Falling Crime Rate Surprises Everyone

Why did violent crime peak around 1991 in the USA, Canada and elsewhere then commence to significantly reduce?  In a New York Times article it was reported that the aggregation of all violent crime in the USA significantly peaked in 1991:

Perhaps nowhere has the drop been more stunning than in New York City, which reported only 328 homicides for 2014, compared with 2,245 in 1990.

There was not only a fall in serious crime, there was also declines in teenage pregnancy, child abuse and juvenile delinquency. [1]

Coincidentally, I only discovered the most likely reason for the falling crime rate from watching Catalyst, an Australian TV program, in an episode called Lead Astray[2] which included the following:

“New York today is a very different city to the one it was 20 years ago. For one thing, it’s considered to be much safer. There’s been a big drop in violent crime since the 1990s…. ..but oddly enough, as the rate of violent crime plunged in New York, it also plummeted in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, in fact, all over the United States and in many other countries.”

and

“Although it’s just a correlation, studies of individuals also show high childhood lead exposure increases the likelihood of a life marked by crime.”

Not only is there a correlation, the correlation between crime levels and lead levels has a 22 years delay, so that the peak in crime in 1991 is 22 years after the peak in lead pollution around 1969.  1969 is an extremely interesting date because the peak of the 357 years Scorpio sub-age and overflow (1791-1970-2148) is 1970. [For details of the mechanics and terminology used in macro-astrology – refer to The Age of Aquarius for Dummies]

In the same way that Scorpio indicates the excretory organs for a person, in a worldwide perspective, Scorpio rules the excrement of the world – especially pollution. The astrology supports the assertion that the crime wave peak in 1991 correlates to the lead pollution levels in the late 1960s.

“Perhaps the biggest crime associated with lead is that it was known to have serious toxic effects long before it was added to petrol.”

The history of the use of lead as a fuel additive has a direct correlation to Capricorn, the traditional ruler of lead.  In 1924, the year before the start of the 30 year Capricorn micro-age and overflow (1925-40-55), 17 workers died from lead poisoning in Standard and DuPont refineries in New Jersey.  This was so controversial at the time that it resulted in a one year moratorium on the addition of lead additives to gasoline (petrol) commencing in 1925, while an inquiry was under way.  This inquiry and subsequent research were hijacked by the lead industry.  The late 1920’s research by Robert A. Kehoe of the University of Cincinnati concluded that lead had no adverse health benefits – and this corrupt assessment held sway until the 1960s.  When an independent researcher discovered in 1943 that children with lead poisoning developed behavioral problems, he was threatened with a lawsuit and the research ceased. It took almost 40 years to discredit Kehoe and in the 1970s, the US government finally commenced phasing out lead in gasoline.  The lead industry then shifted their marketing to developing countries and actively lobbied these governments against phasing out of lead in gasoline.[3]  This unethical practice by global corporations has been mimicked by numerous other industries once they get banned or limited in First World countries.

Finally, it was during the Leo quasi micro-age (December 1993-July 2007), that nearly all countries passed laws to stop adding lead to gasoline – only Germany and Austria pre-empted this period but they still enacted laws in the first part of the Leo micro-age. Leo represents the 8^th house of death to Capricorn lead!

How many peoples’ lives have been ruined by lead? Very small exposure to lead seriously restricts the mental development of a child as they evolve into adults.  Does this carelessness (to the point of criminality) of adding lead to gasoline apply to anything else?  Are harmful residues of plastics, industrial chemicals, pesticides and so on having deleterious effects upon the general public?  The astrology strongly supports this assertion plus there is the legendary unethical behavior of major corporations that are only focused upon their revenue like a drug pusher selling ice.

The strongest period for the Scorpio sub-age and overflow is the third quarter of its cycle – specifically the period 1970 to 2059.  This is the period that Scorpio runs amok like a freight train out of control. Unfortunately, lead continues to be used widely in the world in a variety of situations other than a fuel additive.  In addition, Iraq continues to add lead to petrol and other countries following the same practice are: Afghanistan, Burma (‘Myanmar’), North Korea, Algeria and Yemen.[4]

As a result of the rapidly increasing crime rates in the 1980s, the USA enacted draconian laws including expanding the death penalty, spent billions of dollars extra in law enforcement and built more prisons.  The USA now imprisons more of its population than any other country in the world.

Prisoner population rate per 100,000 population by country

What is the astrological reason behind the plummeting crime rates?  From the astrological perspective, 1991 as the peak date for crime occurred in a Leo micro-age (1985-2000) in an Aries quasi micro-age decan (Sep 1987 – Sep 1992).  If anything, this Aries should promote excess violent behavior and it did!  However the Leo micro-age (1985-2000) is the same period as the Virgo micro-age overflow. What has prisons got to do with Virgo when Virgo’s opposite sign, Pisces, rules prisons?  Virgo sits at the 7^th house position to Pisces and the 7^th house indicates detraction or attack.  In this case, prisons archetypally went on the attack capturing more and more of the general public and placing them in prisons like some giant one cell amoeba devouring its victims as depicted in  horror movies I saw when a kid in California.

From a statistical perspective, it is very possible that in the USA, a significant percentage of crimes and prison inmates were probably due to excessive childhood exposure to lead levels, especially prevalent in inner city and former industrial areas.  However reality is finally catching up, and some lawmakers are re-examining the costly crime control infrastructure to bring it back in line with the current much lower crime levels but Republicans are recalcitrant, and with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress, don’t hold your breath.  Canada never enforced draconian legal enforcement measures like the USA but its crime wave has also plummeted as with much of the world.

Why the heavy-handed response from the USA? The USA has Capricorn high on its totem pole, probably situated in third place after Pisces then Aquarius.  Capricorn is hard-headed and lacking emotional warmth or connection.  Certainly the USA’s response to the spiraling crime wave of the 1980’s was a hard-headed response compared to most of the rest of the world.  This Capricorn explains why amongst First World Nations, the USA appears to have the most backward and conservative policies in many areas.  On the other side of the equation, the Capricorn archetype that the Puritans brought with them to the USA (mainly in the Capricorn sub-age overflow 1612-1791) also gave them a self-reliant nature with a determination to get ahead in the world – something the USA has certainly accomplished in only a matter of a few centuries. However with Pisces at the top of the USA’s totem pole, it is also prudent to view the USA as if it is bi-polar – a land of extremes.

