National Meltdown

Posted on November 12, 2019 by aquariansigns under Age of Aquarius, Censorship, Climate Change, Cryptocurrency, Democracy, Digital Age, Failed State, Globalization, Social Networks, Technology, Zodiac Ages

The Age of Aquarius is the age of globalization, communication, and invention. The advances in technology through inventions and the possibilities of global communication

Photo courtesy of NASA

are already allowing sharing of ideas that penetrate national borders. This will only accelerate as time goes by through the Pisces-Aquarius cusp and into the more pure Aquarian influence. Simultaneously, the same technology brings in more information about how similar people are and how connected we all are in our planetary ecosystem.

West_and_East_Germans_at_the_Brandenburg_Gate_in_1989

The Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989, the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin.

We do not know what form civilization will take during the more pure Aquarian era, 2600-3500 AD, but somehow, between now and then, certain forms will need to be abandoned and in some cases torn apart or broken down. A perfect example of that was
the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, as a result of the Peaceful Revolution, where global communication from the West played a key role.

As the influence of the Age of Aquarius intensifies, events like that show up more

Map of the war in Eastern Ukraine. It shows areas controlled by self-declared local “republics of the people” (August 2014 by ZomBear, Marktaff)

frequently and more extremely around the world. Borders will disappear, as in the case of Syria and Ukraine, where foreign armies act freely with no interference to serve their interests. Whole countries will collapse into chaos as in the cases
of Syria and Libya, where it is hard to say who is the sovereign power. Even Western democracies these days are stifled in stalemates around decisions that are critical to their fate and sovereignty, like the UK and its years-long Brexit mess.

At the same time global corporations shine. Social media services like Facebook,

One of Bitcoin Logos, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

WhatsApp, Instagram, and others extend to billions around the world. They allow communications between people across borders, even in war-stricken zones, where the national sovereignty collapses, providing exactly the services these countries ceased to be able to provide and replacing them in effect. Electronic currencies, or cryptocurrencies as they are called, like Bitcoin or the upcoming Libra by Facebook are aimed at streamlining international transactions and circumventing national bureaucracies. Other corporations are planning and starting to implement global internet through deploying smart satellite systems (Starlink by SpaceX, Amazon’s Project Kuiper) or balloons (Google’s Project Loon). Again, these projects are bypassing national jurisdiction, which has the potential of deteriorating national power even more, by allowing people to communicate and get information despite their country’s attempts to censor the internet.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Another global phenomenon that plays a crucial role in nulling national powers in today’s world is climate change. Nature knows no nationality: rising sea levels, melting glaciers, mass extinctions of numerous species, spread of climate-related diseases, pollution, and most notably, human migration as a result of all of the above, are all pushing through borders. Some of these, like pollution or diseases, do that with almost no way to control or contain them. Others, like human migration can be better handled through customs controls and asylum requests, but even these are now harder to control when borders are being amassed by millions annually. The example of Syria touches each one of the subjects mentioned in this post: a climate crisis results in a civil war and a failed state that leads to an oppressive crackdown and censorship in an attempt to restore the statehood, followed by a massive migration into Europe.

A line of Syrian refugees crossing the border of Hungary and Austria on their way to Germany. Hungary, Central Europe, 6 September 2015 (photo courtesy of Mstyslav Chernov under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license).

To conclude, many influences already make the national landscape today very different compared to even just twenty years ago. There is no escape from concluding that at the pick of the Age of Aquarius things will look very different. Naturally, nations will not give up their sovereignty easily and will fight to protect it and counter any attempt to take it away. Until then, we can keep observing how nations keep failing and collapsing and how new global entities overtake them.

Counter-Reformation

Posted on April 1, 2018 by aquariansigns under Age of Aquarius, Democracy, Digital Age, Environment, Globalization, Technology, Zodiac Ages

When a new Zodiac Age emerges, a new cycle begins, bringing new influences with it. The Age of Aries, the Age of Law, brought an expansion of empires with the necessary first codes of justice in known history: the Hammurabi code and the Ten Commandments. The Age of Pisces, the Age of Faith, brought forth global religions, such as Christianity and Buddhism, that were based on compassion and love and less on rules and rituals. And the Age of Aquarius, the Age of Reason, has brought the world globalization, connectedness, inventions, democracy, freedom, sharing, and environmental awareness.

The transition between Pisces (right), Aquarius (center), and Capricorn (left) from the The Mercator Globes at Harvard Map Collection (created by Gerard Mercator, 1551).

