What is Age of Aquarius?

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by Altair

This perfectly demonstrated it is merely a cultural belief, and not about universals. You see ''signs'' from a Christian perspective, but at the same time Jesus supposedly lived and started the ''era of Pisces'' by holding a fish in his hands, people in the Americas, Africa, and other places had nothing to do with that, nor do they all follow that pattern of ''sacrifice and hierarchical authority''. Again, such is the perspective of one culture, and it is not about universals.

Also, it's supposed to be a period of roughly 2000 years, and within that you can find so many different cultures, norms, and history that we can create any kind of narrative. The most important observation is that it's just about selectivity and looking for the hits that fit one's narrative. It does however not lead to a credible summary of universals in that time span.

The astrological energies of any new age do not suddenly manifest overnight. They develop over centuries.

Did Jesus start the "era of Pisces" by holding a fish in his hands? Or did the fish become the symbol of early Christianity as a reflection of the new Piscean age?

Indeed, people in the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa had nothing to do with that 2,000 years ago. But what happened to them? They ended up being overrun by Western Christianity. In many cases the old tribal gods became marginalised. Traditional tribal cultures have been lost as the peoples of these places have become absorbed into modern hierarchical structures, not just regarding religion but also socially, politically and economically.

And it is not just about Christianity. Hierarchical structures prevail in all the major religions I can think of. Those at the top have spiritual authority over those below them. Those at the bottom seek spiritual guidance from those above them. What is changing is that more and more people are rejecting these old ideas and looking within for their own spiritual guidance.

These are all generalisations - trying to discuss this in a few lines means we can only talk in very general terms. Christianity over the past 2,000 years just happens to be a convenient example.

Originally Posted by Altair

Last time I checked there has been spiritual focus on the self in other era's as well, such as 300/400BC India, with the influence of Buddhism and the Upanishads. And that's just one example that puts a dent in this idea of ''astrological ages''.

Did I say that there was no focus on the self in other eras? The interesting thing about the incoming Aquarian/Leo age is the possibility of a shift from focus on the self to focus on the group, which may result in a less selfish society.

Peace.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by iamthat

The astrological energies of any new age do not suddenly manifest overnight. They develop over centuries.

Okay. So what was so fish-like about the past 2000 years??

Originally Posted by iamthat

Indeed, people in the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa had nothing to do with that 2,000 years ago. But what happened to them? They ended up being overrun by Western Christianity. In many cases the old tribal gods became marginalised. Traditional tribal cultures have been lost as the peoples of these places have become absorbed into modern hierarchical structures, not just regarding religion but also socially, politically and economically.

Hmm, that's been going on for millennia and is not unique to the last 2000 years or so. After the last Ice Age and over the course of thousands of years, hunter-gathering declined in favour of agriculture.

Originally Posted by iamthat

And it is not just about Christianity. Hierarchical structures prevail in all the major religions I can think of. Those at the top have spiritual authority over those below them. Those at the bottom seek spiritual guidance from those above them. What is changing is that more and more people are rejecting these old ideas and looking within for their own spiritual guidance.

It wasn't that different 4000 or 3000 years ago in some places. In other places, not so much. It shows us again how selective this all is. And these days some people reject the old ways, but others seek to return to the old ways. It's not fixed or about linear development. See political fluctuations..

Originally Posted by iamthat

These are all generalisations - trying to discuss this in a few lines means we can only talk in very general terms. Christianity over the past 2,000 years just happens to be a convenient example.

A few lines or many lines, I don't see the difference. It's about selectivity. You can look for examples that match a perceived era of Pisces and I can immediately think of examples that are contradictory to it. What you describe as characteristic of the era of Pisces is a characteristic throughout the history of civilization.