The Aquarius Age (aka New Age or New World Order) is a period defined by the passage of the spring equinox (literally “Equal Night”) into the Aquarius zodiac sign. What does the Aquarius age promise? What are its footprints? Is it the blue pill or the red – hope or despair? What had Jung  to say…?

The gradual shift in the orientation of Earth’s axis of rotation changes the apparent position of the vernal equinox through all twelve traditional constellations of the zodiac, at the rate of about 2150 years for one of them (called a Great Month) in a full cycle of ca. 26,000 years (called a Great or Platonic Year).

New World

In our lifetime the earth is (was) on the brink of the Pisces Age to Aquarius age. Change has been positively embraced by the pop culture (like in the musical “Hair” in the sixties or Obama in his election rhetoric), by liberals, astrology and esotericism as way to equality and individualism. Syncretic and atheist movements have claimed it will bring forth global integration in a brave new world. Economy experts have offered endless growth. Today in retrospect the Aquarius age is more and more associated with the rise of the evil, the globalization and undemocratic transnational organizations and a New World Order controlled by secret power elites.I want to approach this essay by a Jungianan New Age book: “The Footprints of God: The Relationship of Astrology, C.G. Jung, the Gospels” by Luella Sibbald from the year 1988 – stripped of New Age content and trying to allign physical facts, underlying myths and astrological claims with historical facts of the past.

Astronomy

The psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung was an early popularizer of the concept of the Age of Aquarius (already in the forties of last century). I might be drawn to C.G. Jung but certainly not to New Age, so lets look at the astronomical facts first. The reason of the Great Year is an axial precession of the earth similar to the precession of a spinning top due to gravity. The precession of the Earth’s axis has a number of observable effects. First, the positions of the celestial poles appear to move in circles against the space-fixed backdrop of stars, completing one circuit in 25,772 Julian years (2000 rate). Thus, while today the star Polaris lies approximately at the north celestial pole, this will change over time, and other stars will become the “alignment star” for us star gazers. Secondly, the position of the Earth in its orbit changes relative to the backdrop of the stars and therefore also the vernal equinox slowly regresses a full 360 degree through all twelve traditional constellations of the zodiac, at the rate of about 50.3 seconds of arc per year (approximately 360 degrees divided by 25,772), or 1 degree every 71.6 years.The Mayas observed with the help of the Venus orbit already this axial precession of our earth.

Modern astronomy aside, all religions and cultures have recognized the vernal equinox for thousands of years. The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is also probably no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox. The first day of spring also marks the beginning of the Persian New Year in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zorastrianism. Other important advanced civilisations of the humanity – Maya, Sumerian, Chaldaean, Egypt’s, Chinese etc. – held a similar idea of the change of Aeon’s and interpreted it in religious and mythical traditions . ‘Aeon’ comes from the Greek and means “long time” originally a name of the old Persian eternity God czar’s van akaran (=time without end). In the numerous mystic schools of the later Gnosis, which heavily influence C.G. Jung, “Aeon”, loses this meaning and  defines those long zodiac periods.

Astrology

In Astrology, still of those darkened avenues considered off-limits of science the Great Year of have recognized the vernal equinox were interpreted by Babylonian astronomers. It is worth to mention, that in Babylonian times there was no difference between a priest and a doctor and up to the time of the Astronomer Kepler little difference between Astrology and Astronomy. In his research into the symbolic meaning of his patient’s dreams, conversations and paintings, Jung observed recurring mythical themes. Jung concluded that the constellations were originally inspired by projections of images created by the collective unconscious. Jung wrote “Astrology represents the sum of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity”.

A vernal point moving through the randomly sized zodiacal constellations or sidereal zodiac  too erratic and suggest a false accuracy for  a long period transitions one may round all astrological ages to exactly 2000 years each: In that the Aries age is found from 2000 BC to 1 AD, Pisces age 1 AD to 2000 AD, the Aquarian age 2000 AD – 4000 AD, and so on. So the great year is defined by the vernal equinox sign placed in the particular house.

