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The Light of Egypt, Volume II
by Henry O. Wagner/Belle M. Wagner/Thomas H. Burgoyne
February, 1999 [Etext #1650]
Project Gutenberg Etext Light of Egypt, V II, by Wagner/Burgoyne
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\ AUTHOR: Burgoyne, Thomas H.
| TITLE: The light of Egypt :
| or, The science of the soul and the stars /
| EDITION: 5th ed.
| PLACE: Denver, Colo. :
|PUBLISHER: Astro Philosophical Pub. Co.,
| YEAR: 1903
| PUB TYPE: Book
| FORMAT: 2 v. : ill. ; 22 cm.
| Vol. 2 has title: The light of Egypt, by Thomas H. Burgoyne ...
| Denver, Colo., The Astro-philosophical publishing
co., 1900.
| "Dictated by the author from the subjective plane of
life" through Belle M. Wagner.--Pref., vol. II.
| SUBJECT: Astrology.
| Occultism.
| OTHER: Wagner, Belle M.
--
AUTHOR: Wagner, H. O.
| TITLE: A treasure chest of wisdom:
| jewels of thought; the tablets of Aeth in verse /
| PLACE: Denver :
|PUBLISHER: H. O. Wagner,
| YEAR: 1967
| PUB TYPE: Book
| FORMAT: 63 p. ; 21 cm.
| NOTES: Verses by Dr. and Mrs. Henry Wagner.
"A supplement to the tablets of Aeth in The light of
Egypt,
| volume II, by T. H. Burgoyne."
| SUBJECT: Occultism.
| OTHER: Wagner, Henry, 1850-
| Wagner, Belle M.
| Burgoyne, Thomas H. The light of Egypt.
|____________________________________________
Scanned by Charles Keller for Sarah with OmniPage Professional
OCR software
THE LIGHT OF EGYPT OR THE SCIENCE OF THE SOUL AND THE STARS
VOLUME II
BY
THOMAS H. BURGOYNE
ZANONI
"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are,
and the things which shall be hereafter; THE MYSTERY OF THE SEVEN
STARS, which thou sawest in my right hand."
Revelations, Chap. I, 19 and 20.
Dedication
To the Budding Spirituality of the Occident and
The Rising Genius of the Western Race,
This work is respectfully dedicated,
By the Author
CONTENTS
The Science of the Soul and the Stars
VOLUME II Introduction
Chapter I The Zodiac
Chapter II The Constellations
Chapter III The Spiritual Interpretation of the
Twelve Houses of the Zodiac
Chapter IV Astro-Theology
Chapter V Astro-Mythology
Chapter VI Symbolism
Chapter VII Alchemy Part I (organic)
Chapter VIII Alchemy Part II (occult)
Chapter IX Talismans
Chapter X Ceremonial Magic
Chapter XI Magic Wands
Chapter XII The Tablets of Aeth in three parts
Part I the Twelve Mansions
Part II the Ten Planetary Rulers
Part III the Ten Great Powers of the Universe
Chapter XIII Penetralia
PUBLISHER'S PREFACE
No explanation is thought necessary, further than to corroborate
the author in all he has said in his somewhat unusual preface.
We have enjoyed, immensely, our work of giving to the world this
remarkable series of books on Occultism, and appreciate the large
patronage they have received from the reading public, for which
we return our sincere thanks. We hope the near future will give
us the work referred to by the author in his preface, as
doubtless it will be a great revelation of Occult laws that
govern our little Earth in its relation to our Sun and solar
system, of which it forms a part, and give much light on those
subjects that have been shrouded in mystery.
"The Light of Egypt" will be found to be an Occult library in
itself, a textbook of esoteric knowledge, setting forth the
"wisdom Religion" of life, as taught by the Adepts of Hermetic
Philosophy. It will richly repay all who are seeking the higher
life to carefully study this book, as it contains in a nutshell
the wisdom of the ages regarding man and his destiny, here and
hereafter. The London and American first edition, also the French
edition, Vol. I, met with lively criticism from Blavatsky
Theosophists, because it annihilates that agreeable delusion of
"Karma" and "Reincarnation" from the minds of all lovers of truth
for truth's sake.
"The Tablets of Aeth" is a great and mighty work, as it contains
the very quintessence of Occult and Hermetic philosophy, as
revealed by spiritual law. "Penetralia" is a new revelation, and
invaluable to Occult students, as it is the personal experience
of a developed soul.
To all lovers of Truth we respectfully recommend this Book of
Books, as it has justly been called by many who are competent to
criticise its teachings. It was the author's wish that his name
be withheld from the public, knowing full well that the teachings
contained in his works will prove his motto: "Omnia Vincit
Veritas."
Now that our author has passed beyond the power of the world to
flatter or condemn, and has given his thought for the uplifting
of the human family, it is but simple justice that he be made
known to the world as its teacher of a higher thought than has
preceded him. He shrank from public notoriety, and modestly
refused to be publicly known to the world as one of its spiritual
leaders for the cycle upon which the Earth and its inhabitants
have entered, but the time has come to announce publicly the
authorship of the works published anonymously under the symbol of
{}, and his writings are to be judged by their merits, and not by
prejudice nor personal bias as viewed from the human plane of
life.
He moved in the world, comparatively unknown to the world at
large, and his greatest friends, though mystified, did not
understand his true worth in spiritual greatness. The mask, or
person, often hides from view the angel in disguise. Therefore
our author must be judged by what he has written, and not by his
personators and calumniators. The true student of Occultism
always judges the tree by its fruits. If the writings of our
author are judged by this standard, they will stand as a beacon
light to higher rounds than ours.
PREFACE
These lessons were issued to a few of my pupils as "Private
Studies in Occultism," several years ago. The time has now come
to give them to the world as a companion to the first volume of
"The Light of Egypt."
It is the duty of Occult students to familiarize themselves with
the subjects herein discussed. They should know the ideas of our
ancestors regarding them and be familiar with their thought, in
order to appreciate the sublime wisdom and knowledge of Nature as
taught by them, otherwise we are sure to do them, as well as
ourselves, great injustice. The history of Occultism bears out
the fact that there is very little that is new to the present
time.
The arrangement and classification of thought differs during each
cycle of time on the different spirals, and, like the fruitage on
lower rounds of Nature's progressive wheel of destiny, variety
and quality are diverse, so, likewise, do we find the mental
manifestations. This age, however, is blessed with a great
variety and abundance of thought, in clear-cut language, that
should enlighten the races of the Earth with Mother Nature's
modus operandi in every department of human thought.
We hope these chapters will aid to this end, and doubtless many
students will find in them the key to unlock the mysteries veiled
in symbol and hieroglyphic by ancient writers. The author's
object has been to make plain and easy of understanding these
subjects. Much, however, has been left for private study and
research, for many large volumes might be filled if a detailed
description of each subject were entered upon, which task is left
for those who feel so inclined. A rich reward is in store for
those spiritual investigators who will follow out the paths and
lines herein mapped out on Spiritual Astrology, Alchemy, and
other subjects. Meditation and aspiration will open up hidden
treasures that will prove a boon to Occult students, for
Astrology and Alchemy are the two grand sciences that explain the
why and reasons for what we see and experience on every plane of
life. In this age there should be no concealing of these Divine
truths. We cannot hide anything in the air, and for this reason
the Sun in Aquarius will unearth and reveal to man all that the
present cycle has to give during the Sun's passage through this
airy sign.
The watery sign, Pisces, through which the Sun manifested during
the past 2,160 years, gave up to man their secret powers and
hidden attributes in steam as a motive power, which man has
completely mastered. He will likewise master the airy forces
during the present sub-cycle of the Sun in Aquarius. Already we
see him using liquid air and compressed air as a motive power,
which will gradually take the place of steam as the Sun gets
farther into the sign, or constellation, of Aquarius. Men will
become immensely wiser than they have been, and it is to be hoped
they will leave the written record of their achievements in
science and art to show to future races their status of mind on
every subject for the edification and enlightenment of coming
races.
Our ancestors were denied this great privilege. Consequently
their wisdom is only symbolized to us in a way that it is
difficult to read and interpret correctly, yet we who have the
key to their symbols can read accurately the truth they wish to
convey, which stands out clearly to all capable of understanding
and interpreting symbolism and correspondence correctly. History
and Nature repeat themselves in every cycle of time; therefore
these forces and potentialities are natural to the sign through
which the Sun manifests. We can go backward or forward through
the Sun's Zodiac and read correctly the history of the hoary
past, as well as the present and future, by bearing in mind the
sign and cycle in manifestation at any given period. When the
proper time arrives, a work will be given to the world to prove
to mankind the law of cycles.
God is present in all ages and races, manifesting His love and
wisdom throughout infinite creations, and that He records, in His
own way, the most detailed record of any event which takes place,
thus giving to man a complete history of His works and will, for
man's enlightenment, so that he, too, may cooperate intelligently
with his God in every way that intelligence wills to manifest.
Prehistoric history is not blotted out from Nature's laboratory.
The Astral Book of Karmic evolution will one day reveal its
hidden treasures to a waiting world in such a manner as to
surprise and enlighten mankind as the recording angels give up
those gems of truth they have so jealously guarded for untold
cycles of time, simply because the time was not ripe for its
divulgence.
There is a time for everything, and when that time arrives all
past history of our planet's evolution will be written in an
intelligent manner for the illumination and education of man as
the masterpiece of the Living God. In this way man will worship
Deity and perfect his God-nature, even to Angel-hood.
If this volume of "The Light of Egypt" meets with the same
appreciation that was accorded the first volume, which has passed
through four editions, and is still growing in favor every day
(besides being translated into the French), the author will feel
that his efforts have not been wasted, and he trusts the race
will have been made better for having read his writings.
As this is his posthumous contribution to the world, the author
wishes, in this connection, to pay a debt of gratitude and
grateful recognition to his esteemed pupil and friend, Dr. Henry
Wagner, who has so generously published nearly all of his
writings. Without his aid and assistance we would not have been
able, of ourselves, to have given these works to the world.
Therefore, honor to whom honor is due.
Mrs. Belle M. Wagner has been chosen by the Masters as my
spiritual successor and representative of the Hermetic
Brotherhood of Luxor, and thus perpetuate the chain of outward
connection between those in the realm of the higher life with
those upon the outward plane.
She is our choice, and a most worthy one to take my place.
I make this statement in this connection for the benefit of my
pupils and Hermetic students generally, as I am being personated
by frauds and imposters, claiming to be Zanoni. Verbam sap.
It is my request that a fac-simile of my signature and symbol
accompany this preface.
Dictated by the author from the subjective plane of life (to
which he ascended several years ago) through the law of mental
transfer, well known to all Occultists, he is enabled again to
speak with those who are still upon the objective plane of life.
The additions found in this volume, not in the original
manuscripts, have been supplied in this manner. The two planes of
life, the objective and subjective, are scientific facts, no
longer disputed by well-informed minds, and the exchange of
thought will become almost universal among educated minds during
the present cycle. Hence great progress will come to the Earth
during the next 2,160 years, while the Sun manifests his glorious
influence through the symbol of the Man.