The perception of most people in the world is that everything is getting worse, especially crime but this is not backed up by any facts.  There is a noticeable gap between perception and reality by the general public.  For example, when people were asked to rate the safety of 10 major cities in the USA, New York was rated the second most dangerous city, while Dallas and Houston were generally rated safe.  The actual crime rate in New York is half of Dallas or Houston.  This pessimistic outlook that appeared somewhere a few decades ago is in line with the Scorpio sub-age overflow (1970-2148).  Under Scorpio, people feel vulnerable and insecure.  The previous sub-age influence was from Sagittarius, and despite two world wars and tens of millions of people killed due to war, violence and pogroms etc., people in western nations felt optimistic.  Sagittarius is an optimistic sign and Scorpio is the sign of insecurity.  What has occurred in line with falling crime rates is more intense reporting of crime increasing the feeling of vulnerability by most people.

The New York Times does briefly mention the possible connection between crime rates and lead pollution but scientists do not accept statistical correlation as proof.  This is why scientists reject astrology.  Even if astrologers can demonstrate statistical relationships, unless the underlying cause can be proved, Capricorn ruled hard-headed scientists will continue to reject astrology.

In summary, lead as an additive to gasoline was used prior to the Capricorn micro-age and overflow (1925-40-55) but during this Capricorn period, it became an entrenched commercial practice resulting in a culmination of lead pollution in 1969 – one year off the absolute peak of the Scorpio sub-age and overflow (1791-1970-2148).  The 22 year delay between lead levels and crime resulted in a crime peak in 1991 occurred in an Aries quasi micro-age decan (Sep 1987 – Sep 1992) with Aries always associated with violence.  Lawmakers in the USA became alarmed and introduced a series of draconian law enforcement measures resulting in a burgeoning prison population in a period ruled by Pisces opposite sign Virgo, in the Virgo micro-age (1985-2000).  Finally, in the Leo micro-age and overflow (1985-2000-2014), and even more specifically during the upper half of the bell-curve for Leo, the Leo quasi micro-age (December 1993-July 2007), nearly all countries passed laws to stop adding lead to gasoline – Leo represents the 8^th house of death to Capricorn lead!

References:

[1] Erik Eckholm, In a Safer Age, U.S. Rethinks Its ‘Tough on Crime’ System  New York Times, Jan 13, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/us/with-crime-down-us-faces-legacy-of-a-violent-age-.html?rref=politics&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Politics&pgtype=article

[2] Catalyst Lead Astray, http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4174798.htm

[3] Tetraethyllead, Wikipedia, Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tetraethyllead&oldid=647309043

[4] Anne Roberts, Six countries still use leaded petrol. Why?, LEAD Action News vol 11 Number 4, June 2011, ISSN 1324-6011, The journal of The LEAD (Lead Education and Abatement Design) Group Inc., http://www.lead.org.au/lanv11n4/lanv11n4-5.html

 

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

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

 

 

 

When Will the World Slow Down?

I don’t know the velocity of the Earth as it orbits the sun, nor do I know if this velocity is increasing or decreasing – but this is not the crucial question here. I am not talking about the speed of planet Earth, but about the speed and growth of human civilisation on the crust of our planet. We take our civilisation for granted, but what we take for granted is a mere spec in the history of the earth and of human beings. Until relatively recently humans were unable to make drastic changes to our environment because there were too few of us alive at any one time.

Currently the population of the world is approaching 7 billion people.  It took humans (homo sapiens) over 150,000 years to reach the first billion people around 1804.  It took slightly more than a century to double this.  It took another 33 years to get to the 3 billion mark in 1959.  Each extra billion people took fewer years to achieve compared to the previous benchmark up to 6 billion people (achieved in 1999).  Forecasts indicate however that each extra billion people from 6 billion on will take incrementally more years than the previous billion.  This indicates a slow down in the rate of population growth – but population growth in the world continues like a juggernaut.[1]

This slow down in the rate of population growth does suggest something is happening to the world’s population.  Basically most First World countries are experiencing negative population growths and their populations are only expanding due to immigration.  Population growth is now reducing in the second tier of nations and this process is expected to spread.  The greatest influence that reduces population is increased wealth and affluence.  Middle class families find large families too expensive and they do not need a built in social security system provided by numerous children as the modern state is usually adequate in taking care of this function.

Despite this reduction in the rate of population growth, the world’s population keeps on ballooning.  By 2040 the world’s population is expected to be 9 billion – 50% more than 1999.  Earlier forecasts did not have the world’s population of 9 billion until 2054, so while the population growth rate is declining over the long term, it seems to be picking up speed in the short term.

What astrological input has created this booming world?  It is not the Age of Aquarius – even though it has been around since 1433 AD.  Aquarius is not noted for its expanding qualities.  The sign of expansion is traditionally Sagittarius.  Closer inspection of the Aquarian age reveals that Sagittarius is not only the culprit – it also has a limited time-span and therefore we can use Sagittarius to predict when the world will start slowing down.  The Sagittarius in question here is the Sagittarian sub-age (1612 – 1791 AD) of the Aquarian age (each age has 12 sub-ages).  Due to the Overflow Effect, Sagittarius builds up a powerful momentum in its period (1612 – 1791) then like a projectile is launched out into the world to do its businesses – until something stands in its way or it runs out of puff.  The expansion of Sagittarius is absolutely demonstrated when we look at the population growth in the world from 1804 to 1999 – from 1 billion to 6 billion people in a mere 195 years.

However, since the Sagittarius sub-age the world has experienced the Scorpio sub-age (1791 – 1970), culminating in the revolutionary 1960s and 70s that most people mistake for the beginning of the Age of Aquarius.  Since 1970 the Scorpio projectile has been launched and Scorpio is not expansionary – it favours contraction.  In the old Biblical myth of the seven fat cows and seven emaciated cows, Scorpio is the emaciated cows.  Scorpio wants a shrinking world in the same way in Lord of the Rings, the ring that rules them all wants to return to its master.

