Aquarius and Humanitarianism
I would like to share some thoughts on how to consider Aquarius, specifically how it relates two archetypes: The Collective, and more-so Humanitarianism, through the lens of Hellenistic astrology. Hellenistic meaning the astrology that originated in Southwest Asia and Northern Africa, from ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures from ~100 BCE - 700 CE, astrology practiced by people around the Red, Black, Caspian, and Mediterranean Seas, eventually to be transmitted in Greek.
I would also like to expand what sign and planetary symbolism we equate with Humanitarianism, which is most commonly associated with Aquarius in contemporary astrology practice.
Humanitarian is defined as the following, and is how I am using the term in this writing(1,2):
Camrbidge - a person who is involved in or connected with improving people’s lives and reducing suffering
Mirriam-Webster - a person promoting human welfare and social reform
Humanitarianism in this context then, being the philosophy and related actions of someone who is a humanitarian, valuing things that lead to collective liberation and the reduction of suffering in the world. We could quibble about nuances around these definitions but for the purposes of this paper, this is good enough.
The main idea I would like to get across is that I think we make assumptions about someone’s character and personal values when we assume Aquarian energy naturally leans toward humanitarian actions/results. In equating Aquarius with Humanitarianism, we inadvertently gloss over the challenges and inaccurately assess the potential downfalls of this sign. While I agree that Aquarians can do Humanitarianism, it’s not the default setting, and often comes from a recipe of natal chart factors, and personal lived-experience and context that lead a person to act in alignment with humanitarian values. Some Aquarians happen to be humanitarians, but not all humanitarians are Aquarian.
Aquarius and Saturn
To start, I find no issue in Aquarius being considered as the collective, but I need to touch on it for the purposes of my overall message. Also worth noting here that joli knott of Bhodi Mindful wrote a piece recently on this topic of Aquarius and the collective that I really enjoyed and think pairs well with this essay.(3)
I like to invoke the duality pair that is Leo and Aquarius, to understand Aquarius better. The Sun is a singular agent that orders the space around it. The Sun can signify a singular person or authority. Aquarius and by association, Saturn, are the signs and planets associated with the winter in the northern hemisphere. Saturn, the visible planet farthest from the central point, the margins. If Leo is one person, Aquarius is everyone else, the collective. If Leo is about centralized power, Aquarius is about decentralized power or power held by All. Makes sense, especially coming from a tradition of astrology that loves to use duality pairs to set up the system.
Let’s see how else Aquarius has been described earlier in the tradition:
Aquarius per Valens is “..anthropomorphic, mute, quite cold, free, upward-trending…unchanging…carrying burdens, or work in hard materials, an artisan, public. Men born under this sign are malicious, haters of their own families, incorrigible, self-willed, deceitful, tricky, concealing everything, misanthropic, godless, accusers, betrayers of reputations and the truth, envious, petty, occasionally generous…”. (4)
I will note here that “free” and “occasionally generous” are in concordance with humanitarian values, so Aquarius gets some points there!
Saturn rules Aquarius based on the rulership scheme set forth by the Thema Mundi. Valens describes people born under Saturn, “…petty, malignant, care-worn, self-depreciating, solitary, deceitful, secretive in their trickery, strict, downcast, with a hypocritical air, squalid, black-glad, importunate, sad-looking, miserable, with a nautical bent, plying waterside trades. Saturn also causes humblings, sluggishness, unemployment, obstacles in business, interminable lawsuits…secrets, imprisonment, chains, griefs, accusations…Saturn makes serfs and farmers because of its rule over the land, and it cases men to be renters of property, tax farmers, and violent in action. It puts into one’s hands great ranks and distinguished positions, supervisions, management of others’ property, and the fathership of others’ children.” (4)
Saturn, and especially Aquarius as a fixed sign, can become rigid. Brittle. Orthodox. Intolerant. In the air element, they get fixed upon certain ideas, ways of thinking, logic. There is a kind of intellectual consistency here that is actually necessary for revolutionary or radical change. You cannot be easily changing your thesis and ideas if you’re going to rail for lasting change.
Taking this potential of mental rigidity into a vacuum - this quality can be used to help the collective or harm it. When we call Aquarius humanitarian, we are making too many assumptions about what people are doing with their fixed air energy. Too many assumptions about what people are willing to allow in order to “optimize” or enforce the new set of rules (strictness).
Air is open to and engaging with the environment around it. Demetra George, based on logic from Robert Schmidt, describes air as expressing through possibilities and potentialities (5). In my own words, Saturn wants to build something that endures, and ruling over Aquarius, will create the structure or container based on the possibility-oriented thoughts. Air in general in this way, lends itself to humanitarian works that are born out of ideas for what is possible. However, we cannot at this point, let biases around words like “potential” or “what is possible” to mean beneficial potentials, or the ones we would want. Potentials and possibilities for a future come in all varieties depending on the personal values and ethics of the thinker.
Aquarius is also about delivering something en masse. Prometheus delivering fire. Aquaducts delivering necessary water and hygiene. Ganymedes delivering the sacred beverages to the gods. Internet delivering information and.. whatever it’s delivering. Aquarius perhaps delivering its ideas about what is possible widely or to a group of people. We’ve also seen periods across history of propaganda blanketed across entire nations - ideas shared en masse that mislead and harm collectives.
I also like to draw on the pair that is Capricorn and Aquarius: Capricorn the structures that root down and get things started, and Aquarius the slow maintenance and evolution of that original structure over time. Aquarius will attempt to optimize a thing, and may not always be sensitive to the myriad downstream effects. Put another way, think about how orthodoxy and rigidity in various social groups is by design - they do not always allow expansive space for a wide variety of human expression. This limitation of expression, limitation of humanity, can have results that are beneficial or harmful to groups, depending on what is being limited. We cannot assume this dynamic will always lean toward humanitarian actions and outcomes.
