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True to Ourselves, True to the Whole - Aquarius
You are something the whole universe is doing
in the same way that
a wave is something that the whole ocean is doing.
~Alan Watts
Betwixt and between the noise of provocative news headlines, in the cycles that hold us we continue to move through the astrological and seasonal phases of limitation and gestation, mirrored outwardly in the northern hemisphere by winter cold and stillness. This potentially difficult period of concentrated internalization is reflected by Saturn’s continued strong presence in the astrological field, with the Sun under the influence of the second zodiacal sign in a row ruled by Saturn—first Capricorn, now Aquarius.
As the second of the three “transpersonal” signs, detached Aquarius is perhaps best known for its socially-conscious, freedom-loving perspective on life. It is a sign full of paradox, however, given that it is ruled by both innovative, unpredictable Uranus and rhythmic, disciplined Saturn. When the two energies are gracefully combined, the essence of the archetype can act as a catalyst of inspiration and change, or in its Air sign capacity, as a weaver of the fabric of higher Truth through words and grounded actions. At its heart Aquarius serves as a change agent.
Yet in these heart of winter weeks, with transiting Saturn continuing its journey through the liminal realms of yin water sign Pisces, our focus is kept to the Feminine: pressed down and in, rather than up and out. It’s a time of resting in and allowing the Unknown to gestate, to slowly crystallize into something we will at some point understand. This is challenging, going against the grain of our cultural messaging that we should be productively out there doing, and making change. But simply being with what life is bringing us right now IS the work of this time. Patience is an essential balm.
Whatever it may be, our inner work is world work, as alluded to above by Alan Watts. This reflects the notion of the ‘holographic paradigm’, which I first read of in the mid-1980s upon moving to California from the East Coast, in the popular book, The Aquarian Conspiracy, by Marilyn Ferguson. The holographic paradigm intimates the interconnectedness of all existence, that the whole is contained within each part, and that the entire web of life, including consciousness and the invisible realms, is of a piece and therefore affects everything else.
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Drawing down wisdom
My move to ‘left coast’ California was surely a departure from my traditional (read Saturnian) East Coast upbringing, perhaps inspired in part by my Moon’s South Node (where I come from as a soul) in Aquarius, and its ruler, Uranus, being conjunct my North Node (where I’m headed, what I need to claim in this life). When I first read of the interconnected of all life 40 years ago, it made perfect sense. to me.
In this way, I find the signature of the Moon’s North and South Nodes to be deeply valuable as a compass for self-understanding. Perhaps this explains why I feel called to deepen into and educate about the realm of astrology (signified by Uranus), which so compels me, despite its still (sigh) being considered an ‘out there’ pursuit, especially in the conventional world I emerged from.
Aquarius is known as a highly individualistic energy, being unafraid, and at times determined to stand apart from the crowd and follow its own path. Yet at times it is acutely aware of and concerned with its embeddedness within the whole, and thereby drawn to groups and communities that work at the levels of societal, scientific, or spiritual change and awakening.
As the last and ‘farthest out’ of the three Air signs, Aquarius is working on consciousness development, in sharp contrast to its predecessor, Capricorn, whose focus is on actualizing material plane goals and ambitions. As a fixed sign Aquarius works to deepen into its wisdom and new ideas in anticipation of the transition to the last sign in the zodiac, Pisces, whose focus on the outer world is surrendered to the other-worldly.
In tandem with Pisces, Aquarius symbolizes the greater potential within us for relating to life from a perception of Wholeness, and is concerned with awakening from the chrysalis of our conditioned, separate, ego-centric perspective. Through its rulership by Uranus, the significator of sudden revelations and awakening, Aquarian energy offers us the possibility to become energetically connected or ‘hooked up’ to the larger reality through a consciousness that sees its true nature as part of the Oneness, and is thereby inspired to contribute to the health of all Life through service, whether through outer activism, or cultivating and sharing one’s inner vision and wisdom.
Another paradox or duality in the Aquarius archetype is that while it is an Air sign, its totem is the Water-bearer. The water signifies Aquarius’ association with the universal ‘font of knowledge’—such as is available in the Akashic records, an etheric planes ‘text’ that gifted intuitives can access for information about all beings through time. To access these waters of wisdom, Aquarius calls on the capacity of the mind to ‘download’ information from other realms, as well as to synthesize and combine ideas in new ways, and hone and set intentions.
