In the previous article, we considered the Age of Aquarius from the perspectives of religion, mythology and esoteric philosophy. It is now time to explore its astrological implications. Let us begin with the traditional astrological symbolism of Aquarius. First, Aquarius is a masculine, airy, fixed, hot and moist sign, human in form and associated with the west. It signifies high places, roofs and eaves, and rules the colour light blue. Its western association may be significant in light of the teachings of religions and mystery schools that the Messiah would appear in the west.
The symbolic emblem of Aquarius is the Water-bearer, kneeling as he pours out the water he offers in an act of humble service. Although classified as an air sign by its elemental qualities, Aquarius is in many respects regarded as the “forgotten” water sign: its very name points to a connection with water, and much of its symbolism ultimately derives from the Water-bearer’s act of pouring. Yet this freely flowing water has little to do with the ever-pregnant ocean of the psyche represented by the signs of the water triplicity. Rather, the Aquarian act seeks to purify, enlighten and clarify. The ancients regarded the floods that accompanied the culmination of this sign and the change of season as periods of renewal, when the earth, baptised anew, was cleansed of sin. February itself was named in honour of the purification ceremonies held during the Sun’s passage through Aquarius (Latin: Februa = to purify + auris = pertaining to), when society turned its attention to cleansing the home, body and soul. Cleansing brings renewal, so this classical symbolism also embraces youth and innocence through the identification of the Water-bearer with Ganymede, whose gentleness and beauty captivated Zeus, as we saw earlier.
In traditional astrological sources, we find the following descriptions of Aquarius
Vettius Valens writes of Aquarius: “Aquarius is a celestial sign, masculine, fixed, anthropomorphic and somewhat moist. It is mute, quite cold, free, inclined towards advancement, effeminate, unchanging, with few offspring; it brings troubles arising from athletic training, carrying burdens or working with heavy materials; it is artistic and public. Those born under this sign are malicious, haters of their own families, incorrigible, self-serving, deceitful, full of tricks, concealing everything, misanthropic, godless, betrayers of reputation and truth, envious, petty, only occasionally generous (because of the flow of water), and uncontrollable. On the whole, this sign is moist.” (Anthologies, Book I)
“The youthful Water-bearer, who pours forth his stream from an upturned vessel, likewise bestows skills akin to his own: how to discover springs beneath the earth and conduct them to the surface, to transform the flow of water so that it sprays the very stars, to mock the sea with shores fashioned by human hands for luxury, to construct diverse kinds of artificial lakes and rivers, and to bring distant streams into domestic use. Beneath this sign lie a thousand arts governed by water. Why, water will even set the heavens and the starry habitations in motion, causing the skies to turn in a new rotation. Never will the sons of Aquarius tire of the works that follow streams. Those born of this sign are a gentle sort and a kindly breed, with no malice in their hearts; they are prone to losses and to suffering on their account; of riches they have neither need nor surfeit. Even so, the stream from the urn flows without cease.” (Manilius – Astronomica, Book IV, p. 243)
Firmicus Maternus: “If the Ascendant is in Aquarius, whatever the native strives for will be destroyed and lost, and he will suffer loss again and again, for what he has lost will continually return to him, and so it will go on for ever. He will do favours for many, but they will show him no gratitude. He will find himself in great danger, and his life will be hard and full of despair. This sign is deceptive, fraudulent, secretive, misanthropic, ruthless, accusatory and treacherous, yet at times surprisingly generous (because of this sign’s flow of water). It is difficult to control…”
Abraham ibn Ezra: “Aquarius is one of the air signs, masculine and diurnal, temperate among the winter signs, fixed, with a rising time shorter than normal (short ascension), and inclined upon the ecliptic. Its nature is hot, moist and destructive; it signifies the air that destroys and exterminates all living things. A man born under this sign will be short in stature, with a large head and one foot larger than the other. He will be generous, attractive and self-assured in equal measure, and his sole ambition will be to increase his wealth. He will be either impotent or have few or no children. One born in the first face (decan) of this sign will have a handsome face and body, with a mark on his chest, and will be refined. One born in the second face will be tall and ugly, with a mark on his back and below the elbow. He will be unhappy all his life. One born in the third face of this sign will be short but attractive, and will love women (he will be lustful). At the very end of the sign, a man will be inconsistent in his appearance and deeds…”
