posted March 30, 2012 02:16 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Taineberry:
I really love your insightful post NativelyJoan and can totally relate to what you are saying. Thanks, it helped me a lot to understand more about this aspect. btw I am good at maths too!

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posted March 30, 2012 08:07 PM            

Mercury makes an aspect to everything in my chart. My Moon is in a similar position making aspects to everything also. There aren't any planets from Sun - Pluto that are not in aspect to my Moon and Mercury.

To me intelligence is measured in many different ways. Emotional, artistic, Alpha-numerical, literacy, spacial awareness, practicality etc. You could have someone who is an absolute genius with numbers but if they didn't know how to or couldn't wire a plug... You could extend that to harder things like being a mechanic, make the system more and more complex etc.

Throughout my educational time I have been pretty strong across the board. Before I went to University, I recieved my best marks in History, Critical Thinking and other written subjects. I was considered gifted at Mathematics and Science also, although my results at A level, yes i'm from the U.K, were considerably poor. I completed a mathematical degree at university, Mechanical Engineering. The one subject I have been terrible at has been Art, I really don't enjoy drawing or painting. That could be me but when I was 5 years old my Nursery teacher told me my painting/drawing was terrible and to start over. Apparently I refused to start over, and never took part in any Art class until Secondary school.

In my spare time I enjoy reading about everything, I am keenly interested in what is happening in the world around me. I also enjoy reading books, mainly fiction of the fantasy genre although almost all genres are enjoyable. I like the creativeness of authors that write fantasy as they are able to weave complete worlds and universes that are fully believable and immersible. I love playing games, card, board, electronic, sporting. I love to challenge my abilities, physically, mentally and emotionally against others. I prefer games that have a deeply strategical nature which involves out thinking your opponents.

I am passionate about Music and Food also, I enjoy cooking a variety of things and learning new dishes. I love listening to music. I don't really play any instruments. I know how to play a few instruments but I am not particularly good. I don't put much time into it to be honest, something I will probably change at some point. I know how to read music so its just a question of really learning how to play, proper technique etc. and practice.

In my spare time I also write poems and songs. I would like to write a book I am just not sure where to begin.

As for being, "chatty, animated, outgoing and lively. Perhaps gossipy, too, with a penchant for story-telling and/or performing."

I am somewhat reserved when I first meet people but in the company of friends they do describe me as such. I have made a couple of short amateur films with some friends just for our own personal amusement, spoofs of actual films or we concocted and wrote some original scripts. I can be very verbose and all over the place. There are times when I forget to attach a filter to my mouth to prevent myself from saying things that really shouldn't leave the confines of my mind.

A lot of people say that hard aspects between Moon and Mercury make people conflicted between their mind and their emotions. However, I am extremely empathetic and have always been good at reading other people emotionally. I also don't think I rationalize my emotions or am an emotional wreck either.

I would say with all of my Moon and Mercury aspects I have a lot of emotional and mental energy. I am very restless!

Hope any of this helped with your insight.

posted March 30, 2012 08:39 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by NativelyJoan:
Alaz7200,

I would definitely say that my rational and subconscious minds are integrated. When I was younger I'd kind of went back and forth between which one to trust however, I've learned to find a balance between accommodating both and I'd definitely apply the word integration.

I don't measure intelligence on book knowledge or conventional understanding (even though that's always interesting and nice to have). I measure intelligence based on how well someone uses their mind. The functionality of their mental capabilities. Incisive thinking, understanding abstractions, a thought process that connects patterns and intensively breaks apart concepts. A probing psyche, incessantly constructing and destructing concepts and abstractions, making links through concise awareness, patterns in nature and knowledge. A mind that pushes the boundaries of conventionally limited thinking and understanding. Expansive thinkers with minds that are always growing, evolving and changing.

At least with the Moon opposite Mercury people I know, they're all very good in Mathematics as am I. Which is a reflection of how we each use our minds. However all of this is just my basis for measuring intelligence. I don't need to look at IQ numbers to come to the conclusion that someone's a genius. Intelligence for me is based on how well you use your brain, not book smarts or conventional logic. The hope is that very intelligent people would use their knowledge and awareness for the betterment of humanity. If they do then I'd consider them almost ingenious. Because not only are they able to recognize the efficiency of the mind their able to apply that to effectively make a difference in the world.

