Until recently, the Greek Hipparchus, was given the credit for discovering the precession of the equinoxes. This 25,920 year cycle is the basis for the Age of Pisces which by modern measurement puts each age as 2,160 years long. The precession causes the fixed stars to rise and set against the earth's solar year. At the first day of spring (which is the vernal equinox) the constellation of Aries no longer rises but the constellation of Pisces does now. In contrast, the Egyptians started their year at the summer solstice when the constellation Orion (which they called Orisis) rose with the sun to mark the beginning of the flooding of the Nile.
With more insightful study of ancient myths, Egyptian temples, and texts by the likes of John Lockyer, Schwaller de Lubicz, and Robert Bauval; it now appears that the Egyptians priests knew and measured the precession back to the old kingdom. There are hints that this knowledge went back to the Age of Gemini which ended somewhere near 6,140 BC.
In 1895, John Lockyer, the British Astronomer Royal, wrote The Dawn of Astronomy was the first researcher to visit and measure most of the Egyptian temples to prove their alignment to fixed stars and their realignment every 200-300 years to compensate for the precession. He was highly disregarded in his time but recognized for his original thinking in the 1970's. These temples show the Egyptians knew about precession long before the Greek Hipparchus of Nicaea (130 BC) was credited for the discovery.
Schwaller de Lubicz showed that the Zodiac of Dendera in the Temple of Hathor (around 100 BC) was actually a time clock measurement that marked the precession of the equinoxes from the Age of Pisces back to the Age of Taurus which started in 4380 BC by his calculations. Schwaller estimated the Age of Pisces to begin near 60 BC and the Age of Aquarius to begin at 2100 AD.
Dr. Giorgio de Santillana, historian and author of Hamlet's Mill, traced ancient myths and legends around the world to show they had a foundation in the description of the precession. Jane B. Sellers then extended Santillana's concept in The Death of the Gods in Ancient Egypt by analyzing Egyptian myth to show the consistent reference to the precession of the stars in their religious beliefs in the Osiris-Horus myths. These myths were the center of their theology, they empowered the pharaohs, and determined their death beliefs and practices. Jane Sellers stated that "I am convinced that for ancient man, the numbers 72...2160, 25,920 all signified the concept of the Eternal Return." (Footnote 1) It takes 72 years for the precession to move 1 degree, 2,160 years for one Age, and 25,920 years for the entire cycle to repeat.
The Orion Mystery by Robert Bauval (an engineer) and Adrian Gilbert uses the precession of the equinoxes to add proof that the Great Pyramid King's Chamber were used to send the dead Pharaoh's spirit to the Orion constellation. By use of modern astronomy software they calculate the Age of Aquarius to begin approximately 2,070 AD when a half precession cycle of 12,960 years shows the Orion constellation at it's highest declination of -1 degree 50 seconds and it's maximum altitude at the Meridian at 58 degrees 11 seconds. It's opposite point at 10,500 BC would have been the beginning of the Age of Leo when Zeta Orionis would have its lowest declination of -48 degrees 53 seconds and an altitude at the meridian of 11 degrees 8 seconds. (Footnote 2) This last calculation hints that the Egyptians might have believed that the concept of The Great Return could begin at the Age of Leo when the stars in Orion are at its lowest declination. John Anthony West and Robert Bauvel believe the Sphinx was carved at this time when it looked exactly at the star Regulus in the Leo constellation at the vernal equinox. Egyptologists place the age of the Sphinx at 2,500 BC, but geologists believe its age to be between 10,000 to 15,000 years old. Footnote 3.
Robert Hand in the essay, The Age and Constellation of Pisces, uses the date of 221 AD as the date when the topical and sidereal zodiacs where in alignment which was deduced by Fagan and Bradley. From this point he calculates the first star in Pisces to cross the vernal point at 111 BC, which would place the Age of Aquarius to begin near 2,060 AD. Footnote 4.
So, from three very different calculations, we have the Age of Aquarius beginning from 2,060 to 2,100 AD.
Yet, why do I sense that we have already entered the Age of Aquarius? Since the invention of mass production, global use of electricity, the car, phone, television, NASA, inventions of technology to shrink the globe with computers, and satellite transmission of voice and data like the Internet - these are all related to Aquarius. With the advent of psychology with Freud, Jung and Adler; the Church has been displaced as a prime spiritual force for many. This century brought the decline of Church power over most governments. They can only advise and recommend now. This is a decline in the force of Pisces and the Great Religions. Since we are within 1 degree of a new age, are we sliding into the change gradually over a century or two? Is the presence of Uranus in Aquarius in 1996 and soon Neptune in 1998 a preview of the future or a reaching out to pull the Age more into Now?
These questions are not answerable by absolute fact but by observation. So far, Aquarius hasn't been the sign of brotherly love but of individual rebels with extreme ideas like the Oklahoma City bombing the first month that Uranus entered Aquarius in March 1995, the militia, the Unabomber and Rabin's assassin. Since January of this year, major scientific discoveries have been made. The Universe has quadrupled in size, Jupiter's atmosphere was too cool, and the oldest stars are 6 billions years too old by current theory. Scientific sacred cows are falling and should continue for the next 7 years.
Kepler believed that the great conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of Pisces truly noted the full beginning of the Age. But that was before the discovery of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. What are our modern measurements now? Could Uranus and Neptune be adequate significators? Uranus will reenter Aquarius in 2080 just in time for the New Age by two modern experts. Aquarius's ruler will be in its own sign at that entry date. Personally, I believe the entrance to the Age of Aquarius is very close to us now.
Footnote 1. The Death of Gods in Ancient Egypt. Jane B. Sellers, Penquin Books, 1992, page 193.
Footnote 2. The Orion Mystery , by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert, Mandarin Books, 1995, pages 200-201.
Footnote 3. John Anthony West developed the Sphinx theory, Bauvel added Regulus and the Age of Leo.
Footnote 4. Essays on Astrology. Robert Hand, Whitford Press, 1982, pages 152-153.
copyright January 1997 Naomi Bennett - all rights reserved