The crash of share indexes[1] leading to a lack of confidence in the world’s financial systems is at a very low point. Some people say that this is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Some forecasters are having a field day enunciating with virtual glee the prospect of economic recession and other predictions of doom and gloom. However, from the perspective of the Aquarian age, this is all so humdrum.
The development of corporations, growth in free enterprise and international trade and finally globalism are perfectly in line with the arrival of the Aquarian age in the 15th century. Sure it took a few centuries to get its momentum going but the fact that the economic system of the modern world arrived in time with the Age of Aquarius indicates that capitalism is not going to be extinguished in the near future (i.e. the next century or two).
Capitalism is aligned to the (Aquarian) free spirit desiring to undertake some profitable venture. Personal gain from your own efforts is an extremely strong motivating factor. However, capitalism is not the only economic approach aligned to Aquarius – socialism is also incorporated into the stable of Aquarius archetypes. Aquarius is the sign of friends and groups of people combining their energies to undertake some joint task for the mutual benefits of all. A classic example of Aquarian socialism is NASA and the various space agencies around the world including the International Space Station.
The neo-cons and extreme capitalists throw their hands up in horror at the thought of socialism. To these extremists, socialism is akin to communism and therefore socialism needs to be beaten on its head whenever it dares to show itself in public. The recent bail-out of banks around the world and the virtual nationalizing of many banks at the brink of collapse has opened the Pandora’s box of socialism in the heart of capitalism – much to the anguish of die-hard conservatives. Socializing space stations is one thing, socializing banks is a massive insult at the heart of capitalism.
The Aquarian age will continue to strongly foster capitalism for thousands of years but it will also foster socialism. Though socialism has been reviled, discredited and ostracized there are signs that it has been making a surreptitious return to the world stage apart from the recent nationalization of banks. In a recent Time magazine [October 27 2008] Joshua Kurlantzick makes the case in his article Central Command – The financial crisis spotlights the benefits of government-guided capitalism – like China’s that many countries are looking at the gains that China, Russia and some Persian Gulf states have made in recent years by a hybrid capitalism and state control. State control means socialism. For example, these state control economies usually foster key industries such as oil or automobile production but then let them compete on the international market in a free trade platform from the strength of economy of scale.
The collapse of the former communist block left the world basically in the hands of the capitalists. This is an extreme situation and therefore can only last so long. The middle path indicates that capitalism and socialism must coexist. China, Russia and some Persian Gulf states may adopt a hybrid capitalism-socialism model, while other countries will probably revert to a partnership of capitalism and socialism. Has the privatization of electricity benefited us? Does the privatization of virtual monopolies promote free enterprise?
The reason why socialism will return as an economic reality on the world stage is not limited to its association with the Age of Aquarius but also due to the first decan of the Age of Aquarius. Each age has three age-decans and the first age-decan of the Age of Aquarius is the Libra age-decan. Libra is the balance. As the world trundles along towards the Libra age-decan high point around 2148 the pressing need for balance and the middle path (between extremes) increases at an exponential rate.
The balance that Libra brings is of course not limited to the economy – it also applies to the sexes, the environment and opposing political ideologies amongst numerous other fields. The neo-cons cannot accept the place that socialism has within an economic system as they believe that capitalism is perfect. If that is the case then we have just had the perfect capitalist crisis. Only last week Alan Greenspan said he made a mistake in assuming that capitalism worked best if left alone – a basic extremist capitalist viewpoint. Furthermore, if Eastern mystics have any credibility they state that perfection does not exist in this world. The problem with holding up capitalism as the perfect economic system is that its basic underlying premise is seriously flawed. There is no perfect person, nor perfect country or perfect president or political leader.
There is also another critical problem with capitalism overlooked by most commentators. Capitalism requires an expanding market and we have witnessed this phenomenon over the last three centuries to the point that the world will choke and drown in its own pollution if some serious remedial action is not taken over the coming decades. Pollution is the direct consequence of consumption powered by capitalism. An environmentally sustainable world needs a lower population with people who on average are all consuming less – this is in basic conflict with capitalism. Can capitalism and an environmentally sustainable world coexist?
Apart from the age-decans there are also smaller divisions of the ages into sub-ages. The sub-ages indicate that we are at the tail end of the strong influence of the Sagittarius sub-age – the sign of expansion. Astrology always includes a balancing mechanism and the opposite sign to Sagittarius is Gemini – which is now growing in strength.[2] Gemini will reach its full potential around 2029 but the exponential curve commenced in 1970. It stepped up a gear in 2000, and another step will be attained around 2015. Additional steps are indicated between 2015 and 2029. So while the arrival of Gemini in 1970 had little influence (apart from reducing populations in First World countries), it will progressively reign in Sagittarius.
