Mercury in Aquarius

IN Aquarius we again find the influence of Saturn decidedly beneficial to Mercury. It is an even better position for the planet than {237} Capricornus, since Aquarius is also air, and does not fix the mind in such stubbornness as the previous sign. We must also reflect upon the good influence of the sign itself. The mind of the native having this position of Mercury tends naturally to science and humanitarianism. Its interests are not so earth-bound and selfish. There is not quite the same faculty of steady application for this very reason. One must not expect any sign to combine all the virtues and exclude all the vices. But the faculty of concentration is admirable, and the mind is ingenious, resourceful, and logical, and that is a much better sense than we found with Capricornus. The logic of Capricornus is too rigid for application to practical affairs. It reigns supreme only in the exact sciences. The native loves truth for its own sake, but more in truth as a quality than in a mere collocation of facts. He understands Newman’s outburst against Huxley, “As if evidence were the test of truth!”

It may be said here that there are two general types of minds among men, and this remark of Newman’s is a very touchstone by which to recognize them. To one class, Newman’s remark appears a triumphant refutation of academic precision and scholastic dullness. The other is absolutely bewildered by such a remark. He cannot conceive of any other test of truth than evidence. To him the sentence appears meaningless. And yet he may be subconsciously distressed by the mere existence of any man who can say such a thing. Now, we should not like to say definitely that Mercury in Aquarius would be violently partisan on either side. On the contrary, it is just these people who understand both positions and lean strongly to neither. The antithesis on this point would be Capricornus and Pisces – the former understanding nothing that could not be proved in Barbary, the other contemptuous of all such conventional sources of knowledge. This rule will be found practically invaluable.

The native with Mercury in Aquarius is a clever reasoner, but does not altogether disdain sophistry. He consequently makes a dangerous opponent in any argument, but he is amenable to reason and he often pronounces, for the sake of exercising his wits, propositions in which he does not seriously believe. He is usually a good judge of human nature, deriving his conclusions both from intuition {238} and from experience. Where these conflict he is sometimes found at a loss.

The weak point of this sign is the absence of artistic impulse. Even where the power of visualization is great, its expression tends to be commonplace. Compare Swedenborg, who had this position, with Blake, whose Mercury was in Scorpio, the writings of both dealing with visions of a character decidedly similar.

This sign gives a very pronounced tendency to investigations into the occult, but on lines much less mystical than we found in Scorpio. Besides Swedenborg, we have Proclus, Picus de Mirandola, and Swami Vivekananda. All these possessed immense learning, a strong power of vision, and were accurate observers and devoted students, but not one of them possessed the power of imagination in its highest sense.

As common as the capacity for research into these subtler matters of the soul is that for practical invention. In this connection one need only mention the name of Edison.

The following well known persons were born with Mercury in the sign Aquarius:

Thomas Edison

Sir Henry J. Wood

Swedenborg

Algernon Blackwood

Wilson Barrett

Richard Watson Gilder

Dean Cornwell

Horace Greeley

Henry Watterson

George Washington

Luther Burbank

Harriet Stanton Black

Dr. William S. Bainbridge

Colonel George Harvey

Emile Coue

Jack London {239}

For the benefit of those who are not in possession of Raphael’s Ephemeris, or who are not able to interpret the symbols contained therein, the years when Mercury is in the sign Aquarius are as follows:

From February 4th through February 21st 1840

January 27th “ February 12th 1841

January 19th ” February 5th 1842

January 12th “ January 31st 1843

February 10th ” March 17th 1843

January 5th “ February 8th 1844

February 13th ” March 11th 1844

February 13th “ March 4th 1845

February 7th ” February 25th 1846

February 1st “ February 17th 1847

January 24th ” February 9th 1848

January 16th “ February 1st 1849

March 1st ” March 17th 1849

January 8th “ March 15th 1850

January 2d ” January 23d 1851

February 16th “ March 9th 1851

February 12th ” March 1st 1852

February 4th “ February 21st 1853

January 28th ” February 13th 1854

January 21st “ February 6th 1855

January 13th ” January 31st 1856

February 16th “ March 17th 1856

January 5th ” March 12th 1857

January 1st “ January 10th 1858

February 14th ” March 6th 1858

February 9th “ February 26th 1859

February 2d ” February 18th 1860

January 25th “ February 10th 1861

January 17th ” February 3d 1862

March 9th “ March 14th 1862

January 10th ” March 16th 1863

January 3d “ January 28th 1864

February 16th ” March 9th 1864 {240}

From February 12th through March 2d 1865

February 6th “ February 23d 1866

January 29th ” February 15th 1867

January 22d “ February 7th 1868

January 14th ” January 31st 1869

February 20th “ March 17th 1869

January 6th ” March 14th 1870

January 1st “ January 15th 1871

February 15th ” March 7th 1871

February 10th “ February 28th 1872

February 2d ” February 19th 1873

January 26th “ February 11th 1874

January 18th ” February 4th 1875

January 11th “ February 2d 1876

February 6th ” March 16th 1876

January 3d “ February 2d 1877

February 14th ” March 11th 1877

February 13th “ March 4th 1878

February 7th ” February 24th 1879

January 31st “ February 16th 1880

January 22d ” February 8th 1881

January 15th “ February 1st 1882

February 26th ” March 17th 1882

January 8th “ March 15th 1883

January 2d ” January 20th 1884

February 15th “ March 7th 1884

February 10th ” February 28th 1885

February 4th “ February 20th 1886

January 27th ” February 13th 1887

January 20th “ February 5th 1888

January 11th ” January 30th 1889

February 12th “ March 17th 1889

January 5th ” March 12th 1890

January 2d “ January 6th 1891

February 14th ” March 5th 1891

February 8th “ February 25th 1892

January 31st ” February 17th 1893

January 24th “ February 9th 1894 {241}

From January 16th through February 2d 1895

March 4th ” March 16th 1895

January 9th “ March 15th 1896

January 2d ” January 24th 1897

February 15th “ March 9th 1897

February 11th ” March 1st 1898

February 5th “ February 22d 1899

January 29th ” February 14th 1900

January 21st “ February 6th 1901

January 14th ” February 1st 1902

February 18th “ March 18th 1902

January 7th ” March 14th 1903

January 2d “ January 13th 1904

February 15th ” March 6th 1904

February 9th “ February 27th 1905

February 2d ” February 19th 1906

January 26th “ February 11th 1907

January 19th ” February 4th 1908

January 10th “ March 16th 1909

January 4th ” January 30th 1910

February 16th “ March 11th 1910

February 13th ” March 4th 1911

February 7th “ February 24th 1912

January 30th ” February 15th 1913

January 23d “ February 8th 1914

January 15th ” February 1st 1915

February 24th “ March 18th 1915

January 8th ” March 14th 1916

January 2d “ January 17th 1917

February 15th ” March 8th 1917

February 10th “ February 28th 1918

February 4th ” February 21st 1919

January 28th “ February 13th 1920

January 19th ” February 4th 1921

January 12th “ February 1st 1922

February 9th ” March 17th 1922

January 5th “ February 6th 1923

February 14th ” March 12th 1923 {242}

From February 14th through March 4th 1924

February 7th “ February 25th 1925

January 31st ” February 17th 1926

January 24th “ February 9th 1927

January 17th ” February 2d 1928

February 29th “ March 17th 1928

January 8th ” March 15th 1929

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