The Journey Within: What’s Really Behind Valentine’s Day?

As an Astrologer, I find it ironic that we celebrate Valentine’s Day smack dab in the middle of February. You see, astrologically, it’s also the middle of Aquarius season. To see the irony, one must understand a little bit about the Aquarius personality. Aquarian relationships tend to be anything but “ordinary.” They have a “love the one you’re with” kind of vibe.

Freedom and Personal Autonomy Rule
When a person is born with their natal Sun in Aquarius, chances are the native is fiercely independent and individualistic. Imagine if everyone had all placements in Aquarius. There would be plenty of friendships and sex, but very few true couples. Such a crazy idea to pair up would never dawn on anyone.

A true Aquariuan personality lives and let’s live. In other words, if they want Chinese food tonight and you want Italian, that’s fine. You’ll just order in from two different restaurants or maybe even cook your own meals. They might be neat, and you might be a little messy. Cool, just keep your mess in your own corner of the room. You’ll also be picking up after yourself. And if they are attracted to someone else, why should they deny themselves that joy? Ditto for you. Who are they to tell you no?

The Aquarian perspective of life boils down to freedom and personal autonomy. Their mantra is “I am what I am so just deal with it!” Granted, not all Aquarians are so extreme. For instance, a Moon in Cancer will definitely soften an Aquarius personality. A Libra ascendant will make them more socially inclined. We all have a mix of different signs in our chart, which is what makes every one of us so damn unique and interesting.

So, you see the contradiction here. Yet, Valentine’s Day has been celebrated for six centuries. If it was out of sync, surely it wouldn’t have lasted this long. Celebrating Valentine’s Day in mid-February is somewhat akin to singing “Jingle Bells” in July. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, at least not from an Aquarian point of view.

So, what is the connection?

The Highest Expression of Love
What if something got lost in translation? Perhaps Valentine’s Day is simply meant to be a reminder that the highest expression love can take is a radical, total acceptance of another person exactly as they are. A pretty high ideal and one that’s hard for most of us to reach. We’re not going to nail it every time.

However, it is a lofty ambition worth striving for. What if Valentine’s Day was that kind of day? The one where we acknowledge that we are working to accept our loved ones no matter what — even when they fail to accept us. After all, we know the shoe will be on the other foot soon enough, so we can at least show some compassion and accept them as they are and where they are. Like the song says, we’re only human after all.

Love and the Aquarian respect for authentic individuality are not at odds. The two need each other and one cannot exist without the other.

The Aquarius personality may not be the most “touchy-feely” person in the world, so it may seem counterintuitive that the most romantic holiday of the year happens during the Aquarius season. But hidden in their heart is the deepest essence of human love: the utmost respect for another person’s right to be themselves. This may be the greatest gift we can ever give to someone we love, as well as to ourselves.

This is how we can truly celebrate each other — and Valentine’s Day. In fact, this is probably a good goal to set for any relationship — year-round. Let me know how it goes.

Happy Valentine’s Year, everyone!