The world economic situation is not solely due to Aquarius, Libra, Sagittarius and Gemini – Scorpio is also taking a key role. The Scorpio sub-age (1791 – 1970) has gone into its powerful overflow mode since 1970 [see Scorpio – the Sign of the Times]. Scorpio prefers minimalism and contraction. Scorpio wants the world to shrink. It wants the population lowered, consumption reduced and therefore it promotes downsizing. Its ability to get its way increases as the power of Sagittarius wanes.
Downsize now and avoid the rush! This may be too melodramatic as history shows that most fundamental changes in the world take a long time to flow through to their conclusions. It will take until the middle of the next century at least for the world to wind down to the level required for a sustainable environment. What we will experience in the meantime is numerous incremental adjustments that most of the time are not too great, but accumulate to exact a great change over the next one and a half centuries. In addition, there is the three-steps-forward-and-two-steps back rule which indicates that some short term reversals of the long-time contraction will occur.
Nevertheless in the short term over the next decade we can expect that contraction and instability will be the order of the day, and the instability is not limited to economics. The world hit a Scorpio hotspot in 2005 which then saw its first exponential increase in 2007 around the first stirrings of the sub-prime crisis. Another significant Scorpio increase occurs around 2010 (possibly 2009) and between 2010 and 2015 some serious unsettled times are due but definitely nowhere near the proportion of the Great Depression. In fact, very few people alive will witness anything of the same magnitude as the Great Depression as the astrological circumstances associated with the Great Depression will not return until around the year 2089.
Despite this prediction for unsettled times, it is extremely unlikely that the doom and gloom currently disseminating around the world will be evident one year from now (or even by Christmas 2008). The current doom and gloom outlook is associated with a very small part of the Aquarian age that lasts for only around 15 months. A short digression into the bowels of the Age of Aquarius will show where the world is in relation to the roadmap through the Age of Aquarius.
Ages are around 2160 years long while age-decans exist for about 720 years. Sub-ages are about 179 years and these can be divided into 12 micro-ages of approximately 15 years each. Currently, we are in a Cancer micro-age (c.2000 – 2015). Cancer equals real estate. Cancer dramatically increased its strength at its halfway point in 2007 coinciding with the first widespread reaction to the US sub-prime debacle.
Drilling down into the Cancer micro-age are three micro-age decans – and the Scorpio micro-age decan sits from c.2005 to 2010. Scorpio equals debt (and derivatives). Scorpio is also opposite Taurus – the sign that rules banks. Not only are banks on the wrong foot in a Scorpio period, but they are also bound to be experiencing even more serious opposition in the period from 2010 to 2015. Scorpio introduces the debt and derivative aspect of the present crisis and the role played by banks.
This is not the end of the story. Within micro-ages are also 12 nano-ages of some 15 months each. Due to the overflow effect, the 15 months immediately following any nano-age is the most powerful manifestation of the nano-age. Currently, the world is experiencing the effects of a Capricorn nano-age overflow. When the world experienced the Great Depression the world was in the Capricorn micro-age (1925 – 1940). Capricorn periods nearly always bring difficult times plus doom and gloom. The current difficult economic situation, however, is only 1/12th the strength of the Great Depression. So while the world is experiencing a wee little Capricorn nano-age it may feel like the roof is falling in (if you are an investor or employed in the financial world) and people may hark back to comparisons with the Great Depression of the 1930s. However, this is a relatively short-lived situation.
On the nano-age level, there will shortly be a reversal when the overflow of the Sagittarius nano-age pushes Capricorn aside for slightly more than a year. This will temporarily push some optimism and exuberance back into the spotlight, but with a broken arm and bandages. Capitalism will not recover its former glory after this current financial mess. 2009 may see a sucker’s rally as the short term optimism and exuberance will not be sustained past 2009 or 2010.
Capitalism may be down but it is not out. For as long as the Aquarian age exists or has influence capitalism will exist. In the same way that the worst extremes of socialism manifested as communism in the 20th century, the worst excesses of capitalism have now also seen its day. The world is looking for the middle path. It is no longer the time for extremist capitalism or socialism – but rather somewhere in the middle. This is what the sub-periods of the Aquarian age indicate. And finally, the 21st century will be the most dynamic progressive century seen in the world for over 7,000 years – judging by the condition of the world at present it has its work cut out!
References:
[1] Referring to 2008
[2] The Gemini influence comes from the first sub-age decan of the Libra sub-age (c.1970 – 2148).
Further References
Further resources from Terry MacKinnell
www.macro-astrology.com – details of purchasing the book available
Demystifying the Aquarian Age – General introduction to the astrological ages
At the Cutting Edge of the Aquarian Age – Cutting edge research into the astrological ages for astrologers
FaceBook – keep up to date with what is happening
Demystifying the Aquarian Age 
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