, Research Paper
The coming New Age of Aquarius:
A New Age Pespective
“New Age” is an astrological term, referring to the coming Age of Aquarius as measured by the precession of the equinoxes. There is no New Age outside of an astrological definition. If one refutes astrology the term is meaningless, and there is no “formless but sinister impulse called New Age” as Link Byfield of BC Report, April 6, 1996 put it, without a new age coming. New Age has become a term slapped indiscriminately on everything new “and particularly sinister, as in “New World Order”, “New Religion” etc.
The impulse – is given by Aquarius and it’s planetary ruler, Uranus. Aquarius is the sign of “science” or “seeing” and truth. The planet Uranus, co-ruler of Aquarius, is associated with knowledge above reason, or direct perceptions of the heart. Mundanely it is associated with electricity, and technology. Incorrectly dubbed “new age” practices such as channelling, a form of mediumship, have simply arisen from the impulse to “to know” and to know both things earthy, and things not of this earth. Those who do know, know in fact that such nefarious practices as mediumship, and hypnotism, are to be avoided at all costs. These are not in themselves “new age” practices, but practices which have appeal, when all prior doctrines are foolishly dismissed as “past” and one moves recklessly into the future; the thirst for knowledge supplanting prudence.
The impulse is towards truth for it’s own sake; the acknowledgement of “the Christ within” which wills to do the “will of My Father, which art in Heaven.” Christ said, “I am come not to destroy the law, and the prophets but to fulfill.” When the laws of God are internalized, they will be fulfilled through willing obeyance. This impulse is towards freedom, that which comes from willing obeyance of the laws of God. As Goethe put it “From all the powers that hold the world in chains, man frees himself when self-control he gains.”
The new age impulse is towards universal love, and universality, as different from bonds of race, and sexual liaison. The impulse is towards love that transcends family ties, racial origins, and sex. It is the impulse towards humanitarianism, and friendship. In the coming age generative purity will be the key. The strict code of Hasidic Jew, which allows sex only for the purpose of reproduction and similar retrictions within the Christian churches e.g.the celibacy of priests, will be vindicated. Sex will be known as a creative force which when conserved, rises above the physical, and makes for speech and thought.
“Ye are my friends,” said Christ, and that is the embodiment of the New Age “impulse.” Aquarius is the eleventh sign, the sign of friends. “No greater love hath any man than he lay down his life for his friend.”
In the mid-1980’s I heard a radio preacher fearful of the new focus of TV Evangelism accuse some of being “new age.” I laughed. I had been watching Pat Robertson, whom I respected, though he loudly rails against “new age thinking”, and knew it was of him and others of the same genre to whom the preacher was referring.
The new focus is to look to scripture as knowledge , statements of spiritual principle, not as the term has been denigrated – to mere blind belief, sually in doctrine as set forth by one denominational church or another. In the last throws of a passing age, truth is not politically correct, neither among the secular nor the religious.
The Holy Bible is seen as a text of knowledge, not only of religious law, but of cosmic law or truth; as a book for the purpose of “edification” or clarification of what is perceived at the “inner tribunal of truth,” the voice within.” The Book is not perceived to be but a compilation of historical recollections, and pithy sayings to which we as sinners can only hope to aspire, after all “we’re only human,” but a textbook for spiritual regeneration.
The so-called “sixties” was but a blip on the screen in the rapidly ensuing descent into materialism, degeneracy and death, and was not the cause per se. In a materialistic world the impulse of the coming age brings a move away from empty faith, and superrstition, towards false material science and it’s counterpart skepticism. The parents of the sixties children did not “practice what they preached” but they taught their children well: If a man jumped into the lake, would you jump in after?” They taught them to act in accordance with their conscience. “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” They taught them to seek the truth. “Put yourself in the other guy’s shoes.” They taught them to empathize. The sixites child was his parents’ child.
The “sixties movement” was in large part a reaction to the materialism, and hypocrisy of the day, the once-a-week religion of the fifties a bold contrast to the Sunday School image of the white-clothed Christ at the river with outstretched hand “Take up your cross, and follow Me.”
Into this period rose the pioneers of the New Age, many of who were throw-backs to their grandparents’ generation. A young writer in 1968 wrote in the Powell River that the “movement” was the closest thing the world had seen to Christianity in 2000 years. While the fact of this may be argued, the sentiment was clearly felt at the time. The New Age impulse felt by the idealistic flower child of the sixties however was quickly clothed in material self-interest by those less sincere or more “plastic.”
Failure to discriminate between compassionate love – beyond sex, and physical sex, the impulse to freedom manifests as a generation of sexual libertines.
Failure to discriminate between freedom which comes in knowing truth, and acting according to conscience, from simple liberty to voice an opinion, and choose whatever, manifests in a generation of know-it-alls; each man’s opinion equal – equally worthless.
Failure to discriminate between the lower self- the fallen man, and the spiritual man – in the image of God; between the physical body, and the spiritual man, manifests in a generation of self-seeking, self-serving materialists elevating government to Godhead and attempting to build a “one world” utopia on Earth, in response to the impulse towards universality.
There are wolves in sheep’s clothing, preying on the hopes of an ignorant, and materialistic generation that has transferred it’s blind belief in religious doctrine to an equally blind, and stupid worship of modern science — modern medicine not expected. The “New Faith” is not “New Age” but a materialistic, atheistic ideology in which no spiritual principle exists higher than popular opinion, wired to manifest only within man’s comfort zone.
There is speculation that world catastrophe predicted for the end of this century by bible scholars, dead prophets, modern psychics, occultists, and the like will have the effect of “rending the veil” between heaven and earth, between the visible and invisible realms, so that man will no longer be ignorant of his spiritual nature.
The true man of the new age, will not be satisified with opinion, with belief, and will ask the imperical question “Is it so?” He will listen to the “still small voice within” and learn in keeping with the promise of Our Lord “Seek and ye shall find; ask and you will receive; knock and the door will be opened.”
The New Age of Aquarius is the coming age, and it will come irrespective of belief. What masquerades today as “new age”is a poor facsimile, a dark reflection filtered through the perceptions of a materialistic, and impious world.