Aquarius

Aquarius Traits

The eleventh sign of the Zodiac, Aquarius is an philosophical, mentally active, and spiritual sign that has the urge to impart their wealth of ideas to a wider audience. It is a deeply individualistic sign, which is both its advantage and its downfall at times.

Aquarius is ruled by the element of air, so people born under this sign relate to the world through their thoughts. This is air in a fixed form (air needs to circulate and is not an element that can be easily or naturally contained.) suggesting the Aquarians need to break free from restriction.It also causes them to be somewhat fixed in their mode of thought at times.

Aquarians often hold deep-seated convictions, and constantly seek truth and verification of that fact.They are quick to recognise the validity of a logical argument, and tend to be honest enough to change their opinions, however firmly held, if evidence comes to light which persuades them that they have been mistaken, occasionally though they can be prone to bouts of stubbornness.

Aquarians are something of an enigma, on the one hand they are a detached and unconventional sign, yet at the same time they need to identify with the needs of the community and work within a structure. This is due in part to Aquarius being co-ruled by two planets that are at complete variance with each other. Saturn contributes a disciplined almost stern energy and Uranus provides it with a disruptive and unconventional energy.

The sign of Aquarius is represented by the water carrier suggesting the prescence of a water influence. In part this symbolises the radical ideas of the Aquarian washing away outdated modes of thought, but it also alludes to the intuitive, psychic qualities that the Aquarian is often blessed with. Although it is not a water sign, Aquarius blends the intuitiveness of water with the intellect of air symbolically pouring forth of ideas hence its glyph, which represents either two waves of water or in its modern interpretation two electrical currents

This is a sign with a strong humanitarian influence that desires to find the common bonds that link people. The contradiction though, is that they seek to do this at arms length, and avoid throwing themselves unreservedly into the group dynamic.

Aquarians possess strong and attractive personalities yet are often guarded in their emotional expression, this can come across as being aloof, or condescending at times, making it difficult for people to get close to them. Because they do not easily open up to others this gives them a seemingly cool persona which is not entirely undeserved. The 'coolness does illustrate the 'control' aspect of this sign. Aquarians like to be in control, not out of need for power or authority, it stems more from the belief that they are best suited to deal effectively with matters. Beyond any Aquarian façade is an emotionally intelligent, mature individual with considerable depth of character. It is not in the Aquarian nature to suffer fools gladly and occasionally they can be a little tactless and impatient because they are such visionaries themselves.

The myth of Aquarius is that of the Gods sending floods to cleanse the Earth of corruption and decadence - radical action ushers forth change for a better spiritual future; the ushering forth of the age of Aquarius.

The lesson Aquarius needs to learn is to surrender their individuality in favour of group co-operation and participation. It involves recognising that each member of a group can make a worthwhile contribution to the aims of the group and that no single person is bigger than the collective they are a part of.

Crystals and minerals associated with Aquarius include aquamarine, turquoise and aluminium.