The problem with a question of emotional expression and mutual relating, psychologically, is that everyone does it differently. This translates to astrology in such a way, that every sign’s energy has a different capacity to bloom in different situations in different ways, and every person born with an individual natal chart will be a unique mix of those astrological energies. That makes everyone capable of showing compassion in very specific situations, in a specific way that is dependent on the energy they carry within. People with some chart combinations may literally use logic to be kind, because this is how they function themselves, so they project this way of functioning on others.

Everyone has emotions, just a different style of living through and expressing them. Problems start, when two parties have fundamentally different expectations as to what they need as individuals in order to feel understood. As a consequence, they have incompatible ways of functioning and thus can’t relate to each other the way both sides need it to feel cared for.

Air and Earth signs get especially bad reputation in this department, constantly being called too logical and practical and not in touch with their feelings. Among them, Aquarius gets the most hate for being “cold”.The reason why people with strong Aquarian energies can get such a bad reputation in this department is that Aquarius is an energy of a bigger picture vision, groups, and collective efforts and ideals. One may say that Aquarius energies are not sensitive, but trigger them on one of those social topics, and watch them get very emotional about them. They can treat it so personally, much more than someone’s individual “petty problems”. This is someone, who may struggle to care that much about small problems in your personal life, seeing it as having little to no importance or feeling like it’s “selfish”, but may perfectly empathise if your struggle concerns for example an inability to make a change in a group you want to contribute to or society at large.

Usually, people come to others for understanding to fulfill that part inside that everyone has, that makes us want to feel special, unique, loved, seen, appreciated and cared for on an individual level. That may simply not trigger much emotional response from people with strong Aquarius energies, because Aquarius is opposite from Leo - individual focus in the caring process is not their strong suit. This is someone, that might dismiss more “individual” concerns as “small” or “irrelevant”, when there are other bigger causes in the world to “care for”. It can become a problem especially in personal relationships, when a partner is emotionally distressed and in need of encouragement, yet an Aquarius can simply view this as “small or insignificant” and not give their partner the support that is needed. It’s not that they don’t have a heart…but it is just located somewhere else, and to access it, you need to address the right parts of them.

The tragedy of people with strong Aquarian energies in personal planets is that they subject their own emotions to the same harsh standard, that they hold others to. Which means it can take them years to find, validate, recognise, analyse and digest even their own feelings and the process can be accompanied with a lot of self loathing at their own human “smallness”, when there are bigger and “more serious” causes that should be taken care of instead of their own “small, insignificant feelings”. In a way this can make an Aquarius person really emotionally handicapped until they manage to get a grasp of themselves with age…and even then, it will require continuous efforts on their part. Especially Aquarius Moons, I find to be really emotionally challenged in that department, depending on the rest of their chart also.

This is a good moment to mention, that we get our planets from our upbringing in a family, where we are karmically placed. If this is how an Aquarius Moon person is behaving, it’s because this is how they were raised and conditioned to behave. They were born with this Moon Sign, because their own parents most probably invalidated their emotions, giving an Aquarius Moon person an impression, that there were other, “bigger” things in the world, that were more important. Something that can be said as a word of praise to Aquarius people…they really do keep the communities they care about “together” emotionally. Their presence can be the social “glue” and bonds between people might dissolve without their presence.

If we looked long and hard enough, we can see different ways that every sign energy connects to something emotionally…even colder planets that rationalise a lot. As someone with Capricorn energy and strong Saturn, despite all the other water energy in my chart and my capacity to talk about emotional matters all day if needed, I also really need to feel like someone has my back on the practical side of life and can be relied on, because otherwise I feel like the other person doesn’t care about me enough to put in even a little bit of effort…if this is lacking I can’t feel like they connect with me because I feel like they are “immature” and don’t understand the emotional security that structure and order can bring me. It’s very ironic because even with all the water energy I have, I had people who have less earth and less Saturn in their chart than I do say. that I “don’t pay enough attention to how they feel”. Truth is, when someone is crying, I will bring them that tissue box at some point and try to offer a solution, even if I listen to them for hours before…while some people don’t want to hear about solutions at all, they just need the feeling of being comforted all day long.

This relates also to the eternal conflict between the energies of Saturn and Moon. The common point between Capricorn and Aquarius is being ruled by Saturn. Saturn and Moon are opposites in such a way, that while Moon rules our comfort zone and most private emotional experiences, Saturn rules duty, and discipline and rigorous work. Essentially, everyone is going to need soothing to have their Moon energy needs met…but sometimes this need clashes with someone else’s Saturn need for order. Saturn is not here to make anyone feel special, in fact it does quite the opposite. Thus we feel like someone is putting the energy of hard work in an area, where we feel like we need to rest, and it creates conflict. It all depends on everyone’s individual needs at the end of the day.