In this article, I would like to introduce you to Aquarius, its ruling planet and element in astrology. I will show you how you can work with this energy in your personal life based on Astroshamanism.
When entering the realm of Aquarius, the energy shifts from the earthly-bound Capricorn to a creative and inspiring stream. Here we are pushing the boundaries of ordinary reality and finding ourselves in a world of its own.
The sun transits through Aquarius annually between the 20th of January and the 18th of February. Marking the end of winter, and looking forward to the aspiring spring that will await us with the Spring Equinox. The lightness and aerial energy of Aquarius are much needed after the grinding and realistic Capricorn.
Aquarius – The Bearer of Change
“The glyph depicts two parallel waves that suggest the idea of water. In this case, it is water containing air, like sea waves moved by wind, and storms, and also no water at all: electrical impulses, vibrational waves, metaphysical currents. The two undulant lines, similar to the Egyptian glyph for water repeated twice, also look like two serpents and remind the biblical analogy with the themes of rebellion. Aquarius is often portrayed with the figure of a man in the act of pouring water from one or two amphorae. The seasonal period of Aquarius is often characterized by abundant snow, rain, and weather of general purification. In this part of the year, floods took place in ancient Babylon, and the name of the sign seems to be associated with such events. For the Celts, this time corresponds to the end of winter and coincides with the festivity of Imbolc (2 February), which is also the day devoted to the Celtic goddess Brig and to Saint Brigid, patron of Ireland. In the Christian calendar, it became Candlemas, which honored the Virgin Mary and the presentation of Jesus to the temple.
The meaning of Aquarius in ancient times
This was a significant period for past agricultural societies: fields began to wake up, and it was necessary to purify them. For this purpose, rituals were celebrated with bonfires, sacrifices, and general cleaning of houses and fields. In ancient Greece, the beginning of the month was also the time of the Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries or Festival of the Returning Daughter: an initiation into the lower mysteries, which unlike the Greater Eleusinian was open to many people.
The Greeks associated Aquarius with Ganymede, the cupbearer of the gods and dispenser of ambrosia, the drink of immortality. February was a period of physical and spiritual purification and initiation for both Celtic and Roman cultures. During the Roman celebrations of Parentalia and Feralia (13-18 February), in honor of the ancestors and the goddesses Mania and Vesta, all the temples were closed, and houses were cleaned.
During the mid-month Roman celebration of Lupercalia, priests of the god Pan dressed in goatskin and carried thongs with which they struck people, particularly women. This was considered to bring fertility and good luck. Elements of this festival remain on St. Valentine’s Day (14 February).
The Collective Consciousness
Whereas the sign of Leo represents the apex of individuality and self-awareness, Aquarius marks the shift from individual to collective consciousness. Here the primary concern is the wider world, humanity as a whole, and even what lies beyond: Earth, solar system, galaxy, universe, other dimensions, and more. It is the sign that distinguishes an evolved level of awareness which, like that of Pisces, is not easily understood by ordinary perception. The nature of Aquarius hardly adapts itself to conventional life and is often involved in extreme and unusual deeds. The urge for emancipation and change can also degenerate into automatic behaviours causing constant rebellion and refusal of any rules or structure. When the energy of Aquarius is lived harmoniously, it brings lucidity, lightness, union with others, altruism, devotion to social or communitarian ideals, and unconditional service. “In Aquarius, the man is a serving master. […] He can be a master because he has learned to serve, and he can serve because he is a master. Those two go together”. (1)
What is going on in the month of Aquarius?
The month of Aquarius is a thriving time for the Italian Commedia dell’Arte as it traditionally incorporates the Carnival season, which takes place just before Lent and is devoted to dancing, feasting, processions, jokes, masks, and costumes. For the Aquarian rebellious spirit, the Carnival festivities, in general, are a significant opportunity for free creativity and expression. Masks with Aquarian associations are Meneghino from Milan – typical for his umbrella and triple-cone hat – and Beatrice, a rebellious young woman who often wears male clothes.
Aquarius in Native American traditions
The period of Aquarius corresponds to the Renewal Moon, whose animal totem is usually Otter. The position teaches us to serve others through intuition, creativity, flexibility, communication, and inventiveness.” – FS
(1)Alice Bailey, The Labours of Hercules, Lucis Press, 1974, p. 88.
The medicine of Aquarius
Working with Aquarius medicine is not for everyone, as it can be a rebellious energy that stirs up the old ways. It certainly brings new ideas and lots of like-minded folks, if that is useful or not. Only time can tell. Diving deep into the medicine of Aquarius allows you to set yourself free when you are placed in your ways and not sure what to do.