We are already seeing the first glimpse of Scorpio in the drop in the growth rate of the world’s population.  Scorpio is a newer projectile than Sagittarius, so it is fresh, energised, fully equipped and ready for the fray.  Even without consideration of other astrological factors, Scorpio will chip away at our expanding world for almost the next 200 years.

However another anti-Sagittarian projectile is soon to appear.  Each sub-age (of around 178 years has three decans (termed sub-age decans of around 60 years) and since 1970 the world has been experiencing a Gemini sub-age decan.  The Gemini sub-age decan is in its momentum-gaining stage and will not become a projectile until 2029, whereupon it will unleash its jihad over the coming 60 years at a minimum.  The relevant point is that Gemini is opposite the sign Sagittarius in the zodiac so Gemini naturally opposes and undermines Sagittarius whenever it can.  From 2029 Gemini will shift up a gear and therefore speed up the contraction of human civilisation. However do not expect to wake up on January 1^st, 2030 to find a totally different landscape devoid of people.  History dictates that major changes usually take lots of time.

Interestingly we have a precedent to refer to.  Ancient Rome also experienced a Sagittarian sub-age (in the previous Pisces age) from 370 BC to 189 BC, at which date it became a projectile and provided strong expansionary influence to the Roman Empire.  From the astrological perspective, the expansion of Ancient Rome and the expansion of the modern world were both due to their respective Sagittarian sub-ages and overflows.  However around 53 AD the Romans experienced a Gemini sub-age decan that we are bout to experience soon.  Did this slow down the Roman Empire?

Rome, at the beginning of its Sagittarian sub-age in 370 BC was already a republic (since 509 BC when they threw out their king) but they did not even rule the whole of Italian peninsula.  This did not occur until the 200s BC.  Once the peninsula was under control the Romans started its massive expansionary phase that continued all the way until 117 AD under Trajan[2] – the largest area Rome ever ruled. From this time onwards Ancient Rome slowly contracted. 117 AD is 64 years after 53 AD when they first experienced the full force of Gemini.

If we add 64 years to the equivalent Gemini period in our time, we arrive at the year 2093.  Around this date is the highest possibility for the upper limit of our expanding world and population.  After this it is downhill all the way – but not necessarily in a negative sense.  The world has to contract as it is currently unsustainable on many levels, and it will grow ever more unsustainable until around 2094.  The easiest way to reduce pollution is to reduce the population, the scope of human activity plus being increasingly environmentally sustainable in the process.

A world that reduces its population and slows down will create enormous strains on a multitude of levels – especially the economic level.  Capitalism depends upon expanding markets for its success.  This suggests that many activities currently undertaken by capitalistic measures will probably be taken over by governments in a form of socialism – but not to the exclusion of free enterprise.  Capitalism is here for the long haul, but perhaps not in such a monopolistic exalted position as it is today.

The impact upon human society from a contracting world around the end of this 21^st century will be very stressful for civilisation because of another extremely important astrological factor.  Each age can also be broken into three decans (termed age-decans), and the world must experience the cusp of the first age-decan of the Aquarian age in 2148.  My research into the cusps of age-decans clearly indicate that these creates massive changes a century either side of the actual cusp, especially 50 years either side.  50 years either side of the age-decan cusp of 2148 is 2098 to 2198. Therefore from 2098 for a century civilisation-shaking developments will be foisted upon the world.

In the past these age-cusps have broken the back of previous age-empires and temporarily upset the current age-empire.  The age-decan cusp of 8 BC saw the final dissolution of Egypt’s independence after its conquest by the Roman Empire and the final collapse of Babylon after thousands of years of existence.  The age-empire at the time, Ancient Rome, experienced its greatest political discontinuity when the semi-democratic Roman Republic collapsed and was replaced by the Roman Empire with a dictatorial Caesar at its head. From hereon in, whoever had the loyalty of  the strongest military force was leader of the Roman Empire.

Despite massive a major changes to civilisation at the cusp of age-decans – life does go on both during it and afterwards.  At one age-decan cusp in Ancient Egypt, the first evidence in the world of a workers revolted is found – and then they reversed roles – the aristocrats had to serve the workers. Most people want a roof over their head, food in the cupboard and a reasonable standard of living.  For most this will remain the case as the world passes through it age-decan cusp next century, but nevertheless major political, economic, military and environmental developments will take place in a world that is contracting.

The only question is – will the world be contracting voluntarily or will it be due to such adverse environmental conditions that there is not enough food and resources for the 10 billion plus people at the second half of the 21^st century?  The answer is probably a combination of both.  The world is moving towards greater affluence for all of its population – and affluent people have fewer children.  However with the expected rise in population of the course of the 21^st century, even with strong mitigating measure to limit the destructive influence of pollution and adverse effects of climate change, this will most likely prove ineffective.  Something relatively drastic is on the horizon – but if the past is any guide, it is not drastic enough to be the end of the world or the end of civilisation – it may even herald in a Golden Age once all the screaming and shouting has ceased. (see How will we be judged?)

___________________________________

Preview to the new book on the astrological ages AVAILABLE NOW

For the first time in well over 2,000 years a definitive guide and explanation to the astrological ages, including the Aquarian age, is available.  Over 2,000 years ago the astrological ages got lost in the fog of history, and all we were left with were insufficient remnants that do not do the ages justice.  For over the last 2,000 years astrologers have been trying to use these remnants, but unsatisfactorily. This new book unveils the previously hidden structure and timing of the ages and provides an exacting correspondence to any historical event over the last 12,000 years.

This new book should be published by early 2011 (based on the transits and progressions of Jupiter).  An early preview is however available now.

www.macro-astrology.com

---

[1] Population. (2010, July 29). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:31, July 31, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Population&oldid=376038798

[2] Ancient Rome. (2010, July 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:54, July 31, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ancient_Rome&oldid=375687387

Postscript April 2011

In an article Humanity’s 200-year sprint slows down[i], the opening sentence states:

“The human race is slowing down”.

