Uranus Rules Capricorn and Saturn Rules Aquarius A New Look At Rulerships

by Ed Rose

I know what you are thinking, "that's impossible". Well, yes, the old books do say that Saturn rules Aquarius, but we all know that it's really Uranus. Staid, limited Saturn ruling Aquarius? I don't think so! Uranus ruling Capricorn is even more absurd. By the end of this article, you will see that the title is correct.

But first, let's look at the rulerships historically and in perspective. In astrology from a few hundred years ago, there were two sets of rulerships, the "day" rulers and the "night" rulers (also called the Solar rulers and Lunar rulers, in some books). A table and a diagram of these rulers follows:

As you can see, the rulers start at the Cancer - Leo cusp. The Moon is the first of the night rulers and the Sun is the first of the day rulers (which really fits since the Sun is the "light" of the day and the Moon of the night). Then the planetary rulers go counter-clockwise for the day rulers and clockwise for the night rulers. The rulers are the planets going outward from the Sun in the solar system, but excluding the earth (which again makes sense, earth is the point of reference)¹.

Since this rulership diagram was invented prior to the discovery of Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto, it makes a complete coherent whole. The big problem: now that Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto have been discovered, do they fit into this picture?

The current consensus answer is, yes. Uranus rules Aquarius (let's sweep Saturn under the rug!), Neptune rules Pisces (ditto for Jupiter), and Pluto rules Scorpio (well, maybe Mars sub rules it somehow). This is very asymetrical and arbitrary. Further, it leaves out the old "sub-rulers". Ask most astrologers, "how does Saturn sub-rule Aquarius?" Watch them change the topic.

There was a solution which was proposed many years ago by Rudhyar and by Carl Payne Tobey (and probably by others I am not aware of). Why not just extend the night and day planet idea? Then Uranus would rule both Aquarius and Capricorn, Neptune would rule Pisces and Sagittarius, and Pluto would rule Aries and Scorpio. I might add that Carl Payne Tobey didn't think that Pluto ruled Scorpio he only extended in one direction at first (since he felt that Pluto ruled Aries). However, in Astrology of Inner Space he says there is probably something to be said for extending the rulerships in both directions (a positive and a negative direction) which he says bolsters the argument of the Pluto in Scorpio people².

Good idea. But it was only put forth as a theory there was no backing. And there were such obvious holes! How could Uranus rule Capricorn, or Pluto rule Aries? These questions were never resolved.

There is a solution. But first back to basics. And the first really basic question is: "What does it mean that

a planet is a day ruler or a night ruler?"

The answer is that a day ruler means rules in a Sun-like way. The day rulers are the essential expressive energy, the current, the life force, the energetic stream/path which that sign follows. The day ruler must be expressing its planet constantly or it feels like it isn't "alive". The day ruler is usually conscious.

A night ruler rules in a Moon-like way. It rules the environment in which the sign finds itself. This ruler is the way the sign responds to its environment and the the way it expects its environment to respond to it. The night ruler is the psychic "skin" of the sign (as in "thin" or "thick" skinned), the filter through which the person responds to the environment. The emotions of the sign act according to this ruler. The night ruler is often subconscious. The sign searches for, or has a goal of, the quality of the night ruler.

You might think of the day ruler winding a snake-like path through the countryside of the night ruler, like a river or road through hilly country. The day ruler is what you are doing while the night ruler is where you are doing it. With the night ruler you try to "find" things in your environment; with the day ruler you try to "make" things happen by imposing your will.

To avoid suspense, the answer to the outer planet rulerships is that Uranus rules Aquarius, Neptune rules Pisces, and Pluto rules Aries in a Solar (day) way and that Uranus rules Capricorn, Neptune rules Sagittarius, and Pluto rules Scorpio in a Lunar (night) way. The way to envision this is that there are two streams: the conscious day stream and the subconscious night stream that spring from the Cancer-Leo cusp and go in their opposite directions.

If the Sun represents the personal identity, then the planets that are progressively further from the Sun in the solar system are progressively further from the individual identity they are progressively broader in space and time. Therefore, the day and night stream start with the personal and spread to the impersonal. You can think of the night stream as progressively deeper in the subconscious while the day stream is progressively broader in conscious expression.

