We define and organize our days and nights by time. Humanity tends to both glorify and denigrate historical eras and events. It is evidenced through attempts to memorialize or to destroy significant past memories. This has happened through the ages, and we see it in the opposition to statues, memorials and ancient sacred sites throughout the world.  It appears to be associated with the end of an era, as will be defined later in this paper. Many individuals and groups are also apprehensive about the future—primarily because it is yet unknown.

One Western theory of time is associated with Astrological ages, a paradigm concerned with archetypal, and mythological forces. This paradigm also helps define the destructive impulses prompting the attempts of some religious groups to destroy antiquities providing evidence of a past unrelated to their current world-perspective. Most, importantly, also suggests that humanity will survive the impending threats of environmental and nuclear destruction.

This article focuses on the various dimensions of time, and the archetypal characteristics given to it. Humanity has developed various ways of measuring time. For example, Geologists divide time into supereons, and then eons, which are then divided into eras, periods, epochs, and lastly, ages. This is based upon research into our estimated 4.54 billion year old Earth (Dalrymple, 2001). Geochronology is a science of dating minerals, rocks, sediment and the like. It is a way of measuring geological time (over those 4.54 billion years). These dating methods can also roughly determine the onset of early human life (Ludwig & Renne, 2000).

The science of Paleontology examines fossils of plant, animals, and includes the earliest evidence of human remains. Paleontologists focus on when the Earth began to support life (about 3.8 billion years ago), while examining the timing of geological phenomena and related evidence of change in fossils (Laporte, 1988).

Historians measure time in terms of periods. It includes Earth sciences, and the geological time frames, but more predominantly focuses on calendar time for the onset of various eras, for example, the Renaissance era occurring during the 14th through 17th centuries marked a change from middle ages into modern history. An epoch is the date when a new age begins. A chronology of historical events results from this field.

In this article, we are more interested in epochs leading into new ages, and the role of archetypal influences in these transitions. These are notable times in history when a major event and related change occurs preceding a new age.  A new age is a distinct time frame related to the change manifesting from the onset of the epoch. Archetypes from the collective unconscious are universal motifs appearing in dreams, myths, religious themes and often unconsciously motivating behavioral changes (Jung, 1991). They are unconscious, instinctual forces, unrelated to specific timeframes as they’ve been found through human history (Jung).

We live in an age, with its own particular characteristics, in which we are experiencing extremely divisive beliefs and related destructive behaviors, as well as intimations of profound creative and powerful glimpses of a new period of time—unlike any epoch before it. For example, knowledge of all the world’s religious and wisdom traditions is easily assessable for spiritual development, internet technologies have opened the doors to greater knowledge, holistic healing modalities are more easily obtained as ancient and modern technologies expand opportunities for healthier lives, and intimations of the expansion of space travel are manifesting by the month. This is not confined to one culture or portion of the Earth.

In the midst of the promise we see the demise. Destructive behaviors surround and compete with the progressive, life-affirming ones. History confirms that this is not a new behavior, as evidenced in the world’s religious texts. What motivates various groups to destroy ancient creative, sacred and historical manifestations? Is it possible to examine the deliberate destruction of ancient sacred sites from an archetypal perspective related to the passage of time and epoch transformation? Yes, it is, and this will be examined throughout the article.

Despite the human relationship to time and its varied attributes, it has been said that the way we perceive and define time as past, present and future does not exist. In fact, science cannot validate exactly what is occurring in this present moment according to our traditional ideas about progressive time.

The following will elaborate on this examination of time as the question of time, its beginning as well as its end, has been and remains a topic of deep religious and scientific inquiry. In 2011 Scientific American devoted an entire edition to this topic with the title “A Matter of Time.” Much of humanity holds its schedules according to a mechanical clock, assuring we meet production deadlines and performance goals but many new revelations are emerging as explorations (Cappelli & Tavis, 2016) continue to examine this topic. One practical example, that Scientific American editor Gary Stix provides (2011) concerns the emergence of the internet. He explains that “in internet time, everything happens everywhere at once. [and] Time has triumphed over space” (p. 6).  Numerous scientists are pursuing answers to the question of time as an illusion as well as our perceptions of and about it.

