How did Aquarius become the sign of technology?
It seems intuitive but I'm interested in your thoughts.
Aquarius means many things to many people, some of whom were influenced by the lyrics to a Broadway show tune. Without saying much more — I do have my thoughts here — I am interested on your observations on the topic of Aquarius and technology.
Thanks —
— efc
Aquarius and technology is a backformation. It comes from the discovery of Uranus in 1781 harkening the beginning of the electrical and industrial ages; Uranus is definitely that sigil. Next, Robert Cross Smith (1795-1832, the founding editor of Raphael's Ephemeris a/k/a Raphael I), assigned the rulership of Aquarius to Uranus. There was no basis for this assignment except intuitive.
Now, you can search this all you want. A.I. summary will say that Uranus was assigned to Aquarius by a kind of collective process and that for a long time Saturn was still held by nearly all astrologers to rule Aquarius. And, said Google's A.I., the issue is cemented in the 1970s by my old friend Louis Acker. However, I discussed this with Robert Hand some years ago, whom I would say is the definitive source on astrology history. And he said: It was Robert Cross Smith, Raphael I, who made that assignment (Uranus rules Aquarius). This is explicitly denied in an A.I. search.
That does not make RCS wrong, only arbitrary...and yes, modern astrologers collectively tried to move on from Saturn...but we may consider this. If you do not understand Saturn you do not understand Aquarius. If you do not understand Aquarius you do not understand Saturn. Saturn IN Aquarius is one of the strongest rulerships in all of traditional astrology.
So what am saying here is, "Uranus rules Aquarius" is a little like "Chiron rules Virgo." It does not; rulership is contained in the Table of Essential Dignities. But these are strong associations. Uranus is said to rule groups and so is Aquarius. One odd thing is that Uranus is said to be the revolutionary who innovates, disrupts and overthrows; in the myth, Uranus is the titan overthrown by his own children, principlally Kronos (Saturn).
He is not the replacement for Saturn; Saturn replaces him. As the story goes, he is castrated and his testicles are thrown into the sea...and from the sea, Venus emerges as yet another child. So here we have this unusual origin of the eminently feminine love goddess Venus, made and born from dismembered male parts.
That said, I believe that Geoffrey Cornelius uses modern rulers in The Moment of Astrology. However, for horary, absolute consistency is required so you can verify your results from case to case, and I prefer to stick to traditional for as long as possible. In other words, my consistent method is: do the horary using only traditional planets and try to work it out. Then I go to the modern planets; they go to the minor planets. I cound Chiron and Eris as among the modern planets.
As for the power of Saturn in Aquarius To wit: The lockdown.
Aquarius ♒️ symbolised by the water bearer.
Water was the common focal point of human communities. (Hexagram 48 - The Well).
As complexity multiplied, electricity has supplanted the common focal point of human communities.
Group focus is now immersed within the manipulation of electrical energy.