IN THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE of our modern world, it seems everyone is looking for a simpler way of life. Over the years, many people have sought this simplification by means of a Utopian vision - the desire to create a perfect society. Today, with all of the conflict and confusion in the world, interest in Utopian ideology is emerging once again. With that in mind, I would like to share with you a little information about the history of this concept, how it has influenced our culture in recent times, and how we can use these ideas to improve our society and ourselves now at the dawn of the third Millennium.

A Brief History of Utopian Movements
Since the publication of Sir Thomas More's book Utopia in 1516, the title has been used as a catch phrase for virtually any vision of a perfect society. Beginning almost with the dawn of humanity itself, people have searched for a better, simpler way of life. The ideals being sought after usually revolving around peaceful, orderly society; that peace and order being rooted in the personal liberty and individual rights of the common citizen.

More's Utopia, an island on which the inhabitants created a society based on tolerance, equality, and individualism (radical concepts in the 16th century), was seen as the perfect model of social and political systems.

While visionaries of the Renaissance and the democratic revolutionaries of America and France during the 18th century held certain visions of creating an ideal society, Utopianism came into its own as a movement during the second half of the 19th century, when new ideas and strategies for the future development of humankind abounded throughout the whole of western culture.

This period coincided with the rise of the industrial revolution, in which technological advancement and social development were seen as two sides of the same coin.

This era also marked the dawn of Marxism, which was, in itself, a Utopian vision; one devoid of the poverty and social pressures of capitalism. Communes began emerging as small Utopian societies unto themselves. However, this ideal faded after Russia's Bolshevik revolution (in 1917), when communism rose to power and became a form of social repression rather than an ideal of economic liberation.

Toward the close of the 19th century, a school of thought began to emerge, one that described the sun's transition into another astrological sign. According to this way of thinking, the sun which had risen for some 2,000 years in the sign of Pisces on the vernal (spring) equinox, was now in a state of transition and would soon begin to rise under the next sign in the precession of the zodiac - that of Aquarius.

This school of thought came to be known as Aquarian or "new age" philosophy. It was a way of thinking that had been widely known in earlier epochs of human history, but had long since fallen into obscurity. The philosophy was based on the idea that each sign of the zodiac exerted certain influences upon the people of the Earth, and that this influence would last as long as vernal sunrise occurred in that sign.

Aquarius was seen as being perhaps the greatest of all astrological ages, a time when humanity could give up its incivility, and incorporate standards of universal tolerance as part of human culture.

It was also around this time, just after the turn of the 20th century, that the British occultist Aleister Crowley began promoting the "Eon of Horus" as a concept of the new age. (Horus being an Egyptian sky god, and the son of Osiris and Isis). This era which began in 1904 according to Crowley, represented the era of the child, when individualism and a carefree mentality would become the standards of human culture.

Beginning in the 1960's new age thought became widespread. This was the period when the new age philosophers began to forge the core ideologies that the Aquarian age should represent, and it would be these ideologies that would form the foundation of the new Utopian movement.

Belief in the great Utopian plan grew even stronger in the 1980's and 1990's, after the social and political turmoil of the 60's had long since faded, and the new century loomed even closer. No one actually knew the exact date the new age would begin (due to the inexact nature of precessional science), but by the last two decades of the 20th century, many agreed that the year 2000 was the most likely time for the predicted transition into the Age of Aquarius.

The Movement of the 1990's
During my youth in the late 1990's, I was fortunate enough to have been involved with the branch of the new age movement which sought to create a better way of life in the 21st century, which was quickly approaching.

In the years leading up to 2000, Utopian visions were a common part of western culture. This period, known as the pre-millennial era*, was also the climax of the new age movement, which promoted a belief that the world was in a state of transition to a more spiritually enlightened existence.

This pre-millennial new age movement centered on the transition of our Celestial age from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. The Age of Aquarius was believed to begin in or around the year 2000. The Astrological age changes every 2,144 years due to the Earth wobbling on its axis. This phenomenon, known as the precession of equinoxes, causes the position of stars to change as seen from Earth.

No one actually knew what the new age would hold, or what direction human society would take after the Aquarian transition. Nonetheless, the movement as a whole had attempted to forge an overall philosophy that would encompass what the new age (hopefully) stood for.