String Theory offers some new perspectives on the Big Bang theory. This young scientific field seeks to define the what was taking place before and during what is known as the Big Bang (Lidsey, Wands, & Copeland, 2000; Polchinski, 1998) Proponents of this belief dispel the idea of a beginning and replace it with the idea that it was the “outcome of a preexisting state” (Veneziano, 2011, p. 79), proposing the theory that it was more of a transition than a beginning. Veneziano believes that, “inside a Black Hole space and time swap roles. The center of the Black Hole is an instant in time” (p. 87) and “vestiges of the pre-bangian epoch might show up in galactic and intergalactic magnetic fields” (p. 89). In 2011 Japanese scientists, Sang-Woo Kim and Asato Tsuchiya simulated the Big Bang using a string theory model of our universe (Wolchover, 2011). Although many of its theories are controversial, this research is “compelling because it gracefully explains most aspects of the universe that we do observe, from electromagnetism to gravity to the thermodynamics of black holes” (Wolchover, para. 3).

Other scientists, have developed a theory of Loop Quantum Gravity, theorizing that time and space appear in “discrete pieces…or lumps” (Smolin, 2011, pp. 95-96). Although Smolin admits they could be proven wrong, he and colleagues agree that Loop Quantum Gravity allows for further questions and further explorations that are leading toward greater understanding of the question of continuous time as opposed to its beginning. In examining its “mysterious flow,” Theoretical Physicist and Cosmologist Paul Davies notes that “the passage of time is probably an illusion. Consciousness may involve either thermodynamic or quantum processes that lend the impression of living moment by moment” (2011, p. 8). I am not a scientist, so cannot speak with authority in this area, but I am able to see its relationship to religious teachings proclaiming this realm to be an illusion. The emerging String Field theory supports the theory of multiverses and parallel dimensions (Tegmark, 2003).

Despite these emergent theories concerning time, it appears that immense creative forces far beyond our current understanding were present as the universe manifested. Even though scientists differ in their theories about the process of creation, all of life contains a creative impetus at the core of every atom and cell within all of its being. A cell divides and multiplies. The seed becomes a tiny plant that finds a way to grow toward the sunlight from a crack in the cement. The process of self-emergence is a potential within all life. This creativity also continues influencing dreams, visions and goals at personal as well as global and universal levels in some strange movement—a progression of time.

According to many religious ideals life is a manifested dream. The Vedic scriptures relate how Brahma dreamed the world into being. These same scriptures discuss various ages–cyclical periods of time. For example, according to Vedic beliefs defining human eras, we currently live in the Kali Yuga age (approximately 432,000 years). Greek mythology also noted four ages. For example, its golden age ruled by the god Saturn (or Khronos) represented lost innocence, as well as the loss of idyllic childhood and paradise.

Most religious and spiritual cultures have beliefs about creation and its relationship to time. The indigenous of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta believe that the Great Mother “spun her thoughts and conceived the nine layers of the universe (Davis, 2009. p. 143). This is like Mayan and Native American depictions of Spider Woman weaving the world into being (Mijares & Fotiou, 2015). Such indigenous and shamanic perspectives are significant as they represent the world’s oldest philosophical and spiritual belief systems about the manifestation of the world. Their ancient relics and sites relate stories of earlier times and provide evidence of life and thought in previous eras, for example, time periods and related changes related to Chichén Itzá in Yucatan peninsula and Teotihuacan in Mexico, locations in and around Bolivia’s Tiwanaku site. Por-Bazhyn (means clay house in Tuvan) in Siberia and numerous other locations. A recent article in Siberian Times (Liesowska, 2014) notes that shamans from Asia, North and South America recently gathered in Siberia to call forth the ancient spirits (bring them into being). Many shamans can enter other realms through trance states (Eliade, 1974), and this recent ritual indicates a belief that they also influence time through their attention (Liesowska, 2014).

Western metaphysics has its own model of the passages of time that is determined by astrological ages lasting approximately 2,000 to 2,500 years. Many people have heard of the coming Age of Aquarius, but are unaware of the history of this concept. The popular new age movement has a relationship to the coming astrological age. The term became popular with the 1967 musical play, Hair created by actors James Rado and Gerome Ragni. It was based on the hope and ideal of an era to come in which peace and human equality will prevail.

