Our Stories in The Stars- The Zodiac for Writers
Story Archetypes of The Zodiac
We are now in the season of Aquarius The Original Rain Man, Sign of All Humankind
Whatever we think of astrology, and here we are talking about Western, so-called Tropical astrology, it is is a rich and ancient cultural artifact, and potentially invaluable resource of reference or inspiration for writers.
Astrology is a storybook in its own right, dealing in all the archetypes famously embodied in Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, while synthesizing elements of astronomy, history and applied psychology. These are rooted in the seasons of Nature, predicated on the 36th degree of the northern hemisphere.
This year, 2025, we entered the zodiac territory of Aquarius on 19 or 20 January depending where you are in the world. Not only this but Pluto has moved into Aquarius until 2043, signifying what we could think of as a mini new Age of Aquarius. We think of the musical “Hair” and….
This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
The Age of Aquarius
Aquarius
Aquarius
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelations
And the mind’s true liberations
Aquarius
Aquarius…
Harmony and Understanding, it generally ain’t this Aquarius season. At least, not for now. Not on the wider world stage. But the ancient story stands. This Aquarius season- and this particular 20 year cycle of Aquarius -promises a rich vein of story material , ideas and story archetypes for writers working in the genres of modern fables, techno-thrillers, political thrillers and dystopian science fiction.
So what’s the ancient story behind the zodiac sign?
The word Zodiac comes from the Greek meaning, “circle of animals.” Libra, the Sign of the Scales of Justice, is the only zodiac sign that does not represent a person or a living creature, But even Libra borrows the stars of the Scales from the sign of Scorpio, the giant starry Scorpion next door in the night skies. The stars that represent the claws of Scorpio do double duty as the Scales of Libra.
The zodiac sign Aquarius is named after the constellation of Aquarius the Water-Bearer, also known as the Cloud-Bearer. Aquarius is known as the sign of Fixed Air. Why fixed? This is airborne water, but this water is destined for solid ground and will land as rain or snow once the load of water becomes too heavy for the clouds to carry.
Astronomy
Public Domain via Wiki
Aquarius the Water-Carrier is one of the oldest identified constellations of the Zodiac (the area of the sky as seen from Earth through which the sun, moon and planets all pass, whether this is occasionally or regularly.) Aquarius is the tenth largest constellation associated almost universally with sky, clouds, water- and therefore as a winter sign in the northern hemisphere, this mean snow – and rain.
Aquarius lies in a dark region of the sky called The Sea, containing other ‘watery’ constellations; Pisces (the fish), Eridanus (the river), Cetus (the whale), Capricornus (the Sea-goat), Delphinus (the Dolphin), and Hydra (the Water-Serpent).
History and Mythology
Throughout the whole of human history, arguably the number one danger to humanity has been the threat of flood. Aquarius overhead meant winter rain was coming to the lands of Mesopotomia, and this meant the waters of life itself- aqua vitae. But the water carrier, the cloud, can also act as an agent of death, destruction, flood and disease. For the Sumerians, Aquarius was a frightening figure, holding the vessel from which a great flood flowed from the heavens onto the earth, while the Babylonians called Aquarius ‘the curse of rain.’
During the Early Bronze Age, the appearance of Aquarius, or the ‘Way of Ea’ corresponded to the period of 45 days on either side of the winter solstice, when the Babylonians regularly experienced destructive levels of flooding.
A story of the ancient Greeks said that Aquarius caused a great flood which inundated the Earth during the Bronze Age, of which only Deucalion, son of Prometheus, and his wife Pyrrha survived, either by climbing in a chest and toughing it out, or building a great boat stocked with provisions, just as later in the Old Testament, Noah built his Ark. The ancient Greeks largely avoided living near lakes and rivers, it’s thought, for hygiene reasons as well as protection from floods. There are remains of hydraulic anti-flooding works; dams, walls, and channels in cities and other settlements in the Minoan era, and the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods.
The 1995 movie Waterworld, tells a story of a world inundated, not directly by rainfall, but by the melting of the polar icecaps.
The zodiac sun sign of Aquarius now also signifies Information Technology. We think of Aquarius in particular as THE zodiac sign of space tech- and of Cloud Technology. I woke the other morning at 5:55 and opened my eyes just in time to see the ISS blinking its way eastwards towards the rising sun.
The Aquarius Archetype
All stories, and all novels deal in the currency of archetypes. This includes personality archetypes, The Miser, The Wise Old Crone, The Warrior, The Jealous Lover, The Precocious Child, and so on. It also includes archetypal behaviours and situations. The zodiac signs represent archetypes, meaning something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing.
The zodiac signs paint a ‘typical’ portrait of a person born at a particular time of year, in a particular season and environmental conditions, based on the thirty sixth latitude in the northern hemisphere where western Tropical astrology has its historic origins.
The archetypes of Aquarius…or literary personas: The Teacher, The Reformer, The Revolutionary, The Truth- teller/Preacher, The Exile, The Scientist, The Technician, The Technocrat, AI, I, Robot,
Aquarius stands for Individualism versus The Collective, Humanity, Hope, Inspiration, exploration, progress, new technology and recovery from sickness or despair. Aquarius is progressive, fraternal, optimistic and idealistic. It represents pure intellect. The shadow side? Every zodiac sign, every archetype, every character has one. Intellect must be grounded in the realities of the lived human experience or there is the potential for totalitarianism. Aquarius can represent the worst effects of the violence that inevitably accompanies a social revolution, mob rule, and the tyranny of collectivism.
