The Dangers in the Age of Aquarius

First, let's start with what IS the Age of Aquarius, other than a reference popularized by the opening song in the musical Hair? Astronomically speaking, it's the period when the vernal point moves -- through precession -- from Pisces into the constellation of Aquarius, which is believed to be happening "now". That means that it's symbolically tied to the values and needs of the sign of Aquarius, which is popularly believed to be associated with innovation, progress, technology, rebellion, humanitarianism, and collective concerns.

But before digging into its meaning, are we actually in the age of Aquarius? That depends on whom you ask. There’s no universal agreement among astrologers, most of whom are not examining it astronomically, but rather culturally. Therefore, many say we entered this age in the 20th century between the 1960s and 2000 -- perhaps because the musical Hair came out in the 1960s and its song told us we were in "the dawning of the 'Age of Aquarius' ". (If you repeat something often enough, it sticks.) Other more astronomically inclined astrologers believe it's still on the horizon and will possibly begin around 2160. This date assumes that the start of Pisces occurred with the presumed 'birth of Christ' in 1 AD. And while we can definitely confirm the Piscean symbolism in Christianity, the actual transition into a culture dominated by Piscean values is no more tied to a single event, such as Christianity, than the birth of the Aquarian age might be tied to the birth of Microsoft. So the upshot is that establishing the boundaries of a Precessional age is best done in retrospect, with enough historical distance to be able to see the broad but distinct changes in society. Even so, looking back at the Piscean age, we can only widely and roughly establish a range of dates for its transitions.

Despite the timing caveat, we can still define symbolically what we mean by the Aquarian Age and try to understand the values and needs that may be shaping our current (or future), cultural direction. But before we do that, let me explain why the start of any Precessional Age is especially fraught with dangers. The earth precesses through the Zodiac in reverse order! This is why after Pisces, we're entering the Age of Aquarius and not Aries. Most experienced practicing astrologers are very familiar with the fact that the late degrees of any sign tend to indicate an especially critical expression of that sign. This is why these late degrees are called 'critical' degrees. (I consider 27-29; zero IS NOT a critical degree for the reasons explained below.) What happens in such situations, is that the need indicated by the sign is still unfulfilled at the end of that sign. And the extreme frustration at the perceived lack that we're trying and failing to satisfy, creates the tension that pushes us into the following sign, which begins with zero degrees. (Tension is always necessary to create any change. The larger the change, the greater the tension) This sign transition IS the resolution of the unfulfilled need into a new environmental situation where that lack is no longer perceived. But in the case of precession, this sequence occurs in the reverse order. Instead of moving into a new sign at its beginning stage, we move into a new sign at its culmination! Since all signs represent needs -- that is, the things we don't have -- then entering a new sign at the last degrees is like a trial by fire. We are essentially beginning a new phase of existence at the most excessive point of that lack. This is all very abstract, so let's see how it plays out with Aquarius.

Aquarius is represented by the Water Bearer; but it’s actually an air sign. This means that its realm of expression will involve the interpersonal and social, more than the emotional. Air signs express through ideas and information, which require interpersonal or social relationships. It's also a sign that is tied to the later stages of any cycle, which in terms of the biological cycle, means old age. It's during old age when we experience the loss of occupational identity (having retired under Capricorn), and of members of our age cohort. In effect, it's when we're most susceptible to isolation and loneliness. Thus, Aquarius' major need is for social inclusion. Saturn, known in Greek as Cronos, lord of time, is the planet in charge of resolving this need. Since Saturn is also the creator of civilization and of societal structures, we tend to fulfill this need for inclusion by uniting into collective structures (i.e. groups) where we share some common identity, such as seniors or other sidelined groups. This is why Leo, the sign of individual identity, is in the same axis as Aquarius. They are both expressions of the authentication of the self -- one individual, the other collective.

Because the vernal point is probably traversing somewhere in these critical degrees, the Age of Aquarius is NOT embracing the power of individuals within the collective -- as is often contended. It's embracing the collective at the expense of the individual. Tension between polarities of an axis always exists at the extreme degrees. When the precession brings the vernal point somewhere it the middle of the sign, this idealized balance might be achieved. But during critical degrees, the tension being felt within the Leo and Aquarius axis will be perceived as irreconcilable. To put it into LINCOS terminology: the need for social inclusion is being pitted against the need for the individual Self. The push for collective thinking and norms, such as unity, equity, global awareness and shared responsibility, will overshadow the individual's own sense of Self and his personal agency will be increasingly restricted by those norms. The 2020 pandemic struggles are a good example of this. In fact, we'll continue to witness the Leo side of the equation being cast into the shadow as the expressions of individual identity and ego are demonized or repressed, as they backlash against this critical entry into Aquarius. As this impetus progresses, the demonization and erosion of individual identity can, and will have time to backlash at all levels of society: political (as in the rise of pro-nationalist sentiment and representation), cultural (as in anti-immigrant sentiment); economic (as in protectionist tariffs); religious (as in battles over personal versus institutional authority over one's spirituality); institutional (as in global policies superseding national ones); geopolitical (as in the defense of national sovereignty over the forced inclusion into larger territorial blocks).

