Wendy Cicchetti

Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the zodiac and represents the eleventh stage of human evolution. Aquarius follows the sign of Capricorn, where we seek to build structures and create laws and customs that will support the integrity of the group. Aquarius is where we begin to look at these laws and structures and evaluate whether they do, in fact, serve the best interest of the group. Any structures that no longer serve the group, any laws or rules that restrict personal freedom rather than protecting those that they serve, are torn down by Aquarius and replaced with new rules that both enhance personal freedom and protect the integrity of the group.

Aquarius is a fixed air sign. As a fixed sign, Aquarius is involved in sustaining and maintaining what has been created and initiated before. As a fixed sign, Aquarius is also fundamentally concerned with the question of self-worth. As an air sign, Aquarius operates in the intellectual, mental, and social realm; Aquarius is idea-oriented and abstract. Aquarius, then, is concerned with establishing a sense of social, mental, and intellectual self-worth. The sense of social self-worth is derived from membership in groups of our own choosing; in other words, Aquarius finds validation through acceptance by one's peers.

Although modern astrologers consider the planet Uranus to be the ruler of Aquarius, citing Aquarius' tendency to be revolutionary and unconventional, Aquarius is traditionally ruled by the planet Saturn, which governs all limitations, structures, conventions and responsibilities. Aquarius is particularly concerned with the rules of society, or at least with the rules and structures that define a given group. Aquarius is not, by nature, a revolutionary. Although Aquarius will fight to the death for personal freedom, that personal freedom must be supported and protected by rules and social structures. We must remember that anarchy is not the same thing as freedom. The energy of Uranus is an expression of anarchy, and exists simply to disrupt any and all structures, to break up Saturn manifestations and illusions. Aquarius seeks to disrupt only those structures that do not support personal freedom and equality; it will fight to support and preserve those structures that do.

Aquarius defines itself through group association. Because Aquarius places more importance on group identity than on individual identity, Aquarius can be a truly selfless sign. Although Capricorn will work within the group to support the group, Capricorn also seeks individual recognition for it's efforts. Aquarius can identify with the group rather than with an individual identity, and can therefore be truly a "team player," and also truly humanitarian. Where Capricorn seeks prominence in the group, Aquarius seeks absolute equality in the group and draws strength and support from membership in a collective.

Being an air sign, Aquarius can tend to live in a theoretical and philosophical world rather than in a practical one. Aquarius will often fight for a utopian ideal and be unable to translate it into something workable. Although Aquarius can have great compassion for humanity (which comes from the head), Aquarius can also have difficulty in feeling any kind of compassion for individual humans (which comes from the heart). This is again a symptom of living in a mental ideal and being unable to translate it to a practical level. Although Aquarius is a great supporter of personal freedom and equality, this freedom and equality can often be limited to members of whatever group Aquarius belongs to. As a fixed sign, Aquarius can be exceptionally stubborn and resistant to change, and one of the lessons that Aquarius must learn is how to become more flexible and open to the ideas of others, even when those ideas do not agree with their own.

Planets in Aquarius gain a tremendous amount of perspective and objectivity. They are inclined to operate in the theoretical and mental realms, rather than to take direct action. Planets in Aquarius also become focused on the group dynamic rather than on an individual level. Mental planets such as Mercury and Jupiter tend to be very comfortable in Aquarius, although they may tend to embrace rather unusual ideas. Mars in Aquarius expends much of it's energy on the theoretical and planning stages, and may have difficulty in taking action on the physical plane. Both the Sun and Mars have difficulty in Aquarius because Aquarius energy does not easily acknowledge the individual, and the Sun and Mars are only comfortable expressing themselves on that level. Emotional planets such as the Moon and Venus lose their ability to express and experience emotions on a deep level. They tend to manifest a great deal of compassion, but can be uncomfortable when a general feeling of compassion becomes too specific or personal.