The Age Of Aquarius - Part 2

When The Beatles shot to fame in 1962, they weren't just propelled into the spotlight by the Age of Aquarius influence but also because of an astrological phenomenon called The Six Year Cycle. This is a planetary configuration which occurs every six years and involves aspects between Jupiter and Uranus. It triggers sudden and stratospheric fame for certain people in the worlds of show business, sport and science. 

In the Age of Aquarius chart for February 1962 Jupiter and Uranus were not in aspect to each other but by October of that year, they had formed an opposition. The Beatles were not the only ones to benefit from this, it also heralded the arrival of many other iconic musical performers such as the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, not to mention the very first James Bond film 'Dr No', starring the late Sean Connery who himself - along with the Bond movie franchise - attained iconic status.

By 1967 the Age of Aquarius was well up and running and ready to party! This year was destined to go down in history as 'The Summer Of Love' - mainly due to the social influences going on in the USA at that time - and launched the Hippie Movement, Flower Power, etc. However, it was because of the emergence of ‘British Invasion’ groups like The Beatles, that music truly began its revolutionary changes and one Beatles album in particular became the turning point in music that inspired other musicians to experiment with new sounds.

During the first few years of their unparalleled success, The Beatles were releasing on average two albums per year and a new single every three months. However, by late Spring 1967, there had been no new Beatles albums for almost 10 months. Then, on 1st June of that year, they released Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - an album which would revolutionise music, culture and art. The album cover was an art form in itself, and it became the first rock album to win the Album Of The Year Grammy Award. The Summer Of Love was inspired by Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and reinvented pop LPs. It’s no coincidence that 1967 was the first year in which albums outsold singles. So, why 1967, and what were the astrological triggers? 

At this time the Natal Composite chart of John Lennon and Paul McCartney was also being activated in a very dynamic way. Transiting Jupiter was in a trine aspect to their Natal Composite Midheaven bringing the achievement of major goals. Transiting Saturn was squaring their Natal Composite Venus resulting in serious recognition for their talent and followed by awards. However, it's the transits of 1st June 1967 to the Progressed Composite chart of Lennon and McCartney that really show the boost they experienced that Summer. With the transiting Sun conjunct their Progressed Composite Jupiter there was increased vitality and lucky opportunities. 

Transiting Venus in a square to their Progressed Composite Midheaven brought the perfect opportunity to expose their work to the wider public. With increased confidence and charisma they were able to make a huge impression which in turn propelled them towards initiating new developments, growth and expansion in their professional lives.

Transiting Uranus conjunct Progressed Composite Mars and North Node brought important changes in their situation that allowed more opportunities for creative expression and individuality in their work. They became capable of unusual achievements that set them apart from the rest of their peers and competitors by being willing to experiment in ways that others had not considered. In a word, The Beatles were: Revolutionary.

In the second half of 1967, as transiting Jupiter passed through the sign of Leo, it formed an opposition to its original position in the Age Of Aquarius chart of 1962. This is called the half return, meaning that a planet is halfway through its cycle. Interestingly, every time transiting Jupiter makes a full return to its position in the Age Of Aquarius chart there are major musical events or large gatherings connected to love, philanthropy, humanitarianism. 

In 1973 when Jupiter had returned to Aquarius, a little known musical event took place called The Summer Jam on 28 July at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway, New York. The festival attracted approximately 600,000 visitors and entered the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records as the festival with the biggest audience at the time. Often referred to as the “Forgotten Woodstock", this event had only three bands perform: The Grateful Dead, The Band, and the Allman Brothers Band. Although the event was planned to last for just one day, thousands of concertgoers arrived at the venue and the target of the organizers was achieved with a bigger audience than the one at Woodstock, turning the festival into a major success story. 

On the next Age Of Aquarius Jupiter Return in 1985 the world saw a phenomenon called Live Aid. This took place in several locations around the world but primarily in London on Saturday 13th July. Live Aid was a benefit concert held to raise funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was one of the largest satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time; reaching an estimated audience of 1.9 billion, in 150 nations, watched by nearly 40 percent of the world population. 

Jupiter also made a return to its Age Of Aquarius position in 1997, thirty years after the Summer Of Love, and again, crowds gathered to show love, but this time was different. The event was the funeral of Diana, Princess Of Wales which resonated deeply with the Age Of Aquarius chart. Diana was born seven months before February 1962 but her birth chart formed strong connections with the Aquarius chart. Diana's natal Jupiter was conjunct the Age Of Aquarius Saturn and her natal North Node was conjunct the Age Of Aquarius Uranus.

The next Jupiter Return took place in 2009 but I have no idea what happened that year in connection to large social gatherings. Perhaps you can help me on this one? There was a Jupiter return to the Age of Aquarius chart in 2021 but because of Covid restrictions, nothing connected to large social gatherings happened. The next Jupiter trigger - a half-return - will occur in September 2026, and continue through a large chunk of 2027. What this will bring is going to very interesting indeed.