The Age of Aquarius

In Search of a Definition…

To some people, the Age of Aquarius is nothing more than a feel-good, utopian slogan dreamed up by a bunch of mid-20th century radicals and hippies. Even now, many of us still scoff at the notion that any kind of positive change will happen just because some people said it WOULD happen. And while this might be the case for the moment, it is hard to ignore the fact that major changes are indeed underway all over the world, seemingly directing our attention to the idea that a “paradigm shift” of some kind is taking place.

But just what is it that we are shifting into…and away from? To put it simply, we are shifting away from old, fear-based habits and imagining a whole new reality for ourselves - a reality based on hope rather than despair, of abundance rather than lack, of peace rather than war, of contentedness rather than yearning, and of connectedness rather than separation. We are awakening to the fact that a new era is upon us, and that we have the ability to co-create the hopeful future we desire for ourselves and this planet. For a few tips on how to participate in this "Aquarian Shift," click here.

Are we there yet?

I have been on the trail of the Age of Aquarius for years now, and I truly believe that we are standing at the threshold of the Aquarian frontier. There are just too many coincidences to ignore the idea that, at this very moment, we are experiencing a deconstruction of the old and an emergence of the new faster than anyone could have predicted. What’s more, these paradigm changes are happening just when our ancestors said they would. By now, most people have heard about the end of the Mayan calendar on the winter solstice of 2012, but there are many, many other indicators that all seem to be pointing to this very same moment.

And this is what struck me the most as I was doing research for my novel “The Aquarians.” The hard evidence was there, the fuzzy implications and incredible overlapping coincidences were there, and now I cannot help but feel that we are indeed experiencing the profound “shifting of the ages” that have been foretold by so many cultures.

Take, for instance, the fact that the Mayan calendar is just over 5,000 years long and started around 3,000 BC. Keeping this in mind, it is interesting to note that many modern scientists measure this exact same timeframe to define the modern human experience. Famed archeologist Kurt Marek has this to say: “We, at the dawn of the 21st century, are concluding an era of mankind 5,000 years in length. We are not in the situation of Rome at the beginning of the Christian West, but facing a transition akin to the year 3,000 BC. This period represents nothing less than the second great divide in human history, comparable in magnitude only with the shift from barbarism to civilization.”

And while intellectual and sociological references like this are indeed interesting, it was the more esoteric elements that caught and held my interest. Here are just a few:

Modern Mayan shamans and calendar specialists known as “day keepers” will tell you that the end of their ancient calendar is not the end of time, but the moment when humanity will be given the opportunity to make a cosmic leap into a “next-level” of higher awareness and consciousness. This sounds thematically identical to what we’ve heard about the Age of Aquarius, and just so happens to occur within the same cosmic moment! It should be noted here as well that, while the Aquarian Age has come to define a type of thinking, it is nonetheless a scientific, astronomical measurement of time. Each age of the zodiac lasts approximately 2,000 years, and we are currently in the final days of Pisces and entering Aquarius.

A "Phenomenal" Coincidence

There is a unique phenomenon sweeping the globe, which involves people feeling oddly “triggered” whenever they see the numerals 11:11 on their digital clocks and watches. This has been going on for years now, and what’s so fascinating is the fact that these people have independently come to the conclusion that they are being “woken up” to the idea that humanity is standing at some sort of “gateway” on the path of our expanding spiritual awareness. This sounds strikingly similar to what we’ve been hearing about the Age of Aquarius/Mayan calendar shift, doesn't it? An even stranger coincidence is that the event that ends the Mayan calendar—the winter solstice of 2012—will occur at exactly 11:11 Greenwich Mean Time! See what I mean about these cosmic coincidences all pointing to not only the same theme of spiritual evolution, but even to the same date and the same exact minute when it will occur!

The Dresden Codex Connection

And here’s yet another striking piece of information: Most of what we know about Mayan prophecy regarding 2012 comes from an ancient Mayan book now known as the Dresden Codex. Here is the image contained on the last page of that book, which deals with the winter solstice of 2012 and “the end of time.” Take a look at the figure in the middle of the page: it represents a mythical water-bearer announcing the end of the age. How strange is it that, coincidentally, a mythical water-bearer also happens to be the sign that announces the arrival of the new age of Aquarius? And those four boxes over her head? They represent the four planets visible to the naked eye in alignment with each other on that day…. (hmmm, as in “When Jupiter aligns with Mars?”) Oh, and for people who see 11:11, check out that third box from the left: It almost looks like a wristwatch with paired elevens balancing each other out, doesn’t it?

But what do dolphins have to do with the Age of Aquarius?

This shift into being transparent (where we no longer try to hide who and what we really are) is a key element of the Aquarian philosophy. When we no longer mask our true feelings and desires, humanity as a race will literally "jump" into a type of collective consciousness that, at present, can barely be imagined. With the ability to sense what's really going on inside one another, it will no longer be logical to even try to be deceitful. We will instantly know when someone is happy, sad, angry, physically distressed, or in love. We will know a person's motivation at the very same moment they know it!

