Aquarius

 TO WATCH THE VIDEOS FOR AQUARIUS AND THE SOUND M, CLICK ON THE LINK:  https://youtu.be/vN_L94s_l0Q                     or, to download and watch, click on     https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/eurythmy-online/Aquarius.mp4

This is the eurythmy gesture for Aquarius.
     Of all the zodiacal eurythmy gestures, Aquarius is the only one that is in movement. The eurythmist doing the Aquarius gesture looks almost as if they are treading water in the etheric richness, as they can feel the richness of the auric space that surrounds them.
     Let us consider what the qualities of Aquarius are.
     Aquarius is one of the four “fixed signs” of the zodiac. These four are four archetypes that shape the human race in particular ways. These are: Taurus the bull, who rules our will; Leo the lion, who warms our feeling; Scorpio the scorpion /eagle who clarifies our thinking; and Aquarius the water-bearer, who unites the other three into the harmonious temple of the human form. Thus, the gesture for Aquarius, which is moving up and down, moves between the head, the heart and the will.
     Going deeper: each of the 12 zodiacal signs is a source for one of the ranks of great spiritual beings who live in the universes that surround us. Aquarius is the source for the beings whom we call the angels, those who live nearest to us, watching over us individually and able to help in times of need. 
     Aquarius hovers at the boundary between air and water.  In the circle of the zodiac, it is a “fixed-air” sign, representing the non-physical realm of the light and air.
     But Aquarius is also known as the Water-bearer.  In pictures it is shown as an angel-human who carries two jars of water in his arms. The water s/he carries is the water of life, the water of abundance.
     We live in this world of life, this pre-material world before we are born. The angels carry us through this etheric field, in pure light, where we are surrounded by the life-giving etheric world. Out of this realm, the consolidated physical form of the material world is solidified, and in this world we live as humans, until, at death, we drop the world of matter and live again in non-material realms.

     In the eurythmy gesture for Aquarius, we place directly ourselves into this etheric realm. We extend our arms before us, placing one arm at the height of the head (thinking) and the other at the height of the hip-bone (willing). In the movement, one arm sinks as the other rises. Out of the air and light, spirit sinks towards the earth, consolidating towards matter. Out of the materialized depths, etherized substance rises in a de-materializing motion, even as fragrance ascends to the heights, or light rises from a burning substance.
     In the middle, between head and limbs, the arms pass each other at the height of the heart. We can imagine that if we could see the watery pattens inscribed in the etheric realms, we could see how the ascending and descending arms create swirling forms in the middle realm. These stimulate the rhythms of the heart and lungs, enriching the activity of the feeling life. 
     Thus we see that we are surrounded by the field of Aquarius throughout our entire life, even if our perceptive abilities are not subtle enough to directly perceive it. As a source of life, Aquarian forces sustain and enliven us.
     Thus, between spirit and matter, materialization and de-materialization, the Aquarian archetype of the human being appears as a living, spiritual idea.
  

      In the body, Aquarius rules the lower legs—the shins and the calves. It also rules the corresponding part of the upper body, the lower arms.

     The sound for Aquarius is “M.” When you intone the sound M, you can feel it like a steady humming that permeates the space all around you: this is what we transfer into movement in the eurythmy gesture. The most powerful M I experienced in my life was when I slept one night outdoors in a completely silent meadow in the mountains of Norway. There I could hear the entire sky “humming,” in a silent affirmation of presence. That night I lived surrounded by the ancient cosmic word “Ommmmm.” We can discover and create this intensity of the living, etheric field in the eurythmy practice. 
     The gesture for the sound M in eurythmy is very similar to the gesture for Aquarius, except that it is free to move in any and all directions. We can do M with our arms parallel to one another, moving in the same direction, or with our arms moving in opposite directions. In every case, our body is feeling, tasting, shaping the etheric space that surrounds us on all sides. Through our concentrated movement, this space becomes denser, like an energetic field of water all around us.
     To create M in eurythmy, imagine yourself robed in peaceful green, surrounded by the liquid blue etheric currents of life. Feel a violet-colored tension in your arms, your shins, the small of your back and your forehead, denoting quiet and intensity. As you imagine these colors, you can feel the color-dynamic of the etheric fields.
     Lift your arms, bent at the elbows, and hold them close to your body, with palms forward. Imagine a flood of warmth flowing from behind you, and place your arms into that current. As you now push your arms forward with a firm and steady movement: you may naturally accompany this movement with a gentle exhalation. Use the lower part of your arm, the “Aquarius part,” to feel the space. This means you will only slowly unfold and flatten your arms as you move them forward. The movement continues all the way into your fingertips, at which point you will have completely exhaled. Here, your forehead is very slightly bend forward, and the small of your back very gently presses backwards as a counter-movement.
     Another counter-current of movement now returns toward you: express it by turning your hands to face backwards, and bringing your arms backward towards you, in the opposite directions. As you move forwards and backwards, allow yourself to explore the force field all around you, warming and breathing you. This field is alive with the sound energy we know with the humming sound M. 
     This movement naturally “breathes,” and you will feel yourself organically accompanying the movement with your inhalation and exhalation. In eurythmy, however, we never consciously control the breathing, but rather let it be inspired through our movement. Thus: always allow yourself to take more or fewer breaths, even as your body desires.
     Soon you can move in other directions as well. Try moving with your arms extended downwards, forwards and backwards around your abdomen. You can also move an M up and down, or side to side.
     Now feel two directions moving at once. Start with one arm facing backwards and one forwards, and move them in counter movements towards and then past each other. Feel how you contract and compact the energy between your arms, and then expand it again. Again, allow yourself to breathe deeply and harmoniously with this movement.
     The power of Aquarius always engages the lower arms and lower legs. The M thus has a great power in the lower legs. Put the power of the M in your legs by imagining yourself walking through wonderful warm water, and feeling the resistance of the water against your skin. Walk forwards and backwards, breathing deeply.
     You can create the M while walking in any direction, forwards, backwards, in straight lines or in curves. Now practice all the ways you can integrate this walking dynamic with your arm movements.
     Play with other kinds of M now, as you match your movements with these words: In the midst of miracles and mystery, we may find minor magic in mice, mists and mischief.
     To conclude, stand still, and let the power of the M resound in, through and around you. Remember the green of your robe, the fields of blue that you have been moving through, and the violet tension your muscles have held. Hold this living memory for one minute. You may feel this soul response: I perceive and become one with the breathing of the world-ommm. I am surrounded by warmth. I am calm.

TO WATCH THE VIDEOS FOR AQUARIUS AND THE SOUND M, CLICK ON THE LINK:  https://youtu.be/vN_L94s_l0Q                                            or, to download and watch, click on     https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/eurythmy-online/Aquarius.mp4