Aquarius is intellectually active, quick to adopt new ideas and technologies. Aquarius is ruled by two planets, Saturn, known to the ancients as the planet of duty and structure, but also Uranus, ‘discovered’ 1781, designated the planet of upheaval and rebellion. Therefore, as you might imagine, this is a sign of acute paradoxes. There is on the one hand the dutiful, responsible, possibly authoritarian Aquarian, prone to dogma, and the freewheeling Aquarian archetype.
The shadow side? Every zodiac sign, every archetype every character has one. Intellect must be grounded in the realities of the lived human experience or there is the potential for totalitarianism. Aquarius can represent the worst effects of the violence that inevitably accompanies a social revolution, mob rule, and the tyranny of collectivism, as so famously depicted in the novels 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell, and in the novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
Aquarius is humane, civilized and honourable in dealings. They set great store on friendship and loyalty, and they need to belong and be of service, just as their symbol is the water-bearer or cup-bearer, a person pouring water for another. This symbol can be interpreted to imply a destiny to serve others, but by the same token Aquarius may carry water to ‘cleanse’ the world of ‘errant’ thinking. Taken to extremes, the shadow side of Aquarius -speaking purely at the level of the archetype- can represent a cult mentality, ideological militancy, fundamentalism. Where they make a false step, it may be because they trusted their cerebral processes at the expense of their instinct. Aquarius may be moody, prone to bouts of depression, or they may sparkle with the brilliance of diamonds, warmed by nobility.
The Decans of The Zodiac
“If you’ve ever wondered why people born in the same sign seem different, the decans can help answer this puzzle,” – astrologer Rachel Lang.
The decans (or decanates) were in use by astrologers in Egypt 2100 BCE, as evidenced carved on coffin lids. But they may be far older in astrological usage, and have been described as ‘the thirty-six faces of astrology.’ Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac (Wheel of Life) represents 30 degrees of the 360-degree wheel of the zodiac, tracking the course of the Sun over a year. Each sign is subdivided into three parts of ten degrees each. These are the decans from the Greek word “deka” meaning ten, supplying extra clues and nuance in respect of character and potential destiny.
First Decan Aquarius
Aquarius-Aquarius
Dates: 21 Jan -30 Jan (approx.)
Planetary rulers: Traditional Venus– Modern Uranus
Tarot card: Five of Swords
Storyboard: Victory, defeat, ruthlessness, a pyrrhic victory, not worth winning, chagrin, humiliation, resentment, a change for the worse, a winter illness
Archetype These are complex individuals, containing an innate paradox. On the one hand ruled by Saturn, they are serious, intelligent, hard- working, responsible and conservative by nature, obstinate even. On the other, they are co- ruled by Uranus the innovator and rebel individualist.
The first decan natives are well- meaning, likely to sign up to good causes, keen to contribute, and kindly unless they feel emotionally challenged. They are easily wounded and their recovery may be slow. For all their considerable moral courage, bouncing back can be a real struggle.
They are well suited to the academic life, with a logical, or scientific but visionary turn of mind, and a talent for abstract thinking, and for research and analysis. They can also be a lot of fun, but while they readily grasp complex and abstract concepts, their emotional intelligence is sometimes in conflict with their intellect, resulting in misunderstandings with loved ones.
Famous first decan Aquarius subjects: Mozart, Lewis Carroll, Nicholas Sarkozy, Oprah Winfrey
Second Decan Aquarius
Dates: 31 Jan -9 Feb (approx.)
Planetary rulers: Traditional Saturn Modern Mercury
Tarot card: Six of Swords
Smith-Waite Tarot
Storyboard: loss, recovery, convalescence, mourning, healing, recovery, progress, relocating, journey, a voyage over water, exploration, study, pioneering, distance learning
Archetype These zodiac natives have the “gift of the gab”. They are charming, and socially in demand, but while generally very pleasant, can seem somewhat aloof. This does not mean they don’t have deep feelings. They most certainly do, and when they are upset, they brood and it can get seriously heavy. However, the natives of this decan are eminently civilized and humane, much concerned with big issues affecting humanity on the highest levels. They are creatively talented but analytical in their approach, more interested in ideas, technicalities and formal activities than “shooting from the hip”.
Famous Second Decan Aquarius subjects: Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Rosa Parks, Bob Marley, Boris Yeltsin, Ronald Reagan, Ashton Kutcher, Michael Sheen
Third Decan Aquarius
Dates: February 9-February 18
Planetary ruler: Traditional: Moon Modern: Venus
Tarot card– Seven of Swords
Smith Waite Tarot
Storyboard: Diplomacy, tact, damage limitation, investigation, burglar, break-in, scammer, surveillance, theft, fraud, a stalker, sabotage, pre-emptive action,
Archetype The third decan is more relaxed and easy-going than Aquarians born in the other decans, though prone to anxiety. The personality is charming yet mysterious, affable yet elusive, with an acute sense of humour which they use to defuse and manage challenging situations. They can be something of a court jester, but with many a serious thing spoken in jest. These quirky, sharp but friendly Aquarians are like shooting stars, slightly fey, fun to have around but not easy to “get.”
Famous Decan 3 Aquarius subjects: Galileo, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Paris Hilton, Mia Farrow, Sheryl Crowe, Rachel Reeves, UK Labour Chancellor of The Exchequer
We live in a continuum. Seasons segue into one another. But I, for one, will be watching out in particular for the stories of Aquarius manifesting in real-time, real-world action and events over this coming month until we move into Pisces on February 18.
Thank you for reading.
Until next time : )
Follow Katie-Ellen Hazeldine
Katie-Ellen Hazeldine's latest writing is included in our weekly email digest, every Sunday. Subscribe below.