Libra micro-age decan & overflow (January 1692 – December 1701)

The Gemini micro-age (Jan 1687 – Dec 1701) contains a Libra MAD&OF (Jan 1692 – Jan 1697 – Dec 1701) and mimics to a certain extent the early 21st-century configuration – the Libra micro-age decan and overflow (Dec 2019 – Nov 2029). The major influence of the late 17^th century was the Leo sub-age decan overflow (1672 – 1731) which appropriately restored the English monarchy and all the opulent embellishments made taboo during the grim years of Cromwell’s Puritans. This period called The Restoration commenced prior to this Libra period in 1660 when the pendulum of English morality swung from repression to license more or less overnight.  This small Libra period was therefore rejoicing in its newly returned frivolity of all types.

The First Global War

Once again, a major conflict was in place though it had already commenced prior to this Libra period, but it was mostly within the Libra period that the fiercest fighting occurred in 1692-3.  The Nine Years’ War (1688–1697) was a conflict between France and an opposing European coalition which included England, Spain and Portugal with theatres also in North America and India. Its importance in association with this Libra period is that this war is not only considered to be the first global war – but also is considered a precursor to the two world wars of the 20^th century.

The Nine Years’ War encompassed Ireland and Jacobite risings in Scotland (with some later elements of the Jacobite risings partly portrayed in the TV series Outlander), and North America between French and English settlers and their respective Indigenous allies.  England was once again threatened by invasion, this time by the new European bully – France (which had replaced Spain as the key European power to be reckoned with, but this imminent invasion was thwarted by the destruction of the French navy in 1692.  The last year of this Libra period saw the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) due to unresolved issues of the Nine Years’ War with a focus on maintaining the (Libra) balance of power between different European countries.[1]

Politics

In 1693, William Penn’s (the founder of Pennsylvania) growing concern about the devastation of perennial (Aries) war in Europe resulted in his observation that a “European dyet, or parliament”,[2] was necessary to prevent further war, without going into details.  This is why the Libra world that is coming our way will probably include an international government as even in 1693, people recognized that without an overarching government, such as maintained in the heyday of Ancient Rome, the Mongol Empire and so on, peace is otherwise difficult if not impossible. Genghis Khan is believed to have boasted that a virgin carrying a bag of gold could traverse his empire by foot without fear. Those regions such as Ancient Greece that never unified were always at war with each other.  Indian and Chinese states were regularly at war with each other except when united under one ruler.

In 1692 the Chinese emperor issued the Edict of Toleration of Christianity followed in 1698 with a similar statement of Islam stating:

“Even if you pacify the Hui people and then impede their religious practice, would it be possible to convert them to Buddhism, and have them bow and pray before the lamas? Now that the empire is at peace, make things run the way they are. Forcing them to assimilate is definitely not practical.”[3]

USA & Australia

This period saw the first known publication of an anti-slavery text in the future USA by Samuel Sewall in 1700.  In The Selling of Joseph (1700), he came out strongly against slavery, making him one of the earliest colonial abolitionists.  Sewell argued, “Liberty is in real value next unto Life: None ought to part with it themselves, or deprive others of it, but upon the most mature Consideration.”[4]  The first permanent European settlement of Louisiana occurred in 1699 (now in Mississippi) but the first European explorers had arrived in 1528 in a previous Libra period – the Libra micro-age decan and overflow (December 1527 – November 1537).

Some major discoveries of Australia’s western coastline during this Libra period was made by William Dampier (c.1651 – 1715).  In 1699 Dampier voyaged to New Holland (Australia) and though he was commissioned to explore the east coast, he actually arrived on the west coast (Western Australia) and then travel north, ending up in Timor and also explored the north coast of New Guinea.  His navigational prowess aided later voyages by James Cook and Horatio Nelson and his notes of the flora and fauna was read by Joseph Banks who later became the naturalists on some of Cook’s voyages.  Dampier’s’ voyages influenced a number of novels including Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and he believed to be the first to write in English the words “barbecue”, “avocado”, “chopsticks” and “sub-species” plus first recorded the recipes for guacamole and mango chutney.[5] 