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Birthing the new – Imbolc/Brigid’s Day
In a recent article, Gene Keys author/visionary Richard Rudd discusses how the ancient Celtic peoples referred to the February Full Moon as the Ice Moon, and saw this month as a powerful time for sowing seeds of intention towards the future. Just after the upcoming New Moon on January 29 is the pagan cross-quarter festival of Imbolc (also called Brigid’s Day and Candelmas) falling on February 2, when we are half way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.
Given the potency of this moment, this festival is/was considered by some as an alternative date for the New Year. With the Aquarian energy now seriously afoot (with Pluto in this sign) it is indeed a time to be rethinking and ‘reseeding’ our traditions and conventional structures; so I find it interesting to consider this as our rightful ‘new year’ moment, from the Earth cycles perspective.
At the February 2 point, we in the northern hemisphere can noticeably feel the return of the Light. Here in Northern California, unlike in the south of the state, we were blessed with significant rains a month ago, as well as unseasonably warm temperatures (while the LA fires blazed), so while we still call it winter, our hills are emerald green, our plum trees blossoming, and the lemon yellow oxalis flowers starting to light up our grassy expanses. One feels the call of ‘new life,’ while still under the sway of hibernation mode.
During the several years I spent in the early 1990s living off-grid with my husband in a tiny cabin in the remote woods and hills of western Sonoma County, I eagerly anticipated the arrival of Imbolc, at which point the sun had finally climbed high enough in the sky such that it once again hit our single solar panel, enabling us to supplement our propane lanterns with a single solar panel-powered light. It was the precise 3-month period from the prior cross-quarter, Samhain (Sow-win), on November 2, until Imbolc, that the sun would have disappeared from its illuminating heights beside our little cabin in the redwoods, significantly darkening our world both outdoors and in.
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The significance of this festival’s also being named after the foremost Irish saint, Brigid of Kildare (b. 421-523), emphasizes this moment of transition as one of witnessing the birth of the not-yet-known. Brigid was revered as a midwife of new beginnings, and as Celtic consciousness writer/teacher John Philip Newell shares in his book, Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul, she was a dweller of the liminal spaces between the divine and the human, between the womb of the Universe and what it is trying to be birthed into being. She was also known as well for her love of the earth, and her modeling of female leadership.
A further link of this February festival to the fertile power of the goddess is found in the meaning of the word Imbolc, which is ‘ewe’s milk.’ Given its association with birth, this festival is said to mark the ‘quickening’ of the year ahead, which further speaks to the work of the Aquarian archetype. With the rebirth of what transpersonal astrologer Dane Rudhyar calls “the Day Force” (the Sun’s light) that takes place at the winter solstice, we are now further along in sensing the light within (mirroring the course of the light without), thereby imbued with at least intimations of a vision for the new that will begin to be represented in the ecological realms by spring.
Rudd has this to say about this Feb. 2 cross-quarter:
Because of the terrific forces that are contracted within the earth at this time, there is an enormous pressure that is building up on the inner planes, even though it cannot yet be seen on the outer planes. It is a time of deep inner work, where the seeds of enormous breakthroughs can be sown. In essence, Imbolc is an inner festival, and the fellowship of the Ring is an inner fellowship, in which the beings from higher planes collectively muster their powers and direct them towards the centre of their great circular plans. We enact these cosmic dramas by gathering together in silence and honouring that which is hidden and secret. This is why we celebrate the feminine Goddesses at this time, because they represent that which is hidden, but also that which will one day emerge.
Crash landing or higher ground
At a time of great flux both ecologically and politically, with social strife and polarization the new normal, it feels appropriate to imbibe some Aquarian detachment right now. Perhaps we can imagine elevating ourselves a few feet above the busy (or angry) exchange of ideas, or in some way raise ourselves up to a mountaintop view of this time of great and rapid change.
I found myself in such a moment cycling down my favorite bike trail recently, listening to music on new headphones that happen to block out most ambient outside sound, such that I am truly sealed in my own world. As I pedaled along, I had the sensation of being lifted up and beyond the roar of traffic along the nearby highway, which struck me as an Aquarian moment of tuning into another, uplifting worldview, enhanced by a self-selected soundscape, with my mind calling in an alternative ‘order of life’ than the usual noise of modern activity.