Thanking each and all who have aided in any way to give my
writings to the world, I am, in love and fraternal greetings,
ever yours. Omnia Vincit Veritas.
INTRODUCTION TO VOL. II
What study is more sublime, inspiring and profitable, in the
highest sense, than the "language of the stars"--those silent
monitors of the midnight sky, who reveal HIS WILL as secondary
causes in the administration of universal law? The science of the
stars is the Divine parent of all science.
The more earnest our study, the more recondite our research and
thorough our investigation of the "Science of the Stars," the
more fully shall we realize the truth of the teacher's words:
"Astrology is the key that opens the door to all occult
knowledge." It is the key that unlocks the mysteries of man's
being; his why, whence, whither. Within the temple of Urania lies
concealed the mystery of life. The indices are there, written by
the finger of the Infinite in the heavens above.
It is our privilege to make this language our own, and it should
be the earnest work of every true student of Nature to acquire a
right understanding and correct interpretation of these Divine
symbols. And, as thorough students of any language seek out the
derivation of words and expressions, search for the root, or stem
word, and its origin, so should the student of astrology, by
sincere desire and earnest study, seek to know the origin and
root of these starry words and complex expressions of the
"language of the stars."
The Sun, Moon and five planets[*] of our solar system are to us
symbols of the reflected and refracted rays of the triune
attributes of the great Central, Spiritual Sun: Life, Light and
Love, analogous to the three primary colors in Nature, which
become still further refracted into four secondary or
complementary colors, rays or attributes, the seven constituting
the active principles of Nature, the seven rays of the solar
spectrum, the seven notes of a perfect musical scale, there being
throughout a perfect correspondence, and all are but different
modes of vibration or activities of the Supreme Intelligence.
[*] Uranus and Neptune belonging to a higher octave.
And, as we know, the seven rays of color reflect an almost
infinite variety of tints, that, octave upon octave, are built
upon the seven natural tones in music, so, also, are these seven
active principles divided and subdivided into innumerable forms,
qualities and manifestations of the first trinity--Life, Light,
Love, life being the manifestation of the second two, love and
wisdom, which in turn are the dual expressions of the "One."
Upon the knowledge of these Divine truths Pythagoras built the
theory of the "music of the spheres." Let us pause and listen to
this celestial music.
Suns and their systems of planets sound forth the deep bass tones
and rich tenor, while angelic races take the silvery treble of
the Divine melody, octave upon octave, by more and ever more
ethereal system upon system, to the very throne of Deity--the
Infinite, Eternal source of Light, Life and Love. Let us learn,
through the knowledge of the stars, to attune our souls to
vibrate to the Divine harmony, so that we may take our places in
the celestial choir and blend our voices with those of the
celestial singers, chanting the Divine anthem: "We Praise Thee, O
God!"
To resume. If we would gain a correct knowledge of astral science
we should study astrology in its universal application, side by
side with its more intricate phase and the details, as manifested
upon the individual man and his material destiny.
Let us digress for a moment. The intellectual minds, the material
scientists, who cavil at the "science of the stars," declaring it
to be mere fortune-telling, consequently false, do but air their
ignorance of this most profound subject, not knowing that it
embraces and contains all sciences, all religions, that have ever
been or ever will be, comprises all history of every age, of
races, empires and nations; that it is the only true chronology,
and marks the destiny, not only of personal man on every plane,
but of the human family as a whole. All mythologies find their
explanation in this starry language, and every religion is
founded upon the movements of our solar system. The rise and fall
of empires and races of men are written in its pages.
To master as far as we are capable, and our limited space of life
here will permit, we must pursue the study in its broad sense, as
already stated, in the external application of the starry influx
and upon the interior planes of action from God to the mineral,
the mineral to man; aye, and man to the angel, finding in every
section a complete and perfect correspondence.
To master the alphabet should be the first step, whose vowels,
diphthongs and consonants are the planets and shining Zodiac. It
is very essential to clearly comprehend the action and reaction
of the planets upon the human organism, as an integral part of
the universal organism; ever remembering that the starry vowels,
in combination with the consonants, or Zodiac, form the infinite
expressions comprising the language of the starry heavens in
their threefold manifestation upon the external planes of life;
while the radiant constellations are the ideas which find
expression through this language, which is likewise a science,
accurate in its mathematical construction and perfect in
geometric proportion.
The student should ever bear in mind that astrology, like every
other science, is progressive. The underlying principles are
always the same. These are like the "laws of the Medes and
Persians," but the plane of action is constantly changing.
It is a well-established and indisputable truth that from the
Sun, the solar center of our system, is derived all force, every
power and variety of phenomena that manifests itself upon Mother
Earth. Therefore, when we remember that the solar parent passes
through one sign of his celestial Zodiac in 2,160 years, a
twelfth part of his orbit of 25,920 years, we see that from each
sign in turn he (the Sun) rays forth an influx peculiar to that
special sign; and, as there are no two signs alike in nature or
quality, hence the passage of the Sun from one sign into another
causes a change of polarity in planetary action, which can be
fully demonstrated and conclusively proven. It follows, as a
natural sequence, that the rules formulated and taught by
astrologers in reference to the plane of planetary influence in
one sub-cycle will not hold good in the next. To illustrate: In
the year 1881 the Sun passed from the sign Pisces into Aquarius,
thus beginning a new cycle of solar force. The human race has
entered upon a cycle in every respect differing in nature and
action from the past cycle of 2,160 years. The sign Aquarius is
masculine, electric, positive. It is intellectual in character,
scientific, philosophic, artistic, intuitive and metaphysical. It
is the sign of the Man. The truths of the past are becoming
etherealized. Our solar parent has scarcely crossed the threshold
of the sign Aquarius, and already we observe in many directions
the activities of the peculiar influx. True, it is but the first
flush of the dawn of a new era, the harbinger of a glorious day
to our race. In the light of this truth, ponder well on the
nature of the influx radiating from the solar center, each orb of
his shining family absorbing a different ray, or attribute, of
solar energy, corresponding to its own peculiar nature. The
Earth, in her annual passage about her solar parent, receives the
harmonious or discordant vibrations of this astral influx
according to the many angles she forms to the various planets.
We see, then, that the Earth is enveloped in an atmosphere, or
zone, of occult force we recognize as humane, mental, positive,
etc., acting and reacting upon the human family through the laws
of vibration in strict and exact ratio to its interior capacity
to receive and ability to externalize upon the material plane of
being. The results, as far as this stage of existence goes, will
be manifest as man vibrates harmoniously or otherwise to the
stellar cause.
The present sub-cycle producing an entirely different influence
to that of the past cycle, whose force was watery, magnetic and
feminine, causes a warring of elements, confusion and
uncertainty, until the old are displaced by the new conditions.
We should learn from these facts that it is folly to brand as
false and condemn as worthless the rules and formulas, and even
religious thought, of the past when we find upon careful
investigation and crucial tests their inadequacy to account for
present conditions. They were true in their cycle, and applied to
past conditions and states of mental development. But in this new
era, upon whose threshold we now stand, the vibrations become
more intense. Man's whole nature is being tuned to a higher key.
We must not forget that these cycles apply to the race in their
effect, and to the individual only as an integral part of the
whole. To illustrate. The sign Aquarius is an electrical,
positive, masculine influence, and will consequently manifest its
chief activities upon the masculine qualities of the human soul;
and to-day we have evidence of this in the gradual
enfranchisement of woman, arousing the positive attributes of her
nature in demanding equal rights with her brother, man, in the
political arena, as she has already done in the educational
field. The masculine portion of the race is becoming more
aggressive, mentally, asserting greater individuality,
independent thought and action. The intellect of the race is
being directed, however slowly, into scientific channels, while
the human soul is slowly awakening to a sense of a deathless
immortality and a desire for spiritual truth. It is slowly but
surely shaking off the yoke of an effete priesthood and the
fetters of superstition and tyranny.
Intelligent man talks of the new scientific and intellectual era
that has dawned upon the world; of the necessity for a new
religious system, based upon scientific truths, which can be
demonstrated, combined with the pure spiritual essence found in
all systems of religion; a religion with more spirituality and
less theology; a broader charity and less dogma, and deeper love
for God and man, its only creed.
We must now consider the astral influence of the cycle upon the
physical organism of mankind, and particularly of the Western
races, who are moving upon the upward arc of the cycle. It is
quite evident that a radical change must take place in the
physical form and constitution with the influx of more
intellectual, ethereal and spiritual vibrations. The organism
must become more refined and compact, a greater degree of
sensitiveness be attained, with a highly nervous system. The
forerunner of this superior organism is now apparent in the
numerous schools of physical culture and gymnasiums throughout
the land, the many articles and pamphlets on deep, rythmic
breathing disseminated among the people, and last, but not least,
the various schools of mental healing, etc. The masses look on
and wonder, while they exclaim: "What marvelous changes are
coming to the world!" but are utterly ignorant of the cause of
the mysterious change. To the student of Hermetic Philosophy
there is no mystery involved. He knows the cause, and confidently
watches for the effect.
Each one must seek to comprehend for himself, according to the
light he may receive, basing his premises upon the TRUE
PRINCIPLES of astrology, carefully noting the triune aspect of
planetary influence upon humanity, ever remembering that the Sun
and Moon are the great factors in human destiny, and that his
premises and conclusions must occupy the same plane. Having
acquired a knowledge of the science in its application to the
individual, take the broader field, or universal aspect, as it
applies to human races, and you will find the rise and fall of
nations, empires and families marked upon the celestial dial, and
in perfect accord with the influence of the Sun and planets upon
Mother Earth, in her various movements. And last, but most
important, seek with an earnest desire for truth to learn the
relation of those glittering constellations of the shining Zodiac
to the human soul and their influence in shaping its eternal
destiny. This will reveal the whole of involution and evolution
in a general sense.
A faithful, earnest and devout study of the "Science of the
Starry Heavens" will lead us on to other planes of thought,
relating to still more interior realms of knowledge than we
perhaps now dream of, and, in the words of the master: "A true
knowledge of the stars will include a true knowledge of the
soul," and we shall realize "the mystical link that binds the
soul to the stars." MINNIE HIGGIN.
CHAPTER 1
THE ZODIAC
To the ordinary astrologer the Zodiac is simply a band of space,
eighteen degrees wide, in the heavens, the center of which marks
out the pathway of the Sun during the space of one year of 365
days, etc.
The twelve signs are to him simply thirty degrees of the space
(12 times 30 equal 360), bearing the names of the constellations
which once occupied them. Nay, he, as a rule, still imagines in
some sense that the signs (constellations) are still there, and
that the power and potency of the twelve signs is derived from
the stars which occupy the Zodiacal band of the skies.
