|
www.arianrhod.org
 Overview & Personality Traits
The symbolic emblem of Aquarius is the water bearer, who kneels as he pours
forth his offering of water in an act of modest service. Although classified as
an air sign according to its elemental qualities, Aquarius is in many ways the
forgotten 'water sign', with its name simply meaning 'related to water', and
much of its symbolic signification emerging from the water bearer's act of
libation. But the free flowing water-symbolism of Aquarius bears no relation to
the heavily pregnant ocean of the psyche as portrayed by the signs of the water
triplicity; for in libation the Aquarian seeks only to cleanse, illuminate and
purify. The ancients envisioned the floods that accompanied the sign's
culmination and seasonal passage as periods of refreshment, when the land, newly
baptised, was cleansed of sin. The month of February is so-named in honour of
the ceremonies of purification that were held during the Sun's passage through
Aquarius (Latin: Februa = to purify + arius = pertaining to), with
society's attention turned to ritualistic purification of the home, body and
soul. In being cleansed, we are made new again, and classical symbolism also
captures the element of youth and innocence by identifying the waterbearer as
Ganymede, the young boy whose grace and beauty so captivated the heart of Zeus
that he stole him away to replace Hebes, the goddess of youth, as his cup
bearer.
Thus the imagery of Aquarius dwells upon the cleansing power of water to offer
the representation of youth, innocence and purity. Since the elemental division
of the zodiac attributes the four primary laws of physics - light, gravity,
energy and motion - to the elements of air, earth, fire and water respectively,
Aquarius, as an air sign, also signifies light and its natural extension,
clarity, through which the sign emphasises leanings towards visibly reasoned
logic and lucid expression. Although the act of offering the libation
demonstrates the Aquarian need to be of service to others, it also illustrates
the active condition of extending out to others what is contained within oneself
- the principle of communication by which we identify Aquarians as the
transmitters of knowledge. With the noble virtues of modesty and humility
fundamental to this sign, Aquarians often appear unassuming and indifferent to
attention, yet they are fiercely independent in matters of mind and spirit. They
rarely have a hidden agenda and their tendency towards clear-thinking and
independent analysis make it almost impossible to beguile them into a position
of prejudice. Neither do they take kindly to attempts to pull the wool over
their eyes, having no hesitation in speaking out against the common drift
wherever belief and assumption tips the scales against logic and fact.
The tendency towards 'detachment' runs like a thread through many of this sign's
notable characteristics. On the one hand it gives a remarkable capacity for
self-recognition and a crystal-clear reception of universal intelligence. At a
spiritual level, it allows pure vision and penetrating perception. On the other,
such self-reliant understanding inclines the Aquarian away from the impressions
of others, often making them often appear to be a little 'different' and apart
from their community. The Aquarian spirit is often characterised by progressive
thinking because of their ability to lie comfortably at odds with the norm. On a
baser level however, it can lead to a stubborn and rigid maintenance of personal
opinion that resists the benefits of learning from others. As a fixed sign,
Aquarius offers stability and resistance, but problems can arise wherever
wilfulness overrides the basic instinct towards humanitarian service, leading to
inflexibility and repression of the spirit. When rightfully employed as a
vehicle for free-flowing thought, the principle of fixity applied to air can
result in marked powers of concentration and application, and an uncompromising
response to mental challenge.
Saturn's traditional rulership of Aquarius further colours this sign with the
qualities of detachment, objectivity and restraint. In astrological philosophy,
the Sun and Saturn are conceived as enemies, neither able to express itself
fully within the other's sign of dignity. The Sun craves attention and when the
planetary energies are drawn though the Sun it centres them firmly upon the
self. Hence the Sun is said to be 'in detriment' in Aquarius, where the
personal ego is subjugated in favour of egalitarian concepts and far-ranging
humanitarian concerns. The Aquarian perspective is drawn from a broad angle, and
places the vision of the wider perspective above that which it sees from a
position of self interest. The spirit of Aquarius is to look beyond the
immediate and self-centred, to nurture the interests of progress for collective
society and humanity as a whole.