To use Rodney Collin’s analogy, the evolution of ages is reminiscent to the growth of a child and the coming of age of a man. The Age of Taurus with the building of the first cities and its great monuments represents the growth of the flesh in a baby. The raging Age of Aries with the creation of the first armies and the expansion of empires represents the burst of energy and muscles during adolescence. The Age of Pisces represents a turning point in the life of man as well as in the life of humanity, when the heart realizes that there is something higher than itself. But it is still not in harmony with the flesh and the muscles, which still function on their own. This is why this Age of Faith was also an age of terrible strife, even though love was the foundation of Christ’s teaching at its beginning. The Age of Aquarius is analogous to a mature person whose heart and body work in harmony under the control of reason. It presents the possibility of harmony for humanity as well.

However, because the transition between any two consecutive ages includes an overlapping period between them, there is a period where their influences inevitably coexist. Many times these coexisting influences create chasm between the new and the old, between people who have adopted the emerging influences and the people who prefer the old ways. Reaction to the reforms is inevitable. Usually the reasons of the counter-reformists are safety, comfort, and conserving the status-quo. History is full of examples.

La_salle_dAkhenaton_(1356-1340_av_J.C.)_(Musée_du_Caire)_(2076972086)

Pharaoh Akhenaton, Eighteenth Dynasty.

One of the earliest ones we know of is that of king Akhenaton of the eighteenth dynasty of the New Kingdom in Egypt who abandoned the traditional Egyptian polytheism and introduced monotheism. The harsh resistance from the traditional Amun-Ra religion which pulled Egypt back into polytheism, drove Akhenaton’s attempts to failure, and after his death his newly built capital city was abandoned and the traditional practices were restored. Another famous example from antiquity is the Exodus story of the Israelites and the golden calf. In the Book of Exodus, the Israelites said, “Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” They missed the comfortable habits and rituals of their homes in Egypt even though they were slaves. To express their longing they created the golden calf idol, a symbol of the preceding Age of Taurus, that was worshipped in Egypt.

The Emblem of Christ Appearing to Constantine / Constantine’s conversion (Peter Paul Rubens, 1622)

Similarly, at the turn of the then new Age of Pisces, the old Jewish religion represented by the pharisees challenged Jesus at every step about religious laws like the Sabbath or fasting, demanding that he follow the outer form. But, in line with the new approach of the age, he always pointed them to the intent and the inner meaning of the rituals, by showing them that their own intent was wrong. Later on, his own prosecution was followed by a murderous oppression of his followers by the Roman Empire. It took almost three centuries for the world of that time to adopt the new religion at the time of Emperor Constantine.

Trump signing the “Muslim Ban” in January of 2017

In the New Age of Aquarius, unfolding before of our eyes, there is already a very tangible reaction against the trends of the age. Globalization, connectedness, sharing, being conscious of the environment, even freedom, are suffering frequent blows. One of the most striking examples is the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency in 2016, based on campaign promises like building a wall with Mexico, stopping immigration to the US, withdrawing from global trade agreements, and pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Since the beginning of his term, his administration started acting on these promises with many policies overturned on legal immigration (family-based, DACA) the environment (reviving the coal industry, expanding of mining and oil drilling); handling illegal immigration; workers safety; birth control rights; LGBT rights and more. All of these have promoted division rather than connectedness, closure in place of openness, short-term business gains at the expense of long-term health and development of individuals.

“Vote Leave” poster by Kenneth Allen, June 2016

Another great example of a separatist decision in reaction to a globalist trend is the Brexit vote in June 2016 for the UK to leave the European Union. The Brexit referendum was based on a naive prospect that the public would support that the UK stay in the union. The UK government did not anticipate the strong reaction that emerged, mainly from the older and less educated population, to protect certain sovereign powers, like control over immigration, from being dwindled by staying in the union. One more example of recent years and months is Russia and its attempts to sow confusion and division by interfering in elections of Western countries. The old ways of well-defined political blocks of influence are gone. Ideas and influences quickly cross borders to create new alliances and reform the old order, but some forces are still trying to prevent these global trends from occurring. Sometimes, these counter-reformists are using the tools of globalization developed in the New Age to increase their control and powers. Examples would be technological inventions and social media, which the counter-reformists utilize to extend the life of the old order by a little more.

However, at the end, the reactionaries will get swamped by the wave of influences from the New Age, and their attempts to pull back the New Age will die out. This will happen when the New Age gets closer to its cusp, between 2600 and 3500 AD. At some point after that, influences of yet a newer age, the Age of Capricorn, will kick in and new chasm may start during the overlap between Aquarius and Capricorn.

