Solar Eclipse in Aquarius

As we enter February 2026, we will have our first eclipse in the new Leo/Aquarius cycle. Eclipses bring about accelerated change and upheaval. While disruptive and at times unmooring, they can also serve as great pattern breakers. In ancient times, they told of the falling of kings; like the wheel of fortune, what comes up must come down, and then the wheel spins once more.

This solar eclipse, on the 17th February 2026 at 12:01 GMT, is in the sign of the Water Pourer. Aquarius has always been a sign that confused me. It’s an image of a figure pouring water from a large jug. When I started studying traditional astrology, I was surprised to learn that this sign isn’t associated with the outer planet Uranus, but with the traditional planet Saturn.

This is shown by its opposition to the sign of Leo, which is the domain of the Sun. Leo is a fixed fire sign associated with kingship, sovereignty and visibility, and its opposite is Aquarius, which rejects the spotlight. Saturn stands opposed to the Sun. Where the Sun shines, Saturn darkens. Aquarius rejects popularity and instead seeks to improve things for the collective. Saturn wants things to last, which requires slow, methodical planning, which is where Aquarian themes of future-orientated thinking come from.

Aquarius, illumination from a book of hours, Italian, c. 1475

The ruler of the sign informs its qualities, and Saturn, being the farthest visible planet at the boundary of our cosmos, informs Aquarius’ outsider status. Its light is muted, unlike Jupiter or Venus in the night sky, and is symbolic of Aquarius being sometimes on the edges of society. Imagine the archetype of the old man at the edge of the village who is ignored or shunned but, when in need of a cure, is the one they desperately seek out. Saturn is a cold planet; its nature is to contract, reduce and limit. Saturn is Kronos, father of time. So Aquarius seeks to maintain the collective order, but also improve outdated traditions. It’s out of necessity, not desire, that Aquarius operates from. Saturn isn’t just about rules and tradition; it speaks to what cannot be avoided, what reality demands, and Aquarius is a sign that knows what needs to be done.

Let’s go back to that image of the Water Pourer. In traditional astrology, Aquarius is a humane sign (like the other air signs of Gemini and Libra); it contains a human invention, unlike the other zodiacal signs, most of which are images of animals. Human intellect is symbolised here, which sets us apart from our animal instincts. The element of Air is all about language, thought and the human experience.

It’s not just a person pouring water, but also, if you think about it, a piece of technology. I can’t remember who I heard that from (probably on an episode of The Astrology Podcast), so I can’t take credit, but it has always stuck with me. The jar is a container, used to hold and control a natural resource. Water has no boundaries; it just flows until it is given shape. The vessel this figure carries holds the water and represents control and the ability to repeat the process. This speaks to the fixed nature of Aquarius, where it seeks to stabilise, to endure, which is Saturn in a nutshell. Humans didn’t invent water, but they control the management and distribution of it, which is technology at its basic definition.

Solar eclipses are when sunlight is being blocked by the Moon. It’s an interruption, an instability, which symbolises great endings and beginnings. In astrology, they are events that signify less autonomy surrounding what is being ‘eclipsed’, more agents of fate than free will.

It’s important to look to the ruler of the eclipse and its condition, which will give us more information. Saturn will be freshly in the sign of Aries, after recently finishing its story in the sign of Pisces after a three-year stint. Aries is the place of fall for Saturn. It struggles to be ‘Saturn’ in Aries. Aries is a fire sign, where Saturn is a cold planet. Aries wants to ‘Just Do It’, where Saturn wants to take things slow. This implies an eclipse defined by urgency, where waiting is no longer an option and action becomes unavoidable.

Looking to your natal chart, the house that holds the sign of Aquarius will show you where this energy is showing up on a personal level. Eclipses and their effects don’t necessarily happen on the day itself, but there is a waxing and waning cycle which usually builds beforehand and lasts up to the next eclipse cycle, which is usually six months later. The most important thing about eclipses is that they are disruptions to the norm, and this is magnified in Aquarius, which strives to improve upon systems that perhaps need slimming down.

So where in your life are systems outdated? Where is there a need to be more discerning?

For example, if Aquarius is your 2nd house, perhaps the way you do your finances needs to be re-evaluated and upgraded. This could be a moment where old systems are expiring. You might have to start from scratch, through a process of trial and error, testing out new ideas, seeing what will last.

What does Saturn require to be done, but from a place where waiting around isn’t an option this time?