Females & Witches

With Libra’s female focus, the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials (1692 – 1693) accused more than 200 people of witchcraft with 30 found guilty, 19 were executed by hanging (14 women and five men). One other man was pressed to death for refusing to plead, and at least five people died in jail. It was the deadliest witch hunt in the history of colonial North America. Only fourteen other women and two men had been executed in Massachusetts and Connecticut during the 17th century.  The after effects of these trials at least produced the pertinent insight that:

“it were better that one hundred Witches should live, than that one person be put to death for a witch, which is not a Witch” [6] 

This shattered the ideal of theocracy in North America based on governments supposedly having God at its head – similar to the aims of ISIS (ISIL) in the early 21st century. Samuel Sewall was one of the judges of the Salem witch trials but later retracted his position and publicly acknowledged his guilt and expressed contrition for condemning the witches on trial.

The Scottish Paisley witches were tried in 1697 after the young daughter of the Laird of Bargarran, complained of being tormented by some local witches – which included one of her family’s servants, whom she had reported after witnessing her steal a drink of milk.  Seven people were found guilty of having bewitched Shaw and were condemned to death – the last mass execution for witchcraft in Western Europe.  Shortly afterwards the former Scottish Secretary of State stated that:

“the parliaments of France and other judicatories who are persuaded of the being of witches never try them now because of the experience they have had that it’s impossible to distinguish possession from nature in disorder”.[7]  

These witchcraft trials represent the ending phase of the persecution of mainly (Libra) females as witches, and any Libra period will promote positive or negative events associated with women.

The Arts

The Relapse, (also known as Virtue in Danger) was a Restoration comedy from 1696. This play is a sequel to Colley Cibber’s Love’s Last Shift where a free-living Restoration rake is brought to repentance and reform by the ruses of his wife, while in The Relapse, the rake succumbs again to temptation and has a new love affair while his virtuous wife is also subjected to a determined seduction attempt, and resists with difficulty. In the 18th century, the prevailing tolerant attitude towards actual and attempted adultery gradually became unacceptable, and the original play was for a century replaced on the stage by a moralized version A Trip to Scarborough. On the modern stage, The Relapse has been established as one of the most popular Restoration comedies.  The Libra connection is obvious.

William Congreve’s comedy The Way of the World was first performed in London in 1700.  It is widely regarded as one of the best Restoration comedies, initially however, the play struck many audience members as continuing the immorality of the previous decades, and was not well received. In 1700, the world of London theatre-going had changed significantly because Charles II jubilant court, that had reveled in its licentiousness and opulence, had been replaced by the far more dour and utilitarian Dutch-inspired court of William of Orange –  a military king who was reported to be hostile to drama.

One of the features of a Restoration comedy is the (Libra) opposition of the witty and courtly (and Cavalier) rake and the dull-witted man of business or the country bumpkin, who is understood to be not only unsophisticated but often either Puritan or another form of dissenter. In 1685, the courtly and Cavalier side was in power, and Restoration comedies belittled the bland and foolish losers of the Restoration. However, by 1700, the other side was ascendant.

The Way of the World’s recreation of the older Restoration comedy’s patterns is only one of the things that made the play unusual.  The 1688 revolution concerning the overthrow of James II created a new set of social codes primarily amongst the bourgeoisie – their rise can be attributed to the newly arrived Sagittarius sub-age (1612 – 1791) bringing wealth and a growing middle class. The new capitalist system meant an increasing emphasis on property and property law. Thus, the play is packed with (Libra) legal jargon and financial and (Libra) marital contracts. These new (Libra) legal aspects allowed some female characters to secure their freedom through an equitable trust and for equality in marriage through a prenuptial agreement.[8]

