Aquarius

(January 21 – February 20)

The symbol for Aquarius is the Water-Bearer, a universal man who is pouring forth water from a jug. This universal man represents the community of mankind. The waters of life flow, like ideas coming from the unrestrained mind. Many people mistakenly think that Aquarius is a water sign, but it is an intellectual air sign. As such, Aquarius can be interested in concepts and ideas. Because of its universality, Aquarius can seem somewhat detached from personal emotions. It’s not that you Aquarius don’t have feelings; it’s just that yours are different from most others. You dance to the beat of a different drummer.

Aquarius can be good communicators as long as you stay in the mental realms. Aquarius are friendly, but can become uncomfortable as you discuss your feelings. In fact, your friends are very important to you and Aquarius might be involved with groups of like-minded people in a social club, a political action group or a public service group.

The Aquarius motto could be Einstein’s “Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” And yours is a great spirit, sometimes erratic and sometimes brilliant. You know much about yourself and the world, but knowing everything can be an obstacle to your own happiness. Your practice is twofold. First, you must learn how to separate your crazy notions from what is important. And second, you need to learn how to respond to the opposition you encounter without making it difficult for yourself.

Element: Air

The astrological element of air represents movement. And the most efficient movement between two points is often a thought. Air signs are thinkers. They emphasize the intellect over other functions. With active minds and a good command of language, the air signs are the natural born communicators. They can be light and breezy as the breath of spring, but their words can also carry the power of a gale force wind.

The air of Aquarius can be like the winds after a lightning strike. Large amounts of air are moved around suddenly in such a storm, and that which survives this intensity gets to enjoy the calm after the storm.

Eleventh House: Future

The Eleventh House is sometimes called the House of Friends, Hopes and Dreams. Friends will support our dreams of the future. Here, in the Eleventh House, we’re not concerned with our day-to-day responsibilities. Instead, we are thinking about our ideal situation and dreaming of ways to get there. Whether we do or not is less important than keeping the dreams alive.

Key Planet: Uranus

Uranus is the weirdest planet in the solar system. Its north pole faces the Sun and its Moons spin around it backwards. As such, Uranus symbolizes the eccentric and unique things in our lives. It is associated with brilliance — even if short-lived. And, like lightning, Uranus can release the hidden tensions suddenly and with great immediacy. In fact, Uranus is often the astrological culprit when our lives are turned upside-down. As the key planet of Aquarius, it encourages us to rebel against social injustices and to seek freedom of expression in our lives.

Aquarians basically possess strong and attractive personalities. They fall into two principle types: one shy, sensitive, gentle and patient; the other exuberant, lively and exhibitionist, sometimes hiding the considerable depths of their character under a cloak of frivolity. Both types are strong willed and forceful in their different ways and have strong convictions, though as they seek truth above all things, they are usually honest enough to change their opinions, however firmly held, if evidence comes to light which persuades them that they have been mistaken. They have a breadth of vision that brings diverse factors into a whole, and can see both sides of an argument without shilly-shallying as to which side to take. Consequently they are unprejudiced and tolerant of other points of view. This is because they can see the validity of the argument, even if they do not accept it themselves. They obey the Quaker exhortation to “Be open to truth, from whatever source it comes,” and are prepared to learn from everyone.

Both types are humane, frank, serious minded, genial, refined, sometimes ethereal, and idealistic, though this last quality is tempered with a sensible practicality. They are quick, active and persevering without being self-assertive, and express themselves with reason, moderation and sometimes, a dry humor.

They are nearly always intelligent, concise, clear and logical. Many are strongly imaginative and psychically intuitive, so that the Age of Aquarius, which is about to begin, is much anticipated by psychic circles as an age in which mankind will experience a great spiritual awakening. The Aquarian philosophical and spiritual bent may be dangerous in that it can drive the subjects into an ivory-tower existence where they meditate on abstractions that bear little relevance to life. On the other hand it can help the many who have scientific leanings to combine these with the Aquarian yearning for the universal recognition of the brotherhood of man, and to embark on scientific research to fulfill their philanthropic ideals of benefiting mankind. When some cause or work of this nature inspires them, they are capable of such devotion to it that they may drive themselves to the point of exhaustion and even risk injuring their health.

Both types need to retire from the world at times and to become temporary loners. They appreciate opportunities for meditation or, if they are religious, of retreats. Even in company they are fiercely independent, refusing to follow the crowd. They dislike interference by others, however helpfully intended, and will accept it only on their own terms. Normally they have good taste in drama, music and art, and are also gifted in the arts, especially drama.

In spite of the often intensely magnetic, forthcoming and open personality of the more extrovert kind of Aquarian, and of their desire to help humanity, neither type makes friends easily. They sometimes appear to condescend to others and take too little trouble to cultivate the acquaintance of people who do not particularly appeal to them.

They do not give themselves easily – perhaps their judgment of human nature is too good for that – and are sometimes accounted cold. But once they decide that someone is worthy of their friendship or love, they can exert an almost hypnotic and irresistible mental attraction on them and will themselves become tenacious friends or lovers, ready to sacrifice everything for their partners and be faithful to them for life. However, they are sometimes disappointed emotionally because their own high personal ideals cause them to demand more of others than is reasonable. And if they are deceived their anger is terrible. If disillusioned, they do not forgive.

Aquarians work best in group projects, provided that they are recognized as having a leading part in them. They have a feeling of unity with nature and a desire for knowledge and truth that makes them admirable scientists, especially astronomers and natural historians. They may excel in photography, radiography, electronics – anything connected with the electrical and radio industries – aviation and everything technical. On the arts and humanities side their progressive tendencies can be expressed in writing, especially poetry, and broadcasting, or as welfare workers and teachers. Some have gifts as entertainers and make good character actors (having an ability to mimic) and musicians. The more psychic among them possess healing gifts, especially in curing the mentally sick.

Among the faults to which they are liable are fanatical eccentricity, wayward egotism, excessive detachment and an inclination to retreat from life and society, and a tendency to be extremely dogmatic in their opinions. Aquarians can be a threat to all they survey or a great boon for humanity in general. Circumstances – for example, continuous opposition to a cause they hold dear – may cause the atrophy of the openness of mind that is one of the Aquarian’s most attractive traits. They may express a lack of integrity in broken promises, secretiveness or cunning. Simmering anger and resentment, rudeness or, worse, a tense, threatening silence which may suddenly burst out in eruptions of extreme temper, these are all part of the negative side of the Aquarian. This can also reveal itself in a sustained hatred for enemies that is capable of enlarging itself into a misanthropy toward the whole of mankind.