Aquarians are often recognised as social idealists, locked into a quest to
pursue their guiding principles of truth, justice, democracy, universal harmony
and brotherhood of man. Calm objectivity combined with idealistic vision results
in a genuine interest for scientific ingenuity and a natural instinct for
fair-mindedness. Known for being one of the most rational and humane signs of
the zodiac, Aquarius, in its positive expression, is the archetype for civility,
tact, reasoned logic, moderate behaviour and all-round good manners. Traditional
sources refer to it as a 'sanguine sign', as all the air signs are, indicating
that it is underwritten by healthy attributes of grace, charm and
attractiveness, and has no leanings towards crude, violent or unpleasant
extremes. Since they tend towards a position of balance, Aquarians are generally
seen as popular, polite and sociable members of society. They offer harmonising
influences upon groups, especially with their penchant for bringing cool reason
to heated debates and thus steering attention away from personal and emotional
trysts to communal and intellectual problems that concern and unite us all.
Like all air signs, Aquarians carry the double-edged gift of being able to
detach their reason from their emotions, allowing them to rationalise their
feelings and override base instincts or lustful passions. This sign has a
natural disposition towards assessing everything through reason, so that even
where there is an understanding of emotional drives, it is a reasoned
understanding, such as one derived from a study of emotional behaviour. An
Aquarian may lack the empathetic understanding of those who draw from painful
personal experience, but their viewpoint is reliably impartial and unbiased,
motivated along a course of action that seeks to be fair and logical.
The problematic side to this quality is that Aquarians often remain slightly
detached from deeply emotional experiences, feeling ill-at-ease with intimacy
and embarrassed or uncomfortable when they are expected to demonstrate enthused
familiarity. In close personal relationships they can seem aloof, dispassionate
and stand-offish, particularly to those whose expectations are towards ardent
infatuations requiring heavy emotional investment. New lovers are often
disappointed to find that the freely expressed charm that radiates in social
settings and early acquaintance remains static in intimacy and doesn't develop
into passionate expressions of romantic obsession for a love that transcends all
reason and boundaries. Thus the Aquarian is often berated for being emotionally
'cool'.
Ancient sources alluded to this element of frigidity by categorising the sign as
'slightly barren' in matters of fertility, and drawing pre-pubescent youth or
sexless beings into its symbolic expression. Recent astrologers have made much
of 'brotherhood of man' issues to suggest that the sign is relevant in
portraying homosexuality, noting that the Ganymede myth is the first insinuation
to homosexual love in Greek literature. The suggestion, however, is poorly
supported by traditional astrological texts and appears to be a modern
contortion of a more reliable Aquarian principle, which is simply that
innocence, purity, idealistic love, discretion and moderation are valued above
the release of unrestrained passion and unbridled desire; and that the perceived
boundaries of gender, race and religion mean very little to an Aquarian, who
instinctively responds to intellectual compatibility and searches for soul mates
in a place where minds can meet.
The natural inclination towards logic and progressive ideas sets the Aquarian
apart for potential to excel in the worlds of teaching, media, philosophy,
science and law. The sign is often, very fairly, described as the mark of the
scientific innovator, though this should not be taken as suggesting there is any
lack of respect for the stability of tradition. Even the most pioneering
Aquarian requires a structured framework to support the development of their
ideas and draws cohesion from established principles. Aquarius demonstrates a
balanced appreciation between the old and the new, a rare paradoxical virtue
that allows them to span social and intellectual divisions with ease. Any career
path that lies within fields of communication, the engineering of structures
(social, personal, scientific, architectural or design), or offers scope for
objective re-evaluation, assessment and research is ideal. Aquarians can excel
within the arts, but do so best where their imagination is channelled into
structure and definition.
The modern association between Aquarius and Uranus has given this sign an
exaggerated reputation for being rebellious, anti-social, perverse, eccentric
and emotionally unstable. All of these negative forms of behavior arise as
extreme manifestations in individuals that have yet to find their centre. Anyone
who is naturally inclined to care about the interests of social welfare will
face their shadow in a world of political frustration where they are confronted
with the mirror of their own anger and disappointment. Uranus sits comfortably
within the theme of Aquarius in issues of detachment and mental separation, but
the intrinsically destructive nature of that planet undermines the fact that
Aquarius is regarded as a fortunate sign that rarely offers hostile conditions
unless the planets within it are afflicted and heavily debilitated. Whilst some
degree of separation from the group is a natural and healthy Aquarian trait,
social isolation is not. Primarily this sign works best when supporting
well-reasoned theoretical reform rather than violent civil disruption, leaving
aggression aside in favour of its polished weapons of diplomacy, logic and
tactful gathering of public support
Top
|
