So where is the "house of the water sign"? : Astrology and The Moody Blues' Strange Times

Warning - Astrology was only ever a hobby for me; I am not a professional, and much of this is from memory. Take this all for what it is worth!

The ages

From Parker's Astrology, by Julia and Derek Parker (Dorling Kindersley, 1991)

On pages 24 and 25, they discuss "The Great Year:"

"The Earth takes 25,868 years to pass, in retrograde motion, through the 12 constellations. It takes approximately 2500 years to travel through each sign of the zodiac, and these periods are known as the "ages"."

Retrograde motion occurs when a planet seems to be moving backwards relative to another. A classic example is of two cars moving at different speeds - both are moving forward, but from the point of view of the faster car, the slower car is moving in reverse.

(I must admit that I am confused by this. If retrograde motion is relative, and our point of reference is the Earth, then what is our point of reference when we say that the Earth is in retrograde motion?)

When I discussed the planets and the constellations, I mentioned that the signs and the constellations do not match exactly. As I write this, on 5 September 1999. the Sun is in Virgo, astrologically speaking. Not so from an astronomical perspective.

A few years back, a friend gave me a rather neat jigsaw puzzle: Celestial Planisphere, by Tomas J. Filsinger (Great American Puzzle Factory, c1989). It was 1000 pieces, glow-in-the-dark on a black background. It claims scientific accuracy, and it shows fairly clearly that the sun is in front of the constellation Leo the Lion at this time.

Back to the Ages... For about the past 2000 years, we've been in the Age of Pisces, a sign that deals with faith. We are moving into the Age of Aquarius, a sign that deals with rapid changes, technology, and humanitarian purposes. I don't know that anyone really knows when one Age ends and another begins; but we're somewhere on the cusp.