The Hercules Family --- The Constellation of Sagitta The Arrow

Moving on to a fourth constellation in the Hercules Family we come to Sagitta The Arrow, which, despite its name, has no direct connection with Sagittarius The Archer. 

Classical Greco-Roman uranologists connected Sagitta to Hercules, saying that it was one of the arrows the demigod shot at an enemy in the course of his vaunted Labors, but that was the beginning and the end of Sagitta's place in mythology. Much later, it was associated with Cupid's arrow for no very good reason.

It is, however, an ancient constellation, known to the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians, the Indians and the Chinese, who all saw Sagitta as an arrow. Although Sagitta is dim and small, lacking any stars greater than third magnitude, it is isolated in the sky and hence prominent. The asterism has five main stars, three of which mark out the arrowhead and shaft, and two which represent the fly. 

Given Sagitta's size as the third-smallest constellation, it has some interesting deep sky objects, including the Necklace Nebula and the planetary Nebula IC-4997, which is only 700 years old.

The Hercules Family --- The Constellation of Hercules The Mighty

Hercules. This Hero of Greco-Roman myth gives his name to the Hercules Family of constellations.

Hercules is the genitive constellation of the large and diverse Hercules Family of constellations. Hercules is among the largest of the 88 constellations in the sky. The asterism represents a warrior at battle and is comparable in outline and overall size to Orion, though Hercules is a much dimmer constellation, having no First or Second Magnitude stars. 

The dumbbell-shaped galaxy called Hercules A is being attenuated by a supermassive black hole within its bright center.

The constellation is named for the Greek demigod Heracles (Hercules in Latin) who was tasked with twelve impossible feats, among them killing the impervious Nemean Lion (represented by Leo), slaying the Hydra (represented by the constellation of the same name) and doing battle with a gigantic crustacean (represented by Cancer The Crab). 

The constellation Hercules became Hercules rather late in Classical Greek astronomy. Prior to identifying it with Heracles of yore, the Greeks considered it the figure of a standing man, but had no real lore about it. 

The constellation was known to the Sumerians who considered nearby Draco The Dragon (or Serpent) part of the same figure. They linked Hercules / Draco with Ophiuchus / Serpens, calling the former "The Standing God" and the latter "The Sitting God" though the significance of the relative positions of the two gods and serpents is long forgotten. 

Hercules' lower body is formed by the "Keystone" asterism, a rhomboid star pattern that makes this less-than-impressive constellation easier to locate. 

The Hercules asterism. The keystone is self-evident.

The Solar Apex, which indicates the actual direction of the Sun's orbital motion around the center of the Milky Way is located in Hercules. There are many multistar systems in Hercules that can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope. At least fifteen stars in the constellation can boast of solar systems. There are a number of Messier objects, galaxies, globular clusters, and nebulae, within the bounds of Hercules. 

 

ARP-272 colliding spiral galaxies.

Abell-39, a spherical nebula in Hercules.

The largest single structure in the known universe exists in Hercules. Called the Great Gamma Ray Burst Wall (or the Great Wall of GRB) this cluster of thousands of gamma ray-emitting galaxies occupies more than one-tenth of the universe as we know it. They are organized into at least 22 separate subclusters that fill a space some 23 billion light years in any given direction, a vast overall size.   

The Great Wall is incredibly vast and pours prodigious amounts of raw energy into the heavens.

A Special Case: The Constellations of Ophiuchus The Serpent-Handler and Serpens The Serpent

Serpens and Ophiuchus aka Basmu and Serpentarius.

 

Few people familiar with the Zodiac are aware that there is a thirteenth constellation in the Circle of Animals. This 13th constellation is not an astrological Sign, however, not in the Tropical system of astrology. Nor is it recognized as a sign by many Vedic astrologers. The constellation is Ophiuchus The Snake Handler. Ophiuchus lies between Scorpio and Sagittarius, and the sun astronomically transits the constellation between the 30th of November and the 17th of December.

Ophiuchus has an astrological name --- Serpentarius --- and a glyph --- a transected U --- in those astrological systems that include the sign. The dates of astrological transit vary among astrologers, taking varying numbers of days from Scorpio and Sagittarius.

The most common glyph associated with Ophiuchus.

A mix of Scorpio and Sagittarius?

Still another Ophiuchus glyph.

To make things a bit more complex, Ophiuchus is holding a large snake in his hands, the constellation Serpens The Serpent. Serpens is considered a totally separate constellation, and it is not crossed by the ecliptic. 

