With the advent of spring, “hope springs eternal in the human breast” again as English poet Alexander Pope wisely expressed in his 1732 poem An Essay on Man. I say rightly so. It feels like a primordial urge within every man which keeps us going on no matter the challenges.
With this in mind and heart, I proceed with the possible, plausible and rational explanation of why the world is so crazy now.
Last month, I brought up astrology and the Age of Aquarius which we are entering now (or in the process of transitioning to from the Age of Pisces), and the effect it has on the world. The explanation of the professional UK astrologer Fiona Graham as recounted to Vicky Spratt of GRAZIA magazine made sense to me. It may also enlighten you or, at the very least, make you think of the possibility of new ideas.
Let me continue with an excerpt from Ms Spratt’s article, which I find fascinating aside from reassuring. Keep in mind that this article was written in 2016. It is amazing how relevant it is even now that we are in 2025. As I have mentioned, one Age (meaning each one of the 12 astrological signs – Capricorn, Pisces, Aries, etc.) takes around 2,000 years. To go through the cycle of all 12 signs takes 25,868 years. Wrap that around your head!
In the portion of the article subheaded “How does the Age of Aquarius manifest?”, Ms Spratt wrote….
“Whether you ‘believe’ in astrology or not, it is hard to deny that the last two hundred years have seen rapid change occur. From industrialization to what you might call internetisation, technologically speaking the way we live is almost unrecognizable. Socially, we have come forwards leaps and bounds in terms of gender, sex and race equality…..But for all this progression there is a lot of conflict. Many of our grandparents lived through two world wars and as I write this, elsewhere in the world, brutal conflicts rage on. It is appealing to think that such confusion and chaos can be attributed to the stars but surely that’s rather wishful thinking?
‘The dawning of the Age of Aquarius could describe the relatively recent explosion of internet and cell-phone activity’ Fiona says, ‘from access to information, to social media, banking, onine trading and consumerism etc. This widespread level of communication, which allows unlimited interactive access, arguably also de-personalises what was once one-to-one communication. This could be seen as a classic Aquarian tendency’
‘Even ten years ago I would have come to visit you instead of emailing and speaking over the phone – we live in a world where everything is done at a distance and there is a brutality to that’, Fiona says.
She also notes that you could see ‘the new age we are entering’ reflected in ‘globalisation’. In UK politics the legalization of same sex marriage and the rise of female political premiership are also expressions of the Aquarian urge for egalitarianism and putting principles into practice. Aquarius is also a sign that favours the unique and the ‘alternative’, from medicine, to artistic achievements, to the way we think.’
That all sounds very positive, what are the negatives of Aquarius? ‘The potential downside of a surge of Aquarian ideology is detachment from the human touch and a diminishing of our ability to express individual emotions. A desensitizing of the personal maybe…Inherent in this is the threat of homogeny that actually quashes individuality. Ironic, when individuality, even eccentricity, are well-known Aquarian traits. The quest for tolerance could actually lead to new forms of intolerance if we don’t pay attention to the dangers.’
In the following excerpt, Ms. Spratt expounds on what the Age of Aquarius could mean for us?
‘It is important to think of this not as ‘one even or moment in time’ Fiona says. This is ‘about a huge shift’. What it does is ‘remind us of how small we are’.
Towards the end of Ms. Spratt’s article, she wrote that…
“As a generation we are, on the whole, what you might call spiritual but not religious. Religion has been declining in this country for some time – from the mid 1980s when around two-thirds of people saw themselves as belonging to a particular religion to 2011 when that fell to around 53%. In terms of traditional religious beliefs each generation has had a lower level of religious attachment to their elders in recent decades.
It is rare to go to a party these days where astrology, meditation, numerology or the mere spiritual side of life broadly don’t come up in conversation. Today we pick, choose and consume the elements of different belief systems whether that’s meditation, yoga or practicing what is essentially prayer in the form of a mindful ‘positive thought shower’ every morning. Whether or not you choose to ‘believe ‘ in anything is up to you but in a world where life moves at such a fast pace and circumstances often feel like they are beyond our control perhaps it is no surprise that horoscopes and astrology, once confined to the back pages of magazines, footnotes to content, are now the subject of centrefolds.
Ultimately, astrology, like any other belief system, is as real or as unreal as you believe it to be.”
Even though this article was written over 8 years ago, I still find it quite relevant and at the same time, quite relieving in the sense that there seems to be a rhyme and reason for all the upheavals and (thank the universe) the rise of geniuses like some of those I follow.
Aquarius usually highlights uniqueness and flashes of genius. Personally, I think the geniuses I admire are not the flash-in-the-pan kind.
GENIUSES ALL – FUJII KAZE, VIKINGUR OLAFSON, HAYATO SUMINO, ELON MUSK (yes, he is one in my books despite the TDS going around), BRUNO MARS. I take my hats off to them. And I thank them for the upliftment I derive from their passion-imbued works, and all made possible through the wondrous internet.
BELATED HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY!
Speaking of celebrating women— watch the series “Perfect Match”. Women of strength, beauty and brains. Perfect entertainment and the perfect way to celebrate women as the spring unfolds.
Mabuhay!
Tessie O. Taylor