Happy birthday to all the Aquarians whose birthdays fall between January 21 and February 19. Aquarius, known as the water bearer, is one of the three air signs often mistakenly thought be a water sign but Aquarius, the water bearer, is pouring the waters of consciousness for the evolution of all humanity as we enter the Age of Aquarius. Aquarius is ruled by the planet Uranus and its co ruler is Saturn also the ruler of Capricorn. Uranus was discovered in 1781 which coincides with the French Revolution and the American War of Independence. Thus Aquarians are often seen as reformers or revolutionaries or non-conformists. Aquarians are renowned for their eccentricity like their ruling planet, Uranus, which travels in a freakish way – instead of spinning like a top like any other planet, Uranus rolls on its belly making it appear as if its five moons revolve backward. Uranus is named after Ouranus, the sky father in Greek mythology. Hence, Uranus symbolises lightning and can unleash a force more potent than anything previously known. While Uranus was transiting the sign of Capricorn, representing the establishment, the Berlin wall came down. In February 1962 there was a line-up of planets in Aquarius which could cause people born at this time to be either genii or ‘mad’ or at the very least downright eccentric!!

Aquarian Hall of Fame
There is a saying, “ As the Aquarian thinks so the rest of the world will think in fifty years time.” Over seventy percent of people in the hall of fame have their sun or ascendant in Aquarius. When we look at the hall of fame of Aquarians we can see that this indeed is the case. Galileo was a famous Aquarian whose scientific theories threatened the religious thought of the day – he was so ahead of his time. Another famous Aquarian scientist, Charles Darwin, whose theories on evolution challenged the existing scientific and religious thought, caused a schism in the Christian church. Abraham Lincoln’s revolutionary stand on slavery split the United States and Roosevelt’s radical new economic programme was met with bitter opposition by the establishment. Both Aquarians, Germaine Greer and Betty Friedan, challenged the tenets of patriarchy and pioneered the modern feminist movement. Enough said!

The Age of Aquarius
Most people would remember the words of the famous song from the musical, Hair, which was staged to much acclaim in the early 1970’s: “We are at the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.” Some people were under misapprehension that the Age of Aquarius was something that occurred then and is now over but it was actually referring to the fact that we are on the cusp of Age of Aquarius, and the outgoing Age of Pisces which began around the time of the birth of Christ. According to Dane Rudhyar in his book, ‘Astrological Timing of the Transition to the New Age’, during the incoming Age of Aquarius, calculated to be from the year 2060, there will be a return to the principles of the great spiritual teachers such as Jesus, Buddha, Pythagoras, Lao Tse and Confucius who represent the seed period of the Age of Pisces. Each Age has a seed period – at the turn of the 20th century there appeared Illuminati such as Helena Blavatsky who founded the Theosophical Society, and wrote books under the guidance of the Masters of Wisdom as did Alice Bailey who established an esoteric school and the International Goodwill Movement. Other great spiritual teachers dedicated to reviving the Ancient Wisdom teachings include the Indian sage, Krishnamurti, Rudolph Steiner who founded the Anthroposophical movement, and Roberto Assagioli who formulated Psychosynthesis, a transpersonal form of psychotherapy with branches worldwide that focusses on aligning the personality Self with the Higher Self.

The Eleventh Labour of Hercules
A clue to the role of the Aquarian and the meaning of the Age of Aquarius can be found in the esoteric
teachings of Alice Bailey in her book, ‘The Labours of Hercules’. Each labour corresponds to the task to be undertaken by each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. The eleventh labour for Aquarius is to clean the dung out of the Augean stables which symbolises purging the planet of the all the excesses of the outgoing Age of Pisces i.e. materialism, dualism, emotionalism, religious fanaticism, glamour, lower psychism, to prepare humanity to embrace the Aquarian concepts of group consciousness, universal brotherhood, humanitarian endeavour, planetary awareness, the reunion of science and spirituality, and the equal representation of masculine and feminine energies. Dane Rudhyar, prophesised that the Age of Aquarius would be an Age of androgyny. Each Age lasts approximately 2,000 years and we are in a transition period between the two Ages which is currently causing much stress and tension on the planet so it is vital that we evolve in consciousness by aligning our personality Self and Higher Self to cope with the accelerated changes in keeping with the Age of Aquarius which will be an age of synthesis. The Ages proceed in the opposite direction to the zodiac because of what is called the precession of the equinoxes. Added to this is the fact that Pluto is currently crossing the Galactic Centre or the ‘Eye of God’, at 26 and a half degrees Sagittarius, providing the prism or lens to intensify the energies of change and transformation on the Planet. Supporting this concept of purging or cleansing is the fact that the month that Aquarius falls in – February, derived from the Latin word, Februarius, means purification. The glyph for Aquarius, the two wavy lines represents the ankles, the serpent of wisdom, and the Egyptian hieroglyph for the Nile. The top line represents the feminine i.e. intuition and the bottom line represents the masculine and the rational. Aquarius also rules science, technology, telecommunications, electronics, telepathy and astrology, careers in which Aquarians are strongly represented.