I will be using the metaphor of astrological ages representing time periods to provide greater meaning to events taking place that impact past, present and future. When examined, these archetypal experiences of time seem to be very real, although, according to the science of quantum theory, one that seeks to explain the relationship and behavior of energy and matter, the accepted version of time as we experience it is an illusion.

What is the nature of our consensual relationship to time as it also appears to be quite valid? Early Vedic (Hindu) scriptures describe a condition called Maya , which means illusion, deception and the like. Basically, what one is experiencing through the senses is not the real thing. One has to look behind and/or beyond the manifestation (Patton, 2005) as this is not the real and lasting world. Despite the occurrence of suggested delusions about time, consensual experience implies an agreement of sorts, as the saying goes “we are all in this together.” Two or more people, cultures, nations, etc., see and experience the same occurrences at the same time (regardless of differing interpretations).

Quantum theorists are examining the role of consciousness in relationship to observation. For example, when particles are shot through a screen with two holes in it, the individual particles change to waves. It is the presence of an “observer” that allows them to be seen as particles. In fact, according to Andrew Truscott (2015) of Australian National University’s Research School of Physics and Engineering, “At the quantum level, reality does not exist unless we are looking at it” (Australian National University Press Release for Science News, 2015, para. 4). This suggests that shared observation and related participation bring the experience into being.

From both individual and cultural perception, it appears that inner and outer realities are streaming through life. From subtle inner, unconscious realms, archetypal energies continuously influence and motivate human behaviors. The late Carl G. Jung (1875-1961) wrote extensively on the topic of archetype and archetypal forces (1991) manifesting in dreams, art and universal mythologies. Jung believed these forces to be archaic patterns taking form from the universally-shared collective unconscious.

These archaic patterns motivate great love and rage as well as heroic endeavors and they also manifest in ordinary life experiences. Likewise, the mythologist Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) validated these archetypal patters are found throughout human mythologies (2008), and are found in indigenous and religious stories throughout the globe. In some mysterious way, human beings are linked in what appears to be an ongoing mythological journey into new and often unexplored realms of consciousness. The late religious historian and philosopher, Mircea Eliade (1907 –1986), observed shamanic practice in many places around the world. In his books, he described beliefs and journeys into alternative realms held by the shamans (1974; 1984) that were in harmony with research done by both Jung and Campbell.

According to Jungian analyst Dr. Michael Conforti archetypes and fields influence one another. In fact, he theorizes that “the energetic component of an archetype, which exerts its influence over space and time,” (p. 22) is evidenced in dreams and transformative experience. This article explores the relationship of archetypal time in both inner and outer realms of existence.  They are particularly evidenced in the mythologies defining the passage of time, from the Greek Mother Goddess Demeter mourning the loss of her daughter as her sorrow becomes the season of Winter to the Astrological definitions of Ages and so forth.

Dream-like energies have the potential to effect change within this third-dimensional realm. The same process of archetypal influences impacting both life-affirming development and creative change can be seen in destructive behaviors manifesting in events taking place within this world we share. Many might agree that much of the current state of affairs taking place is akin to living in a nightmare.

Creative change is often the result of a paradigmatic shift that occurs from an inner level of consciousness toward an outer manifestation. We live in a world filled with possibilities, and yet it appears as though it is on the brink of destruction.

From this perspective we can also see that archetypal influences prompt a civilization to create architecture, art, ways of communicating and knowing. We are collectively influenced by archetypal dream images manifesting into physical reality—taking form.  There are historic examples of this manifesting in the architecture of early Egyptian temples portraying the gods and goddesses in equality. This was also true in early Mayan of central Mexico and the pre-Incan culture of Tiwanaku in South America. Archetypal ideas of gender, light and dark (sun and moon), as well as human personality attributes associated powers observed in animals, birds and fish. These forms take shape representing inner realities. Replications of inner consciousness can be found in every nation, continent and island, from Asia to Africa to the Americas. Peoples of ancient times portrayed their stories in archetypal structures–engraving myth and history into stone. Religious movements are also motivated by archetypal influences manifesting into belief systems—for better or for worse.

