“Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;
Blinks but an hour or two; and then,
A blood-red orange, sets again.” - Robert Louis Stevenson
Here we are in the midst of the cold months, the dark months, and (in Pittsburgh, at least) the eternally gray and cloudy months. Since the apex of light and brightness at the Summer solstice, the Sun had steadily waned in light, and the amount of daylight decreased day after day until we finally arrived at the winter solstice one month ago.
Since Capricorn season, the light of the Sun has been steadily, slowly increasing. The days lengthen - the power of the light is returning to the world. But we’re still the very beginning of this reascent, where growth is trudging along, so chances are high you haven’t felt the slow increase of light and the gentle return of magic into the world.
And in a few days, the plodding, dour drudgery of Capricorn season will conclude. The Sun will enter into Aquarius, the rational, idealistic, fixed air sign of Saturn, on Friday, January 20th at 3:30 am eastern time. The gritty focus on duty, responsibility, and work will subside. The energetic timbre of the skies will lighten and clarify as the Sun continues its journey through the zodiac.
During Aquarius season, we are still in the darker half of the year. The length of nighttime outweighs the length of daytime, and the darkness dominates over the light. However, the daylight is steadily increasing, and the days are beginning to grow noticeably longer. The Sun moves single-mindedly away from the winter solstice, the darkest point of the year, back towards the summer, even though the nights are longer than the days and we are fighting an uphill battle back towards the lightest day of the year.
In essence, Aquarius sees a dark past, but an equally bright future towards which we can work and strive to achieve. Some glimmers of a hopeful, bright, and sunny future are revealing themselves, even if they are a long way from being actualized. This gives natives with strong Aquarian energy their penchant for considering ideals, reflecting on possibilities, and engaging in theoretical discussions about ideas in general.
For classical astrologers and magicians, Aquarius was the daytime home of Saturn. As the farthest visible planet from the earth, Saturn classically ruled boundaries - especially the boundary between the spiritual world and the material world. While Capricorn reflects the material, earthly realms, Aquarius reflects the spiritual, heavenly realms. Hence, Aquarius was classically associated with the realm of the fixed stars and of course the Star card in the Tarot.
Imagine viewing the world from vantage point of the stars and heavens above, and you’ll have a good sense of the mindset of Aquarius. Aquarius natives are high-minded, idealistic, and often very humanitarian. They spend a great deal of time reflecting on the best possible outcomes and scenarios. They go through life trying to achieve the same objective, absolute vantage point that one could only receive by rising up to the level of the heavens. Just as the Sun absconds from the darkest point of the year towards its bright future, so too do Aquarius strive towards a bright, idealistic world for all of humanity.
As it always strives towards a higher, more rarified vantage point, Aquarius has a strong capacity to think outside the box and apply innovative, fresh perspectives to problems. Their detached, rational view gives them new insights and ideas that can be applied to old problems. In ascending to the dazzling heights of the fixed stars, Aquarius hopes to bring a little bit of heaven to earth and purify the world around us in noetic absolutes and a priori reasoning.
The downsides are decision paralysis and analysis paralysis. It is very difficult to act if you can examine an issue from a thousand different angles. Aquarius is very concerned that any action which deviates from the absolute ideal that it strives for will only make matters worse, not better. It often refuses to act until enough information has been gathered to make the right choice, but because the process of gathering new information is never-ending, they oftentimes never decide until they have to.
Classically, the Sun - the lord of action and spontaneous expression - is in its detriment here, because its capacity to act and decide from inner knowing becomes frozen by objectivity, absolutes, and the thoughts and opinions of others.
During Aquarius season, we are all moving headlong away from the darkest part of the year, towards a bright and hopeful future. We call all use this forward momentum to new, fresh perspectives on old problems. We can be innovative and begin thinking outside the box to bring a breath of fresh air into our lives.