Spiritual Flatness

Posted on March 21, 2015 by aquariansigns under Age of Aquarius, Digital Age, Globalization, Information Age, Religion, Spiritualism, Technology, Zodiac Ages

Pharaoh Menkaura, accompanied by the goddess Bat on his right and the representation of the town Hu (in which Bat was worshipped) on his left.

As the Zodiac Ages go by, there is a certain trend when it comes to religion and spirituality. During the Age of Taurus, The three great pillars of human life on the Earth – civilizational order, religion, and spiritual tradition were all alive. They were aligned with each other, and they were feeding each other. They were all unified by the role of the ruler of the kingdom, which was also the representative of a higher world on the Earth. The hierarchy was clear. Everybody knew their place in relation to each other. This situation is represented by the three Egyptian figures on the left. However, at some point, The obsession of the Taurian Age with power necessitated the breaking apart of these three great pillars.

Queen Jezabel and King Ahab meeting Elijah in Naboth’s vineyard. (Print by Sir Frank Dicksee)

The connection of the human level to a higher level could not be reconciled with the materialism and corruption associated with positions of power, so they had to be broken away from. That is why during the Age of Aries, the prophets, God’s messengers on the Earth, and the priests or the religious leaders, are many times in opposition to the ruler. It happened with Moses and Pharaoh; with Akhenaton and the priesthood who opposed his motion to abandon the existing religious order; with Elijah and king Ahab who persecuted him and his companions; and with many others. The prophet and his companions were the ones who understood the demands put on the people by God, and the king was part of the people. He was no longer the head of the religious order and of the initiates, but rather an ordinary person with a certain political role. The prophet received part of his acknowledgement through the confrontation and opposition to the ruler. The high priest and the prophet were usually not one person, but what they represented – the religious order and the spiritual tradition – worked in tandem with each other, but not with the ruler and the social order.

St. Francis of Assisi by Jose de Ribera (circa 1182-1220), Public Domain

St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan monastic order (Jose de Ribera, circa 1182-1220)

During the Age of Pisces, we see yet another deterioration of the once harmonious connection between the state, religion, and spirituality – the breaking away of the spiritual traditions from religions. Even though new religions have sprouted out of the teachings of Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad during this age, the spiritual traditions, which focused mainly on the inner work and not on external rituals, could not accept the rigid and extremist aspects of these religions, their attempts to rewrite history, and their accumulation of wealth and power of their own. The Christian papacy is one example of politicizing, corruption and rigidity of religion. That is why Christian Monasticism flourished in both its Eastern Orthodox and Western branches after the fall of the Roman Empire. These monasteries were like a current underlying the Church which went deeper in applying spiritual practices, such as special prayers or the use of physical work. The monasteries were not the leaders of the Church and they were quite distinguished from the general population of the followers of the Church. Another classical example for such a separate, more spiritual, current running parallel to a religion is the Sufi Orders within Islam. A similar spiritual discipline started during the Age of Pisces within Judaism – the Kabbalah, which ran parallel to the mainstream Jewish movements. It was hidden from the public eye for the most part, and was sometimes controversial in its views, because it teaches the individual how to connect to the Light of the Creator without the need of a rabbi, priest, minister or any other guru seeking to act on our behalf as an intermediary.

And what is next? The transition to the Age of Aquarius poses a very strong challenge when it comes to spirituality. Two trends have emerged in the last century or so:

Repulsion from religion and the rise of science as the new religion. At the same time, real schools or spiritual traditions are hidden away from the masses.
The availability of information through the Internet, making everything available on one hand, but also not allowing real experience on the other hand.

Photo taken in 1922 of George Gurdjieff who brought the Forth Way tradition to the West

Photo taken in 1922 of George Gurdjieff who brought the Fourth Way tradition to the West

The missing link seems to be a conscious teacher and a group of followers that always appear to bridge these periods of transition. It happened with Moses and the Israelites during the Age of Aries, and with Buddha, Christ, and Muhammad and their followers during the Age of Pisces. During these past ages, the spiritual traditions or schools were much more visible because there were part of the fabric of life. Moses was the spiritual leader as well as the religious leader of the Hebrews. Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad were known figures in their time. But these days, as religions dissolve and spirituality is “flattened out” by the availability of everything, both real and false, on the Internet, any real school will be well hidden from the public eye. Is there a spiritual teacher somewhere that will be the seed from which the promise of the next age will spring forth?

