Aquarian Age Myths, Fallacies & Distortions

© Terry MacKinnell 2008, 2016 Under the Berne Convention

Why do people project Pisces’ archetypes onto the Age of Aquarius?  Most astrologers claim that Jesus commenced the Pisces age and most people believe the Age of Aquarius commenced in the 1960s and 70s.  However how can both these facts be true if ages are at least 2150 years in length?  Most projections of what we can expect in the Age of Aquarius is a paradisiacal age free from all the problems that have encumbered the world in recent millennia.  Are your Aquarian friends perfect?  Do they stand out as superior to the other 12 signs of the zodiac?  Why should the Age of Aquarius be more positive than any other age?

The Age of Aquarius has become an urban legend ever since the theatrical production of Hair proclaimed “This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius ….”  Most newspapers and comments on blogs clearly relate the dawning of the Age of Aquarius to the 1960’s and 70’s when Hair first appeared.  Many people are so disappointed with the direction the world has taken since those inspiring times (for some) of the 60’s and 70’s to the point where the sentiment has become `where is the goddamned Age of Aquarius anyway?’  Some journalists even state that the Age of Aquarius was a 20 year phenomenon applying only the 1960s and 70s and has now died an ignoble death.

This is a poster for the musical Hair.

While people are ready to accept an Aquarian age commencing in the 60’s and 70’s as a fait accompli, rarely does anyone check the sources of such claims about the Aquarian age.  The song’s lyrics contain the following:

When the moon is in the Seventh House
and Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

While it is certainly melodious, from an astrological perspective it is absolute nonsense.  The position of the moon in the seventh house, eleventh house or any house has no relationship in any way with the Age of Aquarius.  Jupiter aligns with Mars (i.e. a conjunction) every couple of years or so and this has no relationship to the Age of Aquarius either.  There is no reason why the Aquarius song should maintain astrological integrity due to poetic license.  However this poetic license has continued unabated in the general public’s perception and many astrologers of this urban legend.

The above stanza is followed by the following lyrics. In addition, I have underlined the key word or words in each line and assign them the astrological sign that is most commonly associated with the word or phrase.  The following is the result:

Then peace will guide the planets  – Libra
And love will steer the stars  – Libra

Harmony and understanding  –  Libra, Gemini?
Sympathy and trust abounding  – Pisces, Pisces
Golden living dreams of visions  – Leo, Pisces
Mystic crystal revelation  – Pisces, Pisces, Pisces
And the mind’s true liberation  – Aquarius?
As our hearts go beating through the night  – Leo
We dance unto the dawn of day  – Pisces
To be the bearers of the water  – Aquarius
Our light will lead the way  – Leo
We are the spirit of the age of Aquarius  – Pisces
Angelic illumination  – Pisces
Rising fiery constellation  – Aries
Travelling our starry courses
Guided by the cosmic forces  – Pisces
Oh, care for us; Aquarius  – Pisces

Removing repetitive choruses and lines the archetypal information that the song is telling us indicates 11 instances of Pisces, Libra 3, Leo 3, Aquarius 2, Aries 1 and Gemini 1.  Of the 21 instances from the above lyrics that can be related to astrological archetypes, 52% relate to Pisces and 10% to Aquarius.  Even if some of the above archetypal assignations are incorrect, much the same result of a great focus upon Pisces remains.

The lyrics to a song, like poetry, can engage in poetic license.  Poetic license has definitely occurred in the song Aquarius because only 10% of it is directed towards Aquarius while over half is directed to Pisces.  So why is a song that is directed at the Age of Aquarius full of Pisces metaphors?

This issue has an extra edge as the Age of Aquarius follows the age of Pisces.  On a simplistic level what this song indicates is that our collective view of the new Aquarian age is so corrupted by our entrenched Pisces sensibilities which will not allow us to accurately project Aquarius.  When we wish to project Aquarius we project Pisces. Why, because in the first half of the Age of Aquarius at least, the momentum from the Pisces age is stronger than Aquarius which is the new kid on the block and has not yet had time to age and mature.

The poetic license that exists in Aquarius does not end with this song.  It has continued unabated over the last three and a half decades with the result that over half the projections of the new Aquarian age actually describe Pisces.  Though anecdotal, my observation is that over 90% of the projections of the Aquarian age relate to Pisces.