To understand Aquarius properly, we can hardly do better than combine the other three cherubic signs. Aquarius possesses all their powers and qualities to some degree, but never to excess. It has the kindness of Taurus without that sign’s characteristic blind devotion, the courage of Leo without its combative and challenging qualities, and the scientific spirit of Scorpio without its passionate intensity. In essence, Aquarius is versatile. One cannot point to any particular deficiency in the Aquarian character, yet neither can one say that it excels markedly in any single quality, except that of being equipped on every front. You can read more about this sign’s characteristics in our earlier article https://pgastrolog.me/podznak-vodolija/
As we can see, these descriptions vary considerably, which makes it somewhat harder to place them in the context of the Age and the qualities we are discussing. Here, however, the interpretation offered by Robert Zoller, one of the leading astrological authorities, can certainly help us, particularly in understanding its esoteric essence. We find his interpretation the most comprehensive. Zoller writes:
During the Age of Pisces, the benefic Jupiter ruled the angles. Jupiter rules both Pisces on the first-house cusp and Sagittarius on the tenth-house cusp, and so, although there was confusion over the hierarchy of religious and political institutions, this was an Age in which truth and philosophy mattered to people. As the Age of Aquarius unfolds, the Age of Pisces will come to be seen as a peaceful period of partial respite from the essentially malefic and spiritually destructive nature of life.
During the Age of Aquarius, the malefics will once again rule the angles, and with them the natural harshness of worldly life will return. Where the religions of the preceding Age once sought to embody the City of God through earthly hierarchies, the New Order will seek to perfect the Machiavellian political philosophy that “it is better to be feared than loved, if one cannot be both.”
Novus Ordo Saeclorum, the New Order of the Ages, will rule through power over life and death, since Scorpio (we should recall the mythological connection between Ganymede and the Eagle — translator’s note) is now on the tenth-house cusp: through behaviour modification, cloning, genetic engineering, mind control and the occult.
In the Age of Aquarius, while feeding people the trivialities of Libra (the ninth house — translator’s note), the Scorpionic rulers will work tirelessly towards their goal of absolute power over others, since Leo is on the seventh-house cusp. The will of the people will be towards freedom of expression, Aquarius, and they will be encouraged to pursue their own aspirations so as to divert their attention from what their rulers are really doing.
The family will be regarded as property, and in the great selfless movement to come, immense pressure will be brought to bear on the population to destroy the family altogether.
We must not forget that Saturn, the ruler of Aquarius, is exalted in Libra, and that in the Age of Aquarius Libra will be on the ninth-house cusp. There will therefore be a strong desire for spiritual teachings during the Age of Aquarius. The emphasis will largely be on humanism, for the preference for ancient forms expressed through Aquarius and Saturn will nevertheless preserve the ancient teachings, even as other forces in society seek to suppress them.
Opportunities for perfection will be greater than ever, with Saturn ruling the first house and exalted in the ninth. Sagittarius occupies the eleventh house. Groups and gatherings of friends discussing and studying philosophical subjects will be commonplace. Many social groups will turn to athletic pursuits, which also belong to the nature of Sagittarius.
Knowledge, however, will be valued only insofar as it contributes to the ability to wage war, since Aries occupies the third house. The cultivation of knowledge as a source of military power will eventually lead to secret means of altering and controlling such phenomena as earthquakes, and even the Earth’s core. This knowledge will be guarded by secret societies and will ultimately lead to a new socio-political system, still more closely bound to the Earth, in the Age of Capricorn.