Economic Warfare

Posted on January 27, 2015 by aquariansigns under Age of Aquarius, Democracy, Digital Age, Economy, Globalization, Information Age, Sanctions, Technology, World Peace, Zodiac Ages

Assyrian attack on a town with a battering ram (9th century BC)

It was during the Age of Aries that the first fully blown national or imperial armies were created and for the first time cities surrounded themselves in fortified walls. Many forces were driving these changes, influenced by the transition between the solid, more laid-back Age of Taurus and the fiery and energetic Age of Aries. Perhaps the major driving force was the need to protect the enormous wealth accumulated by the absolute rulers of the old age. Military power was used to protect economic power. Iron was for the first time smelted and smitten into swords in the early phase of this era, replacing the heavier, softer, and duller bronze swords of the Taurian Age. It was heating by fire, the element of Aries, that allowed the handling of iron, quite a different processing than the casting of bronze. A well known weapon that was developed by the Assyrians during this time is the Battering Ram, designed to break open the walls of fortresses or their wooden gates. Later on, during the vast expansion of empires throughout the Age of Aries, military power was used to gain more and more economic power. Having a better army usually meant being richer and more powerful economically.

“Barbarossa’s victory at Iconium” by Hermann Wislicenus. The battle took place in 1190 during the Third Crusade.

During the Age of Pisces, passionate faith incited Crusades, Jihads, and other wars, which drove the expansion of the great religions to a global scale. Economy and the military were harnessed to support religious conquest and gains. During the transition to the Age of Aquarius, economy has become an actual weapon that has been used to achieve political, social, and even military objectives. During the transition to the Age of Aquarius, economic warfare is used more and more as a way for democracies to impose their will on rogue nations. Rather than using the brutal physical warfare by sending thousands of troops to their death in the best scenario, leveraging economy to achieve political aims seems much more civilized. This is becoming more common, even though it may not always show immediate results.

President Kennedy signing the Cuba Quarantine Proclamation in 1962.

Here are just a few examples from recent history of economic sanctions or embargoes that were imposed on certain countries:
• The United States embargo against Cuba since the late 1950’s after Fidel Castro overthrew the democratic government of Cuba favored by the United States.
• The United States economic sanctions on North Korea since after the Korean War which started as the United States tried to oppose a Soviet attempt to create a unified Communist Korea.
• The United Nations imposed economic sanctions on Iraq after the first Gulf War in an attempt to make the Iraqi government cooperate with the UN weapons inspectors.
• The United Nations have imposed since 1999 sanctions against all individuals associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. All nations are required to freeze bank accounts and other financial instruments controlled or used by these individuals.
• Economic sanctions against Libya’s nuclear program started in 1979 and along the years included: A United States ban of most Libyan imports and all United States exports to Libya, as well as commercial contracts and travel to the country; Libyan assets in the United States were also frozen; and an arms embargo and air travel restrictions by the UN Security Council. These sanctions, combined with intelligence efforts to undercover Libya’s attempts to build and strengthen its nuclear program, eventually led to the disarmament of Libya from its weapons of mass destruction in 2003. This is one of the success stories of economic sanctions, showing that over time, with a combined international effort, objectives could be achieved that previously were achieved only by armed forces.
• The United Nations attempt in the 1960s and later the United States campaign that started in the 1970s against South Africa’s system of apartheid. Only in the 1980s did the campaign gain enough support internationally. Sanctions included oil sanctions and the denial of investment funds and the boycott of South African investments. The South African government eventually agreed on dismantling the apartheid system in the 1990s. Another success story.
• The Unites States imposed economic sanctions against Iran since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Later on, in 2006, with Iran’s development of a nuclear program, the UN issued a Security Council resolution imposing additional sanctions. Sanctions are imposed by the European Union as well.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna, Austria, on July 14, 2014, sitting for a bilateral meeting focused on Iran’s nuclear program. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Over the years these sanctions targeted the Iranian oil industry, firms doing business with the Iranian government and the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the banking and insurance industries, shipping, and the Iranian Internet activity. The sanctions are still in place and negotiations are being held between Iran and the main powers trying to reach a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.
• Economic sanctions against Russia after the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia and Russia’s involvement in the unrest which developed into war in Ukraine. The sanctions were imposed by the United States, the European Union, and other countries. Russia responded with reciprocal sanctions against some of theses countries. As a result, the Russian Ruble collapsed. The crisis is ongoing.

