Reading the Wheel of Time

“[A] mood of universal destruction and renewal...has set its mark on our age.” Carl Jung, Psychoanalyst

If ever there was a time when our planet and its people needed healing, it is now. We have been struggling for a long time, perhaps without being fully conscious of the extent of our hardships and what we’re up against; however, the last few years have shone a spotlight and highlighted the gravity of our situation and as crisis after crisis has provided the force to wake many of us from our slumber, what has been alarming to discover is that we are a species already on its knees.

As we take in our surroundings from this strange position, there is a strong temptation to close our eyes and sink back into oblivion. Why stay awake to witness the suffering when there is little we can do? Falling asleep again is easy, we’re already numbing out, fatigued by news of climate change, wars, corruption, soaring energy prices, food shortages or whatever crisis happens to mark another new-normal day, and a multitude of sedatives – consumerism in all its forms, are always available. But we mustn’t drift off, pinch yourself sharply, if necessary. It is imperative we keep our wits about us at this time as only when alert can we see the truth of our situation and only then will we realise there is actually something we can do. The clock may be ticking but, despite the urgency, all is not lost. If we pull together, we can pull ourselves up, and then, as a collective, we will be able to stand tall and stand strong once again.

In difficult times people often look beyond the everyday in search of explanations and answers. For some, they may look to the cosmos and if they do gaze to the skies, they will find much to contemplate. Astrologically speaking, the mid-2020s is a highly active period with multiple outer planets changing signs, numerous planets turning retrograde simultaneously, notable eclipses and other unusual phenomena. However, a step back reveals something more fundamental as within what is known as The Great Year - the cycle of precession whereby the stars of the zodiac gradually shift with respect to the Earth’s orientation to the Sun, we are currently transitioning from one zodiac sign to another and this, according to astrologers, will allow a new set of qualities to influence the planet. Each astrological age lasts around 2160 years but when exactly we cross over is far from clear even to astrologers, as zodiac constellations vary in size and therefore the total length of the cycle, of which there is also disagreement, cannot be neatly divided into the 12 zodiac signs. At some point in our relatively recent past or future however, we are migrating, crossing from the age of Pisces into the age of Aquarius.

These transitions do not occur abruptly and actually influences of the coming era are felt for several hundred years before cross over happens. We shouldn’t think of these ages as distinct blocks, say the most scholarly astrologers, but perhaps as waves that rise and fall with time, or music tracks mixed by a DJ, one fading out as the other fades in, always with plenty of overlap. What this means is that the exact transition date is not necessarily so important. More relevant, if you are interested in these things, is the essence and fundamental qualities of each age.

“Almost everyone imagines the astrological ages as a row of bricks because this is how they have been traditionally presented.  First comes the Age of Aries, then the Age of Pisces, followed by the Age of Aquarius.  In this perspective, each age dominates its own historical period and then neatly hands over the reins to the next sign.   The problem is that history does not behave that way because the evidence indicates that astrological ages behave more like waves.” Terry MacKinnell

Piscean energies, still a strong influence in our world, speak of faith, belief, sacrifice and religion. This sign represented by two fish, stands for reaching upwards to God in an attempt to overcome our human shortcomings and falling downwards, kneeling humbly, ready to serve. One way we have seen Piscean energy manifest during our current era is with the firm establishment of the main monotheistic religions. But with the fish swimming in different directions there are opposing views and tension. Some say the fish represent the two dominating world religions of recent times, Christianity and Islam and it is certainly the case conflicts between the two have been a recurring theme in the last centuries. One of the key so-called negative projections of Pisces is division and during this era as we stretched towards heaven but sank to Earth, we ended up dividing ourselves, rejecting our undesirable humanness – body and ego, and separating them from our divine nature. The ego hasn’t enjoyed being placed out in the cold however, this move actually serving to strengthen its power, and its revenge has been to dismiss the divine, stripping consciousness from the material and declaring only those things that can be measured are real and true.

