I, as a Thelemite, hold a belief that the world today is in the infantile stages of the Aeon of Horus. Many other Thelemites who study Crowley's works tend to hold the same belief, though there are exceptions. Now that we are in the midst of what followers of The Book of the Law believe to be the 93rd year of the New Aeon, I've become quite interested in what's going on in the world around us in relation to the beliefs of Thelema. For the record, I believe that big changes are coming in the Order of the Universe, and they will affect us all deeply, especially those of us who are paying attention to the Birth of Individuality as the Aeon of Osiris ends and the Aeon of Horus begins.I believe the day will soon come that those people who have struggled against societal oppression for their distinctly independent religious views will be called upon to be guides for the rest of the world trying to birth itself from the confines of oppression and conformity.

Most people are familiar with the concept of the astrological Aeons. If they're not, you say “Age of Aquarius,” and most immediately pseudo-understand what you're talking about. The process is based on the Precession of the Zodiac: from our perspective, we are slowly moving backwards through our Zodiac at the rate of one sign about every 2200 or so years. It takes approximately 25,000 years for the Great Wheel to complete one rotation, so it's impossible to pinpoint a date for the change of an Aeon. However, amongst many astrologers, it's fairly well accepted that the world is in the middle of the change from the Aeon of Pisces to the Aeon of Aquarius by way of the theory that it's not a switch, it's a long period of transition. This is based on comparisons of history with astrological data. This transitional period allows evolution to occur in slow steps, as is necessary. The beginning of an aeon transition spurs the creation of visionaries and poets: someone has to realize what's going on so that they can lead the rest through. Unfortunately, history has not been kind to such enlightened folk. Their battle is often long and arduous. But more on that later.

Many believe a date in 1962 to be the marker of the beginning of the transition from Pisces to Aquarius, as the 7 inner planets all lined up in Aquarius on February 4 that year. This alone is not horribly significant: on May 3, 2000, the same planets will line up in Taurus, though the Age of Taurus is certainly not about to begin. However, it bears remarkable interest considering the events that occurred in the following decades. These seven are the personal, as opposed to generational, planets. Individuality has certainly been a personal issue for most people the world over since around the 60s: the Civil Rights Movement kicked into high gear, and later, more minorities from the Native Americans to women decided to band together to fight for their freedom. Human rights in 3rd world countries became and have stayed a forefront issue. The general issue of each human's right to freely express themselves is the basis for almost every political and social dispute that exists. Now that we are approaching the end of the century, two of the three outer planets, the generational ones, are moving into Aquarius. These are the planets that affect change on a global scale, not just a personal one.

Jupiter has been in Aquarius since January of 1997, as had been Uranus since April of 1995. Between January 29, 1998 and February 4, 1998, I think the world will receive a shock somewhere in the realms of religion and society. As Neptune enters Aquarius on January 29, the Sun and Uranus will be conjunct in Aquarius: Uranus rules Aquarius and is the ultimate marker for unique dramatic change. This change will likely involve high-end technology in some manner: the Internet now has the power to effect global change due to its omnipresence. A T-square is formed in the sky throughout these few days between Pluto and the Nodes. The South Node is in Pisces, the North Node opposite in Virgo. I believe this indicates a need for society in general to use its Piscean energy towards service to others, spurred by a very painful and truthful revelation in the area of higher knowledge and education (Pluto in Sagittarius). Mars in Pisces is opposite the North Node in Virgo so is square to Pluto as well. This leads me to believe that whatever revelation Pluto brings about will thwart the aggressive efforts of the outgoing Aeon of Pisces: it will reveal a deep deception of some sort.