An offshoot of this is that people with the Sun conjunct a planet act like the sign with that planet as its Solar ruler while people with a planet conjunct the Moon act like the sign with that planet as its Lunar ruler. Carl Payne

Tobey, for example, tried to say that Pluto ruled Aries (and not Scorpio) because people with their Sun conjunct Pluto acted like Aries. According to the Solar/Lunar ruler idea, people with their Sun conjunct Pluto would act like Aries,but people with their Moon conjunct Pluto would tend to act like Scorpios.

The first six signs have only one ruler, the last six signs have two rulers. Cancer, Gemini, and Taurus try to find a place where things are happening since they have only a Lunar ruler and no Solar ruler. They don't focus as much on making things happen.

As an example, Cancer is the sign of the "home maker", the person who makes a comfortable environment. It is amusing that people run around all so, ultimately, they have a nice home to go at night! Cancers make places happen.

By way of contrast, Leo, Virgo, and Libra try to make things happen, and are not as interested in how their environment responds or finding the ideal place to do something.

The last six signs have two rulers we will describe the Lunar ruler, then the Solar ruler for Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. However, we will describe at the same time how the opposite ruler, the outer planet ruler, interacts.

Now that the basics are there, let's look at each rulership:

Cancer, ruled by the Moon:

Think of Cancer as the purely Lunar sign, the pure expression of the Lunar (night) stream. Cancer is the most emotional sign. Cancer concentrates on the purely personal surroundings of the home and family. This sign can have a thick, crusty skin under which is a thin-skinned person. Cancer is the sign of worry it has a constant emotional response to the environment. Cancer tries to find an emotionally satisfying place a home.

Leo, ruled by the Sun:

Leo is pure expression, pure life force, pure personal identity. This sign loves to be the center of attention just like the Sun is the center of the solar system. Leos can have a sunny, lively energy or they can follow their exuberance right over others, the overbearing side.

Gemini, ruled by Lunar Mercury:

Mercury is the planet of speed, intellectuality, communication, talking, and thinking. Geminis respond to everything with speed, and with their mouths. Geminis are noted for their emotional changeability. The Gemini juggler must respond with speed to everything as it comes towards them their world is constantly and rapidly changing. Gemini tries to make everything in their environment as convenient and expeditious as possible. Geminis create a neighborhood or a brotherhood.

Curiosity is a rapid, intellectual response to the world Gemini is constantly trying to find out what is happening. The Gemini newspaperman records a constantly changing world on a daily, or, in our modern world, on an instantaneous basis. The goal of Gemini is information.

Virgo, ruled by Solar Mercury:

Virgo's fingers are in constant motion as they create their world in a Mercurial way. Virgos place this here and that there, they express order, tidiness, and neatness. The Mercuial thoughts come from inside and then are imposed upon the outer world Mercurial expression.

The watchmaker, the waiter or waitress, the nurse, the weaver, and the hard worker are images for Virgo. All of these occupations involve constant, rapid and precise activity which takes an inner order and expresses it in the outer world. Virgos "make" the world through Mercury.

Taurus, ruled by Lunar Venus:

Venus is the planet of love, beauty, art, relationships, and grace. This planet rules attractiveness.

Taurus is the connosseur of the zodiac who wants beautiful surroundings. Taurus responds with Venusian placidity to what is happening around them. They expect that their surroundings will be comfortable they will

move just enough to find their comfortable "spot". This sign searches for that perfect, harmonious environment. Taurus's goal is beauty.

Also, Taurus rules money. Your bank acoount, your material possessions, and what you value are all Taurean. This sign tries to create the best material environment.

Libra, ruled by Solar Venus:

Librans want to create a harmonious world. Fine arts, a Venusian expression, comes under Libra. Librans want to be fair in their actions, to give balanced judgements. They must see justice prevail. Justice is the expression of balance and harmony on action.

Where Virgos, solar Mercury, are in constant motion imposing order on life, Libras are constantly relating. If they aren't producing beauty or relating, they feel like they aren't alive.

