What is Aquarius in Western astrology?

Definition

Aquarius is one of the twelve equal thirty-degree signs of the tropical zodiac, the eleventh in order, covering ecliptic longitudes 300 to 330 degrees between Capricorn and Pisces.

In plain words

Aquarius is one of the twelve equal thirty-degree signs of the tropical zodiac, and it is the eleventh of them. Western astrology classes it as a fixed air sign, and traditional texts pair it with Saturn as its ruler. By calculation, Aquarius covers ecliptic longitudes 300 to 330 degrees, sitting between Capricorn and Pisces.

Also asked as

• What does Aquarius mean in Western astrology?
• What are Aquarius's element, mode and ruler?
• Is Aquarius a sign or a constellation?
• What are the traditional dignities in Aquarius?

History

Richard Hinckley Allen's Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning notes that Aquarius has universally borne the title Aquarius or kindred titles such as the Waterman, a name Ideler linked to the sun passing through the sign during the rainy season. In Greek literature the sign was known as Hydrochoös, a Water-pourer, which Catullus transliterated as Hydrochoüs.²

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, in the Loeb translation, explains that the Aquarius sign belongs to the solid signs, which follow the solstitial and equinoctial signs, and that the moisture, heat, dryness, and cold of the preceding seasons touch us more firmly when the sun is in them.¹

Quick timeline

1. Early record — Richard Hinckley Allen's Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning notes that Aquarius has universally borne the title Aquarius or kindred titles such as the Waterman, a name Ideler linked to the sun passing through the sign during the rainy season. In Greek literature the sign was known as Hydrochoös, a Water-pourer, which Catullus transliterated as Hydrochoüs.²
2. Classical framework — Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, in the Loeb translation, explains that the Aquarius sign belongs to the solid signs, which follow the solstitial and equinoctial signs, and that the moisture, heat, dryness, and cold of the preceding seasons touch us more firmly when the sun is in them.¹
3. Later transmission — Claudius Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos assigns Saturn to Capricorn and Aquarius as the signs opposite Cancer and Leo. Ptolemy reasons that Saturn's nature is cold, which opposes heat, and that these signs are cold and wintry, so their diametral aspect is not consistent with beneficence.¹
4. Modern usage — Ptolemy also says that the stars in the stream of water within Aquarius have an effect like that of Saturn and, in some degree, like that of Jupiter. In this classical account the sign's character is read through the nature of the planets and stars that share its region of the sky.¹

What classical and modern sources say

Classical view

Claudius Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos assigns Saturn to Capricorn and Aquarius as the signs opposite Cancer and Leo. Ptolemy reasons that Saturn's nature is cold, which opposes heat, and that these signs are cold and wintry, so their diametral aspect is not consistent with beneficence.¹

Ptolemy also says that the stars in the stream of water within Aquarius have an effect like that of Saturn and, in some degree, like that of Jupiter. In this classical account the sign's character is read through the nature of the planets and stars that share its region of the sky.¹

Modern view

Modern astrology, as summarized in the Wikipedia Aquarius entry, assigns Uranus as a ruling planet of Aquarius, while traditional astrology pairs Saturn with Capricorn as its ruler. Practitioners who use both rulers can treat Uranus as a modern addition to the older Saturn rulership.⁴

Astrology.com presents Aquarius as a fixed air sign ruled by Saturn and Uranus, associated with the eleventh house of friends and alliances. Read as a growth practice, the sign invites a person to build networks of friends and shared causes.⁶

The building blocks and rulership

Sign wheel definition

Aquarius is one of the twelve equal thirty-degree signs of the tropical zodiac, and it is the eleventh of them. By calculation, Aquarius covers ecliptic longitudes 300 to 330 degrees, sitting between Capricorn and Pisces, so each sign occupies a fixed thirty-degree stretch of the wheel. The sign is defined by that fixed placement rather than by any single star.¹

Origin in the constellation

Aquarius as a zodiac sign originates from the constellation Aquarius. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun is in the Aquarius sign between about January 20 and February 19, according to the Wikipedia Aquarius entry. In Greek literature the sign was known as Hydrochoös, a Water-pourer, which Catullus transliterated as Hydrochoüs.⁴²