The houses have certain meanings:

• The 1st house ( Ascendant) Real Self, demeanour, and vitality
• The 2nd house: possession and material goods.
• The 3rd house: immediate surroundings, siblings, studies.
• The 4th house, (Imum Coeli): family, home, origins,  and father.
• The 5th house: creativity love, pleasure, leisure, and children
• The 6th house: everyday life, service and health.
• The 7th house (Descendant): Persona how to perceives, partnership, marriage
• The 8th house: crises, transformations, death,  sexuality, occultism.
• The 9th house: travels, mental explorations, philosophy, law and religion.
• The 10th house, (mid-heaven): hope a professional destiny,  mother.
• The 11th house: friends, hope and wishes, supports and protections
• The 12th house: own undoing, enemies, difficulties, solitude, secrets

The Zodiac is divided into four quadrants and hemisphere of the same size.

•  The first quadrant comprises the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd houses. They symbolise levels of consciousness of egotistical nature
•  The second quadrant comprises the 4th, 5th, and 6th houses. Sociability, creativity and work.
• The third quadrant comprises the 7th, 8th, and 9th houses, which are of sheer interpersonal nature.
•  The fourth quadrant comprises the 10th, 11th, and 12th houses, the sector of spiritual and humanitarian actions.
• The Northern hemisphere comprises the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th houses and indicates a personal, egotistical, subjective, and internalized typology.
•  The Southern hemisphere comprises the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th houses and indicates an active, objective, externalized, and group-oriented typology.
• The Eastern hemisphere comprises the 10th, 11th, 12th, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd house, near the Ascendant it indicates a typology marked by independence and personal action.
• The Western hemisphere comprises the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th houses, near the Descendant it indicates the importance of communication, dependency and relation with on other people

“The Age of Freedom and the Water Bearer” (Aquarius AD 2150 to 4300)

The edge established between Pisces and Aquarius locates the beginning of the Aquarian Age around the year 2600. C.G. Jung followed interpretation that the Age of Aquarius will begin in AD 1997 but in the Mayan Calendar / Egyptian Cycle of the Phoenix begins AD 21 December 2012.

We live in emotional and intellectual disturbed times.  In (European) retrospect this has been caused by permanent indoctrination of sterile and spiritual deaf scholars in the sixties like Marxist Ernst Bloch who ridiculed Carl Gustav Jung, ” who offers art as a religious substitute, religion life substitute and both for a tired bourgeoisie” or petty revolutionary like Rudis Dutschkes comrades, little Red Guards who until today just can utter “Ultra reactionary”. When Jung was dying in 1961, age-old and terminally ill from heart problems, his thoughts circled round the Far Eastern practice of the rebirth. Now, so he entrusted friends, he will probably learn shortly what the Self is all about. In 1958 Jung, in a writing with the title “a modern myth”, he had forecast the coming world order in the sign of the Aquarius: “Now we approach”, he announced, “the big change, with the entry of the spring equinox we expect the coming world order in Aquarius”  with “secular changes of the collective psyche”.

Jung and the Age of Aquarius

As has been shown, the defection the transition into the Aquarius depends on arbitrarily agreed zodiac borders of the constellations, the change the age cannot be defined rationally or exactly. Thus very different times were calculated up to now:  1950, in 1962, but also in 1997, in 2012 (aligned with the Mayan calendar) and 2146 were given. The latter number arises if one defines the (Western notation) year 1 A.D. as a beginning of this Pisce age how it is mostly done for reasons of the descriptiveness. C.G.Jung has dated such a change of “Aeons” in his work, hence, on 1997. Aniela Jaffé in “C.G.Jung in his last years and other articles” and C. G. Jung in his work “Aion” (1950) interprets this change as a “synchronicity phenomenon”.  Aniela Jaffé ties it with the (decline) of the Christianity whose symbol is the fish. She claims, that possibly thousand years ago – as the second part of the Pisces sign was touched, the age of the Antichrist begun whose climax we experience right now.

