This month we celebrate that most human of signs, Aquarius the Water Bearer. The “Heavenly Man,” as he is also known, is represented by the symbol of two wavy lines, one atop the other. This glyph is both a pictograph representing the movement of the ankles, that part of the body ruled by this sign as well as an ideograph, representing the fundamental meaning of Aquarius—the waves of electronic and mental communication that link all people everywhere.
In the Piscean Age, most people acted as planets revolving around a primary sun. Planets have no light of their own—they receive and reflect the light of the star around which they turn. In the societies of the Age of Pisces, this “sun” was in its most basic form, the pater familius, father of the family. This paternalistic concept extended itself into society through the figure of the king/president in terms of the temporal world and the pope/priest in terms of the spiritual.
This archetype is radically changing in our times thanks to the predominance of Uranus, ruler of the Aquarius Age. Uranus insists that each of us become increasingly more individualized, our own person, our own “sun” with our own developed creative center. Thus the collective paradigm or idea in which we are evolving has mutated from that of a solar system—each one of us a planet reflecting the light of father or priest—to that of a galaxy in which each one of us is a self-creating star. This is quite the shift, one that gives us so much greater potential to be a unique individual. It also places so much more individual responsibility upon us to define, shape, cultivate and nurture that individuality correctly.
I have come to think of the cell phone as a major symbol of the Aquarian Age. The cell phone allows each of us to become our own individualized communications unit—a mini-universe unto ourselves. We can photograph our universe with our cell phone and send it out to the entire world. We can record the sounds of our universe with our cell phone and play them back to us when we wish as well as share these sounds with as many people as we know. We are seconds away from speaking to anyone anywhere while seeing their image appear in the palm of our hand—and all this for literally pennies. I have personally seen cell phones being used by the most sophisticated women in Paris as well as by tribesmen in the rice fields of Indonesia. Cell phones make no distinction between people. Everyone is equal to a cell phone—how perfectly Aquarian!
There is only one rule that governs all uses of a cell phone, one essential regulation that everyone from Borneo to Bordeaux must observe, one primary line that enables us to link up with one another: we all must be part of a greater network that allows us to charge up our cell phone with the energy necessary to run it. A membership in and a connection to a Universal Energy Source is required or else our battery runs out of “juice” and we are no longer in the network. In the Age of Pisces we were excommunicated from the Church if we were heretics, no longer believing in the tenants of the prevailing religion of our society. The “juice” was our faith, our connection to both Man (in the form of society) and God (in the form of the church). We paid our primary dues in the form of giving over a great deal of our individual self-expression, thus conforming to church doctrine and giving up our free will to individuate. What a high, high price to belong to the system! Our secondary dues were paid in the form of church levies, tithes and state taxes.
In the Age of Aquarius, our dues to the “cell phone church” is much simpler and cheaper—a small monthly fee keeps us in the system, and providing we stay within a certain self-determined structure of time (Saturn is the co-ruler of Aquarius after all!), we will avoid all extra charges. This tiny sum (truly tiny if you compare it to what Piscean Age church taxes upon body and soul used to be) allows you to enter the paradigm of the New Age: instead of being a planet revolving around a sun, YOU are a Sun of your own, not limited to a single solar system. YOU are now part of a galaxy of communicating Suns each an evolving Self-universe!
Aquarius and Uranus rule all objects and concepts represented by the prefix tele. “Tele” comes from the Greek word, telos, meaning “from afar.” Thus all of the following are Aquarian Age inventions or Uranian expressions of consciousness: television (to view from afar); telephone (to hear from afar); telepathy (to feel from afar); telegraph (to write from afar); telescope (to see from afar); telekinesis (to move from afar); telecast (to send out from afar); and telegram (to speak from afar). But not only do these words and concepts indicate some form of communication from a distance, they also by their very nature make those distances smaller as they create bridges between senders and receivers. In effect, the Age of Aquarius will serve to bring us together, consciously uniting us as one Human Family as CNN brings the tragedy of the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan into your living room in Peoria, while no doubt some Pakistani immigrant family members in California are on their cell phones speaking to their surviving loved ones.
Alice Bailey wrote in “Esoteric Astrology” that in the Aquarian Age men and women will come to know God through science and technology. In soul-centered astrology, science and technology come under the rulership of the Fifth Ray, ruled by the planet Venus. Aquarius is a Fifth Ray sign and Venus is the planet which unites us all through Love.
Aquarius is also the sign of hopes, wishes and aspirations. It is also the sign of organizations, groups and clubs. But above all, Aquarius is the sign of friendships and Right Human Relationships. If in your natal horoscope, you have planets in this sign, it will mean that all of these factors will have important meanings in your life. Let us now take a brief look at what planets in Aquarius mean for you from a more soul-centered perspective:
Sun in Aquarius:
In this lifetime you are to create a highly individualized sense of your Self. This may make you stubborn and willful as under no circumstances will you compromise who you are and what you stand for. As Aquarius is the sign of group consciousness, you may frequently feel that you are not alone on this planet insofar as who you are is deeply connected to your ideals and the aspirations you hold in your heart and mind for the benefit of humanity. You have to be careful not to become too dispersed in your thoughts and actions. Your visions are very far reaching and you are often ahead of your time. You will have to learn how to concentrate and focus your creative energy so that you do not fly off into space, thus not accomplishing in any practical way on earth any of the finer ideals you hold so dear to yourself.
Moon in Aquarius:
Your urge to nurture is not the “warm and fuzzy” type. In fact you will feel very constricted by people who are overly clingy and needy on the emotional level. Those individuals who want a more personal, emotional, or sentimental contact with another will not get this from you. You need to minister and care for a lot of people and cannot devote all of your emotional energy to the needs of one person. You have a wide-range of human interests and will tend to know people from many different backgrounds and beliefs. Some people will call you cold and detached, and indeed, at times you can be this way. But you are a most loyal and faithful friend and although you sometimes keep your distance, that distance is necessary so that you have the freedom you need to love and care for many others, not just the few.