Symbol and names

Richard Hinckley Allen's Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning notes that Aquarius has universally borne the title Aquarius or kindred titles such as the Waterman, a name Ideler linked to the sun passing through the sign during the rainy season. Astrology.com explains that the sign's symbol is the Water-Bearer, tied to the Babylonian protective god Ea, who carried an overflowing vase of water.²⁶

Ruling planets and element

Astrology.com presents Aquarius as a fixed air sign ruled by Saturn and Uranus, associated with the eleventh house of friends and alliances. Modern astrology assigns Uranus as a ruling planet of Aquarius, while traditional astrology pairs Saturn with Capricorn as its ruler. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos assigns Saturn to Capricorn and Aquarius as the signs opposite Cancer and Leo.⁶⁴¹

The astronomy

Aquarius as a zodiac sign originates from the constellation Aquarius. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun is in the Aquarius sign between about January 20 and February 19, according to the Wikipedia Aquarius entry.⁴

Aquarius, traditionally ruled by Saturn, stands opposite Leo, ruled by the Sun: the two signs sit 180 degrees apart. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos is cited here for this geometric relation, and the distinction keeps measured quantities separate from symbolic meanings.¹

By calculation, Aquarius covers ecliptic longitudes 300 to 330 degrees, so each sign occupies a fixed thirty-degree stretch of the wheel.¹

Where astrologers differ

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos places Aquarius in the third triangle, drawn through Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, which is composed of three masculine signs and assigned to Saturn and Mercury, with Saturn governing by day and Mercury by night. In Hindu (Vedic) astrology, Aquarius is called Kumbha Rāśi, symbolized by a water pot and ruled by Shani (Saturn), and its predictive role is rooted in the sidereal zodiac system. Astrology.com notes that Aquarius is in detriment of the Sun, since the Sun's domicile is Leo, the opposite sign of Aquarius.

Then and now

Then

Claudius Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos assigns Saturn to Capricorn and Aquarius as the signs opposite Cancer and Leo. Ptolemy reasons that Saturn's nature is cold, which opposes heat, and that these signs are cold and wintry, so their diametral aspect is not consistent with beneficence.¹

Now

Modern astrology, as summarized in the Wikipedia Aquarius entry, assigns Uranus as a ruling planet of Aquarius, while traditional astrology pairs Saturn with Capricorn as its ruler. Practitioners who use both rulers can treat Uranus as a modern addition to the older Saturn rulership.⁴

Worked out from the evidence

Reasoned from the cited facts, not stated outright by any one source.

Because Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos ties the sign to Saturn and the Wikipedia Aquarius entry names Uranus as a modern ruler, a reader who uses both rulers can treat Saturn as the older rulership and Uranus as the later addition.

Since Astrology.com places Aquarius in detriment of the Sun and Leo is its polar opposite, the opposition of the two signs at 180 degrees gives a single geometric pair that both the classical and modern accounts can describe.

Not yet confirmed

• Whether the Hydrochoös water-pourer figure and the Ganymede cupbearer identification describe one continuous tradition or two separate Greek and Roman strands is not settled by the cited sources.
• How the tropical placement of Aquarius, fixed at 300 to 330 degrees, relates to the sidereal Kumbha Rāśi placement in Hindu astrology is left open by the sources cited here.

Follow the parts of Aquarius

Continue through Capricorn, Pisces.

Questions people also ask

What does Aquarius mean in Western astrology?

In Western astrology, Aquarius is the eleventh of twelve thirty-degree signs, classed as a fixed air sign. Astrology.com associates it with the eleventh house of friends and alliances, and its symbol is the Water-Bearer.⁶¹

What are Aquarius's element, mode and ruler?

Astrology.com describes Aquarius as a fixed air sign ruled by Saturn and Uranus. Traditional astrology pairs Saturn alone with Aquarius, while modern astrology adds Uranus as a ruling planet.⁶⁴

Is Aquarius a sign or a constellation?

Aquarius is both: the sign originates from the constellation Aquarius. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun is in the Aquarius sign between about January 20 and February 19.⁴

Method and review

Every statement about Aquarius was checked against the wording of its 6 sources (Ptolemy (LacusCurtius), Allen's Star Names, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia and Astrology.com), and its positions and boundaries were calculated with Astronomy Engine. How the Machine works.