I'm actually very connected to my emotions however I don't really show them. I'm the original poker face. Growing up I could definitely be faulted for rationalizing my feelings. It doesn't help that I'm dominant Air. That was until I understood my emotions better and really connected my thoughts to my feelings. As I've aged things have balanced within me and I'm in touch with both of these parts of myself and they work in harmony. I can't ever answer to just one, I have to answer to both. But I do think it can be a problem with people who have this aspect (Moon opp Mercury) that haven't learned to integrate those parts of themselves because it's not easy. It takes time however once learned it feels like your living fully as a capable individual.

Long answer, sorry lol. I hope that helps.

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I can't thank you enough for the invaluable insight with which you've provided me. It was my intention in posting this topic to converse about the opposition in particular. I have invested interest, as my Moon in Gemini directly opposites a Mercury-Mars conjunction in Sagittarius.

I would say that my subconscious and rational minds are fairly well integrated as well. I believe this is the gift Moon/Mercury aspects bring: the ability to draw from both realms, an asset which aids story-telling and the ability to exercise the "mental muscles" as no other Mercury aspect can. I, however, am guilty of rationalizing, and at times, over-doing this to my own disadvantage. I find myself so caught up in the act that I rarely allow myself to "feel" what I'm feeling. It is seldom that I am brought to tears; I am simply far too cerebral for my own good. Do you find this shortcoming plays out in your own life as well?

On the flip side, I have always been described as an intellectual and was always placed in gifted classes growing up (to the extent that my public school teachers persuaded my parents to send me to private school). Personally, I never rendered myself more or less intelligent than anyone else - though it was always fairly apparent that I had the ability to "grasp" concepts quicker than others. To me, this was not a "talent" so much as it was a "fundamental need" (Moon) to obtain knowledge (Mercury). As a child, I was a voracious reader, devouring any and all literature I could get my hands on.

To this day, people seek me out to compose their college essays or term papers, as writing is something that comes second nature to me. If I'm not writing, I'm perpetually talking. If I'm not talking, undoubtedly I'm thinking; most likely thinking about talking about writing. Haha! Again, the recurring theme of others being more cognizant of my "intelligence" than me, myself. At 12 years old, my IQ was 130, but I've never made anything of those scores. As you mentioned, what constitutes "intelligence" is the ability to grasp and utilize a broad range of concepts effectively. This, however, requires a genuine interest in grasping said concepts. Each of us have a different level of interest in learning, which obviously yields various intelligence levels.

For the record, I'm not a fan of mathematics. I'm proficient in the subject, but derive no pleasure whatsoever in completing a mathematical equation. The extent of my mathematics study was Calculus in the 9th grade; I really saw no reason to pursue it further. My mental orientation is much more inclined to artistic and/or philosophy subjects. I could wax poetic for hours on end! It makes sense that my Moon is in the 9th House. I have a penchant for abstract concepts.

I think it's noteworthy to add that improper spelling or punctuation truly irk me! I can't stand to bear witness to a Contact List that is not consistent (i.e.: some contacts with a last name, some without - or even worse, an uncapitalized first name!). My text messages are always impeccably composed. Though I grew up during the Technological Age, I'm not one for the "LOL" and "LMFAO" acronyms. I also tend to be very organized with my emotions. As soon as I feel them, I categorize them and file them away in their pertinent (mental) box for safekeeping.

I can resonate with the "poker face" sentiment. As a child, I was much more inclined to that. As a young adult, the need to be "true to myself" supercedes that sort of interplay. I attribute this to my Sagittarius/9th house placements. I am, however, very sensitive to criticism and can easily discern my surroundings and their goings-on within seconds. At times, this works to my disadvantage, as I'm far too intuitive for my own good, but because Mars is involved in the opposition, I want to act on it and/or assert my Martian faculties. Let's just say it can get ugly if I'm not "being heard."

