Aquarius

uh-KWAIR-ee-uhs

greek: Ὑδροχόος (Hydrokhoos) · latin: Aquarius · sanskrit: Kumbha

Definition

Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the zodiac, covering 300 to 330 degrees of the ecliptic — the circle the Sun appears to travel over a year. It is a fixed air sign, traditionally ruled by Saturn; modern Western astrology often adds Uranus as a co-ruler. The Sun is in detriment (out of place) here, and moves through Aquarius from roughly January 20 to February 18 each year. Aquarius reads as masculine in the odd/even polarity scheme, and it belongs to the air triplicity alongside Gemini and Libra. Hellenistic astrology called the fixed signs sterea, meaning "solid."

In Tradition

Astrologers in the Western tradition link Aquarius with group identity, social ideals, and an independent mind. The sign is traditionally tied to humanitarian concerns, to the collective, and to the push-and-pull between personal freedom and belonging to a group.

In Practice

In a birth chart, astrologers read Aquarius placements when looking at someone's social orientation, the groups they join, and the ideas they commit to. The Sun in its traditional detriment in Aquarius is read for an identity expressed through the collective rather than through personal channels. With Saturn as its traditional ruler, Aquarius placements connect to questions of social structure and reform. In horary astrology — answering a specific question from a chart cast for the moment it is asked — a strong showing of fixed signs suggests conditions that are dug in and slow to shift.

Historical Origin

Aquarius appears as one of the twelve zodiacal signs in the earliest Hellenistic texts. Hellenistic sources record Aquarius as a fixed (sterea) sign of the air triplicity. Saturn is given as its ruler under the symmetrical scheme that radiates outward from the two signs the luminaries rule — the Sun's Leo and the Moon's Cancer. In medical astrology, the body regions matched to Aquarius are the ankles and the circulatory system.

Definition

In Tradition

In Practice

Historical Origin

Further Reading