ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

PISCES 2010

Labor of Hercules
Capture of the Red Cattle of Geryon

Go to dark (island) Erytheia where Great Illusion is enthroned, King Geryon monster of 3 heads, 3 bodies, 6 hands who unlawfully holds Herd of Red Cattle; [ saving all] return them to Sacred City; invokes Helios fire in the Sun and Golden Chalice appears; kills 2-headed dog Orthrus, spares shepherd Eurytion, kills Geryon arriving in dust with Flaming Arrow; drives cattle from island in Chalice (or over Alps to Italy), pins Eryx, kills Alcyoneus w. his own rock; arrives, offers Red Cattle to Athena.

Motto: I leave my Father's home and turning back, I save.
(Pisces takes from all the signs)

Pisces and Its Relation to Cancer
Neptune concentrates the zodiacal influence of Pisces on the personality level only via humanity as a whole when working on a planetary level. Neptune and Jupiter are both exalted in Cancer, while simultaneously ruling Pisces.

This is a Mars-Neptune year (2010), so Pisces and Cancer become of particular interest. Bliss is the basic natural state for Humanity. It is essence, and it is Goal. It is the ‘basic training’ of transmutation and eventual transformation and transfiguration for this solar system. Perhaps that is another explanation why Cancer natives grow and develop through a direct relationship of Instinct to Intuition, bypassing Intellect and self-consciousness, strictly speaking. Also, pure psychic mastery must be felt, integrated, in order to subjugate that which is past, not at ease, obstructive. Psychic energy on all levels has the quality of Light.

When Happiness, which is a by-product state induced by optimal (‘relative’) match of external conditions (or right approach) with inner need, can be distinguished from Joy which is unconditioned and aspirational and creative-work related, then perhaps Bliss can enter the picture as a form of inner training. It is basically persistent and incremental alignment of these two ‘lower’ states through quiet meditative reflection that results in increasingly stabilized orientation to one’s core or essential nature.

This Neptune world of concerns becomes quite clear and visible when compared with the Mars world of aggression, force, conflict, confrontation and the enjoyment of pleasures, attachments, persistent lusts, ambitions and competition — all of which produce so many ‘martian’ ‘subcultures’ within the status quo, standard-issue ‘common’ world of the mundane, no judgment necessary. This latter reality is just exceptionally boring and tiresome. Mars is useful in refining pure and right assertion and courage in contact and interaction in a world of often violent dualities. It can be noble and beautiful. Mars is associated with the Creative Hierarchy (CH) that rules the form nature and right relations between spirit/soul and form. Mars, particularly in relationship with Jupiter, helps us take a stand and battle for what is best, true and good, otherwise, it is quite opportunistic.

Pluto, the ‘higher octave’ of Mars in orthodox astrology, helps us surrender outworn forms. It clarifies Truth and Reality by illuminating our experience of what they are Not. Pluto can be just as powerful a reintegrating factor as it is disillusioning and drastic. Pluto represents Truth in its nakedness. It is associated with the Buddhist/Hindu philosophies of emptiness/fullness (shunya/purna), and in this it is closely related to the Yajna Yoga of Neptune (the yoga of surrender or sacrifice). These represent Infinite View, so to speak.

This Neptune world of concerns relates it to Mercury in the sense of its basic distinction from Mars and form/formal concerns. Taking incarnation the IVth CH must concern itself with Form, its right use and preservation for sustained work. This is a basic way the human CH contributes constructively to the goal of the planetary Life and the (lesser) Heavenly Man while in incarnation (on the systemic monadic plane). (The true Heavenly Man [the name given to the buddhic/soul expression of the planetary Logos] looks down as a soul from the cosmic planes upon His reflection in the Lesser Heavenly Man on systemic levels, and is undoubtedly “in ceaseless meditation” while taking incarnation.)

These factors are the reason Mercury Heliocosms are found conjunct Neptune and are numerous (conjunct other natal positions) in the charts of historically exceptional exponents of ‘high mysticism’ and those on the mystical or devotional line of spiritual development.

On the other hand, Mars Heliocosms, particularly the opposition Heliocosm, can have drastic effect if not prepared for in advance. Character is Destiny to a great extent, and the Mars conjunction Heliocosm very often indicates a fullness of that — right body, speech, mind, balance, right effort, intelligent forbearance. The opposition tends toward the opposite – and always presents us with a challenge to do better.

Neptune-Mercury versus Mars demonstrates the difference between Humanity (considered as a unit) functioning as planetary Ajna center, versus its inherited role as planetary throat center, concerned with control and survival rather than fully conscious Co-Evolution.