The configuration as a whole indicates a very intense and potentially violent scenario that lasts from January 28th until February 10. With 5 bodies in Aquarius (Neptune, Uranus, Sun, Jupiter, Moon) for one day, and 4 the rest of the time, opinions will be heated and there will be much concern for the general welfare of Humankind in general, especially those who may be experiencing the event firsthand. The North Node is quincunxed to the Sun and Uranus. This is an aspect that I attribute to Neptune and is a marker of great spiritual potential. Here it indicates that there exists the possibility for this change to bring about the shift in attitude that is needed to bring us out of the Aeon of Pisces and towards the Aeon of Aquarius. It is also what will keep the negative side of the Pluto/Mars square from being expressed: violent perpetuation of the Piscean status quo.  

As Jupiter enters Pisces on February 4, another T-square forms between the Moon, Chiron, and the Sun. It is very brief, but I think hints at the emotional mood for the next few days. Any time the Sun and Moon are squared, it means that it's necessary to break free from previous notions about behavior in order for growth to occur. True individuality, in other words. The Sun at the apex of the T-square is the goal of both Chiron in Scorpio and the Moon in Taurus. Humans will need to integrate their resistance to change with the power they've gained through change in order to realize their full individual potential. Chiron represents the capacity of the human soul to offer teaching and guidance out of its own chaos and trauma; thusly is the soul healed. A day later when the Moon is in Gemini, a Mutable Grand Cross is formed with the Nodes, Mars, Pluto, and the Moon. Communication and knowledge (Moon and Pluto) work together to bring deception into the light (Mars and South Node in Pisces) towards the greater good (North Node in Virgo).

As Neptune, the ruling planet of Pisces, approaches Aquarius, the subconscious grip of the material world (Capricorn) upon the world is increasingly apparent. Money, drugs, and power have become God, the consequence of a world seeking their souls through the trappings of mundanity. This is extremely Osirian in my opinion: selfish religious leaders think they can gain power and immortality by accumulating as much wealth as possible. This is a distortion of the premise underlying the Egyptians' custom of burying their dead with the finest clothing, jewelry, and food to ensure they would live on after they 'died': positive manifestation of the Osirian energy. Something will happen that will send shock waves throughout the world causing people to realize that solace can no longer be found in the powerful, authoritative world of Capricorn. However, they will still cling to their old ways because Neptune will go retrograde and re-enter Capricorn from August until November of 1998. Once Neptune re-enters Aquarius for the last time in November, the cycle of transformation will be well underway, having begun with Neptune's direct motion in October 1998. The old materialistic world will fall away to reveal a world of individuals who seek their own paths without the hindrances of others' burdens. Interesting that this final passage into Aquarius will take place while the Sun is in Sagittarius, the sign of art, truth, and adventure. It is also conjunct Pluto, the planet of regeneration and transformation.

The Aeon of Aquarius will be sealed by this Scorpionic energy when Pluto enters Aquarius on March 23, 2023, on January 21, 2024, and again on November 20, 2024, while the Sun is in Aries, Aquarius, and Scorpio respectively. But wait, you say. All these planets will pass through Pisces after they pass through Aquarius. How can you say they are markers of the Aeon of Aquarius? Since the passage of these planets, both the personal and transpersonal throughout the 20th Century, has occurred and will occur in the pattern that I've noticed, I believe that the subsequent passage through Pisces will serve as the perspective we will need after being presented with the powerful energy of Aquarius. There are lessons to be learned from each Astrological Aeon. As with any transformation, it will be Humankind's tendency to jump in with both feet and leave the old way behind in every way, shape, and form. We will need the perspective of Pisces to remind us of the positive things the Aeon of Pisces had to offer, and to help us integrate that knowledge into our new way of life.

The Aeon of Pisces has been marked the two things that are most characteristic of the sign Pisces: awareness, and its opposite, deception. They go hand in hand, and you can't have one without the other. The problem today stems from the fact that the global energy associated with the Aeon of Pisces is in its death throes: whenever anything dies, it usually goes kicking and screaming. Both awareness and deception are at their peak in the world today. Deceptions of every type plaster the headlines, yet everyone is quite aware of what's going on. The deceivers are very aware of their deception. The deceptees are quite aware they're being deceived. All this seems to result in a sort of global gridlock. In the midst of this standstill, violence is rearing its ugly head. Awareness of deception resulting in action rather than inaction: this is the result of the birth of the Aeon of Aquarius. And the Aeon of Horus.

