Aquarius comes after Capricorn and before Pisces. This sign reacts to what comes before in Capricorn: the entrenched status quo, the establishment, the accepted mainstream, the hegemony, the regulated authority, the well-respected history. Then, when Aquarius sows the seeds for what comes after in Pisces: letting go, moving on, escape, ending, confusion, loss, acceptance, compassion, and transcendence. So if you have many Aquarius placements, how does this manifest in your personality and your life path?
Stage 1: Frustration with constraint
For Aquarius people, it starts off with being frustrated by the status quo. They find the status quo restricted by regulation and structure, overbearing with authority, burdened by reputation and history. They can see how some parts of the mainstream have become outdated, homogenous, and removed from the common people. These are the things that need to be changed, they contend.
But these are just thoughts, and they keep on working within the existing structure.They may excel in it; some Aquarius people are the crème de la crème of the hierarchy, before their frustration reaches its limit. As their dissatisfaction builds up, as they have more and more reasons for reform, as their voice and mind grow bolder and stronger, they will take actions that trigger the next stage: quitting.
Stage 2: I quit, but I will come back to challenge you
Aquarius people leave the system with a mind to start something of their own, something that would enable them to finally realise the vision they have incubated. Some have learnt a lot from the time they served in the system, and may continue to expect the same standards. The main difference: they do this on their own turf, following their own rules. These are the Capricorn-like Aquarius, for the two signs share the same traditional ruler — Saturn.
Some others with a stronger leaning towards Uranus (the modern ruler of Aquarius) want to do things in a different way, a revolutionary way, a way that would enable them to challenge Capricorn’s status quo.
At this stage, both types of Aquarius are a reaction to Capricorn extremes. They have yet to find their own path, overshadowed by Capricorn’s legacy (which is formidable in its own right). Before they could reform the system, they have to reform themselves. Less rules and standards, more free style and spontaneity.
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Stage 3: trying the experiments
Once Aquarius starts a clean slate outside of the Capricorn structure, they look for the gaps that have been left behind. They learn to expect the unexpected. They open themselves up to opportunities and risks that may not satisfy all the demands they are used to, but may lead to a fresh, promising start.
They have to make peace with multiple failures, and allow themselves, and others, the freedom to “be bad”. In Capricorn’s terms, being bad means falling behind in performance, doing the unacceptable or disreputable, disrepectful of authority, etc. Aquarius may have to attempt all of the “don’ts”. This is their experimental spirit: I do it, just to see what happens. Does that mean I’m “bad”? No, it means I’m curious enough to give it a try.
Aquarius is an Air sign. Having a supple mind, receptive to ideas, thoughts, and information exchange, is a signature of Air signs. Moving from an Earth sign such as Capricorn, to an Air sign, means moving beyond the materiality of the world, and entering the realm of abstract thinking and social interactions. You don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. What you say and think carries more weight and impact than what you have. Your perspectives shape your world, no matter where you live. Understanding is everything. This is the realm of Air signs.
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Stage 4: offering the alternatives — fringe, innovative, or radical?
Once Aquarious finds some ways that, while experimental, may address the niches left behind by the Capricorn mainstream, they will try to promote it to society. As one of the last signs in the zodiac, they are concerned with wider social issues, beyond personal affairs. They have tried out the ideas formed during Capricorn, then made a fusion with more recent ideas, to bring you the alternatives. Aquarius alternatives may range from technical, ideological, and social innovation that ignited a revolution in human history, to substitutes, such as alternative medicine, new living arrangements in the LGBTQ+ community, to a reformed approach to solving world problems.
Fringe: They may occupy the fringe of society, being known as those people with whacky ideas or an eccentric lifestyle. They may be ostracised for being weird, not fit in, strange or alien, a square peg in a round hole, the isolated genius.
Innovative: they may create an impact with how new, controversial, subversive, or radical their alternatives are. They may campaign for progressive, science-based ideas that see everyone as equal: innovative technology that transcend national borders, social activism for a more inclusive society, political reforms backed not by governments, but by a global community.
Radical: They may spread a spirit of defiance to the systemic law, and if combined with Fire or Water elements, may incite insurgency and extremism. They may also create their own entrenched order, becoming another, if only newer, version of Capricorn structure.
Aquarius is a fixed sign. So despite their airy nature, they have a mind of their own, and their way of thinking can be inflexible. They may expect others to think like they do. Aquarius makes a good debater because they know what they know, and they know how to defend it. They may seem to be open and curious, but within limits. For they often have an agenda that directs them towards particular issues, for some particular goals. This is the ingrained Capricorn legacy inside an Aquarius.
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Stage 5: re-invention & transition
As the new Aquarius social order becomes entrenched, they face the pressure of reinvention. This isn’t so easy for Aquarius. Their fixed nature want to keep things going for as long as possible. Unlike Capricorn whose modus operandi is to follow history, Aquarius energy shapes the future and, as the future takes shape and becomes the present, Aquarius again has to look forward to an even further future. Hence, going through the cycle of reinvention is part and parcel of being Aquarius. Inevitably, planets in Aquarius move into Pisces.
Conclusion
Ultimately, since Saturn and Jupiter conjunction at 0 degree Aquarius on 21 December 2020, we have entered the Age of Aquarius. Aquarius have matured for the last 30 years, no longer a fringe, not yet the superior. We have become familiar with Aquarius tendencies in the last 2 decades, as we see outdated Capricorn structure broken down, challenged, subverted, or reformed. These are followed by technological and social innovation that enable us to do unprecedented things.
At the same time, we have been wired to a new kind of structure, a network of data and metadata, that gives us much freedom and the safe distance to express ourselves, but at the cost of surveillance and privacy. Aquarius alternatives have been shifting from the fringe towards the popular, and in this age, we will see them become the new mainstream.
