The First “Earth Rise” for Humanity — Apollo 8 mission — Our Beautiful, Blue Home
Whence – Where – Whither
Part 3 – Whither
So, let us now cast our gaze forward to the years that lie ahead. As I have already noted, there are several planetary influences that are remaining in place now, some for quite a few years, yet their influence will be constantly influenced and modulated by alignments and transitions of other planets too. The Universe is formed by these undulating rhythms of Constancy amidst constant Change; for the underlying essence of Spirit is formed by these Eternal Truths. which play out in these worlds of Being as the profoundly moving resonances of the cosmos, the eternal Songs of Spirit.
As I mentioned in last year’s look ahead, we have now, (after Uranus moves into Taurus to stay for seven years on March 6th), Saturn, Uranus and Pluto all moving through Earth Signs. It is perhaps a fitting and final chapter in this “Age of Earth” that we have been moving through since the 1840’s, as indicated by one of the signature cycles in Astrology, the conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn every 20 years occurring in one element after another.
Astrologers have always paid very close attention to this series of alignments, each one defining a period characterized by a definite spiritual-cultural resonance, the “tone of the time”. I have named the last 3 elemental passages, and the upcoming 4th as:
Water 1425–1663 (The Age of Faith) previous was 571–809
Fire 1663–1842 (The Age of Explorations) previous was 809‑1047
Earth 1842–2020 (The Age of Manifestation) previous was 1047–1226
Air 2020–2219 (The Age of Idealization) previous was 1226–1425
This is known as the “Great Mutation Cycle”, the series of Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions taking place in the Four Elements one after the other, (Water, Fire, Earth, and Air). The complete series is formed by 40 conjunctions around the zodiac, which is divided into roughly 4 periods of about 180 to 230 years each, or an entire series lasting about 800 years.
What this means is that we are on the cusp of some very important shifts as we move from this Age of Manifestation (or Materialization) into an Age of Idealization (or what I call Etherealization). Perhaps, our passage will mirror that of the 1200’s to 1400’s, and that this New Age will equally bring forth a “little Renaissance”, (or something even more profound)?
It will begin as 2020 ends, as Saturn moves into Aquarius and Jupiter joins it on the very day of the Winter Solstice of December 21, 2020. Then in the year 2024, Pluto will leave Capricorn and likewise enter Aquarius. And yes, there are some who believe that these shifts, along with other indicators, point to the true beginning of what many have called the Age of Aquarius.
This much longer cycle of Astrological Ages, (which is also known as the Precession of the Equinoxes) is formed by the Earth’s position as indicated by the North Pole being aligned to a series of Polar stars over the course of about 26,000 years, (or about 2,100 years per sign). As these alignments unfold, the first day of Spring rotates backwards through the Zodiac, (from Aries to Pisces to Aquarius…). It forms the difference between what Astrologers know as the Tropical Zodiac (moving) and the Sidereal Zodiac (fixed) which were aligned at 0 Aries around 254 BCE.
We are said to be at end of Pisces and the beginning of Aquarius, though the transition between one to the other is not definite, and there are various dates for when the Aquarian Age will begin (or has already begun). There are serious (but also wild and rather silly) theories about what this Age of Aquarius will bring. I hold that we can more clearly understand what may be coming, by looking to the most significant theme of the past 2,000 years, or what was the root issue that formed this Age of Pisces. It is from this that we may be able to discern what may lie ahead for us all.
Though volumes have (and will) be written about the 20 Centuries we have just come through, the most salient feature to me comes from the center that forms the Sign of Pisces. I like to say that Pisces, being the last sign, (and from a strictly “human” perspective of course), is the summation and completion of the journey in spirit that we humans are all engaged upon.
What drives our story as human is not our wonderful “opposable thumb”, (though certainly it has spurred the development of our tool-making nature and the growth of our self-consciousness). Or, some would point to that feature as the key to forming our capacity to make tools, and it was this which led to our defining feature, to our “self-awareness”, which then forms the key to what makes us human, and we are certainly closer to the “truth” with this it seems.