The globalized economic market and the connectedness of our world that are so much stronger in the new Age of Aquarius, make this tool of economic sanctions much more efficient than ever before. It is much easier to impact an entire country by blocking its Internet access or by blocking its ability to exchange currency. Historically, economic warfare has been used by democratic countries, both because these are usually countries that are financially stronger, and because this is a more peaceful way of resolving disputes compared to sending troops, rockets, or airplanes. That is why the transition into the new age is also expected to promote world peace – more international cooperation and more peaceful resolutions of disputes. However, even if this method of economic sanctions is successful, like in Libya and South Africa, it takes years to create enough pressure to change anything. It is different from waging war like Chinese acupuncture is different from an open heart surgery. Acupuncture is less extreme and less pervasive, but it is more holistic and overall it offers a healthier solution, not just dealing with symptoms. What we can learn from history is that the effectiveness of sanctions and embargoes is in proportion to the extent and degree of international participation. As we move deeper into the Age of Aquarius, the international community is going to become stronger and more unified, and the tool of economic warfare is going to be used more frequently and more readily.

Countries that have introduced sanctions against Russian or Ukrainian citizens or corporations or Russia as whole as a result of its actions against Ukraine. Russia itself is in blue, the European Union is in dark green, and other countries are colored in light green.

World Coalition

Posted on November 13, 2014 by aquariansigns under Age of Aquarius, Climate Change, Democracy, Ebola, Environment, Globalization, Instability, Pandemic, Social Networks, Technology, Terrorism, World Peace

President Barack Obama briefs European leaders following a multilateral meeting at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, 2009

The Age of Aquarius is the age of world coalitions. Our world has become a global village, which creates problems and instabilities greater than what one nation can cope with. From climate change and pandemic outbreaks to terrorist networks – our modern connectivity makes us more vulnerable to these threats. More than the actual immediate damage, the psychological effect on the entire world through the media and social networks is even larger. That is why the solution to these issues must be on a global scale and cannot be worked out by a single country.

The locations affected by the 2014 Ebola Outbreak as of mid-October (image by AmericanXplorer13).

Never before has the world been so connected. Air transportation is so prevalent and far-reaching, that a virus could be carried to the other side of the world within hours. The news about an outbreak travel even faster, and fear is carried with them to even larger populations. The 2014 Ebola outbreak started in Western Africa but leaped quickly to Europe and the US through health workers. At the time of the writing of these words, the epidemic has not spread to the general populations in Europe and the US. The world has been slow to react, but by now a group of nations is mobilizing people and funds to help fight the epidemic. Among these are the US, China, India, the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Canada, Israel, Cuba, Turkey, and Brazil. Many of these countries are making these efforts in order to prevent the virus from getting into their own borders. Both the risk and its mitigation are stemmed from the same global environment that is coming with the Age of Aquarius.

Spread of the 1918 flu pandemic (image by Yug).

One of the famous pandemics of our times is the AIDS/HIV which infected and killed tens of millions. However, there are tens of millions that still live with the HIV virus. It is an outbreak of another virus that occurred at the dawn of the 20th century that shows how globalization is a leading factor in the creation and spread of pandemics. The so-called Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 hit every continent on the planet, killing tens of millions of people. It is an example of an uncontrolled virus spreading due to a global driver, namely the mobilization of people and armies across the world during the last stages of World War I. Other factors of the civilization awakening to a global reality contributed to the spread of the deadly disease, including urbanization and better transportation combined with the still low level of aseptic techniques. For example, the most ill soldiers in the tranches of the war were sent back in crowded trains to crowded hospitals, which led to a second, much deadlier, wave of the pandemic. Interestingly enough, World War I is an example of one of the first world coalitions that was created to deal with other issues. But the very creation of this coalition brought about the unexpected global spread of the deadly virus. Globalization has its disadvantages…

U.S. jet fighters prepare to launch from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in the Arabian Sea to conduct strike missions against Islamic State targets, September 2014.

Here is another example of an unintended consequence of an international intervention – the Islamic State, the radical group that is gaining grounds both in the physical landscapes of Syria and Iraq, but also in the hearts of other Muslims around the world. Following the 2003 invasion to Iraq and the deposition of Saddam Hussein, this vicious strain of Al-Qaeda in Iraq participated in insurgency against the invading coalition forces and evolved over the last decade to what it is today: an extremely fundamentalist group using all sorts of horrifically violent methods to either convert people to join them or destroy these people in the most unspeakable ways. Using social media, this group succeeds in recruiting Muslims that have Western citizenship to travel to Iraq and Syria and join their cause. It also succeeds in spreading a tremendous fear in growing circles of populations around them, starting with the Iraqi army, the neighboring countries, and across the world. Again, it was a world coalition of 40 countries (with four that had a leading role in the fighting on the ground), that came together in order to resolve one painful problem – Saddam Hussein – but creating a new problem, perhaps more complicated than the original one. Instability was created as part of the process of globalization, both political globalization – a great number of nations trying to discipline a rogue ruler, and economic globalization – the Western World trying to secure part of its oil resources. A new coalition is now at work to fight against the Islamic State.