The completion of the final flight of the US space shuttle in June 2011 will mark another step backwards – following in the footsteps of the Concorde passenger jet. The author, Daniel Michaels, believes that humanity may be for the first time, slowing down. Commencing in the 1700s, man could travel at around 10km (6 miles) per hour.  Now, passengers in a jet can travel at 1000km (600 miles) per hour. Humanity’s speed commenced accelerating around 1815, just inside the expansionary Sagittarian sub-age overflow (1791 – 1970).  The fastest jet achieved a speed of Mach 3.2 at the close of the Sagittarian sub-age overflow, but these SR-71 Blackbirds were pensioned off in the 1990s. The Concorde (which could exceed Mach 2), experienced a similar fate following a devastating crash in 2000. The average speeds of today’s jets are about the same that some of our parents flew 60 years ago.

The above is another clue to the coming slowdown expected in the world.  A slowing world does not necessarily mean doom and gloom, but a shift in priorities. Another possible example of the future is Japan.  For decades economic pundits have been describing Japan’s economy as a basket case – shrinking and going nowhere with a growing massive government financial deficit and associated debt.  Recently its economy slipped from second place to third place in the world ranking. It also has an aging population with all the pitfalls that that will involve in the coming decades.  Rather than being just a basket case, Japan may also be leading the world into the future where economic expectations must be curtailed, and in its place, a sustainable future with a static or diminishing market is envisioned.  The world may have to learn some relevant lessons from the Japanese – both positive and negative.

The recent massive earthquake and tsunami in early 2011 follows a long line of disasters that have hit Japan – the last being the Second World War.  Japan has always responded better to disasters than to success.  This may be a preview of what the world will have to undergo in the coming 150 years as pollution and climate change devastate the world. The astrology of the world for the next 150 years indicates that we will have to kiss security goodbye, and in its place deal with one crisis after another in a shrinking or slowing world!  From 2029 onwards we cease getting the preview, and dive into the deep end.

---

[i] Daniel Michaels, The Weekend Australian,  April 9-10, 2011 Pg 21 World section, taken from The Wall Street Journal

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.

The Astrology of Global Warming

Astrological ages are very long – approximately 2150 years each.  This is why it is better to refer to sub-periods of the ages for greater delineation.  Each age has twelve sub-ages of approximately 179 years each.  The 1960s and ’70s marked the peak expression of one of the twelve sub-ages of the Age of Aquarius – the revolutionary Scorpio sub-age.  It is this revolutionary characteristic associated with Scorpio that makes people mistake it for the actual Aquarian age.  Both Aquarius and Scorpio promote revolution and unsettling conditions.

Scorpio is currently the pre-imminent sub-period within the Aquarian age (see Scorpio – the Sign of the Times).  Scorpio also traditionally rules the waste product of any process and for example, can be aligned with sewerage works.  Pollution is the waste product of human activity and industry in the world.  Therefore when Scorpio is strong in the world, pollution can be a significant factor.

Another archetype associated with Scorpio is regeneration and transformation.  Therefore Scorpio can be also aligned with recycling and sustainable activity plus the transformational change that will be necessary to turn this world around from a polluting hive of activity to a sustainable hive of activity.  The growth of this new environmentally conscious approach aligned with Scorpio can be easily seen by the formation of Greenpeace in 1971 – only one year after Scorpio arrived at its peak energy.

The Scorpio influence that peaked in 1960’s and 70’s will extend well into the 22^nd century due to the Overflow Effect (see Is the Aquarian Age Like a Block of Granite?).  Therefore pollution will be a serious issue until the middle of the next century.  There are many consequences of pollution.  The media has been exploiting fears (as usual) about the effects of environmental degradation such as global warming, rising sea levels, acidification of the oceans, melting polar caps, drought, increasing frenzy in climatic conditions, loss of biodiversity and so on.  The astrology of the ages may shed some light upon the expected negative consequences of pollution gone feral.

Over the last decade much fanfare has been made over global warming.  Recently the issue of water supply due to drought both in Australia and overseas, particularly sub-Sahara Africa, has made headlines.  The astrology of the ages can indicate where the effects of pollution will be felt and the time frames involved.  This is accomplished by examining wheels within wheels within wheels.

In the same way, the world is currently experiencing the effects of a Scorpio sub-age within the Age of Aquarius, within the sub-ages are smaller sub-periods called micro-ages (lasting about 15 years each plus an overflow period of another 15 years).  For example between 1985 and 2015 the world has been experiencing significant effects from a Leo micro-age with its most potent period from 2000 to 2007.  Leo is the sign that traditionally rules the Sun and Leo is a Fire sign indicating its affinity to heat.  It is during this time that the issue of global warming has come to the attention of the world.  Scientists have been taking the data of the increasing temperatures and have extrapolated the rise in temperatures to the end of this century and more with dire warnings.

However, the astrological analysis indicates while global warming is currently a hot topic – this is only a short term consideration because it is associated with a relatively short-termed micro-age.  By around 2015 onward this ceases to be the prime issue.  Between 2015 and 2022 the main issue of concern will be water supply – including both oversupply in floods and undersupply in droughts due to climate change.  This is because the Leo micro-age will be replaced by a Cancer micro-age, and Cancer is a Water sign.  From 2007 to 2015 is a transition period between Leo and Cancer moving from the effects of global warming to issues related to water.

The grandfather of all Leo periods is the Leo age. The last time the world experience a Leo age was from c.11,880 – 9600 BC.  This correlated exactly to the beginning of the deglaciation of the world at the end of the last Ice Age.  Up until this time, almost half the northern hemisphere was covered in glaciers or experienced very cold conditions compared to today.  It is very appropriate that in the Leo age with the sign Leo `ruled’ by the Sun that basically the Sun melted the glaciers and commenced forcing the ice and cold back to the polar regions of modern times.

The Baltoro Glacier in Pakistan at 62 km (39 miles) is one of the longest alpine glaciers on earth.

The opposite sign to Leo is Aquarius.  The world has been in the Aquarian age since the 15^th century.  It seems logical that if Leo equals heat, that Aquarius should produce the opposite.  This runs counter to current thinking on global warming.  However, the astrology of global warming indicates that this is an extremely short term phenomenon.  Some scientists have recently expressed an additional concern that the whole weather of the world may be upset in a totally different way due to the melting and retreating ice and glaciers in polar latitudes.