For forty million years, dolphins, a mammalian species with brains larger and more complex than our own, have been living such a transparent existence. Utilizing an incredibly accurate sense of ultrasound, dolphins are able to "see" inside one another via high-frequency echolocation. In the global community of dolphins, there can be no hiding, no lying, no reason to mask anything but truth. In other words, what we would call an Aquarian existence–a seemingly impossible dream–has been a reality to dolphins for millions of years.

Becoming an Aquarian

By now, you know that you don’t have to be born under any particular star sign to be an Aquarian. To participate in this “shifting of the ages,” what matters most is your desire, your vision, and your conduct. Someday, when the world’s population contains enough people acting from a place of peace and hope rather than hostility and fear, we will have finally arrived.

Some Tips for Shifting Yourself Into the Aquarian Age

First, keep in mind the vision of micro and macro - that what you do on a personal level will eventually be mirrored in an ever-broadening scale. You are the only thing you have any control over anyway, so focus your attention on being the change you wish to see in others. Before long, you will recognize the way that your exterior reality matches what’s going on inside you.

Quiet yourself. The optimum environment for healing to occur is an inner space of calm and quiet. Slow your breathing and, just for a minute or two, become aware of every breath going in and out of your body. If you’re hunching your shoulders up towards your neck, you’re not breathing deeply. Imagine a deflated balloon in your stomach, fill it with a slow, deep breath, and then let that breath flow out with a soft sigh. This act alone of conscious breathing (a valuable lesson from the dolphins!) will set the stage for healing in your body, mind and spirit.

Remind yourself who you are. During healing sessions, I call this a “re-boot” and use the analogy of rebooting a computer with its original and uncorrupted software. I all but guarantee you that the words you will use to describe yourself (or your most heartfelt desires) are the very words your busy, doubtful, mind needs to hear. Listen to yourself say that you want to love and be loved, to give and be happy, to have purpose and be healthy. Listen to these amazing (and true) words pour out from your heart and make a promise to become more like this person.

Prompt yourself to “reboot” often. I cannot stress this enough, because it is so easy to fall out of your own good grace. And remember, it’s easy to trigger positive thoughts when everything is going well, but how often are things going well enough for you to consciously express gratitude and love? This alone should tell you that you can’t count on external events falling into place before you allow yourself to feel internal happiness. In fact, even though it seems counter-intuitive, let the UNDESIRABLE events in your life be the very things that trigger deep-breathing and a positive reboot. All of a sudden, you’ll be reminding yourself much more often of your higher principles and desires.

Stop watching the news. Don’t become uninformed, but do realize that fear-based titillation is not doing anything to enhance your sense of hope and expectancy for the good that life has to offer. At first, this might seem like you’ll be burying your head in the sand, but this is not the case, for by distancing yourself from the small negative truth (a plane crashed today/an innocent person was murdered) you’ll see the larger truth that tens of thousands of planes flew safely today and billions of people did not murder each other.

Let people do kind things for you. We all know how good it feels to give… so why would you deny someone this feeling? The flow of gifting is constantly changing direction, intensity and form, so be happy to just be in that flow no matter where you are at the moment. Some would call this gift-exchange being in a state of grace, and that’s a great place to be.

Fill yourself with what you love, and you will find that there will be less room for what you dislike. We often focus much attention on what we don’t want in our lives, yet the law of attraction reminds us that whatever we think about most (either positive or negative) is what we are going to bring forth. Stay in a place of gratitude for the things and people you appreciate, and this sense will grow within you so that there will be very little room to harbor feelings of lack.

Drop the pretense (which is another great lesson from our “transparent” dolphin friends). We may not have the ability to “see inside” each other the way dolphins do with ultrasonic echolocation, but we CAN choose to drop the façade we so often carry with us out into the world. And here’s the zen lesson of how this will work for you: Rather than being exposed to ridicule and attack, you will often find that the people around you have sensed it is safe to drop THEIR defenses, and a whole new type of relationship built on trust and honesty will occur.

Do good things. Every day offers the opportunity to do a kind act for a loved one, a stranger, an animal, your community or your planet, but I guarantee you the opportunity will come. The trick is to recognize these opportunities and act on them the instant they occur. Most will only be fleeting moments or chance encounters, so be prepared.

Remember that you are a minister. When you interact with people, you are in a sense “preaching” what you believe with your words, thoughts and actions every day. If you do not want to be regarded as a minister of judgment, anger, false-pretense or worse, then quit acting like such a person!

Lastly, forgive, forgive, forgive. It has been said that when you can’t forgive someone, it’s like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Ultimately, forgiveness is the gift you give yourself, and you should not wait another minute to find a way to forgive whoever has wronged you. Maybe you need to see, in a new way, why they did what they did. Was it out of self-doubt on their part? Was it because they didn’t do something the way you would have done it? Was it because of something you might have done to them first? When you look past the surface drama, a clear path of forgiveness will present itself… but it’s up to you to take the first step on that path.

So, just how much of an Aquarian personality do you have? Take this quiz and find out!