Although Aquarius is the natural sign for the cusp of the eleventh house, the influence of this planet is not especially excellent. For the idea of friendship connotes reliability above all things, and Uranus with all his virtues lacks this. The friends of the native may sometimes be of a very exalted kind, or distinguished for their attainments, in short, Uranus indicates the kind of friends, but where they are not so distinguished, they ,will show the worst side of the planet – the violent, eccentric side.
In the case of Nell Gwynn, for example, Charles II is clearly indicated by Uranus. In saying this, it is to be borne in mind that we do not mean that the king was altogether an Uranian, only that in his relations with her, he acted in the Uranian manner. These indications are, however, not universally true. In the case of Edward VI, for example, nothing could be more false than to say that his friends were Uranian in this particular sense and from the fact of his Kingship, they could not be more exalted than he was. The conjunction of Mars, the trine of Neptune, and the square of Mercury point rather to the determination of Uranus on its scientific side as referring to the hopes and wishes of the native, which as we know, were quite in accordance with the best instincts of the planet.
In all ordinary cases, however, it may be said that the native is liable to make friends suddenly and impulsively, to adhere to them with great violence and men to drop them, as the saying is, ‘like a redhot coal ‘. Some danger, too, IS to be apprehended through friendships. Unreasonable .quarrels are likely to be the rule; treachery is not impossible but the native is never likely to become cautious in this respect, however much experience may try to teach him. Great good, however, may result to the native from his association with persons of great position or influence, but the difficulty will always be to turn temporary success on these lines into a thing of permanence. It is also rather important to remember that the fascination of these curious friendships, which we have indicated above, may become a positive obsession, causing the native to waste his life in Bohemia. In some cases, even graver menaces may come from heaven. Though Ludwig II of Bavaria has Uranus in the tenth house, where we have dealt with it, it must be remarked that it is only 2 1/2 degrees from the cusp of the eleventh, and it is quite possible that some of his influence may have been carried over to that house. The reader will recall the fact that owing to his choice of companions which was hardly less eccentric than that exhibited by Heliogabalus, he obtained a reputation for madness, which was perhaps not wholly undeserved. At the same time, it is evident that the influence of Uranus extends over both houses, so that his choice of friends and the loss of his good name were intimately connected. As explained in the chapter on the aspects of Uranus, the sextile of Luna is far more favourable, unless there be some strong impulse for sanity from another quarter. There is a kind of bewilderment of the brain caused by the closer aspects of these planets which often leads to disaster. Persons with this position should be careful to try to bring out the better side of Uranus in the choice of their associates.