We all know the two main movements of our beautiful blue planet:
- the movement of rotation on itself which determines the days and nights
- the movement of revolution around the sun which determines the seasons.
But there is another lesser known one, which is caused by the attraction of both the Moon and the Sun on the Earth. These attractions impart a slight oscillation of our planet from the axis of the poles giving it a movement similar to that of a spinning top. This phenomenon is called the precession of the equinoxes. Why this name? To understand it, let’s go back to the origins of astrology. At that time, on March 21, at the time of the spring equinox, the constellation Aries was at the vernal point, that is to say the point of intersection between the celestial equator and the band of constellations that the sun crosses during a year and that we call the zodiac. Then, little by little, this point moved backwards, year after year, at a rate of about one 1degree per century. The cycle lasts 25,769 years and, currently, on March 21, it is the constellation of Pisces, and not Aries, which is at this famous vernal point.
Why then talk about this phenomenon? Because astrologers realized that this movement had an influence on human history and the succession of civilizations that we can trace through the symbolism of each sign. It is even possible to anticipate the future of humanity. Thus each zodiacal era lasts about 2147 years.
Lion Era (11 300 and 8700 BC)
This era corresponds to the end of the ice age and to the warming of the planet, Leo being governed by the sun. The man settles down and with this settling down are born the royalty and the aristocracy.
Cancer Era (8700 to 6500 BC)
In addition to the fact that in a much earlier cycle, this sign and its opposite, Capricorn, may have symbolized the emergence of life from the waters to reach dry land, this era may have coincided with a greater emphasis on the home, family or tribe. It is also the beginning of river navigation. At this time also we can find traces of lunar or ancestor cults as well as a matriarchal religion linked to the great goddess.
Gemini Era (6500 and 4300 B.C.)
Here too, we could find the appearance of man (Gemini is a human sign and Sagittarius a half-man half-horse) and the beginning of hunting in a much older cycle, but here, this era corresponds to the intensification of commercial exchanges between cities and between peoples. As a result, thought also becomes more elaborate and abstract. We find during this period the cult of double deities like Janus or the Indo-European dioscuri.
Age of Taurus (4300 to 2000 B.C.)
Here ends the protohistory to leave place to the history. The Gemini era ended with the discovery of writing. This era is marked by the rise of the Egyptian civilization and the development of agriculture. The cult of the Bull, the principle of procreation and abundance, is everywhere: Apis in Egypt, the Minotaur in Crete, the sacred cow in India, the white cow in Ireland, etc. Moreover, in the following era, the cult of the Golden Calf symbolizing a bygone era was rejected by Moses. It is also the rise of the worship of Venusian goddesses (Venus is mistress of the sign of Taurus) like Ishtar, Aphrodite, Venus.
Age of Aries (2000 BC to the birth of Christ)
Emergence of the Iron Age (metal ruled by the sign of Aries) and intensification of wars and conquests (Hittites, Trojan War, Alexander the Great). Civilization becomes more patriarchal and monotheism tends to supplant polytheism. Elsewhere the cult of Aries replaces that of Taurus: Agni in India, Amon, the ram-headed god in Egypt and Belenos, the Celtic solar god, carries a ram-headed snake. In the Old Testament, we find Abraham, whose name means son of the Ram, sacrificing this animal to God instead of his son Isaac. Later, at Passover, the Hebrews will sacrifice a lamb, the Paschal lamb, a tradition that will be preserved by Christianity, which will call Jesus, the lamb of God, the one who sacrifices himself, thus inaugurating the next cycle.
Pisces Era (W – 2150 AD)
This is our era marked by the emergence of Christianity. In the New Testament, we find the episode of the multiplication of the loaves (from wheat, symbol of the Virgin) and the fish. This animal, the ichthyus, was the symbol of the first Christians and the mitre of the bishops is a persistence of it. Jesus also changes water into wine, liquid Pisces, and Virgo (the opposite and complementary sign of Pisces) is particularly honored at the expense of the ancient Venusian goddesses. During this era, the values of altruism, self-sacrifice and abandonment of oneself for the benefit of others become more important, but also fanaticism, dogmatism and religious persecutions. In reaction to the sometimes too extreme mysticism of Pisces comes the scientific rationalism of its opposite sign, Virgo, which will also become too excessive. We are now at the end of this era.
Age of Aquarius (2150 – 4500 AD)
This era will begin in the next century, but we are already feeling its beginnings since the 18th century and the Enlightenment. Aquarius is a sign of freedom and individualism and under its influence we are already seeing the growth of these values of equality, freedom and fraternity between peoples and individuals. Under its influence, anarchism, communism and even capitalism are already born. Aquarius is also a sign of progress and it is not the explosion of computer science and new technologies that will make us say the opposite. There is every reason to believe that this will intensify over the next few centuries. The challenge is to avoid the revolutionary excesses of this sign as well as the forced egoism induced by its opposite sign, Leo. Aquarius being a cerebral sign, the focus will be more and more on cerebration at the expense of sentiment. Here again, there will be a balance to be found. Finally, this sign is linked to outer space, but also to the etheric plane. We could therefore expect revelations concerning the existence of extra-terrestrial civilizations and other non-physical planes of consciousness. Thus this era could see the reconciliation of science and spirituality.