The symbol for Aquarius, 11th sign of the zodiac, is that of two parallel, waves or wavering lines. This represents the action of the elements on water, not the water itself.

Ruling planet: Uranus.

Aquarius Star Sign – Heaven’s Borrowed Angels

Heaven has leant you a little Angel here, but they are never really yours to keep. These little Angels belong to us all and right from the start, this little Angel still has one eye up in heaven and one eye down below.

Aquarius is the last of the Air signs and a very ideas and thoughts orientated sign, yet despite the reputation that Aquarians are emotionally detached and uncaring, they care too deeply. Where most of us are selective in who we care for and what we care about, this little Angel cares about it all. They’re just as likely to get upset about Third World hunger, as they are to their own needs. Their caring is too big for one person or one situation, for this is a very humanitarian sign.

This little Angel came down with a purpose and for the whole of this life time, they’ll be riding on the cutting edge of life, seeing further than their cosmic mates. These are the future scientists, discoverers and inventors of the world, looking beyond what is, to what can be. They are ideas people and altruistic.

You’ve got a little conversationalist and environmentalist in the making, for they care about the planet. While most of us care about our own lives, these little Angels care about the planet and everyone in it. These Angels care more than you know, about everything.

It is their ability to detach from their own sentiment and emotions that enables them to see the big picture in life.

Foster this caring for life from the very beginning and feed this little Angel with as much information about their world as possible, as they are global citizens. These are sociable little souls, so they’ll want to be around others that share their stage in life. As a baby, they’ll want to be around other babies and as they grow and move onto play school, kindy and then school, they’ll naturally gravitate to the kids that share the same interests as them.

These are no loners, they need to be part of something, to thrive. These little Angels will need to find a sense of belonging, to find their clique and social network. Throughout life they will have a sense of purpose and a homing beacon that helps them gravitate towards other little Cosmic Angels who are on the same journey.

You often find Aquarians in humanitarian causes, in Government or making a difference in the world. The most famous Aquarian, who really epitomises this Aquarian energy, is Oprah Winfrey. Networking, caring about causes greater than them, joining together with others, for a common cause, will always be greater than personal issues.

These little souls need experiences and it’s usually their own experiences in life that inspire them to help others. When your little Angel loses a first tooth or falls and cuts themselves, you’ll see a brave and stoic little soul, but just watch them when a friend goes through a similar situation and they’ll be there, helping them through it, telling them how they felt and what helped and what worked. It’s as though whatever they go through, is so that they’re able to help others. They’re able to raise then, above their own circumstances.

You really do have a little Angel on loan from Heaven here, born with very high ideals and a sense of purpose that might see them strive too hard to rise, too much at times, above things. Love them while you’ve got them, knowing that this little soul will touch many people’s lives. These little souls were born to be shared with all of us.

You’ve got an original, radical ‘free thinker’ here, rebelling against the status quo and always striving for the ideal. Don’t even think of trying to impose your own beliefs on this little soul, they’ve got to find their own.

Aquarius Star Sign – The Constellation

Aquarius has always been linked with Ganymede, who was the first mortal to become immortal. He was taken to Mount Olympus to become ‘Cup Bearer’ for the gods. This was a privilege that had never been given to a mortal before. When we see a symbol for the sign of Aquarius, we see a ‘water bearer’. This is in fact Ganymede, pouring nectar for the gods.

So, what exulted deed did Ganymede perform, that gave him such honours? He did nothing, it was his beauty. Ganymede was the son of Tros, King of Troy. He was the most beautiful youth in the world and even Zeus, the most heterosexual of all the gods, fell for his charms. Some say that Zeus took Ganymede to Olympus as an eagle for sexual reasons, others say that all the Gods were smitten with his looks. In any case, he upsurged Hebe, daughter of Hera, Zeus’ long suffering wife. They fought about this until Zeus ended the argument by taking him up into the heavens, where he stayed.

In modern astrology, Aquarius rules the 11th House, which is said to be that of ‘Hopes and Wishes’ and also ‘Ideals and Aspirations’. Where that comes from is the glyph for Aquarius, which is the Egyptian sign for ‘water above and below’. Therefore, Aquarius is said to symbolise the realm where the invisible waters of heaven pour down onto mankind, in the same way that a soul is poured into a human body. What is ‘above’ is immortal and what comes from ‘below’ is mortal and the water of Aquarius are said to transcend both, just as Ganymede did. When we tap into this flow, our ideas, thoughts and requests flow up into the heavens where the Gods can look on them favourably.

