As the writer Warsan Shire maintains, “My alone feels so good, I’ll only have you if you’re sweeter than my solitude.” And for the introverts among us there are few things sweeter.
The term introvert is a combination of the Latin word intro and vertere meaning “to turn to the inside.” The distinction here is not about whether or not you are capable of being social but rather whether you get your cup filled from the world at large or within the well of the self.
The concept of introvert/extrovert comes from psychologist Carl Jung who classified people in two types; those that are energized by social interactions and those that are charged by the light of solitude. In essence a preference between focusing on the outer or inner world.Jung believed that none of us are expressly or completely extroverted or introverted, but that we do align with one or the other attitude.
In terms of the astrology of introversion, it’s a real close call between cardinal earth sign Capricorn and off the wall Aquarius and the self-directed energy of both has given rise to some notable contributions to the canon of humanity.
Had Capricorn Issac Newton been more social butterfly than eccentric introvert he may never have had the time or mental real estate to discover the laws of gravity and motion. Acclaimed, problematic author, sea goat and recluse J.D. Salinger maintained, “Contact with the public hinders my work.”
Oppressed by his success (eye roll) he fled NYC on his thirty fourth birthday for a secluded 90-acre rural compound in New Hampshire where he took to writing in self-imposed exile, courting teenagers speaking in tongues and drinking his own piss.
I digress and give the gold for love of solitude to Aquarians, and most especially Aquarius risings.
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AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
Rulers of the eleventh house of community and social causes, Aquarians often harbor a profound love for humanity but that affection exists more as an abstract concept than a true desire to interact with human beings on a personal level.
They’re here to save/change/improve the world, not to party with the people that populate it. Take for example, Aquarian introvert Charles Darwin; thank the gods that this uber geek preferred the company of books and the hobby of breeding pigeons to interacting with other people or we may never have been gifted the theory of evolution.
As a fixed air sign, Aquarians are cerebral AF, more in the mind than the body and more inclined to roll solo or with a small band of comrades and misfit toys than to chance their time with strangers or play dates.
Hyper independent they are most at home in their own minds and neither seek nor trust external validation. Water bearers can sometimes read as aloof or awkward in a social scenarios when in truth they are just lonely for themselves, waiting and wanting to get back to a place where they can think in peace.
Sharing secrets, emotions or other intimacies is a challenge for the Aquarius archetype and they tend to be averse/outright allergic to bombast and inauthenticity, two variables often at play in social scenarios.
The Aquarian need for solitude is perhaps best surmised by one of their own, the omniscient narrator as perpetual outsider herself, Virginia ‘room of my own’ Woolf who argued, “How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table.
How much better to sit by myself like the solitary sea-bird that opens its wings on the stake. Let me sit here forever with bare things, this coffee cup, this knife, this fork, things in themselves, myself being myself.”
Here’s to the company of the self and finding fullness in it.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
- The 12 zodiac signs
- What are the astrology houses
- Here’s what each planet represents
- Sun, moon, and rising signs: Get to know your Big 3
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.