Real-life Aquarius

I wish Many Happy Returns to all born with Sun in Aquarius!

I'm bumping up a lightly edited version of a 2008 post of mine: my own take on Aquarius, as found in real life.......


AQUARIUS IN REAL LIFE ~~~
As a 27 January variety of Aquarius myself, I've often thought that textbooks have a take on Sun in Aquarius that is not exactly right. Maybe not all textbooks, nor for everyone, but certainly 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, remaining in each sign for around 8 years. 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 travels slowly through each zodiac sign, every January/February of those 8 years a wide swath of Aquarius-born folk will result. Rulers of most other Sun signs cover the full zodiac fairly quickly. 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 more widely scattered. The same applies to other rulers of Sun signs. Pisces and Scorpio-born individuals are exceptions, they also have modern rulers, (Neptune and Pluto) both slow moving.

I can confidently say that any Sun Aquarius-types who were in school when I was were born with Uranus, their Sun's ruler in Taurus; it transited that sign between 1935 and 1941. This would not be a certain "rule of thumb" for most other Sun signs whose ruling planets are quicker moving.

Saturn, traditional ruler of Aquarius, still figures quite heavily in the makeup of Aquarius natives and, I suspect, more especially when Uranus, modern ruler of Aquarius, is in an Earth sign.

So... some real-life examples which I see as support for the above proposition. A few Sun Aquarius-types I have known and loved. All were born in that part of Aquarius 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 a few years ago. 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 leave 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 Aquarius 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 Aquarius trait he had. Perhaps he developed some in later life. He married the girl he befriended after me, and, as far as I know, 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 Royal Air Force during the war, and worked for the RAF in civilian capacity afterwards. He was great fun, clever, witty and lively.
(URANUS IN AQUARIUS).


Another Sun Aquarius-type I've met more recently: my husband's younger daughter. She is the most like a textbook Aquarian I've encountered so far. 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 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 Aquarius-types 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 textbook rebellious, inventive, eccentricity. No cold unemotional attitudes unless a certain shyness or reserve can be counted as such.

It seems to me that Sun Aquarians born when Uranus lay in Taurus or Capricorn are unlikely to match textbook descriptions, and may better match descriptions of Capricorn traits 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 the other age groups who have Uranus in an Earth sign.

The very important part played by ascendant, angles, Moon position etc. in astrological birth charts has been put aside for the purposes of the above post, it's the Sun sign and ruler issue only I'm highlighting.