Why Astrology is Becoming More Acceptable

Based on an article by Edward Snow in the Astrology News Service, the (US) National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that Americans in 2012 are less sceptical of astrology compared to any period since 1983.  The NSF reports the high point (66%) for those claiming astrology was “not at all scientific” was 2004 but by 2012 only 55% of people shared this belief.  Young people in the 18 to 24 years age group show far greater acceptance of astrology with 52% of this group believing astrology was unscientific in 2010 but only 35% shared this view in 2012. In 2010, 64 percent of respondents in the 35 to 45 age group believed astrology was unscientific but two years later, only 51 percent felt this way.

There are always numerous astrological ways of examining any development in the world, but I will be restricting myself to the astrology of the astrological ages – mainly the sub-periods of the ages.  Most astrologers have no direct exposure to the sub-periods of astrological ages and so these do not play any part in their astrological perspective in the same way that skeptics have no direct exposure to astrology in general so they cannot accept it.  In my research, I have never found any significant historical development that does not show a correlation to a sub-period of an astrological age, and I will use this growing acceptance of the general public towards astrology to demonstrate the relevance of the sub-periods of the astrological ages.

The key sub-period I will employ is micro-ages.  Each age of some 2150 years has twelve sub-ages of some 179 years.  Each sub-age has twelve micro-ages of almost fifteen years each. All sub-periods are naturally retrograde as are the astrological ages.  Within a year of 1970 was the significant cusp of the Scorpio and Libra sub-ages (this cusp was so significant that many people erroneously believe this was the arrival time of the Aquarian age as the revolutionary spirit of both Aquarius and Scorpio combined at this point of time).  The Scorpio sub-age (c.1791 – 1970) ended with a Scorpio micro-age (c.1955 – 1970) and the Libra sub-age (c.1970 – 2148) commenced with a Virgo micro-age (c.1970 – 1985).  Without getting into the detail, all ages and their sub-periods behave like waves (due to their retrograde nature) and in their own period they are in development phase, while in their following period (overflow period) they expand and extend their influence but slowly reducing in influence in a bell-curve fashion.  So while the Scorpio micro-age (c.1955 – 1970) was developing, its influence continued on into the Virgo micro-age (c.1970 – 1985) but sliding down the bell-curve.  This leads to the situation where the strongest time for Scorpio is actually the last half of the Scorpio micro-age and the first half of the Virgo sub-age – or the 15 year period (c.1962 – 1977) with the ‘peak’ of the bell curve around 1970.

Similarly with the Virgo micro-age – its key time of influence is 1978 to 1993 with its peak around 1985.  To differentiate between the peak times of influence of each sign in contrast to their actual period I use the term ‘quasi’.  Therefore the Scorpio quasi micro-age is (c.1962 – 1977) while the Virgo quasi micro-age is (1978 to 1993).  Before examining the results of the National Science Foundation, it should be noted that the whole explosion of astrology in the 1960s and 70s occurred in association with the Scorpio quasi micro-age is (c.1962 – 1977).  After researching the fortunes of astrology over the last 2,000 years it is clearly indicated that when the signs Scorpio, Aquarius or Cancer are strong, astrology is also at a peak as represented by the publication of astrological works in those periods.

The NSF notes that the most recent highpoint for the discreditation of astrology occurred in 1983, with 1983 occurring not only within the Virgo quasi micro-age (1978 to 1993), but very close to the Virgo highpoint of c.1985.  Even on a simplistic level, Virgo is a scientific sign whereas Pisces, its opposite sign has the decans of pro-astrology Cancer and Scorpio within it, and so we can safely state that Virgo is by default an anti-astrology sign. The appearance of any sign associated with an age or sub-period also has its decans.  This is adequately demonstrated in 1983 which is at the very end of the combined Taurus and Capricorn quasi micro-age decans (c.1972 – 1983).  After ten years of anti-astrology influence from Taurus and Capricorn (opposite pro-astrology Scorpio and Cancer), it is no wonder that astrology’s reputation should be so low in 1983.

The next point made by the NSF is that the reputation of astrology remained highly discredited from 1983 and reach its peak discreditation in 2004 but significantly improved from 2010 to 2012.  Why should this be the case?  Again, it’s all rather simple if the correct astrological technique is available. Following the Virgo micro-age (c.1970 – 1985) is the Leo micro-age (c.1985 – 2000).  With Leo opposite Aquarius, one of the three key signs associated with astrology (making Leo an anti-astrology sign), it is extremely easy to see the correlation of post 1985 to anti-astrology sentiment.  The associated Leo quasi micro-age (1992 – 2007), indicating the full strength of Leo, significantly carries forward the anti-astrology sentiment.  What this means is that if we add together the Virgo and Leo quasi micro-ages we have 30 years of anti-astrology influence – this creates significant momentum.

However following the Leo micro-age (c.1985 – 2000) is the pro-astrology Cancer micro-age (c.2000 – 2015) and more importantly the Cancer quasi micro-age (2007 – 2022).  From an astrological perspective, after a 30 years chill wind, the tide commenced to turn to astrology’s favour with the arrival of the Cancer micro-age.  Of the three decans encountered in the Cancer micro-age (c.2000 – 2015), the first encountered is the Pisces micro-age decan (c.2000 – 2005) which has no direct association towards astrology.  The second micro-age decan is the Scorpio micro-age decan (c.2005 – 2010) with the Scorpio quasi micro-age decan (2007 – 2012). The arrival of the Scorpio micro-age decan in 2005 witnessed the end of astrology plunging to the depths in 2004.  By the end of the first serious pro-astrology quasi micro-age in 2012, the Scorpio quasi micro-age decan (2007 – 2012), astrology experiences a complete reversal of form!