Countries served by Peace Corps Volunteers as of 2009 (dark purple) and countries formerly served (light purple). Image is by Valio Vitanov (license CC-BY-SA 2.5).

At its height, in a few centuries, the Age of Aquarius world may be a unified healthy and peaceful world. But the way towards that end is still long, full of opposition, setbacks, resistance, and hostility from the old age powers of religion and nationalism. The way is still long and harrowing, but the wheels of the heavenly influence cannot be turned back.

Sharing the World

Posted on June 14, 2014 by aquariansigns under Age of Aquarius, Globalization, Social Networks, Technology

In the Age of Aquarius, possession is losing its significance. What is becoming more and more important is the access to the physical through the virtual. Access to information through the Internet makes it possible for us to use shared resources more easily and more efficiently, as a community. In that sense, we share the world. Now, more than ever. On top of that, we can gain from other people’s experiences of the available resources much more than before. These are also shared publicly and help us make our own decisions – doctors, hotel rooms, restaurants, attractions, cars, merchandize. By now, there is probably a review on every human activity possible somewhere on the Internet. The above image is probably one of the more familiar icons of that trend, the like button. It is a common feature in social networks, and other Internet forums, where users can express their support of certain content. Being out there with good or bad reviews is a strength but also a risk. Anyone can say whatever they think, including your market competitors. People looking for a place or a service may use this information to get the service or to avoid it. Your business or product may rise or fall based on how it is reviewed.

Human nature has not changed over time. Throughout history people were sharing their experiences, making reviews through word of mouth, and making decisions based on this information. As in many other areas, the new influence that the Age of Aquarius brings is the immense increase in the number of people who are now exposed to such information, and the amazing speed at which this exposure takes effect. If you think about it, there is no limit to the number of people who could be exposed to online information, and there is almost no limit to the speed of this to occur. All one needs is a cell phone or any kind of access to the Internet.

Lyft’s pink car mustache (photo by Pkg203). Lyft is one of the many car sharing program in existence throughout the world.

The sharing of information allows people in cities and around the world to share real physical resources. A good example is the car sharing initiative in many cities in many countries. Car sharing is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. They are attractive to customers who make only occasional use of a vehicle, customers who would not like the burden of maintaining a car, as well as others who would like occasional access to a vehicle of a different type than they use day-to-day. The organization renting the cars may be a commercial business or the users may be organized as a company, public agency, cooperative, or ad hoc grouping. The main platform for the many existing providers is the Internet and social networking. These initiatives, which became possible with the permeation of the Internet into our lives, forced even the traditional rental companies and car manufacturers to introduced their own car sharing services. Millions of people are now using these services around the world, and the field is growing. Airbnb, another example for sharing material property through social networking, is an online marketplace for vacation rentals that connects users with property to rent with users looking to rent the space. Property profiles include details such as user reviews and shared social connections to build a reputation and trust among users of the marketplace. Other elements of the Airbnb profile include user recommendations and a private messaging system.

What does the Age of Aquarius hold in that respect? Probably much more of this resource sharing accessed through mobile applications, faster and in more areas. We see it already with the advent of cloud computing. Cloud computing lets users share files via the Internet while the Web-based service hosts the programs users need. Remote machines run everything from e-mail to word processing to complex data analysis programs, while the user’s computer runs software that hooks up to the cloud, like a web browser. Web-based email, like Gmail is an example of a cloud service. Picasa, the image organizer now owned by Google, is another example. Cloud services are usually cheaper, faster, and allow private people and smaller companies to have access to resources they could not have allowed themselves on their own. Even academic research is opening its doors to the common people, seeking to utilize their human capabilities, such as pattern recognition, as well as the cumulative computing power of their PCs instead of applying for usage time on expensive super computers. One such example is Zooniverse, where “citizen scientists” are helping scientists to find planets, to transcribe ancient texts, to study the weather, and so on.

Of course, all of that progress towards sharing the world through the Internet is not without risks. Among these are risks of quality, reliability, availability of services and data, security, complexity, regulations and legal issues, performance, reversion, and lack of standards. One of the most significant risks is that of privacy. Personal or professional data may be compromised, deliberately or accidentally. Personal data is already being used by advertisement programs that match the advertisements to the content of our emails or to our browsing history on the web. As the technology advances, so it is likely that the risks and especially the privacy problems will become part of our lives, whether we like it or not.

