Constellation Aquila the Eagle runs from 14º Capricorn to 3º Aquarius in the sky so the Sun aligns with these degrees roughly from January 6 to 25. Altair is its brightest fixed star at 1º 47′ Aquarius, so if your birthday is 20th to 24th January this will be your birth star. The mighty Eagle has been a potent emblem and totem animal throughout history.
Three great (or not so great) powers have used it as their symbol, the Roman Empire, the Nazi party and more recently the United States of America. Eagles are a natural logo choice for a superpower. Who wouldn’t want to be compared with an animal known for its long life, majestic looks and great strength? The constellation carries much of the same meaning.
“The English word eagle comes from Latin aquila. The word Aquila, eagle, is believed to mean ‘water-colored bird’ and is related to Latin aqua -, water, as is Aquarius” [Klein].
It is interesting that this star falls in Aquarius Decan 1, as while I was researching I could see where some of the meaning for the tropical zodiac definition of Aquarius may have originated.
For example, the Eagle has the ability to see from great heights but has poor close up vision. Aquarians are known for needing space, but at the same time are great visionaries. They will be keen humanitarians, but paradoxically can withdraw and freeze-over, if a friend gets too clingy or demanding of their precious time.
Constellation Aquilla
“Influences: According to Ptolemy the influence of Aquila is similar to that of Mars and Jupiter. It is said to give great imagination, strong passions, indomitable will, a dominating character, influence over others, clairvoyance, a keen penetrating mind and ability for chemical research.” [2]
Aquila is the talent scout. In myth, he is Zeus in the form of an Eagle that spotted the handsome young Prince Ganymede. Almighty Zeus having taken the form of the Eagle, snatched the boy by his talons and appointed him to be the lover and cup-bearer (Aquarius again) to the Gods.
You can see Aquila the eagle hovering above the head of the water bearer in the heavens, but he is depicted carrying the beautiful youth Antinous in Roman versions of the constellation shown here. The Greek version has Ganymedes is often representing the god of homosexual love, which sits well with Uranian-ruled Aquarius, since Uranus is sometimes thought of being the gay planet!
A fellow astrologer was of the opinion that all Aquarian women were androgynous and “butch” looking, presumably because of Uranus’s asexual reputation. He could be right if Aquila is rising since Robson says of the Eagle:
“It has also been said to give a love of swimming (Aqua), and to be connected with certain sex irregularities, the latter probably being greatest in that part of the constellation lying in Capricorn” [1]
Cupids Dart
I just see this attribute as being part of Aquila’s daring and risque nature. Of course, the combination of Mars and Jupiter is bound to create a high libido. That sex drive with the boldness will result in the subject being unashamedly “outre” about their sexuality, whether you be a brazen lassie or a raging queen.
Sexuality’s connection to Aquila makes sense when you see that the Kabbalists associate it with the Tarot card “The Lovers” and that it also has associations with the sexy sign of Scorpio. The Eagle also is a symbol for Scorpio as Archangel Oriel. The angelic representation of Royal star Antares, (Watcher of the West.)
Chilled Aquarius (the Sun Sign) is not generally noted for the “Strong passions” mentioned by Robson above, so when we add Aquila we get an extra spicy layer. Zeus was known as the god of lightning.
Fire is spirit and the eagle was seen as the instrument of calling fire down from heaven, just like Zeus/Jupiter’s thunderbolts. Eagles were released over the body of the dead Roman Emperor, because they believed that the eagle would carry the deceased soul up into Heaven.
Now again we can see just how this relates to the Aquarian myth as Liz Green associates Prometheus with Aquarius. I think this all fits so very well.
Prometheus possesses Aquila’s boldness, being the daring human who stole fire from the gods. This is a humanitarian action, an act of great courage, not for personal glory but for the greater good of mankind. In mundane astrology, Anne Wright has found an association between the constellation Aquila and the USA, space exploration, kidnapping, and bombs and missiles. “Altair is good for advancement of lawyers and military men” [2]
Thunderbolt Passion
“It confers a bold, confident, valiant, unyielding, ambitious and liberal nature, great and sudden but ephemeral wealth, and a position of command, makes its natives guilty of bloodshed, and gives danger from reptiles” [1]
It is interesting that the natural enemy of the Eagle is the reptile. But I also think this may be a symbol of Altair’s natural urge to rise above the limbic/reptilian brain and resist using that potentially flammable Martian/Jupiter energy for gratuitous bloodshed and to puff up its own ego.