If the above worries the NSF, they will get even more concerned in the coming decade.  The whole Cancer quasi micro-age (2007 – 2022) is pro-astrology and within it will occur an Aquarius period further strengthening the fortunes of astrology. Following the Cancer micro-age (c.2000-15) is the Gemini micro-age (c.2015 – 2029).  The first micro-age decade encountered in this Gemini micro-age is the Aquarius micro-age decan (c.2015 – 2020) with the Aquarius quasi micro-age decan located around 2017 to 2022.  This will be the strongest experience of Aquarius experienced in the world for the surviving Baby Boomers who naturally were the product of the Sagittarius quasi micro-age (1947 – 1962).  The last Aquarius period of any note was the Aquarius quasi micro-age (c.1917 – 1932) when all those Leo entrepreneurs came crashing down to earth with the Great Depression and astrology was at a highpoint with astrology radio programs around the world.

Of the three signs associated with astrology (Cancer, Scorpio and Aquarius), two of these (Scorpio and Aquarius) are also strongly associated with economic turmoil, so in the the Aquarius quasi micro-age decan (2017 to 2022) we should expect something similar to the five years hiatus of the GFC (associated with the Scorpio quasi micro-age decan 2007 – 2012) to kind of repeat itself with the coming Aquarius period with a strong focus around the year 2020 for the greatest depth of economic collapse.  Cancer is opposite Capricorn, and Capricorn is the third sign that brings financial and economic misery, and misery in general, and so Cancer is not associated with difficult economic conditions.

On the quasi micro-age level, we are currently in the Cancer quasi-micro-age decan (2012-2017) within the larger Cancer quasi micro age (2007 – 2022) so freshwater issues are prevalent, such as the recent floods in many areas of the world. Both excess and lack of water will be key issues in this period, and being opposite Capricorn, this 2012 to 2017 period overall should not be a bad period from an economic viewpoint. There is far more to Cancer than freshwater – for more details, see Cancer – the New Paradigm for the World

MICRO-AGE EPHEMERIS

Scorpio micro-age (c.1955-70) /quasi micro-age (1962-77)

Virgo micro-age (c.1970-85) /quasi micro-age (1978-3)

Leo micro-age (c.1985–2000) /quasi micro-age (1992–2007)

Cancer micro-age (c.2000-15) /quasi micro-age (2007-22)

Gemini micro-age (c.2015-29)

Further information:

The Scorpio-Cancer Micro-Age Decan (2010-15)

SCORPIO in Retrospect

SCORPIO in Retrospect

Over six years ago my article SCORPIO – the Sign of the Times was published in the Astrological Monthly Review (Vol. 68, No. 11, November 2006, pages 27-31). In that article I identified the prime concepts that were expected to appear with the Scorpio hotspot (2005-15):

• Revolution, terrorists and general instability
• tyrants with their cruelty
• death, assassinations and murder
• waste products from any process, which naturally includes sewage and pollution
• atomic energy and bombs
• almost everything associated with sex
• taxes and debt (including credit cards)
• underground criminal organisations
• spy networks

The period 2005 to 2015 is the key Scorpio time associated with the Scorpio micro-age decan (2005-10) and Scorpio micro-age decan overflow (2010-15) sitting as the middle decan within the Cancer micro-age (2000-15) (see table below). Within the Aquarian age, the most relevant aspect that relates to the whole 21^st century is Scorpio.  This is because there are twelve sub-ages in each age, and the Scorpio sub-age existed from 1791 until 1970.  Due to the fact that ages and their sub periods behave like waves the following period 1970 to 2148 demonstrates the dispersion of the Scorpionic energy (technically the Scorpio sub-age overflow) over the following Libra sub-age.  There are twelve sub-ages in each astrological age.  Furthermore each sub-age has twelve micro-ages of approximately 15 years each, with each micro-age consisting of three decans of approximately five years each The Scorpio micro-age decan ran from 2005 until 2010, with its overflow period 2010 to 2015 – but with its most potent time from 2007 until 2012 (the top of the bell curve) which I term the Scorpio quasi-micro-age decan (2007-12) though the whole period 2005 to 2015 is the full Scorpio hotspot as this little Scorpio micro-age decan resonates with the momentum of the Scorpio sub-age overflow (1970 – 2148).

The main correlation to Scorpio was not emphasized in the above list from 2006. The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) appeared right on target with the arrival of the Scorpio quasi-micro-age decan (2007-12) and mainly departed by the end of 2012 except for some remnant kicking and screaming by southern peninsular European countries (and this can be expected to continue until 2015). I did list ‘taxes and debt (including credit cards)’ but the GFC was a significant magnification of these issues especially related to debt.  I doubt if few people would disagree that 2007 to 2012 was extremely out of kilter with the economic norm we have come to expect in the modern world.  As a result, people have been focused upon reducing their debt including credit cards that is proving to be an anti-stimulus to the economy.  One of the major political issues in the USA over the course of this period is the political impasse over the US debt limit.  The Democrats want to increase taxes, while the Republicans want to decrease expenditure – but both are strong Scorpio archetypes. This is unlikely to be fully resolved until 2015.  The reduction in expenditure, consumption and debt will be an ongoing theme in the First World for the next century and a half with this little Scorpio hotspot a foretaste of the new world economic paradigm.  While the First World slows down, the Developing World will be full steam ahead (until they catch up and then suffer the same fate).