Mars is also useful in assessing the emotional or psychic quality and states of our animal pets. Are their emotional concerns related to fellow-feeling or to territorial terrors? Common humanity isn’t much different along these lines. However, virtual social-networking seems to be helping erase time and space in this regard. Pluto, the higher octave of Mars, has significant effect on integrating large social organisms.

The daytime is filled with action, interaction, catharsis, maintaining poise and countenance. The evening is a time of reflection, what Renaissance philosophy referred to as the “Melancholic” humor or mind characteristic of the most developed individuals, groups and social sets. For many, the uproar of interactions, duties and responsibilities –real and spurious– continues on into the night. There is also the world of nightlife and letting off steam. All this can be explained away in terms of mission, service, family duties, stress reduction, random hedonism, etc.

But relegating mundane phenomena to the periphery for a moment, the reality for spiritual students and philosophical rationalists is the persistent necessity to distinguish among plane expressions of forces, energies, and ray alignments. This starts with analyzing, seeing and feeling the differences among gross physical, etheric, lower and higher astral, kama-manasic attitudes, lower and higher mind — and using this high-relief recognition to sort out the world. Later, similar and parallel distinctions must be recognized on the mental plane for the same purposes of self-mastery and becoming a stronger conditioning agent, rather than a victim, pawn, puppet or mere factor crippled by one’s environment or by the world of purely mundane schemes and dead forms, traditions and reactionary fallback cover-ups.

Even for those whose method is seat-of-the-pants reaction, or scramble-till-you-drop or lose it, sustaining a fleeting recognition of these differing strata can improve effectiveness and health – physical, emotional and psychological. A personal culture of denial is easy to adopt when all is taken for granted and ‘perceived’ as some sort of one-dimensional surface cliché. Pure will is cultivated best by first recognizing what it is not, such as strength, determination, intentions or self-will. Purpose comes with the integration of the life aspect, Mind, and pure will — the Three Fires integrated.

Pure unconditioned buddhi, bodhicitta, or Love has a similar task of heart reflection on what it is Not, such as all the conditioned states, attitudes and feelings. The night-time, midnight darkness, meditative reflection and silence open up the space for reflective assessment as well as the vision and will to improve, transmute, transform, and eventually transfigure the world into Light, pure Love, inner and outer Illumination, and Inspiration. We have this experience and opportunity every night as we fall through the various stages of sleep and intermediate or deep stages of evolving semi-consciousness (into Light). When all apparent contradictions and struggles are at a distance, there is the possibility of reintegration with the basic state of Bliss.

Water Signs are an interesting illustration, emphasizing Psyche over Intellect (Psyche is also Mind).
Pisces faces self-resurrection through “Letting go and letting God” to defuse “Serve or Suffer” dualities.
Cancer integrates instinct and intuition directly through an ongoing struggle of creation and recreation, nurturing, encouraging and refreshing self and others.
Scorpio’s method demands more mental application in sorting out its struggle with glamour, force and continuous conflict and crises – making them work for the good of the whole.
All three have a deep relation to the whole through death and rebirth of forms on all levels and fields of expression and action.

Because the sense of imprisonment and loss are so deep, Pisces has the consolation and joy of continuity of Consciousness over Form and the option of transformative ecstasy of resurrection and rebirth. It has the potential to carry Vision into the Depths and explicate the collective Unconscious of Humanity as a Whole (as a unit). Pisces always profits from a bit of Virgo, not just in reintegrating the opposites but because Jupiter is the hierarchic ruler of Virgo and enables down-to-earth expression through the Pisces personality ruler Jupiter. Jupiter is also the soul ruler of the Aquarian Age, in this cycle (transferring from a Jupiter personality-ruler Piscean Age). We’re moving from the “Dark Night of the Soul” to the Voice of the Silence in the Midnight Sky.

Jupiter governs the beneficent method of reincarnation. It governs the extent of inclusiveness of our sphere of influence. It represents an inclusive and permeable ring-pass-not. It brings wealth and fulfillment, but that sort which is gathered in the Chalice and in the stabilization of Bliss which Neptune and Pluto bring through truly looking deeply at Life’s Mystery.

Pisces rules the “period of Dark,” the indigo midnight sky of silence and deep reflection before the Three Spiritual Festivals of the year. It is the interlude of preparation for White Magic, and furthers the invisible Plans for the healing of nations and the planet.

Inspiration: Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Astrology, and her 24 books on esoteric studies.
NY: Lucis Publishing Company – website (http://www.lucistrust.org/en/publications_store).