History of Astrology
Surging into a Stormy Aquarius Season
This air sign’s fluid history, and how intellectuals are riding the impacts of change
--
Aquarius: the levelheaded air sign.
(January 20 to about February 18)*
They’re the artsy friend who is always working on a new project, always concerned with their community. When I think of Aquarius signs, I think of blue corn flowers strewn in a cup of stimulating tea. I would trust an Aquarius to make smart long-term decisions and take care of others. I would expect them to be able to grasp lofty concepts and sketch them out in elegant, refined strokes.
I’m going to be honest: before doing any digging, I thought that Aquarius was a water sign. The constellation Aquarius depicts a water bearer or a cup bearer, So what gives? The answer lies in the details. Aquarius simply delivers the water — they’re the person who lays down the foundation for others to succeed, a gardener raising up others as they grow.
With these characteristics in mind, let’s dive in to learn more about Aquarius’ fluid history, and how they continue to make waves.
Who is this water-bearer?
Where does this water-bearer come from? And why might a storm follow close behind?
Ganymede
In Greek mythology, Aquarius is often the figure of Ganymede, the cup bearer of the gods. In this version, the poor cup bearer is abducted by Zeus for his youthful beauty. In the original versions of the story, Ganymede was just a cup bearer on Olympus. But later versions in the fifth century cast him as one of Zeus’s many lovers.
Flood myths
This constellation can be seen in spring, and so it is often associated with the rainy season in the northern hemisphere. In some versions of the Aquarius myth, this constellation represents the largest storm known to man — the Great Flood.
In one Greek tale Zeus was upset with humanity and so created a massive flood that destroyed almost everything alive. This story sounds a loot like the Judeo-Christian Noah’s Ark tale, except in this version the two survivors Deucalion and Pyrrha were spared from their watery grave because they weren’t as wretched as the rest of humanity. Each tossed sticks or stones behind them as they disembarked their boat and POOF! A less wretched society of humans emerged.
Similarities in flood myths around the world. The Quran repeats the story of Noah’s Ark. The oldest known versions of this story is recorded in the Epic of Gilgamesh, or the oldest known piece of literature in the world.
There’s an Aztec version of the same tale in which the wretched don’t die but are rather turned into fish. The Hindu version involves the god Vishnu visiting the main character in the form of a fish, while the Buddhist version includes an island populated with deceptive ghosts. The Egyptians crafted their mythology to explain the seasonal flooding of the Nile and there are similar versions told in Chinese and Aboriginal cultures.
Each of these tales relates back to seasonal storm cycles. And why not? Around the world, harsh winters give way to spring and summer torrents with seemingly no explanation. But could there be a relationship between these abundant flood myths and an actual flood that took place sometime in our early history?
Geologists may have discovered evidence of a great flood in the Middle East that wiped out towns around 7,000 years ago. Melting glacier ice may have flooded the Black Sea, creating a climate change catastrophe.
This disaster would have been swift and decisive — not unlike judgment from an angry deity, or the climate crisis that contributes to catastrophic flooding in our current age.
Aquarius from space
This constellation isn’t the only aquatic entity in its corner of the night sky. Aquarius is located near a cluster of other water related constellations including Cetus, Pisces, and Delfinus.
Aquarius contains the star TRAPPIST — 1 which is about 40 light years from earth. That’s far, far away. But in 2017 astronomers announced that TRAPPIST-1 hosts at least seven exoplanets within the habitable space around the star, all Earth-sized. This is exciting news. There could be water on these planets. And potentially life.
The Aquarius Project
The Aquarius Project on the other hand looks inward to discover more about space. In 2017, a large meteorite landed in Lake Michigan. This meteorite contains material far older than anything on Earth, which could give scientists more information about the makeup of our universe.
There was just one problem: that meteorite was much too large and far too deep for scientists to recover it from murky Lake Michigan. Most of the lake is unexplored. How would anyone recover something that far below?
But this recovery mission wasn’t too far-fetched for an astrophysics professor Shane Lawson and a gang of highschoolers, who made a sled outfitted with neodymium magnets, a camera and some sensors which they used to recover several lakebed samples. None of these samples have retrieved the meteorite from the lakebed, but that doesn’t stop the team from continuing the search.
Today, scientists from the Adler Planetarium’s Far Horizons program, experts from the Shedd Aquarium and NASA lead the Aquarius Project.
If ingenuity and grit are Aquarian hallmarks, then the Aquarius Project couldn’t be better named.
What does it mean that we are in the Age of Aquarius?
Astrological ages last for thousands of years, and their timing is tricky. That’s why no one seems to agree on when the Age of Aquarius began. The musical Hair said the Age of Aquarius was around the corner in 1967, but others think it began in 1999, 2012 or at least sometime before March 2021.
What matters more than the actual start of this period is what the Age of Aquarius stands for. It usually refers to 1960s and 1970s countercultures. “The new generation had a cultic concern for making and living in a better world, and backing away from repressive Cold War behavioral codes and the military mentality that characterized American political rhetoric,” explains a library entry from the University of Miami. That historical context might explain why many astrology websites call Aquarius signs social activists.
“Every Aquarian is a rebel at heart: these air signs don’t mesh well with authority figures,” writes Aliza Kelly for Allure. “Rooted in teamwork, collaboration, and the concept of the ‘greater good,’ Aquarius is determined to make a powerful difference in the world.” The tarot card for Aquarius, The Star, further cements this image because it represents new beginnings.
Aquariuses might be weekend warriors looking to improve their communities, or they may be quietly blogging about social injustices over a cup of fair-trade coffee. Rest assured — either way, Aquariuses are putting in the work.
Whether Aquarius signs are truly the movers and shakers of the zodiac is up to you, dear Aquariuses. But I’d say its never too later to be a social activist no matter your sign.
There’s a lot that needs fixing in the world.
*Astrology is fun to explore, but it is not a science and should not be taken literally. History of Astrology aims to explore zodiac signs and spread curiosity, not offer advice.
