“The new is already here. The old is just making a lot of noise dying.”
(Eckhart Tolle)
The Aquarian Age began “cusping” in the mid 1700’s, with the discovery of Uranus, the planetary ruler of Aquarius. Since then, Aquarian principles and concepts have been growing in the collective mind, and asserting ever stronger influence on our perspective and the way we view the world. This influence has been felt most profoundly through scientific and technological advances, the rise of a social consciousness that values freedom, equality, and the rights of the individual to self-rule in favor of monarchy and despotism, and humanitarianism/global responsibility as our awareness of the world expands and the fate of all Humans becomes increasingly intertwined. Since the mid 1700’s, this evolutionary process has continuously accelerated and intensified, and over the past 100 years, it seems that we have been running to keep up with the speed and level of dramatic change required to stay abreast of this new vibration. Today, we stand at a crossroad in current reality. As the past age principles of Pisces, and the collective perspective they created, take a dying breath, come into question, and erode, the new age principles of Aquarius become increasingly evident and find more and more fertile ground in which to take root and galvanize the cultural zeitgeist. Make no mistake, the new age is here, and the Aquarian principles that symbolize that fact abound. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of relationships and social/societal dynamics.
“…humanity will reach maturity and wisdom
on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but to take a special delight
in differences in ideas and differences in life forms. “
(Gene Roddenberry)
With each generation alive on the planet at this time, we have seen huge shifts away from the Piscean concept of relationship, moving steadily toward the Aquarian “ideal”. The need for freedom and individuation has replaced the willingness to “sacrifice” Self in order to be in or maintain relationship. “Till death do us part” has pretty much disappeared from most modern day wedding vows, as well as from the thinking of most young couples, to be replaced with, “Until we stop growing together”. Piscean age scandals, like divorce, living together or having a child “out of wedlock”, choosing to partner with someone of the same sex, etc. have become the mainstream normal, rather than cause for shame. It really wasn’t that long ago that we sent such aberrations to the “home for unwed mothers”, or “behavior modification camps” to be “fixed”. As the struggle for sexual equality continues, the traditional motivation for relationship has shifted from “Can you play the role of appropriate Wife/Mother/Caretaker or Husband/Father/Provider?” to “Are you an appropriate reflection of me, and able to foster and support my growth as an individual? Do you enhance and enrich my personal development and help me to become a better version of myself?” When the relationship can no longer sustain growth of each individual, it is the relationship that must end, rather than the individuation process of either participant.
With today’s internet and social media tools, our ability to relate on a global scale with so many different kinds of people, has expanded in quantum leaps. The mysterious “Other” has become a much more familiar and interesting character. From the safety of the keyboard, we explore relationships with diverse individuals who expose us to ideas, principles, cultures, world views and a variety of acceptable lifestyles very different from our own. We are forced to be aware of, and perhaps even involved with, a larger Humanity that exists outside our immediate purview. Such awareness fosters greater tolerance and acceptance of differences like never before. Rather than the Piscean age fear of differences as a threat to security and communal values, the Aquarian ideal dictates a value for differences and diversity. Strange or different is interesting. Unique and original is admired. More and more, these qualities are preferred, rather than judged to be “wrong”. Multiple minds (perspectives/approaches/solutions) are better than one. The illusion of separateness continues to fade as the specter of potential global disasters force cooperation and a sense of “togetherness” as one Human Race, “all in this together”. Such awareness might easily inspire us to care deeply for the plight of others, and make it personal. The spirit of humanitarianism grows stronger with each generation, as does the sense of global responsibility for the planet, this home we all must share.
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live,
mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time,
the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing,
but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles
exploding like spiders across the stars.”
(Jack Kerouac)
The words “aloof” and “detached” are almost always used to describe Aquarians, a quality that inspired one of my greatest astrology teachers, Buzz Myers, to proclaim, “Aquarians…the sign that loves Humanity, but hates People.” Unfortunately, these words pack a lot of judgment, and need a bit of reframing. The Aquarian ideal of “objective” honesty sits in stark contrast to the Piscean sensitivity to feelings and how words might wound another. Another one of my great teachers, Michael Lutin, attributed to Pisces the ability to “infiltrate and destroy”, which is another way of saying, when objective honesty won’t work, it’s okay to be use stealth and subterfuge to expose my truth and accomplish change. In this emerging consciousness of the new age, it is more important to be honest and speak your truth in relationships than to dance around the issues, pretend you have no opinion when, in fact, you do, or wait until no one is watching to “nuc” the relationship with the long harbored, well-hidden secret of your truth. What we used to call “brutal” honesty, is fast becoming “telling it like it is”. Aquarian relating, on both the personal and societal levels, requires a level of maturity that thrives on respectful debate and intelligent dialogue based more on facts than feelings. Thoughts and ideas can’t hurt or threaten one who is confident and secure in his/her/other own mental acuity. In fact, different thoughts and ideas contribute to broader understanding and greater knowledge, which the individual can then use in the next debate. They’re also fun to play with! Fixed airy Aquarians are infamous for switching sides in the argument just to test its strength! This gift for detachment can, of course, incite us fixed watery emotionally invested Scorpios to riot!
At this moment in history, especially in the social/political arena, as we watch what appears to be THE great “clash of ages” unfold before our very eyes on a daily basis, it’s extremely important to remember that this has all happened before. We survived, and we are still here, slightly bruised, but far from broken. Aquarian age ideals of freedom, equality, and the rights of the individual spark protest marches, reminiscent of the women’s right to vote era at the turn of the century and the Human Rights Movement of the 60’s. Violence and civil unrest existed then as it does now. It is not new. Today’s exposure of the many systemic injustices that plague this nation, and have always plagued this nation, force an unprecedented level of awareness of the more subtle and insidious aspects of the problems. But we have confronted these injustices before, and in response to heightened awareness, which could no longer be denied or ignored, we have changed…some things…at least a little bit… granted, not everything, and maybe not fast enough. It takes generations to actually change the way we think about deeply ingrained beliefs and the “sacred cows” of culture. It took me awhile to stop expecting to see a man when told, “The doctor will see you now”. Today, I watch Grey’s Anatomy, a long running television show that boasts an equal number of male and female, gay and straight, Black and White doctors,with almost fervent reverence and gratitude. My younger friends probably don’t even know what I’m talking about right now! Lack of civility and respect among politicians leaves us thinking all politicians are “bad” and not to be trusted. If you think that’s new, just ask my generation about “Tricky Dick”. (That’s Richard Nixon’s nickname for my younger readers.) Divisiveness and seemingly insurmountable differences in ideological perspectives split the nation, reminiscent of The Civil War. No longer content to swallow what we’re told, our demand for accuracy and honesty of information has created the practice of “fact checking” personnel on site at every political rally and debate. The only difference between now and then is that it took a whole lot longer to reveal the deception, and we didn’t know, or didn’t want to believe, that the man at the top was a philanderer and a liar until long after he vacated the office. Like coffee, oatmeal, and gratification, more and more, we live in an age of “instant” karma.
I could go on, but I think you get the drift. Turmoil and upheaval on the collective level is not new, and a very necessary part of the process of birthing of a new age, with new paradigms to digest and new principles by which to live. We are in the throes of dramatic change in the way we relate to one another and the world around us. The roots of a new perspective grow deeper and stronger with each collective crisis. I am once again reminded of another great teacher, and Scorpio brother, Phillip Sedgwick, who once said, “We’ll finally be in The Aquarian Age when everyone who’s not thinking like an Aquarian is dead.” So please, start thinking like an Aquarian that you may “live long and prosper”!
by Kimberly McSherry