Aquarius certainly presides over ‘alternative realities’, and we do in many respects have creative choice over where we train our attention. Jupiter in Gemini until July of this year will be continuing to expand the network of informational pipelines; so given that expansive Jupiter can get carried away in its gluttony, we can benefit from its ongoing wide-ish square to restrictive Saturn, so as to discriminate and not run down too many news or curiosity rabbit holes, such that we lose our focus. The work at hand is, once again, to be careful how much negative ‘news’ (much of which these days is tinted with opinion) we imbibe, to keep our minds spacious and receptive, and to facilitate our mindful intentions for calling in the new—rather than ruminating excessively over past losses and future fears.
Controversial British occultist and philosopher, Aleister Crowley, posited that Aquarius signifies the energy of the magician in its capacity to call forth with fixed sign intentionality a type of ‘magic’ from the unseen (given that Aquarius is an Air sign) worlds. Given its dual rulership by conventional Saturn and unconventional Uranus, however, the magic can go either way: a utopian vision in which the well-being of all life forms is held sacred and integral to the whole, such as that of an eco-civilization, where the Earth, with her finite resources and sensitive ecosystems, is prioritized—along with all races, cultures, nations, and walks of life; or a proliferation of autocratic power structures in which small handfuls of the privileged (whether by birth or by wealth) seek to control and oppress the many.
This type of top down, hierarchical rule has been our ‘operating system’ throughout the 2,000-year Piscean Era that has preceded the Aquarian one, Pisces being the sign of “the savior” on high. And the excesses of greed and domination this system has devolved to has become more acutely evident as Pluto, with its laser sharp penchant for exposure of Truth, has traversed through the final degrees of Capricorn—which presides over corporate and other hierarchical systems.
Now with Pluto in Aquarius, and beyond that, with the longer term traverse through the Aquarian Age, we can expect a shift to the ‘messiah’ reemerging through Unity, not a single, gifted individual or charismatic leader. But meanwhile, we can no longer deny the corruption of the outdated structures that have dominated us, and initially at least there will be more of same, and a tightening of the noose – with the ‘few’ at the top becoming fewer, and far richer.
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Seeds of change
Behind the scenes of ‘convention,’,in keeping with the Aquarian theme of utopian visioning, there is forward-thinking transformation work taking place across the planet in multiple realms. Some of these endeavors prioritize shadow and trauma healing work (which astrology helps access and deepen understanding of) so as to ready us with core stability and resilience for hard times ahead; others prioritize development of human systems that integrate with the Earth’s natural intelligence, such as our indigenous elders have practiced for thousands of years. Ultimately, of course, inner healing and outer ecological and societal balancing must be woven of a piece.
The power of seeding innovative, collaborative visions of ecological systemic change (such as through the work author/organizer, Jeremy Lent’s Deep Transformation Network is currently emphasized with Uranus still travelling through earth sign Taurus (significator of the land, its resources, and its fertility) until July 7 of this year. So it’s not too late to hop on the train of support for groups and communities working to learn how to mitigate damages from and align with a climate pattern gone awry. Tickets for that Positive Change train I hear will still be available even after Uranus enters Gemini!
During this upcoming 7 years of Uranus in Gemini, boosted by a harmonious trine with transformative Pluto, we may feel emboldened to ‘spread the world’ (Gemini loves to gossip, and educate) about necessary structural and habits-based changes, and ideally gather more folks to add their energy to the cause. While the global movements I alluded to above are seeded online, at the local level there are many organizations doing great work on behalf of climate change mitigation, water protection, and the building of local ecosystems resiliency.
With innovative Uranus in Gemini, neighborhood groups (the 3rd House, naturally ruled by Gemini, presides over neighbors) could become seedbeds of transforming outmoded, unhealthy systems of isolation and ‘going it alone’, with the adoption of collaborative practices such as tool and produce sharing, fire and water protection, disaster preparedness, and old-fashioned neighborly connectedness. Enter the Library of Things Toolkit from Shareable, popping in my Inbox on cue!
It is important to set our compass on living into a life in ways we feel good about, both within and in our daily rounds, especially as the lower octave manifestations of Aquarius—versions of Orwellian control and surveillance—could continue to creep in during the earlier years of Pluto’s 18-year tenure in this sign. We could very likely witness the dredging up, and then clearing out, of the more malign manifestations of the Aquarian archetype, as this is how Pluto operates, by first clearing out the ‘junk’ or unhealthy aspects of an archetype it passes through, much like a surgeon cleans out or pulls the diseased parts inside the body in the healing process.
