No one can really tell when the Age of Aquarius begins. This is a 2160 year cycle, and it doesn’t begin or end on a particular date. But I believe that we are in the transition period between the Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius.
The spread of Christianity dominated the Age of Pisces, and while there have been some horrific consequences as a result (think the brutality of the Crusades, the annihilation of Native Americans and other indigenous groups, etc.) it has primarily been Christian and other religious groups that have cared for the poor.
One of the rulers of Pisces is Jupiter, and Jupiter rules religion, the construct of meaning that we create for ourselves and share with others. During the Age of Pisces the ideology of shared ideas has prevailed, and for a person to be without religion was unthinkable.
As we move into the age of Aquarius, ruled by Saturn traditionally and Uranus as modern ruler, there is more of a focus on individual rights and liberties and perhaps less compassion that is one of the higher manifestations of the Piscean archetype. While Aquarius is all about fairness and justice for everyone, there is less of a sense of empathy and more of a fervor for liberty which we can certainly observe in today’s political landscape. Aquarius loves mankind in general but finds it more difficult to be emotionally connected, hence the image I chose for this article.
Two years ago I wrote an article entitled “Will religion survive the Aquarian Age?”
There is no doubt that the presence of religion in our lives is changing, especially in the United States which, with Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius rising and Jupiter conjunct the Sun in the national chart is exceptionally tied to religious dogma. A recent Pew study found that 28% of all adults surveyed had left the religion of their childhood, a rather astonishing number. [The number of people expressing no religious preference has grown by a steady 6% per year since the 1990s when Pluto entered Sagittarius, the sign of religion, according to this study.]
As we continue to move into the Aquarian Age, the force of “reason” is likely to dominate over spiritual experience, bringing another set of dangers. The idea that in the Age of Aquarius “peace and love will rule the sky” promulgated by the musical Hair is a fantasy. If you ever read Animal Farm by George Orwell, a book about the dangers of communism where all are equal and none are free, you’ve seen the dark side of Aquarius in action.
We are seeing some of that in the rhetoric from politicians who want to eliminate care for the poor from state budgets.
For much of the last 2000 years churches provided much of the foundation of human life, both political and personal. Until Henry VIII created his own religion and banished the Pope from his country, the head of the Catholic Church controlled much of Europe. So there was very little actual separation between church and state, and the churches provided relief for the poor as well as the political structures.
Today it is primarily churches and religious organizations that provide soup kitchens and other relief efforts, and many conservatives argue that it should be churches that care for the poor and not the government. But as religious structures continue to disappear in the Aquarian Age secular groups and government will need to pick up the slack and care for the poor.
It is ironic to me that those who call themselves Christian politicians are the loudest voices in eliminating supports for those in poverty since it was Jesus himself who said:
Mark 10:21-22 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
As the number of churches continues to decline, with 3-4,000 churches closing every year in the US, alternative means to provide aid to the poor will need to be found. In the age of personal responsibility, that means that it will be you and me that will be taking over.
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In my attempts to promote caring for the natural world, I too am seeing a growing absence of compassion. I pray that parents everywhere will come to see the value of immersing themselves and their children in the natural world, playing among the trees, growing flowers and food. Interacting with the natural world, especially gardening, requires one to think of the needs of others — the plants you are nurturing. I believe that this exercise in becoming aware of the needs of others — even plants– can then more easily transfer to empathy for all those in need — plants, animals, and humans. Here’s hoping, anyway.
Hi Catherine, beautiful words and I like your idea of connecting plants to people to teach compassion.
Might we come to awaken to the idealism of Individuality ( what America embraces as a foundation) and it’s very dark shadow? It may be a “Truth” that everyone has the opportunity to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” but is it a Fact?
Well, since I work with people who live in poverty, wrestle with mental illness, and experience a daily, persistent, general lack of resources, I must say the “Christian” (and Jewish and Muslim and everything else) politicians should be forced to work in soup kitchens, live in housing projects, and subsist on General Assistance (in the amount of $203 per month in my state) and food stamps (amount varies) for at least 5 years following their limited tenure as a politician. Think of it as an incentive program. Already, conservatives are screeching about personal responsibility and why should governments be responsible for “handouts,” conveniently ignoring the blatant handouts to multinational corporations, mega-conglomerates and certain foreign nations– with zero accountability or oversight. Yes, let’s talk about handouts and giveaways while the poorest receive crumbs (if that) and are constantly punished for being poor. To survive, they commit petty crimes of theft and forgery, then are caught in the criminal “justice” system and receive felonies and other sentences that then prevent them from working for anything more than starvation rations, finding affordable housing that isn’t infested with vermin, or rehabilitating themselves in any meaningful way. So they turn to drugs of any sort to anesthetize themselves from the pain of total degradation, and then they die. And that’s just how the religious politicians want it. Any wonder thinking people have had it with religion?
I’m with you Joe! Self Actualization only happens after basic needs are meet- this is has been know since the 40’s. If you’re in survival mode – well then it’s simple “Let the (Hunger) Games begin!”
And, thank you for pointing out an awesome theme for the next reality show- Politician Subsisting on General Assistance.
Hi Lynn: very thought provoking. It struck me that the traditional Piscean Age care of the poor did nothing to eliminate the causes of the poverty or provide a way for people to substantively change their conditions. It may have given them a shelter bed and enough food to not develop full-blown starvation, but little else. And now at the tail end of this age, you mention the increasingly hateful and mean-spirited politicians who are cutting even further the little safety net that exists in our country—funny that they are also the ones who use religion to justify their actions. Let’s hope that the Aquarian Age ushers in an era of thoughtful and meaningful change. The Peanuts cartoon you chose captures it beautifully. We don’t have to “love” everybody to know that we are doing the right thing for other people and for the survival of our Mother Earth. That Aquarian objectivity may help us in the struggle to end the injustices that cause so much suffering.
That’s a great point, Julie. There are many who argue that governmental efforts to aid the poor have only built a larger and larger underclass. Saturn is one of the ruler of Aquarius and Saturn teaches personal responsibility. Of course in order to be able to practice personal responsibility one needs to have the basics to be able to support oneself: transportation to work, access to education. My personal belief is that this is where our energies should be focused rather than aid and benefits except for short-term rescue efforts.
Yes, addressing the barriers that prevent access to opportunities is a necessary component to this puzzle. Along with addressing White Privilege and the contents of it’s invisible knapsack.
http://www.isr.umich.edu/home/diversity/resources/white-privilege.pdf
Great post, truly hard to believe what is going on. I wonder if the things will keep go down or stop in somewhere. Thank you for posting this!