For example, take the following excerpt was obtained online in 2008:

 This millennium came in with great expectation. Many people thought it was a new age that would usher in the age of Aquarius, the water bearer and the bearer of spirituality. As a result of this transformation the foundational western belief, dualism, would be shaken and give way to a more holistic approach to living. Spirituality would be available to everyone experientially and we would all be enlightened. Perhaps this will happen, but when we take a look around the world right now it’s obvious that it really hasn’t happened yet.[i]

The underlined text in the above is those keywords that draw upon Pisces archetypes.  In other words, this writer’s expectations of the Age of Aquarius is that it will bring in a Pisces paradise, but paradise belongs to Pisces, not Aquarius.

Another excellent example along the same theme is provided by (sic) theeKultleeder  in 2008 – the underlining of Pisces archetypes are mine:

 Some New Age adherents explicitly describe the new age as a return to paradisiacal Eden —…  Joel Kramer, in Yoga Journal 1980-Jan, wrote “In the mid-Sixties, many people believed that we were on the verge of an exciting and glorious new age in human evolution. The popular song, ‘Aquarius,’ captured the spirit …. , Many of us naively expected the human race to smoothly and quickly cultivate the earth into a new Eden.” In a poem titled “Age of Aquarius”, a New Age adherent named Cecil Hickman wrote in 2005-Feb: “A future to dream, we live in peace and love. / Glorious time for all of Earths humankind, / Eden reborn as promised from our Lord above. […] United as a planet, love will live, prejudice cease. […][ii] 

In the above peace and love and United as a planet, love will live evoke Libra.

The greatest myth of the Aquarian age is that it will bring in a Pisces paradise with a strong support from Libra.

Another typical example is the following from Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi:

  So, now a New Age has started which is called the Age of Aquarius, meaning the pitcher carrier of spiritual holy water that is the work of Kundalini.[iii]

Spirituality is Pisces likewise all psychic phenomena and subtle forces such as Kundalini.

It is a fascinating that most comments, statements and expectations about the Age of Aquarius promote Pisces.  I am not the only astrologer to notice this extreme contradiction but the momentum of misinformation about the Pisces-colored Age of Aquarius is so strong that it continues like a never ending tragic soap opera – Pisces also rules tragic soap operas!  Occasionally someone refers to Aquarius archetypes in their projection of the Age of Aquarius, but they are a small minority.

The upshot of this is it is more likely than not that anything anyone states about the Aquarian age is pure (Pisces) myth.  The unfortunate repercussion of the myth-laden Age of Aquarius is that the misinformation spread about the Aquarian age prevents people from really seeing the Aquarian age in its own right.  Visualize an Pisces wolf in an Aquarian clothing – this is the situation today with the urban myths spread about the Age of Aquarius.  The Aquarian age does not need to recreate the mythical Garden of Eden to be a great age.  The Aquarian age does not require the comical spectacle of humanity all being enlightened – who will collect the garbage?  The Aquarian age can stand on its own feet and display its self-esteem about its Aquarian archetypes that will predominate in the Age of Aquarius. However, of all the signs, Aquarius is the sign of lowest self-esteem as its opposite sign, Leo, vacuums up self-esteem by the spade full leaving scant remnants for Aquarius.

The poetic license associated with the Age of Aquarius is so strong that probably in excess of 90% of everything ever stated about the Age of Aquarius is poetic license.  In other words, if a concept about the Aquarian age sounds good – it must be true!  This approach has not only been maintained by the general public, but also by most astrologers.

Why has this situation come about?  It is very simple really.  The astrological fraternity has not a clue about the Age of Aquarius.  Charles Carter, a leading 20^th century British astrologer, stated:

It is probable that there is no branch of Astrology upon which more nonsense has been poured forth than the doctrine of the precession of the equinoxes

Note: precession of the equinoxes is the astronomical source for the ages such as the Age of Aquarius. All astrology has an astronomical source.  In the case of the astrological ages, precession of the equinoxes means that the Earth spins like a top but wobbles.  This wobble creates a 26,000 year cycle which when divided by 12, allows for the creation of 12 ages per cycle at a little over 2,000 years per age.