Several years ago I began traveling to ancient sites, particularly those in Mexico and South America, to embrace the creative energies and sacred ruins depicting ancient times. I also realized I was doing the same thing with nature and its elements. This realization occurred as I was planning to visit various cenotes (Mayan water pits/sinkholes) in Yucatan, Mexico. The year before I had gone to the lowest body of water on the earth, the Dead Sea, and one of the highest, Lake Titicaca. I realize now that I was being led to various bodies of the element Water. Around this same time, an Egyptian friend and colleague, Dr. Aliaa Rafea, began organizing a team of specialists to meditate on early beginnings in ancient Egyptian sites. Rafea and her Assi Wa Wassi team believe that these places still emanate the archetypal energies present as the civilization emerged. It gave me a language for what I had been doing the last eight years in Latin America. We were both connecting with original archetypal dream-like substances—life energy– present as these civilizations emerged. They are dream-like in that they represent energetic memories, in these ancient places. This was poetically described in 1918, by the author known as A.I. (George William Russell) in The Memory of Earth when he described his own experience (Russell, 2012),

How are we to explain what has happened to many, and oftentimes to myself, that when we sit amid ancient ruins or in old houses they renew their life for us? I waited for a friend inside a ruined chapel and while there a phantasm of its ancient uses came vividly before me. In front of the altar I saw a little crowd kneeling, most prominent a woman in a red robe, all pious and emotionally intent. A man stood behind these leaning by the wall as if too proud to kneel. An old man in ecclesiastical robes, abbot or bishop, stood, a crozier in one hand, while the other was uplifted in blessing or in emphasis of his words. Behind the cleric a boy carried a vessel, and the lad’s face was vain with self-importance. I saw all this suddenly as if I was contemporary and was elder in the world by many centuries. I could surmise the emotional abandon of the red-robed lady, the proud indifference of the man who stood with his head but slightly bent, the vanity of the young boy as servitor in the ceremony, just as in a church to-day we feel the varied mood of those present. (p. 57)

I learned that this awakening was occurring in other places as well. For example, Yumiko Otani, a Japanese woman, has been introducing ancient Shinto myth and teachings, connecting past and present in how we grow and eat our foods (Otani, 2014). She believes this will create a healthier humanity and future.

A movement began in Costa Rica where a growing group of professionals from all fields gathered to discuss and also meditate upon Costa Rica’s early beginnings. They were questioning its archetypal purpose and why they had chosen to move there.  No doubt this is occurring in many places throughout the planet. In a personal conversation with a founder of the Global Peace Initiative of Women (Merriam, 2016), I learned that she and others were experiencing the same thing through multiple trips to India.

These movements are motivated with recognition of the relevance of being present with ancient roots at the same time that we are present in this era. This then facilitates openness to new influences from the future. If scientists propose that “time is an extra dimension akin (but not identical) to space” (Davies, 2011, p. 9), then one can see how this is possible. Author AI provided an excellent poetical description of time is archetypal (somewhat timeless) experience between past and present, but it is the budding research being done by string theorists that support these ideas (Tegmark, 2003; Veneziano, 2011). Perhaps these dimensions are held in space by some sort of gravitational attraction (Swimme, 1994).

In this present era, according to our ideas of the passage of time, the earth, including all of its’ species, are threatened by environmental disaster, corporate greed, destructive religious beliefs, and other social influences. Our creative and sacred past is also threatened by the ignorance of those who lack reverence for religious ideals and expressions differing from their own. Their intent becomes one of destruction based on fear and limited knowledge. The question arises: Why are fundamentalists of prominent religions destroying historical sources of archetypal power?  It appears that many groups are threatened by prior representations of power as well as defining mythologies that differ from their own.

This is not new as in Exodus 32 (Jewish Torah and Old Testament) we read of the Jewish prophet Moses destroying the golden calf, idols of earlier pagan cultures. There are also images of defaced carvings in temple pillars enacted by early Christians evidenced in ancient Egyptian temples. Dynamite and bombs did not exist so early Christians must have spent countless hours defacing these holy representations of memory. The United States had no concern for ancient Sumerian sites, and related icons, as they bombed Iraq. The Taliban dynamited huge Buddhist statues carved in Afghan mountains. ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) spent incredible effort destroying ancient Assyrian sites, including the world heritage site of Palmyra (an ancient Roman city present-day Syria). Nigerian Christians destroyed traditional African religious shrines and artifacts.

