Written by Ray Grasse and narrated by Marie T. Russell.
The Age of Pisces: The Water Element (1 A.D. to 2100 A.D.)
Among the manifestations of the Piscean Age was the rise of a global religion centering primarily on symbols of water: baptism, walking on water, changing water into wine, and so forth. Indeed, for the student of astrological symbolism, Christianity offers a mother lode of correspondences in connection with Pisces. For example, Christian scripture speaks extensively of fishermen, wine, helping the downtrodden and outcasts of society, and the washing of feet -- all traditional symbols of Pisces. One of the defining miracles of Christ's ministry was the feeding of the multitude with two fishes and five loaves of bread. More subtly, the eating of fish on Friday by Catholics is linked by some to the fact that Friday is governed by Venus, the planet that is "exalted" (i.e., attains its optimal expression) in Pisces.
Were such correspondences intentional on the part of the Church fathers, or was their emergence purely synchronistic? Scholars disagree on this point, so we may never know for sure. But either way, we can study these symbols for what they reveal to us about the archetypal dynamics of the time. Viewed as a whole, they tell us that humanity was learning to relate to the divine and the world-at-large through a more emotional filter. In its more constructive aspect, this brought about a newfound element of compassion and faith in society, especially within Christian society. We see the emergence of a spiritual sensibility that spoke of "turning the other cheek" rather than the smiting of one's enemies. This was a shift from Roma to Amor, one might say.
In a more negative vein, this same emphasis on emotionality ushered in a spirit of dogmatism and persecution in the emerging religions. Pisces is intensely concerned with...
Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article)
Read by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com
Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay
About the Author
Ray Grasse is a Chicago-based writer, musician and astrologer. He worked on the editorial staffs of Quest Books and Quest magazine for ten years, and has been associate editor for The Mountain Astrologer magazine since 1998. He received a degree in filmmaking from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1974 under experimental film pioneers Stan Brakhage and John Luther Schofill. From 1972 to 1986, he studied extensively with two teachers in the Kriya Yoga tradition, and in 1986 studied Zen meditation at Zen Mountain Monastery in New York. He has lectured internationally on the topics of astrology, synchronicity, meditation, and hypnosis, and maintains an active astrological practice with clients around the United States and abroad.
Visit his website at RayGrasse.com
