Precession of the Equinoxes Determines Astrological Ages and Mayan Great Ages

The common thread that creates the uncanny resemblances between the Greek/Egyptian Astrological Ages and the Mayan Great Ages is the ancient people's knowledge of precession. Our ancestors were much closer to nature than we are today, and they realized over time that what happened in the cosmos above affected events on the earth and all life below.

Add to this the Hindu yugas, you have a number of galactic and planetary indicators that point to great change coming in and around 2012. The fact is, it has already begun.

I'm not going to give you the heavy technical data about precession. There's lots of information available already. Instead my concentration will be on the "effects" of precession and "trait or value changes" that come during Astrological and Great Age changes on the Earth.

So what is precession?

The stars and constellations appear to slowly rotate around the Earth. This is caused by the earths own rotation within the greater rotation of the universe. Like a wobbling top, the orientation of the Earth's axis is slowly but continuously changing as it traces out a conical shape over a 25,625 years cycle. This picture was created by Vectorized by Mysid in Inkscape after NASA image.

About every 2,160 years the sun moves into another new zodiacal constellation. The years between constellation changes, which are caused by precession, are approximate because constellations are of different sizes. Other planets cause planetary precession due to their gravitational force on the Earth. This occurs because of the small angle to Earths orbital plane, the ecliptic. These factors cause the plane of the ecliptic to shift slightly, so the Sun crosses the Equator at a little different point every year.

This movement is called precession of the equinoxes. As it shifts, the present constellation in the pre-dawn eastern sky slowly edges out the next constellation, which moves in to take it's place. Right now we are in the Age of Pisces. The Aquarius constellation, for the Age of Aquarius is slowly replacing the Pisces constellation. It is through precession that the ancient people became aware of Astrological Ages and the Mayan Great Ages. Most ancient cultures looked to the night sky to anticipate changes that would happen here on earth.

Astrological Ages and Mayan Great Ages have many similarities.

The twelve Astrological Ages all last about 2,160 years. Each is marked by a radical change in the environment or cultures or both. A great cycle which includes all the twelve zodiac signs lasts about 25,625 years. I find it very interesting that a full Astrological Age cycle of twelve signs, lasts the same amount of time as the Mayan Grand Cycle of five ages. The Egyptians and the Mayans who recognized these cycles were on opposite sides of the world with no physical contact. Both types of Ages record the progress of precession.

The difference between the two, is the Mayas five Great Cycles each last about 5,125 years. For both, when completed, the cycle begins again in a never-ending circle of repeating Ages. The Aquarian Age also marks the beginning of the next Mayan Great Age.

Why you should care about precession and it's effects.

Precession occurs gradually, and its influences on humankind as well as the earth also occur gradually. When one Astrological Age officially changes to the next, the influences of the coming age are felt far before the change actually occurs. But, the earth doesn't necessarily move through the zodiac at the same speed for each Astrological Age. This makes an exact calculation of a calendar date difficult.

I'm going to give you an example of precession you can pinpoint yourself in the night sky. Right now, the star Polaris is at about the north celestial pole. Polaris is the bright star located straight up from the far lip of the Big Dipper. Over time it shifts position in our vision and other stars will eventually replace it as the North Star. It's in a much different position now than it was before Christ. The Maya have a myth about the shifting pole star. It's called the Popul Vuh.

The zodiac is a belt or band of constellations or star through which the Sun, Moon and planets transit across the sky. The changes we're experiencing right now in our climate, socially, and personally are not unique. The world has gone through massive changes many times. What's interesting...they appear to occur when the dominant constellation in the pre-dawn night sky changes through precession.

We are living in an era of change. This occurs before the dawn of the next Astrological and Great Age slated to take place about December 21, 2012 on the solstice.

"When we understand what the darkness of our cycle means and why it's necessary, we begin to see the great challenges of our time in a new light...our response to the changes that come with it take on a new meaning. With these ideas in mind, it becomes even clearer that "now is the best time" for us to go through such a cycle. The reason is that "now is the first time" we have the understanding, the need and the technology to reach into the realm of all possibilities and choose the kind of future that will arise from the chaos of the present." Fractal Time, Gregg Braden

The Maya called this moment in precession, "The Time of No Time." It's during this period that the completion of the transition from one Age to the next occurs. It's not just a change in Ages either. A whole new set of values replaces the old values before the cycle begins again. The changes are more obvious in the Astrological tendencies of different Zodiacal signs in each person.

The darkest moment is just before the dawn of the next Astrological and Great Age...We are in the darkest moment right now.

The Egyptians and the Maya were a world apart. But, they were synchronized with their views on precession and it's relationship to the earth

The ancient cultures and astrologers today believe that what happens above in the cosmos, happens here on earth. Below is a summary of significant changes that occurred from one Astrological Age to the next during our human history. All dates are approximate. A lot of this information came from a seminar I attended by Dehyana Lim Lee from Anchoring the Light called Esoteric Teachings.

The Age of Leo

It was believed by many geologists that the Sphinx was constructed in the 4th Dynasty. But that theory has been dispelled because the erosion patterns on the Sphinx are not of sand and wind, but clearly of water. So it's much older than earlier thought. What is most interesting is the construction of the Sphinx pre-dates civilization. Humans were still hunters and gathers at this time. Since civilization as we know it didn't exist then, who built it? Hmmmmmmm!