Various religious groups are fiercely affirming that their concept of god is superior to any other. The tendency is to destroy anything outside of their narrow reality. Fundamentalists of many religious groups also tend toward “end of days” themes. Such beliefs are also found in ancient mythologies related to a sequence of ages, such as the Hindu mythology of Yugas and the current Kali Yuga (dark age) era. It is believed that the Kali Yuga will be followed by a golden age. Similarly, the belief in astrological ages is related to changes in human beliefs and behaviors, mythological changes as well as related cultural and political developments (de Santillana, & von Dechen, 2014).

Such phenomenon also appears to be a destructive force seeking to destroy the creative energy and associated memory present in ancient roots and beginnings.  It is related to fixed cultural egos responding to energies of change and reacting to anything that is outside of their limited mental constructions (Mijares, Rafea, Falik & Schipper, 2007). Three traditions influence this idea, namely psychoanalytic, Buddhism, and Systems Theory. Sigmund Freud described the individual ego as an executive function enabling us to organize thoughts, emotions, and behaviors (Wallerstein, 2002). Buddhism believes that this sense of ego identity (self) is continuously in a state of change as nothing is permanent (Kornfield, 1993), so it is an illusion to cling to a false idea of a stable and unchanging self. Systems Theory does not differentiate the individual from the group (Mijares, Rafea, Falik, & Schipper). Definitions of the individual likewise can pertain to the larger culture, including race, religion, and national identity.  The destructive behaviors are a manifestation of fear and the inability to contain and control ancient as well as incoming influences. It is a response to changes taking place within the dimension of time.

As noted, this destructive behavior has a long history. It is currently manifesting in new way, not based on a religion, but more of an ethical examination of what people which to immortalize. For example, in August 2017 U.S. citizens began destroying statues and plagues related to the history of prejudice in the United States (Fortin, 2017). It is becoming increasingly complex as there appears to be more than one motivation, although they all represent a response to forces of change and attempts to control them.

The astronomical movement toward the eastern vernal point known as the “precession of the equinoxes” was first noted by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus (Walker, 1996).  Although there is disagreement about the exact number of years due to slight variations in the precession of the equinoxes, the movement and timing of these astrological ages is placed somewhere between 2,500 and 2000 years. It is particularly interesting to see the manifestation of differing religious manifestations in each one.   It is also important to recognize that shamanistic knowledge of various dimensions and passages of time appears to have existed from the earliest of human communities. Indigenous and shamanic cultures have also existed in each of the following ages.

The Age of Taurus. For the purposes of this article, the approximate time for mythical Age of Taurus ended around 2,500 B.C.E. Prior to this the Bull of Heaven was a theme for the ancient Mesopotanians. The Minoan goddess-centered culture also used the bull as a religious symbol. During this era, Egyptians revered the cow goddess Hathor.

The Age of Aries. As the Age of Aries rose, the Old Testament related Moses’ destruction of the golden cow seeing it as the symbol of paganism and the Age of Taurus, a time when the Goddess had reigned.  Humanity was now entering the Age of Aries and the matriarchal cultures of the Age of Taurus were being replaced with male gods. The patriarchal religious beliefs supplanted them!  Astrologically, the sign of Aries is governed by Mars, the god of war. Thus a predominantly masculine era began as matriarchal cultures and reverence of the Great Mother Goddess were suppressed. The “dominator” model was set in place (Eisler, 1987) as laws and commandments increased.

Patriarchal ideology set out to destroy the gods and goddesses of the past. Animism and pantheism were against the idea of One God.  This ideology failed to truly recognize that divine creation was in everything: nature, the trees, minerals and rock formations, all species and so forth. That same cosmic force from which every element in the universe manifests is inherent in everything, but patriarchal ideologies have been closing doors to other possibilities in that each religion proclaims to have the ultimate position.

