ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

SAGITTARIUS 2011
Labor of Hercules
Killing of the Stymphalian Birds

Swarms of iron razor birds in swampland must be flushed out; killing, trapping don’t work; crashing cymbals at twilight works;
3 deadly birds – cruel speech, self-referential speech, casting pearls before swine...

Motto: I see the goal. I reach that goal and then I see another
(Sagittarius, the disciple becomes the Saviour in Pisces)
"The Mind As the Slayer of the Real"
The Mind As the Slayer of the Real

“The Mind is the Slayer of the Real” is usually heard and reiterated by the mystically oriented, beginning to get a clue as to the nature of the lower mind and perhaps the threefold mind, but seldom asking themselves the question “What stands behind the Mind in this particular case? Is it Instinct, Intellect, or even Intuition without benefit of a mode of articulation that communicates to others along similar ray lines. Could it be the Monad, or Buddhi, or Atma attempting to get through the veil of citta — and what is the triadic constitution or balance at issue, if it is functioning through the causal body (or its esoteric substitute)?

There is the danger among aspirants on the mystical line to lump all aspirational undesirable factors under the rubric Mind. In favor of what? An image or an idea or a feeling or the assumed attitude of sacrifice? What is the essential or ultimate nature of the Mind? The clear light of bliss and emptiness, if we are to speak definitively in terms of Buddhist logic and dialectic used in debate. The mystically oriented or religiously pious tend to attach themselves to the image or idea of Light, or Love, or the Bliss of union with their saviour for dear spiritual life, because there is either no psychological/mental capacity, or no inclination or impulse for Socratic Questioning to enable starting out along the Occult Path of spiritual science and the science of esoteric psychology, or of grappling with the nature of the Mind itself. This does not necessarily require mental polarization, but it does require Reflection and Insight. In mystics conditioned by the abstract rays 2-4-6, there is often fear behind the expression of Love, because the instinctual nature is still an unresolved, unintegrated, or unmastered problem, and the basis of Instinct is human animal fear (to begin with). The Mystical and Occult Paths do not begin to merge until the 3rd, or at least late in the 2nd initiation. Mental or emotional polarization is a separate practical and operational concern for the soul.

On the mystical Path, is the best term to substitute for Mind the word Vision? If so, this can be vague and unscientific unless clearly articulated in context and in language adapted or modulated for the listener. But what is the nature of the Higher Mind in opposition to the Lower, technically understood, and how can it be identified, felt, recognized in oneself and the environment, and acknowledged in a collegial way in a group context, or in a street-level quotidian collective way? What mentality or ‘state’ stands behind the citta-chat and chatter, presumably of a group of Seekers, cooperatively organized or not? Spiritual and psychological assessment is a critical skill for both esoteric psychologists and astrologers. Disciples, initiates and masters do not restrict themselves to the work of esoteric schools, though it makes sense they would be amenable to converse or drop a clue when necessary — from the point of view of depth understanding along the line of their Ray and fields of endeavor.

The Labor of Sagittarius

The tests of the Sagittarius Labor are most closely related to the Mind as Slayer of the Real. Hercules must face a cloud of razor-winged and feathered birds who dwell in a gigantic Swamp (sound familiar?). He must use the science of vibration, of Vac, in the form of clashing cymbals at 'Twilight' to cause this cloud of destructive thoughtforms and citta-chatter to flee. Meditation at “Dawn” or "Dusk" resounds like a bell and affects the citta used by the Mind –directed from any level– to form concentric circles of waves and geometric patterns as in the Chladni Effect (Chladni had Sun-Mars-Pluto conj. in Sagittarius). For true spiritual students, Thought and Mind act like a megaphone through Space (Agni Yoga).

But the labor preceding Sagittarius is that of Scorpio — identifying the same use of the mind-stuff (in the third & 3-fold mental stage) arising like a Hydra attacking the individual’s own threefold personality constitution — and conquering it by lifting it off the ground and into the Air and Light. This is the phase of the Mystical Path and Probationary aspiration that none can escape — the nine tests, three on each personality level (physical, emotional/astral, mental).

It is only through Sagittarius and the science of handling Mind and Speech that one can arrive at the Capricorn initiatory stage. Capricorn is the mountaintop view of the world that enables Vision to be a power through its view of all structures and forms, and by inference, the proper approach to their place, use, deconstruction and reconstruction. The Labor in Capricorn is threefold — saving two men surrounded by a herd of "cattle" on the attack (Probationers), strangling the middle throat of Cerberus, Guardian of Hades or the underworld of Instinct (Aspirants), and rescuing Prometheus (Disciples as Friends and colleagues). It is in Capricorn that one begins to see beyond one’s own Search, Mission and Work concerns, and recognizes one’s colleagues and their Search, Mission and Work. This is the beginning of the ability to cooperate intelligently and with clear unconditioned Love (not necessarily unconditional). Capricorn then represents the beginning of Vision and Knowing. One can begin to ‘see through’ Mind.