Scorpio archetypes include revolution and general instability.  The widespread flare-up of disenchanted citizens in many Middle Eastern countries since early 2011 included: Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Jordan, Mauritania, Sudan, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Djibouti, Morocco, Iraq, Somalia, Bahrain, Iran and Kuwait.[1]   From an astrological perspective, it is interesting that the revolutionary fervor is basically located in Middle Eastern Muslim nations, while the similar revolutionary fervor of the 1960s and 70s was mainly associated with Western nations (the main exception to this was Iran).  The current Middle Eastern instability is occurring in the Cancer micro-age (2000 – 2015).  Cancer is the main sign associated with Islam, and also has long antecedents in the Middle East (Cancer is always associated with the middle of anything).

While the Middle Eastern unrest is mainly a drive against authoritarian leaders (Capricorn), all the other revolutionaries around the world are busy blowing up churches, mosques, temples and innocent people to further their extremist agendas.  They are also empowered by the current Scorpio hotspot as terrorists belong to Scorpio.  The recent assassination of Osama bin Laden has multiple Scorpio archetypes attached to it – terrorism, revolutionary leader, assassination, and spy networks.

Tyrants are also strongly associated with Scorpio, and they received a lot of attention from the arrival of the current Scorpio hotspot– and top of the list was Colonel Gaddafi of Libya, but he was not alone in his obnoxiousness.  In real terms the first prize should go to the late Kim Jong-il of North Korea – shelling a South Korean inhabited island, launching provocative missiles, sinking a South Korean naval ship and always threatening to produce nuclear weapons. His son has continued along the same path to date.  It is one of those ironies of the astrological ages and politics that the same sign Scorpio breeds revolutions and tyrants.  They both seem to appear relatively simultaneously and the French Revolution at the very beginning of the Scorpio sub-age (1791-1970) was its first classic example.

The key nuclear issue associated with the current Scorpio hotspot is the Japanese disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant following the tsunami in March 2011.  This is the greatest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986 and both events are the only two nuclear accidents to measure Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.[2]  Until this nuclear accident, the current Scorpio hotspot had seen a sharp revival of interest in building more nuclear reactors around the world to a level not seen for decades (since the previous Scorpio hotspot).  Currently 60 nuclear plants are under construction – with the majority in Asia and many existing plants are being upgraded.  The plants in operation in 2009 provided 15% of the world’s electricity. 155 nuclear reactors are in the planning stage with another 320 proposed.[3]  As one adverse aspect of this new push towards nuclear energy, the German government suffered some serious political humiliation early in 2011, after the Japanese tsunami, due to its strong promotion of nuclear power prior to the Japanese accident. Japan even temporarily put on hold plans to expand its nuclear energy. The world will progressively turn to nuclear power over the coming 150 years bringing its attendant benefits and disadvantages.

On the sexual front the push to decriminalize homosexuality and legalize gay marriage has definitely seen a marked revival around the world over the last five years.  In the Scorpio micro-age and overflow (1955-70-85), the sexual focus was mainly upon the impact of the contraceptive pill. The focus has shifted from heterosexuals to homosexuals in recent years but for most gays, they may have to wait for the Aquarius quasi micro-age decan (2017 – 2022).  Surveys state that  even in socially conservative Australia the general public want this issue resolved but politicians prefer to placate the minority conservative religions.  Of course, the exposition of the sexual depravity and aberrations of many priests, church officials and some youth organisations over the last five years has left an indelible stain on many organisations, especially the Roman Catholic Church.  Such is the extent of the problem that even Australia’s Cardinal Pell has recently advocated for married priests.

We have had some classic and major intrigues associated with spies.  Firstly the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, a former officer of the Soviet KGB and later an agent of the British MI6 and Spanish secret services who is alleged to have been murdered at the end of 2006 by radioactive polonium-210[4] – anything radioactive belongs to Scorpio.  His murder about two months before the technical start of the Scorpio quasi-micro-age decan means he was murdered at the very end of the previous Pisces quasi-micro-age decan with Pisces the ruler of poisonings.  He was affected by both Pisces and Scorpio as his death occurred in the Scorpio micro-age decan (2005-10).  Another classic spy scandal was the unearthing of the Russian sleeper spy cell in 2010 with 10 agents arrested.  Some agents had been in the USA since the mid 1990’s.[5]  Even the recent revival of the James Bond franchise suggests a renewed fascination by the general public with spies.  The highly successful Sopranos and related TV series focused upon mafia gangs and criminals ties in tightly with the Scorpio hotspot. In 2013 TV Guide ranked the Sopranos in the Top 10 list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time.[6]

Did the Scorpio hotspot (2007-12) within the Scorpio micro-age decan and overflow (2005-15) demonstrate a heightened manifestation of Scorpio archetypes?  The GFC is probably the most potent example of Scorpio in this time frame but the Fukushima nuclear accident is a close second.  Revolution and general instability mainly in the Middle East has also demonstrated a strong Scorpio focus.  The killing of Osama Bin Laden and all other listed items from 2006 strongly suggest that Scorpio has recently been peaking in world affairs.  Even the massive loss of ice in the Arctic ultimately as a repercussion of pollution is a double Scorpio archetype – Scorpio rules both ice (fixed water) and pollution (the world’s waste).  From 1948 until 2002, the average decline of ice in the Artic was 3% per decade.  Right on target in 2007, the loss of Arctic ice significantly increased – far more than the decrease of ice at the Antarctic.  As a result, for the first time in recorded history, the Northwest Passage opened to ships without the need of icebreakers.[7]