It is this total lack of clarity amongst astrologers referred to by Charles Carter that has created a knowledge vacuum about the Age of Aquarius.  In this vacuum poetic license has filled the gap.  So what is the solution to this mixed-up urban myth?  The only solution is that nothing should be believed about the Aquarian age (or any other age) unless some proof is tendered that a reasonably intelligent person can understand.  Unless some proof is tendered it is more likely than not that anything anyone states about the Aquarian age is pure myth or fallacies even though the astrologers peddling such misinformation are well intentioned – another Pisces archetype!

The Aquarian age did not begin in the 1960’s or ’70s

Another commonly stated myth about the Aquarian age is that it commenced in the 1960’s or ’70s.  Blogs from one end of the world to the other repeatedly discuss the arrival of the Aquarian age in those rebellious and drug-fueled times.  Just because the musical Hair proclaimed that `this is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius…’ does not make it so.  If all the people in the world jumped up and down in unison declaring this is the beginning of the Age of Aquarius, Aquarius could not care less, even if everyone sang it in key!

When it comes to the Aquarian age, astrologers want to eat their cake and keep it.  The most common statement on the subject, from those few research astrologers that examine the ages, is that the previous age, the Age of Pisces, arrived with the birth of Jesus Christ.  Pisces is the sign of two fish.  Since early times Christians preferred the fish symbol for Christianity, so astrologers behave like Homer Simpson and say

Homer Simpson

d’oh – Jesus must have started the Pisces age

However if Jesus commenced the Pisces age, the earliest the Aquarian age can arrive is around 2150.  Why?  Because the cycle of ages takes approximately 26,000 years to make one revolution therefore each age appears for approximately 2150 years each.  If the Pisces age commenced with Jesus then the Aquarian age cannot commence before approx. 2150.

Furthermore, some astrologers actually believe that the length of an age is taken literally from the size of the zodiacal constellations along the zodiac.  For example, the constellation of Pisces is much larger than normal, so therefore the Pisces age must be even longer than 2,150 years.

The problem with the Aquarian age arriving in the middle of the 22nd century is how to explain all the Aquarian developments in the world today.  Such Aquarian developments include electricity, computers, flight, space travel and democracy.  What do these have to do with the Pisces age?

To get around this awkward question the solution is easy – just state that we are approaching the cusp of the Pisces and Aquarian ages, and at the cusp there is a blurring of the two influences.  Unfortunately no experienced astrologer to my knowledge has ever experienced cusps.  Cusps are an urban myth popular with those members of the general public with a little knowledge of astrology and with novice astrologers who do not know any better.  In over three decades of studying astrology, I have never encountered a factual explanation of cusps that justify their existence nor heard from any experienced astrologer that cusps have any validity.

The above is a good demonstration of irrationality at work.  When no justification for the arrival of the Aquarian age before 2150 can be supplied, astrologers have invented a solution that no one has proved or can substantiate.  In past times this is called `building your house on sand rather than rock’.  The house is going to fall down if built upon the sand. Cusps are made of sand.

What else is sand here – something very simple and totally overlooked?   There is no doubt that Christianity has a relationship with Pisces.  Pisces shares the fish symbol with Christianity and Pisces is also associated with mysticism and mystical religions, and religions based on salvation.  But the BIG question is, why should the Pisces age begin with the arrival of the avatar of Western culture?  Who said that ages must begin with a famous person?  What about Buddha, why could not the Pisces age be already in place when Buddha was alive around six centuries earlier?

The whole mess of an Aquarian age not arriving before 2150 is dependent on the unsubstantiated assumption that Jesus began the Pisces age.  When I have confronted some astrologers about this anomaly their eyes turn blank and their aura recedes because astrologers are not accustomed to think about the ages in general and the Aquarian age in particular.  Astrologers are deep thinkers, but not when it comes to the ages.  The astrological age topic is that one area in astrology where astrologers can dream up all manner of unsubstantiated nonsense and pretend it is true.   If this is how astrologers behave, no wonder the urban myths on the Aquarian age are in La-La-land.

If the Aquarian age arrived, say at 1970, then the Pisces age should have arrived at around 181 BC (1970 AD – 2150 = 181 BC).  What happened around 181 BC to indicate a major historical shift in gears?  Nothing!  There is no reason to believe that the Pisces age arrived around 181 BC.  However this does not mean that 181 BC was not in the Pisces age.

