On the morning of August 11 it was a sunny day in downtown Los Angeles. I was in town visiting from New York. Since I find news stations to provide interesting overviews of local culture, I switched on the television in my hotel room to catch up on what was going on in LA and the rest of the world, and what people were saying and thinking. The total eclipse of the Sun had occurred the previous evening, and the eclipse's path of totality had been visible from much of Europe. The news broadcast showed footage of Europeans clogging highways to get to the best vantage point from which to see this last cosmic event of our century. Some close friends in London had traveled to France to view the eclipse and called to say it was simply spectacular. On this report, the male anchor bantered easily with his female co-anchor, cheerfully stating that he had heard that this eclipse marked the official start of the Age of Aquarius. His cohort, however, seemed doubtful and dismissed her colleague's remark with a rather flip comment, "Oh, that. The Age of Aquarius happened decades ago in the 1960s."

In truth, nobody knows for sure what the actual inception date of the Age of Aquarius happens to be. The way this pretty blonde news journalist delivered her quip made it obvious that she not only thought the Age of Aquarius began years ago but also that she thought it must be over by now. I sighed to myself. Most people remember the term "Age of Aquarius" from the 1960s musical Hair, but few people know precisely what it means. The onset of an age is difficult for astrologers to pinpoint exactly -- we will discuss why in a moment. We do know that an astrological age spans over two thousand years. Perhaps this news anchor shouldn't have been quite so blase about living though the dawning of a new age. Most human beings won't ever have the chance to do that in their lifetime. It is truly something special, and anyone alive at this moment in time is about to experience it.

When astrologers speak about the Age of Aquarius they are describing a phenomenon that refers to the earth's movement backward (or in "retrograde" motion) into the sign of Aquarius. As you know, there are 11 other signs of the zodiac -- the earth will retrograde in each one. It will take the earth 25,868 years to visit all 12 signs. If you divide 25,868 by 12 signs, you will get roughly 2,100 years to a particular "age". Thus, once the Age of Aquarius is upon us (and many astrologers, myself included, feel we have reached this point) it will stay the Age of Aquarius for two thousand years. The "precession of the zodiac" that underlies this principal was first discovered by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea (c. 190 - c. 120 BC). It is due to a slight wobble in the earth's rotation. The precession of the zodiac is a term that describes the constellation that lies behind the Sun at the vernal equinox, which changes gradually over time. Rather than negate the dates of the Sun signs, this precession adds a unique tone of character to each of the signs. But classical astrologers do not feel the precession of the zodiac changes the inherent qualities of the signs.

The age before the Age of Aquarius was the Age of Pisces. Since the earth is moving in retrograde motion, we have just left the Age of Pisces, which marked the years 1-2000 AD. This time coincides with the age of Christ and Christianity. Pisces is considered the last sign of the zodiac, a compendium of all the signs that came before it, from Aries to Aquarius. Pisces is the sign known for universal love, compassion, self-sacrifice, altruism, creativity, intuition and deep spirituality. Pisces know the truth of the universe but can't quite say why they know it. It doesn't matter, for Pisces know that "truth" is always in flux. To Pisces, what is in the human heart is true, for it is true to the soul. Pisces is an introspective sign. This Piscean mindset has been the way humanity has approached the world since we evolved and has colored everything that we have encountered during that period.

Early Christians used the symbol of the fish (symbol of Pisces) as a secret symbol of their faith. The emphasis on washing of the feet as a ritual signifying purification of the spirit ties into Pisces symbolism as well, for Pisces rules the feet. Pisces "carry" the cares of others and often have sore feet. Christ spoke of his role as servant to his flock, which is also a very Pisces notion. Pisces says, "I believe," whereas Aquarius, the age we are in now, says, "Prove it to me scientifically." Christ's mother Mary embodied all the qualities represented by the Pisces polarity of Virgo, namely, modesty, commitment to service, and acceptance of what must not be changed. In Pisces, there is a strong need for seclusion, and Christianity puts value on retreats, convents, cloisters or spiritual pilgrimages. Aquarius puts emphasis on group activities and community, thus we have the Internet and the eye of the global village which we call television. Aquarius is a very social sign. Pisces is something of a "psychic sponge." Pisces like people too, but need regular time to themselves to rinse away the everyday cares they have absorbed.

