What is Aquarius’s Ruling Planet?
The ruling planet is the planet which has the most influence over a sign of the zodiac. The rulership of signs by planets is one of the most ancient and central parts of astrology. The powerful and unique properties of each planet have a direct influence on the characteristics of people born under the sign ruled by that planet.
While the majority of signs have always been associated with the same planet, Aquarius is one of the three that actually experienced a change in which planet astrologers believed is most strongly associated with it. For centuries, Saturn was the ruler of both Capricorn and Aquarius, bestowing on both signs a realistic understanding of the world and a desire to work towards change.
However, when Uranus was discovered in 1781, it became the official ruler of Aquarius. It coincided with the French Revolution (and occurred just after the American Revolution) and was quickly identified as being a planet of rebellion, upheaval, and lofty idealism.
This does not mean that Aquarians born before 1781 are somehow inherently different from Aquarians born after 1781. It simply means that there are now two different ways to interpret Aquarius’ planetary rulership. As is the case with all dually-ruled signs (the other two are Scorpio and Pisces), some people born under this sign are more affected by the old planet, and some are more affected by the new.
As always, it is of utmost importance to do your own research and consult the rest of your chart, to gain a better sense of the impact of both planets on your life.
Saturn is the Ancient Roman god of time, called Cronus in Ancient Greece. He was the father of Jupiter, who usurped him to begin his own dynasty, which is why Saturn is often associated with endings.
However, Saturn had many different connotations and complex meanings over the time that he was worshiped.
These included regeneration, rebirth, agriculture, wealth, and abundance. Saturnalia, a festival in honour of him, was held in December, and the traditions associated with Saturnalia eventually became merged into the Christian holiday of Christmas. It was a joyful festival of light, and just as full of happiness as a modern Christmas.
Uranus was a primal Ancient Greek god of the sky, called Caelus in Ancient Rome. In Greek myths, he was the father of Cronus (alias Saturn) and was overthrown by him, just as Saturn would later be overthrown by Zeus (alias Jupiter). In even earlier cults, he was simply a personification of the sky.
Saturn and Uranus represent opposing forces of responsibility and liberation in the heavens. Uranus ruled the skies in a time “before time,” where there were no limits on primal power. Saturn overthrew him and instated a more complex series of laws and regulations.
Their combined rulership may seem odd, because, of course, the two gods were never in power at the same time. They also seem to represent very different understandings of the world. Read on to understand how both the responsibility of Saturn and the liberation of Uranus can be positive forces in your life.
Saturn: Aquarius’s Former Ruling Planet (1100)
Saturn is the planet of responsibility. It is sometimes called the “planet of greater misfortune,” because the things it rules over are often seen as negative things in our society. However, in spite of this ominous name, it is not actually a harbinger of bad luck. In fact, it rules money, age, hard work, the material world, and a cautious attitude.
These concepts might seem somewhat negative, and the name “greater misfortune” certainly doesn’t help. But in spite of these seemingly dry and negative concepts that Saturn rules, it also has an ultimate responsibility that can be seen in a much more positive light: the merging of the head and the heart. Saturn shows how, when the mind and the emotions come together, the world can be changed and brought to a higher plane.
It is for this reason that astrologers originally saw Saturn as Aquarius’s natural ruler. Aquarius is highly drawn to change and social reform, and its focus on “being brought to a higher plane” is the reason why the new millennium (when the earth moves into the “age of Aquarius”) was expected to be a time of great enlightenment.
If you are an Aquarius who is strongly influenced by Saturn, you probably have a very pragmatic and goal-oriented approach to enacting the type of change you want to see in the world. You have a very strong ability to see the pathway that you must take towards seeing the world improve.
People wouldn’t exactly call you an idealist. In fact, at times, you can come off as a bit cynical. However, this is only a thin outer coating – although you are always hesitant to be too outwardly optimistic about the world, you have an incredible amount of faith in a steady climb towards progress.
Saturn bestows upon the people it rules an almost preternatural ability for tireless work. You would never be caught giving up on a project before completion. You can frequently be found up all night, with stacks of papers, lists, and notes around you, carefully ironing out every detail of a plan for change.