The next Scorpio period of the same magnitude of the recent Scorpio hotspot is the Scorpio micro-age decan and overflow (2059-64-69) – something to warn your grandchildren about.  We are now at the very beginning of the Cancer quasi micro-age decan (2012-2017) and so the emphasis has shifted to Cancer – but we can still expect some significant remnant Scorpio developments until 2015 – especially aligned to the ten months of the Scorpio nano-age decan and overflow in the last part of 2014 and early 2015 (probably indicating the next significant but temporary downturn of the stock market). Under Cancer, the general public becomes even more fickle, and Capricorn leaders around the world are being undermined, one way or another.  Many heads will roll (politically) but the USA is on course for its first female president.  Long term plans (such as reigning in pollution to prevent destructive climate change) are temporarily against the collective desires of the Cancer general public who generally cannot see beyond immediate emotional issues and their wallet.  Don’t worry, the Aquarius quasi-micro-age decan (2017-22) will bring back some forward planning, innovative developments but also some heightened revolutionary fervor (for better or worse).  The period 2017 to 2022 will be the first solid experience of Aquarius for surviving Baby Boomers.

For a more detailed analysis of the above, see:

• SCORPIO – the Sign of the Times …. Revisited – Part 1 –Revolution and Tyrants
• SCORPIO – the Sign of the Times …. Revisited Part 2 – Nuclear Issues
• SCORPIO – the Sign of the Times …. Revisited Part 3 – Taxes & Debt

End notes:

---

[1] “2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests.” Wikipedia, 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2011.

[2]  “Analysis: A month on, Japan nuclear crisis still scarring” International Business Times (Australia). 9 April 2011, retrieved 12 April 2011

[3] “Plans For New Reactors Worldwide”, http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf17.html, downloaded 22 April 2010

[4] “Alexander Litvinenko.” Wikipedia,  1 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.

[5] “Illegals Program” Wikipedia, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.

[6] “The Sopranos.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Mar. 2013. Web. 4 Mar. 2013.

[7] “Polar ice packs.” Wikipedia, 2 Mar. 2013. Web. 4 Mar. 2013.

If you wish to follow this ground-breaking research into the astrological ages, many resources are available at:

www.macro-astrology.com

First Nano-Age Decan Discovered?

When I commenced researching the astrological ages in 1987, I immediately realized that astrological ages of some 2,150 years each were just too massive to readily assimilate.  I therefore examined the possibility that each age consisted of 12 sub-ages (as many other researchers had previously attempted – such as Charles Carter).  It took about six weeks, but finally I found the last two sub-ages of the Pisces age and the first three sub-ages of the Aquarian age.  However I was basically limited to an accuracy in the order of a sub-age (approximately 179 years), and therefore while I could isolate the 15^th century unambiguously for the arrival of the Aquarian age, I could do little better than pick the right century.

In 1994 I publish my first booklet and announced that the Aquarian age had arrived between 1457 and 1472 based on the presumption I had drilled down to the next level and accurately divided each sub-age into 12 micro-ages (of approximately 15 years each). This was documented in “The Book of World Horoscopes” (1999) by Nicholas Campion (p 489).  However, my initial investigation of the micro-ages was flawed.  After a six years interregnum, I recommenced my research in 2000 and re-evaluated the micro-ages and arrived at a new time period of 1443 – 1447 for the arrival of the Aquarian age as documented in ISAR’s email newsletter 212 on 28 Dec 2002.  I realized that if I was to improve the rectification process, I would need to find micro-age decans (approx. five years each).

By May 2006, I believed that I had found all the possible micro-age decans that existed from 1791 allowing me to fine tune the arrival of the Aquarian age to 1433. The possible discovery early this year of nano-age decans (of approximately five months each) indicates that if this hypothesis is proved correct, then the arrival of the Age of Aquarius may be fine-tuned to around either the first, second, third or fourth quarter of 1433.

While the existence of five months nano-age decans may seem ephemeral or even ludicrous, it is their ability to tighten the rectification of the arrival of the Aquarian age that offers the greatest initial utility from this discovery. However there is one unexpected issue associated with these quasi nano-age decans that I have not had to concern myself about with when researching larger sub-periods. Many astrologers know that there is a one degree retrograde movement of the earth over 72 years due to precession of the equinoxes. However this movement is not linear. Based on the formula for Rigorous Precession, there are two period each year of one to three months duration whereby the earth experiences an anti-retrograde motion (ie precession temporarily halts and moves the other way or ‘forward’). This will marginally affect the 15 months nano-ages, but the 5 months nano-age decans will be greatly distorted with some possibly lasting much more than 5 months, and other squashed into a time-frame less than 5 months. This is why I am calling these quasi nano-age decans with an average duration of 5 months ‘pulses’.

Nevertheless, these little periods or pulses of an average time-frame of five months do offer a context for events and developments in the world.  If my assessment is correct, the world is currently transitioning from a five months Aries period to a five months Sagittarius period (the first two decans of the Leo nano-age 2012-13)  The Aries events are focused between December 2012 and February 2013 and include: the school massacre in Connecticut, the  Japan China East China Sea Dispute, Lance Armstrong’s performance enhancing drugs confession on the Oprah Winfrey show, the Europol match-fixing investigation, the spectacular meteorite in the Russian Urals, the alleged murder of Reeva Steenkamp by Oscar Pistorius in South Africa and other items particularly involving the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport.  The hissy-fit by North Korea over the UN reactions to its atomic bomb test in early 2013 also has strong Aries overtone – it is not every day a country threatens to target the USA!  This is probably the best example of the God of War taking advantage of a little five month period aligned to Aries (with the American pro-gun lobby vying for first place). I have already documented a couple of events linked to the incoming Sagittarius nano-age decan. It is very possible that the election of Pope Francis on 13 March 2013 is one of the first notable events with strong archetypal relationship to Sagittarius as Sagittarius is always linked to mainstream religions.