“Altair is associated with boldness and action but this boldness is also connected to human relationships and caring. This star carries the divine fire of inspiration, which transforms into determination, the ability to achieve through risk-taking or through dogged determination. This is a star of action and strength and so will naturally action rather than inaction. At the same time, this quest for action is not just for its own sake but also to serve others” [3]
Altair can be the perfect archetype of the male conquerer and awe-inspiring greatness. It is somewhat heroic, but not in a brash Martian way. It is more refined, like a chivalrous knight. I’m thinking 3 parts Sir Galahad to one part Sir Lancelot. In a woman, this would be a Joan of Arc rather than a Boudicca.
However, things can go horribly wrong with Altair, as Manilus rightly points out. Sarah Aldrete the notorious serial killer has it rising, I’m wondering if the state of ones Jupiter defines how this star plays out, since this star is Jupiter in disguise. Sarah has Jupiter on Algol while Carl Jung’s Jupiter is on far more fortunate Arcturus.
Altair Keywords
Valiant, brave, daring, provocative, pushy, ambitious, inspirational, guiding light, catalyst, booster, motivator, muse, ingenuity, rash, far sighted, visionary, planning ahead, on-the-ball, on-the-money, challenging, rash, hasty, impulsive, fast-as-lightning, fast-paced, chivalrous, sweeping you off your feet, flashy, dramatic, swooping down on you, tracking, assessing the situation, strategic, objective, independent thinking, calculated risk-taking, risqué, envy from others, idolatry from others, appealing to both sexes, feisty women, sensitive tough guys, notorious, infamous, insufferable, calamitous, all-or-nothing, bold, boisterous, bombastic, fantastic, subject to gossip, outlandish, insatiable.
Altair & Planet Combinations
I have put Robson’s [1] more extreme interpretations next to Brady’s [3] toned down approach. Please bear in mind Brady uses parans to come up with her meanings, whereas Robson and I are using the Ptolemy’s ecliptic method. I think Brady’s interpretations work well despite the different methodology. The celebrities I looked up using stars on the ecliptic method on Solar Fire.
ASCENDANT “Altair is credited with bestowing hardiness, courage and generosity, especially if on the Ascendant” [2] “He that is born on earth in the hour of its rising, will grow up bent on spoil and plunder, won even with bloodshed…. Yet, should perchance his aggressiveness be enlisted in a righteous cause, depravity will turn into virtue” [4]
Carl Jung (02’), Sarah Aldrete (05’), Willem Dafoe (03’), Kirk Douglas (04’), William Butler Yeats , Henry Winkler, Billie Holiday, Susan Sarandon.
MIDHEAVEN “Near the upper Meridian (MC) and in good aspect, Altair promises rise in life and honors. The native tries with sincere conviction to reach out for his aims with utmost will-power” [2]
Anna Freud (15’), Mike Barson (17’), Vivien Leigh (19’), Maureen O’Hara, Gustav Courbet, Juliette Drouet, George Washington.
SUN “ Public honor, notoriety, favors from superiors, many friends and some envious ones who cause trouble through writings, some ill-health and losses, danger of bites from venomous animals” [2] “To be a bold and determined individual. To be reckless or a daredevil” [3]
Christian Dior (04’), Matthew Newton (11’), Michael Hutchence (26’), Jeffery Epstein, Benny Hill, Fredrick M Alexander, John Hurt, Cindy Cloud, Sam Cooke, David Lynch.
MOON “Interest in a strange or ancient discovery, disappointment and loss over property and gain, some profit and preferment, friends become enemies, trouble through companies or public affairs, difficulties through or misfortune to children” [1] “Having little regard for personal safety if loved ones are threatened” [3]
Cary Grant (18’), Maurice Gibb (15’), MC Hammer, Robin Gibb, Russell Crowe, Anita Pallenberg, Robert Altman, Donna Summer, Bruce Willis, Cat Stevens, Ian Richardson, David Beckham
MERCURY “Many difficulties, misfortunes, and strange experiences. Disappointment on long journeys, bad for partnership, loss of a relative under strange circumstances” [2] “A natural ability to think fast, yielding a military mind, a brave and independent thinker” [3]
Patricia Highsmith (09’), Bob Marley (25’), Bobby Brown, Cindy Sherman, Cecil Beaton, Jennifer Aniston, Marilyn Manson, Burt Reynolds, Jagger/Hall Davison.
VENUS “Unfavorable for love affairs. Strange and peculiar attractions” [1] “The bold artisan…To challenge the sexual, social or sporting expectation of a society” [3] Tom Waits (05’), Fred Schepisi (24’), Captain E J Smith (Titanic), Ricky Martin, Crystal Gayle, Walt Disney, Nick Clegg, Kenneth Branagh, Nancy Spungen, Elvis Presley.
MARS ”Sharp mind, trouble through friends, society and companies but eventual gain” [1] “To be daring and at times take rash action” [3]
Bobby Fischer ( 00’), Charlotte Ford (06’), Donald Eckersley, Ron L Hubbard, Ian McKellen, Ben Thompson.
