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Age of Aquarius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Age of Aquarius is either the current or new age in the cycle of astrological ages. Each astrological age is
approximately 2,150 years-long, on average, but there are various methods of calculating this length that may
yield longer or shorter time spans depending upon the technique used. Unlike sun-sign astrology where the first
sign is Aries, followed by Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius,
and Pisces, whereupon the cycle returns to Aries and through the zodiacal signs again, the astrological ages
proceed in the opposite direction or order – normally termed retrograde. Therefore, the Age of Aquarius
follows the Age of Pisces. It has been said that we are currently shifting into the Aquarian Age.[1]

Contents
1 Overview
2 Astrological meaning of the Age of Aquarius
2.1 David Williams
2.2 M arcia M oore and M ark Douglas
2.3 Vera Reid
2.4 Robert Zoller
2.5 Albert Amao
2.6 Neil Spencer
2.7 Louis M acNeice
2.8 Ray Grasse
2.9 Paul Wright
3 Esoteric Christian tradition
4 Common cultural associations
5 See also
6 References

Overview
The approximate 2150 years for each age corresponds to the gyration of the Earth's northern zenith points
toward each of the twelve Zodiac regions in the sky (Earth's 25,800 year gyroscopic precession divided by the
twelve Zodiac points). According to different astrologers' calculations, approximated dates for entering the Age
of Aquarius range from 1447 AD (Terry M acKinnell) to 3597 (John Addey).[2] The start date for the Aquarian
age is somewhat contentious[3] and there is little uniform agreement upon the date or process leading from the
previous Piscean age to the Aquarian age (or between any two ages). Nicholas Campion in The Book of World
Horoscopes lists various references from mainly astrological sources for the start of the Age of Aquarius. Based
on the research by Nicholas Campion most published material on the subject state that the Age of Aquarius
arrived in the 20th century (29 claims), with the 24th century in second place with twelve claimants. Eight
researchers claim the Aquarian age will arrive in the 25th century while the 21st, 26th and 27th centuries have
seven supporters for each century. Other centuries that have a number of supporters for the beginning of the
Aquarian age include: 22nd and 23rd centuries (6 each); 19th century (5); and the 18th century (4).

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Astrological ages exist as a result of precession of the equinoxes. The stars and constellations appear to slowly
rotate around the Earth independent of the diurnal and annual movements of the Earth on its own axis and
around the Sun. This slow movement takes slightly less than 26,000 years to complete one cycle. Traditionally
this rotation is calibrated for the purposes of the astrological ages by the location of the sun in one of the twelve
zodiacal constellations at the moment of the northern hemisphere vernal equinox around 21 M arch each year.
Approximately every 2,160 years the sun's position at the time of the vernal equinox will have moved into a
new zodiacal constellation. However zodiacal constellations are not uniform in size and so some astrologers
believe that the corresponding ages should also vary in time - this however is a contentious issue amongst
astrologers.

In 1929, the International Astronomical Union defined the edges of the 88 official constellations. The edge
established between Pisces and Aquarius technically locates the beginning of the Aquarian Age around the year
2600. M any astrologers dispute this approach because of the varying sizes of the zodiacal constellations and
overlap between the zodiacal constellations.[4]

Astrological meaning of the Age of Aquarius

Ages are believed by some astrologers to affect mankind while other astrologers believe the ages correlate to the
rise and fall of mighty civilizations and cultural tendencies. Aquarius traditionally "rules" electricity, computers,
flight, democracy, freedom, humanitarianism, idealists, modernization, astrology, nervous disorders, rebels and
rebellion.[5] Other keywords and ideas believed associated with Aquarius are nonconformity, philanthropy,
veracity, perseverance, humanity and irresolution.[6] The appearance or elevation in status of many of these
Aquarian developments over the last few centuries is considered by many astrologers to indicate the proximity
of the Aquarian age. There is no uniform agreement about the relationship of these recent Aquarian
developments and the Age of Aquarius. Some astrologers believe that the influence of a New Age is experienced
before it arrives because of a cuspal effect or Orb of Influence. Other astrologers believe the appearance of
Aquarian developments, indicate the actual arrival of the Age of Aquarius.

David Williams

David Williams claims that the Age of Aquarius arrived about 1884, with the harbinger of the Siyyid `Alí
M uḥammad (1819–1850), also known as the Báb, founder of Bábism. Williams adopts a sub-period approach to
the ages whereby each age is divided into three decans. The three age-decans of the Aquarian Age in
chronological order are Libra, Gemini and Aquarius. Williams states that the world is currently in the Libran
decan of the Age of Aquarius which is why the world has been so affected by wars (due to Libra) and
revolutions (due to Aquarius). He relates ideologies such as Socialism, Communism and Fascism to the arrival of
the Age of Aquarius.