The complete details on the above research have just been published at my other WordPress blog at The Cutting Edge of the Aquarian Age  

Waiting for Ages

Some years ago I watched a swords and sandal epic movie (produced in Italy with English sub-titles) about an old Grecian legend involving titans, monsters heroes etc.  The titans had just been released from some kind of very long captivity from a previous age.  One titan (in human form) was chatting with a barmaid and said “I have been waiting for ages to meet someone as beautiful as you”.  This innocuous story led me to consider how the astrological ages correspond with developments with the astrological ages.  Allegorically this could be likened to the astrological ages navel gazing.

The ‘modern’ approach to the astrological ages was kicked off by the Greek astronomer-astrologer Hipparchus in the late 2^nd century BC when he irrefutably discovered the slow eastward shift of the stars due to the precession of the equinoxes.  This newly perceived perspective from around 127 BC (for the Greeks at least) allowed Hipparchus to conceptualize the astrological ages.  This occurred in the previous Scorpio sub-age (189 – 8 BC) – specifically extremely close to the first sub-age decan cusp around 129 BC, the Cancer sub-age decan cusp.

Jump forward to modern times, and the equivalent to 127 BC is 1853 AD (equivalent in the sense that both 1853 AD and 127 BC exist two years past their respective Cancer sub-age decan cusp).  There is also another way of relating specific periods between different ages.  Each age is approximately 2150 years.  Add 2150 years (an age) to 127 BCE and we arrive at 2024 AD.  At a minimum, we know that the period 1853 to 2012 (leading to 2024) has experienced a revolution in the acceptance, understanding or recognition of the astrological ages in modern times along with a massive resurgence of interest in astrology. 

In the 19^th century Blavatsky, who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875, popularized the concept of a new age commencing in 1888 and some of her followers specifically addressed the Age of Aquarius.  This marks a new age for the astrological ages rising to a crescendo in the late 1960s when the musical Hair proudly proclaimed in its first song ‘this is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius’.  References to the Age of Aquarius are now so ubiquitous, that on any day, about half a dozen references can be found in the media (especially in the USA), and particularly promoting the urban myth that the Age of Aquarius arrived in the 1960s and 70s.  In following the press and online articles, many commentators suggest that the Age of Aquarius lasted 10 or 20 years as the world seems to have moved away from the Age of Aquarius in recent decades.

Therefore in the two periods associated with highpoints for the astrological ages, both are associated with a Scorpio sub-age and both periods are about one age apart.  The next area of interest is another age before Hipparchus discovered precession.  Using both methods as applied above, 2150 years before 127 BC takes us back to 2277 BC based on an age with an average of 2150 years.  Two years past the Cancer sub-age decan cusp of the ancient Scorpio sub-age (2188 – 2006 BC) places us around the year 2125 BC.  Therefore the period 2277 to 2125 is the target period for an ancient highpoint related to the astrological ages.  For many people this is ridiculous because in academia, precession of the equinoxes was only discovered by Hipparchus around 127 BC.  How could anyone before this time know about astrological ages or precession of the equinoxes?

Though academia rejects ancient knowledge of precession of the equinoxes and the astrological ages before Hipparchus – mountains of circumstantial evidence suggests the contrary.  Most astrologers know that astrology is too subtle and sophisticated for academics to comprehend (they need an apple to fall on their head), so we will put aside their collective limitation and move back to very ancient times and see if ancient astronomers may have made advances in their understanding or knowledge of the astrological ages.  Surprisingly, the period 2277 to 2125 BC hits the nail right on the head.  A major restructuring of the zodiacal constellations occurred in the late third millennium BCE because over the thousands of years since the Mesopotamians had been observing the heavens, the constellations had shifted position due to precession of the equinoxes.[1]  It is believed this restructure of the constellations occurred in what is known as the Akkadian period (2390–2210 BC).  If the astronomers from this ancient time could perceive that the stars had shifted, did it occur to them that the stars would keep shifting into the future?  Did they relate astrological ages to these shifting stars? 

Though we cannot be certain of the knowledge-base of ancient astronomers, we can historically perceive the developments in ancient astronomy.  For thousands of years a cosmic religion had existed where the heavenly bodies were deified.  Sometime, not long before 2000 BCE in Mesopotamia, the astronomers commenced applying astrological concepts to the heavenly bodies.[2]  This very major development in astrology appears around our target period of 2277 to 2125 BC.  Another key development is that the stars and constellation, as defined in those ancient times, became ‘frozen’ until Hipparchus appeared around one age later.  As early as 1915 researchers noticed that the ancient Greeks inherited the Babylonian constellations, but the constellations they used were defined around 2084 BC (in the final florescence of the old Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia).[3]  Other researchers agree with this approach. 

Basically what we have is three highpoints associated with astrology (and astronomy) in general, including the astrological ages to a certain extent – all associated with a Scorpio sub-age.  Between these highpoints are large periods of time of erratic or reduced activity or understanding but with some highpoints, particularly when any period is associated with Aquarius.  For most of the 1^st and 2^nd millenniums BC, a lot of important astronomical/astrological knowledge or understanding appears to have been lost in the turbulence of those times, and people much information could only be hand down and possibly only partially understood.

There is a delusionary expectation that as the years unfold, everything improves.  This is not the case.  Shakespeare is still called the greatest poet the world has seen.  Michelangelo’s artwork is revered today.  Any original Impressionist painting is worth a fortune.  Picasso is undoubtedly the greatest surrealist or abstract painter the world has known.  Most of the best classical composers lived a number of centuries ago.  People will be listening to the music of the 1960s and 70s in awe for centuries.  The best novelists the world will appear around 2029 (minus 15 years or plus 60 years), and not to be overtaken for around another 700 years.