To make things even more complicated, Serpens is divided into two halves by the body of Ophiucus. The two halves of Serpens are called Serpens Caput (The Serpent's Head) and Serpens Cauda (The Serpent's Tail) and though they are non-contiguous, Serpens is considered one single constellation. 

The Snake Handler and his Snake.

Officially, and according to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), both Ophiuchus and Serpens are part of the Hercules Family of constellations, though NASA considers Ophiuchus to be in the Zodiac.

In Greek mythology, Ophiuchus is considered to be the figure of the historical healer Asclepius, though why the asterism simply wasn't called Asclepius is another mystery. 

 

Once a holy symbol, then the staff of the god Hermes, the caduceus remains the symbol of the physician.

An alternate glyph, reminiscent of the caduceus.

Snakes have been associated with the sacred and with healing since time immemorial. The connection is so remote and established that even the ancients had a slightly sarcastic take on it: "If you want to make something sacred just slap two snakes with wings on it." The symbol of the caduceus still represents medicine, though in the old days it was considered the seal of sacred precincts.
In the early Serpent Cults, just like Ophiuchus is doing, the priests handled the creatures freely, dancing with them in their hands, and even allowing themselves to be bitten. Just like scorpion venom, snake venom was used as a medicine, a poison, and a psychotropic.
Serpens The Serpent was Basmu, the Horned Serpent or Dragon, a god in ancient Sumer. 

In Sumerian myth, Ophiuchus seemed to have been called "The Sitting God." It is unclear whether this "sitting god" was part of the early Zodiac. The question is up for debate. Some say yes, and some say no.
The yesses shake off the seeming violation of the base 60 Mesopotamian calculating system by simply including Ophiuchus.
The noes point to the fact that a thirteenth astrological sign would have disrupted the sexigesimal number system of the Sumerians.
Everyone seems to overlook the fact that Libra was either part of Scorpio (the claws) or part of Virgo (the scales of justice) until the era of Classical Rome.
Thus, Ophiuchus or Serpentarius or Asclepius, or whatever other name he was known by, would have been a twelfth sign (falling between Scorpio and Sagittarius). There is no sure lore on what the qualities of the sign Serpentarius would have been. Modern astrologers who include Ophiuchus in the signs say, "A combination of Scorpio and Sagittarius".
It seems to me (strictly an opinion) that the qualities of Ophiuchus were simply reassigned to Libra when The Snake Handler was exiled from the Zodiac. I say "exiled" for he vanished from the Circle of Animals (and was divided and redivided from his Serpent) around the time that the ancient Serpent Cults were finally dying out.
If you look at Ophiuchus he resembles a man on a high wire, balancing carefully with a pole in his hands, a very "Libra"-like interpretation of The Snake Handler, who suddenly strongly resembles the balancing man on the tarot card of the Two of Pentacles (which is usually associated nowadays with Gemini). "Balance" is also a key quality of health (homeostasis). 

Rider Waite Tarot: The Two of Pentacles. A man keeping his balance.

The debate on Ophiuchus will go on both in astrological circles (Sign / Not a Sign) and astronomical circles (Zodiac / Not Zodiac), probably as long as humans can bicker.
Ophiuchus' brightest star is Rasalhague, Number 46 in the Nautical Almanac. The brightest star in Serpens is Unukhalhai, either "The Serpent's Neck" or "The Serpent's Heart," a Second Magnitude star in Serpens Caput. Serpens Cauda is remarked by Messier 16, the Eagle Nebula, 7000 light years distant, home of the Pillars of Creation seen by the Hubble Telescope.

The Eagle Nebula in Serpens Cauda

The Pillars of Creation in Serpens Cauda

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The Behenian Stars (Part Two)

It should be noted that Sol (the Sun) is considered a Behenian star in alternate systems, and that the Hyades are sometimes considered Behenian along with Aldebaran. There is also some variance in the identification of some stars. Polaris is sometimes exchanged for Alkaid, and Algorab is often considered in set with Gienah. 

 Behenian astrology is a whole other branch of the astrological art and the place where astrology and alchemy intersect. 


