Aquarius, the Water Bearer, is the eleventh sign of the Zo­di­ac. The sun enters it on or around January 20, in mid-winter. Aquarius belongs to the ele­ment air, its quality is fixed and its charge is positive. Its Ruler is Uranus, and Saturn exalts in it. Its motto is: "I know." In the horo­scope chart, Aquarius brings contemplation and originality to planets or Houses therein.



Your sign
Those who have Aquarius as their star sign are born when the sun was in Aquarius, normally January 20 - February 19 (it differs slightly from year to year, be­cause of the leap years). Therefore, it is also - more correctly - called the sun sign.
     The sun in your horoscope is your natural self - what you are when you relax, when other planets in your horoscope are not active. It is your basic drive, a character you have as an ingredient - more or less evident in all you do and all you are. It is the most important point in your horoscope chart, but of course it is not the only thing that describes your personality. You need to look at all the components of your birth chart, to get a correct astrological description of your­self.
     If your sun sign is Aquarius, you are a thoughtful and contemplative person, striving to understand things around you, no matter how difficult that might be. You take nothing for granted, and you don't just adapt to what seems to be expected of you. You want to find your own way, do things the way you yourself think is the best. That leads to many quite original conclusions and habits. Since you don't follow any trends, you have a behavior that is rather unconventional, sometimes even odd in the eyes of others. But it makes sense to you, and that's what matters. You would not dream of living in a certain way, just because everyone else is.
     A Zodiac sign does not give exactly the same influ­ence all through its 30°. Its first third has something of a cardinal quality, whatever the quality of the sign as a whole is, its second third is slightly more fixed in quality, and the last third is more mutable.
     If the sun is in the beginning of Aquarius, you are very ambitious indeed, and whatever you begin you complete, no matter how much of an effort it takes. You can be quite demanding to others, too. If the sun is in the middle of Aquarius, you have great perseverance. You know that in the long run, anything can be accom­plished, so you are in no hurry - but your goals are set. If the sun is at the end of Aquarius, you have a ten­dency to be impatient and might take on yourself tasks that may be too much even for you. Occasionally, you push yourself too much.

Your father
The sun in the horoscope also represents your father (the mother is represented by the moon).
     If you have the sun in Aquarius, your relation to your father is one of mutually high demands. You ex­pect a lot of each other. There is respect, but also intolerance if the demands are not met. There can also be some rivalry about authority. Your father demands to be obeyed, and it happens that you do the same. When your aims are not the same, there can be a noisy and lasting battle of wills, but when you agree on some­thing to accomplish together, you can be very efficient and cooperate wonderfully to reach results. It is when you do things together that you enjoy each other's company the most.



The planets
When another planet or other point of the horo­scope is in Aquarius, it is also affected by the sign, get­ting some­thing of its character. Here are those points, what they stand for, and how they are affected by Aquarius:


    Sun   basic drive - Aquarius brings an ambition to accomplish great things.
    Moon   longing - Aquarius brings a need to get things done and to be in control.
    Mercury   curiosity - Aquarius brings a sharp mind focused on solving problems.
    Venus   affection - Aquarius brings a capacity to easily get things done, and technical skills.
    Mars   aggression - Aquarius brings an unbending will and strong perseverance, as well as lots of stub­born­ness.
    Jupiter   luck - Aquarius brings success in con­structive and concrete matters, the ability to accomplish great things.
    Saturn   duty - Aquarius brings a grim and focused mind, seet on duty and on doing what must be done.
    Uranus   contemplation - Aquarius brings a com­petence to analyze complex situations and reach wise decisions.
    Neptune   fantasy - Aquarius brings dreams and visions of a concrete nature, many of them possible and rewarding to realize.
    Pluto   catharsis - Aquarius brings ability to handle crisis and to excel where others fail.
    Ascendant, AC   attitude - Aquarius brings an atti­tude of authority, demanding the respect of others.
    Medium Coeli, MC   self-image - Aquarius brings a sense of being able to do just about anything, and the inclination to try.

The Houses
In the astrological Houses, the Zodiac signs also bring their characters, influencing the environments de­scribed by the Houses. Here are the twelve Houses, what they stand for, and how Aquarius affects them:

1. Identity - Aquarius makes you seem competent and worthy of respect.
2. Resources - Aquarius makes you in control of your material situ­ation.
3. Communication - Aquarius makes you accom­plish great things with your friends, and your studies are focused.
4. Home - Aquarius makes your home your castle, and your family well organized.
5. Pastime - Aquarius makes you enjoy to have plans and get lots done, in your free time.
6. Work - Aquarius makes your work ambitious and constructive.
7. Partners - Aquarius makes your relations fixed and committed.
8. Unknown - Aquarius makes you able to keep control even when the unexpected happens, and in life-crisises.
9. Travel - Aquarius makes you plan your travel and reluctant to return.
10. Career - Aquarius makes you ambitious and capable to have a successful career.
11. Ideals - Aquarius makes you work hard to make the world a better place, never just talking about it.
12. Shortcomings - Aquarius makes it difficult for you to keep your goals and to reach lasting results.

     Of course, all of the above is very general, mainly to give you an idea of how the sign works in the horoscope. You need to study your horoscope chart carefully, to make a deeper and more nuanced inter­pretation.

© Stefan Stenudd