Jesus has been a highly prominent figure of the Piscean age, which stretches back, according to some calculations, to around the time of his birth. Jesus’ teachings centred around love for God and compassion for others and were aimed at awakening our hearts. However, his original message that the kingdom lies within as well as outside, an idea preserved in the Gnostic Gospels, was replaced in the canonical Gospels by the idea that God is only outside of us, this became the basis of orthodox Christianity. In the Gnostic Gospel of Truth, the Father is described as being written in the hearts of those who are saved, and similarly in Sufi teachings, which apparently carry the original spiritual essence of Islam, the heart is often described as the dwelling place of God and a sacred space where we can commune with him. But as the Piscean age unfolded, connecting to the heart in order to access the Divine came to be discouraged as the people were persuaded a relationship with God was possible only if they behaved in a particular way and obeyed certain rules. Control was the aim and the heart’s role in connecting us to our ultimate power source became suppressed by those wanting power for themselves.

All astrological ages have their lighter aspects as well as their shadow side and each has important lessons for us; one is not better than the other. Despite this, the forthcoming new age has captured the imagination of many sensitive to the bounds mainstream religion has placed around humanity and it has convinced them that the age of Aquarius will prove to be our salvation.

Up to a point they may be correct as any new age arrives to help us release old patterns that no longer serve in order to support our spiritual evolution and with the dawning of Aquarius there may be an extra element of revelation and understanding. Known as the Great Awakener, Aquarius has the sign of the water bearer which symbolises consciousness being poured out to all humanity. Whether we feel ready or not, this is a time when a lot of what has been hidden will come to light. As well as new knowledge, other key qualities of this era are reason and innovation and under the Aquarian sign the fruits of the mind are set to ripen – already and for some time we have been witnessing science triumph over organised religion. However, extreme caution is required. Science must not be allowed to follow the path some would say religion has taken becoming narrow-thinking, dogmatic, power- and ego-driven, because if these are the forces behind our future technologies, we’re in for trouble.

I am not an astrologer and do not pretend to understand the details of a highly complex subject. But I am interested in the cycles that wind their way through history and the impact of these on humanity, particularly in relation to our spiritual evolution. Interestingly, although the zodiac was already ancient when the cycle of precession was identified, the idea of zodiac signs impacting civilisation across set periods of time has only been developed relatively recently – in the last few hundred years. It is worth then considering older systems of reading the wheel of time in order to deepen our understanding.

Ancient Hindu cosmology divides time into four repeating ages known as yugas, together these ages form one Mahayuga or Great Age. These ages are achingly long, the shortest being the one we are currently in, the Kali Yuga, lasting 432,000 years. As we rotate through the cycle of these ages, this being part of an even greater cycle of mind-blowing time scales, there is a shift in the level of our ‘dharma’ or the virtue that keeps our cosmos in order. Satya, the Golden Age is when dharma is highest, we then descend through Treta and Dwapara, our dhama decreasing as we go, until we reach Kali, the darkest age when dharma is minimal. Our societies reflect this with low morality and spiritual awareness, a place we find ourselves now. In this system, as we leave Kali we will jump back to Satya and the cycle will begin again.

Until relatively recently, the yuga system was not thought to be linked to the cycle of precession. However, in the late 19^th century Sri Yukteswar, deeply revered Indian yogi, astrologer and guru to Paramahansa Yogananda, made a claim that there was a link but that this knowledge was lost through calculation errors made at the start of the Kali Yuga when ignorance reigned. He presented this rediscovered knowledge, an approach resulting in much shorter time periods for each yuga, in his book, The Holy Science. He also proposed that the cycle moves in a descending/ascending mirror pattern so that after we leave Kali, rather than jumping back to Satya, we would ascend back up through Dwapara and Treta first. Intuitively this makes sense – natural systems more often progress in smaller increments rather than a leap from one extreme to another. Recently, Bibhu Dev Misra has developed this concept further, basing it more directly on evidence from ancient calendars. He showcases these ideas in his book, Yuga Shift. Misra’s arguments are compelling for several reasons, including how his timings fit with world events, and they are also very relevant because if he is right, we are finally leaving the Kali Yuga right about now.

But is he right? That’s a big question. Like Sri Yukteswar, Helena Blavatsky, the extraordinary spiritual messenger who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875, brought a lot of ideas from the ancient East to a new western audience. In her teachings, however, she referred to the traditional Hindu chronology, disputed by Sri Yukteswar. Blavatsky, who received much of her wisdom through communication with ascended masters, spoke a lot of nested cycles and she taught that there was a preliminary Kali-Yuga sub-cycle of 5,000 years that would be closing around 1897. Restrictions imposed by Kali Yuga were particularly severe during its first 5,000 years, according to Blavatsky and she connected the new period with opportunities for spiritual development. Not that it would be a simple step into a lighter time; she saw the transition as a tumultuous period with big shifts in society as old intellectual assumptions were breaking down. Interestingly, she stated that materialistic science would receive a ‘death blow’ during this chaotic time, a remarkable prediction in retrospect, as at the end of the 19^th century Newtonian physics, compatible with the dominant mechanistic worldview, got turned on its head with the birth of quantum theory.