I have mentioned change and progress several times already – these are key values that Aquarius holds more strongly than Capricorn, the other sign ruled by Saturn. Aquarius draws on the regenerative and rebirthing qualities of Saturn to enact the social change that it highly values.
This is part of the reason that, when Uranus became integrated into the zodiac, it became Aquarius’s ruling planet. It is a wandering and changing planet that represents the value of freedom.
Uranus is rebellious and breaks down barriers, rather than Saturn, which tirelessly works to get around barriers, but rarely breaks them down. This didn’t seem to sit quite right, especially when the 1960s and 1970s adopted Aquarius as a symbol of their revolution of love and peace.
Certainly, some of the counter-culturalists of the 1960s and 1970s worked around barriers, but far more were found questioning why they existed in the way that they did.
If you are highly influenced by Saturn, use your strength to overcome the barriers that are in place – not everything can be torn down, after all. And if you are more highly influenced by Uranus, then do let that energy flow into tearing down walls and making way for sweeping reform.
Aquarius’ Ruling Planet in Love and Romance (1700)
Uranus is a highly individualistic planet, which can lead to difficulty in forming relationships. For most Aquarians, this isn’t a problem, because they are usually the ones deciding that they don’t want to get tied down with a romance.
However, there are plenty of times when an Aquarian does want a relationship, but can’t quite figure out how best to go about reconciling her unstoppable individualism with sharing a life with someone else.
You will never settle for ordinary, so don’t even bother worrying about that. If your friends are bemoaning your inability to have a “normal” relationship, don’t give them a second thought – what is a normal relationship, anyway? Like Harley Quinn would say, “normal is a setting on the washing machine.” Don’t worry about how your romances measure up against other people’s – not that that’s something most Aquarians would worry about.
In fact, you may be actively pushing back against the idea of having a long-term, committed relationship, because you feel that it is either “too normal” (sorry, but the fact is, a lot of hipsters are ruled by Uranus), or because you feel it would get in the way of your other goals. You may not even realize you’re doing this!
The best relationships for someone ruled by Uranus are ones that begin on an intellectual basis. You won’t have nearly as much luck with romances that start in a club, or on Tinder, as you will with relationships that begin with some serious, spontaneous conversation.
The signs that are best at the serious, spontaneous conversation that so frequently sparks your interest are the other two air signs, Gemini and Libra. You appreciate both Gemini’s quick mind and boundless energy, and Libra’s skill for intellectual empathy. Start out as partners, and then move towards love.
You probably won’t even enter these relationships with the intention of romance, but you will both quickly come to realize what a good pair you make, which can lead you to build strong and passionate romances together.
If Saturn is a greater influence over you, it is even more important that you match yourself up with someone who has a lot of energy, and who has an idealistic worldview to help you keep away from your cynical tendencies. Gemini and Libra are still great options, and Pisces and Cancer can also be good matches.
Uranus can struggle to make peace with Pluto, so Scorpios are not always good matches. Your views on the world are frequently diametrically opposed and held with equal amounts of philosophical vigour, which leads to a lot of clashes.
Earth signs, especially Taurus, can also be a struggle in relationships if they are too tied to routine or to the mundane. You may quickly become bored in relationships with them, and long for excitement while they happily adhere to that dreaded “normal.” There is nothing wrong with either perspective, you just both need to find someone who shares it.
The exception is Capricorns, who are ruled by Saturn. If Saturn has a strong rulership over you, you may be very compatible with Capricorns, as with other Saturn-ruled Aquarians. You can share your sense of pragmatism and steady advancement towards change with them.
As always, the factors affecting personal compatibility are highly varied, and cannot be distilled to just one astrological point. There are more influences on romance than just your sun sign and primary planetary ruler, not to mention the undeniable “human factor” that makes every single person and relationship unique.
Astrology basic enough to be generalized in an article is not a suitable substitute for being observant and engaged with the people around you, so never use compatibility as the core reason for either entering or leaving a relationship. There are too many examples of successful relationships that do not follow these guidelines for that.
These are simply comments that may help you to more clearly understand what you are seeking in your relationships.
