by Meanwhile, some clarifications on the starting date of the Age of Pisces: the date reported (67 BC) is the one calculated according to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) indications, based on the alignment of the vernal point with the outlines of the actual constellation. However, Western astrology does not use real constellations because it is based on the tropical zodiac. The zodiac signs are fictitious divisions of the ecliptic starting from the vernal point and are all of the same extents. So, if we don’t know the start date of one era, it’s hard to tell when the next era starts. Many dates have been proposed based on more or less sensible reasons; to give an example, according to the sidereal zodiac used in Vedic astrology, the Age of Pisces begins at the spring equinox of 360 AD. All this to explain that there cannot be a link between the two circumstances.
The symbol of the fish was familiar to many traditions, including, to name one, the Indian tradition. The first emanation of Viṣṇu, the deity responsible for the conservation of the universe, presents itself in the form of a fish or a fish-man (Matsyāvatāra). There are many legends in the Vedic texts and Purāṇas, who play Matsya as the saviour of mankind from the flood, making it a forerunner of the biblical Noah. In some of them, the asura Hayagrīva, at the end (the flood) of a Kalpa or cosmic cycle of existence, steals the sacred scriptures (the Vedās) from the sleeping Brahmā, creator of the universe, and tries to destroy them by throwing them into the ocean. Vishnu turns into fish and recovers the Vedās, making a gift of these teachings to the seven Ṛṣi, the visionaries whose task is preparing humanity for the next cycle of existence. In these legends, the fish symbolises the recovery of consciousness from the undifferentiated ocean, or the bond with the divine, reflected in creating a new era of humanity after losing contact with the source has caused its destruction.
In Christianity, the symbol of the fish in association with Christ makes its appearance in the Christian communities of the early years, presumably coming from Alexandria. The Greek term ἰχθύςl (Ichthys) that accompanied its diffusion was rendered as an acronym of Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr, or Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Tertullian, Christian author of the African provinces of Rome, in his work De Baptismo says: “We, little fish, in the image of our Ichthys, Jesus Christ, were born in the water (of baptism)”. In the Gospels, the only reference seems to be Mark, 1:16–18: “… he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, throwing their net into the sea because they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men ”.
Although sketchy, these quotations highlight some significant symbolic similarities. Now, Jesus is the Savior, but for what reason? Because he is God’s Son, he is the divinity that fell into the flesh, who chose to sacrifice himself as a man to make a gift of spiritual light. It is the little fish that becomes great again and decides to teach men the way of greatness to bring them back in the divine arms. As in Vedic and Puranic literature, the fish becomes the image of rebirth, of rising from the abyss, there thanks to the recovery of the sacred scriptures (knowledge), here through blessed and purifying baptismal water. Moreover, the zodiacal glyph of the Pisces sign expresses the meaning of renewal, of transition to a new cycle.
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