Planet Signs in front of each other

This is an excerpt on the Leo-Aquarius axis from the book Decoding Zodiac with Vedic Astrology by Pratyush Bhattacharya. It's a great book and endorsed by Ernst. 

"The Sun and Saturn form the external power axis.

Being the only source of light, the Sun produces self–confidence that arises from a clarity of vision. A healthy Sun enables us to chart a well-defined and practical course in order to lead those who are loyal to us into a better future. Such clarity turns us into confident leaders with the courage to ask people to follow us into a promised future. If the confidence in our vision inspires enough trust, respect, and confidence in their hearts, they choose to invest their lives in our project. Being in command makes us powerful, for, the ultimate power on earth is the loyalty of the people around us. But how can we arrive at a clear vision of a perfect utopic reality, while most of our lives are spent just to make our ends meet? What produces such fiery confidence in our heart to inspire people to pledge their loyalty; and even their lives, to manifest our vision into reality? The answer to this question lies with the Saturn end of the external power axis.

The only way to appeal to the loyalty of the commoners is to become one with them, so that we know first-hand their daily struggle in the farming fields, fishing boats, or the factory floors. Saturn represents the average person. It produces a deep experience of lack within us, making us feel inadequate in certain aspects of life. We might feel we are not wealthy enough, strong enough, attractive enough, or intelligent enough, but from an existential perspective, all these ideas of being “not enough” are just different manifestations of Saturn’s voice in our psyche. If our Saturn is healthy, we realize that what we know about the universe is insignificant compared to what we are yet to know. Thus, it would be wise to stop identifying ourselves with our miniscule bubble of knowledge and start embracing the boundless ignorance within. If we can truly put aside our individuality and accept our ignorance, our minds open like a flower to let the universe in. Our humility makes us bow down to the universe, which blesses us with knowledge only a few can possess. Now, our understanding of life does not arise from books or teachers, but from first hand exploration of our existential significance in nature. Such knowledge enables us to witness reality exactly the way it is without any distortion or bias, producing a clear idea of today’s problems and a perfect solution to solve it by tomorrow.

People polarized towards the Sun believe that their ideas can solve every problem. They think of themselves as too important, as if the world revolves around them. They are overconfident about affairs that they have no idea about but lack the humility to admit their ignorance. They have an inflated ego, which gets easily hurt as it is nothing but a facade to overcompensate their lack of inner clarity and confidence. They may appear magnetic and charming from a distance, as if they really know what they are doing. But once you start following them, with time their hollowness becomes painfully obvious. They crave the power that comes from people’s loyalty but are unwilling or incapable of developing a personality that may inspire it in the first place. They want to enjoy all the perks of being the leader, but refuses to take the responsibilities that comes with the post.

People polarized towards Saturn are too humble, as they are painfully aware of their flaws and lacks. Their awareness of their perceived inferiority prevents them from feeling worthy of the respect and power that they have earned through their contribution or efforts in their community. They might very well be the most committed and productive worker in their institution, but their lack of self-confidence prevents them from stepping into the limelight and taking the due credit. Often, they become the invisible foundation upon which others build their monuments, never receiving the appreciation or reward they deserve.

Leo-Aquarius is the external power axis.

Leo is often symbolized by a throne, indicating its ability to let us climb to the apex of the food chain. It does so by producing consistent, original action towards a focused target. Being the only Rasi ruled by the Sun, Leo enables us to find natural inspiration within ourselves to pursue our original vision. Naturally, Leo focused individuals are creative; and they never stop competing against themselves even after they achieve an alpha status. With such an attitude, excellence blossoms naturally, turning these individuals to the best in their field over time. Often, they are chosen by their community to represent their field and its interest in the world, making them the leader. These individuals have an innate sense of pride about their excellence and the leadership post they inherit from the previous “king”.

Aquarius is the masculine Rasi of Saturn, enabling us to become one with the struggles of the common man. While many are called to become the alpha, only few are chosen. Saturn represents those individuals who failed to become the best in their field. These people must learn to survive under the regime of those above them. Since only a handful of the population can become the best, most people in the world are dominated by Saturn. Thus, Aquarius makes us realize that we are part of a much larger community; and since individually we are not the best, the only way to survive in this world and bend it to our will (since Aquarius is masculine) is to compromise our individuality in exchange for living in unity with our fellow citizens.

Polarization towards Leo makes one ambitious, attention craving, and power hungry. They value their individuality too much to give up on their original ideas and dreams. Their innate sense of kingly pride prevents them from teaming up with others and compromise their vision, even though the process may help them achieve power quicker. They want untainted power, attained purely through their self-effort. Often such an attitude creates a fiery, ambitious, egocentric, and lonely personality, who subconsciously keep demanding respect out of everybody they meet and judges their self worth based on whether they are receiving it.

Polarization towards Aquarius produces a rebellious mindset which assumes that their suffering is a result of being exploited by those above them in the dominance hierarchy. Individuals with such a polarization tends to seek out people of similar mentality and teach up with them to protest the perceived tyranny of the higher-ups. Often, life puts them in situations where they find themselves to be at the bottom of the food chain just because of their origin. Such a condition naturally feels unfair and frustrating, which triggers the rebellious attitude. But alongside their rebellious trait, Aquarius focused individuals are also keenly sensitive towards the pain of their brethren. Like the symbol of Aquarius, they realize that everybody at the bottom of the food chain is stuck on a single island of limited resources surrounded by an ocean of chaos. It is up to them, the one bearing the jug, to control and manipulate the ocean of chaos to deliver their community from suffering.

When balanced, Leo-Aquarius produces a natural understanding that neither the top or the bottom of any food chain may flourish without the other. One cannot hope to become king and stay in power without the support of the common people. Similarly, the subjects of a kingdom may never experience prosperity without the benevolence and wisdom of a competent king. Thus, a balanced Leo-Aquarius sees power and humility, glory and responsibility, as the opposite sides of the same coin. They learn to pursue their individuality without losing touch with their humble origin."