Vernal Equinox

 

July 9, 2004

 

http://cainer.com/ericfrancis/july9.html

 

Hi:

I understand that we are approaching the 'Age of Aquarius' and that it should bring with it peace and harmony in the world. However, now I read that the position of something called the 'Vernal Equinox' with respect to the constellations of the zodiac make this outcome unlikely. Does this have anything to do with Venus eclipsing the Sun?

Ivy, New Zealand

 

 

Dear Ivy,

You have made a very interesting intuitive hit. The precession of the equinoxes (that is, the move toward the Age of Aquarius) is associated with the transit of Venus in Mayan astrology. The Mayans used these two methods as among their most important time tracking devices. The thing is, to actually explain the connection would take a book. But suffice it to say that it is there, and that in 2012 we have another transit of Venus, as well as a major event in the precession of the equinoxes, as well as a major turning point in the Mayan calendar's "long count" -- their 5,125 year cycle that concludes and resets at that time.

 

Addressing the transition between the ages of Pisces and Aquarius, here is a bit to consider. First, astronomy. There are two zodiacs: one involving the constellations and another involving the signs. The signs we use (called the tropical zodiac, because the timing involves the alignment of the Sun with the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn) are an imaginary wheel inside the actual constellations. This wheel moves slowly, turning once around every 26,000 years. This progress is reckoned by the position of the Sun on the first day of spring, which is currently in the constellation Pisceus and drifting backward toward the constellation Aquarius.

 

This position moves because the world slowly (very, very slowly slowly) wobbles as it turns, which creates the sense of the rotation of the entire sky over long periods of time. So if you were to watch any given point in the sky every night for about 26,000 years, you will see the stars go round one time.

 

As mentioned, the Aries Point is now located in Pisceus and is slowly approaching the constellation Aquarius. However, it will take more than 300 years to reach the first star in Aquarius and, because the two constellations overlap, some 400 additional years to clear the last star in Pisceus. So by this reckoning, the Age of Aquarius is a long way off. However, speaking in society, these things are generally gradual transitions; and there is a time of chaos and change around the changing of any major period in history, including seemingly small events like the Sun changing signs any given month.

 

Different people have different ideas about the Age of Aquarius. (Most of them came from a song in a Broadway musical, which is not a good source of astrology information.) My friend and astrology mentor Dave Roell, owner of an excellent bookstore called The Astrology Center of America always has some ideas about this, so I called him up tonight and asked him for a refresher. As usual, he had some interesting things to say, which I'll share with you.

 

Says he:

"The Age of Aquarius began in 1913 in Paris, London and New York. There were specific events that shifted from purely Piscean to strictly Aquarian. One was the premier of The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. The other was the inaugural of the first Cubist exhibit of the works of Picasso and Braque. Cubism happens to be a form of art that is distinctly Aquarian and not in any way Piscean. Piscean art is about beauty for beauty's sake. Aquarian art is beautiful by accident and comes with an ideology without which you cannot understand the art. Ideology is Aquarian."

 

Okay, I got the picture, but I was not convinced. He went on.

 

"In Pisces, dropping balls off of leaning tower and watching the balls hit at the same time is a big scientific event. It took them 1,500 years to get that far. Pisces starts from nothing and evolves slowly. But then, within 10 years of the start of Aquarius you have radio. You have internal combustion engines. You have electric power coming into homes. Soon after you have television."

 

Yes, you have television, and then the total domination of life by technology -- very Aquarian -- a very FIXED pattern that we can't seem to break free from. For this reason I am not so convinced that the Aquarian Age is going to be about brotherly love. What the Aquarian Age does become involves every one of us making the decision to take care of our neighbors and to think of the world potentially as going past the end of our nose.

 

Is it possible? Sure it is. Is it likely? I'd love to hear what you think. And remember, Aquarius is ruled by Saturn -- so please give examples!

 

Thanks for the great questions. See you next week.