When does the “Age of Aquarius” really begin? We all know the song from the late 60s (maybe that’s presumptuous- let’s just say it was from a musical if you don’t know it). Most of what’s on the internet claims it officially begins in 2100. I learned recently that the shifts in the tropical and sidereal zodiacs are measured by 72 years. 72 years = 1 degree.

If we designate each sign division at 30 degrees (or 29 rounded up), 72 X 30 = 2160 years. So one age is 2160 years. The Age of Pisces began in 218 AD, so by that calculation, the Aquarian Age won’t begin until 2378. Yes – these ages move backwards on the zodiacal wheel.

So how is the Aquarian energy already seeping in? Pluto entering Aquarius is only 3 years away. Also, the December 21st Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of 2020 will be in Aquarius. But a 350 year prelude? Apparently, the “ages” are determined by the precession of the equinoxes.

The Air Trigon that is heralded by the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Aquarius begins a twenty year Aquarian cycle. 

We can see the obvious changes around us living in first world nations. The technological advances are too rapid to ignore – and we can associate those advances with Aquarius. Who better to lead the Air Revolution than the socially progressive air sign Aquarius?

This brings me to another important question. Why is Aquarius known as the “water bearer” if it’s an air sign? I have many friends who assume that Aquarius is water when we talk astrology – naturally with “Aqua” we think water. If Aquarius is sometimes depicted as holding a vessel of water, then we can deconstruct what that looks like.

Slaves or servants were the ones who carried water in ancient civilizations (and even today), or commoners/peasants, so immediately the image evokes someone of service. A human being without rank or wealth providing what is essential.

Water is also associated with spiritual knowledge. The Greeks also linked the constellation Aquarius to Ganymede, the legendary cup bearer to the gods, who was granted eternal youth by Zeus.

If the modern ruler of Aquarius is Uranus, and Uranus emits the 2nd highest frequency amongst the outer planets (why it’s associated with electricity and disruption), and because electrical currents travel most efficiently through water (think of Elle in “Stranger Things” being submerged in water to perform remote viewing), then Aquarius as the water bearer makes sense.

Aquarius is also known for being capable of a kind of out-of-body detachment. A manifestation of an air sign, sure, but Gemini and Libra are less detached. Revolution is coming, but what will it look like? Aquarius wants to liberate humanity but it also wants personal freedom.

The kind of freedom that allows someone to ruminate on radical ideas. Quite a few spiritual or progressive leaders were Aquarians. Nichiren Daishonen, Abraham Lincolm, and S.N. Goenka are a few who come to mind.

With the virus forcing us to isolate from one another, will this be a prominent feature of the Aquarian Age? No one alive today will be around to find out if we go by mathematical data, but maybe this current paradigm is more than just a 1-2 year trend. 

New social customs of greeting one another are already fascinating to watch. Also, will bars and movie theaters become extinct? What will they be replaced with, if anything? Virtual hangs? Probably would be good for the environment, but many livelihoods would just, well, end. Tourism especially.

Aquarians love the group, however, and group consciousness will likely evolve in ways where people redefine togetherness. Maybe through meditation and astral projection.

Many astral pioneers might become so into the idea of social distancing that they beeline for a chance to live on Mars. SpaceX is supposedly making that possible by 2022. I’ll pass, but I am VERY curious about what that would look like.

I’m also curious, since in traditional astrology Aquarius is ruled by Saturn, if Pluto in Aquarius will still feel Saturn’s fascist tendencies. The late 1700s, when Pluto entered Aquarius the last time, social revolution seemed to be spreading like wildfire. The industrial revolution and the beginning of the Earth Trigon also coincided, so this time will definitely be a little bit different.