Dr.
Carl G. Jung and the Age of Aquarius
Is
the Age of Aquarius finally here? And if not yet here… do we
really have a clue as to what it'll look like when it gets here?
Astrological
Ages
For
the past 2,000 years or so, we've been living in the astrological
Age of Pisces. Each astrological age, based on the "precession
(movement) of the equinoxes," is thought to last a
little over 2,148 years.
Using this rule of thumb, a "Platonic year" takes over
25,770 years
to complete the full 12 Zodiac Ages cycle. So, among those
astrologers that believe in the concept of the astrological
ages, there's been plenty of endless speculation as to precisely
when the next age (or "Platonic Month"), the "Age
of Aquarius," will
begin.
For
instance, the esteemed 20th century astrologer Dane Rudhyar
placed
the beginning of the Age of Aquarius at 2059 AD. However, it's
interesting to note that Gret Baumann-Jung
(Carl G. Jung's daughter and well-known Swiss astrologer) suggested
in 1969 that the Aquarian Age had already begun with Russia’s
first space probes in the late 1950s.
Carl G Jung and Aion, Researches
into the Phenomenology of the Self
As
the renowned Swiss depth psychologist Dr.
Carl G. Jung, MD pointed out in the footnotes of
his fascinating and landmark book, Aion,
Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self (1951), when referring to the coming astrological
Age of Aquarius:
“Starting from the star ‘O’ and assuming a Platonic
month of 2,143 years, one would arrive at A.D. 2154 for the beginning
of the Aquarian Age, and at A.D. 1997 if you start from star ‘a
113.’ The later date agrees with the longitude of the stars in
Ptolemy’s Almagest... Since the delimitation of the constellations
is known to be somewhat arbitrary, this date is very indefinite.”
I should note that here Jung was using 2,143 years for a
"Platonic Month" rather than a now (somewhat) more commonly
accepted length of 2,148 years based on the mean precession of
the constellations.
Of course... in the end... we can all, as Jung himself did, figure
out for ourselves that any and all theoretical measurements
used
are obviously
going
to
be more than
a wee bit arbitrary.
Premonitory
Earthquake of the New Age
Interestingly
enough... in a letter dated August 12 1940, that Dr. Jung
had, many years
previous to Aion, written: "1940 is the year
when we approach the meridian of the first star in Aquarius.
It is
the premonitory earthquake of the New Age." C G Jung
Letters, Volume I, 1906-1950, p 285.
For those familiar with Jung’s fuller body of writings there is little
doubt that later in life he appeared to believe that
either the New Age of Aquarius
(or at least its premonitory earthquake) would begin around
the turning of the centuries from the 20th to
the 21st.
Furthermore, Jung was greatly concerned about this transition from age
to age and what it might potentially mean for humankind.
Although
possibly having rethought his original dates, he never
appeared to waver from the idea of a “premonitory earthquake” prior
to the coming of the New Age of Aquarius.
Having now passed through the initial years of the 21st century,
I think we could all agree that Jung was right to
be concerned regarding this period of time.
And
you thought that the Age of Aquarius was supposed to
immediately usher in a magical age of peace, humanitarianism,
and tranquility? Nice try, but no cigar...
"If
my reading of the symbolism of [Jung's]
Aion is correct, the aeon of Aquarius
will
generate individual water carriers.
This will mean that the psyche will no
longer be
carried by religious communities but instead
it will be carried
by conscious individuals.
This
is the idea Jung puts forward in his notion
of a continuing incarnation, the idea that individuals
are to become
the incarnating vessels of the Holy Spirit
on
an ongoing basis." taken from the Commentary
of Aion Lectures written by Jungian author Edward
Edinger
Conclusions
About the Age of Aquarius
When the spiritual teacher J. Krishnamurti was asked
in 1974 to define his
own teachings
he
wrote
the following:
"The
core of Krishnamurti's teaching is contained in the
statement he made in 1929 when he said 'Truth
is a pathless land'. Man cannot come to it through
any organisation, through any creed, through any dogma,
priest or ritual, not through any philosophical knowledge
or psychological technique. He has to find it through
the mirror of relationship, through the understanding
of the contents of his own mind, through observation
and not through intellectual analysis or introspective
dissection." excerpt - London,
October 21, 1980;
Copyright © 1980 Krishnamurti Foundation Trust
In
a 2008 interview with David Ian Miller of the San Franciso Chronicle,
the Astrologer/Philosopher/Humorist Rob Brezny quite aptly summed
up Krishnamurti's statement:
"I
subscribe to Krishnamurti's principle... he
said that 'we need
four billion religions.'
Now that number is up to 6.5 billion - a
religious tradition for everyone on the planet,
6.5 billion
paths to God."
San
Francisco Chronicle Rob
Brezny 2008 interview
This,
in a nutshell, would appear to be what
the esteemed Swiss psychiatrist, Carl G Jung, was expecting
of the
coming age (or aion) of
Aquarius
-
the psyche
no longer being carried and/or contained by religious
communities, and instead it will be carried by conscious
individuals.
Heavy
to think about (and hope for), ain't it? Give us another
100 years or so...
Weird and Wonderful