The chart below gives us in turn: 

1. The modern common name of the Behenian star

2. The Hermetic name of the Behenian star

3. The scientific name of the Behenian star

4. The Tropical location of the Behenian star in its associated constellation

5. The Rulerships of the Behenian Star

6. The gem associated with the Behenian star

7. The plant root associated with the Behenian star and its uses

8. The Behenian star's unique glyph

Name		Astronomical Designation	Location	Planet	Gemstone	Plant & Usage	Symbol
Algol	Caput Larvae	Beta Persei	26 Taurus 10	Saturn & Jupiter	diamond	Black Hellebore   Hellebore juice with an equal amount of wormwood placed under a diamond, etc., brings hatred and courage, preserves the members of the body, and grants vengeance over anyone you wish.
Pleiades		M45 (Taurus)	29 Taurus 58	Moon & Mars	rock crystal	Fennel               Fennel seed with frankincense and quicksilver placed under a crystal with the appropriate character [engraved on it], with the Moon conjunct the Pleiades rising or at midheaven, preserves the eyesight, summons demons and the spirits of the dead, calls the winds, and reveals secrets and things that are lost.
Aldebaran	Aldaboram	Alpha Tauri	9 Gemini 47	Mars & Venus	ruby / garnet	Milk Thistle Milky thistle seed put under a carbuncle with the character shown [engraved on it], with the Moon conjunct [Aldebaran and] the Ascendant or Midheaven, increases riches and brings great honors.
Capella	Alhayhoch, Hircus	Alpha Aurigæ	21 Gemini 51	Jupiter & Saturn	sapphire	Thyme or Horehound Horehound seed mixed with equal parts of mint, wormwood and mandrake, placed etc., exalts men to honors, and brings them the favor of kings and nobles, and heals toothache, and is very medicinal.
Sirius	Canis major	Alpha Canis Majoris	14 Cancer 05	Venus	beryl	Juniper  One part savine juniper juice with wormwood and bistort and a little serpent's tongue put under a golden beryl, etc., grants the favor of the spirits of the air and the peoples of the earth, and brings peace and concord between kings and other potentates, and between husbands and wives.
Procyon	Canis minor	Alpha Canis Minoris	25 Cancer 47	Mercury & Mars	agate	Water Buttercup or Heliotrope  Heliotrope flowers with pennyroyal flowers placed etc. grants the favor of God and man, gives men the favor of the spirits of the air, gives great power over magic, and keeps men healthy.
Regulus	Cor leonis	Alpha Leonis	29 Leo 50	Jupiter & Mars	granite	Mugwort or Celandine  Celandine juice with wormwood and mastic placed etc. takes away anger and melancholy, makes men temperate, and grants favor.
Dubhe	Cauda Ursæ	Alpha Ursæ Majoris	28 Gemini 34	Venus & Moon	magnet	Succory or Chicory  Chicory juice with wormwood and periwinkle flower placed etc. has power against enchantments and against dryness and gives safety in travel, and if it be put together with wolf's teeth it makes hunters proficient.
Algorab	Corvi	Delta Corvi	13 Libra 27	Saturn & Mars	onyx	Burdock   Burdock seed, leaves, and roots, with the tongue of a frog, placed etc. makes men angry, hateful, daring, and evil-speaking, causes wicked dreams, drives demons away, and protects men against demons and evil winds.
Spica		Alpha Virginis	23 Libra 50	Venus & Mercury	emerald	Sage  Sage juice with trefoil, periwinkle, wormwood and mandrake placed etc. will increase gold, accumulate riches, bring victory in lawsuits, and free men from evil and anguish.
Arcturus	Alchameth	Alpha Boötis	24 Libra 14	Mars & Jupiter	jasper	Plantain  Plantain juice with seeds or rooted placed under jasper, especially green [jasper], carries away fevers and restrains the flow of blood.
Alphecca	Elpheia	Alpha Coronæ Borealis	12 Scorpio 18	Venus & Mars	topaz	Rosemary  Juice of the herb called rosemary with equal parts trefoil and ivy put etc., makes men chaste, and grants friendship and honor with God and man.
Antares	Cor scorpii	Alpha Scorpii	9 Sagittarius46	Venus & Jupiter	sardonyx	Birthwort   Birthwort juice with a little yew placed etc. gives men healthy color, grants good memory and intelligence, makes them appear wise, and banishes demons.
Vega	Vultur cadens	Alpha Lyræ	15 Capricorn19	Mercury & Venus	chrysolite	Winter Savory Savory juice with an equal amount of the herb called fumitory and with a little of the stone called turonso, etc. grants favor with beasts, protects from scabies, that is, against demons, nocturnal phantoms, and fears.
Deneb Algedi	Cauda capricorni	Delta Capricorni	23 Aquarius30	Saturn & Mercury	chalcedony	Marjoram  Marjoram juice put under a chalcedony with its proper character, the Moon conjunct the tail of Capricorn rising, gives favor in lawsuits, improves the home in which it is kept, keeps it [the home] secure, and increases all manner of riches.