Question for you: is your mother a Mercurial type? Did she encourage your intellectual development as a child? This combination is known for supremely intelligent mothers! (This is inadvertently in keeping with the notion that intelligence is hereditary, per Psychology.)

posted March 30, 2012 08:47 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Stawr:
I have moon scorpio 6 oppose mercury taurus 12
Most of the time I'm talkative. but I can be cold and quiet sometimes.

I can be pretty persuasive too. And people that know me well will admit I'm a tad dramatic.

I also use to sing act and dance. (even made a little money)

There are subjects I do pretty well with, music, history, literature, and earth science.

I'm very gifted with music, I have perfect pitch.

But then some subjects I really should be put in a special ed class for math, political science, all science except for geology. I can eventually get, I just need to be taught at the slowest pace ever...and have it be really dumbed down. In classes like these I'll be thinking 'okay I'm starting to get it' and that's when the teacher decides to say "okay MOVING ON!" 'wtf, I'm not ready! How dare you!' LOL And they expect me to remember all this new stuff, and the old stuff. So sick of this sh!t.
But other people don't have these problems. (like how I don't have problems in other subjects)
So it not like I can make a scene in classes. Like "Hey! Wait, I don't get!...*other kids start to pass aggressive sigh*.. I still don't get it. No, I still don't quite understand...I AM PAYING ATTENTION!!!!!!!!" Ugh I hate when I am put in a class that moves to fast...like people(principals counselors teachers) always think I'm exaggerating when I say I need tons of help in certain subjects. I have to fail a class for them to go "duhh....ohhhh you do need lots of help...here you go"
So sick of being nice to these people...When they are the ones who don't listen, and put my grades and future at stake.

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posted March 30, 2012 08:48 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by amowls**:
I just think it's easier to get your point across. I think this placement confers wisdom because the native is able to blend emotional energy with logical energy, but it does not indicate intelligence by itself.

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posted March 30, 2012 08:57 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by mintgirl123:
Yeah I also have mercury square uranus/saturn/neptune/jupiter (yeah I know, alot of squares) and mercury sextile asc.

I DO write poetry too, well more so when I was younger. I won a couple of creative writing competitions too actually (early teens). Guess it helps with word flow.

I get told I'm pretty talkative and animated often enough. Though the saturn is quite a damper. Bc sometimes I just don't feel like talking.

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posted March 30, 2012 09:01 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Swift Freeze:

In my spare time I enjoy reading about everything, I am keenly interested in what is happening in the world around me.

In my spare time I also write poems and songs.

I would say with all of my Moon and Mercury aspects I have a lot of emotional and mental energy. I am very restless!

Hope any of this helped with your insight.

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posted March 30, 2012 09:21 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by alaz7200:
I have always made correlations between Moon/Mercury aspects and musical talent. I, too, have perfect pitch; in fact, this was discerned by a Kindergarten teacher who overheard me singing to myself. Afterward, I was enrolled in vocal lessons and a Classical Music aficionado throughout most of my formative years. The opposition, in particular, is present in the charts of many renowned operatic singers. At the moment, Joan Sutherland is the only example that springs to mind.

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opera... I did many children chorus things at the Detroit Opera house back in the day. I did Carmen, Otello, Tosca (I even got to do the shepered boy solo in act 3) La Boheme, and Turrendot(sp?)
I did Amaul and the night vistors elsewhere and was in the chorus and Menotti who wrote it, came out to see it.

posted March 30, 2012 10:57 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by alaz7200:

Creative writing seems to be a talent that Moon/Mercury confers. The imagination with this aspect is quite pronounced. With all of those aspects to your Mercury, your mind must be bountiful in thought! My only concern would be that your thought processes may be somewhat somber, especially as Mercury-Jupiter-Saturn configurations are notorious as sign of bi-polar disorder. Throw in Uranus, and it could get crazy! How do you fare?

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I'm pretty emotionally stable I think. Don't really have problems with instability in that case, but the saturn and mercury is a huge negative because I have alot of stuff going on in my head (not schizo lol or anything like that. Just more that I consider what I want to say alot of times before I say it. I read the interpretation for the square about depression and censoring, and yeah, I agree on both). I do hate how sometimes I can go really silent and just don't feel like chatting at all. I have mercury square saturn exact. =/

And about being somber, I'm not particularly so. More cynical, but that could just be my Virgo and having more bad experiences than sb my age should have had.

posted March 30, 2012 11:08 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by aquaguy91:
i have moon in the third house trining mercury,neptune,and uranus in the eleventh,and i am intelligent,atleast im told i am,and people tell me listening to my stories is entertaining ,i also write poetry from time to time.

