Awaken To The Aquarian Age: #1 Cosmic Shift of Your Life

(You, 2016): What. A. Year. 

(You, 2020): What. A. YEAR! 

(The World, 2020): We’re just getting started!

😶

Words can only come close to what it’s like to be human on Earth these days. And do you know why? We are all in the midst of an energetic shift into the Aquarian Age. If you’re wondering why the sky seems to be falling, like, on the daily, imagine a cosmic shift thousands of times more powerful than the moon cycle that affects humanity, Earth, our solar system and the flow of spiritual energy everywhere. 

Yep, it’s huge! The Age of Aquarius is based on the astrological sign of the same name. We’re transitioning into a period of several thousands of years dominated by the air element and Aquarian traits, including communication, growth, clarity, expansion, and free-spirited mindset. The Age of Aquarius is recognized within Kundalini yoga through philosophy and teachings that offer wisdom to help humanity flourish in this new age.  

So what can can you expect from the Age of Aquarius? How does this influence you? That’s the topic of this post. We’ll go over the history of thought about this new age, review astrological ages generally, learn about the significance of the Aquarian Age to Kundalini yoga, and finish up with five practices to help you thrive in this universal energetic transition ✨

What is the Aquarian Age? 

The Aquarian Age is one of the twelve astrological ages. It is characterized by an advanced society, which we can see all around us! In the last few years, technology has made enormous leaps in making information and data about EVERYTHING more widely available than ever before. This development means that keeping a low profile is almost impossible, pushing humans to share their experiences and thoughts rather than keep them personal.

You just need to watch the news once to see that almost everything is being illuminated, awakened – good, bad, ugly and beautiful, it’s all out there in the open! The Aquarian Age is calling humanity to awaken to a higher consciousness as we realize that old ways are no longer serving us, our families, or our brothers and sisters around the globe. 

History 

About every 2,150 years, the sun changes its location in relation to the stars we recognize from Earth as zodiac constellations. In astrology, this marks the beginning of a new age which brings a major shift in energy.

Among astrologers there are different opinions on when exactly the Age of Aquarius arrived – but most agree that we are in the earliest years of it now. One of the more common explanations is that the Age of Aries falls between 2000 B.C.E. to 1 A.C.E. This was a time of much violence (remember the Greeks and Romans?). From there the Age of Pisces follows. Most of the major religions have their origin in this period. Religiously following prescribed beliefs were a big part of the Piscean Age.

Today, scientific and technological developments have widely replaced religion as the primary influence in organizing society. This technical connectivity has awakened many to our spiritual, emotional and social connection to the universe on the whole, sparking hope for growing a global community and desire to develop a higher consciousness. This is the Age of Aquarius.

While some astrologers suggest this age began in the mid 20th century, others believe it started in 1999, and some others even think it was in 2012. Pretty much everyone agrees that it has arrived though, and we’re living and breathing Aquarian energy this very moment. 

Pop Culture (Yes, Hair)

When the moon is in the Seventh House

And Jupiter aligns with Mars

Then peace will guide the planets

And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius

Sound familiar? Do bangles, bindis, protests, long hair, tie-die and bare feet ring a bell?

The Broadway rock musical “Hair”, originally produced in1967, opens with these lines with its hit song, The Age of Aquarius. 

Known for its messages promoting equality, revolution and free love, “Hair” introduced the concept of Aquarius to mainstream culture as it followed the lives of young New Yorkers protesting the Vietnam war, fighting for racial justice and expanding their sexual horizons.

At the time, these were highly controversial topics. The transition to the Age of Aquarius is still happening, and with it, societal changes, but it’s a sign of progress that conversations around these topics have evolved. 

What is the Vernal Equinox?

The vernal equinox happens twice a year on Earth; once in September and once in March. It marks the time at which the sun crosses the celestial equator, resulting in day and night to be of approximately equal length.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox happens in March due to the tilt of the Earth, which is the beginning of Spring (vernal means “fresh”, “new”), whereas for the Southern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox occurs in September.

Astrological Ages only shift when the zodiacal constellation behind the sun changes during the vernal equinox, so this time of year is significant to the energetic shifts of the Age of Aquarius. The Age of Aquarius began when the sun moved out of the constellation Pisces and into the constellation Aquarius during the vernal equinox.

Astrological Ages

An astrological age is described in astrology as a time period which has major impacts on humanity and its developments. There are twelve astrological ages corresponding to the twelve zodiac signs.

---

Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies and their interpretation as influencing human affairs and the natural world.

---

Planet Earth moves in retrograde motion (backwards) through the zodiac signs, from the Aries sign to the Pisces sign, from the Pisces sign to the Aquarius sign, and so on.

To give you some context, it takes our solar system around 25,000 years to circumnavigate our galaxy. Together the twelve Ages (Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, and so on.) represent this amount of time, i.e. each Age lasts for about 2,000 years, which is when the Earth’s rotation moves into a new zodiac sign during the vernal equinox.