But I am fond of saying, that in the end it all comes down to this, and looking to this last sign of Pisces, (and we all have Pisces somewhere in our chart and nature), what truly makes us human is our Capacity to Dream, to look at the world and one another with wonder. We are endowed with Imagination, and so our greatest gift is formed and held by the very heart of Spirit, we are Creators.
We dream, we imagine and so we create…and then we dream again. We encounter the world “as it is”, and we dream of a better one. We have and find our way through this Living Faith as Creators, and we understand, because we know, that we can form a better life, and a better world for us and for those who follow.
We are not so much “human beings” as much as we are “human becoming’s”. It is precisely from this essential quality of Spirit, of being “Creators”, that we have brought about remarkable changes in our very nature, and in the world around us. But now our “Ring of Power”, (our Imagination and Intelligence, our Curiosity and Creativity), threatens to undermine our very existence, as well as fundamentally change the complex hierarchy of fellow Life-Forms on our Earth.
Yes, into our “Creations” we have poured our hopes and dreams and revealed the awesome gift of our Imagination and Dreams. But we are also imperfect, and we have neither the requisite wisdom nor humility, as yet, to use our power with true understanding and compassion. So, the tragic result has been that we inevitably wove into our creations the anxieties, doubts and fears that have shadowed our journey of awakening.
Yes, we had dreams and visions, and we had inventiveness, curiosity and critical thinking and we acquired more and more knowledge. But both the Dream and this Knowledge were imperfect and woefully inadequate. We literally opened “Pandora’s Box”, and set so many things in motion that we now threaten to overwhelm ourselves and the lifeforms that share this world with us.
When we examine the history of life on Earth, scientists have determined that several Great Extinction events have occurred. Today many observers are noting that what they are calling the “Sixth Great Extinction” is taking place all around us now…and the reason for this tragedy is quite simply us.
For the human part in this Story of Life we have come through several key turning points: What is known as the Cognitive Revolution 70,000 years ago, and then the Agricultural Revolution 12,000 years ago, and most certainly since what we know as the Scientific Revolution 500 years ago.But never have our future prospects (and the world’s) been so shadowed by the fear of what may be unfolding now and by what lies ahead.
I have hope, that we will find a way to use our amazing gifts, to Dream and Reason, to be guided by our Spiritual Intuition, Compassion and Wisdom, and that this will lead to a New Age in the years ahead. Perhaps this is what this Age of Aquarius will bring. That it will be witness to the next great step in Human Awakening, and we will come to a Greater Understanding through the core experience of Aquarius.
The principle of Aquarius is Fellowship, it is Brotherhood and Sisterhood, it is Companionship and Community and the Spiritual Truth that we are all made of and by one another. We cannot be, Life cannot be, without blending, mixing, combining, and then sharing and growing together. Life, Consciousness and Spirit are forged and formed by Interrelationship, Diversity, Complexity and our essential Interdependence with one another and all Life-Forms. Every Particle of Creation is a Spark of the Divine, formed in its core by its own Quintessence. Every tree and every leaf on every tree, every being and each cell forming that being, everything is formed by “ones” formed into a greater One. All of life is part of something greater, yet it is preciously and wondrously its own unique instance of that Greater Whole.
Aquarius is all about the One and the Many, and we are each a precious part, a unique one of a “Kind”, but formed and held and made possible by that Kind, by that whole, and then the next greater whole, which ultimately forms the whole of this entire Creation or the ONE.
Let us make this pledge to one another, in the spirit of Humanity, with Love for one another and for all of Spirit-Life-Consciousness:
May we listen to our Higher Self and find in our hearts the Wisdom and Love to approach this Story of Life on Earth as our responsibility to protect. May we turn our Dreams and Intelligence to purposeful preservation of Life in all its magnificent Diversity. May we become ever more Conscious Co-Creators of this beautiful blue Ark of Life. May we take care, and think of our children, and our children’s children, and all who will come after us. May we rise and shine as the Stars in the heaven’s above and be truly Conscious Co-Creators of this Creation.
Let us hope, when we are all long gone from this world, that our descendants will look back upon us and say that we rose to our challenge, that we faced our fears and found our faith. That we made common cause among ourselves and with all who would follow us. We listened to the Winds of the Spirit, and we passed the torch of Light, Love and Will for the generations to come.
May it be so.
Next, The Chart of the USA