Serving as Aquarius Indicates

Two thousand years ago the sun entered the sign of Pisces, and since then the energies emanating from this constellation have conditioned human civilisation. This period of history has brought about the transformation of humanity from predominantly warring, tribal factions to a point where the great family of nations is not only a noble idea, but actively being encouraged by visionary thinkers and developed through the UN. The sun is now moving into the zodiacal sign of Aquarius; new energies, new impulses and new opportunities await humanity to further the evolutionary process upon the planet. The Aquarian Age will no doubt embody the highest and noblest of the past, yet bring its own highly distinctive note of love and light, and its emphasis upon group work.

The sign of Aquarius, the Water Carrier, is portrayed by "a man, carrying on his shoulders a jar of water so full that it pours over to all and sundry, and yet it diminishes not." These symbolic words indicate the role of service as a way of life in the coming era; for Aquarius stands symbolically "for group purity and relationship, for the universality of experience and for the waters poured over all." It is perhaps not without coincidence that in the last one hundred years or so, the natural resource of water has been harnessed for the benefit of many within the human family; although there is still considerable work to be done to improve the supply of clean and abundant water to those in the third world. Sanitation, irrigation, transportation and hydro-electric power are just some of the ways in which water is used for human welfare. We are reminded of one of the Labours of Hercules in which by diverting the flow of two rivers, he cleaned out the Augean stables and consequently saved the Kingdom of Augeus from pestilence.

In the world today a great cleansing is going on. The purifying waters of Aquarius are bringing to the surface all the impurities within society. Humanity is demanding higher standards, wiser values and nobler ideals from those who hold positions of influence. Perhaps one of the outstanding examples of the Aquarian impulse is embodied in the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which declares that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." The articles provide in their own way an important framework for real peace and security, and form in part the blueprint of a new global order.

Right service, which will be indicative of the Aquarian thinker, requires not only the 'outflow of a loving heart', but also the use of a trained mind responsive to the progressive, spiritually liberating ideas emanating from the Mind of God. These ideas, impulsed by the will-to-good, work out on outer levels as all those developments in world society, which enrich and beautify human life. There are now in the world today many spiritually focused groups that are inspired by the Aquarian vision to stand not only "in spiritual being, but together with others, working with them subjectively, telepathically, and synthetically." The role of group work, whether in spiritual service, business, science or any other field of human endeavour, is emerging as a natural expression of human development. This trend is as yet embryonic, but is becoming recognised by spiritual thinkers as an important cycle in the life of humanity. In the last two or three centuries, and especially in this century, the Aquarian impulse of service, has gradually awakened humanity to an appreciation of the interrelated diversity of life upon our small planet, and of its role as a responsible custodian of the lower kingdoms in nature. In the next two thousand years we can expect this momentous emerging pattern to continue, as the impulse of Aquarius draws all humanity closer to the Heart of God.