Who wants to understand, why academic Europeans turned to Indian gurus in the sixties and value Jung today, should rather read Jung than Freud; Jung is a precursor of that capitalism and civilisation criticism which becomes today more than valid  in view of the menacing economic and spiritual disasters of literally dying societies. Secularism in the West and  not bring enlightenment but a soft totalitarian Socialism in partnership with the New World Order of the “Masters of the Universe”. More still: The “wise old person of the Zurich lake”, as his disciples called him, opened his system of theories quite early to all sorts of occult influences which appears today meaningful in the post-scientific world view of the disappointed protagonists and the post-democratic reality: Myths and fairy tales, spiritualism, astrology, alchemy, shamanism, Catholicism, Zen and yoga – all this melted in the thinking of the psycho-magician Jung to a cosmic whole.  The “Self”  was Jung’s objective, a psychic integration of consciousness and unconscious and awareness of collective archetypes, so vivid needed in the fast paced globalisation and global communication which develop according to their own laws and are called upon by fanatics (or paid manipulators) with a mouse click to raise an angry religious or pseudo-secular (post-modern) mob.

Below are excerpts of what Jung wrote of the Age of Aquarius..

• C G Jung 1951 AD [for the German-language Version], Aion [published in the Collected Works 9, Part II] Chapter IV, The Sign of the Fishes:
  • “If, as seems probable, the aeon of the fishes is ruled by the archetypal motif of the hostile brothers, then the approach of the next Platonic month, namely Aquarius, will constellate the problem of the union of the opposites. It will then no longer be possible to write off evil as the mere privation of good; it’s real existence will have to be recognized. This problem can be solved neither by philosophy, nor by economics, nor by politics, but only by the individual human being, via his experience of the living spirit…”
  • ” Astrologically interpreted, the designation of Christ as one of the fishes identified him with the first fish, the vertical one. Christ is followed by the Antichrist at the end of time. The beginning of the enantiodromia would fall, logically, midway between the two fishes. We have seen that this is so. The time of the Renaissance begins in the immediate vicinity of the second fish, and with it comes the spirit which culminates in the modern age”
  • “Since the delimitation of the constellations is known to be somewhat arbitrary, this date is very indefinite. It refers to the actual constellation of fixed stars, not to the zodion noeton, i.e. the zodiac divided into sectors of 30º each. Astrologically, the beginning of the next aeon, according to the starting point you select falls between AD 2000 and AD 2200. Starting from the star “O” and assuming a Platonic month of 2 143 years, one would arrive at AD 2154 for the beginning of the Aquarian Age, and at AD 1997 if you start at star “a 113.” The latter date agrees with the longitude of the stars in Ptolemy’s Almagest, p. 199, n. 1.”
• C G Jung 1959 AD: Flying Saucers, Introduction, pp xi – xii:
  • ” They are, it seems, changes in the constellation of the psychic dominants, of the archetypes or “Gods” as they used to be called, which bring about, or accompany, long-lasting transformations of the collective psyche. This transformation started within the historical tradition and left traces behind within it, first in the transition of the Age of Taurus to that of Aries, and then from Aries to Pisces, whose beginning coincides with the rise of Christianity. We are now nearing that great change which may be expected when the spring-point enters Aquarius. “

To others (presumably before the start of the current global mess and violence) the age of the Aquarius promises an era of nonconformity and individualism defined by qualities like tolerance, openness and a non-egalitarian but elitarian world bourgeoisie.I don’t think elitarian is a word, but I just declare it one.referring to a system of government, economics, or general society that is governed by a concept of an “elite”… this can include things from elements of EU commitess, Nazi Germany, IMF or the Bilderbergers with hidden goals. The problem is rather simple; under such structures, you assume a different type of dreaded brave new world “ethics”. You  offer  “bread and games” as well as projections of “bad” elements to a society of second class of citizen. People behave in Jungs’s conservative manner, the need spiritualiy surroundings, nurturing parents and community. The spirit of the Aquarius age will affect not only in research and science counterproductively, but  also encompasses a New World Order. Hence, the Aquarius Age by worldwide interlinking and globalisation it creates the base to centralize the problems of the humanity worldwide essentially in a post democratic way but also is decentralized counter movement.  It looks like the beauty of the Aquarian Ange lies in the beholder.