The Earth Has Seen Six Ages

Astrologers of the world community generally agree that mankind has experienced six separate "ages," dating from the first appearance of humanity on earth. When each period starts and ends is slightly imprecise because of the huge time frame involved. (Over 25 thousand years, and there is always a plus or minus tolerance to any mathematical curve.) Also the ages overlap slightly because, in fact, some parts of the zodiac also overlap in the heavens. The signs of the zodiac are of unequal sizes, too, with some signs taking up more real estate in the heavens than others.

The Dawning Of The Age Of Aquarius

The total eclipse of the Sun that occurred in August 1999 was significant because it helped to get the world ready to launch into the main time of the Age of Aquarius. That eclipse occurred in the constellation of Leo, a sign that we call the "polarity" of Aquarius. This is because Leo exists at the opposite end of the spectrum from Aquarius, exactly 6 months away. That means the August eclipse was especially powerful and able to contrast, clarify and highlight classic Aquarius qualities. Not all eclipses are created equal. Some are more powerful than others and this one was considered to be very intense. In a way it was the mother of all solar eclipses. Because this eclipse also fell on a new moon, it pointed to the end of one way of life and a fresh beginning of this new era.

Every sign has a ruling planet and Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius. Appropriately enough, Uranus has been moving through its home base of Aquarius, a process that takes seven years. This exciting planet of exploration and experimentation won't be back to the constellation of Aquarius for 84 years. Neptune is a planet that dissolves or purifies all that it touches, by rinsing in its waters, gently and yet consistently. Neptune is also moving us into an Aquarius state of mind. Neptune won't leave Aquarius until 2012, and when it does will not be back until 2175! All these elements point to the probability that the Age of Aquarius has been established. In case you are curious, the very first age mankind experienced was the Age of Leo, and ran from 10000 to 8000 BC.

The Onset Date: October 4, 1957

Many people think the Age of Aquarius began neatly at that August eclipse, or even more neatly, that it will begin on the dot at the first hour of the year 2000. In fact, a good case could be made for its dawning a little earlier. Aquarius is a sign strongly linked to new inventions, flight, and large groups of people or nationalities. In my opinion, the first sign that humanity was entering this new age of enlightenment was on October 4, 1957, when the Russians launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, into orbit. The Americans lost little time in catching up, and on October 1, 1958, the United States announced the birth of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Eleven days after that, NASA made its first test launch. Later, in May 1961 John F. Kennedy announced a commitment to the Apollo space program in a speech called "Urgent National Needs" (when Jupiter was in Aquarius). Kennedy said: "I believe this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. No single space project in this period would offer a bigger contribution to mankind, or [be] more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish." On July 20, 1969, only eight years later, the world viewed the first lunar landing by the Americans.

The Soviet-American space race was on, and our lives would never be the same. Many unmanned and manned launches took place after that. In April 1990 the United States launched the Hubble Telescope into space, and in subsequent years Hubble sent back the most detailed close-up images of the planets that mankind had ever seen. Hubble later informed us that there is one planet outside our solar system, ejected into deep space by its parent stars. Located in a star-forming region in the constellation of Taurus, scientists call the planet TMR-1C. TMR-1C seems to be sitting at the end of an unusual filament of light. It is estimated to be two to three times the mass of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system!

