Ongoing series of character development using astrology, the Tarot and the archetypes defined by Joseph Campbell.
Aquarius is laden with symbolism and mythical origins, and I have to make a distinction before continuing this character-development-for-fiction series.
While trying to figure out how to grapple with Aquarius
within one post, I realized I needed to clarify something first. Let’s remove ourselves out of the sign and into the bigger
picture for a moment. You have all heard of the “Age of Aquarius” into which we
have stepped (there is conflict only as to when, exactly, this happened/will
happen). If we link it to the Mayan prophecy of 2012 (a previous post), we see that the old world influences of the previous age are diminishing and the new ones beginning, and we are at least close enough (at or over the threshold) to feel the effects.
On a grand scale, we are stepping out of the old world age of
Pisces and into the new world age of Aquarius. We need to get over the idea
that love and compassion are reserved for the in-group. There are no in-group
and out-group distinctions in Aquarius.
So how does this have anything to do with building a
character based on astrology and the tarot? Humor me a moment more, please.
The best sign of transition to the new reality (without
mentioning all those pesky mystical elements) associated with Aquarian
principles, is the World Wide Web. There are no longer limits to relating to one
another now. Without getting into religious distinctions, let me just say that
the principles of this new Aquarian age have been already given to us by Jesus, Krishna and Buddha
who denounced hypocrisy and dogmatic religious intolerance. Yet we still have
it, as some cling to their in-group/out-group mentality—a dying breed.
I found an interesting blog post at Enlightening Times that mentioned Jean Houston (Sacred Woundings), who shared a long history with
Joseph Campbell (The Power of Myth). Jean had a dream about him and her. She
couldn’t figure out what the dream meant but it stayed with her. Without going
into the dream, which you can read on the post, a wise elder told her, “Well of course; it’s
so simple. He (Campbell in the dream) means the correspondences. You’re
supposed to help him find the correspondences between myth and everything else:
myth and history, myth and science, myth and psychology, myth and what’s trying
to happen in the world, the pathways from the past and the pathways to this
future.”
That is the crux of “the Age of Aquarius;” finding the golden
nugget of truth in the myth—whether of history, science or psychology—pathways
from the past into the future.
What I have been trying to do with this series on building
character for your fiction (your mythical stories) is to dig at the heart of
the archetypes of who we are (using myth, astrology and Tarot) as we move forward.
Our behaviors fit certain patterns, on the positive side or the negative
side—really a bit of both. Those patterns can be seen when we look carefully into
each astrological sign.
There are lessons there (not shout out loud claims of
righteous superiority or exclusionary knowledge found in the Piscean age).
Those lessons can be gently viewed and gleaned as we look over the Aquarian
hill to see what is at a distance on the other side. There are no absolutes.
There are tendencies.
Occult means hidden and
refers to ancient knowledge that is purposefully written in a coded form called
mythology. That was mandatory in the age of Pisces (unless you didn’t mind
being burned at the stake). Now we need to reveal the truth at the heart of the
codes. Aquarius, the age of brotherhood, tells us love is the source; at the
center of creation. What was hidden can
now be revealed.
Whew! Hope that wasn’t too mystical for you. Just remember,
I’m drinking from the eclectic cool-aid and sometimes the mystic leaks out.
A great example of this brotherhood idea is the WANA (We AreNot Alone) groups that Kristen Lamb created—writers banding together to help
each other with writing, promoting, marketing and technical
information—all social media related, using Aquarian principles.
Now that I have set the groundwork for the age of Aquarius, in distinction from the
astrological sign of Aquarius, I will
continue this series on character development next week with the sign of Aquarius.
To review past posts, click on the signs that have already
been done:
Does my explanation clear things up or confuse you?
Did I get too mystical for you?
Do you think your thinking is more in the Pisces Age, the
Aquarian Age, or straddling them both?
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