Europe and much of the Northern Hemisphere depend upon the Atlantic Conveyor Belt current to bring warm water to Europe, making Europe much warmer then if it had to depend solely upon sunlight for warmth.  The Atlantic Conveyor Belt has been fairly consistent over the last 10,000 years or so but at times the Atlantic Conveyor Belt has shut down, plummeting Europe into severe cold snaps lasting many centuries.

The last severe cold period was the Mini Ice Age of 6200 to 5800 BC due to meltwater from a final major ice sheet in North America flooding into the North Atlantic and shutting down the Atlantic Conveyor Belt.  This coincided with the Aquarian decan of the Gemini Age (c.7351-5122 BC).  (In addition to dividing each age into twelve sub-ages, each age can be divided into three decans containing exactly four sub-ages each … see The Dawning of the Aquarian Age)  The Aquarian decan affected the period 7351-6608 BC while its more powerful overflow period carried forward the momentum of Aquarius to at least 5865 BC, almost perfectly in synch with the Mini Ice Age.

Though this does not prove that Aquarian periods bring cold or ice ages, it does support the hypothesis that there can be a correlation between Aquarian periods and coldness.  The relevance to us in the 21^st century is that not only are we in an Aquarian age (c.1433-3574) but also there is an Aquarian sub-age decan in the near vicinity (sub-ages also have their decans in the same way as ages).  The approaching Aquarian sub-age decan stretches from 2029 to 2089 however the most powerful period for the appearance of any sign is in the period following (which was also the case in the Mini Ice Age).

If the Atlantic Conveyor Belt was to shut down bringing a mini ice age to the modern world, the most likely time frame in the contemporary context is between 2089 and 2148.  Astrology cannot say what will happen, it merely provides higher or lower percentages for possibilities.  From the perspective provided by the analysis of the astrological ages and their sub-periods, it if far more likely the world will experience a mini-ace age in place of continuing global warming before the middle of the 22^nd century.

Left to its own devices global warming probably would continue proportional to the increase in carbon dioxide in the air.  However, the warmer climate melts the ice and the remaining glaciers.  The addition of this cooler meltwater to the oceans in the past has shut down the Atlantic Conveyor Belt.  If enough cold fresh meltwater is added to the Atlantic Ocean over the next 150 years it may cause the Atlantic Conveyor Belt to shut down again.  If the Atlantic Conveyor Belt shuts down it will most likely bring a mini nice age to Europe as it has done in the past.  This would be the most catastrophic event for Europe and the world since the appearance of civilization.

This astrological analysis does not conclusively forecast that a mini ice age is around the corner, but the possibility of a mini ice age is strong – as far as probabilities are concerned.  If humanity is smart it would wise up now and start being serious about the ramifications of the population explosion, production gone feral and pollution way out of control before it is too late.  Today people seem more concerned about the price of gas and fuel due to rising oil prices.  This problem is insignificant compared to the prospects of a mini ice age.

Astrology does not like a vacuum.  Scorpio rules pollution and environmental sustainability.  The vacuum must be filled somehow by Scorpio content.  If it is not filled adequately with environmentally sustainable practices it must fill the hole with something else ruled by Scorpio.  Scorpio is also a Water sign but of the three Water signs in astrology, Scorpio is the Fixed Water sign. Fixed Water is analogous to ice.  Even Scorpio wants more ice if given the opportunity.

It is unlikely that in a worst case scenario involving a mini ice age that this will affect any of us except for the extremely young. This is no reason to ignore it.  However, there is a more immediate problem looming due to pollution that has the potential to affect many of us in our lifetimes.  This more immediate problem may not be as catastrophic as a mini ice age but it is still serious.  Stay tuned for the next blog on this subject.

Postscript:  Maybe it is because I am a Sagittarian that I am an optimist.  I sincerely hope that humanity will get it together to deal adequately with the problems of pollution and all the possible negative ramifications of pollution whether it is in my lifetime or not.  I am not a doomsday merchant – every day I express thanks for the wonderful gift of this life, world and universe.

 

Baby Boomers in the Age of Aquarius

Everyone wants to live at the beginning of an age.  Every half century or so someone somewhere thinks we are at the beginning of some new age, era or epoch.  The Nazis thought they were at the beginning of a glorious thousand years age under the swastika.  With the Mayan calendar finishing in 2012, many people will proclaim this the beginning of a new age and some have already claimed (erroneously) that 2012 marks the start of the Age of Aquarius.

Though we are not at the beginning of the Aquarian age, Baby Boomers are an identifiable generation that is associated with the Age of Aquarius.  Where do Baby Boomers sit in the Aquarian Age?  This is not as difficult as it sounds as there is only one sign that booms (if you exclude the boom of cannons which would make it Aries).

The best way to approach this question is to think of a clock with an hour, minute and second hand.  In the Aquarian age the hour hand points to Aquarius.  Just as in each hour there are minutes, each age has sub-ages.    The equivalent to the second hand is a micro-age.  Ages are approximately 2150 years long, sub-ages 179 years and micro-ages 15 years.

It is the second hand, pointing at micro-ages that indicate the relationship between Baby Boomers and the Age of Aquarius.  Between 1940 and 1955 was the Sagittarius micro-age with its momentum carrying over up to 1970.  The Sagittarius quasi micro-age (1948-1962), representing the peak of the Sagittarius micro-age bell-curve aligns itself remarkably well to the baby Boomer generation.  According to Wikipedia, Baby Boomers are those people born between 1946 and 1964, peaking around 1957 but plummeting from 1964 onwards due to the availability of the birth control pill.

Sagittarius is the sign that is associated with expansion, good fortune, optimism and good luck.  The Baby Boomers is the generation that far exceeded the normal population explosion in western culture both before and after this generation.  Expansionary Sagittarius aligns itself well with the Baby Boomer generation.  Sagittarius is the sign that booms – preferably an economic boom.

What can Sagittarius tell us about the Baby Boomers in general?  On the positive side it indicates that the Baby Boomers are lucky, optimistic, fortunate and have had expanding possibilities in their lives.  In addition Baby Boomers have had plenty of opportunities for overseas travel, philosophical reflection and excess materialistic resources.  On the negative side this generation has over-consumed, gained too much weight (or allowed their children to do so), devoured too many resources, overly moralistic and prefers to depend upon luck to solve problems rather than wisdom.