The Age of Pisces. We entered the mythological Age of Pisces a little over 2,000 years ago. Early Christians used the symbol of the fish. It was a time when new spiritual influences were manifest—influences related to equality, healing and compassion. The scriptures in the New Testament (the book representing a new age) spoke against laws in favor of healing, service and love. But these teachings have never been grounded in a way that created significant human change. According to religious history Jesus addressed all as children of this divine parenting process. He demonstrated equality and modeled ways for living in harmony with one another. But the dominating influence of patriarchy and growing greed created increasing inequality as it suppressed and prevented the fuller manifestation of spiritual consciousness. Instead of integrating spiritual ways of living, choices leading to the present-day corporate model took over.

This paradigm distorted the teachings of every great religious founder. It also contributed further to gender inequality and the suppression of women. Now we are approaching another epic era as patriarchal destructive forces continue to act on unconscious beliefs that the old must be destroyed before change can occur. The possibility of time ending (Musser, 2011) is as real as the thought that time is an illusion. The passage of time exists amidst an incredible paradox. Obviously, reality of illusion, it appears that the topic of time is beyond our ordinary perception of it. According to physicist Sean Carroll, some combination of three “disparate concepts: time, entropy and cosmology” (Matson, 2011, p. 90) motivate a forward movement “in a single, predetermined direction: toward the future” (p. 90).

The Age of Aquarius. According to Western Astrology, we will be entering the Age of Aquarius emphasizing new ways of living in harmony with one another. The goal is to free ourselves from destructive and ethnocentric ways of living in order to embody its growing influences. It is a crossroad, an intersection wherein we transform the martial influences of the Age of Aries and through embodying respect for all as well as the recognition of the authentic spiritual nature and equality within life on earth; we can ground mysterious Neptunian spiritual influences of the Age of Pisces. But first, we need to examine its missing elements!

Watch an hour of world news, and it becomes obvious that unrest, violence, and environmental destruction are occurring throughout the globe. We are in the midst of a phenomenal breakdown in political, religious, and cultural identities.

Each nation, religion, race sees its shadow in the other. Threats of nuclear war, a refusal to accept the increasing numbers of refugees from war-torn nations, terrorism and environmental threats are increasing.  There are many end-time theories, and many believe that the environmental changes are proof of their beliefs (Barker & Bearce, 2012). Trust in religious scriptures has been compromised as most critical thinkers do not accept destructive behavior based upon texts taken out of context and era. New forms of guidance are manifesting. Creativity is always present whether time is continuous or burst forth associated with a big bang, and the very existence of life.

Archetypal images and messages indicating change are also manifesting in numerous popular films as art has always conveyed creative power. In that the majority humanity no longer sits in community, sharing stories and dreams, and, instead are dominated by a corporate and technological influence, we have opened new doors of guidance manifesting through film and other media. The archetypal themes at this time supporting needed change are the revised fairy tales restoring the influence of the feminine (Mijares, 2013).  In each of these new films, the patriarchal forces were unable to prevent or destroy women’s power.  For example, Mulan (1998), Whale Rider (2002), Pixar film Brave in 2012, and many other films portraying a woman as the one who saves the day, i.e., Katness in The Hunger Games (2012-2015), and the very popular Moana in 2016.   I believe that the 2014 film Maleficent significantly illustrated the archetypal and actualized power of women.

Although the film illustrates traditional ideas of gender, Maleficent (played by actress Angelina Jolee) demonstrates this with heart-moving excellence. It portrays a masculine-dominated patriarchal kingdom focused on destruction and control. Rather than a prince awakening the sleeping beauty, it was the unselfish love of Maleficent. In the story Maleficent’s wings had been taken from her, a metaphor for her stolen power. This has happened to women throughout much of the planet. It is also seen in the oppression of the feminine archetype within men. Maleficent regains her power and the story moves into images of peace and equality between the fairies and the humans. The influence of the feminine includes past, present and future—as well as the elements of both heaven and earth.

It is also important for our future that all gender variations be honored.  This is particularly significant as it depicts acceptance of those who differ from ourselves (Mijares, Rafea, Falik & Schipper, 2007). As we begin to live in respect and equality with all manifestations of life we will be able help ground the spiritual influences of the Piscean age into life on earth.