Though he acknowledges great progress since the Aquarian Age arrived about 1844, the world will have to wait
for the Aquarian decan of the Aquarian Age before the true fellowship of humankind is experienced in the
world.[7] (According to Williams's calculations, the Aquarian decan of the Age of Aquarius will arrive in about
3284, lasting until about 4004).

Marcia Moore and Mark Douglas

M arcia M oore and M ark Douglas promoted the view that though no one knows when the Aquarian Age begins,
the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the discovery of electricity are all attributable to the
Aquarian Age.[8] M oore and Douglas make a number of predictions about the trends that they believe will

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develop in the Aquarian Age. These include people becoming more impersonal (detached), yet more altruistic
and humane. Developments involving flight and space travel will result in decentralization. Inner cities will
shrink and burgeoning outer suburbs and industrial areas will reduce congestion.[9]

Vera Reid

Vera Reid takes a common position expressed by many astrologers and New Agers about the Age of Aquarius.
Reid sees the Age of Aquarius as that time when humankind takes control of the Earth and its own destiny as its
rightful heritage. As such, humankind will become the "Son of God" (Aquarius13). Reid believed that the
keyword for Aquarius is 'enlightenment'. The destiny of humankind in the Age of Aquarius is the revelation of
truth and the expansion of consciousness.[10]

Reid also believed that the many crises the world is experiencing are attributable to the waning days of the Age
of Pisces meeting the incoming tide of Aquarius, with the transition between ages lasting approximately 280
years. Reid also promoted the idea that some people will experience mental enlightenment in advance of others
and therefore be recognized as the new leaders in the world.[11]

Robert Zoller

Robert Zoller is a proponent of medieval astrology. Zoller’s bleak predictions for the Age of Aquarius suggest
that the Pisces world where religion is the opiate of the masses will be replaced in the Aquarian Age by a world
ruled by secretive power-hungry elites seeking absolute power over others. Families will dissolve completely, or
family ties will be hidden. Zoller also believes that knowledge in the Aquarian Age will only be valued for its
ability to win wars; scientists may even be able to precipitate earthquakes for military means, and the danger in
the Aquarian Age is that knowledge and science will be abused, not industry and trade. Zoller sees the Aquarian
Age as a Dark Age wherein religion will be seen as offensive.[12]

Albert Amao

Amao states that the transition period between any two ages is based on two degrees' leeway at the point of
intersection of two adjoining zodiacal constellations.[13] Based on this transitional structure, Amao has the Age
of Aquarius commencing in 1950 with the transitional period from the Pisces age to Aquarian age covering the
period 1876 to 2020. Amao follows the causative approach to the ages and believes that the energy from the
arriving constellation of Aquarius is actually creating the changes on Earth that many astrologers associate with
the Age of Aquarius.[14] The key characteristics of the Aquarian age according to Amao are: science will explain
the mysteries of religion; knowledge and reason; freedom and equality, equality of the sexes and of religion;
space exploration, supremacy of the United States over the former Pisces supremacy of Europe; and finally
revelation of the M ystery.[15]

Amao also states that the M ayan Long Count calendar, that has an end-date of December 21, 2012, is associated
with precession of the equinoxes and therefore can provide an important demarcation for the Age of Aquarius.
Another technique used by Amao is the longterm conjunction cycle of the planets Saturn and Jupiter that will
have a conjunction of these two planets at the very beginning of the sign Aquarius in 2020. Combined with the
closing transition date of 2020 derived from the one degree cusp method, Amao is convinced that we lie at the
threshold of the Aquarian age.[16]

Neil Spencer

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Neil Spencer provides another sobering overview of the Age of Aquarius stating that the rise of scientific
rationalism combined with the fall of religious influence is possibly an indication of the Age of Aquarius. The
growth in demands of human rights since the 1780s, though remaining unfulfilled, is another indication of
Aquarius. Spencer points to the exponential growth of technology, especially of computers and the Internet,
plus the growth in flight and space travel as examples of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

Spencer also questions the New Age utopian view of the Age of Aquarius with the modern astrological
perspective that each sign is different but equal. Possible negative examples of Aquarius include dumbed-down
media and consumerism and rapacious international corporations. Finally, Spencer states that nuclear power
must be a manifestation of the Aquarian Age and comments on the parallel between the 25,000 years it takes for
uranium to decay with the 26,000 cycle of the astrological ages.[17] No isotopes of uranium have a half-life of
25,000 years though, naturally occurring forms have half-lives of 4.46 billion years(U-238), 700 million
years(U-235), and 245,000 years(U-234).

