Early visions for the AION System were conceived in the Spring of 1994 (while influences can be traced earlier, this is a good starting point). While being deeply inspired by the emergence of the Internet and Word Wide Web at this time, and while studying various esoteric systems such as numerology, sacred geometry, I Ching, astrology, mythology, and dream interpretation–visionary notions and premonitions arrived: of interactive interfaces and information systems organization by esoteric systems and evolutionary cosmological principles and patterns.
Years later, thru 2002 and 2003, after becoming increasingly involved with web design and development in the San Francisco Bay Area, those early visionary seeds began to sprout. I began designing and programming early concept designs for an “Archetypal Engineering System” (AES), such as the Holosys Integral Interface Prototype and Mandapa Cosmological Interface model.
In the Spring of 2003, I enrolled into the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness (PCC) graduate program at the Californian Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. This was the beginning of a 3 year term of scholastic focus into ancient history, alchemy, gnosticism, archetypal psychology, archetypal cosmology, and the evolution of consciousness, studying primarily with professors David Ulansey and Richard Tarnas. During this time, I lived in a geodesic dome in a forest at the Solstice Grove community in Marin County. There, I lived, studied, and slept within the triangle-based architecture of a spherical lattice network of great circles, surrounded by redwood trees, oak trees, and wild animals. In this environment of both extraordinary architecture and super-normative nature, I continued to draft sketches for an Archetypal Engineering System (AES), which became more articulated from the knowledge being assimilated in studying alchemy, astrology, and other resources of archetypal information (reading books such as The Forge and the Crucible and The Ever Present Origin). As time went on, a more particular, tho still general idea for an AES developed: an interface to synthesize principles of geometrical, mythology, astrology, alchemy, and other archetypal and psychological systems within a highly visual, interactive, and networked software environment.
During the first 2003 Spring semester at CIIS, I participated in a seminal course entitled “An Archetypal History of Western Thought and Culture”, instructed by renowned historian, astrologer, philosopher, and writer, Richard Tarnas. The course became a fascinating and comprehensive presentation comprising decades of Tarnas’ research into compelling correlations and implications involved with the patterns of planetary motions associated with events and people throughout western history (Tarnas’ research was then published 2 years later in this brilliant and acclaimed 10-year-crafted tome: “Psyche & Cosmos: Intimations of a New World View“). During my participation with Tarnas in this inspiring course, a definitively clear vision for an AES was realized. That same semester, I began the initial technical development of a software system that combined an interactive timeline of world history along side two interactive and animating planetary charts (one geocentric and one heliocentric). This original AES prototype was designed to provide an interactive and networked virtual environment for plotting, researching, and exploring both individual and collective “time scapes”, the events and stories of people’s lives now and thru all of human history. By providing multiple simultaneous perspectives of the positions of the planets along side an interactive and synchronized historical timeline, the AES allowed for more immediate recognition of correspondences between the patterns of planetary cycles to historical and personal events. This AES also included accurate astronomical plotting of some lesser acknowledged stellar objects, including Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), and extra-solar objects, such as: Quaoar, Sedna, Eris, the Galactic Equator, and the Galactic Center. Additionally, this AES was designed to allow for archetypal interpretations of personal and historic events to be represented by multimedia content, such as images, songs, and movies that can be more significant and complete expressions of various astrological and and archetypal combinations. Overall, this original AES was the prototype of a highly visual and fluidly interactive experience in exploring, developing, and articulating a universal and archetypal language of collective human evolution.