The 16th century co-founder of the Discalced Carmelite movement in Spain, known as St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), poeticized the experience of spiritual unity in a poem. This poem, given the name of Noche Oscuro (dark night) described the inner journey of spiritual awakening that is possible after a stage of inner darkness and deprivation of the senses (Kavanaugh, & Rodriguez, 1991). It began as a poem that was later expanded to enhance its message. Sadly, the term “dark night of the soul” has become a catchphrase for any difficult time, thereby losing the deeper meaning of it being a way toward spiritual awakening.  Perhaps modern humanity is entering this stage with the potential for growth as a passageway into a new era.

First, the consequences of humanity’s behaviors are forcing it to examine its collective shadow. The projections on women, other cultures, nations, races as well as the inability to see nature as a living force, is the manifestation of what has been called evil—a lack of compassion and reverence for all of life (Mijares, Rafea, Falik, & Schipper, 2007). Dark clouds threatening nuclear war and extinction hover over life. Humanity has entered a very dark night of the soul, and must undergo a death of sorts in order to enter into new life. Knowledge of the past and connection to its mythologies can be an aid in the darkness.

Joseph Campbell (2008) noted an ancient theme of entering darkness to be associated with of the coming into a new step/stage in life. Although this journey has typically been associated with individuals, it appears we are entering into this experience as a collective humanity. Both Stix (2011) and Veneziano (2011) work suggest that this movement and transition are a possibility. Numerous media are depicting themes of this dark passage.

Another archetypal influence within the coming Age of Aquarius is that of expanding our relationship both with outer space as well as inner dimensions. Archetypal influences often influence books and films (Jung, 1968). The film Interstellar by the brilliant metaphysicians and creative artists film directors Christopher and Jonathan Nolan addresses (and amplifies) some of the current concerns about environmental threats. It blends archetypal themes of heroes entering the unknown, discovering new knowledge, and saving life with science. The story suggests new possibilities of accessing other dimensions and exploring outer space as NASA discovers “worm holes” placed by unknown others as a means of rescuing humanity. In the midst of all the literal dryness on earth a transformation occurs—a result of love and connectedness that goes beyond boundaries. Science fiction stories relate worm holes as short cuts, a portal of sorts into unknown dimensions. NASA-funded research at the University of Iowa is discovering how to locate them so the film has serious science supporting it.

According to plasma physicist Jack Scudder of the University of Iowa they are called “X-points or electron diffusion regions…places where the magnetic field of Earth connects to the magnetic field of the Sun, creating an uninterrupted path leading from our own planet to the sun’s atmosphere 93 million miles away” (Phillips, NASA. para. 3). The following indicates humanity is deep within the process of reaching out into interstellar worlds. For example,

Observations by NASA’s THEMIS spacecraft and Europe’s Cluster probes suggest that these magnetic portals open and close dozens of times each day. They’re typically located a few tens of thousands of kilometers from Earth where the geomagnetic field meets the onrushing solar wind. Most portals are small and short-lived; others are yawning, vast, and sustained. Tons of energetic particles can flow through the openings, heating Earth’s upper atmosphere, sparking geomagnetic storms, and igniting bright polar auroras. (Phillips, NASA, para. 4)

…

NASA mission Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) launched on March 12, 2015 to study this phenomenon (John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, March 13, 2015). Bristling with energetic particle detectors and magnetic sensors, the MMS four-spacecraft experiment has moved out into the earth’s magnetosphere and will surround the portals to observe how they work. Their challenge is to find them, as magnetic portals are invisible, unstable, and elusive. They open and close without warning and according to Scudder, “and there are no signposts to guide us in” (NASA, para. 4-7).

The Interstellar film portrayed theories from quantum physics showing how past, present and future coexist. Its heroic themes emerge as a few people set out to assure the ongoing of life. There is a problem with one part of the story though, namely the statement, “We were not meant to save the earth, but to leave it.” Was humanity intended to trash the planet and leave it? Do we not have a greater responsibility to life as we know and have known it? Perhaps this represents a more masculine perspective? The story depicts a planet in which all of its resources have been exhausted and Nature, Herself, has turned against us. We can see this occurring with floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and desert-conditions. These natural disasters likewise reflect the imbalance within humanity, the long neglect of the feminine.