The Behenian Stars (Part One)

Hermes Trismegistus, "Hermes The Thrice-Renowned", is a quasi-mystical individual to whom thousands of writings have been ascribed since antiquity. Modern scholars consider him an anthropomorphized syncretism of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. According to the Alchemists and the Kabbalists, Hermes Trismegistus was a contemporary of Moses; but whereas Moses gave Man the Mundane Holy Law, Hermes Trismegistus gave Man the Spiritual Holy Law. 

This spiritual law has been given the collective name of Hermeticism or the Western Mystery Tradition. Some of these materials have been organized and ordered into rational teachings, but many seem to be more random.  Such things as the Tarot, Pyramidology, Alchemy, and certain aspects of astrology draw from the greater Hermetic tradition. 

If there ever was a Hermes Trismegistus, whatever his true name may have been he became the lodestar of generations of cross-cultural teachings that led naturally to adepthood. No one post or single blog can even scratch the surface of the mere history of the Western Mystery Tradition.

Among Hermeticism's additions to astrology was the concept of the Behenian Fixed Stars, fifteen stars with unique astrological properties. According to Claudius Agrippa (d. 1535) who systematized the knowledge of these stars he had culled it all from the ancient writings of Hermes Trismegistus.   

The name "Behenian" comes from the Arabic word "Bahman" for "root." Each Behenian star is associated with a plant and with a gemstone, and each has unique powers which are activated when the planets come within a 6* orb of such stars. Like the signs and planets the Behenian stars have glyphs (these glyphs can vary somewhat as can the identity of a few of the stars, depending on the source material consulted). 

There have been many ways of cataloguing these stars and their attributes, and they are often referred to Hermetically by unfamiliar names. There is also debate on the role of the Sun in Behenian study --- is it a "star" or is it a "planet" and if it is both, then how do we distinguish the different attributes? 

"This is the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius . . . "

No one knows who first understood the concept of Great Years; in the West, the discovery is attributed to the Greco-Roman philosopher-astronomer Hipparchus (190 - 120 BCE), who also invented trigonometry. Most of Hipparchus' writings were destroyed in the Great Fire at the Library of Alexandria, but enough survive to inform us that Hipparchus grasped the Copernican-Keplerian heliocentric model of the Solar System later denounced by Ptolemy. 

Hipparchus' review of documents dating back to ancient Egypt also convinced him that the Earth rotated on an axis in space and that this rotation caused the precession of the Equinoxes. Investigating this idea led him to the realization that the axis would one day return to its First Point, which in his time was Aries; but earlier Egyptian and Mesopotamian records clearly indicated that the Spring Equinox was in Taurus and Gemini before that. Extrapolating, Hipparchus calculated that the whole Zodiac would be transited in about 26,000 years. 

This meant that the First Point was in every constellation / sign (in the Tropical System) for about 2150 years. It's not clear if it was Hipparchus who invented the idea of Great Months (or Astrological Ages) or if he drew it from earlier records which we no longer have, but the idea of Astrological Ages corresponds significantly with the Hindu / Vedic idea of Yugas, similar "ages" through which humanity has passed.

Precession of the Equinoxes backward through the Zodiacal circle means that "The First Point of Aries" (i.e., the moment of the Spring Equinox) spends time moving through each Zodiacal constellation (including oft-forgotten Ophiuchus) in reverse order. 

It is difficult to calculate precisely how long the Equinox stays in each constellation because the constellations aren't all the same size in the sky and the Ecliptic, the path of the precession, though set, crosses each constellation at a narrower or wider area of the figure itself. Since some constellations overlay parts of others there's an argument to be made in determining which constellation the First Point is crossing on a given date. Modern astronomers have additionally set boundaries for constellations that include their asterisms and empty surrounding space and unrelated stars as well. The discoverers of the Zodiac undoubtedly would not have held themselves accountable for modern man's rather arbitrary constellational boundaries.  

The Indians solved this problem by creating a Sidereal ("Stellar") Zodiac based (in part) on the uneven sizes of the visible constellations and using various major stars as celestial markers. Some Sidereal systems include Ophiuchus. Others don't. 