Louis MacNeice

Louis M acNeice reports that Rupert Gleadow saw the Age of Aquarius ruled by Uranus and thus in the Age of
Aquarius the attributes of Uranus such as inventions, machines, worldwide organizations, international
collaboration, and the fellowship of humankind would spread. M acNeice also states that Ingrid Lind believes the
Age of Aquarius has already arrived and the recent appearance of modern ideas and inventions supports this
assertion.[18]

M acNeice also reports that Gleadow believed that the recent conflicts in the world (presumably the 20th
century) correlate to the conflict between Saturn, ancient ruler of Aquarius and Uranus, modern ruler of
Aquarius. Gleadow states that Saturn represents control, restrictions, and slavery, while Uranus represents
culture, civilization, and intelligence. Though Gleadow viewed Uranus as a good planet, the famous astrologer
Raphael[19] believed Uranus to be evil and truly malefic.[20]

Ray Grasse

Ray Grasse provides a guide to the Aquarian Age analogous to a travel guide for someone entering a foreign land.
Grasse suggests that if you want help navigating through the Aquarian Age, you should leave room for silence in
your life; create a center in your life (preferably involving a connection to the Absolute); and resist the deadening
of your world, so instead of filling up your life with manufactured goods or artificiality, bring living organic
things into your life. Furthermore, you need to maintain a compassionate heart; be involved in a network or
group; become more self-reliant; avoid being hypnotized by the "group trance"; and take control of your
everyday attitudes (i.e., do not depend upon external events for your inner fulfillment). This last point is
relevant, as Grasse states, "How do we know if the Age of Aquarius will be 'a utopia or an Orwellian
nightmare?'".[21]

Paul Wright

Paul Wright believes that the arrival of the Aquarian age occurred around the American Revolution, the French
Revolution and the discovery of Uranus in 1781. Wright also refers to the Industrial Revolution as another
important signpost for the arrival of the Aquarian age. The American Revolution, French Revolution and
Industrial Revolution are all revolutions with all revolutions aligned astrologically to Aquarius.[22] Wright does
concede that an astrological age cannot be assigned a specific year due to the cuspal effect between adjoining
ages.[23] Wright notes that while the Age of Aquarius arrived around the 1780s, the effects from the previous

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Pisces age will continue for some time.

Wright notes that the appearance of the New Age movement in the 1960s and 70s have little archetypal
connection to Aquarius, and that a better guide to Aquarius is the science fiction writer HG Wells. Wrights’
predictions for the rest of the Age of Aquarius include: further progress with democratisation; the extension of
Western affluence to the rest of the world; an altruistic spirit based on “disinterested humanitarianism”; a leap
beyond materialism; religion will cease to be authoritarian and based upon the individual; and evolution of
individuals and society to higher levels of consciousness.[24]

Wright does not make use of age-decans or sub-ages but in their place he focuses upon the cycles of two outer
planets, Uranus (the ruler of Aquarius) and Neptune (the ruler of Pisces). Wright explores in his book “The
Great Ages and other astrological cycles” the correlation of historical events with these two planets since the
late 18th century as a way to understand smaller historical periods than whole ages.[25] In addition he refers to
historical figures born with their sun in Aquarius, Aquarius rising or a significant Uranus in their horoscopes as a
guide to what the world can expect from the age of Aquarius.[26]

Esoteric Christian tradition

According to the Esoteric Christian tradition, such as the Rosicrucians, the proximity and entrance in the Age of
Aquarius—occurring after the present Age of Pisces, or age ruled by the "Sword"—will bring to the majority of
human beings the discovery, true living and real knowledge of the inner and deeper Christian teachings which the
Christ spoke of in M atthew 13:11 and Luke 8:10. This age is regarded as an intermediary preparation toward
the Christ in the etheric plane, the New Galilee: the "new heavens and a new earth" to come at an unknown
point in the future. In the Aquarian age at hand it is expected a great spiritual Teacher to come ("is coming"),
through the school which works as herald of this age, in order "to give the Christian Religion impetus in a new
direction".[27] Others [citation needed] who do not herald the idea of a physical spiritual teacher in contrast to the
AntiChrist believe that the Spiritual Teacher will truly be themselves, and that Christ will manifest himself
within those who seek these Inner Teachings.

Common cultural associations

The expression Age of Aquarius in popular culture usually refers to the heyday of the hippie and New Age
movements in the 1960s and 1970s. The New Age movement is more accurately a phenomenon and yet seen by
many as the harbinger of this future changeover of values associated with the arrival or imminent arrival of the
Aquarian age.