Aquarius’s lightness and ability to think outside the box and see the bigger picture can be incredibly helpful. Your communication skills can be refined when something is close to your heart. It will also help you to attract like-minded people when fighting or working for a good cause. Also, call upon Aquarius in times of loneliness or needing more personal freedom.
Aquarius medicine will empower you.
To walk your own path and be you! Stop comparing yourself with others and focus more on your self-expression. Use this energy to free yourself from a relationship, friendship, or working ship that no longer serves you. Don’t be scared; many others love to be and work with you.
With this energy, we stop trying to fit in and genuinely want to be ourselves. If you need more space and the right environment to do this, Aquarius can undoubtedly help you with this. It will also assist you to reinvent yourself. At the same time, we honor our need to be with others and have meaningful friendships.
Loyalty, friendship, and the need to be free are pure Aquarius energy.
Work with this energy when you feel you are being treated unequally or want to celebrate diversity. Ask Aquarius to come closer when you need more inspiration and better communication skills to make your case or if you are concerned about the state of society. It can also help you adjust to new technologies and use them carefully.
Plants and essential oils with Aquarius energy
This Sector includes all phenomena of aberration, mutation or alteration in the vegetal realm (for example, plants subject to radioactivity, artificial vegetables, grafting, or the transfer and planting of vegetables from one habitat to another). Some of the vegetables and fruits constantly used as conventional food (tomato, potatoes, chocolate, sugar, etc.) were once unknown and were regarded as weird when they were introduced. Traditional associations with Aquarius are almond, anise, ash, bean, beer, Brazil nut, caraway, carbonated drinks, citron, endive, fern, filbert, hazelnut, ivy, mace, marjoram, parsley, pecan, pistachio, poppy, sage, spearmint, willow, rare and unusual plants, flowers with petals very close to each other.
When not to work with Aquarius
Well, it holds powerful energy of transformation, which can often happen abruptly and unexpectedly. If you feel that you are already anxious, on edge, or experiencing too much tension within your nervous system, we recommend not working with Aquarius, as it can fire things up. Its energy is fueled by Uranus, known for sudden changes that can be pretty scary but liberating.” – Mehal Mahipal
Home of Aquarius – The 11th House
It is traditionally related to friendship, social groups, organizations, communities, associations, intellectual relationships, aspirations, ideals, humanitarian enterprises, and all the great goals of life. In this context, the tenth house’s ambitions and the Medium Coeli’s flowering connect with the social environment and give rise to situations of alliance or conflict, collective identification, community and synergy. “A social system high in synergy is one in which the conflict between selfishness and altruism does not arise, one whose language may lack these very concepts, one in which it is very difficult to hurt others because it is very obvious that such behaviour would be injurious to oneself”.(1) Synergy is the simultaneous action of various energies aimed at achieving a specific intent. It is that property of systems whereby the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Such circumstances can produce an unpredictable and miraculous power of realization that moves far beyond the apparent consistency of the forces involved. “This new power is the power of the greater collectivity, human society, nation, universal Whole.
(1)Bruce Nevin, Astrology Inside Out: A New Approach to Astrology, Para Research, p. 34.
The power of the stars
It is the power of the stars, symbolically speaking. And that power descends from above and crowns the individual in fulfilling his function to the best of his ability in the world’s work. The <tongue of fire> descended upon every apostle at Pentecost. It is the Holy Ghost. It is celestial power – the power of the community, the power of the Church, the power of God when God is conceived as the soul and wholeness of the universal Whole. This power that descends from above operates in the eleventh house as creative vision”.1 In such a synergic context, the Sacred Circle represents the ideal operative scenario of Sector 11.
“In your eleventh house, your tenth-house ambitions are opposed and shaped by peer pressure and the collective needs of your social milieu; that is, they are molded in the social matrix of your friends, peers, group activities … and the various social organizations to which you may belong… It is the sphere of social aims, hopes, and fears, as reflected in activities that foster the awakening of the Aquarian Age. Whereas the fifth house concerns the personal creativity best exemplified by the artist, the scientist best typifies the collaborative, cooperative creativity of the eleventh house. There are two clues to the nature of synergy here: expect the unexpected because the behavior of a system as a whole is not predicted by the behavior of its parts, and the shift from the parts to the whole system requires you, the participating observer, to make a radical shift in perspective”.(2)
(1)Dane Rudhyar, The Astrological Houses: The Spectrum of Individual Experience, p. 126.
(2)Bruce Nevin, op. cit., pp. 33-34.
– by Franco Santoro