Social Media Protests

Posted on April 13, 2014 by aquariansigns under Age of Aquarius, Democracy, Globalization, Instability, Social Networks, Technology, Zodiac Ages

Clashes in Kiev, Ukraine, February 2014 (photo by Mstyslav Chernov)

Social protests are not a new thing in human history. Social media protests are. People actually get the idea of what to protest about and the idea of how to do it by being exposed to similar protests in other countries through social media. And they use the media to promote and put together their demonstrations or other means of protest. The influence of the Age of Aquarius is about the spread of ideas, about the power of the people, about the technology that helps people spread ideas, such as Facebook, Twitter, cellular technology, and the internet in general. And it is also about the unrest. When everything is so globalized as it is today, when people learn about something other people have or about how other people got what they wanted through protests, then they themselves start wanting to get the same things. Sometimes, the Aquarian Age technology is what is creating the very thing that people are protesting against. A good example is Global Warming caused at least partially by mankind’s technology. The Environmental Movement is organizing many of the protests against further industrializing and against the use of dirty fuels that will further damage the environment.

Over 2 millions protesting in Tahrir Square, Cairo, in February 2011, calling to oust president Mubarak (photo by Jonathan Rashad)

The Arab Spring has been a classic example of such a revolutionary wave since the end of 2010. Underneath the demonstrations, the protests, the riots, the civil wars, and the leader depositions underlies the social media, which is the platform that enabled many of these events. It enabled the organization of the events, the bypassing of the traditional ways of communication controlled by the governments, and the media coverage of the events, creating international support, which further encouraged and stimulated the events. The power of the people has prevailed in most of the Arab Spring countries, even in the face of the state attempting to repress people and to censor the internet. This is yet another Aquarian influence manifesting in these unfolding events.

The geographic spread of the Occupy Wall Street movement (image by Robert R. Sauders).

The Occupy Wall Street movement was partly inspired by the Arab Spring. It is an international protest movement against social and economic inequality that spread like fire in dry stubble, mainly in the Western World, but in other places as well (see enclosed map). Its primary goal has been to make the economic and political relations in society less hierarchical and more flatly distributed. That sounds a lot like an Aquarian influence – hierarchy is no longer appreciated. Moreover, it is viewed negatively because it has been abused by the ones in positions of power. Among the movement’s prime targets are large corporations and the global financial system and their control of the world to the disproportionately benefit of a minority, which undermines democracy and is unstable. Occupy protests have taken place in hundreds of cities across scores of countries globally. Occupy activists have used web technologies and social media like Internet chats, Facebook, Twitter, and Meetup to coordinate events.

We hear about similar events of mass protests everyday in more and more places. Both the protesters and the entities against which the protests are occurring are using the available technological platform. Protesters use these technologies to coordinate events, to bypass other media blockage, and to raise the level of international awareness. Governments use these technologies to block communications, as in the Twitter and YouTube ban in Turkey, or for discommunication, such as in the still developing crisis in the Ukraine or the devastating civil war in Syria. Even though it seems like the states involved still have the upper hand in some of these events, these are states that have not adapted yet to the new player in the game – the social activists using social media that will ultimately undermine the strength of the old players – states, corporates, and religions.

Planetary Consciousness

Posted on February 19, 2014 by aquariansigns under Age of Aquarius, Environment, Globalization, Technology, Zodiac Ages

View of Owhyhee, one of the Sandwich Islands, also known as ‘The Death of Cook’ (John Cleveley the Younger ,1747–1786). James Cook was one of the greatest 18th century explorers.

The transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius started about 500 years ago. One of the precursors of the upcoming globalization during that time was the voyages of exploration in the coming few centuries. During this period Europeans explored Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. This led to the rise of colonial empires and a to a remarkable exchange of plants, animals, foods, human populations, diseases and culture between the old and the new worlds. These European explorers made it possible to globally map the world, resulting in a new world-view and distant civilizations acknowledging each other.

A 1689 world map from Amsterdam.

What allowed this exploration on the one hand and what benefited from it on the other hand was the technological platform that got upgraded again and again over the last few centuries. For example, naval transportation created the need for better means of navigation, surveying and cartography, which in turn further improved the exploration capabilities. Still, by the beginning of the 20th century, there were some uncharted areas on our planet, white regions on the map. Some places in Antarctica, some of the highest mountains, and some of the deepest oceans never saw a human being. In the last century air transportation had the same effect on exploration that naval transportation had in the previous centuries. And space flight had the same effect in the last few decades. As means of transportation evolved, so did the means of communication – the mobility of information had to be improved along side.