  The Sumerians instead, fixated as they were on divisors and multiples of six, cut the round sky into twelve equal 30 degree slices, assigning to each slice a particular constellation (which usually didn't fit neatly within the slice). Differences between the days the Sun was "in" a constellation varied from dates that the Sun was "in" a sign, and even though the signs correspond to the constellations by name (most of the time), the "neatness counts" system of the Sumerians means that the Sun might not be in a given constellation while its in the eponymous sign. Instead of using stars to mark the critical points of their Zodiac, the Sumerians used natural events --- the Solsti and the Equinocti. This system, based on the seasons became known as the Tropical ("Seasonal") system. At the time it was invented the Tropical system included Ophiuchus but not Libra. 

Aquarius / Let The Sun Shine In (The 5th Dimension, 1969) 

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There's unclear evidence that the Sumerians and the Vedic Indians both understood the precession of the Equinoxes. But the Indians believed that time was cyclical and, as noted, consisted of a number of Yugas, or Ages.

Each Yuga is an age with specific characteristics. There are four Yugas. Each Yuga has its own length, from 1.5 million Earth years down to 0.5 million Earth years. One thousand Yugas (250 Yuga cycles) equals a single Kalpa. 100 Kalpas equals a Day of Brahma. And a century's worth of Brahmanic days equals one Lifetime of Brahma.

The Vedic time scale is vast.

This is a chart of the subdivisions of the Yugas, Note the shortened time scale of a differing interpretation.

In each Yuga there is a specific Yuga Dharma or process of self-realization. The Yugas descend from the most spiritual to the most material and then up again. 

Satya Yuga

Satya or Krita Yuga (The Golden Age): lasts 1.7 million Earth years. During this Yuga the majority of the population is living lives of  high spiritual attainment and saintliness. 

Treta Yuga

Treta Yuga (The Silver Age), lasts 1.3 million Earth years. Spiritual development is tied to study and practice of complex practices such as the various Yogas.

Dvapara Yuga

Dvapara Yuga (The Bronze Age) lasts just over 800,000 Earth years. Spiritual development is tied to the worship of the gods in ornate temples. According to some sources we entered Dvapara Yuga during the era of great cathedral and mosque building in the Middle Ages.

Kali Yuga

Kali Yuga (The Iron Age) lasts just under 450,000 Earth years. Dishonesty, violence, and gross materialism abound. Spiritual awareness is rare, limited, and vulgar compared to earlier Yugas. Most sources say we are living through Kali Yuga, some that it is about to end.

The Tropical system of astrology also has "Ages" that are based on precession, though they are nowhere as lengthy as the various Yugas. Each Age of a particular sign is based upon the transit of the First Point through that sign.  The personality of each Age is based upon the characteristics of its corresponding sign. Due to uncertainty as to the date when the First Point actually enters a particular sign, a precise Great Year calendar seems unattainable. At best, we can say that each Age colors the human development of the time. Ages are thought to last anywhere from 2000 years to 2500 years; 2150 years is the average number given. 

The inscrutable Sphinx was a man-headed lion figure. Archaeoastronomers are gathering increasing information which indicates that the Sphinx and its accompanying pyramids were built not as tombs for dead Pharaohs during the Age of Taurus, but much earlier during the Age of Leo as vast spirituo-scientific stellar observatories

The Age of Leo, the earliest Astrological Age yet calculated, occurred roughly 12,000 years ago. According to the beliefs of astrologers, and of a group of newer investigators, the archaeoastronomers, the Age of Leo was an ice age of blinding sun on the snow and ice fields, though there is a growing awareness and building consensus that in those places where the ice never reached --- a broad belt stretching from about Latitude 35 North to Latitude 35 South, technologically advanced cultures of which we have only limited knowledge may have been building constructions like Angkor Wat and the Pyramids for their original intended purpose, the study of the stars. The Sun was early man's chief object of worship.

The Age of Cancer marked the time of Matriarchy triumphant. Women's monthly reproductive cycles made them the natural religious leaders of the Age which was marked by widespread inundation of coastal areas as the glaciers melted. the Moon had advantages over the Sun as a deity: It looks larger in the sky at times and it can be propitiated in ceremonies without going blind.

The Sumerians continued to deify the Moon even as they extended their power and reach during the Age of Taurus

Around 9,000 years ago the ice began to recede --- it melted, causing vast floods which are vaguely recalled in the various but worldwide stories of the Deluge. The glare of the Sun on the snowfields faded, and Mankind began to live in rhythm with the element that now defined their lives --- water. Humans timed their days according to the rise and fall of the tides, realized that the tides were tied to the Moon, and our nearest celestial neighbor supplanted the Sun as the chief object of worship in the world, giving rise to the Age of Cancer, a creature of water. This was the era of Matriarchy.