Jupiter, Sagittarius, and Pisces
Jupiter is described by Valens as,“childbearing, engendering, loves, political ties, acquaintance, friendship with great men, prosperity, salaries, great gifts, an abundance of crops, justice, offices, office holding, ranks, authority over temples, arbitrations, trusts, inheritance, brotherhood, fellowship, beneficence, the secure possession of goods, relief from troubles, release form bonds, freedom, deposits in trust, money, stewardships.” (4)
Sagittarius per Valens is described as, “the house of Jupiter, fiery, upward-trending, vocal, …men born under this sign are noble, just, great-hearted, judges, generous, loving their brothers and friends…” (4)
Valens thinks Pisces are, “…mute, motile, in conflict with itself because one fish is northern and the other southern…down-ward trending, servile, changeable, sociable/lewd, the cause of wanderings, varied. Men born under this sign are unsteady, unreliable, changeable from bad fortune to good, sexy, thievish, shameless, prolific, popular.” (4)
Frankly, Pisces does not sound like the best candidate for Humanitarian values, though I do think Valens had something against Pisces (his description is really giving “stupid-sexy-Flanders” in my opinion). And while I do think Pisces care about beneficence and understanding just like Jupiter and Sagittarius, Pisces’ more passive, subjective, wandering and servile nature lacks congruence with what I experience is required of humanitarian efforts. Wide inclusivity and compassion is strong here, but those virtuous qualities needs to be paired with ardency and action to make an impact on others quality of life.
From Ancient Astrology Volume I again, Fire is imperative which lends itself to action and giving commands (5), and from this perspective, Sagittarius would be a better candidate for humanitarian working to relieve suffering in the world.
So we have a set of Aquarius/Saturn archetypes and Jupiterian/Sagittarius archetypes. Which set of things sounds like our collectively accepted definition of humanitarianism? Does misanthropic, managerial, deceitful Saturn sound like it, or Jupiter, a planet of good-will, abundance, fellowship, liberating from troubles, freedom, and stewardship?
The collective is a group of people that can decide to believe anything they want. The collective/society/group can enact systems, protocols, infrastructure to further the potentials they are focusing on. This can end up in results that are ethical and help humanity, just as much as results that are unethical and harm humanity, depending on what the collective values.
Analogously, Libra-heavy charts don’t always do things that are widely considered ethical or fair (e.g. Netanyahu or Ruby Frank).
Examples
To round this essay out with some examples, first with Dick Cheney, who has a Sun and Ascendant ruler, Mercury in Aquarius. Saturn is in Taurus conjunct Jupiter. He was George W. Bush’s right hand man and was instrumental in making the Iraq war happen. I rest my case on that one. (7)
Ronald Reagan (not the best data), allegedly has the Sun in Aquarius, Saturn in Taurus, and Venus in Pisces. He terrorized Black communities in his “war against drugs” that the government essentially manufactured. More of america manufacturing crime in order to oppress Black people. Not a humanitarian. (8)
Queen Victoria has a Jupiter in Aquarius. Saturn is in Pisces conjunct Pluto - these are placements I could imagine combining Jupiter’s good will with a systematic and thoughtful approach, rooted in inclusivity. It wasn’t. It was a rigid level of entitlement that resulting in worldwide campaigns of exploitation and colonization. We cannot assume humanitarian values in someone simply based off Aquarian placements, even benefic-in-Aquarius placements. For anyone who says she was a woman of her time and thought she was doing good in the world: People from 100-200 years ago weren’t unintelligent and also they weren’t immune to propaganda. This woman had more info than any one else at that time and still made the decisions she did. Even Abigail Adams knew better. By comparison, the man we know as the Siddhattha Gotama Buddha (Pali language) lived over two thousand years ago and said things like (paraphrasing): don’t take things not FREELY given. Without coercion and colonization. Over 2000 years ago. (9)
I hope this exercise has added some Aquarian vocabulary or ways of thinking to your tool box. Thank you for reading this essay, and enjoy a discount code AQUARIUS for a 30% discount on birth chart readings!
——————————
For transparency,
I am an Aquarius rising, with Venus there also rising, and Saturn conjunction Uranus in Sagittarius. I also have a Pisces Moon, and a Capricorn Sun/Mercury. I have a lot of astrological skin in this essay, a lot of potential for personal projection, and also intimate first hand experience with much of the signs/planets/archetypes described above.
In the quoted text, I left out several significations that I found irrelevant to this discussion. For instance, there are notes on gender, bodies, and illnesses, and other correspondences to the signs and planets that were not relevant to this very philosophical exploration. You can find the full quoted passages in reference 4 and 5 below:
“Humanitarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humanitarian. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.
“Humanitarian.” Cambridge.org Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/humanitarian. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.
knott j. Understanding Aquarius through Saturn. https://www.bodhimindful.com/blog/understanding-aquarius-through-saturn. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.
Valens V. The Anthology, Mark T. Riley trans. Amor Fati Publications. 2022. p 3,4, 10-12
George D. Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice Volume I, 2nd ed. Rubedo Press, 2019. p 163-164.
Dick Cheney’s Natal Chart. https://www.astro-seek.com/birth-chart/dick-cheney-horoscope. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.
Ronald Reagan’s Natal Chart. https://www.astro-seek.com/birth-chart/ronald-reagan-horoscope. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.
Queen Victoria’s Natal Chart. https://www.astro-seek.com/birth-chart/queen-of-england-victoria-horoscope. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026