Aries, ruled by Lunar Mars and Solar Pluto:

Mars is the planet of drive, desire, anger, physical energy, and aggression. It has a strong masculine quality.

Mars is the Lunar ruler. Aries are surrounded by danger and competition they react with force when people aren't being direct with them. The Aries ram bumps its head with Martian force on the environment. Their emotions are Martian: anger and forcefulness. The goal of Aries is challenge.

Pluto, the Solar ruler, rules destiny and intensity. It is the all-or-nothing, now-or-never, planet of compulsion and alienation. Issues with Pluto are power issues being realistic is vital to Pluto.

The inner current of Aries is Plutonian destiny. Whatever Aries does, it must do totally, and at times, compulsively. Aries is submissive to a higher will, and runs their life based on this higher will. Each action must be real.

Since the Solar ruler makes things happen and Pluto is all-or-nothing, Aries must make things happen, or die trying. This is the spirit of the pioneer who will blaze a path despite everything (Pluto) within a hostile environment (Mars).

Scorpio, ruled by Lunar Pluto and Solar Mars:

Where Aries reacts with the hot emotions of Mars, Scorpio reacts with the cool power and intensity of Pluto. The world of Scorpio is one of subtle power plays, warping realities, life-and-death struggles, and transformation. The world of Aries is filled with Martian swords; the world of Scorpio is filled with Plutonian sorcery. The weapon of Scorpio is the hidden dagger, not the broad sword of Aries.

Inside, Scorpio follows their desires, their drives, their competitive urges but these drives are wrapped in Plutonian webs and subtleties. A surgeon wields a scalpel (a Martian instrument) in a world of life-and-death intensity (Pluto). The surgeon has the Plutonian poker face for a surface. The goal of Scorpio is transformation.

The detective digs (with Mars) for the facts while keeping the poker face necessary so the object of his dragnet isn't aware of the net closing. The psychologist keeps a poker face while digging into the psychic warps and patterns of his patients. The worlds of the psychologist and the detective are people's real motives and deeply-hidden psychological patterns.

Scorpionic emotion is all or nothing. It can be the cool poker face or the emotional intensity and passion for which the sign is known Plutonian emotion is never half way.

Scorpios try to make the world bend to their desires through force (Mars) and seek out intense situations of emotional turmoil (Pluto).

The world of Scorpio is that of power. They exude magnetism, a Plutonian surface.

Pisces, ruled by lunar Jupiter and Solar Neptune:

Jupiter is the jovial planet of humor, openness, expansion, growth, optimism, knowledge, wealth, fame, fortune, greed, and superiority. Pisces must have large, open surroundings. They are often emotionally open and surround themselves with knowledge. In humor, they are often the "straight" man since they react (or, over-react) in a humorous way to situations. Just think of Pisceans Jerry Lewis and Jackie Gleason. The ocean with its

boundless openness is a haven for Pisces. Pisces like to live the life of the rich and famous in a vicarious way they like to be surround themselves with the rich and famous. The goal of Pisces is growth.

Neptune, the Solar ruler, rules dreams, imagination, intuition, faith, imagery, spaciness, mysticism, religion, and drugs. As the Solar ruler, Neptune is more mystical since the religion is in the heart. Pisces are chameleons they can float between various ways of being and acting. With nebulous Neptune as the Solar ruler, Pisces can loose track of who they are since their identity is kaleidoscopic.

Sagittarius, ruled by Solar Jupiter and Lunar Neptune:

Sagittarius follows the Solar path of improvement, knowledge, openness, expansion, and growth. They must have broad, open vistas for action.

But they have a Neptunian surface and Neptunian surroundings. The Sagittarian preacher is up on the pulpit, above the "faithful" (the Neptunian audience!). Sagittarians work through "influence". They try to smooth over antagonisms by fuzzing over the difficulties. They take things "however" and try to keep from being confined.

Higher Sagittarians live in a world of wonder and visions they search out the miraculous and try to make life better for everyone. Lower Sagittarians greedily (Jupiter) take from the gullible under a guise of nebulousness (Neptune). The environment is spiritual for a Sagittarius this was emphasized when Neptune entered Sagittarius in 1970 bringing the environmental movement onto the scene. The Sagittarian goal is spiritual, the quest for the holy.

