Leo/Aquarius axis
Rulers: Sun and Saturn (Uranus)
Natural houses: 5th/11th
Ruled by the Sun and Saturn, the Leo/Aquarius axis is another
aspect of the parent-child relationship, although this time it is a positive,
fire-air axis. The Sun-ruled Leo pole describes our unique creativity and
individual potential, and the Saturn-ruled Aquarius pole describes the
collective rules and laws to which we are all subject. Uranus, the transpersonal
ruler of Aquarius, also has its part to play on this axis, and often operates
as a refusal to obey any rules other than its own or to function as part
of a group. The Uranian urge is to challenge and disrupt the status quo.
It is led from the head rather than the heart although, ultimately, there
is nothing more powerful or effective than the harnessing of 'hearts and
minds'.
The Leo/Aquarius axis describes the relationship between the individual
and the group, between what is right for me, as an individual, and what
is right for everyone else. These two things are not so easy to integrate,
because we find ourselves once again entrenched on a fixed axis, in which
neither pole is prepared to adapt, adjust or negotiate. It is all too human
to behave as if the rules that govern society do not apply to us personally.
On the other hand, if we are particularly law-abiding citizens, then we
will no doubt find ourselves repeatedly outraged by the selfish, thoughtless
behaviour of those who refuse to become responsible members of society
or conform to its rules. Nevertheless, the heart and the head do co-exist,
since most of us have the conviction, or the proof, that amongst all the
millions of people in the world, there will be one unique and special person
who is absolutely perfect for me.
Arthur Hacker, 'The Temptation of Sir Percival' (1894)
The famous Grail legend of the Fisher King can also help us understand the Leo/Aquarius polarity. The story begins at the point where the Aquarius pole has become cut off from the Leo pole. The King is wounded, the land is barren, and the entire kingdom has become frozen and paralysed. And along comes Percival, who plays the Leo role: an innocent soul with a pure heart, who has never learned the rules. Eventually, after many adventures and mishaps, Percival manages to free the king of his suffering and the land of its desolation. He learns that the Fisher King is his grandfather, which makes him the rightful heir to the throne of the Grail King. Ultimately, the collective is dependent on the individual, and the individual is dependent on the collective. The question here is: Where does the individual stand in relation to society, and where does society stand in relation to the individual?
Audience: How does this axis work in one-to-one relationships?
Clare: Well, once again, it is very common for this axis to polarise in relationships. In this case, one partner may well play the role of the special child, creative, warm, and full of potential and spontaneous heart energy. So the individual with the Sun or several planets in Leo or in the 5th house, or with this axis on the Ascendant/Descendant, will tend to be strongly attracted to the cool intellectual detachment or social respectability and status of someone who is living out the Aquarius pole. On the other hand, the individual who has strong Aquarian themes in their chart, who is concerned with intellectual respectability and with being an accepted member of society, is often attracted to - and repelled by - the creativity and childish enthusiasm and capacity for joy of someone who is living out the Leo pole.