We can become more social and engaged with other people in our process. Aquarius strives for interactions and discussions with others because their perspectives will naturally inform their own. You will flourish the most during this period when you can engage in your process alongside others. Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and conversation partners who can help you achieve those innovative insights about your life that you’re searching for.
In what ways have you become stuck in your thinking and behavior? What old, ingrained habits and patterning should you release? How can you begin a dialogue with interlocutors and confidantes who will help you see the ways you can adjust and improve your thought processes and attitudes? How can you bring a piece of heaven on earth into your life?
When you find out what you need to change, don’t be afraid to act. At times, you will feel like you could keep hovering over the playing field of your life for eternity without knowing what you need to do next. There reaches a point where some action is better than no action, even if that action isn’t perfect. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
Three noteworthy aspects stand out to affect this period. The first and by far most important is the conjunction with Saturn. As a malefic in strong essential dignity, Saturn will bring more obstacles and roadblocks to finding our way and discerning our path. Thinking can become foggier and the mood can become gloomier, especially as the Sun gets closer to Saturn in mid-February. Decision paralysis and analysis paralysis become much more intense, and in their indecision people often make worse mistakes than they would have if they acted.
However, the rewards that Saturn can bring from these lessons can be truly great, and the ego-death that Saturn brings has the potential to last a lifetime. Think of the lessons you learned this time of year in 2022 and 2023. What lessons were offered to you then?
Mars forms a trine to the Sun. Trines from malefics are generally not ideal, and this air-sign trine can agitate the mind, stir up anxiety, and over-activate the nervous system. Arguments and disagreements with others will arise with others, often coming about from unexpected differences in opinion that seem very extremely important in heavy in the moment. You will be surprised to find that you don’t see eye-to-eye with people you expected to.
Thankfully, Jupiter also forms a sextile to the Sun here. Expect teachers, guides, and mentor figures to provide more support and guidance for you during this time. Your relationship with your spiritual studies and teachers with deepen, and you will be able to approach mentors about whatever is on your mind.
If you want to know what specifically you can expect during this period, identify what house Aquarius covers in your natal chart, and then you will see which house and area of life will be most activated by this transit. If you are Gemini rising, the Sun transits your 9th house of travel and higher study. It would be a good time to either begin or deepen spiritual practice, as your practices and studies will provide you will deeper-than-average insight. If you are Leo rising, the Sun transits your 7th house of relationships. You may find your insight and spiritual transformation coming from one-on-one relationships. If you would like an astrologer’s help in understanding how to best utilize this period, you can learn more about getting readings with me here.
Managing this Aquarius Season
We are officially in the midst of winter. As best as you can muster, going for walks outside in the cold will help you through this period. The cold stimulates clear thinking. Cold water on the face and the head helps to cool an overly-agitated mind. If you are interested in finding an ideal perspective upon which to build your life moving forward - if you want to pull down a piece of heaven into your life - then welcoming in the cold that this season brings will do wonders for you.
As I mentioned last month, many of the ancient astrologers and hermeticists teach that astrological effects happen on the earth after spirits from the stars begin interacting and influencing the spirits of the land and natural world. If you want to experience the power of astral energies first-hand, you have to go outside. That’s where they are. Anything you get inside your living-box is second-hand from nature spirits who are carrying out the wills of astral spirits.
Passionflower is a good supplement during this season, especially if you are prone to anxiety, worrying, and have trouble calming the mind and entering into the body. Kava kava is also beneficial as another anti-anxiety herb that also helps to reconnect people to their hearts - a much-needed medicine during the very ratiocinative, cogitative season of Aquarius.
Black obsidian, a naturally saturnine gemstone, helps to quiet the mind and ground one’s energy in the body. It also shuts out any grasping energies that try and distract you or keep you in a state of analysis paralysis.
Finally, any astrological work with Saturn will be well supported during this month, especially after the new moon on January 22nd just after the Sun enters Aquarius. The sooner the better - you will want to do your work before Saturn goes under the beams on January 31st.
-Merlin