The Great Year
The Great Year, also called the Platonic Year, is the voyage of our solar system through its complete orbit around the star Alcyone. In this process our solar system passes under the influence of each sign in the zodiacal belt. This Great Year lasts 25,968 years and consists of twelve astrological ages.
Each astrological age corresponds to a different sign of the zodiac and lasts approximately 2000 to 2500 years depending on the size of the constellation and other factors. The zodiacal sign of the age embodies the spirit or message of the dominant civilizations of the time.
The predominate religion or culture of a given age becomes the matrix from which the next major religious or cultural force is born. With the law of polarity, often the polar opposite zodiac sign will also make its mark during the astrological age.
The following article covers the ages of Gemini through Aquarius. The age of Gemini is considered the era of recorded history, and finding information about the ages before that is difficult. The age of Aquarius is our current age according to Samael Aun Weor.
Age of Gemini 6840 BC – 4320 BC
The age of Gemini was characterized by the emergence of writing, agriculture and organized religion. Writing began during this Age as pictographs in China and India, cuneiform in Sumeria and Hieroglyphs in Egypt. The great Epic of Gilgamesh has been dated to this time period, and this time period was also a time of great expansion and trade along the Silk Road.
Gemini is the sign of the twins, and is ruled by the planet Mercury, related to communication, interaction, ideas and duality. The opposite sign of Gemimi is Sagittarius which is related to philosophy, religion and priesthood, shown in the age of Gemini’s establishment of many organized religions.
Age of Taurus 4320 BC – 2160 BC
Taurus is an Earth sign ruled by the planet Venus, and governs fertility, stability, wealth, agriculture and land. During the Age of Taurus the agricultural civilizations reaching their peak.
The Mesopotamian civilization created money and a system of banking and established the great ziggurats. Egyptian civilization was provided with rich soil for agriculture by the regular flooding of the Nile river. The Bull god is also present in Assyria, Crete and Egypt.
The opposite sign of Taurus is Scorpio the sign of death, resurrection, and immortality. Scorpio embodies the deep mythology of death and the afterlife in Egypt, and the symbology of the god Osiris and the missing phallus illustrate the sexual mysteries of this sign.
Apis the Bull-headed god was one aspect of Ptah, and one of the 5 major gods along with Ra, Isis, Osiris and Amun. Khnum with Ram’s head is the third aspect of Ra, who started to become more prominently worshiped in the Age of Aries.
Age of Aries 2160 BC – Year 0
Aries is a fire sign, driven, ambitious and individualistic, ruled by the planet Mars. Aries is the archetype of the solar hero, the singular person who battles and overcomes obstacles to achieve their goal, however noble or base.
The journey from the age of Taurus to Aries is shown in the story of Exodus, Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses was raised in the house of Pharaoh, meaning he was initiated into the Egyptian mysteries, but then as the attacks became too severe upon his people he head them out of Egypt and symbolically into the age of Aries.
First there is the rejection of the Bull in the form of golden calf by Moses, and bringing in the Ram with the blowing of the shofar, the ram’s horn. The Ten Commandments are representative of Libra, the Law, which is the opposite sign of Aries.
During this time period were great wars and the expansion of the Roman empire. Greek civilization celebrated the Olympic ideals, the solar hero, in short, the virtue of individuality casting off the stability and stagnation of the old Taurus age. This was the Age of Iron, the metal related with Mars which rules Aries.
In China the Shang and Chou dynasties were powerful militaries that overthrew the previous peaceful Lung Shan dynasty and ruled from 1850 BC – 1122 BC Judaism came out of Egyptian culture via Moses, and Christianity came out of Jewish culture by way of Jesus.
Age of Pisces Year 0-1962 AD
Pisces is a water sign ruled by the planets Jupiter and Neptune, it signifies the mysterious great ocean which dissolves all forms and structures. During the age of Pisces we see that although Rome was unified it was starting to degenerate and begin its long fall.
In India, Hinduism started to elevate the transcendent gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva over the warrior gods such as Agni. The opposite sign of Pisces is Virgo, the Virgin. Emphasizing chastity in many of these religions and sadly degenerating away from a loving devotional approach to sexuality to a rigid repression.
Age of Aquarius: 1962 AD to Present
Many astrologers say that the age of Aquarius is yet to come, but Samael Aun Weor teaches that as of 1962 we are in the new age of Aquarius. The age of Pisces is over, and with it the backwards way of approaching sexuality with hatred or fear. The age of Aquarius is about sexual transmutation, which brings about true love for God and humanity.
Listen to a talk on the Astrological Ages and the New Era of Aquarius from Koradi Radio.