He took me up high into the clouds to show the four corners of the earth. As far as the eye could see, the great extent of the cosmos – the perfection of His design. Then I knew this was no accident. My destiny was written; to be present to witness the coming change.
Waking up is birth Vast vision lays out the truth Glory eternal
The ancient art of astrology appears to be as old as human civilisation.
But from the 18th century with the beginning of The Enlightenment, there was a concerted effort among the so-called scientific community to discredit astrology (and other ancient holistic beliefs) as if it represented something outdated and superstitious, a hangover from the days when all cosmic models of the universe depicted a flat earth.
At various times the astrological community, if it can be called that, has also contributed to its own poor reputation. For example, to my mind in the present age the preponderance of Sun sign astrology has weakened and cheapened its standing. ‘I’m an Aquarian so I don’t get along with a Scorpio’ – this is often the kind of conversation you will hear.
So with the Enlightenment and its subsequent change of philosophy, which claimed to rely upon observation alone, scientists effectively became the new priests, a factor which we still see today when we read the news, especially where the word ‘scientists’, or ‘scientists say’ appears. This phraseology has become almost like a trigger to make us sit up and take note, like some new prognostication from a priest. If a scientist says so it must be true. In most cases this may well be true, but we also need to do our own research, rely and trust our own discernment.
Decrying the Sacred
And whilst scientists began to look intently out into ‘the heavens’ with an increasing disregard for its sublimity inregard to God, they also too decried the idea that the Sun, Moon and planets could have any significant psychological and spiritual effect upon us, either in a real, or symbolic fashion. The sky ceased to be sacred and the whole of creation gradually turned into the result of one big ‘happy accident’, beginning roughly 14 billion years ago.
Until around ten years ago, I would have generally concurred with the general scientific explanation for our existence. I do not anymore. Increasingly, I have come to realise that we do indeed live in a sacred space, where nature is the outward expression of the creator, otherwise called the Mind of God. As to the actual nature and age of the ‘universe’ I am not at all sure anymore. However, I do know that astrology works when applied correctly.
As Above, So Below
We need to get a true understanding of what astrology is and how it works. I believe the earth and all things within it do indeed resonate with the stars, the movements of the planets. Each represents a function within us, and depending on sign, house and aspect, describes how we work, what we may well have brought with us into this life, either by inheritance or perhaps from former lives.
Suddenly, astrology and the birth chart assumed a much more sacred significance for me. Everyone was the centre of their own universe, truly important and here for a specific reason. We are not irrelevant because we are told we inhabit this ordinary planet, in an ordinary solar system, on the outer limb of an ordinary galaxy, which, along with many others, is hurtling through a vacuum at an incredible speed as a result of the biggest explosion ever.
The Universe Within Us
In the final analysis, whatever the nature of reality and our universe, all of us can only experience life through our own senses. It was Christ after all who said:
“The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21)
We cannot take for granted that any other individual sees life in the same way. By that token, then the individual birth chart truly assumes a sacred importance: with accurate interpretation it can cast light upon who we are, why we are here – and perhaps, where we are going. With that in mind, every individual birth chart is a new challenge to explore. The greatest minority of all is the individual but together, in true understanding of our life’s purpose, we become a new transcendent whole.
copyright Francis Barker 2020
***If you would like your own birth chart interpreting, or perhaps that of a loved one, please feel free to contact me at: francisbarkerart@gmail.com
The older among us may remember the clarion calls of the late Sixties, the so-called cultural revolution, pronouncements that the New Age of Aquarius was dawning, an age of peace, love and freedom. So what happened?
Furthermore, speaking as an Aquarian sun native myself, although I strongly recognise certain accepted traits of the fixed air sign within myself, such as detachment and forward thinking, I have never felt comfortable with some of the more eccentric and bizarre character associations of Aquarius and this supposed Aquarian Age.
In reality, no one knows when this Aquarian Age will begin. Maybe it already has. The dates suggested have ranged from late medieval times to anywhere as far ahead as 2300 AD. Not so precise, is it?
What’s It All About?
And what is it all about anyway? It’s all to do with the phenomena called the Precession of the Equinoxes. Each zodiac sign is a thirty degree segment of the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the sun around the earth. There is a zodiac sign behind the very slowly receding point of the Vernal Equinox around March 21 every year. This is all part of The Great Year, a period of time of almost 2600 years, where each sign takes a bit over 2000 years to recede behind this Equinoctal point. This is caused by the earth’s ‘wobble’ as the sky spins at an angle of 23.4 degrees around the pole star, from our perspective.
At this present time, we are said to be somewhere around the transition of the sign of Pisces, the fishes, into Aquarius, the male watercarrier. The past 2000 years of the Age of Pisces have been dominated by the sign of the fishes, Christianity. Christ has often been symbolised by the fish, ichthys in ancient Greek, where each letter encapsulates the divinity of the Saviour. The fish symbol was important to early Christians hiding from authorities who regarded them as a danger, even subversives.
Controversial
Naturally, such a supposition of astrological signs ‘affecting’ human culture is controversial. Admittedly, there were plenty of other events going on in the world over the past 2000 years that were not tied to Christianity. Considering this, and the massive time window given to the threshold of this Aquarian Age, I have long since been cynical about this particular astrological theory.