If we pull back from the second hand and examine the minute hand that calibrates the sub-ages, the Baby Boomers were the last generation born under the even larger boom time of the Sagittarius sub-age and overflow (1612-1791-1970) .  The Sagittarius sub-age brought to the world the Industrial Revolution and massive population explosion over the last two centuries.  The Baby Boomers are the last hurrah of this expansion gone mad.

Once the second hand moved on from Sagittarius it encountered Scorpio well and truly by the mid 1960’s.  On a larger note, the Sagittarian Sub-Age was overtaken by the influence of the Scorpio Sub-Age around 1970.  On two counts Scorpio has arrived at the Baby Boomers doorstep just as they were getting out of their diapers.  Scorpio is a very different sign than Sagittarius but the Baby Boomers have brought their innate good fortune into Scorpio territory ever since the 1960s and 70s.

Scorpio is the sign of revolution, contraction, minimalism, pollution, nuclear weapons and energy, sex, debt, instability, the world wide web, underground criminal networks and hidden power plays by politicians to name just a few associations.  The Sagittarian Baby Boomers hit the new Scorpio paradigm with the throttle full steam ahead.  This created those heady revolutionary days of the 60s and 70s where anti-war, anti-conscription and anti-government protests, demonstrations and riots were the order of the day.  Revolution was a growth industry in the 60s and 70s.

Remember when a significant number of the Baby Boomers discovered marijuana.  Their innate optimism thought it would be legalized within a few years.  They flouted sexual taboos, dropped out and created the counterculture.  They did everything in the booming extroverted way always associated with Sagittarius.  The 60’s and 70s was an optimistic Scorpio revolution of the youthful Baby Boomers in an extroverted Sagittarian manner.  Only people without materialistic concerns can drop out – you don’t see many starving Sub-Saharan Africans willingly drop out.

Since the 60s and 70s things have calmed down somewhat because at the end of the day the world has moved on from Sagittarius to Scorpio.  The Baby Boomers may not have been born at the beginning of an age, but they were early witnesses of the transition from the expansionary days of Sagittarius to the minimalist sign of Scorpio, mostly during their teenage years or early twenties.

Scorpio is a cold, brooding almost malevolent sign compared to Sagittarius, with Death as its patron saint.  In the same way that in Lord of the Rings Gandalf told Frodo that the ring wants to be found and returned to its evil master, Scorpio wants the world to contract – and in many ways.  It wants a serious drop in population, output and production but it will foster anything in its own camp.  Scorpio will promote debts (national debt, credit cards etc), financial instability, destruction and death, the world wide web, nuclear weapons and energy, genetic engineering, pollution, AIDS, the sexual revolution, instability and seeking inner truth.  For a full assessment of Scorpio see Scorpio – the Sign of the Times.

It is unlikely the Baby Boomer generation will have to deal with the full impact of what Scorpio has in mind, as Scorpio has all of the next few centuries to reveal its hand.  Baby Boomers continue to bring their sometimes groundless enthusiasm with them whenever they look to the future.  Why bother about global warming and pollution – scientist can go and invent something to solve the problems.

Will future generations idealise or curse the Baby Boomers?  They will probably look back enviously at these carefree (Sagittarian) days.  Days where a significant amount of the world’s oil reserves, that took hundreds of millions of years to create, get consumed in a matter of seconds, relatively speaking.  Days when stock markets, business opportunities and travel appeared to provide a never ending vista of possibilities and new horizons.  Jumping in a V8 and putting your foot down – a Sagittarians dream.

Baby Boomers will want to continue in their modus operandi of expansion until the day they die, but morose old Scorpio has different plans.  Scorpio wants to pull the rug out from under Sagittarius.  The fact that Scorpio will do this is unquestionable, the question is, how much success will Scorpio have in the Sagittarian Baby Boomers’ lifetimes?

One very demonstrative way Scorpio has surreptitiously insinuated its way into our lives is through the collective feeling of vulnerability.  People feel incredibly more vulnerable today.  As a result people don’t want their kids out playing in the streets and parks, they want to see what they are doing all the time.  People feel vulnerable travelling due to the spectre of terrorists – yes terrorists are ruled by Scorpio, so they are a growth industry for the next couple of centuries.

The media is on the payroll of Scorpio – any problem, death, unrest, violence and so on virtually anywhere in the world can be brought into your home in a matter of hours in full colour.  So though war and violence in general are on the decline, reportable incidences have been on a significant increase due to the enhanced ability of the media to present these issues to you in a manifold number of ways.  This is only one way Scorpio has commenced to bite, there are many more waiting.

It is unlikely that the Baby Boomer generation will want to mend its ways much at all.  A lion cannot change its spots.  The generations following the Baby Boomers have the stronger Scorpio credentials to face the serious Scorpio issues facing the world.  The Baby Boomers witnessed the arrival of a significant new (Scorpio) period in the history of the world by getting stoned, dropping out, avoiding conscription and then rolling up their sleeves and getting seriously stuck into it – pushing the world further out on the over-production plank as Sagittarius has been doing for the past few centuries.

Baby Boomers are the last generation of the old paradigm – development, expansion and consumption at all cost.  One the other hand some Baby Boomers have entered the new world of Scorpio (environmentalism, recycling and renewables).  Baby Boomers have one foot in each camp.  If Baby Boomers took their enthusiasm and optimism to face the worlds’ (Scorpio) problems and apply real solutions they may leave a more positive heritage to their descendants.  Or will Baby Boomers be remembered as the generation that consumed far more than their fair share of the worlds finite resources with no consideration for future generations.  Sagittarians can behave like pigs at the trough or they can provide positive counsel!

Further resources from Terry MacKinnell

Online Institute of Macro-Astrology – details on how to learn macro-astrology

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

There is a secondary aspect to the issue of whether the Aquarian age will solve the problems of the world.  This aspect relates to the nature of astrology.  Does anything related to astrology improve anything?  Do the inhabitants of the world sit back in their sun lounges by a pool, sipping alcoholic beverages, waiting for the Aquarian age to come along like some mechanized street sweeper to clean up the world?  This is very comforting as it means we can continue to be as stupid as we have always been, but the Aquarian age will fix up all the mess we have made.

