Tarot and the zodiac · Aquarius
Aquarius in the tarot: The Star, pouring hope back into the world
The water-bearer gets the card of a figure pouring water under the stars. Its decan cards are the middle Swords, a story about losing, leaving and outsmarting.
Urania's Mirror, London 1824 · Library of Congress
At a glance
The Aquarius tarot card is XVII The Star. Its decan cards are the 5 of Swords, 6 of Swords and 7 of Swords, and the Sun crosses them Jan 20 to Feb 18, 2027.
- Major Arcana
- XVII The StarHebrew letter Tzaddi · Thoth: The Star
- Decan cards
- 5 of Swords, 6 of Swords, 7 of Swordsruled by Venus, Mercury, Moon
- Court cards
- King of Swords (0° to 20°), Knight of Cups (20° to 30°)Book T's spans
- Sun in Aquarius, this cycle
- Jan 20 to Feb 18, 2027enters Jan 20, 2027, 07:30 UTC
- Ruler's card
- XXI The WorldSaturn rules Aquarius
Find your exact decan cardBirthday in, five Golden Dawn cards out.
The card
Why Aquarius is The Star
Try this today
- Write down one change you'd like to see in the world, and one small thing you can pour into it this month.
- Notice whether you care more easily for groups than for the people right in front of you. Call one of them.
- If your Moon or rising is in Aquarius, read The Star for your sense of hope and your need for space.
Aquarius zodiac sign: dates and traitsAquarius myth and constellation
Aquarius is the friend who's already into the thing you'll all be into next year. They care about humanity in general, sometimes more easily than about any one person in particular, and they will absolutely debate you about it.
Book T gives Aquarius to XVII The Star, "The Daughter of the Firmament; the Dweller between the Waters," with the Hebrew letter Tzaddi. It's one of the clearest picture matches in the deck. The constellation Aquarius is drawn as a figure pouring water from an urn, and The Star shows a figure kneeling by a pool, pouring water from two jugs.
After the chaos of The Tower, which comes right before it in the deck, The Star is the calm, open sky. It's hope that isn't naive, generosity that keeps pouring, a future you can believe in. That is the Aquarian dream: a better world, and the stubborn faith that it's possible.
The sky behind it
Book T calls The Star "The Daughter of the Firmament; the Dweller between the Waters" and gives it the Hebrew letter Tzaddi. Its number, XVII, never moved: Marseille, Waite-Smith and Thoth all agree on it.
On the 1909 card
What The Star shows, and what it asks a Aquarius
A kneeling figure pouring water from two jugs, one into a pool and one onto the land, under one great eight-pointed star and seven smaller ones, a bird perched in a tree behind.
In the Waite-Smith card the figure pours one jug into the pool and the other onto the land, where the water splits into five streams. Many readers see this as giving back to the world without running dry, renewal that keeps flowing.
For an Aquarius, The Star is a reminder that idealism is a kind of strength. In a reading it often comes after a hard time, pointing to healing, inspiration and a clearer sense of purpose. It asks you to keep believing, and to share what you know.
The three decans
Aquarius's three minor cards: the 5, 6, 7 of Swords
Aquarius is fixed air, so its decans are the middle Swords: the 5, 6 and 7. Book T titles them Defeat, Earned Success and Unstable Effort, a story about conflict, moving on and clever strategy.
5 of Swords, Lord of Defeat · Venus in Aquarius, 0° to 10° Aquarius · Jan 20 to Jan 30, 2027
A smirking man gathers up swords while two defeated figures walk away toward the water under a ragged sky. Venus opens Aquarius with Defeat. It's the card of winning an argument and losing the room. For a sign that loves debate, it's a useful warning about the cost of being right.
6 of Swords, Lord of Earned Success · Mercury in Aquarius, 10° to 20° Aquarius · Jan 30 to Feb 9, 2027
A ferryman poles a boat carrying a cloaked woman and a child across water, six swords standing upright in the boat. Mercury's decan is Earned Success, often read as moving on to calmer water. It's Aquarius leaving behind what doesn't work for something better, with care for the passengers.
7 of Swords, Lord of Unstable Effort · Moon in Aquarius, 20° to 30° Aquarius · Feb 9 to Feb 18, 2027
A man tiptoes away from a camp carrying five swords, glancing back at the two he has left stuck in the ground. The Moon closes Aquarius with Unstable Effort, the card of strategy, cleverness and going it alone. Aquarius can outthink everyone. This card asks if you're telling everyone the plan.
The sky behind it
5 of Swords: 9.8 days. 6 of Swords: 9.9. 7 of Swords: 9.9. Longest this cycle, the 7 of Swords; shortest, the 5 of Swords.
The court cards
The King of Swords and the Knight of Cups
The King of Swords ("The Prince of the Chariot of the Winds", 20° Capricorn to 20° Aquarius, Sun Jan 10 to Feb 9, 2027) holds Aquarius's first twenty degrees; the Knight of Cups ("The Lord of the Waves and the Waters", 20° Aquarius to 20° Pisces, Sun Feb 9 to Mar 10, 2027) has the last ten.
The King of Swords, Book T's "Prince of the Chariot of the Winds," rules most of Aquarius. He is the systems thinker of the court cards, brilliant and detached, the person who sees how everything connects.
At 20° Aquarius the Knight of Cups takes over, "The Lord of the Waves and the Waters." The head starts listening to the heart, leading into dreamy Pisces season.