The Age of Aquarius has barely begun and citizens of planet earth are witnessing exciting discoveries about the planets and stars, as well as enjoying new technology down here on earth. Hundreds of discoveries have come from just about every field, from medicine to biotechnology, fabrics, materials, food production and nutrition, advanced computing, and photo-imaging, many as direct descendants from humanity's exploration into space. On an emotional level, landing on the moon rallied the earth into a kind of global citizenship. This is a quintessentially Aquarian idea, for Aquarius is the sign that that represents the platonic concept of the brotherhood of man. Humanity was touched by the news that one of us was able to leave our protective environment and achieve the near impossible: leave his footprints on another heavenly body, and return to tell the tale!

The Qualities Of Aquarius Foretell Society's Future

As I mentioned earlier, the ancient astrologers thought of Aquarius as "the sign of all things that are newly invented". This is why this sign -- and the Age of Aquarius -- is linked so strongly to technology. Aquarius is also an air sign and therefore highly communicative, bent on gathering information, which echoes what is coming toward us in the new millennium, too. Let's quickly list other qualities of Aquarius to get an even better feeling for what the Age of Aquarius will bring us. Aquarius has a strong need for independence and individualism, and while members of this sign can be somewhat idiosyncratic they are also very original and inventive. Aquarius is visionary and creative, but rebellious, too. Aquarius' job is to challenge authority, tear down existing structures, and replace the outdated with something better. Thus, Aquarius can be capable of great extremes. This sign acts in rather sudden and unexpected ways, thanks to being ruled by Uranus, the planet of surprise.

This future-thinking sign can often be a study in contrast. On one hand, Aquarius can be quite intellectually and emotionally aloof at times. Aquarius needs distance, and marches to a different drummer. On the other hand, it is one of the most congenial, social and gregarious signs, and certainly one of the most humanitarian (besides Pisces). Aquarius sees social wrongs and moves to right them, often through mobilizing groups into action. Unlike Pisces, a sign that works one-on-one, Aquarius likes to work in large groups, and is altruistic and democratic in spirit. Aquarius is "one for all and all for one," rather than elitist. Since Aquarius is a fixed sign, they are quite solid when they make commitments. All these Aquarian qualities will influence us as we move more deeply into this new age. Although it began in 1957, that was just a prelude of what is to come -- the curtain goes up on the Age of Aquarius now.

All The Ages Of Man

Every astrological age has a very different "face" on it and they are not similar to one another. For example, if we were entering the Age of Cancer, there would be a great social emphasis on family, housing, food and fertility. In fact, when Man experienced this period from 8000 to 6000 BC, dwellings were being developed and humanity put great emphasis on the family unit. Many examples of art and artifacts survived this era, and a dominant theme from that time depicts a female fertility goddess. This is the era when humanity learned to fish as well as made the earliest concerted attempts at farming. We don't have space here to delve into the other ages, but I will quickly list them. Man has lived through the Age of Gemini (6000 to 4000 BC), when language was born and writing became highly developed. Next came the Age of Taurus (4000 BC to 2000 BC), when art and luxury -- fairly unknown until then -- came into existence. This age was followed by the Age of Aries (2000 BC to 1AD), a masculine, brawny sign, that was prevalent when the Greeks and Romans reigned. Also as mentioned earlier, before any of these periods was the Age of Leo. Leo is a creative sign, and this age is the one that left behind its ancient cave drawings. The spiritual and religious Age of Pisces followed the Greek and Roman Age of Aries, which brings us to the Age of Aquarius.

Every Sign Is Included In The Exciting Changes

Does all this mean people of the sign of Aquarius will be especially "at home" in this new environment? Well, yes, that will be the case, for their natural inclinations will also be the prevailing thinking of the day. Gemini and Libra, the other two air signs, would also be able to capitalize on the prevailing changes quite well. But nobody will be left out of the information revolution under any circumstances. Changes in thinking, lifestyles, social mores, education, work, and even love and marriage will bring everyone new choices to consider. Each of us will be able to choose how we would like to express our unique personalities under these new conditions. If Aquarius is about anything, it is about customization -- this sign's motto is "let you be you." It is a very inclusive sign.

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