The upshot of all this is that from a simplistic and obvious point of view the Age of Aquarius has arrived.  What have ipods, cell phones, large-screen LCD TVs, super-jumbo jets, Facebook and blogs got to do with Pisces?  What astrologers have failed to recognize here is that unless astrology ‘works’ it is useless.  Unless the ages ‘work’ why even refer to them.  If the evidence suggests that the Aquarian age has arrived, why not investigate this to discover the real truth about the ages in general and the Age of Aquarius in particular?  Why not look at the evidence and avoid the idle and unfounded speculation?

Will the Age of Aquarius Solve the Problems of the World?

What is it about the Aquarian age that makes many people feel history will go against itself and create a problem-free age?  Has there ever been a problem-free age?  Perhaps every time the Age of Aquarius turns up around every 26,000 years the world takes a sabbatical from wars, violence, anger, catastrophes and natural disasters and creates a totally different age compared to all the other ages?

As ridiculous as this sounds, there is an element of truth to this concept.  Of all the twelve zodiacal signs, Aquarius is the one sign that is the different, radical or eccentric sign.  In other words Aquarius behaves very differently to the other eleven zodiacal signs.  Therefore if Aquarius behaves very different to the other signs, and if historically the other ages are full of problems, logic says that in the Aquarian age it should not have these problems.  Unfortunately this is faulty logic.

The reason that the logic is faulty is that it can be very different in the Aquarian age compared to other ages, but continue to be full of major problems, or problems of a very different nature.  How about this for a different kind of major problem – in this age, for the first time in history, the world may be destroyed or severely affected by humans due to the use of their nuclear arsenal or from the effects of pollution. Have humans previously been capable of destroying the world?

There is another way of approaching the difference associated with the Aquarian age compared to other ages.  If the difference is so fundamental between the sign of Aquarius and the other eleven zodiacal signs represented in the astrological ages then we should also see this with people. Have you noticed that Aquarians stand out from other people as being problem-free or saint-like?  If you have then you must know some incredibly rare Aquarian.  There is no evidence whatsoever that Aquarians are problem-free or better than the other signs.  The great people of the world are not overly represented by Aquarius, if they are then this would be one of the greatest secrets in astrology!

Unless there is some evidence to suggest that Aquarius is better than the other eleven zodiacal signs there is no reason to believe that the Aquarian age will be better than any other age.  If the Aquarian age is not better than any other age then why would the world be problem-free in the Age of Aquarius?

The world is very different in this Aquarian age to date compared to the known historical events of any other age.  No other age has seen the human population anywhere near current levels.  In no other age could humans light up the world at night (with Aquarius electricity) so that it is observable from space.  In no other age could some people fly, watch TV and have all the labor savings devices available in this modern Age of Aquarius.  In no other age has any human walked on the Moon.

What is noticeable to date from the Aquarian age is that the benefits seem much greater compared to previous ages and the problems see much greater compared to earlier ages.  This in itself satisfies the Aquarian archetype that it must be somehow fundamentally different to other ages.

The Age of Aquarius is not going to save the world.  The Age of Aquarius is not going to raise your consciousness.  The future of the world depends upon the sum of all the people in the world.  It is what all the people in the world do that will make things happen.  Judging by its track record to date, the problems and benefits in the Age of Aquarius will be much greater than previous.  However, there is every reason to believe from the evidence provided by astrology that in this age of uncertainty, there is a much higher chance than normal that the world is heading for a mini-golden age associated with the Libra age-decan of the Age of Aquarius that will be firmly in place by around the middle of the next century (the 22nd century). See  A Celebration 7,000 Years in the Making

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Illustrations

Hair poster – By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26559170

Beware the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Sam Phillips – http://samphillips.co.nz/wolf-in-sheep-s-clothing-tattoo-print/

Homer Simpson – By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7781941

References

[i] http://test.proshopsale.com/2008/03/08/the-greatest-teacher-is-nature-and-you/ but no longer available?

[ii] http://spelunkingtheeideosphere.blogspot.com/2008/03/unearthing-religious-and-new-age.html but no longer available?

[iii] http://www.adishakti.org/age_of_aquarius.htm