Aquarius Unplugged

Around this time each year I inwardly grumble, about Aquarius, and how this zodiac sign has come to be commonly perceived.

What has gone awry? Is it me? I'm probably as guilty as anyone else of being drawn into the crowd's expectations - calling Aquarius quirky, avant garde, rebellious, unpredictable, cold and aloof....you know the rest. Humanitarian, another commonly stated characteristic of Aquarius is often apt, but it fits more nearly with Pisces in reality. Most people with Sun in Aquarius have a planet or two in Pisces. Intelligent? I'll go along with that one, it's the only description common to all Sun Aquarians I've ever met. Intelligent, mind you, not genius or even highly intelligent. They simply possess an innate cleverness irrespective of schooling or higher education, which, in some instances when applied can bring out inventive talent. Aquarius is Fixed Air. Air relates to mental processes, so it's reasonable to expect that all Air signs (Aquarius, Gemini and Libra) will share natural intelligence, honed to sophistication by education, or not, as the case may be.

I don't agree with the "love of groups" thing for Aquarius. Where did that come from? In any case it contradicts the "aloof, detached and cold" motif. I haven't ever met a Sun Aquarian who loves to join groups. I run away from them as fast as my little legs will carry me, so did my Dad, and friends who share Aquarius Sun. So perhaps Aquarius-types can appear to be a tad aloof and detached, but I prefer to think of that as independence.

The rest of commonly used keywords for Aquarius, apart from humanitarian belong, in my opinion, more properly with planet Uranus, delegated to replace Saturn as ruler of Aquarius in modern astrology. I often suspect that Saturn was more appropriate as ruler of Aquarius; a Saturn in Airy mode, lighter and less tied down, whereas Capricorn hosts a heavier, Earthy Saturn.

Where does Uranus truly belong among the signs? Its accepted characteristics can infect and invade any of them with its presence, and with equal intensity. The rush to allocate the outer planets to rulerships was curious, I think. Why was it necessary ? Weren't things working satisfactorily in personal astrology beforehand? The outer planets seem to relate far more to mundane or generational issues.

In my old copy of Llewellyn George's "Student Chart Reader" (1934), he has this to say of Sun in Aquarius:

"In Aquarius the Sun gives a quiet, patient, determined, unobtrisive and faithful nature, as a rule. The Aquarian is refined, pleasant, friendly, generous, charitable, dignified and humanitarian; fond of art, music, scenery and literature; cautious, steady, intelligent, intuitive, discriminitive, concentrative, studious, thoughtful and philopsophical. Good reasoner, practical as well as theoretical; strong likes and dislikes and often with very radical and advanced ideas; is cheerful, sincere and honest, easily influenced by kindness, slow to anger, but will not be driven; loves liberty and is fond of occult research."

Aquarius by Johfra (HERE)

I find that description quite fitting, even though parts of it are too general to be identifiable as purely Aquarian - for example pleasant, fond of art, music, scenery. I especially like the the last few phrases (easily influenced by kindness, slow to anger, but will not be driven; loves liberty). Interest in astrology, something I've had, at various levels, for almost as long as I can remember, doesn't seem to automatically connect to Sun in Aquarius, none of my Sun in Aquarius relatives and friends have had the same interest. Perhaps this is another facet belonging more properly to Uranus, or perhaps Pisces, where lies my natal Jupiter. However, there are two Fixed Stars in Aquarius with traditional connection to astrology.




So, my own stripped down, unplugged group of keywords for zodiac sign Aquarius is:

freedom lover, independent, naturally intelligent, quietly determined, loyal, faithful, studious, practical but also theoretical, stubborn, slow to anger, will not be driven.

Radicalism, the avant garde, rebellion and quirkiness will, in my view, be a part of Sun in Aquarius, or other zodiac signs' makeup only when Uranus is in close aspect, or on a sensitive point in the chart. Other characteristics, occasionally found associated with Aquarius, could come via emphasis on neighbouring signs Pisces and Capricorn.

All of the above is, of course, in my not so humble opinion only!