Also appropriately for this Libra period, The Fairy-Queen was first produced in 1692 by Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695), a semi-opera and a “Restoration spectacular”. The libretto is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Purcell works were a uniquely English form of Baroque music and he is considered to be the greatest English composer up until the 20^th century.  Five of his most notable seven works were composed during this Libra period.  Though not commonly known, his music has been widely applied in the 20^th century. He composed an anthem and two elegies for Queen Mary II’s funeral which provided the title music of the 1971 film by Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange. Pete Townsend of The Who states that Purcell was an influence in their music including the introduction to Pinball Wizard as was the case with the Pet Shop Boys.  Purcell’s compositions also found their way into the movie Kramer vs. Kramer, the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice, and the German-language 2004 movie, Downfall to name a few. He died in 1695 during this Libra period at the height of his fame.[9] 

Some eponymous female characters appeared in this Libra period when in 1697 the French writer Charles Perrault published Mother Goose tales, a collection of popular fairy tales, including Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and The Sleeping Beauty.  Libra’s aesthetic side was on display in 1693 when the first known form of eau de Cologne was created. In 1700, an inventory made for the Medici family of Florence contains the first documented evidence of a piano, invented by their instrument keeper Bartolomeo Cristofori.

Snow White by Alexander Zick – Märchen, Grot’scher Verlag, Berlin 1975, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6330197

Conclusion

The precursor of the two 20^th century world wars but with France the protagonist against most other European powers indicates that Libra is not shy when it comes to major conflicts.  Such was the atmosphere of conflict that William Penn introduced the concept of a united Europe which had to wait until the arrival of the Libra sub-age (1970 – 2149) to see this dream manifest as a partial reality with the creation of the European Union.  On the other side of the world, China was turning towards religious toleration for its Muslim subjects and newly arrived Christians.  The earliest anti-slavery text in North America highlights a very early example of the precursor to the Black Lives Matter movement but the author was complicit at the infamous Salem witch trials again demonstrate the active persecution of mainly women and this same period saw the last mass execution for witchcraft in Western Europe following the Scottish Paisley witch trials.  The turning point for the persecution of witches seems to have occurred with this Libra period.  Australia also continued getting attention under Libra with much of the remaining uncharted coastline of north west of Australia mapped by William Dampier while in North America, Louisiana was first settled.

Marital comedies with relevant social issues were the rage with The Relapse and William Congreve’s comedy The Way of the World. The Fairy-Queen was first produced in 1692 and the first appearances of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty brought the world these very famous female characters.  The appearance of eau de Cologne and the first known piano cements this period to archetypes belonging to Libra.

References

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[1] War of the Spanish Succession, Wikipedia, Retrieved 04:41, December 23, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=War_of_the_Spanish_Succession&oldid=991913244

[2] Palmer, Alan; Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 198–200. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.

[3] ‘Towards an Understanding of Qianlong’s Conception of Islam. A Study of the Dedication Inscriptions of the Fragrant Concubine’s Mosque in the Imperial Capital’, Journal of Chinese Studies 中國文化研究所學報, 53 (2011): 139.

[4] Samuel Sewall, Wikipedia, Retrieved 04:09, March 14, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samuel_Sewall&oldid=1005944027

[5] William Dampier, Wikipedia, Retrieved 02:24, March 14, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Dampier&oldid=1004451140

[6] Salem witch trials, Wikipedia, Retrieved 04:55, December 23, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salem_witch_trials&oldid=991123064

[7] Levack, Brian P. (2003), Witchcraft Sourcebook, Routledge, p263 ISBN 978-0-415-19506-5,

[8] The Way of the World, Wikipedia, Retrieved 05:43, December 23, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Way_of_the_World&oldid=933832985

[9] Henry Purcell, Wikipedia, Retrieved 06:21, January 11, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Purcell&oldid=998920043

A Funny Thing Happened in the 21st Century – Part 2

The current 21st century from an astrological perspective is a ‘mild’ century.  In Part 1, an initial examination of the 21^st century was made which proposed that the 21^st century is not as dangerous compared to the 20^th and 22^nd centuries due primarily to the fact that both these centuries have a major sub-age cusp whereas the 21^st century does not.  The primary influence in the 21^st century is from the Scorpio sub-age overflow (1970-2148) and a basic examination of Scorpio archetypes was undertaken.  Sub-age cusps are not the only harbingers of disasters and difficulties, and in this post, a deeper examination of the differences between the current 21^st century compared to the two adjoining centuries is made.

