Mayan Countdown To December 21, 2012

Yep... in case you've somehow managed to miss it... a quasi-panicked conversation about the year 2012 is quickly picking up steam...

Yep...with our planet now hurling ever closer and closer toward the date of December 21, 2012; wannabe doomsayers of all stripes and varieties - with assistance from their book publishers and television producers - started several years ago in their effort of "helping us out" and "gearing us up" for this potentially apocalyptic date that the ancient Mayans began counting down to thousands of years ago.

What Does It Mean?
The various authors, of course, often violently disagree as to exactly what in the heck humankind is supposed to be expecting (or dreading) on December 21, 2012, when the Mayan's "Long Count" calendar (13.0.0.0.0 in the Long Count) allegedly marks the end of a 5,126-year era.

Part of the concern over the year 2012 is that several different world traditions appear to be independently pointing toward this same general point in time.

Western Tropical Astrology and the Astrological Ages
For example, on the Winter Solstice (December 21) in 2012, our solar system's Sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. Interestingly enough, this also coincides with one version of Plato's concept of the "Great Year" in Timaeus, thought to occur (by some) approximately every 26,000 years.

It's interesting to note that Plato's concept of the "Great Year" appears to generally coincide with Western Tropical Astrology's concept of 12 Astrological Ages.

12 Astrological Ages is based on the mean precession of the equinoxes. When one takes the (more or less) accepted mean precession cycle of 25,770 years - and then divide it by 12 (the 12 constellations of the Greek zodiac) - we end up with astrological ages each lasting approximately 2,148 years.

Western Tropical astrologers that buy into the concept of the 12 Astrological Ages (and not all do) typically believe that we are now living in the final days of the astrological age of Pisces, and will soon be entering the age of Aquarius.

Various theories of when we actually enter (or entered) the age of Aquarius vary greatly, from the 1950s (Gret Baumann-Jung) to 2059 (Dane Rudhyar).

Enter Nostradamus
Getting back to the year 2012... most lately, I've even seen attempts by our usual suspect doomsayers to get poor old Nostradamus, who never predicted the end of the world, somehow mixed up in the 2012 fray.

You can also bet that even the more extreme religious fundamentalists amongst us are likewise gearing up in order to put in their (ugly and deluded) 2 cents...

My suggestion... breathe deeply, remain calm... this, too, shall pass...

Good link:

2012: A Rational Look Scofield and Orr address many of the most asked questions about 2012.

Good read:

The Heavens Declare, Revised Edition: Astrological Ages and the
Evolution of Consciousness [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback) Alice
O Howell

Alice revised and then re-released this fantastic book a few years ago.

2:01 PM PST, November 8, 2006

I wrote this book this year because of my deep concern with almost 1/4th of our nation believing in "the end times", the Rapture, etc. There are several prophecies besides the biblical, but these refer to the end of the Age of Pisces and the beginning of the Age of Aquarius!

If Y2K had our knickers in a twist, the hysteria about 2012 will dwarf it! The second half of the book deals with the little-known other Ages all of which are based on an astronomical (not astrological) phenomenon known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. Each Age lasts 2000 +/- yrs w/an interface n there is religious, mythological, and archeological proof of an evolution of consciousness at work.

For those of you sick of all this New Age stuff, just remember we have 2000 years of the Age of Aquarius to come! This is both fascinating and truly important. So do read the book!
love
aoh

Dr. Carl G. Jung and the Age of Aquarius

Is the Age of Aquarius finally here? And if not yet here… do we really have a clue as to what it'll look like when it gets here?

Astrological Ages

For the past 2,000 years or so, we've been living in the astrological Age of Pisces. Each astrological age is thought to last a little over 2,148 years.

Using this rule of thumb, a "Platonic year" takes over 25,770 years to complete the full 12 Zodiac Ages cycle. So, among those astrologers who believe in the concept of the astrological ages, there's been plenty of endless speculation as to precisely when the next age, "Age of Aquarius," will begin.

For instance, the esteemed 20th century astrologer Dane Rudhyar placed the beginning of the Age of Aquarius at 2059 AD.

Jung and Aion, Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self

As the renowned Swiss depth psychologist Dr. Carl G. Jung, MD pointed out in the footnotes of his landmark book, Aion, Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self (1951), when referring to the coming astrological Age of Aquarius:

“Starting from the star ‘O’ and assuming a Platonic month of 2,143 years, one would arrive at A.D. 2154 for the beginning of the Aquarian Age, and at A.D. 1997 if you start from star ‘a 113.’ The later date agrees with the longitude of the stars in Ptolemy’s Almagest... Since the delimitation of the constellations is known to be somewhat arbitrary, this date is very indefinite.”

I should note here that Jung was using 2,143 years for a “Platonic Age” rather than a now (somewhat) more commonly accepted length of 2,148 years based on the mean precession of the constellations.

In the end, we can all figure out that any and all theoretical measurements used are obviously going to be more than a wee bit arbitrary.

Premonitory Earthquake of the New Age
Interestingly enough, in a letter dated August 12 1940, Dr. Jung had many years previous to Aion written: "1940 is the year when we approach the meridian of the first star in Aquarius. It is the premonitory earthquake of the New Age." C G Jung Letters, Volume I, 1906-1950, p 285.

For those familiar with Jung’s fuller body of writings there is little doubt that later in life he believed either the New Age of Aquarius (or at least its premonitory earthquake) would begin around the turning of the centuries from the 20^th to the 21^st.

Furthermore, Jung was greatly concerned about this transition from age to age and what it might potentially mean for humankind. Although having rethought his original dates, he never appeared to waver from the idea of a “premonitory earthquake” prior to the coming of the New Age of Aquarius.

Having now passed through the initial years of the 21^st century, I think we could all agree that Jung was right to be concerned regarding this period of time.

And you thought that the Age of Aquarius was supposed to usher in a magical age of peace, humanitarianism, and tranquility? Nice try, but no cigar...

"If my reading of the symbolism of [Jung's] Aion is correct, the aeon of Aquarius will generate individual water carriers. This will mean that the psyche will no longer be carried by religious communities but instead it will be carried by conscious individuals.

This is the idea Jung puts forward in his notion of a continuing incarnation, the idea that individuals are to become the incarnating vessels of the Holy Spirit on an ongoing basis." taken from the Aion Lectures of Jungian author Edward Edinger

This, in a nutshell, is what Jung was expecting of the coming age (or aeon) of Aquarius.

Also Of Interest
It's interesting to note that Gret Baumann-Jung (Carl G. Jung's daughter and well-known Swiss astrologer) suggested in 1969 that the Aquarian Age had already begun with Russia’s first space probes in the late 1950s.