Because Ganymede was the first mortal to gain immortality, he was the first man to understand the waters above and bring them down to others. This is the modern notion of ‘ideals’.

The Constellation of Aquarius lays West of Pisces. It is one of the oldest of all the constellations and ever since ancient Babylonian times is depicted as a man or boy carrying a jug or urn, from which he pours water or liquid of some kind. Water carrying was an important occupation in ancient times. When visitors arrived, they were offered water to refresh themselves. It was done, not in servitude, but out of respect and hospitality. Water carriers also waited on banquet tables on earth and in the celestial realm. They had to be trustworthy, as they were often privy to confidential information. In the case of Ganymedes, he was privy to the conversations taking place between the Gods and Goddesses, as they discussed their plans for mankind. He was often called on to carry information and instructions from one God to another, or to fly down over the earth in the form of an Eagle and bring back information.

Some say that the Aquarian urn is the Cauldron of Cerridwen, a Celtic goddess. One sip from this cauldron was said to provide you with infinite knowledge and the power of prophecy. The Egyptians associated their god Nut with this constellation and saw it as milk pouring from her breasts and the waters from her womb. In Hebrew, it was Delilah (Her Water pitcher). Aquarius and Ganymede have been seen as one and the same entity and together, they are seen to bring life giving rain to the earth.

Aquarius is the central figure in a part of the sky that the ancients called ‘The Sea’, in fact it was said that Aquarius ruled this sea. In this great celestial ocean we find Capricornus the ‘Sea Goat’, Cetus ‘The Whale’, Delphinus the ‘Dolphin’, Eridanus, the ‘Great River’, Hydra the ‘Water Snake’, Pisces ‘the Fishes’ and the ‘Southern Fish’ – all members of the water elements. Along with others, these make up a part of the sky that is called the ‘Upper Waters’ and is said to be the source of all life. It is through this region that the Sun passed through in the rainy season of each year.

The Babylonians also called this ‘the Sea’ and saw it as populated by ocean creatures such as the Dolphin, Water Goat and the Fishes. Again, they saw Aquarius as being in control. In another link to the number ‘11’, the 11th month of each year was called ‘Shabatu’ or ‘Curse Rain’ (January/February each year). Even in the bible, the epic account of the great Deluge (which features in the myths of every civilisation) is in the 11th Book. In fact, each of the books of the old bible relate numerically to the zodiac signs.

February, the month that the Sun moves through Aquarius, comes from the word ‘februare’, which means ‘to cleanse’. In ancient times this was the time of year that people cleaned their houses, farms and barns after the long, dark winter.

Aquarius Star Sign – The Planet

Uranus is the third largest planet in the solar system and the seventh planet out from the Sun. Although there is some indication that the ancients were aware of its existence, it was not officially discovered or named until the 13th March 1781, by William Herschel.

Actually ‘discover’ is too strong a word. The more correct word would be ‘confirmed’. Almost a hundred years before, in 1690, after mapping and noting its movements, John Flamsteed catalogued it as ‘34 Tauri’. In fact, he even named it the ‘Georgium Sidus’ (Georgian Planet) after his patron, King George III of England. However, it was thought to be a star, not a planet. So, although it had been observed, it wasn’t known to be a planet until 1781.

Even then it took almost 70 years to give the planet a name. It was Bode, whose infamous ‘Bodes Law’ later led to the discovery of Pluto that proposed that even though this was the first planet to be named since ancient times, its name should conform to classical mythology and be in keeping with the rest of the planets. So, in 1850 it was named Uranus.

Aquarius, as a sign, is infamous for non conformity. Uranus itself shows the same traits. While most of the planets spin on an axis that is almost perpendicular, Uranus’ axis is almost parallel to the ecliptic. When ‘Voyager’ passed by Uranus, its south pole was pointed almost directly at the Sun. Whereas on earth, the Sun shines into the equatorial regions around the equator, on Uranus it’s the other way round, with the poles getting more light and the equator less. Trust Uranus not to conform. Even then scientists can’t decide which is the North Pole and which is the South.