Just as the Aquarian dream of humanistic science and universal brotherhood is a vision of the world intended to begin in Pisces and be realised in Aquarius, so the Aquarian avant-garde will look forward to the fulfilment of an Aquarian Golden Age, while Aquarian technocrats will seek a world corporation that would fossilise society into a rigid caste system governed by technology. Forces are already working towards this, and although it will be partially realised in Aquarius, this essentially rebellious Age will not allow it to develop fully, placing numerous obstacles in its path until the Age of Capricorn.”
Richard Moult – The Exile's Song
We can already see many indications that this much-vaunted Age of Aquarius will not be quite as colourful and wonderful as so many descriptions suggest. We cannot overlook the fact that this is an Age ruled by a malefic by nature: where there is winter and where there is Saturn, there is no beneficence, whether in character or in the objective circumstances of life. It is true, however, that Saturn is somewhat different in Aquarius. This is his principal domicile and the place in which he most rejoices, so here his qualities are more intellectual. Aquarius is the sign of the highest intellectual abstractions and achievements. In it, Saturn bestows an intelligent, highly stable and rational nature, capable of grasping the most difficult intellectual problems. His expression here is therefore more scientific, and the rapid development of science and technology comes as no surprise. Yet this also gives rise to fears about the direction of that development, for robotics, genetic engineering and the like lead towards dehumanisation and the creation of a mass of obedient robots. Nevertheless, when we recall Saturn’s symbolism, we see that he also signifies all those who are humble and retiring, persistent and steadfast, serious and devoted to science. He signifies orphans, eunuchs, monks, ascetics and sages, sorcerers, practitioners of magic, and those who know secrets and pass on secret knowledge. He represents our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, signifies long life, longevity and the elderly, and in nocturnal charts also represents the father. I find the reference to those who know secrets and transmit secret knowledge particularly interesting, since Saturn is the planet of esoteric philosophy, especially for those whose almuten figuris he is: alongside the difficulties that mark their lives, they possess a gift for such philosophy. I consider this especially evident in airy Aquarius, which is also one of the best placements for Mercury. Accordingly, as Hall rightly observes that the Sun assumes the symbolism of the precessional sign, and thus its divine form, we may expect this Age to bring a new symbolic synthesis of science and religion, or spirituality, in which they complement one another. This is especially so when we consider the fanaticism towards which science, as the antithesis of religion, is moving. It is only logical that, following the old dialectical formula of thesis–antithesis=synthesis, a new science and spirituality should emerge as the paradigm of this new Age. Something of this can already be discerned, as theories of quantum mechanics, parallel universes and the like gain increasing scientific grounding, venturing into those unfathomable realms we traditionally regard as God. On the other hand, in this theological and symbolic sense, Saturn does indeed represent Satan, and in many respects his Age is already visibly upon us. Yet it is difficult to imagine the new Age descending entirely into such extreme materialism and self-indulgence, since these, too, are a kind of antithesis to centuries of religious suppression. Ultimately, I believe that in the future, in this new Age, science will move towards developing our cosmic potential and conquering the Cosmos. It will do so not through a purely empirical and thoroughly outdated scientific method, materialistic at its core, but through a new method by which we shall reach those parallel universes. This is how we shall conquer space, developing our potential and consciousness towards a new evolutionary leap, which is surely humanity’s cosmic destiny. The Age of Aquarius will indeed offer unprecedented opportunities for spiritual liberation and purification leading towards enlightenment. Nevertheless, as astrologers, we cannot ignore the darker, more sinister and malefic forces of Saturn that will be at work during this period. Indeed, I believe we shall witness a dystopian future for at least part of it. Even so, there are enough indications to sustain the hope that we shall succeed in directing our evolution towards the vision described above, even if we must first pass through the technocratic tyranny already gathering momentum.
These two articles have offered a wealth of interesting insights into the characteristics of this new Age, whose outlines we can clearly recognise in the present. It remains for us to establish when this new Age will arrive, a question we shall address in the third part of this series.