Mercury in Aquarius:
You may often function to unite others into a group focus of shared activities, ideas and principles. Active work in service to humanity can be very much at the heart of a soul-centered person with Mercury in this sign. Your intuition is strong and you can easily perceive the patterns of energy as they unfold in any situation in life. You are more concerned with what things stand for and symbolize than what they actually look like. This goes for people as well as ideas. As one would expect from Mercury acting through a Fifth Ray sign, many people with this position are involved with science and technology, especially computers and other communication devices.
Venus in Aquarius:
You will either tend to have a wide range of friends and associates or limit your social interchanges to people who hold the same life values as you do. As a rule, Venus in Aquarius people tend to place others in categories. You are thus likely to feel after seeing or meeting someone for the first time: “I already know that type of person.” You are loyal in your relationships but may often find it difficult to concentrate your “love force” in one person. Restrictions in romantic or in any relationship, for that matter, are anathema to you. A wise lover will allow you to express your independence and urge for personal freedom. This does not mean you will be unfaithful. It does mean that you will be faithful because you do not feel tied down and restricted.
Earth in Aquarius:
The Earth in the horoscope of a soul-centered person indicates dharma or spiritual purpose, specifically acting out one’s spiritual purpose in a practical way on this planet. Please take note that only people with the Sun in Leo will have the Earth in Aquarius in their natal chart. The dharma of a person with this position points to the need to bring forth one’s intense creative drive for the benefit of the larger society in which one lives. The creation of opportunities for communication that link people together for mutual benefit will be most helpful in fulfilling this spiritual task.
Mars in Aquarius:
Mars in the natal chart always indicates the kinds of battles one is likely to encounter in life—he is the “god of war” after all! In a more immature stage of development, Mars in this sign will make one fight all people who do not hold the same life values and aspirations as oneself. Thus the battle cry is: “If you do not believe in me, to heck with you!” After a period of soul development, this orientation shifts and the individual prepares to do battle for social injustice, inequality, and oppression. The battle cry thus becomes: “Let us fight together to create a better world!”
Jupiter in Aquarius:
In soul-centered astrology, this is the strongest position for Jupiter as Jupiter is the ruler of Aquarius on the soul level. Thus at its highest, Jupiter here endows a person with a type of humanitarian idealism that is both broad and futuristic in its orientation. It bestows a high morality in terms of social justice and creates a sense of total acceptance of others, no matter what the differences are in terms of race, religion, or sexual orientation. This is the humanistic philosopher, a teacher of the Rights of Wo/Man, and a person “who knows.” On the level of the personality, it can indicate a profound interest in things metaphysical, although there is the tendency to become rather fixated in one’s own beliefs and thus intolerant of others of different persuasions.
Saturn in Aquarius:
For the soul-centered, this position stimulates the urge to build those social structures and communication networks that will anchor the archetypal ideas of the New Age into human consciousness. Thus this position gives the inherent ability to blend those ideas from the past that have proven their usefulness with those unfolding concepts for the future of humanity. This is very different from Saturn in Aquarius on the personality level. Here a person may be totally circumscribed by his own ideology and concepts for the most part have been conditioned by the social surroundings of one’s family and friends. Transiting planets in Scorpio, Leo, and Taurus will challenge these opinions and views, giving the individual opportunities for greater growth and development.
Uranus in Aquarius:
On a collective level, Uranus in Aquarius points to huge social upheaval and change. We saw this when Uranus first appeared in the 20th century in the years 1912-1919 with the advent of World War I. This war, known as the “Great War,” changed the political and social face of the entire world, bringing down kings and emperors and breaking down dynasties and empires. The world would never again be the same. The last time Uranus was in its own sign, 1996-2003, we saw the upsurge in the beginnings of what is proving itself to be World War III, a war of sporadic yet constant terrorism, a war of energy for energy, whose length will be very long and whose end is yet to be seen. People born with Uranus in Aquarius will be social innovators or revolutionaries, inventors of humanitarian programs and concepts, or anarchistic destroyers of the status quo…we shall see. One thing is certain, this position requires change and the holder of this planet/sign combination has to be a vehicle for such changes.
Neptune in Aquarius:
This position will be in effect from 1998 to 2012. From the soul-centered perspective, people born with this planet/sign combination in their natal chart will embody a great spiritual, impersonal love for humanity, one that will allow them to further the urge to be of universal service to all men and women on this planet. These are the “spiritual scientists” who will work together in teams and groups in order to resolve the problems that world climatic and sociological factors are currently presenting. On a more personality-centered level, other individuals have been and will be born who will find themselves fanatically drawn to a narrow scope of religious or philosophical beliefs (which they will misinterpret to be “universal” in nature) and continue the current world chaos.
Pluto in Aquarius:
This position is in the horoscopes of all people born between January 21, 2024 and September 1, 2024; November 20, 2024 and March 8, 2043; and September 1, 2043 and January 18, 2044. From the soul-centered perspective, Aquarius is the sign for the exaltation of Pluto. This position embodies the death of the ego’s attachment to the concrete mind so the latter may be used for the greater will of the Soul. The potential is for a generation to be born whose soul-centered members will be very instrumental in using science and technology for the betterment and upliftment of humanity. Certain individuals among this group (perhaps those with the Sun or rising sign in Aquarius) will stand out as powerful contributors to the Human Family due to their inclusive and unprejudiced worldview. On a more mundane and egocentric level, this position will contribute to stubborn adherence to limited political and sociological opinions and perspectives. |