The off-centered or shadow aspects of Aquarius include attitudes of elitism, entrenched opinions, dependency on or escapism through technology and social media, exiling and othering, and fragmentation. Some may find themselves numbing out to cope with fears. But an alternative to allowing fear or rigidity (the off-balance Saturn aspects of the sign) to determine our responses is to double down on our inner work, and on honing and living from a framework based on values of kindness, beauty, reciprocity, and care for all, including the Earth.
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Enter Deep Time
Applying ourselves to the task of living now as if we were already in the future we dream of suits the Aquarian perspective of the multi-dimensionality, or circularity of time. Re-membering ourselves in connection to the past, and of history, becomes equally important. In what ways can we bring into the present parts of ourselves that shone in the past, or recall positive, peak-moment memories that can serve us now? Considering how time can be bent and melded, and how the natural world itself is having to adjust to off-kilter timings caused by global warming, we too might consider adjustments to our own relationship to time.
In a timely fashion, an intriguing essay, Wild Clocks, just wafted in to my inbox along the Aquarian airstrip. In it, author David Farrier discusses how ‘wild clocks’ in nature have fallen out of synchrony with each other, and imagines how we might renew our own life rhythms. Also, this just in after writing the above, from poet/teacher David Whyte: an announcement of new talks on Moving Beyond the Power of Now — Making a new friendship with our past, finding a wilder freedom in the present, while preparing for a rich and inviting future” Nicely timed!
Crazy as it may seem with a look at ordinary surfaces these days, there is the suggestion, even the fierce conviction by some ‘futurist’ minds such as those of Richard Rudd and LSD researcher and Professor of Religious Studies and Philosophy, Chris Bache, that at some point ahead a magnificent rebirth of a nobler human, already fermenting within amidst the outer din of systems collapse, will emerge into the light of day.
While this may seem dim (witted) fantasy to some, there is in this framework a healing medicine (along with a splash of hope!), in that it serves to root out and replace the pessimistic mindset so widespread these days with an optimistic one. This requires taking the long view of time (and entertaining a belief in reincarnation), as Aquarius does preside over ‘deep time’. Again, the Saturnian virtue of patience feels a necessary bass note for us to keep our minds and hearts tuned to in times ahead.
To the Saturnine patience we can add a dash of archetypal Jupiter, which specializes in looking on the bright side, currently in Gemini—signifying our mindset—for help in reframing our perspective. It is a known fact that like attracts like – calamity magnetizes to a negative mindset, while fortune favors the optimist. So with that lead-up, for those with open Aquarian minds who are curious about a positive, mind-bending take on the coming of the “future human”, you might check out the three conversations between Bache and Rudd, the first talk here.
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From another deep time, ‘big picture’, and uplifting perspective, East Indian author/researcher Bibhu Dev Misra in his recent book, Yuga Shift, posits that the end of the current, Hindu Kali Yuga era of ‘vice and misery’ (this being the fourth, and darkest of all), arrives in March 2025. There have been much earlier, and much later dates posited for the end of this roughly 3,000-year Yuga or ‘age of the world’, but in a hopeful and fascinating conversation with astrologer Daniel Giamario, Misra argues the premises of his prediction, as laid out in his book.
According to Misra, from this year’s March point onwards for the next 15 years we will see a period of major transformation—of simultaneous collapse and emergence—during which old structures are obliterated, and new wisdom and understanding quickens. It will take a strong act of will to break through the “assault on consciousness” that these final years of decline will present, but if we can remain open in our hearts, and conscious of our soul’s work, we can make an important contribution towards the “enlightenment process” taking place beneath the surfaces, he suggests. “After these 15 years, cosmic events will tilt the balance in favor of good over evil.” May it be so, and may this give us some sustenance as we struggle to digest the news in the short term!
Bache, Rudd, and other visionaries concur that there are troubled times ahead. But as Bache points out, “as things intensify, the individual becomes a more significant player.” This concept brings in the polarity partner of Aquarius, Leo, whose highest potential of loving, creative self-actualization is vital to all Aquarian undertakings. The community needs to be comprised of mature, heart-centered individuals, just as the individual needs a community to work within. “People with a robust soul presence have a tremendous catalyzing effect on the people around them, helping them come to their own version of that deep experience as well,” says Bache. “Putting all of our endeavors into being present during the hardest parts will help us emerge faster to the other side, into the joy, bliss, collaboration, and opportunities to meet with fellow journeyers.”