Around 7,500 years ago, Man began to devise writing systems and began to record ancient legends and stories about the gods. Once begun, the process of communication speeded up, and still does today.  The human cultural memory came out of that development. But humans developed over time a sense of separation from the Whole that continues to haunt us as a species. That sense of duality defined the Age of Gemini. Matriarchy began to fade as a system of cultural organization. 

7000 years ago the Vinca Culture of the Balkans produced this figurine. At about the same time, the local people began developing a script. It was the Age of Gemini. But who were they communicating with?

With the expansion of agriculture and the development of cities roughly 6,000 years ago, it could be said that the Age of Taurus began. Cattle were draught animals, used to plow the fields and for hides and milk and meat. This period was remarkable for its many Bull Cults; and gods began to be paired with and then supplant goddesses. The Patriarchy began its ascent to power.

Give or take some centuries on either side, the Age of Aries began roughly 4,000 years ago. Modern archaeologists consider the Age of Aries to be the equivalent of the Bronze Age, and we are still very much impacted by the Arian Age. The various stories that make up the Hebrew Bible were collected and organized into texts. Wars of conquest and great empires, like those of the Assyrians and the Mauryas in India, and the great Egyptian dynasties, rose and fell. The story of Abraham sacrificing a young ram in lieu of his son Isaac is emblematic of the Age of Aries, and the story of the downfall of the Golden Calf is symbolic of the end of the Age of Taurus. The chief gods became all male with goddesses as consorts, and the idea of one God as "God the Father" rose to prominence. The Patriarchy became dominant. 

Abraham, Isaac, and a young ram

In 1954, the famed Hollywood astrologer Carroll Righter wrote, "The Piscean Age lasted 2,000 years, an age of tears and sorrow, focused on the death of Christ." The exact start date of the Age of Pisces, the Age we are in currently or have just left, is uncertain, but the Age of Pisces has always been closely associated with Jesus (just as Virgo, Pisces' opposite sign, is associated with Mother Mary).  The last bimillennium has been one that has focused exhaustively on spiritual concerns --- it saw the rise of Christianity and Islam --- but it has also been an age of delusion and great sorrow (including two World Wars and countless other military and other calamities).  Early Christians themselves made the connection between Pisces and Christ, quite consciously. The earliest Christian symbol was the Ichthys (or fish) and the Disciples were called "Fishers of men's souls." These were not coincidences. The people of that time knew, just as we do now, that the Age of Aries was ending and they intentionally associated their new belief system with the rise of the new Age.  

In reality, the passing of an Astrological Age is not a sudden event like switching off a light (or switching it on); rather, the Ages flow into each other, which is why knowing the exact date of the beginning on an Age is a near-impossibility. It's more likely that the cultural influence of one Age are slowly supplanted by the cultural influences of the succeeding Age. Thus, dates for the dawning of the Age of Aquarius range from the 1600s (Galileo's discoveries) to the mid-1700s (the Enlightenment) to the 1800s with their rapid technological advancements, to the 1900s and the atom bomb, right down to the present day and computers. Perhaps it has not quite yet begun. The lingering influence of fundamentalist religions is certainly not Aquarian, but technology and science are; we appear to be passing through a period when the remnants of Pisces are fighting to hold on and the first uncertain expressions of Aquarius are occurring. New technologies are being used for old ends ("The Islamic Bomb"). Globalism has taken hold, but for antiquated goals so far, the gathering of lucre into fewer and fewer hands. Universalism is under attack by nationalism and other forms of parochial thinking. Global warming, a technological problem at its heart, is being answered by appeals to a deity who seems ever more distant from true spirit. Religious fanatics are using the internet to trumpet a return to their imagined "good old days."  It is a period of social upheaval and great doubt as things change from one mode of thought to the other. 

Notre Dame Cathedral from a less usual angle

Certainly, there was much beauty in the Age of Pisces, as well as much ugliness, but what is good should be preserved, and the cool technological atmosphere of Aquarius needs to be tempered and warmed by heart. 

Aquarian thought is universalist and technological but also coolly dispassionate. It is also experimental and radical. New ideas come forward, are tested, and are adopted and adapted or thrown out wholesale. The danger is that Aquarius may cause humanity to throw out the baby with the bathwater. But at least that old barrel of stagnant rainwater will be tipped and spilled. The tipping and spilling is dramatic; well-established norms are turned on their heads just to see how they look. But Aquarius also promises an era of true social justice, so in the end, and according to astrologers, the upheavals will remake the world as a better version of itself.