#Aquarius #Constellation [Urania’s Mirror]
The constellation immemorially has been represented, even on very early Babylonian stones, as a man, or boy, pouring water from a bucket or urn, with an appropriate towel in the left hand, the human figure sometimes being omitted; while the Arabians, who knew of the latter but did not dare to show it, depicted a mule carrying two water-barrels; and again simply a water-bucket…On a Roman zodiac it was a Peacock, the symbol of Juno, the Greek Hera (another constellation Pavo is the peacock), in whose month Gamelion — January-February — the sun was in the sign; and at times it has been shown as a Goose, another bird sacred to that goddess…
With the Magi and Druids it represented the whole science of astronomy. The Anglo-Saxons called it se Waeter-gyt, the Water-pourer; while not long after them John of Trevisa, the English translator, in 1398 thus quaintly recalled the classical form: The Sygne Aquarius is the butlere of the goddes and yevyth them a water-potte…
In astrology it was the Airy Trigon, Gemini and Libra being included, and a sign of no small note, since there was no disputing that its stars possessed influence, virtue, and efficacy, whereby they altered the air and seasons “in a wonderful, strange, and secret manner”; and an illuminated manuscript almanac of 1386, perhaps the earliest in our language that has been printed, says of the sign: “It is gode to byg castellis, and to wed, and lat blode.”
With Capricorn it was the House of Saturn, governing the legs and ankles; and when on the horizon with the sun the weather was always rainy. When Saturn was here, he had man completely in his clutches — caput et collum; while Jupiter, when here, had humeros, pectus et pedes. As Junonis astrum it was a diurnal sign, Juno and Jove being its guardians, and bore rule over Cilicia and Tyre; later, over Arabia, Tatary, Denmark, Russia, Lower Sweden, Westphalia, Bremen, and Hamburg.
Proctor’s Myths and Marvels of Astronomy has a list of the astrological colors of the zodiac signs attributing to Aquarius an aqueous blue; while Lucius Ampelius, of our 2d century, assigning in his Liber Memorialis the care of the various winds to the various signs, entrusts to this the guardianship of Eurus and Notus, which blew from the east, or southeast, and from the south.
The astronomers’ symbol for the sign, ♒ showing undulating lines of waves, is said to have been the hieroglyph for Water, the title of Aquarius in the Nile country, where a measuring-rod may have been associated with it; indeed Burritt drew such in the hand of the figure as Norma Nilotica, a suggestion of the ancient Nilometer. [2]
“The youthful Waterman, who from upturned pot pours forth his stream, likewise bestows skills which have affinity with himself: how to divine springs under the ground and conduct them above, to transform the flow of water so as to spray the very stars, to mock the sea with man-made shores at the bidding of luxury, to construct different types of artificial lakes and rivers,” and to support aloft for domestic use streams that come from afar. Beneath this sign there dwell a thousand crafts regulated by water. Why, water will even set in motion the face of heaven and the starry habitations, and will cause the skies to move in a novel rotation. Never will the sons of Aquarius grow tired of the works which come in the wake of water and follow springs. They who issue from this sign are a gentle sort and a lovable breed, and no meanness of heart is theirs: they are prone to suffer losses: and of riches they have neither need nor surfeit. Even thus doth the urn’s stream flow” [3]
The Atonement being made, the blessings have been procured, and now they can be bestowed and poured forth upon the Redeemed. This is the truth, whether we think of Abel’s lamb, of patriarchal sacrifices, the offerings under the Law, or of that great Sacrifice of which they all testified. They all with one voice tell us that atonement made is the only foundation of blessing.
This was pictured and foreshown in the heavens from the beginning, by a man pouring forth water from an urn which seems to have an inexhaustible supply, and which flows forth downwards into the mouth of a fish, which receives it and drinks it all up.
In the ancient Zodiac of Denderah it is the same idea, though the man holds two urns, and the fish below seems to have come out of the urn. The man is called Hupei Tirion, which means the place of him coming down or poured forth. In some eastern Zodiacs the urn alone appears.
This agrees with its other names–Hebrew, Deli, the water-urn, or bucket (as in Numbers 24:7); the Arabic Delu is the same…Aquarius is the modern Latin name by which the sign is known. It has the same meaning, the pourer forth of water. [4]
References
Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology, Vivian E. Robson, 1923, p.28-29.
Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, Richard H. Allen, 1889, p.45-49.
Astronomica, Manilius, 1st century AD, book 4, p.243.
The Witness of the Stars, E. W. Bullinger, 18. Aquarius (the Water Bearer).
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3 thoughts on “Aquarius Constellation Stars”
Raymond Scott on March 3, 2019
Gu-la ‘The Great One’ (Aquarius) actually represented Ea/Enki, the God of Water,Wisdom,and Magic. Gavin White discusses this in his book, Babylonian Star-lore: An Illustrated Guide to the Star-lore and Constellations of Ancient Babylonia. Astrological,Astronomical,and Mesopotamian sites have also noted it. Some sites do just mention only Greek Mythology’s Ganymede’s association with the constellation. Some do include Egyptian Mythology’s Hapy, God of the Nile River’s association with the constellations. The Babylonian’s associated many of the constellations with aquatic symbolism were closely associated with Ea who ruled over the watery region of the Heavens. Capricorn was another Zodiac constellation that was associated with Ea/Enki for the goat-fish was one of his symbols. It wasn’t just a goat. It was mythical aquatic creature.
The healing goddess, Gula was very likely to have been the original deity associated with The Great One , and so there is truth to what Diana Rosenberg wrote. However, Gula was ultimately replaced by Ea/Enki long before the existence of the Mul.Apin which was a Babylonian compendium that deals with many diverse aspects of Babylonian astronomy and astrology. One astrological text states that the Great One is the Lord of Springs which was Ea/Enki. In ancient art, Enki/Ea is often depicted with vases with overflowing vases in his hands or set around his throne dais. He is also shown to be seated within a square which is thought to represent the Abyss. Ea/Enki dwelled in the Apsu, the watery region located between the earth and the netherworld as part of the 7-tiered Mesopotamian Cosmos which are the basis of the ziggurats.There are entitlement stones of Ea/Enki as the Great One. By the start of 2nd millennium B.C., The Great One was depicted as a standing man holding and overflowing vase. For a thorough history,meaning and symbolism of Aquarius, you can’t just discuss Great One’s link with Gu-la and leave out Great One’s link with Ea/Enki for a thorough meaning of Aquarius. Enki, was a deity that represented healing, fertility, and creation. Rosenberg equated the deity, Oannes with Ea in her book and on her website. I have also seen this at sacred texts site. There has been a theory that Oannes was a form or another name for Ea. It is now thought that the name is the Greek form of the Babylonian Uanna, an Apkallu which are seven part-man, part fish seven demi-gods associated with human wisdom.
Understanding the Ea/Enki aquatic roots of Aquarius is important.
https://astrologyking.com/constellation-aquarius/