The reason for these spikes in accomplishment is that they all relate to peaks in ages and sub-ages.  For example, the power of Pisces at the time of Shakespeare will not be replicated for almost another 26,000 years.  The music of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, the Beatles and so on is associated with the Pisces-Aquarius age (1433- 3574) with a highpoint for Scorpio in 1970.  As Richard Tarnas points out in his music and astrology workshops, the music of the 1960s and 70s was the combination of the Uranian (Aquarian) electric medium combined with the sexual rock-and-roll beat of Pluto (Scorpio).

Therefore it can be expected that the current highpoint for astrology in general and specifically the astrological ages will not be constant in the coming millennia. It is therefore appropriate that such a major discovery of the true nature of the astrological ages is made during the current period when the astrology of our time resonates with major advances in astrology.  Even ten years ago, near the beginning of my major research into the astrological ages, I was aware of the need to produce a book at a time that was a suitable highpoint for astrology.  The whole Scorpio subage and overflow (1791-1970-2148) is a highpoint for astrology, but there are specific Scorpio hotspots within this multi-century period.  One such hotspot is the current Scorpio micro-age decan and overflow (2005-10-15) with the bell curve highpoint located 2007-12 (basically aligned to the GFC).  Ten years ago I thought this hotspot was located around 2020 and so I thought I had plenty of time to write my book.  This illusion was shattered in 2006 when I eventually fine-tune my rectification of the start of the Aquarian age to 1433 – about 10 years earlier than my previous estimate.  This advanced the current Scorpio hotspot from around 2020 to 2010.  I immediately felt the pressure to produce the book of the astrological ages and I commenced writing it in 2007, with it being published in 2011.

For those readers interested in the astrological ages we live in a magic period.  In hindsight it is easy to see why Hipparchus in the 2^nd century BC got his calibration technique for measuring the astrological ages wrong.  This is why for over the last 2,000 years the astrological ages have been a mere toy and plaything for some astrologers, as it gave the hint of correlation but was basically useless as a predictive tool.  One of the big questions I have is: did the astronomer-astrologers of around 2100 BC perceive and understand the astrological ages?  Circumstantial evidence cannot provide a definitive answer but there is a good possibility the answer is yes.  Every time you look at a zodiacal constellation in the sky, you are looking at the forensic evidence left by the ancient astronomer-astrologers over 4,000 years ago.  These zodiacal constellations, in their heliacal rising mode of calibration, are exactly aligned to the astrological ages as defined with the Age of Aquarius arriving in 1433 AD.  Is this an accident or were the zodiacal constellations purposely defined to measure the astrological ages? Now this is a real mystery!  Will we have to wait another age to find out?

For details about my book THE DAWNING see www.macro-astrology.com/purchase.html

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[1] Babylonian Star-Lore, p. 256–9

[2] The Great Year, p. 21

[3] Mythology of the Babylonian People, p. 322

Preview to a new book on the astrological ages AVAILABLE NOW

For those readers of this blog that are interested in diving into the deep end of the astrological ages, my first book on the astrological ages will hopefully be published later in 2010.  It has been a writing project in progress for three years and it will provide a definitive explanation of the astrological ages, the mechanics of the astrological ages, and some important divisions of the astrological ages based on decanates (decans or one-third of an age).  Most of the content is devoted to the correlation of the astrological ages to historical developments over the last 12,000 years.

Some readers of this blog may not want to wait until later in 2010 for the book.  Therefore I have produced a pdf version of the first ten chapters of Part 1 of the book  (including the preface, two appendices, and glossary) for $US5 a copy and available at macro-astrology.com

The following is extracted from the beginning of Chapter 1 of the draft version of the new book:

The musical Hair proudly proclaimed in the late 1960s that ‘this is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius’. Since then the Age of Aquarius has become part of our cultural milieu to the extent that most westerners have an opinion on the Age of Aquarius, including those who are against astrology. Occasionally when I express to someone that the Age of Aquarius arrived within a few years of 1433 AD, the response is usually one of amazement and sometimes hostility. The most common response is along the lines: “Isn’t the Age of Aquarius just starting around now or soon?”  This is because the ages, or more specifically the Age of Aquarius, have entered into the realm of contemporary mythology.  

On any day usually over ten new references to the Age of Aquarius are found somewhere on the web, and each week a number of newspaper articles from around the world will reference it.[1] They commonly assume that the start of the Aquarian age coincided with the 1960s and 70s rebellious youth, hippies and appearance of the counter culture, alternative culture or New Age movement. The second assumption in these newspaper articles (but particularly noticeable in New Age, psychic or mystical websites) is that the Aquarian age will usher in some kind of utopia, higher consciousness or superior age. Many concepts are associated with the Age of Aquarius and they fascinate idealists and dreamers. Unfortunately, the information that is broadcast throughout western media and books accounts for less than one percent of the true reality of the astrological ages. The Age of Aquarius sparks idealistic concepts and interpretations without any recourse to research, substantiation or any supporting evidence. Some astrologers show greater knowledge and expertise on the subject but they also fail to agree on the concrete details of the astrological ages.