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posted March 30, 2012 11:12 PM            

My Mercury is Rx and both mercury and moon are combust.
From my understand mercury combust has little effect.
Both trine Uranus by 1 orb.

I think very fast. Im actually thinking ahead of what I am saying. My mind is 2 steps ahead of whats going on. Which really isnt a good thing at times, because my thoughts run into each other and comes out, out of order.

I can learn anything really fast, but someone has to sit down and let me see them do it.
Im a visual learner.

I wouldnt say my intelligence is above average. But I think it could be if
I would have applied my self in my younger years. Which I did not. I was more interested in the "boys" heheheheh

posted March 30, 2012 11:13 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by bluegreyeyes:
Moon (Gem) quincunx Merc (Cap)

Yet another aspect that alludes to hiding or denying feelings/emotions/etc. Gosh, that seems like the theme of my chart

I assumed the Gem moon was culprit for the storytelling... I can be verbose! The self expression is pretty spot on - between fashion, music, writing - I definitely like to brand myself.

Cafe Astrology:

Moon Quincunx (Inconjunct) Mercury
"You end up confused at times because you read more into communications than are there. It's good to be able to read between the lines - just make sure you are also reading what is on the lines. Your expectations and imagination are assets as soon as you are able to develop a method for expressing your true feelings. Since many of your feelings are hidden from you, self expression becomes a path of self discovery."

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posted March 30, 2012 11:22 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Stawr:
opera... I did many children chorus things at the Detroit Opera house back in the day. I did Carmen, Otello, Tosca (I even got to do the shepered boy solo in act 3) La Boheme, and Turrendot(sp?)
I did Amaul and the night vistors elsewhere and was in the chorus and Menotti who wrote it, came out to see it.

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Wow, thank you for this testament to my theory that hard Moon/Mercury has proclivities to talent, or at the very least, deep appreciation for music! I say music, but opera in particular. There is something about the sentiment (Moon) involved in operatic sound (Mercury) that we're very adept to interpreting and translating.

Opera singers with hard aspects (cont'd):
Beverly Sills (Moon in Sagittarius/Mercury in Gemini opposition)
Cecilia Bartoli (Moon in Sagittarius/Mercury in Gemini opposition)
Enrico Caruso (Moon conjunct Mercury in Pisces)
Joan Sutherland (Moon conjunct Mercury in Sagittarius)
Jose Carreras (Moon in Aries quincunx Mercury in Scorpio)
Lotte Lehmann (Moon in Virgo opposite Mercury in Pisces)
Maria Callas (Moon in Virgo square Mercury in Sagittarius)
Mario Lanza (Moon in Scorpio square Mercury in Aquarius)

...another non-operatic, albeit beautiful voice:
Karen Carpenter (Moon in Leo opposite Mercury in Aquarius)

posted March 30, 2012 11:28 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Lioness:
I have moon conjunct mercury by 1 orb in leo.

My Mercury is Rx and both mercury and moon are combust.
From my understand mercury combust has little effect.
Both trine Uranus by 1 orb.

I think very fast. Im actually thinking ahead of what I am saying. My mind is 2 steps ahead of whats going on. Which really isnt a good thing at times, because my thoughts run into each other and comes out, out of order.

I can learn anything really fast, but someone has to sit down and let me see them do it.
Im a visual learner.

I wouldnt say my intelligence is above average. But I think it could be if
I would have applied my self in my younger years. Which I did not. I was more interested in the "boys" heheheheh

I'm very animated speaker, I like to show the story.. Again visual speaking is very important.

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Oo la la! I must say, I'm very envious of your Moon/Mercury conjunction in Leo. Sounds divine! Anytime I get wind of an aspect that I enjoy, I immediately think, "I hope my kid has that aspect in his/her chart!" That applies here.