Therefore, another film, Maleficent, takes on the theme of gender and the power of the feminine. Nature is portrayed as lush with all forms of life once the feminine is returned to her power and place. Both of these films deal deeply with archetypal influences toward healing, and toward human expansion. Although it appears that we are engaged in interstellar expansion, we also need to connect with nature and as native traditions affirm—live in harmony with heaven and earth.

Continuing with Astrological metaphors, I would like to point out that in these rather tumultuous ending times occurring at this Age of Pisces, it appears that the element Water is becoming a most serious example of environmental problems. The media relates stories of various parts of the United States and other nations running out of water. On the other hand global news describes areas with horrific flooding. Scientists discuss contamination in our oceans and rivers. We also hear of large corporations buying up water rights to capitalize on these problems. It has been said that wars could emerge, simply over water (Michel & Pandya, 2009).

The ruler of Pisces is Neptune, the Roman name given for the god of the ocean. Despite of this powerful symbol and its metaphoric promise, it is interesting that at this intersection between two ages, there is this growing era of dryness. The topic of “thirst” arises. Is it any wonder that the archetypal symbol of the coming Age of Aquarius is the Water Bearer?  

This symbol can be understood as our thirst for the spiritual element that nourishes body and spirit. The harshness of the ending reign of patriarchy leaves us dry and thirsting for this bearer of running streams of newness. The next age is seen as one of peace—that is possible through reengaging with the feminine and with Nature.

As noted earlier, indigenous and shamanic traditions have existed throughout these eras from antiquity into the present time, including those eras defined as astrological ages. Also, indigenous and shamanic cultures have maintained an honoring of the elements as well as all of Heaven and Earth. They see Nature as a living force! In trance journeys they travel to the under, middle and upper worlds, which means moving in consciousness through portals and intersections into other realms and dimensions. Their beliefs are also connected with the earliest of ancient sites, created to give honor to the forces manifesting in life. As ancient civilizations emerged, they were there as priests, priestesses and guides—taking new forms as the ages emerged.  Many also remained in the background, holding the connection with Nature—holding a balance between Heaven and Earth.

Shamans also relate stories of coming from “star people”, and believe we will return to those realms. In this paradigm Heaven and Earth are united in a profound journey. Perhaps this is why increasing numbers of people are walking away from traditional religions and seeking indigenous and shamanic ritual. The portals are there. It is a place where the past is honored. Rather than seeing it as a threat, the past is embraced in the larger, holistic perspective of the universe. There is an opportunity to learn from everything. It is only our limited beliefs that imprison us, but they will eventually dissolve into unity.

The dream is changing and we are moving into new dimensions. As we journey through the dark night of the soul, through underworlds, and intersections in time, we will resurrect in a new age. The archetypal beginnings of ancient eras are just as important as the new archetypal influences motivating us toward the Aquarian ideals of unity and lived spiritual consciousness.

The more we connect, the stronger the power to transform our current environmental and human crises. We need to consciously make efforts to connect with past, present and future in order to reach a new paradigm. It is important to visit ancient sites with respect and appreciation as we also make efforts to protect them.  They represent our history and have many stories to tell. When we sit at such sites in silence we can connect with their messages. The ignorant believe it is possible to control archetypal influences by destroying outer manifestations. Instead, we need to re-connect with these ancient energies as we reach out into a future abundant with new knowledge, spirituality and adventure—and in so doing transform the present. We can hold the best of the past in order to transform the future. This is an opportunity to observe the possible, and through our attention bring it into being.

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Sharon G. Mijares, Ph.D. is a Psychologist, Adjunct Faculty at National University, Core Faculty at the California Institute for Human Science and Adjunct Faculty at Brandman University. She is the author/editor of six books focused on psychological and spiritual development. A Force Such As the World Has Never Known: Women Creating Change (edited) brings women together from many nations and many areas of work. Her work is especially focused on balancing power and beauty/balancing heaven and earth, and she has presented these efforts in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Mexico, Scotland, Uganda, United States and Venezuela. On a personal level she is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and currently lives in Silver City, NM. For more info see www.psychospiritual.org