But this is not so, as any ordinary astronomer well knows. This
single fact, i.e., the gradual shifting of the constellations,
the DISPLACEMENT, let us say, of the starry influx from one sign
to another without any ALLOWANCE being made in the astrologer's
rules for any such change, has been one of the greatest
obstructions to the popular spread of the art among EDUCATED
MINDS. Argues the scientist: The "fiery influence of Aries," if
depending upon the stars of that constellation, ought now to be
shedding forth their caloric from the sign Pisces, and Aries
ought to be lumbering along with the earthy Taurine nature. So,
also, the lords of these signs ought to be changed, but that they
are not can be proved by the fact that our earliest records of
that dim, historic past show, equally as well as your latest
"text-book," that Mars is the lord of Aries--a fiery planet in a
fiery sign; but astrologers still say that Pisces is watery and
Aries fiery, WHICH IS NOT THE CASE, IF THE STARS HAVE ANY
INFLUENCE AT ALL. It is not necessary," say these logical
thinkers, "to learn your abstruse science if we can demonstrate
that the very basis upon which your conclusions rest is in every
sense fundamentally false." The scientific facts of the case are
as follows: The influence of the twelve signs, as described by
astrologers, is a delusion, because in all ages they are reported
the same; whereas WE KNOW that every 2,160 years each sign
retrogrades to the extent of thirty degrees, and, as your art
does not make allowance for this, it is false. For, if the
influence of the twelve signs does not emanate from the stars
occupying the space of those signs, it must emanate from
nothing--a doctrine well suited, no doubt, to musty old sages of
your superstitious Chaldea, but quite out of court in our
progressive age--the last decade of our cultured and scientific
nineteenth century.
So far, so good. And so the world rolls along its bright pathway
in the heavens, little heeding the logical conclusions of an
exact science. But to an initiate of those inner principles of
our planet's constitution all these mental conflicts have a
meaning and a purpose within Nature's divine economy; for it is
neither wise nor expedient that the masses, with popular science
in the lead, should grasp the truths which Mother Nature reserves
ALONE for her own devoted priests.
The shining Zodiac, with its myriad constellations and its
perfect galaxy of starry systems, derives its subtle influence,
as impressed astrologically upon the human constitution, from the
solar center of our solar system, NOT FROM THE STARS which occupy
the twelve mansions of space. Aries, the fiery, and PISCES, the
watery, ARE ALWAYS THERE, and, instead of its being an argument
against astrology, it is one of its grandest truths that, in all
ages and in all times, Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac has
been found EVER THE SAME, equally as well as Pisces the last.
In order to convey our meaning, let us digress for a moment and
bring forth a fitting illustration. The condition of our
atmosphere and the surrounding objects--vegetation, etc.--have a
peculiar condition and a magnetism wholly their own when surveyed
exactly at sunrise. There is a freshness and peculiar sense of
buoyancy not visible at any other time. If this state could be
registered by any instrument and compared with any other set
periods during the day, it would offer a remarkable contrast. Two
hours later there is a very different influence, and at noon
there is a wonderful contrast. The same may be said of sunset,
and again at midnight; and, lastly, note the difference two hours
before dawn. This is the coolest period of the whole twenty-four
hours. These are facts, and yet our hearts are all beating to the
same life-flow, and the Earth is no farther away from the parent
Sun; and yet it is the angle at which we, THE INHABITANTS,
receive this Sun's light that makes all the difference between
dawn and sunset, noon and midnight.
When to these facts it is further added that it is sunrise, noon,
sunset and midnight at the same instant, all the time, to some of
the various, different portions of the globe, it demonstrates
most conclusively that the Earth itself is enveloped, so to say,
in a complete circle of conditions very similar to the twelve
signs of the celestial Zodiac.
If we apply the foregoing illustration to the twelve signs of the
Zodiac, we shall see a perfect analogy. We shall find that when
the Sun reaches the celestial equator, so that it is equal day
and equal night on the Earth, that he is on the line of the
celestial horizon; it is cosmic sunrise. Hence Aries, the fiery
Azoth, begins his active influx, and extends for thirty degrees,
equal to two hours of the natural day.
It is the fiery red streams of awakening life that we all
manifest at sunrise; then comes a change of magnetic polarity
after the first fiery flush of cosmic life; the gleeful
chattering of the birds and the cackling of the poultry. A
reaction is noted; all things before active become restful and
quiet.
So it is with vegetation, so it is with infant life, and so it is
with cosmic conditions.
This corresponds with the sign Taurus. It is the solar influx,
thirty degrees removed from his point of equilibrium toward the
North. As this sign represents the powers of absorption, we see
that at this period vegetable and animal life is quietly
absorbing, for its own use, the fiery streams of solar life.
Again we view the activity of solar influx from a different angle
and change of polarity, and all things become active, It is
executive force. This corresponds to the sign Gemini. It is the
solar influx, sixty degrees removed from his point of
equilibrium. Then comes another change of magnetic polarity. It
is rest from labor; it is noon. This corresponds to Cancer. The
analogy is perfect. It is the solar influx, ninety degrees
removed from his point of equilibrium toward the North, and the
highest point in the arc of his apparent journey and of cosmic
life. It is the equilibrium of life forces.
Again the fiery influx begins its activity, and, as the hottest
part of the day is about two hours after noon, or middle of the
day, so is solar influx most potent at this point in the Zodiac.
This corresponds to the sign Leo. It is the solar influx, removed
120 degrees from his point of equilibrium and thirty degrees
toward the South. And so on month after month, until the last
one, Pisces, which well corresponds to the watery skies of
February and the lifeless period two hours before dawn of a new
day upon the Earth, a new year to man and a new cycle in the
starry heavens. The Zodiac, then, as it applies to the human
constitution and the science of astrology, has its foundation in
the Sun, the center and source of life to the planet; and the
twelve signs are the twelve great spaces of our Earth's annual
orbit about her solar parent, each one typical of its month, and
each month typical of its corresponding action upon our Earthy
conditions.
As each sunrise is different in its aspects, so are no two signs
of the Zodiac alike. The sunrise on the first of March is wholly
different from the sunrise upon the first of May. So is the
beginning and ending of each sign, and the beginning and ending
of each natural day, peculiar unto itself.
When we reflect upon the inner laws of this action and
interaction, we come nearer and nearer to the one great occult
fact, viz.: THE DIVINE ONENESS OF LIFE.
We find a perfect analogy between the destiny, the life, and
expression of life on the Earth, and the life and material
destiny of embodied man. He, too, has his sunrise, the beginning
of a new day of life, the seedtime, the flowering season, when
life wears a roseate hue; the ripening fruits of experience, his
harvest-time--it may be tares or golden grain; his gradual decay,
the ebbing of the life forces and the icy winter of death; his
gentle zephyrs and destructive hurricanes, floods and tempests,
periods of drought and plenty. Within his triune constitution
there are spring tides and low tides of physical, intellectual
and spiritual forces. Man also makes the annual journey about the
solar center, when, at the beginning of each new year to him, the
life forces of his soul are renewed, regalvanized, so to say,
according to the magnetic polarity of his constitution.
And so, every form of life has its Zodiac, its orbit of life and
destiny. It may be infinitesimal, or vast beyond conception, each
in its own peculiar plane. So we see that, the whole visible
universe is one vast organism, the medium of expression for the
invisible, real universe-- the soul and God, the great central
Sun, the eternal center of all life, binding the whole into
unity--ONE LIFE.
The celestial signs of the shining Zodiac have no existence to us
apart from the graceful and unwearying motion of our Mother
Earth. She alone makes our seasons, years and destiny; and she
alone, by her motion about the Sun, determines the thrones and
mansions of the planetary powers.
The astrological Zodiac of a Saturn or a Mars cannot be like
ours. Their years and seasons are peculiar to themselves and
their material conditions; hence the twelve constellations have
no existence as objective facts of concrete formation or cosmic
potentiality. No! But as unalterable symbols of occult truth, the
starry pictures of the shining constellations have an eternal
verity. They pertain to the living realities of the human soul
and its varied experience.
What the mysteries are, and what connection they have with the
twelve constellations, will form the subject of our next chapter.
CHAPTER II
THE CONSTELLATIONS
The twelve great constellations of the zodiacal belt which forms
the Earth's orbit and the Sun's shining pathway around the
celestial universe have been considered as mere imaginary
figures, or emblems, invented by an early, primitive people to
distinguish the monthly progress of the Sun and mark out, in a
convenient manner, the twelve great divisions, or spaces, of the
solar year. To this end, IT IS THOUGHT, the various star groups,
termed constellations, were fancifully imagined to represent the
various physical aspects of the month, under, or into, which they
were consecrated by the Sun's passage during the annual journey,
so that, in some sense, the, twelve signs or constellations were
symbolical, not only of the seasons, but also of the labors of
the year.
That such a system seems perfectly natural to the learned
mythologist, and that granting the ancients so much is a very
great concession toward this CHILDISH KNOWLEDGE is, of course,
quite excusable when we are constantly told, or reminded, that
actual science--that is to say, "EXACT SCIENCE," does not date
backward more than a couple of centuries at most.
Even the modern astrologer, much as be descants upon the
influence of the twelve signs, has but little, if any, real
knowledge of this matter above and beyond the purely physical
symbolism above mentioned. And perhaps it is as well that such a
benighted condition prevails, and that the Divine, heavenly
goddess is unsought and comparatively unknown. The celestial
Urania, at least, in such isolation remains pure and undefiled.
She is free from the desecrating influence of polluted minds.
Such, in brief outline, is the general conception of mankind
regarding the shining constellations that bedeck, like fiery
jewels, their Maker's crown, and illumine with their celestial
splendor the wondrous canopy of our midnight skies. Is there no
more than a symbol of rural work in the bright radiance of the
starry Andromeda, the harbinger of gentle spring? Nothing, think
you, but the fruit harvest and the vintage is in the fiery,
flushing luster of Antares and the ominous Scorpion? Are men so
spiritually blind that they can perceive nothing but the symbol
of maturing vegetation and the long summer's day in the glorious
splendor of Castor and his starry mate and brother, Pollux? It
would, indeed, seem so, so dead is the heart and callous the
spiritual understanding of our own benighted day. To the initiate
of Urania's mysteries, however, these dead, symbolic pictures
become endowed with life; these emblems of rural labor or rustic
art transform themselves from the hard, chrysolitic shell and
expand into the fully developed spiritual flowers of spiritual
entities, revealing in their bright, radiating lines the awful
mystery of the soul's genesis, its evolution and eternal
progressive destiny amid the mighty, inconceivable creations yet
to come; pointing out each step and cycle in the soul's
involution from its differentiation as a pure spiritual entity, a
ray of Divine intelligence, to the crystallization of its
spiritual forces in the realms of matter and its evolution of
progressive life; the same eternal symbols of the springtime, the
glorious summer, the autumn and winter of its eternal being.
In making this attempt, probably the very first within the era,
to convey in plain and undisguised terms the interior mysteries
of the twelve constellations, the reader and student is advised
to ponder deeply upon the outlines presented. The subject is too
vast to present in one or two chapters. Therefore we hope that
this revelation may incite the student to further research. The
real significance, the true, spiritual importance of such
mysteries, can only be realized and fully appreciated after
prolonged meditation and careful study.