Aquarius, ruled by Solar Uranus and Lunar Saturn:

We finally come to the title for this article in this sign and the next! By now, you know that the title is completely true but half the story.

Uranus is the planet of joy, inspiration, flash, excitement, change, revolution, and eccentricity. Aquarians live on an electric current of eccentric joy and serendipitous flashes. Their lives follow the zig-zag flashes of the lightning bolt of inspiration. They march to the beat of a different drummer.

However, they are surrounded by Saturn. Saturn is the opposite of Jupiter in many ways. Where Jupiter is optimistic humor, Saturn is pessimistic seriousness. Where Jupiter expands, Saturn contracts. Where Jupiter looks to the ever-expanding future, Saturn looks to the ever-contracting past. Jupiter bounds ahead, Saturn trudges. Jupiter is middle age, Saturn is old age. Jupiter is open, Saturn is closed. Jupiter just acccepts, Saturn has to prove it before accepting anything. Saturn rules walls and limits. Saturn also rules fear and the cautiousness resulting from fear.

Aquarians have a Saturn surface they can be aloof since they limit their emotional reactions. They respect authority and old age. They feel like they are surrounded by limits and walls against which their Uranian Solar current must rebel. They are cautious about accepting things. They can be emotionally serious. Also, they can have fears and phobias -- they, at least, must deal with fears. Oftentimes they will limit their material surroundings, wall themselves off, and follow the current of their Uranian inventiveness (the living-over-the-garage mode).

Aquarian friendship is built on trust and proven responsibility that is, it is built on Saturn! Scientific theories come from Uranian inspiration within a framework of scientific proof. Aquarians try to find the bound (Saturn) and free them (Uranus), to find the limited and rattle their cages. Aquarians deal with fear (Saturn) by a change of viewpoint, a quick electric jolt. The Aquarian goal is stability, authority, and proof.

Capricorn, ruled by Solar Saturn and Lunar Uranus:

Capricorn is the mountain goat or the mountain climber. Capricorns test every action, every rock, every toehold to make sure it is solid. Capricorn bankers make sure that you have collatoral and a proven track record. When planning your career, you take each step carefully. In all of these cases, you are surrounded by sudden, precipitous changes accidents waiting to happen. And accidents are Uranus!

The banker could lose all the money built over years of Saturnian carefulness by a default. Your career can be destroyed by a bad move. A mountain goat can fall to its death with one wrong foot placement. Watch out for Uranian changes in the environment!

The Capricorn's surface is one of change, of shift. Nixon rose to power during times of revolutionary

change and was known as "tricky dick".

Often you will find Capricorns in the center of creative environments everyone else can't handle the craziness, but Capricorn can. When it gets crazy all around, the Capricorn thrives with his stability and sure-footedness. In fact, Capricorns tend to search out environments of extreme change and craziness they thrive in those environments.

The goal of Capricorn is freedom independence is a key Capricorn word. A person who is independent is free of what others do, free of their surroundings.

As Capricorn gets older, they become more randy, more eccentric, more shrewd (all Uranian qualities). Capricorn likes to be surrounded by recognition a Uranian flash of awareness.

The trinity of Lunar Uranus (Capricron), Lunar Neptune (Sagittarius), and Lunar Pluto (Scorpio) is the trinity of recognition, influence, and power. These three signs work best within those environments.

Unfortunately, we have only scratched the surface of the planetary rulers here due to the limited size of this article. Planetary Music: Understanding Astrological Rhythms goes into greater depth on the planetary rulerships of the signs.

¹ Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, translated by J.M. Ashmand, London; W. Foulsham & Co, 1917, Chapter XX. "It has hence resulted, that the semicircle from Leo to Capricorn has been ordained Solar, and the semicircle from Aquarius to Cancer, Lunar;..."

² Carl Payne Tobey, Astrology of Inner Space, Tucson, Arizona; Omen Press, 1973 pp. 83-114

Copyright 2000 by Edwin Rose