Using the Power of Aquarius’ Ruling Planet in your Daily Life (2300)
Your quest for ultimate freedom can lead you to problems because that’s not really something that the modern world accommodates very well. Our society makes it very difficult to operate without a stable address, a stable income, and a stable family structure, and it just doesn’t always sit well with you to have to make permanent decisions about these things.
It’s not that you’re flaky, you just don’t do your best work when you feel like you’re tied down by unrelated restraints. You can get around boundaries when you need to, but that’s extra intellectual energy that you could be spending on actually solving problems.
I don’t necessarily advocate quitting your job, living out of the back of a car, and keeping all friends and family at arm’s length, like a 1950s beat poet. But it is important that you build, into the overarching structure of your life, some degree of ability to move freely and without restraint.
Keep a travel fund so that you can pick up for a week in Thailand. Build a web of acquaintances across the globe so that you never find yourself stranded without anyone to turn to. Keep your close friends and loved ones informed about your feelings so that they don’t feel abandoned if you need some time away.
As long as you’re in one place, use the more grounded energy of Saturn to help guide you towards ways to achieve your goals, especially goals about bettering the world. Volunteer for causes that you believe strongly in. Advocate for the underdogs you see around you, even on a very local scale. This can help give you some of the satisfaction you frequently seek in globetrotting and escapism.
Something that you’re known for is your innovative approach to problem-solving. You are the master of lateral thinking and are excellent at coming up with solutions that wouldn’t occur to anyone else. Try to leverage this into a career that keeps you intellectually stimulated.
Boredom and banality is the death of your soul, and if you end up in a job where you’re doing the same thing day after day, not seeing results, or dubious about the positive effects of whatever you’re doing on the world, you’ll quickly become so antsy that you feel like there’s no option except to throw everything away.
It is absolutely crucial that you seek work that will keep your mind engaged, that will be constantly providing you with new challenges, and that you personally feel adds to the world. If you have to work a job that doesn’t do this, get out of it as soon as possible. Spend all your free time scouring job ads. No excuses – you’ll thank yourself profusely later.
Your independent streak can lead to a certain willfulness that others, especially authority figures, may not particularly appreciate. It’s very difficult for people to get you to do what they want for any reason except that their logical reasoning for doing it seems sound.
Authority means little or nothing to you, so you don’t care if the person giving an order is a high-school student or the CEO of your company – if the idea is good, you’ll do it, and if it’s bad, you won’t. There’s really no way to win you over except by reasoning.
Having this discerning nature is an extremely powerful tool, but if you don’t know how to at least temporarily conceal it, you can get yourself into trouble. Master the art of knowing when to follow your own path, and when it’s better in the grand scheme of things to let authority decide how you spend a couple hours of your day.
Final Thoughts (2700)
The three signs that are ruled by two different planets can be very hard to judge. If you belong to one of these signs, it can be difficult to know what you want, or how to best capitalize on the energy of one or both of your rulers.
For Aquarius, the dual rulership by Saturn and Uranus leads to a highly idealistic personality that feels strongly about enacting social change. You rebel against being held to the standards of your society and are quick to call out people who treat social constructs as absolute fact.
By harnessing Saturn and Uranus’s shared power, you have an ability to change the world unmatched by any other sign. You can use the grounded sense of responsibility of Saturn, and the desperation for change and freedom of Uranus, to come to world-altering conclusions.
In your personal life, Uranus, in particular, can be an obstacle to relationship-building because of the high degree of independence it signifies. This sense of independence is not a value you should give up, but rather, something that you should seek an equal love for in your partner.
You will find the greatest degree of satisfaction in a relationship with someone who understands your desire for freedom and will help you achieve it. Freedom doesn’t have to mean loneliness, after all.
Can you feel the power of Saturn and Uranus in your life? Are you a serious worker towards change, willing to do anything to overcome the barriers placed in front of you? Do you also have a strong sense of independence that drives you away from any form of restraint in your life? How will you harness Saturn and Uranus’sworld-changing power to achieve the type of life that you are truly looking for?
Please like this post if you found it useful or enjoyable. Share it to share advice for other people born under the rebellious rulership of Saturn and Uranus!
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