 

At the end of the day the world is full of people, and the sum of all the positive and negative aspects of each person produces all the positive and negative aspects of our world.  It is a major cop-out to think we can sit back in a lazy stupor and the Age of Aquarius will behave like our fairy godmother, wave her wand and suddenly all our individual and collective problems will disappear in a puff of magic smoke. It’s not a happening thing!

 

Does astrology help?  This is a very interesting question as I have been studying astrology for thirty-six years so I have learnt some things about astrology.  Now I know that astrology ‘works’ in the sense I can see the relations between planets and zodiacal signs and events affecting people and the world.  But does knowledge of this improve the situation?

 

The answer is, yet again yes and no.  Is it worth knowing from the weather forecast if it will be raining tomorrow or not?  Very often yes because at a minimum it may make the decision to take an umbrella easier to make.  However if you were to attend a conference full of astrologers, will you come across people that demonstrate they have a superior approach to life or even a superior life?  The answer is no.  In all my thirty-six years of studying astrology, and fraternising with astrologers, I have never seen any example of astrologers leading a life that has any fewer problems and greater advantages than normal people.

 

Some astrologers are nice, well mannered, interesting and rich, other astrologers are nasty, rude, dull and close to the poverty line.  In between are all the other astrologers in the normal bell curve arrangement you would expect from any group of people randomly chosen.  There is no evidence that any random group of astrologers demonstrate any greater achievements, skills or quality of life compared to a placebo group with similar qualities to the astrologers except they are not astrologers.

 

If knowledge of astrology does not benefit astrologers in a noticeable way, then why should knowledge of the Age of Aquarius help in any way?  Astrology does not appear to help astrologers avoid problems.  So if astrology cannot even help astrologers, how can the Age of Aquarius solve the problems of the world?

 

The Age of Aquarius is not going to save the world.  The Age of Aquarius is not going to raise your consciousness.  The future of the world depends upon the sum of all the people in the world.  It is what all the people in the world do that will make things happen. The Age of Aquarius for some people is a cop-out – allowing them to continue their destructive mode of living in this world because the Age of Aquarius will fix it up.

 

Judging by its track record to date, the problems and benefits in the Age of Aquarius will be much greater than previous

Will There be Peace in the Age of Aquarius?

 This week I received an email stating that the ‘Aquarian age will not truly begin until the whole of humanity is at peace’.  This is not a lone sentiment as many people look expectantly to the Age of Aquarius for a millenarian change.  Peace, security and harmony, for example, are all qualities that any sincere person would like to see manifest in this contrary world.  However will the Aquarian age respond in kind?

Peace has different meanings for different people.  For some peace means absence of war.  However if there is no war are people necessarily at peace?  I have also heard that peace is not the absence of war but a quality of its own.  In other words, someone can experience peace even in prison, the middle of a battle or war, but in a time of peace people may feel discontent.  This suggests that at a minimum, there are two kinds of peace, peace in the world, and peace within an individual.  My email commentator was looking for peace in the world.  However is peace possible in the world if people do not experience peace in their own lives?

In the early 70’s I had a reasonable exposure to the Hindu religion for a short period.  In the Hindu religion they have an interesting philosophy that this world is `maya’.  Roughly translated, maya means ‘illusion’.  This is not to suggest that what we experience, see and feel in this world is an illusion like a cartoon, but an illusion in the sense that it does not incorporate the ultimate reality or Truth with a capital ‘T’.  In the Hindu philosophy that I encountered, the ultimate reality is only found within an individual person.  This is probably the source of the urban myths of the states of nirvana, enlightenment or liberation.

Someone experiencing nirvana, enlightenment or liberation is like a lotus in a swamp.  The lotus is beautiful but exists and grows from the murky and muddy waters of the swamp, representative of the maya of this world.  From the Hindu perspective there is never peace in this world as peace and maya are mutually exclusive.  If the Hindu sages are correct, there will never be peace in the Aquarian age or any other age, but people can individually be at peace in any age.

Even if peace cannot exist in this world absolutely, the level of war, violence and mayhem varies over time.  Some periods of time seem less violent than others.  Some societies appear very peaceful while others are violent by nature.  For example before the Maoris arrived in New Zealand, an earlier group of Polynesian settlers lived there peaceably.  After the Maoris arrived these earlier settlers disappeared but a remnant group continued to exist on an island far off the east coast of New Zealand.  The whalers of the 19^th century discovered this remnant group and informed the Maoris.

The whalers subsequently took the Maoris to the island and the Maoris commenced killing the inhabitants.  The hapless inhabitants did not know what to do because all forms of violence was so far removed from their reality that they did not understand what was happening to them even as they were being slaughtered.  This fierceness of the Maoris’ saved them from defeat by the British in the 19^th century, and in place of conquest the British government entered into a treaty with the Maoris that continues to this day.

Some societies are comfortable with violence and other societies are not.  At certain times in history violence has been the dominant theme, while at other times a more peaceful existence ensured.  History indicates that the upsurge in war commenced about 5,000 years ago which coincidentally was aligned to the beginning of the Aries age in c.2916 BC.  Aries is ruled by the planet Mars, the traditional God of War.  Aries and war go hand-in-glove but Aries does also foster sport, competition, construction and achievement.

Before the arrival of the Aries age the world did appear somewhat less violent.  Historians have noted a general lack of defensive structures or armaments in Europe over 5,000 years ago.  This compares with the 1^st millennium BC where Europe was a series of hill fortresses on high military alert and there is wide evidence of swords.  As one historian noted, there is only one thing you can do with a sword.

Despite the lack of widespread warfare over 5,000 years ago, one of the oldest cities in the world is Jericho dating from 9000 BC.  From its earliest days Jericho was fortified by a defensive wall.  Obviously it needed a defensive wall to ward off raiding parties from surrounding inhabitants.  So even well before the violent Aries age, violence was still around, but historians state that it was not so widespread or as entrenched as later periods.