With this brief digression, which we consider needed advice, we
will resume our task, and attempt to usher our student into the
weird labyrinth of Solomon's starry temple--"the house not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens."
- Aries
"First Aries, in his golden wool."
This constellation represents the first Divine idea, the "word"
of the Kabbalist, and the first active manifestation of the
glorious En Soph. In other words, it is MIND IN ACTION, the first
pulsation of Deity in the dual aspects of "Lord and Creator." To
the human soul it is, and always typifies, the unknown, invisible
power which we term INTELLIGENCE; THAT WHICH KNOWS, and gives
unto each Deific atom of life that distinguishing, universal, yet
deathless force which not only constitutes its spiritual identity
and physical individuality, but enables it to pronounce, in the
presence of its Creator, those mystic words: "I am that I am." In
other words, this beautiful constellation symbolizes the first
pulsation of that ray of pure intelligence which constitutes the
Divine Ego of the human soul. It is the force that impels ever
onward the life atom in its evolutionary progress, and reveals to
us the beginning, or first manifestation, of the Divine Ego as an
active, self-existing atom of Infinite spirit, within angelic
spheres.
Seeing the actual, spiritual reality symbolized in Aries, how
easy it is to note its full significance upon the external plane
when refracted and reflected into the planes below through the
complex action of the human organism, conveying the same radical
influx in the first astrological month and the first sign of the
Zodiac. We can read a perfect parallel in the astral influx upon
the human body, as set forth in the "Light of Egypt," vol. I,
which says Aries symbolizes the sacrifice and represents the
springtime, the beginning of a new year. The first action of pure
intelligence brought forth the first expression of form, and led
to the sacrifice of its angelic state, and, having gained the
victory over the lower realms of matter, once more the springtime
of a new life, with the promise of life, light and love.
The sign Aries represents the thinking powers of humanity; in
short, the active, intellectual being, the lord of material
creation--Man; and in its cosmic relations, as shown under "The
Occult Application of the Twelve Signs" (vol. I), we find the
same perfect analogy.
II. Taurus
"He (Aries) turns and wonders at the mighty Bull (Taurus)."
The second constellation of the shining twelve represents the
first reaction of spiritual conception. In other words, it is the
mind's attention to its own ideas. In the Kabbalah it represents
that peculiar state of executive force whereof it is symbolically
said: "And the Lord saw that it was good," after each act of
creation.
When intelligence first manifests itself form is a matter of
necessity, and, as no form can possibly exist without matter, so
Taurus is the first emanation of matter in its most etherealized
state. Hence it is feminine, Venus the ruler thereof, and it
represents the first pure form of the human soul, as it existed
in its bright paradise within the angelic spheres of its parents,
and reveals to us the first surprise of intelligence in embryo,
the first sensation of consciousness, so to say--conscious of its
Divine selfhood. Hence "He (the male spirit of pure fire, Aries),
glorious in his golden (solar) wool, turns (expressing reaction)
and wonders at the mighty bull (or material form)." Thus the
first idea of pure intelligence in embryo, the result of action
in Aries, becomes objective to its consciousness and is surprised
at its own conception. It is the first sensation of pure, Divine
love within angelic realms, and it (the male spirit of pure fire)
sees that it is good.
Bringing this spiritual reality within our conception, and
comparing it with its reflected astrological influx, what a
beautiful harmony we find, and yet so simple that verily we
cannot refrain from once more quoting our old-time, worn, yet,
nevertheless, golden law: "AS IT IS ABOVE, SO IT IS BELOW; AS ON
THE EARTH, SO IN THE SKY." Reflecting that Taurus is an Earthy
sign, and a symbol of servitude, we see that matter is ever the
servant of spirit, a necessary means for the manifestation of
intelligence, again recognized in the fecundating forces of this
astrological sign on every plane of its action. And it is ruled
by Venus, the love element in Nature, her sympathies ever finding
expression in this beautiful sign. What can be clearer, more
understandable, than, that the involved principles and Deific
attributes, as represented by the shining constellations, when
refracted through the human organism, so complex in its
constitution, reflects qualities which are the external and
parallel expression of the subjective principles, and, further,
that form is absolutely necessary for the manifestation of
intelligence?
III. Gemini
"He (Taurus) bending lies with threatening bead, and calls the
Twins (Gemini) to rise. They clasp for fear and mutually
embrace."
This bright constellation (Castor and Pollux), Gemini, is
spiritually representative of the second spiritual action. Hence
it is, of course, a masculine sign and positive. We have
witnessed act I of the soul's drama, and, as some have said,
tragedy, and in this, the third of the shining twelve, we find
the opening scene of act II, viz: The evolution of the twin
souls, or, more correctly, the differentiation of the Divine soul
into its two natural component parts--male and female.
Here we approach one of the most arcane secrets within the wide
scope of Occult philosophy, hence must be exact, and at the same
time clear, in our statements. Note, then, that after the male
spirit of pure, ethereal, divine fire (Aries) bad conceived the
first idea, and Taurus, the material envelope, had given that
idea objective existence to its (the Ego's) consciousness, we
find SENSATION AS THE RESULT. No sooner sensation than
aspiration; i.e., longing. This closes the action and the
reaction.
Ever, in obedience to the unsatisfied wants of an immortal soul
Nature immediately responds. Hence "He bending lies with
threatening head, (that is demanding)," and calls the twins (the
twin souls) to rise (to appear or evolve forth)," and as a first
rude shock caused by their separation, or, rather, by their
separate existence as two distinct, yet mutually dependent,
forces, we have the context.
"They clasp for fear and mutually embrace."
This most impressive scene in the soul's drama is one of profound
interest and sublime beauty.
In the Kabbalah we find the same parallel, wherein it is stated:
"And so God created man in His own image (the action of Aries and
Taurus); in His own image (mind) created He him, male and female
created He them." In other words, Aries, Taurus and Gemini are
thus spoken of in pure allegory.
The mundane Bible of the Jews, like everything else esteemed
sacred, finds its original and perfect expression in the great
Astral Bible of the skies.
To the average student the evolution of the Twin Souls is a
profound mystery, embracing, as it does, the whole of involution
and evolution, seeing that this beautiful constellation
represents to us the first recognition, or consciousness, of the
Divine Ego of its dual forces, sensation and aspiration, called
forth by the action of Aries and Taurus. How beautifully has the
poet expressed this first pulsation of Divine love: "They clasp
for fear," etc. Evolved by the Divine will of pure intelligence,
they must ever remain as separate, yet mutually dependent,
forces, positive and negative, male and female, upon whose action
and reaction rest the perfect evolvement of the powers and
possibilities of the One.
In order to clearly grasp the whole of these ramifications, we
again invite our student's careful attention to the same sign,
Gemini, in its astrological aspect, as it is representatively
expressed by refraction upon the human organism. We find that
this sign (the representative of the constellation always)
signifies the union of reason with intuition, and that it governs
the arms, hands and executive forces of man.
Surely, as we reflect upon the almost marvelous
inter-relationship between things spiritual and things temporal,
we must conclude, with the man Jesus, that "They have eyes but
they see not, and ears, but alas they hear not."
If it were not so man would, indeed, by virtue of the latent
forces within him, take the kingdom of Heaven by storm and reign
supreme as enthroned king of all material forms. Man, in his
blindness, has relegated intuition to obscurity; has neglected
the cunning of the left hand and debauched the pure love of the
divine state. Consequently, the executive forces within him are
unbalanced, thus rendering him the slave of material forms,
instead of being their lawful sovereign. Therefore, not until,
with clean hands and pure heart, he restores intuition to her
throne, united with reason, can he hope to COMPREHEND the reality
of this arcane mystery of the twin souls, Gemini.
IV. Cancer
"And next the Twins with an unsteady pace
Bright Cancer rolls."
In this beautiful constellation we witness the reaction of
Gemini, the closing scene in act II. Hence it is, of course, a
feminine force we are observing. In other words, it is that
period (or rather one of them) wherein the Kabbalah expresses the
reaction of the En Soph, via his Creators, as "And behold the
Lord saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very
good."
Just so Cancer, spiritually interpreted, means equalizing, hence
HARMONY, which is indeed very good as contradistinguished from
chaos.
To the human soul Cancer is the period of exalted rest. It is the
highest point in the arc of the Divine Soul's Angelic Cycle. From
this glorious, but subjective, summit or altitude in the realm of
spirit it must descend.
Restless energy and the still unsatisfied longings of its own
immortal nature are the forces that bring such evolution about.
Having evolved the dual forces of its divine nature, the Ego sees
that it is good and rests from its labor. But as this exalted
state is purely subjective, and ideal, it must of necessity, to
satisfy the longing for further unfoldment and desire to know,
descend into material realms and conditions. From this point
begins the soul's involution downward, until the lowest point in
the arc is reached, viz., Capricorn.
Refer now to the sign Cancer, and carefully study out the
parallel upon its astrological planes and also under its Occult
aspects, as given forth in the "Light of Egypt," Vol. I, where we
read: "Cancer rules the respiratory and digestive functions of
humanity, and governs the reflective organs of the brain." Note
the parallel. Within subjective realms the Divine soul has
inspired and assimilated all that is possible to that angelic
state, and knows a period of blissful rest. But the longings of
its immortal nature urge on the soul. So we see that the sign
Cancer symbolizes tenacity to life; to live we must breathe and
eat and assimilate upon every plane of our being. It necessarily
follows that, the mentality expressed by Cancer must be
susceptible to inspirational currents; to inspire is to indraw.
In its application, we find that this sign symbolizes love. How
beautiful the harmony and contrast of the constellation and its
astrological representative.
V. Leo
"Then Leo shakes his mane."
Herein is typified the third grand spiritual action which, as we
find throughout Nature, travel in pairs; hence Leo is a positive,
masculine constellation.
Having attained the highest point in the super-celestial states
of subjective, embryonic existence; having evolved sensation and
aspiration; now, inspired by a desire for immortality, the DUAL
SOUL of the Divine Ego is once more impelled forward; but, as all
evolution works in spirals, it cannot ascend higher without first
apparently descending lower; so ever onward in its eternal march.
This beautiful constellation symbolizes the first action on the
downward portion of the are. It is the affinities of the heart,
so to say, working from within to without.
Matter, in its more etherealized form, begins to assert its sway.
The allegorical serpent of Eden is working upon the feminine
portion, symbolized by the heart, and, like a magnetic tractor,
the soul's affinities are drawn downward, and, as if in defiance
of all responsibilities, consequences, and Karma, the soul,
lion-like, "shakes his mane in the imperiousness of deathless
courage."
As we read these weird allegories, written by Deity in the starry
vaults of heaven, the interested soul bows in reverence and awe
before that almighty power we term Providence, and the profane
call God.
No man has altered these pure records of divinity; no finger has
interpolated one single line. They are as beautifully clear to
the soul now as they were in the very dawn of Nature's awful
creation.
To the Initiate into Urania's mysteries it is unnecessary to draw
a parallel between the constellation and its astrological sign.
They are too clear, magnificent and impressive to escape notice.
To the majority of students the resembance may not be so
apparent, hence, for their benefit, we will point out a few
aspects of this interesting parallel.
