posted September 22, 2008 11:42 PM         

In terms of Aquarian mercuries, the reason why they might appear to be intelligent is because they are:

* Curious and inquisitive
* Objective and detached
* Logic and lateral yet thinking is not done in a straight line (ideas can just pop up in one's mind)
* Abstract thinking

posted September 23, 2008 04:33 AM         

He has:
Sun conj Moon (Capricorn) in the third
Sun and Moon sextile Uranus
Mercury in Capricorn in the fourth
Mercury Opposition Midheaven
Mercury Opposition Saturn
Mercury Square Ascendant
Mercury Square Uranus
Mercury Sextile Venus
Uranus (Scorpio) in the 1st
Saturn Square Uranus
Jupiter (aries) in the 6th

I'm fairly "bright" myself, but it isn't the way he is. I've always excelled at English, Math, and other normal courses. I even graduated at 16. I can understand his theories, but I'd never be able to come up with them.

posted September 23, 2008 06:45 AM         

I'm not saying they're not, I just think it takes more than that.

I feel we have to look at Mercury and the 3rd house...and for PHDs I'd look at Jupiter, Saturn, and the 9th house, since those are the natural indicators of long-term study. Saturn for the lonnnnnnnnng term of course.

When looking for "intelligence" in a chart, however, Uranus/Aquarius along with Jupiter/Sagittarius and Gemini are usually looked at and their connections to Mercury, the Moon, the 3rd and the 9th house.

So in some ways, there is an obvious connection between Aquarius and your smartz

posted September 23, 2008 07:01 AM         

for instance, do you mean someone whom is a learning buff or someone whom comes up with ingenious ideas and has sparks of verbal brilliance?

posted September 23, 2008 09:39 AM         

So he is my smart dumb jock

He has no aquarius what so ever in his chart.

His mercury is in Libra.

posted September 23, 2008 12:20 PM         

Of all the people I've ever met three people really stand out and I consider all three of them absolutely brilliant with exceptional intelligence.

Two of them are highly intelligent in the classic 'academic' sense and probably would be considered super intelligent by most people because their intelligence is s.th. that has been scored by an IQ test and mind blowing academic records, 'wordly' success so to speak to 'prove' it...

Person 1 is a capricorn sun, with moon in leo, mercury and venus in capricorn, mars in sagittarius. Unfortunately dont know his ascendant, but his mercury is conjunct his sun, conjunct his jupiter and makes a 0 ° square with uranus. He's always done exceptionally well in school, was able to jump two school years, 'genius'scores on IQ test (148), scholarship to Harvard. Extreme mathematical intelligence which he applied with big succes to a career in banking.Now is partner in a Hedge Fund Firm. As a personality I would describe him as extremely self-confident, with very little sensitivity and driven. Actually I wouldnt be surprised if either his mars or uranus are on his ascendant. When you interact with him it feels as if he's attachted to an electric current.

The second person is very similar to the first guy, both in terms of his chart and also in terms of his 'intelligence type'. Extremely high IQ scorer, very succesful accademically right from the start (graduated 1st out of his class of several hundred people in his undergraduate studies at Oxford . Then again 1st for his Masters at Harvard! Scary... Interestingly he is also a capricorn sun and capricorn mercury, but has his moon in virgo, his venus in pisces and mars in capricorn. Mercury conjunct sun and conjunct mars. Also aspects to jupiter and uranus. dont know ascendant either. So as I said, similar intelligence type and academic record as 1st guy, but with him he chose a very different career. He's always been very idealistic (might have to do with his venus in pisces) Opened his own human rights agency which he is running very succesfully by having managed to network with the right kind of highlevel people to ensure a continuous flow of donations.

Now the 3rd person doesnt have that success record for everyone to see. He hasnt done well in school, went to university, but never did anything with that. Today he's working as a security guy. He has the most original thoughts and humor I have ever encountered. They are so different, it's like he is living and thinking in a completely different universe. One can hardly believe that someone can be forming such original thought processes.And all of this is done at lightening speed. He's written numerous short stories and a novel, but then has never done anything about them. Didnt send them to a publisher, instead seems to prefer what most people would consider a dead end job. Most poeple who have met him immediately comment on his exceptional intelligence and just dont understand that he hasnt applied it to his advantage. But he is not only one of the most intelligent people I've ever met, he's also one of the most sensitive. He's been battling depression all his lifeI would think if he ever had to sit down and do a standardized IQ test, he'd be stressed out of his mind and the test would be pretty pointless.He's an aquarius sun, moon, mercur, venus and saturn in pisces. mars in libra.moon mercury venus all conjunct.

posted September 23, 2008 01:33 PM         

Something I've noticed about my group of friends is that we're all pretty much intellectuals/nerds. 2 of my smartest friends have Mercury in the 9th house (one is in Cap, the other is in Aries). Last night we played Nomic, which is just a rule making game, sort of like Congress. If we're not playing that or D&D, we're debating.

posted September 23, 2008 05:09 PM         

Here is one guy's take on smarts. He says that there are 9 different types. So maybe you could take Mercury and pair it up with a different planet and house in order to synthesize these together?

posted September 23, 2008 05:51 PM         

(combined with mars in tau - practical and mundane drive)
http://www.astrology-numerology.com/elements.html#Air%20Absence

quote:

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Air Absence
The limited amount of the Air element in your horoscope suggests a need to learn adaptability and the use of the mental functions in a creative manner. You don't emphasize mental activity in your daily life. This is not to say that you aren't intelligent, but just that you don't place a lot of value on the world of ideas and education's for education sake. Often, a shortage of Air signs signifies an inability to communicate effectively or clearly; you may be somewhat enigmatic and obscure. Sometimes there is a self-consciousness associated with such circumstances, and you may over-compensate by working hard to improve such inclinations. You probably don't enjoy learning unless what you're studying has an immediate and tangible end. A strength of the air-weak chart is generally the enhanced ability to communicate emotionally, physically or psychically. It may be hard for you to stand back, and clearly view an issue in an objective manner. Thus, there is a tendency to have some trouble in the task of planning ahead. You may find yourself wasting a lot of energy on this account. You must make a special effort to communicate clearly and plan very carefully or your advancement will come only through costly trial and error.

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