The scariest part of this transition is that it must involve religion by virtue of evolution. The Tree of Life ascends from the lowest world, represented by Earth and the Material, up to the highest world represented by Fire and the Spirit. Ancient history shows when the battles of Earth, Water, and Air occurred. The fight for Earth was Humankind's physical evolution towards its mastery of the planet itself: how to grow things, herd animals, survive on the material plane and nothing else. The fight for Air occurred much later, as thinkers and philosophers began to achieve notice in the world. Plato, Eurypides, Aristotle and the like. The fight for Water began in the Renaissance period, as the Dark Ages came to an end and people learned to express their inner selves, to a certain extent anyway. Certainly people were far more free and expressive than they had been before. These changes have extended their fingers into our own recent memories. Scientists still fight for recognition, people still fight over their land, and people are still fighting for their right to express themselves. This last change is fueling the final step into Fire, the evolution of the Spirit. With this transition, the problems of the last three can be overcome, as mastery of the Spirit becomes more widespread.

Note that all of these historical transitions have occurred in conjunction with catastrophic loss and sacrifice on the parts of individuals involved. The same is true today as the voices who are fighting for their spirits begin to get louder and louder. Since this battle involves matters that are innately linked to the soul and individuality, by necessity its altercations are violent. It is a conflict between individuality and the latent Piscean desire to be unified that is causing violence today. Those of us who are aware of the true nature of what is happening are just a few steps ahead of everyone else: we have completed the Pisces cycle and have entered the Aquarius cycle. Or from the Thelemic perspective, we have completed the cycle of Osiris and have entered the cycle of Horus. We are exerting our individuality in what we know to be productive ways, but since the rest of the world has not yet caught up, we are seen as frightening, outside the watery cocoon of Pisces. Our “child” has already matured enough to do something with all of its energy, but it's difficult to help others evolve when you're still being held back by yet someone else. Hence the repeating phenomenon to kill the messenger, or to shun the prophets, visionaries, and poets. This tendency to deny the truth is even stronger since it is Pisces we are leaving: no sign has a stronger power to deceive itself.

There should be something to be learned from the other Aeon transitions according to traditional astrological belief. The Aeon of Aries was marked by the rise of some of the world's most ancient civilizations. And the end of the Aeon of Aries was marked by some of the worst bloodshed history has ever seen. The roots of today's wars in the Holy Lands lie in this transitional period. It would seem that the incoming Aeon of Pisces was able to use the outgoing Aeon of Aries to give a final smash to existing society then, since such violence is not typically characteristic of Pisces. Each incoming Aeon utilizes the lessons and power of the previous Aeon to ensure its own success and integration. The Aeon of Aries used the power of Taurus by dominating agriculture to ensure its stability. The Aeon of Pisces used the power of Aries to enforce its subconscious effect: putting “the fear of God” into the people. And the Aeon of Aquarius will use the power of Pisces to engender the awareness of individuality.

On a global scale, society has reached what I think is “the point of no return.” Something drastic has to happen or the state that things exist in now will continue in perpetuity. This drastic thing will have to serve to unite all people who live upon the Earth, but I think it will serve to divide them first: death must occur before birth. I have no idea what this factor will manifest as. I've heard numerous theories. Whatever happens, the birth of the individual on a global scale in order to survive will be mandatory. Social Darwinism will become Literal Darwinism. Except it won't be who's strongest, though violence is likely to increase as this process moves on. It'll be who's managed to find their True Will. This is where the job that I spoke of comes in. Our Duty To Mankind is to be guides for everyone else as well as protectors of our brethren as the Crowned and Conquering Child takes its seat.

As brothers fight ye. —Liber AL, III:59

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