We read that the sign Leo is the "solar Lion of the mysteries,
that, ripens with his own internal heat the fruits brought forth
from the Earth by the moisture of Isis (the soul)." Just so, the
Divine Ego, by its eternal energy and strength, the pure fire of
intelligence, externalizes through material forms the principles
involved in the downward portion of the arc, as qualities and
attributes of the soul (reflected in the physical man as traits
and qualities). Again we are told, "this sign reveals to us the
ancient sacrifice and the laws of its compensation." In the
imperiousness of a deathless courage, the soul defies all
consequences and responsibilities. Surely, this is the supreme
sacrifice, to leave its pure, Edenic state to gain knowledge, to
evolve its latent forces. And from this lion of the Tribe of
Judah, is born that Divine love and sympathy which ultimately
redeems and purifies the soul and saves it from death in matter.
The laws of its compensation are fulfilled in the prefected man.
In its intellectual aspect, we learn that the mental forces of
those dominated by this sign are ever striving to attain unto
some higher state. Their ideas are grand, compared with the
nature of the constellation, and all that it implies. The
reflection is clear, natural and beautiful. When we reflect upon
this awful period in the involution of the dual souls of the
Divine Ego, as symbolized by the constellation, and the grand
truths represented by the astrological sign when refracted
through the human organism, the reason for Leo being named the
Royal Sign becomes quite plain.
VI. Virgo
"And following Virgo calms his rage again."
Beautifully expressive are these lines to those who read their
mystic import aright. Virgo is the reaction of the leonine force,
and is, consequently, a feminine symbol.
Action and reaction are the eternal laws upon which the cosmos is
founded. They constitute the inseparable affinities, attraction
and repulsion, of everything within the realm of manifested
being. In this mystic constellation, we see the first ideas of
maternal instinct arise. This is a necessary result of the
impulsive action of the heart in Leo--the reaction from a state
of imperious, defiance. The heat of rage or energy and deathless
courage results in the IDEAS of something to be encountered,
overcome, and of self-preservation. The dual soul descends still
another volve in the spiral of its celestial journey toward
crystallized forms.
Virgo, the Virgin of the skies, and eternal symbol of that
Divine, immaculate conception, shows wherein these forces lie.
Here is conceived, in a pure, holy sense, the first instinct of
love within the dual soul. It represents that awful period in the
Biblical Garden of Eden, wherein the VIRGIN WIFE stands before
the tree of knowledge, of good and evil, where she is fascinated
by the allurements of matter and is unconsciously becoming
enveloped in the coils of the serpent. In other words, after the
cosmic force had SHAKEN ITS MANE in defiance of material forces,
it is the reaction of his subjective half which sees HOW GOOD
material things are; or, in other words, "and following Virgo
calms his rage again." The masculine half, or positive force of
the soul, yields to temptation and is soothed by the alluring
prospects.
It will be noticed in this connection that pity, reflection, and
compassion, are the peculiar actions of the sign Virgo in the
Zodiac (not the constellation), and that astrologically it
governs the bowels. This symbolism is really very beautiful when
closely compared and studied. That immaculate conception of pure
love of the soul for its other half, upon the astrological plane,
becomes refracted and reacts as compassion and pity. Again, the
soul, within subjective realms, sees how good material things
are, and its refraction represents the assimilating functions of
the human organism. It also reveals to us the significance of the
Lord's Supper. At this stage of its journey, the Divine Ego knows
for the last time that close communion with the twin soul before
the crucifixion, the wine typical of the sacrifice, the bread,
and the sustaining forces, of its own immortal being.
The intellectual aspect of the sign Virgo forms a perfect analogy
to the constellation, and is too evident for further remarks.
VII. Libra
"Then day and night are weighed in Libra's scales;
Equal awhile, at last the night prevails."
Another volve in the spiral, and we reach the grand climax of the
soul's journey, within the spiritual world.
The nature of this constellation was, for ages, concealed from
all but Initiates; for the reason that, it contains the most
important mysteries connected with the human soul. It is the
grand transition are between the spiritual world and the astral
world; in other words, between ideal conceptions and elemental
forms, between the world of design and the realms of force.
One of the chief mysteries of Libra is, that, it is androgyne, or
bisexual, in nature. So far the dual soul has evolved within the
realms of spirituality; here it stands, in the celestial balance,
between the two, giving way to temptation, takes the forbidden
fruit and instantly awakes from its purely spiritual state to
become surrounded by the illusions of matter. The struggle of the
soul with the attracting forces of matter is very clearly
expressed in the line:--
"Equal awhile, at last the night prevails."
In other words, astral and physical darkness bedim the soul's
spiritual sight, and, leaving the realms of innocence and bliss,
they sink into the vortex of the great astral world.
The celestial state is now forever lost as a realm of angelic
innocence. It can only be regained amid trial, sorrow, suffering,
and experience, and, when regained, it is as Lord and Master, not
as the innocent cherub. But when, having gained or reached the
equator of the upward arc of its progress, and, united once more
to its missing half, gives expression to that deathless force
with which it started from the opposite point, Aries: "I AM THAT
I AM;" no longer an embryo, but being within the UNIVERSAL SOUL
of being. Before closing this symbolic constellation, we must
reveal the mystery of its BI-SEXUAL NATURE. In the higher or
first portion of the sign it is {}, positive to some extent, and
masculine. The soul is still within the Garden of Eden and pure,
clad in the raiment of God, and is represented by the Chaldean
statues of "The Bearded Venus," or Venus, the Angel of Libra, as
a morning star, bright Lucifer. But in the latter half, after the
fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (positive and
negative, you see) has been partaken of, bright Lucifer falls.
The Sun of the Morning, shorn of his glory, becomes the symbol of
night, or Vesper, the evening star, and the symbol is thus {},
and the soul loses its heavenly raiment, or spiritual
consciousness, and becomes clothed with matter, the symbol of
night.
The sign Libra in the Zodiac, in its astrological aspect, is a
very external correspondence of all the foregoing.
VIII. Scorpio
"And, longer grown, the heavier scale inclines,
And draws bright Scorpio from the winter signs."
We now behold the gates of Paradise guarded by the FLAMING SWORD
which points to the four quarters of the world. This sword is,
according to Genesis, "to guard the way of the tree of life," and
such, esoterically, it really is.
The soul is no longer dual, but separated into male and female
personalities; "and behold they see that they are naked."
Stripped of their spiritual raiment, they feel the chill of
matter and the lusts of an animal nature. They need clothing, "so
God made them coats of skin." Sex is the symbolism herein
typified, and the evolution of the animal passions of
procreation, of multiplication and evolution. It is the complete
entry of the soul into elemental conditions, and the flaming
sword guarding the four quarters of the Earth to the way of life
are the four great realms of the astral world; the way to
physical life in concrete forms; and the way to life eternal
through the realms of the Sylphs, Gnomes, Undines and
Salamanders. They are the basis of all matter, known as Air,
Earth, Water and Fire. Here we see that, through the evolution of
sex and its accompanying desire for procreation, these blind
forces of Nature find their avenue of expression. Spiritual
consciousness almost lost, and without reason, the soul becomes
the prey, so to say, of these forces of the astral world, which
is the realm of design. The soul's creations must be met and
vanquished upon the upward arc of the Cycle of Progress. They
guard or oppose the way to eternal life. Here the soul, having
gained the victory, stripped forever of its earthy raiment and
the lusts of the flesh, arrayed once more in its spiritual
raiment, purified and sanctified, it will stand once more at the
gates of Paradise, where, reunited with its missing half, it will
partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life and become as Gods.
Astrologically the correspondence is perfect, and so thinly
disguised as to need no explanation.
IX. Sagittarius
"Him Centaur follows with an aiming eye,
His bow full-drawn, and ready to let fly."
Deeper and deeper sinks the soul into material forms. The
evolution of sex has produced the necessary avenues for the
entrance of countless forces, and the soul is now rapidly losing
the last vestiges of its spiritual conscience. In other words,
Sagittarius symbolizes that state of the soul wherein it is
descending to its polarizing point, and is, therefore, the vortex
of innumerable opposing forces, seeking expression in different
forms.
"It is the bow (strength or force of the soul), FULL-drawn and
ready to let fly" its arrows (of energy) in any direction that
may afford proper opportunity. Here we see the expression of that
deathless, fiery force, and imperious daring and courage, within
more material states; the primal fire reflected from another
angle.
But everything is unsettled. It is a masculine force, and
restless, and is represented under the allegory of the "Tower of
Babel" and the utter dispersion of the people (entities) to the
four corners of the Earth, and finally becomes involved in dense
matter, and its migrations are at an end on this side of the
Cycle of Necessity.
Upon the astrological plane, the zodiacal sign Sagittarius rules
the motive forces and the pedestrian instinct, the thighs, or
basis of locomotion; hence, we see, even here, a most perfect
analogy. This sign symbolizes, also, the governing forces of
humanity, which see the necessity of law and order; hence
government. In this expression, we find the bow (strength or
force) ready to let fly its arrows of energy in any direction the
opportunity may afford; when refracted upon the human organism
and reflected upon the external plane, these forces manifest as
the restless spirit, that ever impels onward, seeking new fields
of expression, out of which develops a sense of order,
restraining and training, or the governing of self and control of
others. When we reflect upon these symbols of starry truths the
mind bows in reverence before the wisdom that created them.
X. Capricorn
"Next narrow horns the twisted Caper shows."
The Goat, and in the realms of spirit, the crystallized mineral
is the reaction of the former, and shows to us death, inertia and
rest; hence Kronos, or Saturn, the symbol of death, is lord of
this state and condition. It is the polarizing point of the
soul's evolution in matter, and therefore, forms the lowest are
in the Cycle of Necessity.
Herein we behold the soul, imprisoned within the mineral state.
The fire of the flint, and the spark in the crystal, are the only
avenues of its lonesome expressions. But, as the lowest point, it
is also the promise of a higher, and the symbol of a higher
state, and the symbol of another spiral in its endless life.
This constellation, as the symbol of inertia and death, is also
the symbol of awakening life, and prepares the soul for the more
perfect expression of its powers in its forthcoming upward
journey. If we pause for a moment and consider the force and
power necessary to evolve out of this dark, dense, mineral realm,
the foregoing sentence will become clear and forcible. Hitherto,
the soul has been slowly drawn down into coils of matter,
imprisoned by material forces. It has penetrated the lowest
depths, and can go no farther. Rest here, is to gather strength,
force. Mark well the difference and parallel between Cancer and
Capricorn, opposite points in the arc. Cancer is the symbol of
exalted rest within angelic realms; Capricorn the symbol of rest
in dense matter. From the former state the soul is impelled
forward on its downward journey; from the latter state the soul
awakens to the struggle for life on the upward are; and must now
give expression to the positive powers of its immortal being,
which have become involved in material form; that shall make it
the master, and give it the victory over death and material
forces. Surely, this is truly the promise of a new day, and
higher state of existence.