Jung pointed out the vital necessity for a new religious myth that would support Western culture. He recognized that we are living in a time that has lost its central myth, which he understood as truly pathologic if not apocalyptic condition. Our civilization has become rudderless, without the means to steer Western societies in meaningful ways, without solid basis for decision-making. In earlier essays I discussed the collective archetypes and how current global conditions are leading us closer and closer to confronting our collective shadow. The emergence of the “communication outside the reach of the New World Order” is the only positive sign on the horizon that could avert global disaster. But for it to do so requires individuals to share that “treasure in the field”—the treasure that lies within each of us.

Astrology gives those hints for the Sign of Aquarius:

• Fixed water sign (resistance to change)
• Rulers Saturn and Uranus
• Uranus the planet of the unconsciousness and unconventionality
• Saturn the planet of the caution and tradition
• Ascendent is Leo – fire sign  (Ruler Sun) of strength and passion

This fosters an expectation that the Aquarian age will foster in a period of group consciousness. Furthermore we saw the appearance of dictators, self-expression and the rising influence of the entertainment industry are linked to the Aquarian age by its opposite sign Leo. In popular culture, the expression “Age of Aquarius” usually refers to Hippie and New Age. The musical Hair brought the Aquarian Age concept 1967 to the attention of a huge worldwide audience. This New Age phenomenon is seen by some astrologers to be marked by the conjunction of the planet Uranus, ruler of the sign Aquarius, and the coming age, with Pluto, ruler of the masses, bringing radical change. However, as the Hair opening song relates, it is only considered by astrologers as the “dawning” or “cusp” of the Age

Spiritual Archetypes: Traits of Aquarius such as being ‘humanitarian’ but at the same time ‘unemotional’ may indicate to the emergence of active trans-governmental organisations and global “solidarity” movements. Alternatively, it may indicate individual New Age spiritual awakening en mass, which although is not organized, spontaneously forms a worldwide ‘humanitarian’ yet ‘unemotional’ era of spiritual clarity and spontaneous friendship.

“The Age of Monotheism, Spirituality, and the Fish” (AD 1 to 2150)

This is technically the current age but there are many astrologers who believe that the Age of Aquarius has already arrived or will arrive soon (Mayan: ends 21 December 2012).

• Pisces is a fixed water sign (selfishness)
• Rulers are Jupiter and Neptune
• Jupiter the planet of justice,  spirituality and compassion
• Neptune the planet of artistic inspirations
• Ascendent is Virgo – fire sign  (Ruler Mercury) service and rationality

Spiritual Archetypes: The Age of Pisces is characterized by the rise of many religions such as Christianity (founded 1st Century), Islam (founded 7th Century) and Buddhism (founded 6th to 4th Century BC) due to the “spiritual” nature of Pisces and its ability to go beyond the boundaries of the physical world. The Age of Pisces is mainly marked by the continuous research of humanity about the truth hidden behind what’s perceived.

“The Age of War, Fire and the Ram” (Aries  2150 BC to ca. 1 AD)

• Fixed water sign (resistance to change)
• Rulers Saturn and Uranus
• Uranus the planet of the unconsciousness and unconventionality
• Saturn the planet of the caution and tradition
• Ascendent is Leo – fire sign  (Ruler Sun) of strength and passion

Aries represents a Fire symbol as well as bold actions, such as the expanding empires of China, Persia, Greece and Rome, are often cited as examples of the archetypes of Aries in action. Also the Aries constellation shows a ram running. This could correspond with the sacrifice of Abraham’s Ram. The battering ram invokes the symbol of Mars, the planetary ruler of Aries, According to the Roman state religion, the Roman people were the “Sons of Mars” attributed to the various Wars of the time. Aries is associated with the metal iron, and iron ore was for the first time smelted and worked into iron swords in Anatolia during the early phase of this era, replacing the heavier, softer-metalled, duller-edged bronze swords of the previous Taurus Age.