The fact that the Sphinx is in the shape of a lion with a human head gives it major astronomical significance. The Sphinx appears to have been created just prior to the beginning of the Age of Leo, the lion. Leo was the pre-dawn constellation in the eastern sky during the spring equinox an hour before dawn where the sun rose. The Sphinx gazes directly east where the constellation of Leo would have rose through precession of the equinoxes in 10,970 BC to 8810BC.

Global warming was a major event at this time causing melting of ice caps and a rise of 300 feet in sea levels. This rise in sea level eroded the Sphinx. This all makes sense when you realize that Leo is a "Fire" sign and is ruled by the Sun astrologically marking global warming. It was also during this time that carved stone oil lamps with a continuous burn were invented, which represents light and heat.

The Age of Cancer

The feminine was revered at this time as the creator of all life...birthing, nurturing and protecting. This is the age of the goddess and is ruled by the Moon. Cancer is a water sign and people started to realize the connection between the tides and the moon. Massive loss of coastal areas was still in effect on earth from the elevated sea levels.

Civilization and the domestication of farm animals like pigs, goats and bees began at this time. Various food plants were also domesticated starting the agricultural era. Cancer is associated with the home. People started to settle into permanent dwellings.

The transition seems to have been everywhere with the development of civilization in Sub-Sahara Africa between 9000-7000 BC. These areas went from being largely nomadic hunters and gatherers to a settled domesticated lifestyle.

There's evidence of the widespread use of boats representing Cancer's water sign. An increase in the making of pottery signifies the protective vessel, which is one of Cancer's archetypes.

The Age of Gemini

The role of men and women in reproduction was starting to be understood.

Adam and Eve came into being at this time, presenting duality and the division between the masculine and feminine energies within. The transition was starting to move away from the feminine as the revered symbol.

Language and symbols were coming into being, making this Age a time of writing. Trade between cultures started to accelerate. the constellation of Gemini was seen as two people holding hands, which could have been symbolic for trade and communication as well as duality.

The wheel was used for the first time for transportation. Shakti Energy (Milky Way), and how the energy moves through the signs and the chakras was starting to be understood. Also, how the Universe is the same as the body was recognized. All are connected.

The Age of Taurus

Bull worshiping cults began to form in Assyria, Egypt and Crete. The building of pyramids began signifying the bull through solidity, stability, and attempts at eternity. Figures on Egyptian pyramids and temples had bull's horns at this time.

Avatars were now here, and there are more attuned individuals or spiritually realized people.

Taurus is associated with the smelting of copper, tin, and bronze. Swords came into being in the early phases of this era. Papyrus was invented enabling improved writing techniques. One can envision within the Taurus glyph the image of the partially unrolled scroll.

Many of the traits representative of Taurus start to appear such as stubbornness and strength. But on the other hand, sensuality can also be seen as in the Ancient Egyptian civilizations. In fact the sacred bull, the Apis, was the Egyptian symbol of life.

The followers of Moses worshiped a golden calf when he descended from the mountains with the ten commandments in this time period.

The Age of Aries

People revered the sun in Egypt. Aries represents a Fire symbol as well as bold actions. The Ram is the patriarchal society of butting heads. This age is known for courage, initiative, war and adventure. The Chinese, Persian, Greek and Roman empires expanded during this age. Aries is associated with the metal iron, which was smelted and made into swords at this time, replacing bronze.

There was an upsurge in originality with the development of the sciences and the arts.

The earliest attempts at the idea of one God came into being with Akhenaten, an Egyptian Pharaoh about 1350 BC, when he decreed the Sun God Aten, as the supreme deity. Freud felt that Moses was inspired to embrace the idea of one God who favored his people through Akhenaten's lead.

Hackear, the goddess who dressed like a man, built Carnack temple in Egypt. She knew the age of the goddess was coming to an end and masculine dominance was coming in. Luxor temple was built at this time. It's the body of a human with the different chakras.

And, it's possible that during the transition from Taurus to Aries, Moses condemned his people for worshiping the golden calf. It was Moses who used his will to part the Red Sea.

The sacrifice of Abraham's ram occurred most likely at the end of the Age of Aries.

The Age of Pisces

The Age of Aquarius

There is some dispute about when the Age of Aquarius begins. Some astrologers place it as far out as AD 2600.

Watch for more on the Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius in another set of articles...coming soon. To read about the changes that occurred during the beginning of our present Great Age, read my article on the cultural changes around the world in 3100 BC.

Conclusion:

The goal of God/The Universe is to create a perfect human being through our evolution of consciousness. At the beginning of each new age, the tendencies from history are reset and replayed. These tendencies are reintroduced with the values of the new Astrological or Great Age in a continuous cycle.

These cycles will continue till the goal of the divine is achieved. There are negative as well as positive traits to each Astrological sign and Mayan Great Age. It's up to us to figure out which we choose to live from...the positive or the negative. What we choose will be our experience.

Research
Astrological Age, Precession of the Equinoxes, John McBrewster, Frederic Miller, Agnes Vandome
Age of Aquarius, - answers.com
Esoteric Teachings Seminar - Dehyana Lim Lee, Anchoring the Light
Fractal Time - Gregg Baden
Precession of the Equinox - Western Washington University Planetarium
Esoteric Astrology - by Alice Bailey

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