It will he instructive to study this by a comparison of the
zodiacal sign, Capricorn, as set forth in the "Light of Egypt,"
Vol. 1, wherein we read: "This sign signifies the knees, and
represents the first principle in the trinity of locomotion,
viz., the joints, bending, pliable, movable." The analogy is
perfect. The soul, which has been pliant, bending to material
forces, now reverses this action, and bows the knee in awe and
reverence to the higher powers of its being. When refracted upon
the human organism, we find that the cold, lonesome state, and
weary struggle within the mineral realm, becomes love of self,
directing its energies to the attainment of selfish ends. What
could be more natural?
XI. Aquarius
"And from Aquarius' urn a flood o'erflows."
The soul, released from its crystallized cycle of matter, now
rapidly evolves into states, though material, yet entirely
different. Its previous arc, from Libra to Capricorn, has been
amid inorganic matter. It is now rushing with lightning speed
upon its weird, toilsome, upward, journey through purely organic
forms, from vegetable to animal; and, as all organic forms have
their primary origin in water, so does this celestial urn express
the primary conception of this physical state. Further, to more
fully express this, Aquarius is typical of man, as prototype of
the last grand goal of the soul's future material state--in other
words, the last quadrant of the four elements, viz.: Bull, Lion,
Eagle, Man.
There is something exceedingly significant in all this, and the
more we ponder on this spiritual allegory of the shining
constellation, the more we are impressed with the divine wisdom
of those early instructors of our race, who thus preserved truth
in an incorruptible form.
From this weird, but beautiful constellation, we learn how the
soul has progressed, finding innumerable avenues of expression of
its latent forces; the manifestation of its powers in the various
chemical changes, and development of functions expressed through
countless forms, on the lower planes of existence. The sacrifice
of its angelic innocence, the imperious defiance and deathless
courage, symbolized by Leo, have obtained the victory over the
lower kingdoms; which will be incorporated into his vast empire.
Yet, unstable as water, it cannot excel; or, in other words,
cannot rise to a higher state within this are, of its progressive
life.
We find that the astrological expression of this constellation,
the sign Aquarius, governs the legs, and is the natural emblem of
the changeable, moveable, migratory forces, of the body, forming
a perfect parallel with its interior symbol. There is a great
deal contained in this zodiacal sign worthy of deep study and
reflection.
XII. Pisces
"Near their loved waves cold Pisces take their seat,
With Aries join, and make the round complete."
Once more a reaction--the last scene of the soul's impersonal
drama. The constellation (if Pisces is the symbol of rest and
expectation. The soul has now completed the first round, or rung,
in the Cycle of Necessity; and its next state is that of
incarnated man. It has triumphed over every sphere below, and
defied, in turn, every power above, and is now within that sixth
state of the embryonic soul-world that transforms all its past
knowledge, sorrow, and suffering, into experience; and produces
the impersonal man.
It has traveled through constellated states within matter and
spirit, and, as a human soul, with reason, intuition, and
responsibility, it will, in its next state, become subject to
those same powers when reflected from a different plane. The
twelve constellations of its soul will manifest a complete
rapport with the twelve signs of solar light and power.
With this we close. The mystic sign of this constellation is {},
or completion, a seal and a sign of its past labors.
And, as we have seen, the shining constellations are the soul's
progressive history from its genesis, to its appearance within
embodied conditions as man; and so, by correspondence, are the
twelve solar signs symbols of man and his material destiny. The
foundation has been laid, the material and resources are at hand,
for his kingdom is exclusive. With his own hands he must build
his temple (the symbol of the perfected man), each stone
accurately measured, cut, polished, and in its proper place, the
proportions symmetrical, hence, harmonious; the keystone of whose
arch is WILL, its foundation love. This accomplished, be will
have completed the second round of the great Cycle of Necessity.
And who, after contemplating the wondrous harmony of this
beautiful system, and the complete accord of each part, can
refuse to agree with the truly inspired Addison that--
"Ever moving as they shine,
The hand that made us is divine."
CHAPTER III. THE SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION OF THE TWELVE HOUSES OF
THE HOROSCOPE
As a sequel to the foregoing subjects, viz., the Zodiac and
constellations, we will add the spiritual interpretation of the
twelve houses of an horoscope, which completes the triune
expression of these celestial symbols of eternal truths.
In revealing this mystery, we would impress upon the mind of the
student that the order of the Zodiac is the reverse of the
external, in its spiritual application, to the twelve houses of
the horoscope.
As the four cardinal signs, viz., Aries, Cancer, Libra and
Capricorn, correspond to the four angles of a natal figure, it is
our purpose to explain, first, the symbology of the four angles,
or cardinal points; believing the whole revelation will thus
become clear and forcible.
The four angles of the horoscope correspond to the four elements,
the four triplicities, and the four cardinal points, or epochs,
in the soul's involution from pure spirit to the crystallizing,
inert, mineral state.
The first angle is the ascendant, or House of Life. It is the
eastern horizon, and symbolized by Aries. Upon the interior, this
first angle stands for the birth, or differentiation, of the
Divine Ego, as the result of the creative action, or impulse, of
the Deific mind.
The Ego rises upon the eastern horizon of celestial states, a
glowing, scintillating atom of pure intelligence, an absolute,
eternal Ego, rising out of the ocean of Infinite Love.
The South angle, meridian, or Tenth House, pertaining to honor,
etc., is symbolized by Cancer; the highest point in the arc of
the soul's involution, as a differentiated atom of Deity within
angelic spheres.
Having evolved the first dual expression of its (the Ego's) self,
the twin souls--Sensation and Aspiration, or Love and Wisdom, the
Ego rests awhile, radiant with celestial love and wisdom, and
inspiring the Divine breath of life.
Again the restless impulse of the creative purpose arouses the
Ego to further action. The culminating point has been reached,
and now must begin an apparent downward course toward the western
horizon.
The seventh angle, or House of Marriage, etc., is represented by
Libra (the Balance), or point of equilibrium; where the two souls
are still one, balanced upon the western horizon. The alluring
temptations of material illusions draw the souls downward, and,
divorced from their celestial state, the radiance of Divine love
becomes obscured, until the twilight of consciousness of that
former state is lost in the night of material conditions.
This house signifies, also, law, and open enemies, and (Libra)
justice. Sex is the law. The antagonism is surely too apparent to
require explanation.
The fourth angle, or Nadir, the point opposite the M. C.,
signifies the frozen North, and is symbolized by Capricorn, the
crystallizing point in the soul's involution. It is death,
inertia; that is, crystallization of the soul's spiritual forces.
It is the lowest point of the are in the monad's downward
journey. It is the night, before the awakening of a new day upon
a higher plane of existence.
The remaining houses are the lights and shadows that, fill out
and complete the picture, upon this, the first round of the
Cyclic Ladder.
The Twelfth House, symbolized by Taurus, represents the first
expression of form of the human soul. It is matter in the most
etherealized state. It is the trail of the serpent; the silent,
secret, tenacious, negative principle; that ultimately draws the
soul down into the vortices of gross matter and death.
The Eleventh, or House of Friends, whose symbol is Gemini, the
Twins, expressive of the first emanation of this sublime
relationship, the dual attributes, love and wisdom, closest
friends. It is sensation and aspiration, which enable the spirit
to attain to the exalted state indicated by the Tenth Mansion.
The Ninth Mansion of the celestial map is the House of Science,
Art, Religion, Philosophy, etc., and its symbol is Leo, the
Heart, with its emotions, love, and longings, and sympathies.
Having evolved the twins, and inspiring the Divine breath of
wisdom; glowing with Deific love, the Ego aspires to know; and
all the sympathies of the soul are aroused. Dauntless and
fearless, defying all opposition and consequences, It (the Ego)
is ready to sacrifice this angelic state and explore the
boundless Universe in pursuit of knowledge, and goes forth on its
long voyage upon the ocean of Infinite, fathomless love and
wisdom.
The Eighth, or House of Death and Legacies, is symbolized by
Virgo, the virgin wife, standing before the "Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil," fascinated by the flattering prospects of greater
power and wisdom. Desire and sympathy draw the soul down into
realms which lead to death, and the beginning of a heritage of
sorrow,
The Sixth, or House of Sickness, Menials, and Sorrow, is
symbolized by Scorpio. The fall, from Libra through Scorpio
(sex), created the first condition of what we recognize as
sickness and affliction. It is evident that this house is related
to the elementals of the astral plane, which become the servitors
of man.
The Fifth, or House of Children, etc., symbolized by Sagittarius,
signifies the offspring of sex (Scorpio), entities sent forth to
people the Earth, to take their chances of life, speculating on
its future course, fearlessly eager for the struggle, gaining
pleasure in its migrations and activities.
The Third House is symbolized by Aquarius. This is the first step
of the upward journey, or evolution, from the inert mineral
state. The changes are now rapid; the journeys innumerable;
through mineral, vegetable, and animal planes, of existence.
Here, the Soul Monad brings into actual practice the knowledge
gained on its long voyage. The magical powers of the soul are
brought into action to effect these changes in form and function,
conquering material forces and planes of life, transmuting
Nature's elements to its uses and purposes, and writing its
history, as it journeys ever onward, step by step.
And further, this house stands in opposition to the Ninth House,
symbolized by Leo; longing to expand its (the Ego's)
possibilities through trial and suffering; gaining knowledge
through bitter experience; yet fearlessly braving all things;
guided and sustained by the imperial will of spirit. The
recompense promised by that supreme sacrifice has been won in
Aquarius--the Man--consecrated now to a higher existence,
baptized in the waters of affliction (experience), ready to be
transmuted into actual knowledge. This is Aquarius, and the Third
House.
The Second House, signified as Pisces, the House of Wealth, that
which has been accumulated on the long and toilsome journey--the
wealth of experience, acquired through trials and struggles. And
now, with higher, greater possibilities, the soul eagerly awaits
the hour when it shall be born again, a conscious, responsible
human being, to begin the second round of the Cyclic Ladder; on
this second round, to externalize the knowledge gained, to evolve
the involved attributes and forces of being,--a creature of will
and intellect, to work out its destiny, as the lord of material
creation.
Observe, the order of the Zodiac is reversed upon the external
human plane. But, Aries is always symbolical of the first angle,
and Libra of the seventh, being the point of equilibrium, while
the tenth, or South, angle becomes Capricorn and the fourth
Cancer. The mission of the soul now is to evolve the positive,
spiritual attributes.
Aries rules the brain and the fiery, imperial will. It signifies
courage, daring, etc., the first qualities necessary for the
battle of life. Ruling the head, the sign and house show us the
ability of man to view the field of action, to mark his chart,
and arm for the war (which will be incessant); responsible for
his acts, a creature of unfolding consciousness, an individual,
whose measure of free will enables him to wander so far North or
South of his celestial equator, within his orbit, or Zodiac.
The South angle, or Tenth House, now ruled by Capricorn, tells of
the honor, position, fame, etc. (or the reverse) acquired by
patient labor. The crystallized material gains, the concrete
result of ambition, skill, and talent, which will, at the close
of his earthly career, become liquefied by the universal
resolvent; symbolized by Cancer upon the opposite angle,
symbolical of the grave, the end of mundane affairs; when they
will be mirrored forth in new forms in that great white sea,
according to the manner in which he gained his worldly
accumulations and prestige.
