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Jung suggested in Aion that humanity is moving from the great symbolic Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius.
Join Jungian analysts Lisa Marchiano, Deborah Stewart and Joseph Lee, as we ask what it means to live through the turbulence and vitality of this period of transition.
Jung pioneered the idea that human consciousness unfolds in great symbolic ages. The shift from one to the next is not a smooth or pleasant experience. As Jung saw it, each new age emerges through a process of decline, breakdown, and renewal, a process that can bring with it frightening levels of destabilization.
The Age of Pisces, shaped by Christianity, emphasized faith, morality, and the authority of external structures. But as this era wanes, Jung suggested we are coming under the influence of a new attitude, one that asks more of the individual psyche.
This new Age of Aquarius asks us to hold the tension of opposites consciously, rather than splitting experience into simple categories of right and wrong, and to be open to a genuinely new attitude that can contain much greater complexity.
We consider whether this emerging age calls us into a deeper interior life, one grounded not in external authority, but in an evolving relationship to the Self.
“We live in the age of the decline of Christianity, when the metaphysical premises of morality are collapsing…. That’s why the young are experimenting like young dogs. They want to live experimentally, with no historical premises. That causes reactions in the unconscious, restlessness and longing for the fulfillment of the times… When the confusion is at its height a new revelation comes, i.e. at the beginning of the fourth month of world history…” (C.G Jung, Letter to Walter Robert Corti,” 12 September 1929; Letters, I, 69).
In the episode, we cover:
The Dawning of a New Age
We explore Jung’s idea that humanity moves through long symbolic epochs, each ending in decline and upheaval before giving way to new vitality. This is likely to involve lengthy periods of instability and collective tension.
The Shift From Pisces to Aquarius
We discuss what it means to shift from a religious, faith-based era rooted in moral certainty and external authority (Pisces, a water sign) to a new attitude associated with Aquarius (an air sign), emphasizing consciousness, reflection, and new ways of thinking.
The Resurgence of Repressed Material
The Piscean effort to banish evil and enforce moral purity can be seen to have created a build-up of shadow material, now erupting into awareness. We find intimations of this in the Bible’s Book of Revelations.
Beyond Good and Evil
The new Age of Aquarius challenges us with the task of holding the tension of opposites consciously, rather than splitting experience into simple categories of right and wrong. The invitation is to a genuinely new attitude that can contain much greater complexity.
Not A “Brotherhood of Man”
Jung did not see the Age of Aquarius as a harmonious utopia, but as a demand that individuals become true to their own inner task, even when it sets them at odds with others.
The movement is away from external rules, institutions, and prescribed beliefs toward an inner authority, where each person must become more conscious, self-reflective, and capable of navigating inner and outer conflict.
Individuation as a Collective Necessity
In his later years, Jung gave the stark warning that humanity’s future may depend on how many individuals undertake the psychological work of withdrawing projections and becoming more conscious.
The Weakening of Old Archetypes
As we transition from Pisces to Aquarius, traditional religious images are losing their power, while other symbolic forms such as UFOs, mandalas, aliens, and crystals, begin to carry increased psychic energy.
The Rise of Personal Meaning Making
In this new age, we observe a growing tendency for individuals to “sew together” their own spiritual frameworks from diverse traditions, something that would have been forbidden or punished in earlier eras.
Dreams As Your Guide to this New World
In times of turmoil, uncertainty, and the rejection of old systems, dreams remain as your stable guide. Dreams continue to offer you access to the Self, pointing towards the deeper truth you need to navigate an unstable external world.
Dreams reveal what truly matters for the individual, often challenging conscious attitudes and demanding growth in ways that self-reflection alone cannot.
Here’s the Dream We Analyze
I was walking in my city and saw a mother ahead on the sidewalk with many children. One was screaming and crying very loudly, though I couldn’t tell yet which one. I then noticed it was a very small boy, so small he had been hidden from view. He was the youngest of five or so. The mother was getting frustrated and tugging on his arm. Then suddenly he went flying into the road and landed face first, having been thrown. The other children were silent. I went up to them and was trying to tell the mother “I have to …”, but no words would come out. I was aware that I’m a mandated reporter and was thinking of my employee badge in my bag. She was also speechless but finally said “you’re not going to report this are you?”, and I said “I have to.”
All this time no one checked if the kid was all right. She got him up and made a phone call warning someone what happened, minimizing it, saying she had just yanked on his arm. I started talking to a slightly older little boy. He wanted to show me his cat and suddenly we were in a bathroom petting a gorgeous cat who was orange and white with tiny black spots like freckles. We talked about how soft it was.
Resources Discussed in this Episode
- Dr C.G. Jung, Aion: Researches Into the Phenomenology of the Self
- Dr C.G. Jung, Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies
- Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness.
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