Spiritual Archetypes:The Age of Aries ushered in efforts to replace polytheism with monotheism. The earliest known attempt was by the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, who, in about 1350 BC, decreed the Sun God Aten to be the supreme deity, apparently in reaction to his earlier lack of inclusion in religious rites by his family. The symbol of Aries can be seen as representing the power of multiple gods streaming down into a single god-head. Moses, an early Biblical Hebrew religious leader, lawgiver, prophet, and military leader, condemns his own people upon finding them worshiping a ‘golden calf’ (a symbol of the previous Age of Taurus and of the worship of the bull deity).

The Age of Earth, Agriculture and the Bull” (Taurus 4300 BC to 2150 BC)

This age is notable for the building of the Pyramids, during the Old Kingdom of Egypt and the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. They personify structure, solidity, stability and attempts at eternity, keywords of Taurus. The completed Great Pyramid of Khufu, clad in smooth pure white limestone, must have been a sight of dazzling beauty in the sunlight. Beauty is another keyword of Taurus. Taurus is associated with the metal copper, and bronze. Papyrus was invented during this time, enabling improved writing techniques. Traits of Taurus such as ‘stubbornness’ and ‘strength’ but at the same time ‘sensuality’ may be attributed to civilizations such as Ancient Egypt’s.

Spiritual Archetypes: When Moses was said to have descended from the mountain with the ten commandments (c. 17th – 13th century BC, the end of the Age of Taurus), some of his people or followers were found by him to be worshipping a golden bull calf. He instructed these worshippers to be killed. This represents Moses “killing” the bull and ending the Age of Taurus, and ushering in the Age of Aries, which he represents.

“The Age of Communication and Trade” (Gemini to 6450 to 4300 BC)

During this age writing developed, and trade started to accelerate. This corresponds to the symbols the Gemini constellation represents believed by some to be symbolic for trade and communication of people. Both writing and trade (including messaging) are traditional archetypes belonging to the ruling planet Mercury. The wheel, which was used for local transportation are archetypes associated with the sign of Gemini.

Spiritual Archetypes: Multiple gods, such as the pantheon of gods in Ancient Greek literature, are believed to have appeared in this Gemini age probably in Sumer (Mesopotamia).

“The Age of the Great Mother” (Cancer ca. 8600 BC to ca. 6450 BC.

The Neolithic Revolution, including the beginning of civilization, with domestication of farm animals including pigs, goats and bees. Some nomadic people settled down to living in permanent dwellings protected by a wall. Cancer is always associated with ‘protection’ by utilizing an external barrier. Cancer is ruled by the Moon, and is associated with the process of bearing, birthing, nurturing, and protecting.including anything to do with the home (including houses, place of residence, migration).Rise of pottery (a protective vessel conforming to one of Cancer’s archetypes).

Spiritual Archetypes: Widespread evidence of the mother goddess in the Near East (the `mother’ archetype in all shapes and forms is always related to the sign Cancer).

 “The Golden Age” (Leo  ca. 10,500 BC to 8000 BC)

The major event at this time was an ancient global warming to such a massive extent that it led to the de-glaciation of what now constitutes much of the modern habitable world. The sign Leo is a Fire sign and is traditionally ruled by the Sun in astrology.

Conclusion

The New World Order or the emergence of a totalitarian trans-national government seem more likely than the anticipated new human millennium the musical anticipated. A not so secretive power elite with a globalist agenda will eventually rule the world through an authoritarian world government— the EU just now replaces sovereign nation-states—and an all-encompassing propaganda that ideologizes its establishment as the culmination of history’s progress. Significant crisis in politics and finance are orchestrated or at least utilized by unduly influential banks and transnational shadow bodies through many front organizations. Numerous historical and current events can be seen as steps in an on-going plot to achieve world domination through financial powers and manipulated decision-making processes. Note 2014;  Pope Francis urged the world on September,13th to shed its apathy in the face of what he characterizes as a third world war, intoning “war is madness”, The pope said “even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction.” Pope Francis said also these wars are driven by “interests, geopolitical strategies, lust for money and power, and there is the manufacture and sale of arms.”