The seventh angle is Libra, House of Marriage; that all-important
relation which may make or mar a life, the Balance is so easily
disturbed in its equilibrium. To preserve its harmony, equality
must reign, blending love and wisdom. It is the perfect poise of
body, mind, and soul, achieved by loving obedience to the higher
laws of our being and the true union of intuition and reason.
The Second House, now represented by Taurus, shows us that
personal wealth and possessions must come through patient
servitude, steady application, and diligence, in being able to
choose and assimilate the knowledge, that will enable man to
battle with material conditions, and wrest from the abundant
sources of Mother Nature his share of treasure and experience. It
is the battle-ground to which humanity, armed with brain and
will, life and energy, goes forth to battle with material forces
for the bread he must earn by the sweat of his brow, and through
the silent, subtle forces of mind and soul conquer matter, thus
storing up a wealth of knowledge and experience.
The Third House is ruled by Gemini, the Twins, Reason and
Intuition, the brethren who aid and guide us on our many journeys
in the pursuit of knowledge. As this sign governs the hands and
arms and the executive forces of humanity, we see, that, the
hands become the magical agents of mind, moulding into outward
form the ideas conceived in the mind, projecting these into the
field of active life, that he may write a bright record in the
Book of Life. The hands should be kept clean, the images pure;
and the perfect poise gained by the equal exercise of love and
wisdom, intuition and reason, making the basis of education; the
evolution of the interior or real self. This is the true meaning
of this house upon the external plane. it is Occult, because it
means projecting the powers of the soul into conscious life,
externalizing the qualities and magical forces of spirit, as
shown in the first instance by Aquarius. This can be accomplished
only through pure desire and aspiration. Otherwise, the
unbalanced scales, with floods and cataclysms, will be the
results.
The Fifth House, ruling children, etc., is symbolized by Leo (the
Heart). The joys and sorrows that offspring of every kind bring,
all belong to this House of the Heart. The sacrifice indicated is
too obvious for comment.
The Sixth House governs sickness, disease, etc., and its symbol
is Virgo, an Earthy sign, clearly showing us that the material
form is the matrix, out of which are born disease and suffering.
But, the perfect assimilation of the fruit of the "Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil;" transmuting the trials, experiences,
sorrows, and suffering of the physical and external life into
true wisdom; makes man master of his material universe; and the
blind forces of Nature become his servants. Having accomplished
the task, and attained the harmonious poise, or balance, in
Libra, the individualized soul arrives at the eighth step in the
journey.
The Eighth House, or House of Death and Legacies (Scorpio). The
old Adam dies. The sensuous has no place in the balanced,
harmonious being, but recognizes sex as the law, the door to
regeneration now, and that a new legacy is awaiting him.
The Ninth House, Sagittarius. where, with the knowledge acquired,
self sits in judgment upon the works of the hands and mind,
whether or no they have been well done; the sacrifice of the
lower nature properly made, control of the triune being
established, the transmutations correct and accurate,
assimilation perfect and free from dross, harmony gained by
loving obedience to the higher law of being, and thus becomes
ruler of his kingdom; the long journey almost accomplished, so
far as Earth is concerned, perceiving and understanding that all
sciences, philosophies, and religions, have their origin from one
primal source. Having penetrated the depths in reverent obedience
to the Divine law of creation, and evolved the attributes of the
dual constitution, the forces of his being become crystallized.
He has reached the culmination of his earthly pilgrimage, and
stands forth the perfected human reflection of the higher self.
The Eleventh House is represented by Aquarius on the human plane.
Friends surround and welcome him. These friends are the pure
thoughts, noble impulses, lofty ideals, and generous deeds. The
bread cast upon the Waters of Life returns to nourish and sustain
him in his encounter with the secret foes, symbolized by the
Twelfth House and Pisces. The idols, false ideas, and vampires of
his own creation, are to be cleansed and washed away by the
Waters of Love, the universal solvent that is ever seeking to
bring about change and new forms; born again of water to make the
round of the astral Zodiac, until, having again reached the
equator of the ascending are, where he is reunited to the missing
half of his soul, the true friend of the Edenic state; the
highest point in the arc of human progress won; the honor and
glory of a perfected soul; the Lord and Master, the "I am that I
am," to rest in peace in the heart of Infinite Love and Wisdom.
CHAPTER IV. ASTRO-THEOLOGY
There is one species of Divine revelation which has not, and
cannot, be tampered with, one great Bible, which forms the starry
original of all Bibles.
This sacred Bible is the great Astral Bible of the skies; its
chapters are the twelve great signs, its pages are the
innumerable glittering constellations of the heavenly vault, and
its characters are the personified ideals of the radiant Sun, the
silvery moon, and the shining planets, of our solar sphere.
There are three different aspects of this sacred book, and in
each aspect the same characters appear, but in different roles,
their dress and natural surroundings being suited to the natural
play of their symbolical parts. In fact, the whole imagery may be
likened unto a play, or, rather, a series of plays, performed by
the same company of artists. It may be a comedy, or it may be
melodrama, or it may be a tragedy; but the principles behind the
scenes are ever the same, and show forth the same Divine Oneness
of Nature; demonstrating the eternal axiom. ONE TRUTH, ONE LIFE,
ONE PRINCIPLE, AND ONE WORD, and in their fourfold expression, is
the four great chapters of the celestial book of the starry
heavens.
In this aspect the visible cosmos may be represented as a
kaleidoscope. The visible constellations, planets, and other
heavenly bodies, are the bits of colored glass; and Deity the
invisible force, which keeps the instrument in motion. Each
revolution produces a different pictorial figure, which, complete
in its harmony of parts, is perfect in its mathematical
proportions, and beautiful in its geometrical designs. And yet
each creation, each form, and each combination of forms, are
produced by the same little pieces of glass; and all of them, in
reality, are optical illusions; i.e., natural phenomena, which
deceive the physical senses. So it is with Cosmic Nature.
It must not, however, be supposed, because of this perfect and
continual illusion of Nature's playful phenomena, that all
visible creation is purely an illusion of the senses, as some
cranky metaphysicians would have it, because this is not so.
Going back again to our kaleidoscope, we can clearly see that
without it, and its tinted beads, no such optical illusion is
possible. There is, then, a basis of spiritual reality to all
visible physical phenomena; but this basis lies concealed,
because of the perfect illusion which the reflected image
produces upon the material plane of the physical senses. The
beads themselves are real. These are the basis, and the different
pictures are the result, not of the beads, but of the angle from
which they are reflected to our earthly vision. In other words,
THE PLANE FROM WHICH WE BEHOLD THE PHENOMENA.
Hence, the nearer we approach the Divine center of our being, the
less complicated Nature's original designs become, and the
farther we are removed from that central source, the more weird,
mysterious, complicated, and incomprehensible, does Mother Nature
appear, to the finite human mind. And this is especially so, to
man's theological instinct, his religiosity, that constitutes one
of the fundamental factors of his being.
Nature is ever one in her original truths and their duplicate
reflections; but ever conflicting and contradictory in her
multiplied refractions through the minds of men. Therefore, we
will present the primary concept of that grand Astro-Theology
formulated by man's great progenitors; and view the simple
machinery, by which they typified to the primitive mind a general
outline of Nature's Divine providence.
All sacred books begin with an account of physical creation, the
culmination of which, is the appearance of man and woman, as the
parents of the race; and, while they will differ considerably in
detail and make-up, the basic ideas embodied are essentially the
same in all cosmo-genesis; so that in the Jewish Bible,
accessible to all, one can read the primitive story of creation
from a Jewish point of view, and, when read, rest satisfied that
he has read the revelation vouchsafed to man in every age and in
every clime. The only difference is one of mental peculiarity and
national custom, along with climatic conditions. Hindoo,
Chaldean, Chinese, Persian, Egyptian, Scandinavian, Druidic and
ancient Mexican are all the same--different names and drapery, to
suit the people only, but essentially the same in the fundamental
ideas conveyed.
THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
The simple story of creation begins at midnight, when the Sun has
reached the lowest point in the arc--Capricorn. All Nature then
is in a state of coma in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter
time, solar light and heat are at their lowest ebb; and the
various appearances of motion, etc., are the Sun's passage from
Capricorn to Pisces, 60 degrees, and from Pisces to Aries, 30
degrees, making 90 degrees, or one quadrant of the circle. Then
begin in real earnest the creative powers, it is spring time. The
six days are the six signs of the northern arc, beginning with
the disruptive fires of Aries. Then, in their order, Taurus,
Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo; then Libra, the seventh day and the
seventh sign, whose first point is opposite Aries and is the
opposite point of the sphere, the point of equilibrium, equal day
and equal night, it is autumn. It is the sixth sign from Aries,
the first creative action, and so the sixth day following the
fiery force, wherein God created the bi-sexual man. See Genesis,
1:5-27: "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God
created He him, male and female created He them."
It is the seventh, or day of the Lord (man), the climax of
material creation and Lord of all living things, and be rests in
the blissful Garden of Eden. This seventh day and seventh sign is
the concealed sacred Libra the perfect union of the sexes. Then
comes the fall from Libra, through Scorpio, and banishment from
the Garden of Eden. That is the victory of Satan, or Winter, over
Summer, etc. It is useless to repeat the same old, old story. The
yearly journey of the Sun around the constellated dial of Deity
is the Astro basis of all primitive cosmology.
THE SCHEME OF REDEMPTION
In addition to the creation of the world and the fall of man
through sin, we find all people in possession of a grand scheme
of redemption, and, like the former, we shall find them all
essentially the same. They all require a mediator between the
angry God and disobedient man, and they all require that this
mediator shall be Divine, or semi-Divine. Nothing less can
satisfy Deity's demands; or, rather, let us say man's own carnal
imagination. It is simply another turn of our cosmic
kaleidoscope, and behold! the actors have changed. Capricorn
becomes the stable of the Goat, in the manger of which the young
Savior of the world is born. As a type of all, we will take the
Gospel Savior. It is again midnight. The Sun enters the sign
Capricorn on the twenty- first of December. This is the lowest
point of the arc, South, and for three days he is stationary, or
in darkness. And now it is Christmas Eve. He (the Sun or Savior)
begins to move, and at midnight is born as the celestial Virgo is
rising upon the Eastern quadrant of the skies; hence the Sun-God
is born of a Virgin. Then comes the flight to escape Kronos, or
Saturn (ruling Capricorn), who kills the young babes. There is a
period of silence in the God's history while the Sun is in
transit through the signs Capricorn and part of Aquarius. That
is, he is hidden or obscured by the clouded skies of this period.
We hear of him but once again until he, the Sun-God, or Savior,
is thirty years old, or has transited thirty degrees of space. He
has entered the sign Aquarius (symbolical of the Man.) Now begins
the period of miracles.
