On a hot and humid Piscean day, sixty-one years ago, a soul was dropped from heaven into the expectant loins of Madam Flora Egwuatu (nee Oranye). The date was March 20; the last day of the final sign of the Zodiac.
Curiously, I am connected to Olisa Egwuatu on many fronts: we took our wives from the same extended family; he is just as connected to my homestead as I am attached to his ancestral home; his illustrious father and I share the same first name; we share a passion for the literary world; we share a taste for good music; we share a passion for Christ; we share an aversion to bad governance and by uncanny coincidence, we also share the same Zodiac sign.
Today, I am somewhat inspired to explore this astrological link between Olisa and I in this anniversary message. Compellingly, this tribute also serves to re-ignite curiosity in this old, mystic, quasi-science. For the benefit of newcomers, astrology is the study of the movement and positions of planets and stars relative to time of birth. It has been observed that the meeting point of these celestial trajectories has profound influence on human behavior and personality. Zodiac signs are therefore based on the position of the Sun and planetary alignment, at the exact time of a person’s birth.
For the comfort of Christian readers, the three wise men from the east who located baby Jesus by following the movement of a Star, could only have been seasoned and practiced astrologers. To deploy a Star as a GPS device with breathtaking accuracy, would have required an advanced level of experience and expertise in astrology. However, it remains an unsolved mystery that the wise men were able to follow the same Star to their destination, even in daylight.
As a matter of academic speculation, many Bible scholars have long suspected that our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, might have been born a Piscean. This argument is based on certain, compelling historical imperatives.
At our terrestrial level, Olisa Egwuatu mirrors the attributes of a typical Piscean: creative, intuitive, imaginative, kind, compassionate, empathetic, adaptable, open-minded, intellectually persuaded with a high level of emotional intelligence. Pisces is the only water sign that enjoys the singular privilege of absolute freedom to explore both material and spiritual worlds, with amazing ease and flow.
A gentleman of old patrician bearing, Olisa comes across as well schooled and well groomed as reflected by both pedigree and worldly exposure. Yet, he wears an unassuming aura of simplicity and a demeanor of child-like innocence. He enjoys healthy jokes with pomp and jump as evidenced by long and explosive sessions of genuine laughter.
But when rattled by strangers who fall into the misfortune of misreading his easy manners, he could metamorphose into a vicious African lion in a matter of minutes. In the past, I have had the thrill of sharing a few of these grotesque episodes with him.
Like most Pisceans, Olisa is generously gifted in the arts. Writing comes naturally to him. He commands the language of the Isles with a spell-binding proficiency of the old school. Besides literary endowments, he also has talents for sports. Olisa was an indispensable member of the Cricket team in the university. His exploits in the field of soccer earned him the nickname, Paserella, after the gifted Argentine defender.
Olee (as I fondly call him) is a bundle of intuition. He could ‘smell a rat’ from miles away. He relies mostly on his gut instincts in his day-to-day endeavors and encounters. Pisceans are born to naturally draw from their intuitive reservoirs of energy and emotion.
With regards to emotional intelligence, his display of compassion and empathy is unrivaled. Almost all Pieceans are known with this attribute. Every month of December, Olisa would expend enormous energy criss-crossing the country and collecting donations in the form of clothings, footwears etc. These items would be given away on Christmas eve to the needy and less privileged.
This message will be incomplete without a brief mention of a few remarkable Pisceans who have left indelible marks on the annals of history:
George Washington (22 February): He was one of The founding fathers of democracy in the United States of America. He was the first president.
Albert Einstein (14 March): He was arguably the greatest scientist the world has ever seen, to this day. He was best known for his “Theory of Relativity”.
Steve Jobs (24 February): He was one of the co-founders of Apple Inc. His legacies in iPhone and iPad among many others have continued to inspire creativity and innovation.
My friend and brother, Olisa Arthur Egwuatu, accept my warm anniversary greetings from this cold country.
May your legacies rival or surpass those of our Piscean forbears.
May God continue to bless you without measures, even as Nigeria groans under the burden of oppressive leadership and imminent tyranny.
Happy belated birthday!