For those readers not familiar with periods used in macro-astrology, you may find your understanding significantly increases if you first read Age of Aquarius for Dummies

The 20^th century saw both the peak of the Scorpio sub-age wave in 1970 and the peak of the Pisces sub-age decan (the middle decan of the Scorpio sub-age) wave in 1910.  Normally a wave associated with a sub-age decan should have only one-third the strength of a sub-age wave – but like the inevitability of Murphy’s Law, there is always an exception.  The peak of the Pisces sub-age decan wave in 1910 was the exception to the rule.  The greatest wave of all is caused by an age, and that last rolled in on an unsuspecting world in the 15^th century.  The age cusp in the 15^th century marked the boundary of the Pisces and Aquarian ages, but in the 15^th century Pisces is the sign of strength while Aquarius is just the new spindly kid on the block.

In the 15^th century, the Pisces age broke like a tsunami and is currently washing over the world for thousands of years bringing all manner of Pisces archetypes along for the ride.  Pisces is traditionally associated with Europe, is the primary sign on the USA’s totem pole, is the sign for corporations (fake bodies) and thus strongly linked to capitalism, and is the apocalyptic sign which is why key Pisces religions such as Christianity and Islam look to the end of the world for salvation.  Even many science fiction and futuristic movies often portray a post-apocalyptic future.  Pisces is the sign of endings, and many people are convinced about the imminent and messy end of human society or society as we know it.

Coincidentally Pisces archetypes include self-deception, delusion and a lack of clarity. Under Pisces’ spell, when Pisces was at its peak the Roman Catholic Church (and the new Protestantism) behaved like the Taliban or ISIS and burnt at the stake many people, exiled or persecuted them by other means due only to their beliefs.  There were massive religious wars between the Protestant and Catholic nations (similar to the Sunni and Shiite antagonism currently playing out in the Middle East).  The Black Death ravaged Europe.  The majority of the American Indians were killed by disease upon contact with their European superiors, if they had not already been murdered or enslaved.  Millions of innocent Africans were transported to become slaves with many millions dying a horrible death on route.  It was not a pretty picture.  There were many developments on the positive side of Pisces at this critical juncture but at this point, I am looking for worse case scenarios.

When the tsunami of the Pisces age wave passes over the centuries, if it comes across a significant Pisces sub-period it resonates with the smaller Pisces period creating, for a short time, a far greater impact than can normally be expected from a smaller wave.  When the Pisces age wave hit the early 20^th century, it resonated with the smaller Pisces sub-age decan wave and reminded the world of what it was like to live under medieval Pisces in earlier centuries.  This is why in the first half of the 20^th century the world saw two World Wars, the Great Depression and the millions of deaths associated with the Spanish flu in 1918 which killed more people than the First World War.  How many hundreds of millions of people were cut down before their time in the first half of the 20^th century? Again, I am focusing on the dark side of Pisces only. The first half of the 20^th century was the great disaster of modern times, and there is nothing remotely like it indicated in the current 21^st century.

On the other side of the 21st century, the 22nd century has something that only appears once every age.  Each age has three age-decans.  The cusp of one age decan coincides with the cusp of the ages so can be discounted, leaving the two remaining cusps.  The first of these two age-decan cusps takes on additional role.  The first age-decan cusp of any age is of the opposite sign of the second last age overflow and stops it in its tracks!  The whole of the Pisces age (732 BC – 1433 AD) was dominated by the Aries age overflow in the same way that the current Aquarius age (1433 – 3574) is dominated by the Pisces age overflow. However when the 15^th century arrived unleashing the Pisces age-overflow, the remnants of the Aries age overflow continued to be carried along in the slipstream.  Aries brought the Age of Warfare and the continuation of the military madness associated with Aries has carried forward into the modern world – but it has a time fuse attached to it.

