The antithesis of the playful subversive humour of [[Antanas Mockus]] and his [[traffic mimes]] is the dangerous narrative arc of the Age of Aquarius. For those of us with a desire to hold on to an optimistic outlook for the future, the image of this forthcoming golden age holds a strong attraction. It's potent marketing for hippies.

Hair

Hair and hippies are synonymous. I went to see that musical as a kid in London, it was supposed to be shocking. I was not impressed. Punks were around the corner, and my teenage sweethearts were Blondie and Nina Simone. If you want to know why i have a problem with some fo this stuff see [[starry eyed]].

YOUTUBE kjxSCAalsBE Here is an original 1969 recording of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine by the 5th Dimension. The sound is not so great, but we take the special effects as inspiration for our [[home studio]] - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarius/Let_the_Sunshine_In pull wikipedia]

The song is definitely haunting, and somehow lodged in our global cultural heritage. In fact the song is a [[medley (music)]] of two songs written for the 1967 musical ''[[Hair (musical)]]'' and was released as a single by American R&B group [[The 5th Dimension]].

For me the transition at around 2:17 above to "Let the sun shine in" was the best bit, and I feel a little disappointed to learn it was simply a medley. The mix on Spotify is horrible, and you can find a better sound mix with stupid marketing visuals here on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajgeaOt_HTQ youtube]

Astrology

In [[astrology]] the Age of Aquarius, follows the [[Age of Pisces]]. It is either, depending on who you talk to and the method of calculation they adopt, the current or forthcoming [[astrological age]]. Astrologers maintain that an astrological age is a product of the earth's slow [[Axial precession]] and lasts for 2,160 years. In human terms that is an era. It is definitely too long to wait for - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Aquarius pull wikipedia]

Astrologers believe that an astrological age affects humanity, possibly by influencing the rise and fall of civilizations or cultural tendencies - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Aquarius#Astrological_meaning pull wikipedia]

Astrological meaning

Traditionally, Aquarius is associated with [[electricity]], [[computer]]s, flight, [[democracy]], freedom, [[humanitarianism]], [[idealism]], [[modernisation]], astrology, [[nervous disorders]], rebellion, nonconformity, [[philanthropy]], [[veracity]], [[perseverance (virtue)]], humanity, and irresolution.

Let's compare this with the [[Age of Pisces]]:

Pundits

The variations of views among astrologers include:

• Among other dates, one view is that the Age of Aquarius arrived around 1844, with the harbinger of the Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad (1819–1850), who founded [[Bábism]].

• A common position expressed by many astrologers sees the Age of Aquarius as that time when humanity takes control of the Earth and its own destiny as its rightful heritage, with the destiny of humanity being the revelation of truth and the expansion of [[consciousness]], and that some people will experience mental enlightenment in advance of others and therefore be recognized as the new leaders in the world.

• Proponents of medieval astrology suggest that the Pisces world where religion is the [[opiate of the masses]] will be replaced in the Aquarian Age by a world ruled by secretive, power-hungry elites seeking absolute power over others; that knowledge in the Aquarian Age will only be valued for its ability to win wars; that knowledge and science will be abused, not industry and trade; and that the Aquarian Age will be a Dark Age in which [[religion]] is considered offensive.

• Another view suggests that the rise of scientific rationalism, combined with the fall of religious influence, the increasing focus on [[human rights]] since the 1780s, the exponential growth of technology, plus the advent of flight and space travel, are evidence of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

• [[Rudolf Steiner]] believed that the Age of Aquarius will arrive in 3573. In Steiner's approach, each age is exactly 2,160 years. Based on this structure, the world has been in the Age of Pisces since 1413. Rudolf Steiner had spoken about two great spiritual events: the return of [[Christ]] in the ethereal world (and not in a physical body), because people must develop their faculties until they can reach the ethereal world; and the incarnation of [[Angra Mainyu]], [[Zoroaster]]'s "destructive spirit" that will try to block the evolution of humanity.

• Gnostic philosopher [[Samael Aun Weor]] declared February 4, 1962 to be the beginning of the "Age of Aquarius", heralded by the alignment of the first six planets, the Sun, the Moon and the constellation [[Aquarius]].