The arrival of the Aries age in c.2916 BC saw the arrival of mass warfare.  The Mesopotamians turned increasingly to war and the first empire gained through military means was the defeat of the Sumerian by Akkad under Sargon who reined from 2270 BC – 2215 BC.  From hereon in the history of the world is virtually the history of war.  At the end of the Aries age when the momentum of Aries had reached its full power, the little village of Rome was formed, ushering in a new age of war under the military-orientated Romans.

One quirky problem the Romans encountered as their empire expanded is that neighboring cities within the Roman Empire could not fight each other once they were incorporated in the Roman Empire. The traditional approach to government by the Romans was to allow conquered cities to maintain their own government.  However what these city governments wanted to do most of all was go to war with their neighbors.  This the Romans would not allow so often the sulky citizens refused to maintain their own governments.

The whole military and war momentum has continued in the world to the 20^th century but there are now indications that since the 2^nd World War the incidence of war has significantly subsided in the world.  Many people are not convinced however, but this is probably due to the unpainted wall syndrome.

The unpainted wall syndrome basically means that if a room has three walls freshly painted, and one wall in its original state, an onlooker will focus their attention on the unpainted wall.  If the unpainted wall is then painted except for a small one foot by one foot patch, this is where the focus will lie.  If this is painted but a mark or blemish is left in the painting, the attention is drawn to the blemish.

The unpainted wall syndrome applies to war in the world.  Wherever war, discord or military action appears, the media will focus upon it, and the general public will be made keenly aware of the effects of the war or skirmish.  The fact that modern media is incredibly adept at bringing war and conflict into our living rooms in full colour and in stereo increases the impact upon us.  But the fact remains that the effects upon the world by war is very small and shrinking despite the invasion of Iraq.

If Aries is linked to war, the opposite sign, Libra, should be linked to peace.  To a certain extent this is true.  This is good news for the world because the Aquarian age has three decans and the first decan encountered in the Aquarian age is the Libran decan – the sign of peace.  The full effect of Libra’s peace potential will not occur much before 2148 and the world may experience a mini Golden Age of Peace roughly between 2148 and 2863.  This may be peace on a relative scale (i.e. far less wars and conflict compared to the last 5,000 years).  But don’t despair if you are holding your breath for a more peaceful world – peace is progressively appearing, and the peace momentum shifted up a gear in 1791.

How could the peace momentum increased from 1791 when there have probably been more people killed in war since 1791 compared to all the previous wars in history with most killed in the 20^th century?  The answer is rather simple but overlooked.  If the world is to remove itself from its violent past, that commenced around 2916 BC, then some deterrent effect to starting wars should occur.  This is exactly what has happened.

Examine the following significant wars in the 20^th century which excludes civil wars, internal strife or border disputes as these types of conflicts have a different dynamic the internal wars usually involving throwing off an oppressive ruler.  After the war will be given the protagonist and if they won or lost the war:

1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War – Russia Lost

1914 -18 First World War – Germany & Austria – Lost

1939-45 Second World War – Germany, Italy & Japan – Lost

1950-53 Korean War – North Korea & China – Lost

1951 – Chinese Invasion of Tibet – China Won

1956 The Suez Crisis – UK, France & Israel – Lost War (won the military assaults)

1959-74 Viet Nam War – USA Lost

1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion – USA and Cuban expatriates Lost

1967 Six Day War – Egypt, Jordan, and Syria Lost

1979-89 Invasion of Afghanistan – USSR – Lost

1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War – Iraq Lost

1982 Falklands War – Argentina Lost

1990-91 Gulf War – Iraq Lost

2001 9/11 Terrorist Attack on USA  – Al Qaeda in Afghanistan – (Afghanistan) Lost

2003 USA’s Coalition of the Willing invasion of Iraq – USA (In Progress)

Based on the above 15 major wars or conflicts, but excluding the invasion of Iraq by the USA and the Coalition of the Willing, because its outcome in uncertain, the only war won to date is the invasion of Tibet by China in 1951 but even the long term success for China of this invasion is uncertain.  The moral seems to be that if you want to lose a war then start one including a pre-emptive strike!

This may be a bad omen for the USA in Iraq, but not necessarily so in Afghanistan.  The Afghanistan Taliban government protected Al Qaeda and while under this protection Al Qaeda attacked the USA.  Al Qaeda started the war and the Afghanistan government fell due to its support of the protagonists.

If there is to be a deterrent to war, having the protagonists continually losing the war is a good start towards peace.  The momentum towards avoiding war will continue in the lead up to the mini Golden Age of Peace forecast for between 2148 and 2863 but here is the problem.  The major problem facing the world in the 21^st century is not war but pollution.  Even if the world avoided war and conflict it could suffer far worst consequences from the effects of pollution and global warming.  Are we facing a no-win situation?

In the 1960’s and 70s the world faced the prospect of nuclear annihilation.  Now in 2008 the nuclear arsenal remains in place but in the addition of the ongoing possibility of nuclear annihilation, we are facing environmental annihilation in a worse case scenario, or significant environmental problems in a best case scenario.  What kind of world may be left when the mini Golden Age of Peace arrives mid next century?  Will there be peace because there will only be a remnant population left in the world following the disastrous consequences of environmental damage?

Are the Hindu sages correct?  If we want peace perhaps inner peace offers the greatest security and surety?  From the astrological standpoint the prospect of inner peace is currently at a peak due to Scorpio.  Within the Aquarian Age, the effects of the Scorpio sub-age are at their peak between 1970 and 2148 leading up o the mini Golden Age of Peace.  Scorpio is the sign that indicates rebirth, metamorphosis, regeneration and inner strength thus implying that enlightenment, nirvana or whatever is on the menu.  In any Scorpio period people feel vulnerable and lack security due to the instability in the world which is prone to cataclysmic upheavals in Scorpio periods.

The sign Scorpio indicates weakness on the outside but strength within.  The source of peace in a Scorpio period is within.  Maybe the path of inner awareness is the most reliable path to peace in this world of ours at this point of time.  If the requirement that the world be at peace before the Aquarian age arrives is correct, it is unlikely we will ever have an Aquarian age.

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.