War is not the only archetype attached to Aries, it is the sign of male-dominated society and sits high on the European totem pole along with Pisces in contrast with the Far East which has a focus upon Libra.  Aries has driven the constructive urge in the world where nearly everywhere in the world has numerous examples of spectacular engineering feats.  Somehow, all this comes to a screeching halt from the middle of the 22^nd century onwards because of the peak of the Libra age decan in 2148 – with Libra countering Aries’ archetypes.  Furthermore, age-decan cusps produce serious schisms, and the strength of an age decan cusp is such that even the constitutional integrity of the US government will most likely be compromised (for a short time) before political continuity returns.  Major empires and regions have a history of collapsing upon the arrival of an age-decan cusp.  Age-decan cusps are serious business.  Nothing like this is seen in the current 21^st century.

Before examining the 21^st century in detail, it is important to reiterate what has been investigated so far.  The current 21^st century, for all its problems, will in no way be comparable to the extreme destruction witnessed in the first half of the 20^th century nor what is projected to occur in the 22^nd century.  The mood however for the 21^st century will be desultory and people will feel vulnerable – some will feel very vengeful. A new ethos will grow and develop over the century which can be sourced back to the 1960s and 70s.  This has precedence and previous incarnations of this same phenomena occurred with the rise of the workers commencing the early 19^th century, and the earlier rise of the bourgeoisie (self-employed businessmen). Prior to that there was the sudden appearance of the Puritans and Protestant Christians.  In each case, these movements were associated with sub-ages – the Puritans with the Capricorn sub-age, the bourgeoisie with the Sagittarius sub-age and the workers with the Scorpio sub-age.  In all cases there were long germinations times.

Each of these sub-ages of the Aquarian age have produced a major new socio-political movement

What is the new movement or ethos emanating out of the current Libra sub-age (1970 – 2148)?  It is the New Age movement, and the growth of this new environmentally-friendly social ethos is sure to follow the same pattern.  We will not experience its culmination in this century.

The two key aspects that need to be examined for a top-down view of the 21^st century are the influences from the Scorpio sub-age overflow and the newly arrived Libra sub-age (both 1970-2148 and this period can be labelled the Scorpio-Libra sub-age) plus the role of the two sub-age decans cusps that occur in the 21^st century.  Because of the wave-like nature of all periods in macro-astrology, no period is solely influenced by only one sign.  The Scorpio sub-age overflow and Libra sub-age are occurring simultaneously as the Scorpio wave has attained its peak ascendancy in 1970 and ‘breaks’ over the following period while in 1970 the Libra sub-age comes online ready for its 179 years climb to its peak.  Abbreviating the period to the Scorpio-Libra sub-age indicates the role of the two signs in this period and the dominance of Scorpio of Libra in the timeframe.

The Scorpio-Libra sub-age (1970-2148) has a demarcation line around the year 2059.  Before 2059 Scorpio is the absolute dominant sign in the partnership, but from around 2059 Libra becomes noticeably more powerful.  The input from Scorpio has already been covered in brief, but there is more to Scorpio than regeneration.  The other key archetype associated with Scorpio is reduction including minimalism.  Scorpio likes to prune the tree.  All the predictions for the world population indicate a continuation of the exponential growth in the number of people in the world.  The population explosion was a direct result of the Sagittarius sub-age overflow (1791-1970) and few people will disagree with the association of a booming population with the sign Sagittarius.  However it is now Scorpio’s turn, and Scorpio is not expansionary like Sagittarius – in many ways it has an opposite quality.  Scorpio wants the population of the world to reduce!

How will the world’s population reduce when all the pundits predict the opposite?  Most people latch onto apocalyptic scenarios, but this melodramatic view of the future is associated with Pisces, and though Pisces is the primary sign in the world for many more centuries to come, there is no Pisces period of strength in the 21^st century to resonate with.  The most it can do is prop up the Pisces micro-age and overflow (2059-2074-2089) where it is likely to create another economic bubble which will again crash spectacularly around 2092 to 2097.