Whenever there's a critical position taken on one side of any axis, it's not uncommon to see a hypocritic swing in the opposite direction. This is called enantiodromia and we can exemplify this by looking more closely at New Age spirituality. This movement can be seen to be currently positioned at both sides of the Leo/Aquarius precessional axis. While on the one hand, it embraces the right of the individual to choose his own spiritual path when contrasted with traditional western Christian mores, which have been institutionally defined, preserving thus, the will of the individual above the dictates of the collective. On the other hand, it also capitulates the individual will and personal ego as a prerequisite on the spiritual journey of transcendence into some form of universal consciousness. This presumed evolutionary inclusion into a larger consciousness, becoming the more urgent Aquarian message of the times in which we live. If one traces the origins of this belief, it soon becomes apparent that it too originates within spiritual institutions, albeit more recent ones. So we must be aware of whether we're indeed embracing the power of the individual within a spiritual collective, or embracing inclusion at the expense of the psychologically healthy individual.

The other important expression has to do with the technological innovations that are often believed to accompany Aquarius, such as the electrical and digital information revolutions. In modern astrology this has often been linked to Uranus -- its modern ruler -- because this planet was discovered during the same century in which we made significant advances in our understanding of electricity. But technological progress has always existed. Progress contributing to civilization has historically been ruled over by Saturn, the traditional ruler of Aquarius. Indeed, Saturn was statistically shown to be an indicator of eminent scientists in the Gauquelin professional studies. Additionally, the earliest technological advancement allowing for the first civilizations in the Euphrates valley, was the construction of irrigation systems that allowed for the watering of crops. This invention was attributed to the deity Enki (the god who is depicted with flowing waters coming from his arms like Aquarius), but he was not a planetary deity. So Ninurta (Saturn) became the deity who maintained and controlled the systems that allowed for civilization to flourish. It's this technological advancement that explains why Saturn later appears associated with sailors and water in Greek astrology. The water-pourer that we see emblematic of Aquarius, is indeed the provider of these watering systems, or Saturn. Since water can take the shape of a wave, all waves, including electrical ones, also fall under Aquarius.

Technological advancements allow for civilization, which is a more collective form of societal organization. But again, larger societal cohesion always exacts a price from the individual. So what we're seeing with a greater dependence on AI and the internet, is the loss of individual creativity and agency. For the sake of convenience, we're preferring to outsource our faculties to technology. Saturn is the darkest planet because it's the farthest of the traditional planets from the Sun. But this also means that what it provides will be darkened by a comparable degree. Having Saturn prominent as lord of the Aquarian age indicates "a darkening" of the light. But what is meant astrologically by 'darkening'? Light allows for sense-seeing, which correlates with seeing in the mind: in other words, with imagination, inspiration and creativity, as well as the drive for personal agency and will. [You can learn more about this topic in my presentation on Light ] Light comes from the Soul, which is our animating force and represented in astrology by the Sun, ruler of Leo. It's no surprise then, that between 2016 and 2023, the prevalence of diagnosed mental or behavioral health conditions in U.S. youth aged 12-19, increased 35%, with the prevalence of depression increasing by 45%. It was during the pandemic that we witnessed what was, up until now, the greatest shift toward reliance on modern technology for everyday living. This will only increase as we embark further into the Aquarian age. Remember, an air sign requires interpersonal and social relationships. To the extent that modern technology is helping to remove our ability to form interpersonal and social relationships, society will increasingly suffer from isolation, loneliness and a loss of will.

So how are we to navigate the future of this age? We must recognize what the axis as a whole is asking from us. The Leo-Aquarius axis seeks a degree of authentication that establishes us as respected entities, whether individually through Leo or collectively through Aquarius. As humans, we've reached a turning point in our technological development that is forcing us to gain a greater awareness of who we are as a species. So our collective identity is undergoing a re-appraisal and being redefined. There will be life-threatening events that force us to coalesce into unity (such as war) and which push us toward ever-inclusive, social organization (such as a pandemic) and structures (such as the U.N.). There will also be situations in which extreme expressions of Leo are enabled, so that their demonization and eradication is justified. Some of these events will be organic; most will not, since social organization is by definition manmade. During this axis negotiation, we need to understand that in demanding the authentication of these "necessary" larger structures, we cannot also surrender or suppress who we are as their comprising, individual identities: self-determination, whether at the national or individual level, must co-exist within the forging of any larger entity. Or to put it in a psychological expression: we cannot sacrifice a healthy ego -- which is the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious, and is responsible for reality-testing, and a sense of personal identity -- as payment for entrance into 'universal consciousness'. There will be no 'Golden age of Aquarius', just as there was no utopia during the age of Pisces, or any other sign before that. There can however, be growth, wisdom and balance, which are far more enduring.