Leo energy is just so wonderful. Trine to Uranus doesn't hurt, either! Would love to pick your brain.

posted March 31, 2012 09:14 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by alaz7200:
Hello, fellow Lunar Gemini! I totally resonate with your not being able to distinguish between the traits of the Moon in and Gemini and a Moon/Mercury aspect. I just like to think I've got a double dose of the planetary energies. I'm not sure how the quincunx fares (as I don't personally take them into consideration in my own readings) but I would never attribute a Moon/Mercury aspect to "hiding or denying emotions". Again, this may be the case solely with the Quincunx... but just for kicks, do you have any 12th house placements?

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I didn't really expect the quincunx to have any affect either...do you feel the gem moon pretty strong?

I have Mars (Pisces) & Venus (Aqua) in the 12th.

posted March 31, 2012 12:30 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by alaz7200:
Wow, thank you for this testament to my theory that hard Moon/Mercury has proclivities to talent, or at the very least, deep appreciation for music! I say music, but opera in particular. There is something about the sentiment (Moon) involved in operatic sound (Mercury) that we're very adept to interpreting and translating.

Opera singers with hard aspects (cont'd):
Beverly Sills (Moon in Sagittarius/Mercury in Gemini opposition)
Cecilia Bartoli (Moon in Sagittarius/Mercury in Gemini opposition)
Enrico Caruso (Moon conjunct Mercury in Pisces)
Joan Sutherland (Moon conjunct Mercury in Sagittarius)
Jose Carreras (Moon in Aries quincunx Mercury in Scorpio)
Lotte Lehmann (Moon in Virgo opposite Mercury in Pisces)
Maria Callas (Moon in Virgo square Mercury in Sagittarius)
Mario Lanza (Moon in Scorpio square Mercury in Aquarius)

...another non-operatic, albeit beautiful voice:
Karen Carpenter (Moon in Leo opposite Mercury in Aquarius)

I fail to understand why this aspect is seldom made to be synonymous with singing... which is essentially sensitive (Moon) communication (Mercury). I say this calls for a revision of astrology books worldwide!

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This may be true....I have moon in pisces square mercury in sagitarius and i love music....and when i played guitar for a voluptious lady who had venus in sagitarius she wanted to be with me...no joke.

posted March 31, 2012 01:19 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by scrappydog:
I know someone with the conj in cancer and he is very, witty, intelligent, and chatty, but hes also a gem sun.
I know 2 other people, one with the square and one with the opposition and they are both Very quiet.

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posted March 31, 2012 03:39 PM            

Did a bunch of ridiculous things as a kid and teen - lecture on astrology, (15-20), wrote a psychophysical interpretation on the holographic nature of reality (17) and decided to study physics, until I realised I suck at maths (18) and took graduate psych courses for my forensic psych major instead (19-23); investigate the UFO phenomenon with a major organisation (at 18) and starting my own global research group online to make up for the lack of one (17) defend juvenile criminals in court. (16-18). Wrote my first novel at 15, with two sequels to follow by 17. Graduated at the top of my school. (Yes. The whole school.) Got out of sci-fi, dove head-long into crime drama at 21, and wrote what became a septalogy from 21-25. Wrote, directed, produced and played a role in several audio dramas from 19-24. Trained for the FBI via Quantico correspondence, 20-25.

Diagnosed with fibromyalgia at 25; fell off the planet. Thank God for my writing partner, or the brilliant project we developed (26-28) wouldn't be in the process of adaptation to a TV series now.

You can't imagine how hard it is to look back on the most productive adolescence and feel SO useless now.

Also conj to Ura-Mars has definitely left me quick-tempred, and a bit, 'ooh, shiny!' at times.

Haaate the ooh-shinies. The fibrofog makes the ooh-shinies even worse.

Weirdest thing, though. I get my greatest bursts of creativity after I've had a really rough, 2-3 day migraine period. All of a sudden, everything my brain's been banging around just gels and it's among the best I've written.

Any thoughts there?