Although more rock than New Age in genre, the 1967 musical Hair, with its opening song "Aquarius" and the
memorable line "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius," brought the Aquarian age concept to the attention
of audiences worldwide. However, the song further defines this dawning of the age within the first lines: "When
the M oon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with M ars; then peace will guide the planets, and love will
steer the stars." According to Neil Spencer, the words are "astrological gibberish" as Jupiter aligns with M ars
several times a year and the M oon is in the 7th House for about two hours every day.[28] These lines are merely
poetic license, though many people take them literally. An example is the identification of February 14, 2009
(Valentine's Day) as the "perfect alignment to support our collective manifestation of love and peace and
dawning of the Age of Aquarius."[29]

See also

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2012 phenomenon
Astrological age
Anthropocene
Woodstock
References
1. ^ Neil Spencer, True as the Stars Above, 2000, pp.
115–27 - chapter 7 - "Love Shall Steer the Stars -
T he Long Dawning of the Age of Aquarius"
2. ^ Nicholas Campion, The Book of World
Horoscopes, 1999, Pgs 489–95
3. ^ Neil Spencer, True as the Stars Above, 2000, Pg
115
4. ^ Ray Grasse, Signs of the Times, 2002, Pg263
5. ^ Rex E Bills, The Rulership Book, 1974, Pgs
362-365
6. ^ Geoffrey Dean, Recent Advances in Natal
Astrology - A Critical Review 1900-1976, 1977,
Pg54
7. ^ David Williams, Simplified Astronomy for
Astrologers, 1969, American Federation of
Astrologers, Pgs 45-56
8. ^ Marcia Moore & Mark Douglas, Astrology, The
Divine Science, 1971, Pg 677
9. ^ Marcia Moore & Mark Douglas, Astrology, The
Divine Science, 1971, Pg 687
10. ^ Vera W Reid, Towards Aquarius, 1971, Pgs
97-99
11. ^ Vera W Reid, Towards Aquarius , 1971, Pg
108-116
12. ^ Robert Zoller, "T he Use of Archetypes in
Prediction", The FAA Journal September 2002
Volume 32 No 3 (Federation of Australian
Astrologers), Pgs 37-53
13. ^ Albert Amao, Aquarian Age & The Andean
Prophecy, AuthorHouse, 2007, Pg56
14. ^ Albert Amao, Aquarian Age & The Andean
Prophecy, AuthorHouse, 2007, Pg75
15. ^ Albert Amao, Aquarian Age & The Andean
Prophecy, AuthorHouse, 2007, Pg85
16. ^ Albert Amao, Aquarian Age & The Andean
Prophecy, AuthorHouse, 2007, Pg57-8
17. ^ Neil Spencer, True as the Stars Above, 2000, Pgs
126-7
18. ^ Louis MacNeice, Astrology, Bloomsbury Books,
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Aquarius"
Categories: Astrological ages | New Age | Esoteric Christianity
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Aquarius
London, 1989 Pgs100-1
19. ^ T here have been a succession of Raphaels since
the first Raphael (Robert Cross Smith b.1795
d.1832) commenced publishing an annual almanac
titled Raphael's Ephemeris, the longest-running
astrological publication in the world - Source -
James Holden, A History of Horoscopic Astrology,
2006, Pgs 203-4
20. ^ Louis MacNeice, Astrology, Bloomsbury Books,
London, 1989 Pgs183
21. ^ Ray Grasse, Signs of the Times, 2002,
Pgs228-231
22. ^ Paul Wright, “ T he Great Ages and other
astrological cycles”, Parlando Press, 2007, Pg
56-7
23. ^ Paul Wright, “ T he Great Ages and other
astrological cycles”, Parlando Press, 2007, Pg 7
24. ^ Paul Wright, “ T he Great Ages and other
astrological cycles”, Parlando Press, 2007, Pg 57 -
8
25. ^ Paul Wright, “ T he Great Ages and other
astrological cycles”, Parlando Press, 2007, Pg
61-90
26. ^ Paul Wright, “ T he Great Ages and other
astrological cycles”, Parlando Press, 2007, Pg
42-56
27. ^ Heindel, Max, Gleanings of a Mystic (Chapter
IX: The Coming Christ
(http://www.rosicrucian.com
/glm/glmeng03.htm#chap09) , Chapter X: The
Coming Age (http://www.rosicrucian.com
/glm/glmeng04.htm#chap10) ), ISBN
0-911274-87-1
28. ^ Neil Spencer, True as the Stars Above, 2000, p.
124.
29. ^ Judecurrivan.com (http://www.judecurrivan.com
/media-articles/articles/the-aquarian-alignment-
14th-february-2009/)
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