Aquarius - Sun Sign - Dates: 16th February to 11th March
Definition: [Sun Signs - Solar Zodiac] [See also: Age of Aquarius] Aquarius, the sign of the Water Carrier, is the 13th, and last, sign of the Real Solar Zodiac.
Aquarius Astrology: Below can be found the fundamentals of the astrology of Aquarius. The quotations are from the Magnum Opus of astrology, Tetrabiblos, composed by Claudius Ptolemy [c 130 - 170 AD] - the father of Classical astrology.
| The Power of the Fixed Stars: | "Of the stars in Aquarius, those in the shoulders exert an influence like that of Saturn and Mercury, together with those in the left arm and the cloak; those in the thighs, like that of Mercury in a greater degree and like that of Saturn in a lesser degree; those in the stream of water, like that of Saturn and, in same degree, like that of Jupiter. " |
| Character of the Sign: | "Solid" [now Bicorporeal (Mutable) - see below] |
| Planet and House: | "Saturn; Masculine Aspect." [now Mars [Masculine Aspect] - see below] |
| Triangles: | Third Triangle - Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius: Masculine. Ruled by the Saturn in day and Mercury at night. |
| Exaltations and Depressions: | None. |
| The Egyptian Terms: | "Merkur = 7; Venus = 6; Jupiter = 7; Mars = 5; Saturn = 5" |
| The Chaldean Terms: | "Saturn = 6; Merkur = 6; Venus = 8; Jupiter = 5; Mars = 5" |
| Countries: | "Sauromatica, Oxiana, Sogdiana; in the centre, Arahia, Azania, Middle Ethiopia." |
| Effect upon the Weather: | "The sign of Aquarius as a whole is cold and watery ; but, taken part by part, its leading portion is moist, its middle temperate, its following part windy. Its northern portion brings hot weather and its southern clouds." |
Movement of the Ages : Ptolemy's astrology described the heavens in the Age of Aries. However, nearly two thousand years later we are now in the Age of Pisces. Therefore, some of the astrological features noted above are no longer accurate. Aquarius is no longer a Solid sign, but is now a Bicorporeal sign. In modern terminology this makes it a mutable sign. [See Tetrabiblos Book i Chapter 11]
Which planet makes its 'house' in Aquarius [in modern terms the planetary ruler] is even more complex. In the Age of Taurus, 4000 years ago, Leo was the Summer Solstice sign in the northern hemisphere and hence the Sun made its 'house' in Leo and the rest of the signs followed from this starting point. But by the time of Ptolemy, in the Age of Aries, Cancer was the Solstice sign and should have been assigned the Sun. However Ptolemy assigns Leo the Sun. Even Ptolemy kept out-dated astrology, as we do today. [See Tetrabiblos Book i Chapter 17] In our time at the end of the Age of Pisces, Gemini is the Solstice sign and so should be assigned the Sun. Hence in the Age of Pisces Mars makes its 'house' in Aquarius.
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The Powers of the Stars of Aquarius : |
Aquarius, the Water Carrier. From Uranometria, Johann Bayer, Augsburg, 1603 AD. Click on the above picture for a larger version 176 kB.
Aquarius, the Water Carrier. From Syntagma Arataeorum, Hugo Grotius, Leiden, 1600 AD. |
| Sun Sign | Meaning | Dates | |
| 01: | Pisces | the Fishes | 12 Mar to 18 Apr |
| 02: | Aries | the Ram | 19 Apr to 13 May |
| 03: | Taurus | the Bull | 14 May to 19 Jun |
| 04: | Gemini | the Twins | 20 Jun to 20 Jul |
| 05: | Cancer | the Crab | 21 Jul to 9 Aug |
| 06: | Leo | the Lion | 10 Aug to 15 Sep |
| 07: | Virgo | the Maiden | 16 Sep to 30 Oct |
| 08: | Libra | the Scales | 31 Oct to 22 Nov |
| 09: | Scorpius | the Scorpion | 23 Nov to 29 Nov |
| 10: | Ophiuchus | the Serpent Bearer | 30 Nov to 17 Dec |
| 11 | Sagittarius | the Archer | 18 Dec to 18 Jan |
| 12: | Capricornus | the Sea Goat | 19 Jan to 15 Feb |
| 13: | Aquarius | the Water Carrier | 16 Feb to 11 Mar |
| * | The Non-Zodiac Constellations | ||
© Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological Historian
Historical Astrology
See the new Astrological Index for the meaning of other astrological words and phrases