But I am willing to concede I may be wrong. I am a practising astrologer. I am also a realist. To make prognostications as to whether we are in, or are about to enter the Age of Aquarius, we should surely be clear as to what we should expect to see. Firstly, I do not agree with all people’s interpretations as to the character of the sign of Aquarius. Peace, love, freedom and understanding may be all fine ideals, but are they Aquarian? And have we seen any of this since the late Sixties, for example? I will let you be the judge of that.
Uranian Upheaval
One of the problems is that since around 1781, with the discovery of Uranus, most astrologers have come to put this outer planet at least equal to, or above that of Aquarius’ traditional ruler, Saturn. I think this is a mistake. I concur that Uranus certainly does have a revolutionary influence, causes sudden changes, often turning things upside down in the process. But is this in any way Aquarius, the Fixed Air sign? I strongly contend it is not.
So I don’t believe Uranus has ‘rulership’ of any sign and neither do Neptune and Pluto. They are generational influences because they move slowly through the signs, Pluto taking around 248 years, influences we have become consciously aware of since their discovery (or perhaps rediscovery).
The Two Faces of Saturn
For me Saturn has two sides. After all, apart from the sun and Moon, every planet down to Saturn was given rulership over two signs: Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, for instance. So on one level Saturn may be Satan, the Greater Malefic, virtually evil personified as in the ancient myth of Cronos (Saturn) devouring his own children. On another level, he is the symbol of limitation, for ages considered to be the outermost planet and therefore symbolising a kind of barrier, the furthest reach, where all things are stopped, crystalised and slowly brought back. He is a kind of brake, bringing things down to solid earth so they can be accounted for. The latter I suggest is the Capricornian Saturn, a necessary function of life.
The other side of Saturn is the one which has rulership of Aquarius, the more ‘positive’ side. Aquarius is traditionally the sign of hopes, dreams and wishes, in other words objectivity as opposed to Leo’s subjectivity of sheer life enhancement. If Leo is artistic, Aquarius is scientific, liking to rationalise, codify. The same fundamentally materialistic Saturn, which is associated with the cardinal earth sign of Capricorn, shows this more ‘positive face’ in Aquarius. He is objective, the planner of the future, a practical idealist, as befits the fixed air sign of serious communication and association. Aquarius is fundamentally human. The outright eccentricity often tagged to Aquarius is wrong in my opinion. Strong aspects from Uranus to the planets or angles in a personal chart, would most likely explain any eccentricities of nature.
So, if this indeed be the case, any age of Aquarius would reflect the serious, objective and associative qualities of that sign. These are conspicuous by their absence at the present time.
The Grand Conjunction
That said, what we do have towards the end of this year, 2020, is the Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurring at 0 degrees Aquarius. The Grand Conjunction of these two planets represents a cultural correction point every twenty years, setting a general theme for the up and coming period. This on top of the ‘earth shattering’ Saturn Pluto conjunctions earlier in the year, so symbolic of the nadir of political and economic turmoil and you have a year of major significance, a year of historic transition and migration, if you will. I feel this has nothing to do with entering any new astrological age ruled by Aquarius, with all the ill defined thresholds of each sign within the Great Astrological Year of about 2600 years.
The occurrence of this Grand Conjunction every twenty years or so, invariably, although not necessarily wholly, migrates from one element to another every 150 to 200 years. For the last 180 years, apart from 1980/1, the GC has occurred in earth signs. From this year of 2020, it will be within the air signs of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius for around 140 years. This will be a major transition, marking a cultural shift, a probable explosion of philosophical and spiritual thought and technological progress, as befits the communicative and expansive air signs.
So from 2020 right through well into next century, we will undoubtedly undergo a vast, and, I truly hope, positive transformation, perhaps akin to what we are told about in the Renaissance. Precursing that time, during the 13th and early 14th centuries, there was a similar preponderance of Grand Conjunctions occurring in air signs.
Momentous Times
I believe that right now, in 2020, as we are currently living through one of the most momentous times in ‘history’. We are indeed at the threshold of a new age, a new cycle, which bears much renewed hope for humanity. At a time in the near future, we will be able to look back at this hiatus point with a bit more Aquarian objectivity.
What is more, bearing in mind that by the middle of this decade we will see all the outer planets in ‘positive’ signs too, the world of 2025 and beyond is going to feel wholly different than right now. By then, Uranus will be in Gemini, bringing great invention to technology and all forms of communication. Neptune will be in Aries and Pluto will move in Aquarius, both lengthy transits forever changing our ideas about humanity and spirituality, who we are as individuals and how we relate to the collective ‘universe’ – and revealing the truth as to what that universe and this reality actually are.
The Age of Air
What I don’t believe is that this is the much vaunted Age of Aquarius. If anything, we are entering the Age of Air Signs and everything to do with that element, which on the face of it is far more positive than all the earth energy we have been experiencing over the last 180 years, a truly extended period of denseness and negativity. The Saturn Pluto conjunction of 2020 represents the death knell of this ‘dark age’, where gross materialism has ruled outright and brought us literally to our knees.
The Grand Conjunction’s cycle in Air signs from December 21 2020, marks the beginning of the free – freer, more candid, fairer communication and justice as expressed through Libra; the rolling out of advanced technology for the benefit of humanity and the planet, as expressed through Gemini; and, firstly, a more planned, objective approach to administering the world and its resources, as expressed through Aquarius and positive Saturn. Let’s make it so.
Ciscography 