"The Aquarian Age" is a metaphor as much as it is a measurement of time, a metaphor of consciousness, an aware state of being, an acceleration of evolution. We have all experienced a speeding-up of time for many years now, as well as a "shrinking of space" as we fly about the globe, and indeed into "outer space" with ease, and our satellites and the internet keep us informed of current events around the world, as they happen! We are now crossing a sky-bridge into the unknown, born on the winds of the Equinoxial Precession, our 25,800 year earthly journey through the zodiac. Controversy runs rampant amongst astrologers as to the exact date on which this new age begins, and it is likely to stay that way even after it has come and gone. Anything that lasts for 2160 years is going to make itself known in many ways and stages before it actually arrives. Lest we get lost in the argument and forget the point, suffice to say that we are moving into an unprecedented time-space shift that we have barely glimpsed, even in our dreams. Many theories about a "pole shift" have been put forth, but our Star-Gazer proposes that this "pole shift" is really one of consciousness, rather than a geographical calamity. The sign of Aquarius is depicted as "The Water Bearer" and is often confused with a water sign, but these "waves" are frequencies of consciousness, "electrical" vibrations, the ebbs and flows of evolutionary thought. Just as we might tune-in to our favourite radio station, we as individuals and as groups can "tune-in" to receive these higher signals, and effect our own personal Aquarian Ages, all of which will resonate into a collective hum of a finer frequency, raising the consciousness of our planet and increasing the rate of evolution for us all. Aquarius is the sign that celebrates our differences and thereby calls a gathering of all folks willing to participate, without prejudice. Aquarius is you and me and all of us, individually and collectively. We are leaving the Age of Pisces behind, with all of its saint/sinner mentality and its "divide and conquer" strategies. We are each moving into our own uniqueness, through which we will find or create our places in the Grand Scheme. As the pieces begin to slide into place, the picture becomes clear and the process is naturally streamlined and simplified. The rarified air of Aquarian thinking automatically filters out the lower frequencies of the persuasions of the masses, which are fueled by propaganda on all fronts. A solar eclipse (Sun & Moon) joined five planets in the sign of Aquarius in February 1962, heralding a breakthrough in the consciousness of society. By 1967, we saw the release of "Hair" with its now famous refrain, "This is the *dawning* of the Age of Aquarius." The key word here is dawning ~ a bringing of the light. The extreme freedom cries of the 1960s smashed the old molds of limiting thought and challenged the Unknown to reveal itself. As new tools emerged, the groundswell of seekers multiplied and spread. Aquarius is all about freedom from the "known reality" of Capricorn, its previous sign, which represents all the concrete structures of our heritage and the tangibles of our physical world, which necessarily must be honoured, as this earth and our bodies are the vehicles through which we will evolve, BUT Capricorn also represents the fatal grip of our stilted history and genocidal brainwashing from which we flee. Our flight introduces us to Chaos and apparent loss of control, but the absence of our familiar tools and landmarks is precisely what propels us into our outrageously creative imaginings, and inevitably our release. In order to fully comprehend the potency of this charmed time in which we live, we need to go back just a bit farther in Time. Aquarius's planet, Uranus, was discovered over 200 years ago (1746), and that moment of discovery could actually be seen as the very first breath of this New Age. Its appearance in our telescopes defined a time of uprisings, mutinies and other demands for 'equal rights', erupting in many factions of society. Unfortunately, by the end of the 19th century, we had for the most part, forgotten all about our rebellion and slipped into a somnambulistic state. Long before we knew of its existence, the 'maverick' now orbitting in our solar system between Saturn (the old) and Uranus (the new), Chiron (discovered 1977), conjoined with Uranus for a 'conference', and they struck a deal. Chiron, who symbolizes both our wounding and our healing, agreed to meet up with the other two outer planets as soon as possible, to invoke a collective awareness of our wounds, and thus provoke a healing response. The outer planets carry the collective messages, so none of us was spared. The first of these explosive conjunctions occurred with Pluto in 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed and World War II escalated to its worldwide proportions. Chiron met with Neptune in 1945 when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. These two events clearly pin-pointed our collective "wound" ~ our penchant for killing people who do not agree with us! As the bombs were dropping, a generation of peace-loving baby boomers were being born, all of whom had Pluto in Leo (1938-1958), carrying its own brand of self-importance, but focused on the creative spirit, not repression of same. It was these wide-eyed visionaries 'en masse', along with a select few earlier pioneers, who carved the trail leading straight into the Aquarian Age. By breaking paradigms and chanting "Peace & Love" the hippies of the 60s began to change the psychic atmosphere, busting through thick cloud layer and awakening the sleeping masses. Astrologically, that phenomenal decade of revolution and revelation was symbolized in the sky by a continuous conjunction of Uranus and Pluto, the most combustive combination there is! While Neptune in Scorpio obsessed on "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll," it simultaneously discovered, explored and expressed the vast consciousness of Joy, Peace and Love. The earth moved! ...and has not stopped moving! A unique conjunction (not since 1306, in Scorpio) of Saturn (status quo), Uranus (breakthrough and freedom) and Neptune (oneness at all cost) in Capricorn, brought down the Berlin Wall in 1989, another huge leap toward "one planet, one people, one peace." On New Year's Eve of 2000, Dec. 31, 1999, Chiron and Pluto met (in Sagittarius) for the first time since 1941 (in Leo), to further the cause of healing our wounds, but again having to sound a loud wake-up call. The whole phenomenon of Y2K was a classic example of how a potential crisis can unite people who otherwise might be fighting. It forced our thinking back to simplicity, back to the land, back to love - all of which are Taurus symbols, the *2*nd sign of the zodiac. *2000* is the first collective experience of the *2* that any of us have had, and it cries out for COOPERATION. It is a yin number, expressing receptivity, patience and stamina, along with an awareness of what really matters when the chips are down! As 2000 draws to a close and the calendar page turns to *2001*, we are challenged to step into our newly discovered truths! The addition of the *1* speaks to each individual *one* of us to take that step forward, into the *I* of knowing *one*self through expanded consciousness and following one's own Path of Truth. Since Uranus and Neptune are both in Aquarius paving the Way for the conscious seeker, self-denial will prove disastrous. On New Year's Eve, 2001, Uranus forms a square (90º angle) to Neptune's position in the mid-60s, catalyzing a rebirth of that evolutionary consciousness, daring us to remove the blinders once and for all. Chiron also squares its own 60s placement, and forces a confrontation with our Higher Selves, unmasking any cloaks of deception we might be inflicting onto ourselves or accepting from others. TRUTH is the issue. Chiron & Pluto are in Sagittarius, the truth-seeker, while Uranus & Neptune are in Aquarius, the truth-teller. Both being signs of Light, we are basking in an opportunity like never before. The first conjunction of Chiron to Neptune since 1945, will be in 2012, in the sign of Pisces, with Chiron returning to where it was in the 60s. This return to the beginning of the journey (orbit), corresponds to the end of the 5000-year Mayan calendar, which was largely based on Venus cycles. Venus promises Peace, Love and Joy to all who pay her homage by embodying Peace, Love and Joy. While the birth of the Aquarian Age has been predicted to be anywhere from 1860 all the way into the NEXT millennium, the exact date of its beginning by the calendar is far less important than what it means to us now! It would be typically Aquarian for there to be no exact date, but in fact, for it to *DAWN* on each of us in our own time. The 'Golden Age' of Leo was half a precession ago (13,000 years), perhaps about the time that the Great Pyramid was built on the Giza plateau, beaming out its Light for all to see. We are now standing opposite that Light, in a position to reflect it back through self-realization. Choosing to stand in the Light of Truth is exercising the option to consciously evolve. All of the current planetary positions are supporting self-development, self-mastery and enlightenment. The call has been sounded. Expect the unexpected, dream the impossible dream, and dare to imagine.  Miraculous times are before us with much work to be done. The key to Aquarius is that it is both the individual and the collective, wherein each supports the other. Once we fully understand that *We Are All One*, the Aquarian Age will have arrived.