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.