Aquarian Health and Anatomy
Anatomically Aquarius rules the ankles, the calves, circulation, and electrical waves in the nervous system, the pituitary gland and the aura. The biochemic cell salt for Aquarius is Natrum Mur; or what is usually known as common salt. Vanda Sawtell, in her book, ‘Astrology and Biochemistry’, explains the function of Natrum Mur: “Natrum Mur is found in every tissue and fluid in the body and this cell salt regulates the flow of fluid through the tissues. Therefore Natrum Mur is needed in all cases where there is a disturbance in the distribution of water, where the surface is either too dry or too moist which can cause colds, dryness of mouth, constipation, shingles, blisters, eczema, indigestion, anaemia, hay fever, cracking joints, restlessness and irritability. Lack of Natrum Mur may cause sleeplessness when too little fluid is present, and the brain tissues become dry, or it may cause a heavy tired, drowsy feeling if too much water is present in the brain tissues.” Foods which stimulate the circulation of blood are beneficial for Aquarians. These include chilli, cayenne pepper. Red coloured foods such as beetroot, radishes, red peppers, strawberries would also be of benefit. Exercises such as Yoga, Pilates, and qigong which encourage regular breathing and purify the blood will enhance the Aquarian well-being. Bach flower remedies indicated for Aquarians are impatiens, patchouli and water violet. Aromatherapy oils that would be soothing for the Aquarian include lavender and lemon verbena. Gemstones for Aquarians are Turquoise, Amazonite and Malachite. Tuning forks developed in Switzerland which sound a note corresponding to each of the planets audible to the human ear provide a means of healing with sound. The healing musical note for Aquarius is G.

Transits for Aquarians
2007 should be much better year for Aquarians with some of the heavier planets moving away. Aquarians have been having a challenging time, being one of the fixed signs, with Neptune transiting over their Sun, and Saturn opposing it, which can cause confusion, lethargy and perhaps depression. Neptune entered the sign of Aquarius in January 1998 and will complete its transit in February 2012. Neptune is currently at 18 degrees of Aquarius so those Aquarians born between February 5-8 will be most affected by nebulous Neptune. Saturn is currently 22 degrees of Leo so is affecting those Aquarians born between February 8-20 and any of the other fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, or Scorpio also born around this time. Positively, Neptune, the planet of spirituality, can enhance intuition, creativity and compassion while Saturn brings structure and stability to your life. Serious Saturn, which is in Leo in your solar 7th house, will complete his cycle there by September 2007, lightening up your relationships. Venus, the Goddess of love and beauty, graces you with her presence with a longer than usual stay in your relationship sector from June to October 2007. During this time Venus will be doing her retrograde dance in the heavens, causing some of you to reassess your relationships. The good news is Mars is no longer in the fixed sign of Taurus, and Jupiter has left the sign of Scorpio, alleviating the stress and tension for all fixed signs caused by the configuration called a fixed grand cross. Erratic Uranus is still making his way through your money sector, causing your financial situation to be totally unpredictable, with sudden windfalls or losses possible. Jovial Jupiter and powerful Pluto will be in your sector of friendships, associates and goals all year so you can expect many opportunities in these areas. Pluto will be making a harmonious angle to the Sun during 2007 for those Aquarians born from February 15-19, empowering you to make positive changes in your life.

Uranus Transits
Regardless of what sign we are born under we all experience Uranus transits, which like the Saturn transits represent a rite of passage. Uranus, along with the two other outer planets, Neptune and Pluto, are often referred to as the ‘Ambassadors of the Galaxy’ or transpersonal planets. Accordingly, when we have Uranus, Neptune or Pluto transits they involve collective issues not just personal ones. Unlike Pluto transits which build up to a climax causing transformation, Uranus transits are more cataclysmic, bringing sudden unexpected change of a liberating nature, jolting one into awareness.

We experience Uranus transits at age 14 which coincide with puberty and then again around age 20 which mark the end of adolescence and a drive toward autonomy and individuation. Another Uranus transit accompanies the first Saturn return around age 28 supporting the changes that need to be made at this time. A major Uranus transit occurs between 38 and 45 depending when one is born, which, along with the Pluto square to Pluto, heralds the midlife crisis. When this occurs it marks a time of disassembling the self and putting the self together again in a new form, and integrating the previously unrealised parts of the psyche into conscious awareness. Uranus transits occur again around 56 and then again in the early sixties and seventies coinciding with retirement and liberating the individual from the expectations of society. If one survives to age 84 one will experience the Uranus Return i.e. Uranus returns to the place where it was at the time of birth. This indicates that a major cycle of life is completed – symbolising a time of reviewing one’s life and preparing for death. It is to interesting to note that the famous Aquarian feminist, Betty Friedan, died on her 85th birthday in February this year, not long after her Uranus Return, having accomplished her mission for this life time.