Aquarius: 11th sign of the zodiac
Month:January – February
Fixed Air
Ruling Planet: Uranus and Saturn
Body Part: Lower Leg
Seed Thought: "Water of life am I, poured forth for thirsty men"
A possible origin of the Aquarian seed thought can be found in the annual flooding of the Nile. The Nile begins to flood in July when the Full Moon falls in Aquarius. Another image of Aquarius can be found in Babylonian myth of the immortal Utnapishtim who had once been a mere mortal. He alone had listened to the voice of the divine which warned of the destruction of the world and had built a boat or ark and in so doing saved himself from the massive flood which covered the earth. He was the Babylonian form of the Hebrew Noah and was rewarded with the gift of immortality and given the safe keeping of the herd of immortality. In the Greek myths he is Ganymede who became the cup bearer of the gods and from this cup he poured out Ambrosia, the drink of immortality, or water of life, which the ancient gods subsisted on. From these ancient myths it is possible to see the image we have of the modern day Aquarius as the water bearer pouring out the water of life for the thirsty.
The glyph for the sign shows two zig zag lines which appear like waves suggestive of the flow of water. Today these waves are more illustrative of the flow of electricity rather than of water. In our scientifically advanced society we have perhaps come to regard electricity as the water of life.
Aquarians are often looked upon as rebellious spirits. Uranus, the modern day ruler, was discovered at the time of the French Revolution and American War of Independence. As an air sign Aquarians generally like to have the freedom to think and act in often unique ways. They like to be seen as independent spirits and to be thought of as people who live life on their own terms. Whatever is new and innovative is what catches the eye of the Aquarian person. When it comes to relationships they can sometimes be found to be a little on the selfish side, the freedom loving Aquarian can find it uncomfortable to be tied down.
Before the discovery of Uranus it was Saturn which was the planet associated with Aquarius and the Saturnian traits of seriousness, duty and limitations can be at odds with the usual independent and revolutionary behaviour. Because of this they can often expect those around them to show almost limitless loyalty whilst they carry on in their own independent carefree manner.
The opposite sign in the zodiac to Aquarius is Leo which is associated with the heart and they can do well in remembering to come down from their lofty perch of innovation and independent thought and listen to the story of sharing held within their heart.