What is the Age of Aquarius and what is its meaning?  What came before it?   How long does it last?  When exactly does the Age of Aquarius start and how long is its dawn?  Is there any connection between the ages and the common astrological sun-signs?  For example, will someone born with Aquarius strong in their horoscope handle the new Aquarian age better than people without this Aquarius?  Despite the acceptance of the Age of Aquarius into our cultural heritage, very little is known about it by the general public. Even astrologers don’t fare much better. It is commonly expressed that the Age of Aquarius will usher in a new age of peace and harmony. This statement assumes that the age that Aquarius will replace was negative or somehow lower in standard than Aquarius. The age before the Aquarian age is the Pisces age. Is the zodiacal sign Pisces bad and Aquarius good? Not in modern astrology but traditional or earlier forms of astrology did assign positiveness and negativity to different signs and planets.

Each zodiacal sign is a collection of positive and negative archetypes, and some signs are more positive or negative than others. As a new age replaces an older age, a new set of positive and negative archetypes replaces the old set of positive and negative archetypes – possibly with a mildly different ratio of positiveness to negativity. Nevertheless, there is a cultural expectation that a new and bright dawning of the Aquarian age is going to bring to the world an utopia without wars, greed and corruption. And that small communities will live an organic existence in this mythical semi-medieval paradise, at one with the environment and cosmic forces. The Aquarian age is expected to be far more positive than the former Pisces age, but this implies that Aquarians in society would demonstrate greater achievements or positivism in their lives compared to Pisces people. To my knowledge, this has never been the case. Many people in western society expect that a soon to arrive new Aquarian age will correct all the ills and problems of the world. Culture is not rational and people tend to cling to their cultural values like a security blanket. Acknowledging that the Aquarian age arrived over 500 years ago undermines that cultural expectation and suggests that the utopia associated with the Aquarian age is a fantasy. This hard reality is fiercely resisted.

The situation is little better among astrologers who also fall to the cultural expectation of an Aquarian age utopia. Very few astrologers research or study the ages and, among those that do, there is very little agreement about the ages and the Age of Aquarius specifically. The purpose of this book is to answer the unanswered questions of the ages to anyone who is interested based on research stretching over two decades. The astrological ages are truly fascinating as a new reference point for history and current world developments and ultimately may appeal more to historians than astrologers.

The material in this book is controversial to many astrologers due to its radical and innovative approach to the ages. For over two thousands years, astrologers have followed the lead of an Ancient Greek astronomer, Hipparchus (c.160-125 BC) as the initial authority on the ages. This situation has parallels in the scientific world. Until the Renaissance, Ancient Greek and Roman scientists such as Aristotle, Galen and Ptolemy were the accepted authorities in their fields. Once European scientists from the Renaissance onwards started testing their theories, they discovered that experiments failed to confirm many of their claims. The introduction of empirical experiments from the Renaissance onwards resulted in the modern scientific revolution. The position Hipparchus took in relation to the ages has not undergone the same thorough testing until now. This major oversight by astrologers in the field of the ages has prolonged a significant error Hipparchus unwittingly made. This is not an implied criticism of astrologers, as astrologers have not had the benefit of government funded research, unlike their distant cousins in academia over the last 500 years. Without funding, astrological research based on the continuation of an antiquated approach to the astrological ages is understandable.

This book focuses upon three critical areas involving the ages. Firstly, the correlation between periods of time based on the ages and the corresponding historical events based mainly upon traditional history.  Secondly, the accurate assignment of dates for the cusp of the ages to within only a few years margin of error. Therefore, when I state that the Age of Aquarius arrived in 1433 AD, the error range is 1431-1433 (i.e. two years). In contrast, there is a huge variation of thousands of years for the possible start of each age among astrologers. For example, Nicholas Campion produced a list of expected dates for the arrival of the Aquarian age that is over six pages long and ranges from 1447 (a slightly inaccurate date that I supplied some years ago) to 3621 AD.[2]  Thirdly, the emphasis will be taken away from the ages as homogenous periods and much attention will be placed on historical developments within ages that apply to only portions or specific parts of ages. Ages are approximately 2,150 to 2,160 years long and are not a constant figure. At this point of the cycle of ages at least, each age is slightly shorter in length compared to the previous age.

 

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[1] Information provided by Google Alerts for the period 12 – 19 Nov 2007

[2] The Book of World Horoscopes, Pgs 489-495

The Aquarian Age Rocks!

© Terry MacKinnell 2008 All Rights Reserved

Recently I had the pleasure of attending Richard Tarnas’ workshop The Harmony of the Spheres.  What was so special about this workshop is that Richard was able to demonstrate how music related to specific planetary energies.  For example the whining electric guitar is Uranus (the planet Uranus is the ‘ruler’ of Aquarius).  Venus (ruler of Libra) produces a totally different sound, rich in melody and harmony.  Neptune (Pisces) introduces serenity.  Richard provided many examples including the Big Brother and the Holding Company (Uranus/Aquarian) electric guitar lead in to Janis Joplin’s deep and intense (Scorpio) singing.

What I found so interesting is that the 1970’s marked the highpoint of the Scorpio energy within the Aquarian age (the Scorpio sub-age of Aquarius to be technically correct).   Scorpio introduces the rhythmic sexual intensity of rock-and-roll and Aquarius contributes the electric guitar.  This fusion of Scorpio with Aquarius that was at a highpoint in the 1960’s and 70s defined the rock and counterculture revolution of the time.  This is the time that urban myths refer to as the beginning of the Age of Aquarius, and some people actually think these two decades were the Age of Aquarius, not realizing that ages last some 2150 years.

There is one very good reason why people mistake the 60s and 70s for the start of the Aquarian age.  Certainly these two decades were exciting, revolutionary and confrontational to mainstream society.  Some archetypes are associated with only one sign, but many archetypes are associated with two or more signs.  For example airplanes are associated with both Aquarius (flight) and Sagittarius (long distanced travel).  Revolution is associated with both Aquarius and Scorpio.  It is easy to see that when Scorpio arrived at its high energy point in the 60s and 70s (at the end of the Scorpio sub-age) that is located within the Aquarian age, revolution was the winning archetype.