The fall in population is already occurring but most people cannot see it.  Most western nations have had negative population growth for decades which means the number of children being born is less than the number of people dying.  The only reason western countries are not shrinking is due to immigration.  This population contraction is now not limited to only western nations, many second tier nations are witnessing the same.  Furthermore, as the spread of the middle class extends from developed nations to developing nations, population growth falls because middle class families do not need to depend upon their children for their social security and labor as they grow old.  Recently, for the first time in history, more people live in urban centers than in rural areas.  This is merely confirmation of the worldwide trend towards an urbanized middle class with greater wealth than their average rural counterpart, resulting in families with significantly less children.  In addition, China, with 1.3 billion people is the most populace nation on earth and had for many decades an enforced One-Child policy which has drastically affected population growth for a significant proportion of the world’s population.

It may be too unrealistic to suggest that all the population contraction will be based solely on economic issues – other mildly catastrophic events may reduce population growth, but if disease, epidemics, pollution, violence and so on become factors that prune the world’s population, it cannot be at the same echelon of disasters that befell the world in the first half of the 20^th century.  One possible reason for population decline is due appropriately to growing rates of infertility – infertility is in the stable of Scorpio archetypes.  Infertility or difficulties for women to become pregnant has substantially increased in western nations since the 1960s.[i]  Infertility clinics are becoming as common as McDonalds.

The effects of the astrological ages and sub-periods are not uniform around the world but always radiate out from the age-empire or civilization focal point of the time.  Since the 15^th century this has been the prerogative, for better and worse, of western culture – firstly in Europe, but during the powerful Pisces resonant point in the early 20^th century, this was passed on to the USA.  The emergent developments will tend to occur first in western nations then radiate out to the rest of the world over the following decades or centuries.  The negative population growth of western nations has commenced radiating out past western nations, and though it may not hit Africa for over another century or more, it will ultimately get there.

The other big picture association to Scorpio is pollution.  Pollution will be a significant factor in world affairs at least until the early 23rd century.  When the world arrives at the peak of the Taurus sub-age decan[ii] around 2207, a counterbalancing period lasting many decades will reign in pollution or its effects one way or another.  There is no need to review the plethora of dire consequences that environmental scientists predict for the world except for one major aspect that I did briefly refer to in my book published in 2011.  Global Warming is real, and currently the heat is not going into atmospheric temperature but into rising oceanic temperature.  Apart from melting the ice at the poles, hot water expands.

“Can any insight be gained from the astrological ages about the prediction by many scientists of a serious rise in ocean levels due to climate change? Pisces takes control of the oceans, and scientists are stating that the conclusions of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are too optimistic and conservative. The average ocean levels rose about 17 cm in the twentieth century. Most people are aware that the melting of glaciers and ice sheets is contributing significantly to sea level rise. However, global warming is also causing the existing seawater to expand, thus further increasing sea level rise. Based on the combination of meltwater from melting ice and expanding oceans, some experts believe ocean levels could rise by 1 meter by 2100 CE.” [iii]

The scientific evidence suggests that the sea level will rise around one meter (over 3 feet) per century for the next five centuries.  Since the 15^th century the strongest sign in the world is Pisces and will remain Pisces at least until 2500 – therefore the astrology supports the scientists.  This will be an ongoing major catastrophe in slow motion and satisfies the requirement of our current century that detrimental change is here, but not to the destructive level of the early 20^th century.  Recently I was discussing the issue with a university lecturer in marine biology and he stated that the effects of an average sea level rise of just one inch can push back the shoreline by 20 yards or more.  Most of the world’s coastal cities are doomed, but not immediately – how long can Venice survive?

In conclusion, both the 20^th and 22^nd centuries have major astrological precipitators creating extreme situations due to the Pisces sub-age decan resonating with the Pisces age overflow in the early 20^th century, and the Libra age-decan cusp in the 22^nd century opposing the violent influence carrying over from the Aries age. The funny thing is that nothing on this level occurs in the current 21^st century.

