers, Neptune and Pluto are also very slow moving.

An additional thought - Saturn, Aquarius' traditional ruler, may still figure quite heavily in the makeup of Aquarius, and more especially when Uranus, the modern ruler, is in an Earth sign.

So... some real-life examples which I see as support for the above. A few Aquarians I have known and loved. All these were born between 23 January and 8 February.

First, my father. I have enough of his birth data to know that from him I inherited Sun Aquarius, Mercury in Capricorn and Saturn in Aries. He was a master baker first and foremost. He and my mother spent their lives running their own small businesses, first a bakery and shop, later a small hotel, a cafe, a fruit shop, and latterly sub-Post Offices. They were an Airy pair (Aquarius/Libra) with itchy feet, loved to move house and location, and had a variety of talents. Was my Dad in any way typical of Aquarius ? Not the textbook kind. He had Sun and Venus in Aquarius, but in many ways he seemed more like Capricorn. He worked very hard and long hours to keep the businesses going, especially the bakery. He was very good at what he did, a perfectionist when it came to bread-making. People came from miles around to buy his bread and baked goods. He was in no way rebellious, or revolutionary, he was quite predictable. Very easy going, kindly, liked and respected by everyone, and absolutely devoted to my mother, and to me. (URANUS IN CAPRICORN).


Second non-textbook Aquarius, a close schoolfriend from around age 9 to 16 (on the right). She was born one week after me. She had a talent for drawing and painting and went on to Art School, while I attended Grammar School. She abandoned hopes of a career in art early on though, left home to work in the south of England as a children's nanny, after taking training. She soon married, settled down, had two children, and never did return to the north of England. After many years out of touch we located each other again just last year. Sadly her husband died in 2005. She still paints, knows nothing of computers, and still lives where she moved after marriage.

Is she typical of Aquarius? Again, not really. Both she and I had a great need for freedom and a devout wish to leave the small market town where we grew up. We both did by age 18. No clear sign of textbook Aquarius, other than that need for freedom.(URANUS IN TAURUS).


Third non-textbook Aquarian was my very first boyfriend, around age 15 or 16. He was born two days before me, but either in the previous year or two years before. A farmer's son, very quiet and shy, and an only child (like me). We "courted" for two years. He decided to ask if we should get engaged..... at which point it was I who did the Aquarian thing and fled. I could never see myself as a farmer's wife.

Was he typically Aquarian? Definitely not. Least typical of any so far. He was a sweet, good natured lad, very easy going (like my Dad). But I can't think of a single textbook Aquarian trait he had. Perhaps he developed some in later life. He married the girl he befriended after me, and still lives in the same place as when he was a boy. (URANUS IN TAURUS).


Fourth, my cousin (my father's sister's son), born four days before me, same year. He's had a very varied career, including teaching, draftsman, and member of the police force. He, like my friend and I, left the small market town early on, to find a future. He is very intelligent, not at all outgoing, a little old fashioned in many ways. He won't have anything to do with computers, though he used them at work, but he loves playing bridge. Interestingly, our lives have followed similar time-lines regarding marriage, divorce, deaths, and caring for ailing loved ones. I see a little of both Aquarius and Capricorn in my cousin - heavily weighted towards Capricorn.
(URANUS IN TAURUS).


Lastly, Uncle Ted, my father's brother. His birthday was 4 days after mine, he was a couple of years younger than my Dad, always my favourite uncle. He served in the RAF (Royal Air Force) during the war, and worked for the airforce in civilian capacity afterwards. He was great fun, witty and lively. Probably the most Aquarian of all those mentioned.
(URANUS IN AQUARIUS).


Another Sun Aquarian I've met more recently, is my husband's younger daughter. She is the most like a textbook Aquarian I've ever encountered. She, in common with most of those above, left her home base at an early age to find her future. Her birthday is the day before mine, but obviously she's of a different generation from me, or any of my friends and relatives listed above.
(URANUS IN LEO).

As for yours truly, it's impossible to say how others see me, but I believe I'm a little like my cousin, but with the Capricorn/Aquarius mix reversed - a bit more Aquarius than Capricorn for me - or so I like to think.

Conclusion: The only common traits I can detect, in most of the Sun Aquarians above (and myself), is a fair amount of versatility and a need for freedom and variety - all very appropriate for an Air sign. None of the rebellious, inventive, eccentricity. No cold unemotional approach (unless you count shyness as such).

It seems to me though, that Sun Aquarians born when Uranus lay in Taurus or Capricorn are the most unlikely to match textbook descriptions, and may better match Capricorn in many respects. Sun Aquarians with Uranus in Virgo, the third Earth sign, are an unknown quantity to me. It would be interesting to compare them with other age groups who have Uranus in an Earth sign.

In an attempt to keep this as clear as possible, the very important part played by ascendants, angles, Moons, houses etc. in birth charts has been put aside for the purpose of this post. In most cases, due to lack of birth times, I don't know the details anyway.

Now.....my head hurts!