This revolution was not limited to music.  There was also the Sexual Revolution (sex is ruled by Scorpio).  Unfortunately there were also a lot of assassinations (President Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King etc) as Scorpio rules death.  In addition Scorpio also rules excrement, and the excrement of the world is pollution.  Ever since Scorpio attained its height in the 60s and 70s, the effects from the scourge of pollution, that has been silently and relentlessly contaminating the atmosphere, oceans and soil, can no longer be ignored.   Scorpio also rules evolution and metamorphosis – and right on cue arrived born-again Christians.

The list of Scorpio archetypes is much greater than I have mentioned above (i.e. atomic bombs, nuclear energy and minimalism are also associated with Scorpio) but you should recognize the general drift. The impact of the strong influence from Scorpio upon the world within the Aquarian age should extend to the middle of the 21^st century.  So while the world waits with expectation for the Aquarian age (that actually arrived many centuries ago) the real issue at our neck of the woods in the unfolding of world history is actually Scorpio.

The good and bad news related to Scorpio is that the world is again heading for another Scorpio hotspot, releasing once again much of the stored up revolutionary fervor of the 60s and 70s.  This little Scorpio hotspot in the new episode will only have about a five years moment of glory between 2009 or 2010 and 2015 but nevertheless we should see the first serious crack in the conservative wall that politicians have created since the 60s and 70s.

On the music level, it should start some serious rock-and-roll again.  This Scorpio hotspot is resonating with the energy of the Scorpio sub-age.  Whatever Scorpio does, it must do in harmony with Aquarius, as the age over rules a sub-age in authority.  A key archetype of Aquarius is excitement.  When hippies dreamed of the paradisiacal Age of Aquarius expecting love, cosmic harmony and a lift in consciousness little did they realize that these attributes have nothing to do with Aquarius – but a lot to do with Libra (love) and Pisces (dreams, paradise, cosmic harmony). Aquarius is technology, electricity, flight, freedom, democracy, fascism, dictators, mental illness (thus the need for anti-depressants) and especially excitement.  It is always exciting in the Age of Aquarius.

You can feel the excitement of the Age of Aquarius when it arrived many centuries ago.  Leonardo da Vinci was so excited about his scientific speculations that he wrote with both hands simultaneously.  Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler made astonishing discoveries in astronomy – dispelling the notion of a flat earth for example. The printing press was invented and people became stimulated by a rush of new ideas and concepts – all very exciting and many historians believe this explosion of new ideas promoted the rise of democracy.  Michelangelo stunned the world with his art.  Sailors discovered the Americas and untold number of countries, islands and cultures as they intrepidly explored the far reaches of the world.  Scientist discovered logic and set in train the modern Scientific Revolution.  Democracy reared its head in the USA and went forth and multiplied.  Charles Darwin unlocked the secret of evolution.  Computers were invented, the internet developed.  The world has never seen previously this level of excitement (to our knowledge) – why, because Aquarius is synonymous with excitement.

We live in exciting times, not perfect times.  There is nothing in the traditional associations of Aquarius that suggest that the Aquarian age is the Age of Perfection or the Age of Love. The urban myths of the Aquarian age are a fantasy – there is no Garden of Eden in the Aquarian age – it is the Age of Excitement.  Unfortunately the followers of Hitler were incredibly excited by his promise of a thousand years of Nazi domination in the Third Reich.

Why do tyrants and dictators come under the wing of Aquarius, the sign of democracy?  Tyrants and dictators are so inspired or excited by their own absolutely true insights that they have no qualms about forcing these on the less realized.  Aquarius rules mental stimulation.  Dictators like Hitler were mentally stimulated.  The German people even said they were `electrified’ by Hitler’s speeches (electricity is also ruled by Aquarius).  Charles Manson is another classic example on the wrong side of Aquarius – all signs have their dark side!.

While the urban myths of the Aquarian age perceive a paradise, it cannot be based upon the astrological ages as there is no perfect sign in astrology.  The closest thing to perfection is the sign Virgo, but even here it is a two-edged sword.  The archetypes of purity, virginity and perfection align themselves to Virgo, but if you don’t measure up to Virgo’s high standards you will be severely criticized – compassion is thin on the ground near Virgo.  If being hen-pecked is your idea of perfection then you should have delayed your birth until the Age of Virgo.

Perfection, the Garden of Eden, everyone behaving like mahatmas, universal love and so on will not arrive in the Age of Aquarius, and if they did the situation would be short-lived.  Why?  Because other strong archetypes associated with Aquarius are inconsistency – and sudden and unexpected changes.  The Aquarian lightening flash of inspiration brings excitement, but can suddenly and unexpectantly pull the rug out from under you before you know it!  Aquarius works both ways.

Therefore in the Aquarian age, take whatever excitement you can, as there is no guarantee it will last.  If it is not some dictator or conservative politician it will be some religious figure or fanatical group that will do their best to dampen the excitement.  Notice recently the Pope wants to add another seven sins to the list.  Obviously things are getting far too exciting!  Notice that it is still not a sin to get drunk but the new sins comes down heavy on other intoxicants.  While many people will behave like some kind of school principal and try to force you to recant your exciting lifestyle, remember that this is the Age of Aquarius and the Aquarian age rocks!  This is the time to thumb your noses at authority – a little Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix or John Lennon may remind you of this Aquarian reality with a strong Scorpio flavor.