Each sub-age produces a sub-culture with a new ethos, and I have proposed that the new and emergent sub-culture that will be in a position to deal with the world’s problems will evolve from the New Age movement and Green sympathizers.   The population explosion is not only likely to continue to considerably slow down, it may even start reducing the world population as the 21^st century unwinds, unless this is totally reserved for the 22^nd century.  Ages and all sub-periods ‘radiate’ and at this stage of the Age of Aquarius, it is western culture that is the source of the radiation, and its radiating influence will slowly but steadily affect the rest of the world for better or worse (torturing prisoners or highly questionable interrogation tactics such as waterboarding will also radiate out to the rest of the world).  On the other extreme is the Peace or New Age movement which was developed within western culture.

Finally pollution will increasingly become the issue that must be resolved and the second half of the 21st century looks promising in this regard.  The astrology suggests that the current ethos of western culture is incapable of adequately addressing the major issue of pollution due to the overriding focus upon financial profit, and that it will only be due to the growing influence of the New Age/Green movement, or whatever emerges from this movement, that will sufficiently address the problem – possibly as early as 2059 or shortly thereafter.  The drive towards addressing pollution and Climate Change will build and develop in the period leading to 2059.

References

[i] http://www.fertility.com/en/stage1/articles/article8/article8.html

[ii] This Taurus sub-age decan belongs to the Virgo sub-age (c.2148-2327)

[iii] Terry MacKinnell “The Dawning”,Xlibris, 2011, p 237-8

Associated Posts

A Funny Thing Happened in the 21st Century – Part 1

Will New Agers Rule the World

Scorpio – the Sign of the Times

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Further resources from Terry MacKinnell

www.macro-astrology.com – details of purchasing the book available

The Age of Aquarius for Dummies – explains the structure and sub-periods associated with the astrological ages

Aquarian Age Economics – Examines the relationship between macro-astrology and financial cycles

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

“The Dawning” is available from Xlibris, Amazon etc

Detailed examination of the astrological ages from the Age of Leo to the Age of Aquarius including age-decans

 

The Wisdom of the Ages

There is much wisdom to be gained from the astrological ages.  In my research and study of the ages I have taken the novel approach that to understand the ages it is necessary to ‘stand under’ the ages and let the ages teach me how they operate.  The ages do not operate in the way that the urban myths of the ages have spread.  Most astrologers define the ages and what supposedly occurs within ages based on theoretical considerations and wishful thinking, not from evidence.   The ages never indicate that paradise, utopia or a world exclusively based on consciousness, reason and rationality is around the corner – or even a possibility at any time.

In our modern world we have enough information and knowledge to examine ages in detail all the way back to the deglaciation of the world that commenced around 14,000 years ago.  It is true that highly detailed information is thin on the ground for the first few thousand years, but what information that is available from those ancient times not only support the existence of the astrological ages, but also that each age consists of positive and negative archetypes associated with the astrological sign concerned.

This is not new to astrologers.  All experienced astrologers know that the horoscope for each individual person is a combination of positive and negative elements.  Most people have a relative equal number of positive and negative astrological attributes.  There is no perfect human being and there is no perfect age.

The perspective of the ancient Chinese philosophers and sages got it right – everything associated with physical reality is composed of a combination on yin and yang, with a little bit of yang in the yin and vice versa.  What happens as each new age arrives is that the positive and negative archetypes associated with the new sign slowly take over from the positive and negative archetypes of the influence from the previous age.  This is what is happening in the world today.  The Pisces momentum from the Pisces age has promoted the positive and negative archetypes of Pisces while the new Aquarian age has commenced pushing its own positive and negative archetypes to the fore.

What are the positive and negative archetypes of Pisces?  On the plus side we have compassion, charities and social security (less so in the USA compared to most other Western nations); great poetry, drama and artworks from the likes of Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci onwards (including the modernists such as Picasso), an incredible array of movies, fictional novels and abstract concepts; pharmaceutical drugs for a whole range of ailments.

On the negative side of Pisces are alcoholism, poisonous chemicals, prisons, addictive drugs, propaganda (spin) and swindlers, religious delusions; slavery and now sex slaves.  In addition, there are a number of areas that can be either positive or negative depending upon your point of view.  These ambivalent Pisces activities include Buddhism, Christianity and Islam; European culture; petroleum, corporations and recreational intoxicants.