Uranus is made up of mainly rock and ice. In contrast to Jupiter and Saturn that are mainly hydrogen gas, Uranus has only 15% hydrogen. Uranus and Neptune have huge liquid metallic hydrogen blankets, but doesn’t have the rocky core that Jupiter and Saturn have.

Uranus has an unusual feature. It changes colour, depending on the season and the direction the Sun is shining from. By 2007 the Sun will be directly over Uranus’ equator, bringing out spectacular colours. Even in its every day colours it’s a beautiful blue planet. It gets its colour because the methane in the atmosphere absorbs all the red light, leaving just the blue. We can’t actually see Uranus’ surface, as it’s covered in methane cloud, but if we could, we would see coloured bands, like Jupiter has.

Like the other giant planets, Uranus has rings, but unlike Saturn, they’re not as visible. So far we know there are at least 10 small moons and 5 large ones.

Uranus is sometimes visible to the naked eye as a small, unblinking light, on a very clear night. You’ll need to know where to look, but you can see it, even with a pair of binoculars.

The discovery of Uranus was the first of the Modern Planets and as such, it came to embody the spirit of the time that it was discovered. Aquarius and Uranus energy is said to be forward looking, having a dislike of tradition and encouraging originality, individuality and ideas. It’s also associated with discoveries, technology, inventions and anything that is progressive.

When Uranus was discovered, these were all aspects of the time. In the 18th Century man was moving away from feudal society where there was no individuality. Unless you were upper class you had no choices in life and you lived in servitude. That all changed during that time as literally ‘New Worlds’ were being discovered. Colonisation was taking place around the globe and ordinary people left the United Kingdom and Europe, all the old countries and created new ones in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It was a time of individuality and revolution. We saw the French Revolution and the American Revolution as well as the Industrial Revolution. It was a time of discovery and enormous technological advancement. Even the invention of the telescope made Uranus’s discovery possible. These are all Aquarian qualities.

Aquarius Star Sign – The God

Uranus was named after the Greek god of the same name. Uranus was the father of Cronus and was the earliest male god, taking part in creation itself. Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth) mated and their children populated the earth. Some ‘Creation Myths’ say that Gaia gave birth to Uranus while she slept, so Uranus is seen as both the husband and son of Gaia. Gaia, or Mother Earth laid out all the land, but it was barren until Uranus poured down his water upon the land and gave it life and everything began to grow. As his water continued to pour, it formed the rivers, lakes and oceans where all life began.

To the ancients, Uranus was the Heaven, giver of all life and Supreme God. It was his offspring that all the races that follow, would come from. Uranus was the common ancestor of all.

As each of Uranus and Gaia’s children were born, because they were made of flesh, they repulsed him. He couldn’t bear to look at them so he banished them down to the Underworld. It was said that this was so deep; that a rock dropped would take 9 days to reach the bottom. By the time Gaia gave birth to her 7th child, Cronus, her anger and resentment had grown to such a point that she urged Cronus to take a flint blade that she had fashioned into a scythe and murder Uranus. He did this by cutting off his genitals and throwing them into the ocean. But in doing so, drops of blood fell on the land and even from those drops of blood, even more offspring sprang up, including the ‘Furies’. His children by Gaia, the Titans, ruled for thousands of years, in what was the Golden Age of Man.

Aquarius Star Sign – The Season

Aquarius is the middle sign of the Winter triad, so is therefore a ‘fixed’ sign. When the Sun moved through Aquarius, it was the coldest time of the year. Cold winds and rain swept the land, so people stayed indoors. However, as the earth reaches its darkest point, it holds the promise of future life. Underneath the ground, the roots are starting to prepare for new life.

Everything in nature has to be self sufficient. Man, beast and nature itself has to focus on itself. Aquarius is a sign of individuality and of looking to the future. The past has gone in exactly the same way as the old year has gone and Aquarian energy can only look to what is happening now and what will come in the future. With activity limited and Aquarius being an Air sign, it was a time to discuss ideas, plans and goals for the future. It was a time of imagining and wondering ‘what if’.

Nothing practical can be done, but it is a time to give birth to ideas. It was a time when innovations and inventions were devised. During the darkest part of winter, the light comes from within. Anything that didn’t serve them would show itself and would be noted for correction in the coming spring. One of the greatest qualities of Aquarian energy is independence and it’s during the middle month of the winter triad that life itself is developing independently.