The Mind is the Slayer of the Real, but what does the speaker mean by Mind, and what does he understand as taking its stand behind and through the ‘mind.’ The mental plane is the one plane where all constitutional and spiritual factors meet — human, planetary, solar and beyond. It is where the Council Chamber’s Plan, Purpose, and Decisions take place, at least on Earth.

Sagittarius, Esoterically Speaking

Can one be a Knower –a soul– without Mind? It should be clear that it is the 3rd aspect of the threefold mind –the abstract mind (or Mercury)– that enables the Thinker in the causal body to initiate functioning, as well as ‘Knowing.’ The causal body on the three higher mental subplanes is not the Soul itself on its own plane, but its vehicle. But is the buddhic jewel hidden at the center of the causal lotus the Soul itself? There are many questions to answer regarding the relationship of the 5th and 6th principles in manifestation. These can only begin to be resolved with a developed group-consciousness.

The Agnishvattas enable Ahamkara, the “I” principle, to build in consciousness its own body of causes, to unfold the egoic lotus, and eventually (R4) to destroy the limitations of the (succession of) form(s) the individual has created in order to function and achieve goals in the Three Worlds. However, because the agnishvatta pitris are found in three classes associated with cosmic Manasadevas (IVth CH Mercury), the solar Angels (Vth CH Venus), and the planetary manasaputras or Rudras, etc. (VIth CH Mars), their ultimate goal is to establish human consciousness and 5th Kingdom continuity-of-consciousness without the manasic vehicle. “Manas is but the form through which a higher principle is making itself known.”

The solar Lords (Manasadevas or Fire Dhyanis) are the divine Egos, not the solar Angels or pitris – except as a blind. According to HPB, the divine Egos are a “pillar of light” surrounding the human animal with a sheath of akasha. This involves Fohat and the ‘mystery of electricity.’ The Agnishvatta pitris (solar Angels) construct, as a devic host, the petals of the individual’s egoic lotus, vivified by Ahamkara. The Egoic Identity, the “Thinker in the causal body,” is associated with the Manasadevas who “are the cosmic ‘prototypes’ of our solar Angels.” (CF 710-12) They work through the mental units or manasaputras, investing as much of the logoic purpose that the individual has the capacity to work out on to the physical plane, depending on the condition of the Triangle of mental unit, causal body, and mental permanent atom — the antahkarana mechanism of response.

Humanity demonstrates predominantly three Creative Hierarchies in its constitution, the IVth, Vth, and VIth. The Creative Hierarchies (CH) are negative deva hosts in relation to the Rays. It is said that each CH and Ray is again dual or bisexual — keeping in mind the primary sexual relationship is that of the Soul incarnating in the physical body, or Spirit uniting with Form. Polar relations exist on all planes in conjunction with the laws of Electricity, esoterically understood. The 5th Ray of the 5th Rishi/Kumara functions through the 5th Ray Lord –Venus at present– the 5th Creative Hierarchy being the “vehicle or recipient” of buddhi. (Think of solar Lords/Angels/pitris in their relation to cosmic Manasadevas.) The 5th Creative Hierarchy of solar Angels links 3rd, 4th, and 5th Kingdoms in nature, the Kingdoms being the negative aspect in union with the positive Creative Hierarchies. The mystery of the war between the Sons of Manas and Dragons of Wisdom (reaching its crisis in the 5th Round) cannot be revealed outside initiated circles. In a way, it is self-secret. A glimpse of this mystery can be found in this relationship of the IVth with the Vth Creative Hierarchy, in other words the relationship of Mercury and Venus aspects of Mind within their relationship to Neptune and the Heart of the Sun. All these factors must be seen and felt within one’s own constitution to be under-stood.

Beyond the 5th Round, the manasaputras of 5th Chain energy are now evolving in the 5th Scheme. Since our Sun is of the Fourth Order, little is known or can be discussed regarding these groups related to the mental unit. It should be kept in mind that the seven Chains are associated with, and in a way a result, of the Seven Suns or solar systems. Our Sun being of the fourth Order, little can be known about the 5th Chain (and associated Sun) which constitutes a center or chakra in the planetary Logos (the planetary Logos, not the Heavenly Man [soul], the Divine Manasaputra [‘personality’ aspect], or the Lesser Heavenly Man taking incarnation under the cosmic planetary Soul and its cycles. In other words, for a planetary Logos and reflective Scheme, the impact of the seven Suns is the source and involved in the creation of His seven Centers.

We know that Sagittarius is related to a 2nd (6th?) Order sun, Betelgeuse, associated with the star-birthing region in the Orion Association, giving birth to a future system of (7) constellations of (7) suns. This is quite suggestive. (The Orion Association of blue-white stars and the Scorpio-Centaurus Association of red spectrum stars are found on either side of our own Gould Belt system of 7-9 constellations, 'our' System of the UNKNOWN Logos. We know that Mars, the hierarchical ruler of Sagittarius, is somehow related to the seven solar systems along with Taurus-Scorpio (cf. Ray Four). For a solar Logos, the Chains are related to the seven Constellations with regard to His centers.

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