These positive and negative aspects of Pisces remain the dominant archetypes in the world but Aquarius has progressively introduced its positive and negative aspects since it arrived in 1443 (or 1442).   For example, Aquarius has promoted democracy on the positive side counter-balanced by fascism.  Whenever Aquarius is strong the sea-saw will tend to go towards fascism or democracy as both are strong Aquarian archetypes.  This is keenly demonstrated by the USA that so strongly promotes democracy within its borders yet since the Second World War has supported fascist dictators and governments around the world over democracy whenever it suits the commercial or political interests of the USA.  In fact, the USA is an excellent example of democracy and fascism conjoined – but that is another story altogether.

Positive developments associated with Aquarius include flight, electricity, humanitarianism and idealists, inventions, modernization, civic organizations and associations, and free thought.  Negative elements include lack of stability, mental instability and illnesses, emotional detachment (think of the Holocaust).  Other elements that can go either way are rebelliousness and revolutions (some bring democracy and freedom while others bring tyranny); and socialism (which can be extended to communism).

Are all zodiacal signs equal in their positive and negative aspects?   There are two schools of thought on this – the modern school typically indicates that each sign and planet is basically equal in its positive and negative aspects.  Traditionalists believe that some planets and the signs they rule are more orientated towards either positiveness or negativity.

In my observation, I believe that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.  No planet or sign is all bad or good – each contains both good and bad, but some planets and signs do tend slightly more to the negative while others tend towards the positive but some sit in the middle.  I believe that Pisces does err mildly on the negative side but Aquarius is either balanced or very slightly biased towards the positive side.  This does not make the Pisces age negative and the Aquarian age positive.

Therefore, though the world is not passing from the ‘dark’ Age of Pisces to the radiant Age of Aquarius, Aquarius does seem to offer some advantages over Pisces.  This can be easily demonstrated.  Whenever the ubiquitous Jehovah’s Witnesses would arrive at my doorstep they would quickly draw my attention to all the problems and deteriorations in the world.  My standard counter was ‘if the world is so bad today, when in the past was it better?’  This perspective always left them floundering.  Do you think 1978, 1988, 1998 for example were better than 2008?

Even with all the problems of pollution, corruption, inequality, terrorism, war, violence, criminal activity and so on, the world in general today is better for a higher proportion of the world’s population compared to any time in the past.  It reminds me of something I heard not too long ago.  Someone said that if your life is 51% positive and 49% negative then you are experiencing a positive life.  The same situation applies to the world.

The majority of the world does not live the relatively gifted lifestyles of the populations of the First World countries.  The proportion of the world that does get to experience modernity is growing.  Even over the last few decades hundreds of millions of people around the world have been embraced by modernity partially or fully – one way or another, especially in China and India.

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.  The arrival of modernity from its seed that was planted over 500 years ago when the Aquarian age first arrived unannounced is steadily embracing a greater proportion of the world.  The modern world is not a perfect world but from my subjective perspective, it is superior to the medieval (Pisces) world it is replacing.

This is the wisdom of the ages.  There is no perfect age, and the Age of Aquarius is definitely not perfect.  The quest for the mythical perfect Age of Aquarius is just the hangover from Pisces.  Pisces rules delusions and self-deception.  You have a choice – you can continue to listen to delusions about a fantasized Age of Aquarius that will never arrive – or you can open your eyes and perceive the dawning of the Age of Aquarius – warts and all, that is occurring all around you and has been for over 500 years

There are many warts associated with the Age of Aquarius but in the end, it comes down to a simple issue – is the glass half full or half-empty?  On a daily basis, I give thanks to whatever reality that produced the universe and world we live in.  Is there any other time in history that is superior to today?  For the huge majority of us living in the modern world, we should be truly thankful for this unique experience since our evolution from the animal kingdom.

I sincerely hope that the dawning of the Age of Aquarius continues until all the people in the world have the option to live in this modern world.  The wisdom of the ages indicates that this will not occur this century and may not even be completed in the next one thousand years.  This is not based on my personal preferences but on what investigating the ages has taught me.