Age of Aquarius

Woodstock Poster (1969)

Astronomy

One of the twelve astrological ages lasting around 2000 years each caused by the precession of the vernal equinox through the sidereal zodiac.

Many people believe that we now stand on the threshold of the Age of Aquarius, although the actual moment of transition is still disputed. Some astrologers believe the transition has already occured, but others forecast it for several centuries into the future.
Astrologers do not agree on when the Aquarian age will start or even if it has already started, i.e. if the Age of Pisces has really ended. Nicholas Campion (1999) lists various references from mainly astrological sources for the start of the Age of Aquarius. Based on Campion's summary, most published materials on the subject state that the Age of Aquarius arrived in the 20th century (29 claims), with the 24th century in second place with 12 claimants.
One view suggests that the rise of scientific rationalism, combined with the fall of religious influence, the increasing focus on human rights since the 1780s, the exponential growth of technology, plus the advent of flight and space travel, are evidence of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.
Gnostic philosopher Samael Aun Weor declared February 4, 1962 to be the beginning of the "Age of Aquarius", heralded by the alignment of the first six planets, the Sun, the Moon and the constellation Aquarius.

Some proponents of medieval astrology even suggest that the Pisces world where religion is the opiate of the masses will be replaced in the Aquarian Age by a world ruled by secretive, power-hungry elites seeking absolute power over others; that knowledge in the Aquarian Age will only be valued for its ability to win wars; that knowledge and science will be abused, not industry and trade; and that the Aquarian Age will be a Dark Age in which religion is considered offensive.
Rudolf Steiner believed that the Age of Aquarius will arrive in 3573. In Steiner's approach, each age is exactly 2,160 years. Based on this structure, the world has been in the Age of Pisces since 1413.

Culture

The Age of Aquarius may also be used as a synonym for the New Age. The hippie movement in the late 1960s considered itself as a harbinger of the coming Age of Aquarius and the 1967 rock musical Hair with its opening song "Aquarius" and the line "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius" explicitly stated that.

Astrologers identify Aquarius as the sign of the scientist and inventor, as well as of electricity and computers, so the current rapid growth of information technology and social media seem consistent with this sign.

Astrology

The expectations regarding the Age of Aquarius are influenced by the qualities of the sign itself: breaking out of inflexible social structures, intellectual freedom, originality and an unconventional nature which eludes standard compartmentalisations. Aquarius is considered to be a free spirit full of creative and innovative energy; while at the same time oriented towards the social collective.

The astrologer Liz Greene has pointed out the need to incorporate Leo, the sign opposite Aquarius, in order to prevent the negative aspects of Aquarius dominating: "The value of the individual and his/her right to be himself/herself is an important balance to the drive towards collectivism that we have already experienced and continue to experience in Aquarian experiments such as Communism, the growth of large industries and other manifestations of supposedly unimpeachable organisations which have developed to the detriment of individual freedom."

See also

• Astrological Age
• Platonic Year
• Precession of the Equinoxes

Weblinks

• Wikipedia: Age of Aquarius (lists also what various writers have claimed)
• Wikipedia: The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ (first published in 1908) complete text (Wikisource)
• When does the Age of Aquarius begin? (EarthSky, 2016)
• Ayanamshas in Sidereal Astrology (Dieter Koch, 2016; Astrodienst)