This was done by analyzing the attributes commonly associated with the sign of Aquarius, intellectualism, individualism, etc; examining what had gone wrong during the Age of Pisces (wars, religious persecution, tyranny over the common people, etc.) and which of those problems a spiritually enlightened society could make right. Generally speaking the accepted principles were similar to these:

1. A belief in the common equality of all men and women worldwide regardless of race, gender, religion, etc.
2. The individual, at least at a fundamental level, should be able to live by their own law, as long as they does not directly harm or infringe on the rights of others.
3. The private personal possessions are to be regarded as such - because the ownership of individual property is fundamental to a free and working society.
4. Absolute world peace is a noble goal, but realizing that war is sometimes necessary, and realizing that it must only be used in the most extreme circumstances, such as when faced with annihilation of the nation or society.

The 20th century movement was loose knit and consisted of an array of people with a variety of backgrounds and beliefs.

Because of the wide diversity involved, it would be impossible to include every belief that was regarded as a component of the new age Aquarian philosophy. In fact, beliefs held by one sub-sect of the movement were often contradictory to those held by another. For example, the pacifists would object to the 'war only when necessary' concept, being opposed to war in all circumstances; while the Marxists would object to the idea of individual property, believing that a communal, shared property institution is the ideal social establishment.

Those who disagreed with one aspect or another would simply ignore it and adopt others that they did agree with, and then add their own ideas into the mix. While there were no steadfast rules which everyone agreed on as dogma, the ideals listed above are a few of the principles which were generally accepted by most (but certainly not all) as fundamental, as they were generally accepted to be basic principles of human rights. Fundamentals however, merely formed the foundation of new age philosophy. The true power of the movement was in the ability of individuals to expand, to improve themselves according to their own natural growth.

The Aquarian vision was a driving force for many of us who were a part of the movement in the late 1990's. The period was seen as a time spiritual enlightenment, and a time of transition into something better, although many others predicted that the turn of the 21st century would lead to the certain demise of humankind.

Doomsday prophecy and visions of a perfect society have always seemed to go hand in hand. For every Y2K (year 2000) doomsayer, there was at least one Aquarian visionary. In fact, visions of a bleak future often give rise to far more positive visions, ones that can set the stage for greater social improvement.

Which Brings Us to the Present
Today, due to current circumstances, we are faced with a generally negative outlook. With all of society's problems, it seems unlikely that a Utopian philosophy will take hold in the near future. In the relatively short period since the turn of the 21st century, we have been faced with war; political divisiveness; instability on a global scale; and perhaps most importantly, the death of individualism. Today, the average person is expected to give up individual ambition and do as he is told, either by political or corporate powers. This is troubling to most new agers, as this way of life is at odds with the positive, individualist message of the movement. However, these are problems that can be easily overcome through self awareness - attained by means of new age teachings, and expansion of consciousness through techniques such as meditation.

The Utopian vision can be as much of a positive influence today as it has been to previous generations.

First, we must not forget the positive message of the visionaries of recent times; the message is still as relevant now as was at any time in the past.

Second, the establishment of a greater society rests on the actions and ideals of individuals. Be courteous to your fellow man, as civility and tolerance are the keys to peace. With this philosophy being held by many even now, our society may be closer to a more perfect existence than anyone can currently imagine.

The ideals of a brighter tomorrow have always come about when society's outlook was at its bleakest. And out of today's negativity, there may rise the Utopian visions of the near future, which will lead our culture into the actual new age, and we can then create a society of peace and happiness for all who live on planet earth.

Blessed Be.

* This assumes the 3rd millennium began in 2000, as was the common belief at the time. However, because there is no year 0 on the Gregorian calendar, the actual millennial date was Jan. 1, 2001.

© Brian Trimble, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Having grown up in the rural foothills of eastern Kentucky's Appalachian mountains, Brian Trimble is a committed naturalist. A former organic farmer and a life-long outdoorsman, he is dedicated to the preservation of America’s farmland and wilderness areas, not only for environmental reasons, but also to create a more peaceful society through living in harmony with the land.

Beginning in his teens, Brian became an active participant in the new age movement, and is one of the few voices of new age thought in the eastern KY region.

Brian advocates the ideologies of self improvement of the individual through techniques of magick, meditation, and divination, in order to produce a state of heightened awareness and self realization and has been an outspoken advocate of these methods for over a decade.