The ruler
Saturn, Aquarius's ruler, and The World
Try this today
- Lay The Star beside The World. Write the first concrete step toward one of your ideals.
- Find your Saturn sign, and your Uranus sign if you use modern rulers.
Saturn is Aquarius' traditional ruler, and Saturn's Major Arcana card is XXI The World. Modern astrologers add Uranus as a co-ruler, and some modern decks link Uranus to 0 The Fool, but that's a modern addition. Book T gives The Fool to the element of air.
The Star and The World make a quietly perfect pair. The Star is the hope of a better world. The World is the finished one, a dancer free inside the wreath. Saturn's part is the patience it takes to get from the first to the second. For an Aquarius, vision is the easy part. Structure turns it into something real.
Find your card
Which Aquarius card is yours?
The Star belongs to every Aquarius; the 5 of Swords, 6 of Swords, 7 of Swords split them three ways. Your birthday picks one.
Clock: UTC.
First decan · 0° to 10° Aquarius
5 of Swords
Lord of Defeat. Venus in Aquarius. This cycle: Jan 20 to Jan 30, 2027.
Second decan · 10° to 20° Aquarius
6 of Swords
Lord of Earned Success. Mercury in Aquarius. This cycle: Jan 30 to Feb 9, 2027.
Third decan · 20° to 30° Aquarius
7 of Swords
Lord of Unstable Effort. Moon in Aquarius. This cycle: Feb 9 to Feb 18, 2027.
A three-card Aquarius reflection
The Star · 5 of Swords · King of Swords
Lay out XVII The Star, the 5 of Swords and the King of Swords. One question:
What am I still hopeful about, even after a hard year?
More to read
Shorter reads. Each opens in place.
When it comes up hard
The Star reversed, or on a bad day
Reversed, The Star can mean discouragement, losing faith in the future or in yourself. For Aquarius, the shadow is often feeling so different that you stop sharing your ideas. The water in the card doesn't do any good kept in the jug. Pour it.
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Either side
Between The Devil and The Moon
Capricorn hands over XV The Devil; Pisces picks up with XVIII The Moon once the Sun leaves Aquarius, on Feb 18, 2027, 21:33 UTC.
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Plan ahead
Aquarius's cards in the 2027 cycle
Jan 20, 2028, 13:22 UTC: Aquarius opens again. The 5 of Swords runs Jan 20 to Jan 30, 2028, the 6 of Swords Jan 30 to Feb 9, 2028, and the 7 of Swords Feb 9 to Feb 19, 2028.
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Aquarius tarot cards and their dates
Both cycles, all seven Aquarius cards.
| Card | Book T title | Span | 2026 cycle (UTC) | 2027 cycle (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XVII The Star | The Daughter of the Firmament; the Dweller between the Waters | 0° to 30° Aquarius | Jan 20 to Feb 18, 2027 | Jan 20 to Feb 19, 2028 |
| 5 of Swords | Lord of Defeat | 0° to 10° Aquarius | Jan 20 to Jan 30, 2027 | Jan 20 to Jan 30, 2028 |
| 6 of Swords | Lord of Earned Success | 10° to 20° Aquarius | Jan 30 to Feb 9, 2027 | Jan 30 to Feb 9, 2028 |
| 7 of Swords | Lord of Unstable Effort | 20° to 30° Aquarius | Feb 9 to Feb 18, 2027 | Feb 9 to Feb 19, 2028 |
| King of Swords | The Prince of the Chariot of the Winds | 20° Capricorn to 20° Aquarius | Jan 10 to Feb 9, 2027 | Jan 10 to Feb 9, 2028 |
| Knight of Cups | The Lord of the Waves and the Waters | 20° Aquarius to 20° Pisces | Feb 9 to Mar 10, 2027 | Feb 9 to Mar 10, 2028 |
| Mark | 2026 cycle | 2027 cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 0° Aquarius | Jan 20, 2027, 07:30 UTC | Jan 20, 2028, 13:22 UTC |
| 10° Aquarius | Jan 30, 2027, 03:35 UTC | Jan 30, 2028, 09:19 UTC |
| 20° Aquarius | Feb 9, 2027, 00:08 UTC | Feb 9, 2028, 05:57 UTC |
All times are UTC. In the Americas the local date can be a day earlier; in Asia and Australia a day later.
Quick answers
Did Crowley change the Aquarius tarot card?
He changed the Hebrew letter, not the sign. In the Thoth deck The Star takes Heh and The Emperor takes Tzaddi, a swap Crowley based on his Book of the Law. Both cards keep their zodiac signs, so Aquarius is still The Star.
Is The Fool an Aquarius card?
Only in modern systems that pair Uranus, Aquarius' modern co-ruler, with The Fool. In Book T The Fool belongs to the element of air, and Aquarius' card is The Star.
What tarot card is an Aquarius Moon?
The Star, as with any placement in Aquarius. Readers often read it for a Moon placement as emotional hope and a need for freedom and space.
What is the Aquarius decan card for early February?
Usually the 6 of Swords, the Mercury decan from 10° to 20° Aquarius, which the Sun crosses from about January 30 to February 8 or 9. Mid-February birthdays get the 7 of Swords.
When is Aquarius season in 2026 and 2027?
Jan 20, 2027, 07:30 UTC to Feb 18, 2027, 21:33 UTC, then Jan 20, 2028, 13:22 UTC to Feb 19, 2028, 03:26 UTC.