Thus the initial basis for the AION software was born. The name “AION” came to me intuitively–yet once applied, there eventually emerged multiple meaningful and relevant associations. “AION” (or Aeon, Eon) is derived from the ancient Latin and Greek meaning “an indefinitely long, incomprehensible, or eternal period of time.” “Aion” is also the title of one of archetypal psychologist Carl Jung’s last written books: “Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self“, where Jung makes a careful treatment of the meaning of the archetype of “The Self”, especially in relation to the Christ Complex, and the corresponding archetypal evolutionary processes of the collective human psyche from the Piscean to the Aquarian ages of time. In Gnosticism, “Aeon” is a divine power or natural emanation from the Supreme Being, and plays various roles in the operation of the universe. “Aeon” is also the name of the 20th Major Acana card in the Tarot, having a general interpretation as the “living body”, transcendental object, or intelligent medium of space-time that human consciousness emerges through across the lifetimes of ages. Finally, “A.I.O.N.”, as a more technical definition, is an acronym I assigned for “Archetypal Interface for Ontological Networking”.
In 2004, after a year of research, planning, and development–the AION beta application was completed with a standard geocentric zodiac wheel, a heliocentric solar system view, and a ephemeris timeline embedded with key historical event indicators, and a user-centric arrangement of navigation elements which allowed for a fluid and enjoyable user-experience of exploring archetypal history.
In early 2005, I established Jalaka.com, my first on-line business, where, among a few other innovative web applications, I sold a modified “widget” version of the AION astrology application: a simple horrary zodiac wheel that can be embedded within any website, or used on any computer desktop platform. In late 2005, an advertisement was placed in The Mountain Astrologer magazine for this first commercial version of the AION software. Interestingly, and quite synchronistically, this one-time advertisement just happened to be placed within the same TMA magazine edition that would include the featured article “The Dawn of a New Universe” (an excerpt from Richard Tarnas’ book that would be released the next year), and also be placed directly within an additional interview called “Cosmos & Psyche” (see the articles and advertisement).
In 2006, I demonstrated the AION beta software for Richard Tarnas, who (impressed) invited me to present the software before a “Psyche & Cosmos” graduate level astrology course instructed by Tarnas and Stanislav Grof. Later in 2006, this initial presentation of AION was made and well-received by many CIIS astrology students. AION was then presented again to another audience of students and faculty at the annual CIIS/PCC graduate retreat at Esalen in Big Sur.
In January of 2007, PCC students Kevin Kholey and Jeremy Krane approached me with interest to get involved and directly support the development of the AION project. I introduced them to several new ideas for unique implementations of the core application that could allow for both interesting research and for on-line businesses potentials. Over the course of 2007, this small group (along with a few other supporting associates, including Tarnas and Ralph Metzner) coordinated in developing plans to broaden and professionalize these initiatives under Holosys LLC (which I founded that same year). In late 2007, a technical specification and provisional patent application for the AION computer software and database system was submitted and accepted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Also in late 2007, Kevin Kholey and I discussed formulating an “Archetypal Research Collective” (“ARC”) to harness and engage the astrological and philosophical community of CIIS/PCC with the essential research that would both be catalyzed by and support the various initiatives of the AION system project. Synchronistically, within about one week of making this intention (and of developing a basic A.R.C. website), Richard Tarnas announced an open invitation to an initial “archetypal astrology gathering”. This first gathering (on December 19, 2007 – during a conjunction of Pluto, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and the Galactic Center very near the Solstice) involved several dozen CIIS/PCC students, alumni, faculty, astrologers, and others, including Stanislav Grof, Ralph Metzner, and Paul Hawken. During this initial meeting, I provided the name “Archetypal Research Collective”, and it was collectively adopted. The AION System was demonstrated during this initial ARC meeting–to a coherent gathering of professional and academic astrologers and philosophers–along with an invitation for community involvement.
[ more history (2008 – 2015) coming ] …
Currently, the AION System is continuing to be developed toward it’s fullest potentials. Active production of the AION System is being implemented into several innovative research and development initiatives that will benefit both academic research interests and the public.
The AION system supports an associated cluster of projects in development:
www.hologene.net
www.astrogene.com
www.datatemple.net
www.astrotunes.com
www.socialalchemy.net
www.mythicsystems.com
www.synchronicity.net
~ Michael Gaio
February 7, 2014
Founder/CEO Mythic Systems LLC
www.mythicsystems.com
www.michaelgaio.com