------------------
Stargazing in Hollyweird,

-AMP

--

Karma's a b*tch.

posted March 31, 2012 03:52 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by alaz7200:
I have always made correlations between Moon/Mercury aspects and musical talent. I, too, have perfect pitch; in fact, this was discerned by a Kindergarten teacher who overheard me singing to myself. Afterward, I was enrolled in vocal lessons and was somewhat of a Classical Music aficionado throughout most of my formative years. The opposition, in particular, is present in the charts of many renowned operatic singers. At the moment, Joan Sutherland is the only example that springs to mind.

---

Oh, that is SO COOL! I don't know ANYONE else with perfect pitch. Drives me insane. I can hear as little as 10 cents off, so you can imagine, I'm incredibly perfectionistic in my own work. Honestly, it's made me a much better singer. Dramatic colouratura soprano, in fact. I've worked diligently to be able to mimic and develop many different styles. I'll never rock out like Nancy Wilson, but I can range from alternative to classic rock to musical theatre and anything Sarah Brightman can do without any trouble.

Sutherland is ama-a-a-azing.

I only recently began teaching myself opera; (I was classically trained as a child). Never once considered it. Had an odd experience back in my hometown where I was putting boxes away in the back while working retail, and, as usual, singing to myself. We had one bathroom in the entire store, and you had to walk this hallway to get there. This woman did, stopped, turned to me, and had the most severe expression on her face - her eyes wide. I thought she was going to tell me to never open my mouth again! I was ABOUT to apologise, but she just walked over to me, busted out her card, and said she was recruiting for the DO. (Dallas Opera). I just blinked several times before remembering to extend my hand and actually SPEAK. She just gave me her name and said, 'It's summer. Get in classes before the fall and audition for the upcoming season.'

And that was IT. I was ... stunned. I STILL am. It would be YEARS before I found the REAL power of my voice, and realised my odd register breaks (even though I barely notice them these days - an achievement of which I am very proud, thank you!) and curious amplification of my headvoice was indicating I'm a natural dramatic colouratura. I had NO idea. I thought I was a mezzo with a very wide soprano extension (C6-G6), including whistle notes.

My best moment last year had to be going next door to my friend Stacie, who's a tremendous jazz singer (and musical therapist) and just asking if she'd listen to how I was arranging a particular track for my upcoming project. I'd never sung for her before, and I really admired her talent. So nervous! But she just told me that not only did I have everything that most singers work their lives to get, but I DO IT CORRECTLY. 'You have NO idea what a JOY it is to actually hear someone sing properly.'

Wooooow! I was on cloud 9. I've been out of the studio, officially, since I was 12. Everything I've done since then has been on my own. I was just ... overjoyed to hear I'd been doing it right.

Why am I so musical? I've always wondered this. Sun-Nep sextile? Nah. I'm an Orpheus-Moon? Uhhh ... I've got nothin'. Heh.

How do you go through life with perfect pitch and NOT accidentally go Simon on everyone? Oh, it's hard. I really am a nice person; I'm very constructive. I WILDLY praise someone who is exceptionally good. And I'm ... honest with people who really, really miss the mark. Especially myself. When I bum a note, nobody's going to bemoan it more than me. (Venus-ASC in Virgo. Jup-Sat conj. Yeah. I'm a bit self-critical.)

------------------
Stargazing in Hollyweird,

-AMP

--

Karma's a b*tch.

posted March 31, 2012 03:54 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by NativelyJoan:
Aw thanks Taineberry, I appreciate that. And yay to being Mathletes!

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Mathletes? Oh, envy. Even though I'm technically a genius, I really feel an idiot savant. My verbal and so forth is through the roof? My maths?

... HAHAHAHA.

We're not going there.

Let's just say the fact I got the SAT score I did was ALL on the merit of the verbal and sciences being perfect. The maths ... ohhhhh. I passed by the hair of my chinny-chin.

------------------
Stargazing in Hollyweird,

-AMP

--

Karma's a b*tch.

posted March 31, 2012 03:59 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by alaz7200:
I can't thank you enough for the invaluable insight with which you've provided me. It was my intention in posting this topic to converse about the opposition in particular. I have invested interest, as my Moon in Gemini directly opposites a Mercury-Mars conjunction in Sagittarius.