Currently we are in the Age of Aquarius, though some astrologers believe that we are still transitioning from Pisces to Aquarius since this shift between ages can take several hundred years.

The Piscean Age

The Piscean Age came before the Age of Aquarius (roughly from years 1-2000 AD). It was strongly led by an “I/ego”-mentality. Generational hierarchies, religion and socioeconomic status dominated social organization around the globe. 

Access to limited information characterized shifts in power, leading to competition based on scarcity and fighting over what were perceived to be limited resources. Most people were told what to do and what to believe, and typically adopted what their parents and grandparents believed, because where would you learn otherwise?

Transition to a New Age

Transitioning away from the Age of Pisces, the world moves into a new era of spiritual awakening. Focus is shifting slowly to a “we”-mentality. Community and the overall well-being and how we treat our planet as a whole are becoming the center of attention.

Whether the Age of Aquarius has dawned or is dawning, the visionary, creative, and even rebellious energies of Aquarius help us envision, and then create something new. Hence, the Age of Aquarius is strongly connected to advancement in technology. New inventions come up in almost every industry around the world, from healthcare to agriculture, information technology to art. Human beings have designed machines and automations that can efficiently and effectively do labor, shifting activity and resources to the knowledge economy.

Moving away from the status mindset of the Piscean Age, we are now being called to become more conscious than ever and commit to who we truly are.

If you have Aquarius as your Sun, Moon, or Rising Sign, you might feel even more connected to the Age of Aquarius.

Kundalini Yoga and the Age of Aquarius

Kundalini Yoga is a deeply spiritual practice that attunes students to the cosmos, a connection that some people experience as Kundalini awakening.

Read about my wild experience about Kundalini awakening. 

Founded upon principles of the Sikh tradition and Western astrological philosophy, Kundalini yoga focuses on removing energy blockages that can manifest as fear, anxiety, and physical tension. When we free ourselves from such blocks, we have the opportunity to connect to the Divine, our true inner being. 

Yogi Bhajan, an influential guru of Kundalini yoga in the west, taught extensively about The Aquarian Age and developed specific teachings including the Aquarian Sadhana and the five sutras of the Aquarian Age to help students deal with this spiritual mirror of the Information Age. All Kundalini practices actually direct focus away from external gratification and towards our true inner being, or true Self, through releasing blockages. 

Check out my online Course Kundalini Demystified

Energetic Mastery

We are well aware of our physical body, but not all of us are aware that we have an energetic body, too.

Somatic and energetic healers in various fields have mapped the meridians that represent channels within the energetic body. In Kundalini yoga, we call these energy channels nadis ). Nadis travel through our entire body and congregate in certain spots where they create big energy wheels, aka chakras. There are seven chakras located in our body from the base of our spine all the way up to the crown of our head.

Through Kundalini Yoga, we learn to draw energy from the base of the spine upwards through the chakras to eventually awaken the energy of consciousness within us. This is often represented by a serpent that is coiled at the base of our spine and then travels up through our nadis to connect to our higher Self. To awaken the serpent or the energy within us, we use practices like pranayama (breath work), asana (physical postures), mantra (chanting),  and mudras (hand positions).

If you ever feel like vinyasa yoga makes you more anxious, hyper-active or imbalanced, give Kundalini a try! It’s the perfect pairing for the Age of Aquarius and will most definitely improve your energetic awareness. Kundalini offers a range of tools to soothe and heal energetic imbalances while maintaining a connection to the greater whole. That’s why I love it and teach it ❤️

The Future Is Female

Our value systems and beliefs about gender roles are changing with the astrological shift! Look around you, and you’ll notice that women increasingly earn higher incomes, men are given respect when they choose to stay at home, and caring for those around us is no longer tied to a gender or family role. 

Advances in research psychology and communication enable us to understand our differences and empower gender non-binary people, women and men to shape the future together. While this process isn’t easy or perfect, we are moving towards a collective consciousness.

While in the past, women have had little choice to hold responsibilities or status beyond that of home-makers (thank the lord for birth control!), the advances that characterize our age come with boundless opportunities for expanding how we even think about gender, much less define roles based on it.

Astrologers believe that the Age of Aquarius will bring the Divine Feminine to full glory and power. Femine qualities will be honored and respected, rather than seen as weakness. Beyond that, visionaries describe the Age of Aquarius as an era where the Divine Feminine and Masculine come into balance, leaving behind the masculine hierarchy of the Piscean Age.

Wow, yes please! 

The 5 Sutras of The Age of Aquarius 

The Sanskrit word sutra translates to “threads”. Sutras are like threads of wisdom, usually short phrases passed down from spiritual teachers.

Yogi Bhajan set out five sutras of the Aquarian Age to live by. Simply speaking these are five principles to help us navigate through this new age and live with greater awareness and sensitivity.

The five sutras of the Age of Aquarius are:

1. Recognize that the other person is you.
2. There is a way through every block.
3. When the time is on you, start, and the pressure will be off.
4. Understand through compassion or you will misunderstand the times.
5. Vibrate the Cosmos. The Cosmos shall clear the path.