"We are at the very close of the cycle of 5,000 years of the present Aryan Kaliyuga; and between this time and 1897 there will be a large rent made in the Veil of Nature, and materialistic science will receive a death-blow.” Helena Blavatsy, The Secret Doctrine

Two other hugely important mystical philosophers who spoke of great leaps in intellectual and spiritual awareness during our current times are Rudolph Steiner, founder of anthroposophy, and Jean Gebser., the famous phenomenologist of consciousness who mapped the evolution of human awareness over thousands of years. Like Blavatsky, Steiner saw us leaving a 5,000-year sub-cycle of Kali at the end of the 19^th century shifting into a time when we would gradually develop new faculties of the soul. Gebser talked about the evolution of consciousness in a very particular way, he didn’t believe historical periods involving various levels of awareness simply replace one another, but felt the changing structures of our consciousness remain present within us whilst any one structure becomes dominant. A bit like building a musical chord - the root note still resonates as new notes are added. Again, he believed we are at a historical juncture with the dissolving of old systems causing great turmoil, and the emerging era he called the Integral Structure. This would be a time, he said, of integrating the lessons of all previous ages and of gaining the capacity to hold multiple perspectives rather than adhering rigidly to one. This would allow the truth of wholeness to shine through everything in our world.

There are indeed all sorts of ideas and interpretations relating to the cycles of the ages and what they mean for humanity, but it is incredibly striking just how many philosophers, scientists, mystics and seers, both past and present, speak of a new age dawning at this time. Some relate it to the aforementioned astrological shifts whilst others don’t explicitly make this connection, but most speak of a leap in our spiritual awareness leading to a gradual rise in our dharma from around now. Again, most, if not all, speak of great difficulties at this point in history as we struggle to let go of old patterns, both on an individual and global level. But as we navigate the current craziness I believe we should look forward with hope as, despite the turbulence and desolation, there is light on the horizon and many futurists speak of the expansive consciousness that will unfold beyond the transition.

“Perhaps the single most powerful event facing humanity today is a great awakening on a planetary scale that has been millennia in the making. We humans are in the midst of a profound advance as a species to a higher form of global consciousness that has been emerging across cultures, religions and worldviews through the centuries. This awakening of global consciousness is nothing less than a shift, a maturation, from more egocentric patterns of life to a higher form of integral and dialogic patterns of life.” Ashok Gangadean, Integral philosopher

Contemplating the cosmological or astrological cycles that flow through and shape the fabric of our world helps us to make meaning during difficult times. It provides us with a broader picture of what could be happening in our lifetime and for generations to come. I also believe that as our awareness of these influences deepens, it ultimately helps us to grow beyond them in a way. This is why Gebser’s prediction that we’re moving into an era where we can begin to fully integrate understandings from past ages makes sense to me and I feel the ultimate teaching, once we have been refined by absorbing all we need from the past, will be that we always have a choice in who we become. No matter what the stars and planets imprint on to our age, no matter what other influences rise up from the Earth, as long as we connect to our centre, we can say ‘Yes’ to the truth of our divine magnificence, a truth that lies within our heart, and we can do this in any moment, in any lifetime and in any era of time. This, for me, is the defining essence of the coming age, an age that will place the heart at its core, and I will have much more to say about this in my follow-up article.

For now, if you can, choose to be intrigued by world events rather than fearful., and open to the possibility that these occurrences are part of a bigger picture, a divine plan circling and unfolding just perfectly. If you are sensing shifts within yourself, you are likely tuned in to the energy of transformation that is enveloping the planet. Trust that all is well and know that challenges are sometimes necessary for our growth. Be aware and be engaged, as I said at the beginning, the world needs you to stay awake so please don’t be tempted to turn away and ignore the internal and external calls for your attention. Instead get quiet, listen and observe. If ever there was a time when our planet and its people needed healing, it is now and if we stand tall with love in our hearts, together we can make it happen.

Further reading

1. Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri. The Holy Science. MYP 2025

2. Bibhu Dev Misra. Yuga Shift. White Falcon Publishing 2023