Let us digress for a space, and refer to our chapter on the
constellations. We shall find a perfect analogy between this
miracle- working period and the constellations Aquarius and
Pisces, as therein given. The first miracle we read of is turning
water into wine. This may be seen in a threefold aspect. The
Sun-God changes by his life- forces the waters of winter into the
rich vintage of the harvest, where the Virgin (Virgo) Mother
again appears. Again, the wine becomes the blood--the life
offered up on the vernal cross to strengthen, renew and make
merry with new life our Earth and its people. The devil (or
winter), with his powers of darkness, is defeated and man saved.
The final triumph is the crucifixion in Aries, the vernal
equinox, about the twenty-first of March, quickly followed by the
resurrection, or renewal of life. Then the God rises into heaven,
to sit upon the throne at the summer solstice, to bless his
people. We read, that, the Savior of mankind was crucified
between two thieves. Very good. The equinoctial point is the
dividing line between light and darkness, winter and summer. In
other words, the Sun is resuming his northern arc, to replenish
the Earth with his solar force and preserve his people from death
in the coming winter. The life of a Buddha, a Krishna or a
Christ, are all found in their completeness in the life of Horus;
while the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are Isis, Horus and Osirus.
The same trinity, under different names, are found in all
nations. It is the Sun, Moon and Human Soul, which is the only
true mediator of Man.
There is another version of this celestial crucifixion, wherein
the Sun-God-Savior, after the supper of the harvest in Virgo, is
crucified at the autumnal equinox upon the equator. We read that
he was dying from the sixth to the ninth hours--three hours,
three signs, or from the 21st of September to the 21st of
December, when he is laid in the tomb. This is the lowest point
of the Sun's journey in the southern hemisphere, and darkness
holds the balance in our northern hemisphere. The three days in
the tomb are the three months, or three signs, before the vernal
equinox, or the resurrection, the rising out of the South to
bring salvation to the northern portion of our Earth.
We have now only to glance over various diverging lines of the
same cosmology and the same redemption. All these allegories
typified TRUTHS. They all teach the Initiate the mysteries of
creation, of man's destiny and his necessary Cycle of Material
Probation. Some of the most beautiful parables may be read in
this light. Abraham, and the story of his wanderings in the
deserts of Asia Minor; of Lot and his unfaithful wife, are to be
seen still written in the heavens. Hagar and Ishmael are still
there; so also are Esau and his brother Jacob; the story of
Joseph and his brethren; of Sampson and his twelve labors. This
is the same beautiful story. The Sun, shorn of his glory, or
solar force, at the autumnal equinox, stands upon the equator
between the two pillars of the temple (or light and darkness),
and pulls down the temple (or signs) into the southern
hemisphere. And behind this we have the eternal truth of the
soul, when, giving way to the allurements of matter (Delilah),
the soul is shorn of its spiritual covering, or conscience, and
sinks into matter and death. And the story of David and Goliath
can be read to-day as clearly as of yore.
They are eternal, spiritual verities of human nature, and record,
not only the history of the human race, its mutations and
transmutations, but of the individual man and the suffering and
delusive joys of his material life. Aye, more! It is the record
of all his past existence and a type of his eternal destiny in
the future.
Another turn of our cosmic kaleidoscope, and lo! the scene
changes --the play extended, the angles greater, caused by the
revolution of our solar parent through his celestial Zodiac. As
the Sun passes out of one sign into another, or, in other words,
forms a different angle to his own center of force, a new
dispensation is born to the world; or, rather, re-born under a
new guise. The great Sun-God appears to change his nature and
manifests an entirely different set of attributes. That is the
way man personified this play of Nature, through his imperfect
conception of the cause of this change. But to him it was, and
is, a truth, and man's effort to externalize these attributes in
a Divine personality was, and is, strictly from the plane of his
mental development and spiritual unfoldment.
The two pictures of this Astro-Theology, as set forth in the two
divisions of the Jewish Bible, will illustrate our meaning. The
Sun had entered the sign Aries some time prior to the exodus from
Egypt. Aries is the constellation of Mars, the fiery, destructive
and warrior element, or force, in Nature, and we find the Jewish
conception of God a perfect embodiment of these attributes: The
Lord of Hosts, a God mighty in battle, delighting in the shedding
of blood and the smell of burnt offerings, ever marshalling the
people to battle and destroying their foes and the works of his
own hands; a God imbued with jealousy, anger, and revenge. This
was the type set up by the Jewish savior and lawgiver, Moses.
After a period of 2,160 years, we find the Christian cosmology
ushered in. The Sun has entered the sign Pisces, which is ruled
by Jupiter, the beneficent father. The Christ, or mediator, of
the Christian Gospel was an embodiment of the joint qualities of
the sign and ruling planet. Gentle, loving and merciful, His
words were messages of love and peace; His work was with the
poor, oppressed and fallen; he eschewed sacrifices and burnt
offerings; a contrite heart was the best offering; He taught the
people that God was their Father, loving all, just, yet merciful.
But a strong taint of the old conception has remained with the
human race, hiding, at times, the beauty of the latter concept.
These are, again, the refractions of eternal truths, viewed by
man from his material plane. The elements are here presented, the
alphabet and its key clearly defined. Therefore, let each one
explore this tangled labyrinth of Astro-Theology for him or
herself, and work out the various correspondencies at leisure. It
is enough to indicate the starry originals of all this seemingly
confused mass of so-called Divine revelation in sacred books.
They, one and all, pertain to the same celestial phenomena, and
the various Bibles are the outcome of man's serious attempt to
tabulate and externalize this heavenly order, to record his
conceptions of these starry aspects and movements with their
corresponding effects upon the Earth.
Probably the purest system to us is that which may yet be derived
from Chaldean sources. This sacerdotal caste were the most
perfect in their astral conceptions and complete in their
symbolic system of recording, and if the great work found in King
Sargon's library in seventy tablets is ever translated, it will
prove of priceless value to the student of these weird, but
sublime, astrological mysteries.
In conclusion, as we reflect upon the fourfold aspect of the
subject that we have presented in outline in these pages, the
whole imagery passes in review before the mental vision. We see
that the radiant constellations of the heavenly vault, with the
beautiful reflection and counterpart, the shining Zodiac, are the
two halves of the great Cycle of Necessity, the spiral of
eternal, universal life, which binds the whole into unity, and
unity into infinity. It is the grand scheme of creative life. The
seven principles of Nature, or Divine Activities, are the forces
producing the phenomena within seven angelic states, seven
kingdoms, and, by seven planets, upon the external plane; the
planets being the passive mediums of the positive spiritual
forces. Upon this dual spiral, which reflects the seven rays of
the solar spectrum is produced seven musical notes; one half of
the spiral in sound and color being the complementary of the
other half. Man, the Earth, and our solar system, are revolving,
each orb in its own key, and its own peculiar ray, meeting and
blending with other spirals, and the whole blending into one
mighty spiral Cycle of Progressive Life, revolving around the
Eternal, Infinite Ego-God, ever involving and evolving the
attributes, powers and possibilities of the One great central
source of Being.
It is a grand orchestra, pealing out in richest melody and
sublime HARMONY, the grand Anthem of Creation: "We Praise Thee, O
God."
CHAPTER V. ASTRO-MYTHOLOGY
The Astro-Mythological system of the ancients, though forming the
last section, so to say, of the mysteries of the Divine Urania,
is, perhaps, the most beautiful of its general features, and
perfect in the complete fulfillment of the purpose for which it
was intended, viz.:-- to convey to the human mind a lesson, a
moral, a truth in Nature; and last, but not the least, to serve
as a basis upon which its inner aspirations and its more external
faith might rest in security.
When we come to examine the deep, philosophical principles of
such a wise system, we are almost astounded at the result of our
researches and the wisdom of human nature displayed in
formulating such perfect analogies of truth, semi-truth, and of
falsehood, according to the plane occupied by the individual.
Let us take one instance, which will clearly explain all the
rest, for they are built and formulated after the same model.
Aeneas, of Greek myths and fables, is reputed to be the son of
Venus by a MORTAL father, upon the plane of reality. As that of
actual PARENT and CHILD, of course this is an utter falsehood. To
the rural population of long, long ago, and their simple, rustic
conceptions, IT WAS A TRUTH.
Why so? Because they believed it, and to them it taught the
required lesson of obedience to the powers that be. But if in
reality it was a falsehood, how can it become a truth by the
simple addition of acceptance and belief? Because it possessed a
metaphysical truth, though not a physical one, in the sense
accepted.
Aeneas, son of Venus, whose history is so beautifully preserved
by the immortal Virgil, was (metaphysically speaking) son of the
goddess, because he was, in his astral and magnetic nature, ruled
and governed by Venus, born under one of her celestial signs and
when she was rising upon the ascendant of the House of Life, even
as Jesus Christos was born of a virgin, because Virgo was rising
at His birth.
Thus Aeneas was, in strict metaphysical reality, a son of Venus.
Having satisfied the rural mind, which thus, unconsciously,
accepts an absolute truth under a physical disguise, the
metaphysical thinker, the philosopher, also accepts the same
fable, knowing and realizing its more abstract truth,
But, again, we are met with the objection that such a truth is
only apparently a truth; i.e., on the plane of embodied
appearances, and naturally the question arises, where (if at all)
is the real truth of the mythos? That truth which is beyond the
mere metaphysical thinker and commonplace philosopher; the truth
which the Initiates recognize--where is it? That truth lies far
beyond the purview of Astro-Mythology. It is connected with the
center of angelic life. Sufficient here to say that, as there are
seven races of humanity, seven divisions to the human
constitution, seven active principles in Nature, typified by the
seven rays of the solar spectrum, so are there seven centers of
angelic life, corresponding to the seven planetary forces
formulated in "The Science of the Stars," and, as each one of us
must of necessity belong to one of the particular angelic centers
from which we originally emanated, the Initiate can see no reason
why AENEAS MAY NOT IN REALITY belong to that celestial vortex
represented by Venus upon the plane of material life. This being
the case, we see how beautiful the ancients' system of temple
worship must have been. The simple rustic, in reverence and awe,
accepting the gross and physical meaning--the only one possible
to his dark, sensuous mind. The scholar and philosopher bow their
wiser heads with equal humility, accepting with equally sincere
faith the more abstract form of the allegory; while on the other
hand, the priest and the Initiate, lifting their loftier souls
above the earth and its formulas of illusion and matter, accept
that higher and more spiritual application, which renders them
equally as sincere and devout as their less enlightened
worshipers. It is thus we find these astro-myths true for all
time, true in every age of the world, and EQUALLY TRUE OF ALL
NATIONS. And this is the real reason why we find every nation
under the Sun possessing clear traditions relating to the same
identical fables, under different names, which are simply
questions of nationality. And when mythologists, archaeologists,
and philologists once recognize the one central, cardinal truth,
they will cease to wonder why nations, so widely separated by
time and space, possess the same basic mythology. They will then
no longer attempt its explanation by impossible migrations of
races, carrying the rudiments with them. They will find that this
mythology was a complete science with the ancient sages, a
UNIVERSAL MYSTERY LANGUAGE, in which all could converse, and th