International Society for Astrological Research
Gisele Terry
Gisele Terry is the president of ISAR. She has worked as an astrological consultant for over thirty years and has written many articles on astrology. Her first book, The Progressed Moon Around the Zodiac, was published in 2011. A psychotherapist since 1992, Gisele specializes in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and trauma. She created counseling skills courses for The Avalon School of Astrology and The Academy of Astro-Psychology and co-designed the Consulting Skills Training Program for ISAR.
Aquarius
Questions
- Why are Sun Signs or the Sun’s position in the natal horoscope important and what can that tell us?
The sun sign describes something essential about the nature of each person’s life and purpose. While planets in different signs may be dominant in molding an individual’s personality, the ultimate ruler of one’s capacity for self-realization is the Sun. - What is the essence of Sign of Aquarius?
The essence of the sign of Aquarius is the dreamer- whether it is the big dreamer with lofty goals, the dreamer who realizes ideals and achieves something important for humanity, or the dreamer who detaches and gets lost, with only a tenuous hold on the real world. Nevertheless, it is the dreamer. - What is the best and strongest quality of the sign of Aquarius?
The best qualities of the sign of Aquarius are altruism and the capacity for detachment in order to grasp the big picture and think of new ideas. Aquarius can bring the unexpected into reality – that is the surprise of Aquarius. Aquarius can get so “out there” with ideas and imagination, and, yet, still pull it off. With strong earth signs and a good mars, the likelihood is greater that Aquarians will be grounded in the practicality necessary to achieve their ideals. Having the capacity for extraordinary experiences puts Aquarians in touch with how others feel and operate. The brotherhood and humanitarianism of Aquarius comes from the fact that Aquarians understand people. - What is the weakness of the sign of Aquarius?
Aquarius, as a sign, is not the most sensible and pragmatic. While it is a waste of Aquarian imagination to live too much in everyday routine and practicality, without the everyday and the practical it is very hard for Aquarians to accomplish their goals. Aquarians have a very sensitive nervous system that is prone to go on overload approximately every five minutes. If an Aquarian does not decompress, she will blow her circuitry and go right out of her body, resulting, sometimes, in very extreme behavior that is not very attractive to behold. That is why an Aquarian needs to stay inside herself, even at the expense of looking like she’s detaching. Another weaknesses of the sign of Aquarius are the same as its strengths: being too removed disengaged, impractical, unrealistic, and in a fantasy world that cannot be realized. - What have you learned from your Sign?
I learned that I had better honor my Capricorn, develop this side of my personality, in order to get settled into life in a grounded way. I learned that my Virgo south node, which helps me work hard, is a blessing in disguise even though it makes me very obsessive. Whenever I am in tune with my ascendant and mercury in Capricorn, and with my Virgo south node, I can better realize the Aquarius part of my nature. - What is the Sign(s) you deal the best with and what is the most difficult sign for you and why?
For Aquarius, almost any other sign can be grounding, especially other air signs, which may sound like an oxymoron but, indeed, is true. This is especially the case with my husband who is a Libra sun, Gemini moon, and, by most objective views, about as grounded as helium balloon. But for me, he has been my tether to earth. I relate very well to air signs, because I just feel a simpatico with general characteristics of all air signs. But Scorpios are everywhere in my life; I have a need for their emotional depth and can relate well to them. The most difficult sign for me is Virgo, even though my south node is in Virgo. Virgo is always bringing me back to some lesson of the past that I need to revisit. Most important people in my life have prominent Virgo somewhere in their charts. - What have you learned from other signs?
From Virgo, I learned to be more discerning, discriminating, specific and methodical. From Scorpio, I learned to take emotional risks. From Capricorn, I learned to be realistic and structured, and from Pisces, to let go of my tendency towards obsessiveness. I learned so much from every sign. - What can other signs learn from the sign of Aquarius?
They can learn to be broad-minded and tolerant, to accept people with as little judgment as is humanly possible, to be less pragmatic, and more whimsical. And, at times, let common sense be damned!