Kundalini Practices to Cope With the Greatest Energetic Shift of Our Era

1. Meditation

With the Age of Aquarius comes an overflow of information and quick advancements in the external world. To be able to find calm in what can seem like chaos, it is important to connect to the wisdom and intuition of our internal world. Meditation is a beautiful tool to step away from the external stimuli and connect to our true inner being. It allows us to bring our focus into the present and center our energy.

Put on some comfy clothes, take your shoes off, and find a pleasant position (sitting or lying down). Close your eyes and take a few moments to become aware of the space around you, acknowledge the support from Earth below you. Scan your body for any unnecessary tension that you can let go of.

You might choose to simply stay there in silence, observing your thoughts and paying attention to your breath. If you prefer to follow a guided meditation, try out my root chakra meditation – a grounding practice for you to connect to your true self and step into your full potential to embrace the Age of Aquarius.

2. Affirmations

Affirmations and mantras often get mixed up. Affirmations are a powerful tool to organize what is going on in our mind by using positive statements to rewrite our thought patterns. Mantras differ from affirmations in that we use the vibrational frequency of sound to bring us in harmony with the universe.

During the Age of Aquarius, it can be a challenge to stay connected to our true inner being. We are asked to be more conscious of our behavior than ever before. This is why balancing our root as well as third eye chakra are great ways to cope with the shifting energy during the Age of Aquarius.

• The root chakra represents our connection to Mother Earth, our survival instincts, and individuality. It’s the energy center responsible for making us feel secure and grounded.
• The third eye chakra is the center of intuition, imagination, and visualization. This is where we receive inner guidance and wisdom in order to see clearly in the physical world and beyond.

As you can imagine, if these chakras are out of balance, we likely feel the overwhelm of information and fast progress in the Age of Aquarius even more. We experience pressure and confusion instead of opportunities to lead a successful life.

To help you release any negative feelings and thoughts, I’ve put together 15 root chakra affirmations and 15 third eye chakra affirmations. Choose those that speak to you, or maybe you create your own. It is through repetition that affirmations become a powerful tool.

3. Mantras

Making sounds can be an intimidating experience at first, but it doesn’t have to be that way! When we chant a mantra we let our body vibrate at a higher frequency.  Through this vibration we channel the cosmic energy (remember EVERYTHING is energy), which can initiate an incredible healing process. From raising our mood to creating a more abundant state of mind. Did you know that there are specific mantras for the Aquarian Age? It’s true!

Personally, I like to pair mantra practice with chakra work. Each chakra is associated with a specific sound. Chanting these sounds is what we call Bija Mantras. Basically, these sounds match the frequency of our chakras, which balances the flow of prana (life energy). Bija is a Sanskrit word meaning “seed”. So when practising bija mantras, think of it as if you were watering the seeds of your highest purpose and creating harmony within yourself as well as everything around you.

The seven chakras and their associated sound are:

1. root chakra: LAM
2. sacral chakra: VAM
3. solar plexus chakra: RAM
4. heart chakra: YAM
5. throat chakra: HAM
6. third eye chakra: AUM
7. crown chakra: AUM (silent)

Bija mantras are just one of many mantras one may chant to bring mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual balance. Make sure you find a comfortable position to practice these. While you repeat these mantras, try to focus on the associated chakra in your body.

You might also practice mantras as part of kirtan kriya – a multisensory meditation.

4. Pranayama

In Kundalini Yoga, there are specific breathing techniques for the different meditations and kriya depending on whether energy needs to be released or generated.

Proper breathing helps to not only circulate oxygen throughout our entire body, but it also promotes clearer thinking and relieves stress – very much needed in the Age of Aquarius when life can turn a little hairy.

There are many different pranayama to practice. An easy way to begin is to simply notice your breath in its current state – is your inhale longer than the exhale, or maybe the other way around, or are they the same? Do you pause between inhale and exhale?

Notice the depth and length of your breath as well as where in the body you can feel your breath flowing. From there, start to deepen your breath and focus on letting the breath flow smoothly into, and out of, your body.

5. Mudras

Hasta mudras are shapes we make with our hands. In Sanskrit hasta means “hand” and mudra “seal” or “gesture”. In Kundalini yoga, we use mudras to allow prana to flow through our nadis. By doing so we help to awaken our Kundalini energy and release any energy blocks to connect with our higher consciousness. In the Age of Aquarius, mudras are a wonderful tool to practice self-awareness and recognize what we want to focus on or move our energy away from.

Gyan mudra is one of the most common mudras in Kundalini yoga, which is associated with creating calm and becoming open-minded. This is especially great in the Age of Aquarius with so much progress in every aspect of life, which we sometimes may not welcome.

To practice gyan mudra press your index finger and thumb together. The index finger is associated with Jupiter, one of the planets that represents growth and development. Hence this mudra is often called “the gesture of knowledge”.