The last century saw great advancements on that front – radio communication, cellular communication, the internet, image transmission, video transmission, and live communication. Within the last few decades, the entire Earth got mapped and started being continuously monitored at different wavelengths. Mankind has started mapping other planets within our solar system. The increasing probing of our own planet and of other planets in conjunction with ever improving communication capabilities kept and keeps transforming our world view. Ultimately, it led to a more holistic view of the planetary system. Mankind has realized the impact of our very species on planet Earth and that led to the emergence of the environmental movement.

A protest near the Washington Monument in early 2013 to protest the Keystone XL pipeline and support action on climate change (photo by Jmcdaid).

This new view of the Earth as a living organism, combined with the technological platform that enabled that point of view in the first place is now allowing people and organizations to turn against the very same entities that drove the accelerated globalization of the last few decades – the profit driven states, industries, and corporations. The expansion of certain industries into global scale many times came at the expense of the environment. But the availability of information through the internet and through social networks like Facebook, allows people to get organized, to scrutinize and to criticize some of the practices in these industries. One recent example is the environmental protests opposing the Keystone XL pipeline. This pipeline is supposed to allow the transport of 800,000 barrels a day of heavy crude from oil sands formations in Canada to Texas refineries, and will involve an oil extraction process that emits more greenhouse gases than other forms of production. This project moved into the political arena, as the environmental movement who backed up the election of President Obama is now using its political ties to urge his administration to reject the project.

Like with other issues that are in the public eye these days, the new thing is not whether these kind of decisions are right or wrong, good or bad. The new thing is that these subjects are even on the table. What allows this to occur is the new tone that is set by the influence of the Age of Aquarius. It brings not just the technological means that allow these events to unfold, but also, and mainly, the intellectual openness, the flexibility of mind, the inventive thinking, the humanitarian approach, and, the rebellious nature of this sign and age.

Man Against the State

Posted on November 16, 2013 by aquariansigns under Age of Aquarius, Democracy, Social Networks, Technology, Zodiac Ages

Edward Snowden, 2013 (photo by https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWikiLeaksChannel)

The whole world has been agitated in the last few months over the release of the Snowden Documents, a disclosure of classified information of some secret US surveillance programs to the press. The exposed programs surveilled American citizens and state leaders throughout the world. The greatest annoyance was caused by the discovery that even the phones of US ally leaders, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Brazilian president, were surveilled. Whether justified or not, Edward Snowden – one individual man – created so much damage for the US national security, diplomacy, and internal public support, that this is regarded as the most significant leak in US history by the Pentagon. One man is affecting a whole country in an unprecedented way.

The point is not if this is a good thing or a bad thing. The point is that this is even possible. In the past, such a provocation could not have had the impact it has these days. At least not immediately. But with the Internet, materials can get to the other side of the globe virtually instantaneously and get published in a host of media very soon after. The tools that the emerging influence of the Age of Aquarius is bringing about are giving immense powers in the hands of one person. There is no need for huge armies, no need for intrigues and politics, no need for heated mobs, or sophisticated logistics to create a great impact. All you need is one individual who decides to take action. Yes, this individual needs to be highly driven, many times by a higher ideal, such as the right for privacy like in Snowden’s case. This is a classical Aquarian influence, since Aquarius tends to be idealistic and humanitarian, and it is highly communicative and inventive. When that combines with the very typical rebellious nature of Aquarius, there you have it.

Demonstration in front of Sydney Town Hall in support of Julian Assange, 2010 (photo by Elekhh)

Snowden’s is not the first case in the last few years. One of the main players in this still unfolding story is the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. In one of his founding essays, he set up the philosophy for WikiLeaks, “To radically shift regime behaviour we must think clearly and boldly for if we have learned anything, it is that regimes do not want to be changed. We must think beyond those who have gone before us and discover technological changes that embolden us with ways to act in which our forebears could not.” [Assange, Julian, 10 November 2006, “State and Terrorist Conspiracies”; Assange, Julian, 3 December 2006, “Conspiracy as Governance”]. What a perfect way to describe the Aquarian new age!

As humanity gets closer to the actual cusp between Pisces and Aquarius in 2100 AD, we are likely to see more and more such events, where a single individual, backed by technological means and perhaps backed by similar people through the social networks, challenges what used to be almighty superpowers. Ultimately, the old-fashioned way of running state affairs and other institutional politics might become too vulnerable and collapse.

Aquarian Signs

Precursors to a New Age

Author Archives: aquariansigns

Counter-Reformation

Spiritual Flatness

Economic Warfare