I would say that my subconscious and rational minds are fairly well integrated as well. I believe this is the gift Moon/Mercury aspects bring: the ability to draw from both realms, an asset which aids story-telling and the ability to exercise the "mental muscles" as no other Mercury aspect can. I, however, am guilty of rationalizing, and at times, over-doing this to my own disadvantage. I find myself so caught up in the act that I rarely allow myself to "feel" what I'm feeling. It is seldom that I am brought to tears; I am simply far too cerebral for my own good. Do you find this shortcoming plays out in your own life as well?

On the flip side, I have always been described as an intellectual and was always placed in gifted classes growing up (to the extent that my public school teachers persuaded my parents to send me to private school). Personally, I never rendered myself more or less intelligent than anyone else - though it was always fairly apparent that I had the ability to "grasp" concepts quicker than others. To me, this was not a "talent" so much as it was a "fundamental need" (Moon) to obtain knowledge (Mercury). As a child, I was a voracious reader, devouring any and all literature I could get my hands on.

To this day, people seek me out to compose their college essays or term papers, as writing is something that comes second nature to me. If I'm not writing, I'm perpetually talking. If I'm not talking, undoubtedly I'm thinking; most likely thinking about talking about writing. Haha! Again, the recurring theme of others being more cognizant of my "intelligence" than me, myself. At 12 years old, my IQ was 130, but I've never made anything of those scores. As you mentioned, what constitutes "intelligence" is the ability to grasp and utilize a broad range of concepts effectively. This, however, requires a genuine interest in grasping said concepts. Each of us have a different level of interest in learning, which obviously yields various intelligence levels.

For the record, I'm not a fan of mathematics. I'm proficient in the subject, but derive no pleasure whatsoever in completing a mathematical equation. The extent of my mathematics study was Calculus in the 9th grade; I really saw no reason to pursue it further. My mental orientation is much more inclined to artistic and/or philosophy subjects. I could wax poetic for hours on end! It makes sense that my Moon is in the 9th House. I have a penchant for abstract concepts.

I think it's noteworthy to add that improper spelling or punctuation truly irk me! I can't stand to bear witness to a Contact List that is not consistent (i.e.: some contacts with a last name, some without - or even worse, an uncapitalized first name!). My text messages are always impeccably composed. Though I grew up during the Technological Age, I'm not one for the "LOL" and "LMFAO" acronyms. I also tend to be very organized with my emotions. As soon as I feel them, I categorize them and file them away in their pertinent (mental) box for safekeeping.

I can resonate with the "poker face" sentiment. As a child, I was much more inclined to that. As a young adult, the need to be "true to myself" supercedes that sort of interplay. I attribute this to my Sagittarius/9th house placements. I am, however, very sensitive to criticism and can easily discern my surroundings and their goings-on within seconds. At times, this works to my disadvantage, as I'm far too intuitive for my own good, but because Mars is involved in the opposition, I want to act on it and/or assert my Martian faculties. Let's just say it can get ugly if I'm not "being heard."

Question for you: is your mother a Mercurial type? Did she encourage your intellectual development as a child? This combination is known for supremely intelligent mothers! (This is inadvertently in keeping with the notion that intelligence is hereditary, per Psychology.)

PS: It's safe to say we Moon/Mercury types are known for our "long answers". We've simply got to cover all the bases!

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Wow, Alaz. You and I are eerily similar in those ways. HA. The long answer. Yeah, we'd rather say EVERYTHING, just in case we miss even the SMALLEST thing. Drives my double-Sag writing partner a bit insane. Concision is his thing, and frankly, I've learnt a lot from him in that area.

My Moon's in Scorp, but the 3H. So, I get the Gem / 3H vibe, too. I spent a LOT of my adolescence and early 20s building external personae which satisfied everyone around me; last year, something in me just snapped, and it's been ALL what-you-see from here on out. Bit troublesome, but entirely necessary, and very, very liberating.

Oh, God, I hate netspeak with an all-consuming passion. It's terrible, really, but I unconsciously judge someone on their ability to communicate like a rational human being in the written word. I'll use it for comedic effect, but anyone who sends me anything remotely like, 'c u l8r' is NEVER going to see me later - or again.

Harsh. I know.

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Stargazing in Hollyweird,

-AMP

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Karma's a b*tch.