Carl Jung, in his book, The Undiscovered Self, spends much of his energy arguing the same point—that the development of our authentic individual self is key to the positive evolution of humankind. He writes,
It is, unfortunately, only too clear that if the individual is not truly regenerated in spirit, society cannot be either, for society is the sum total of individuals in need of redemption….[the individual] is the one important factor, and the salvation of the world consists in the salvation of the individual soul.
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New Moon Astrology
On the personal level, this upcoming New Moon (January 29), and nearby cross-quarter gateway (February 2), are ripe for sowing intentions for how we would like to unfold in the coming year. With Pluto in the early degrees of Aquarius, and the New Moon at 9° Aquarius, we can be looking to the house/s in our chart that includes these degrees for clues as to methods or areas of life where we can engage so as to flow with the tide of change. And we might prepare ourselves to patiently wait for signs of fruition with the Aquarius Full Moon, 6 months away when the Sun is in Leo, in August.
Some of the significant astrological news of the day involves the shift of Moon’s Nodal points in January from Aries-Libra to Pisces-Virgo , where they will remain for the next 18 months. This asks that we work at moving away from the lower octave Virgoan qualities of getting lost in the details, fault-finding, worry, overly high standards, and remaining too long in dissatisfying situations. (Yes, as with the lower octave of Libra, where the South Node just left, we can both please and serve too much!) Instead, we are called to shift our attention to the Piscean gifts of creative imagination, cultivate trust in positive outcomes, presence in ourselves greater compassion, forgiveness, and self-reflection, be allowing and accepting of change, and surrender anxiety to a higher power. Tall order!
In addition to the Sun-Moon conjunction at 9° Aquarius, we’ll further feel the Aquarian imprint with nearby Mercury (2°) conjunct Pluto (1°) there. This translates to our mindset, and thinking patterns very much partaking of the big picture, consciousness-raising, transformational energy. So it’s a great time to set ourselves to the work of what I’ve described above, seeing how we might innovate new ideas and mental pathways in how we approach life. The Sun-Moon are trining Jupiter in Gemini, which emphasizes the opportunity to keep to a positive mindset.
As well, the North Node in Pisces conjuncts both Neptune (27°) and Venus (25°) in Pisces, adding a deeply dreamy and other-worldly flavor to the coming month, invoking the potential for calling in grace, forgiveness, and compassion. To uplevel ourselves into these ‘higher dimensions’, we may choose film, music, art, or spiritual teachings/practices to keep ourselves aloft above the density of material plane doom and gloom. But we must be wary not to get lost in illusions and delusions, with the Venus-Neptune conjunction, which loves to dream big. Thankfully, grounded Saturn remains in Pisces as well, helping us stay focused and accountable to the practical, all while roaming with our fertile imaginings.
I close with a link to a recording of a powerful Celtic music favorite by a collaborative group of unique musicians, The Gloaming, performing at Royal Albert Hall in London. To me this piece embodies the extremes of Aquarius, beginning with the lonesome crooning of ‘the man apart’, and evolving slowly into a group synchrony that ultimately reaches ecstatic heights with the individual master musicians finding their peak in collaboration.
May this be a process that we are all each called into, in our own ways, this creative and uplifting dance between self and community, as we move forward into the haze. And may we plant and tend with care and love the seeds of New Life in our own small lives, knowing we are a vital part of the larger web of the Whole.
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Links For Further Meandering
Earth, Sacred Soul, book by John Philip Newell – https://www.earthandsoul.org/sacred-earth-sacred-soul
Jeremy Lent, author, eco-social change agent, Deep Transformation Network founder; Article, Culture Shift: Redirecting Humanity’s Path to a Flourishing Future – https://patternsofmeaning.com/2018/03/22/culture-shift-redirecting-humanitys-path-to-a-flourishing-future/
Wild Clocks essay, by David Farrier – https://emergencemagazine.org/essay/wild-clocks/
Bibhu Dev Misa discusses Yuga Shift – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrC32w7NP84
Christopher Bache in Conversation with Richard Rudd on Reincarnation
#1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVDndxA6aZo
#2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQwAxhukBrE
#3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lus4MLlzbA\