INTRODUCTORY ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

INTRODUCTORY ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

SCORPIO 2007

Labor of Hercules
Slaying the Lernaean Hydra

On knees to lift the evil writhing Hydra into wind and light — the mystical 9th head of power buried under a Rock. Kundalini with Fire of Mind and Spirit conquer the entrenched reptilian instincts to become Asklepios and Healing Shaktipat; Scorpio wrestles again with Antares (cf. Gemini) as Ophiuchus and Hercules; Victory when Hydra seen as unit.

Motto: Warrior am I and from the battle I emerge triumphant

(Scorpio stages the release of Leo)

The Crises of the Soul — Battleground, Birthplace/Labor, and Burning Ground — All Testing is self-engineered, no matter how clouded one’s apprehension. All initiation is self-administered, otherwise it would not be fully conscious. With Capricorn, Scorpio rules the Twelve Labors of the Sun God Hercules, and particularly the Hydra’s Nine Tests of psychological hygiene(!) In Scorpio we find how spiritual values and life are anchored in daily ephemera.

Scorpio in General
Scorpio, with Taurus, is the horizontal arm of the Fixed Cross; Leo-Aquarius the vertical. The experience in Scorpio and Taurus oscillates back and forth for a long time, both for testing and for working in the world.

Scorpio’s first task is to use the mind to govern the emotions, kama-manasic attitudes and psychism (and their lower order motives). Its second task is to distinguish between lower and higher mind, so as to throw a light on to both outer and inner worlds of the mind on all seven systemic planes. It is often in Taurus and Scorpio that an individual develops the mental capacity and strength to penetrate into the mental plane itself and realize that all creative and conscious work and identity comes through that window or door (or ‘presence of mind’) on the mental plane. It is good to keep in mind that the soul or causal body is composed entirely of mental or manasic substance, albeit surrounding a jewel or fiery sphere of buddhi from the next plane up. The work of the Triad transcends that of the soul and is ruled by Mercury rather than by Venus, but it presupposed a full and stabilized union of the Three Fires. (The Triangle of Mars-Earth-Mercury vividly and symbolically portrays kundalini latent, semi-developed, and fully awakened.)

Aries rules the manasic permanent atom, while Libra governs the mental unit inherited from previous cycles. The mental unit represents the essence of inherited personality karma, as well as the degree of personality integration. In the 1st initiation the soul is contacted and a dim recognition of the distinction between the 4 subplanes of the mental unit and the 3 higher subplanes of the soul begins to dawn. People discuss this in various ways — the near-death experience (NDEs), ghosts and psychism, the recognition of past life experiences, or the magnetic power of love (for self-interest or service). The 4 subplanes governed by the mental unit are kama-manasic in nature, emotion mixed with mind, and are the source of what are called logical fallacies. The 3 subplanes of the soul deal with dissipating glamour and dispelling illusion, and work with abstract insight and creativity. Illusion in the esoteric sense is completely distinct from logical fallacies found on the lower planes. It is the right use of the mind and brain in direct relation with the mental plane.

Distinctions among Probationers, Aspirants and Disciples should not be seen as hard and fast, but elements from each stage are recognized in different ways due to stage of development and focus of one’s immediate constitution and work. Probationers still integrating the personality and preparing for 1st initiation can still be subject to gross self-interest, explained in various ways), to self-will and to a tendency to think in black-and-white and with borrowed thought (not self-generated thought), usually due to conflicts and crises. If the soul nature has been contacted and recognized one can still continue proving the soul nature to oneself, still transmuting personality desire into spiritual aspiration.

Aspirants are most common among spiritual students, and the term can be used in many ways. If the 2nd initiation is meant, then the aspirant can still find himself wrangling with probationers and 1st degree types, essentially wrangling with oneself for the benefit of right orientation, etc.

The term Disciple (disciplined mind, heart and spirit) covers 2nd to 3rd initiations generally speaking, and the primary work is full development of the mind (soul) in service to the race (as in human race).

The term Initiate covers 3rd to 4th initiations in general terms, but they face entrance into the 5th kingdom of souls through the cultivation of telepathy and of the “powers latent in the human constitution” – a requirement for their self-chosen projects.

All these stages still go through the Tests of Scorpio – while in incarnation, the tests are unremitting. The essence of Scorpio testing is not obsession with becoming more pure, pious, righteous or even moral in the sense of observing this decade’s social norms with perfect PC. Human self-mastery has an infinite air about it. The essence of Scorpio involves transmuting the suffering of (self-) testing into the joy that comes with directing all one’s creative urges towards achievement of truly intelligent service, and toward refinement of intelligent perspicacity into wisdom in action. Disciples prove themselves as such through their actions and achievements in the world.

Here we can look into why disciples contact and communicate with each other (and with initiates) through Scorpio, while contacting and working with the masses through Pisces (see Eso Pisces 2009). Scorpio’s planetary rulers are Pluto-Mars for the personality, Mars for the soul, and Mercury on planetary or monadic levels. This illustrates the fact that the masses are still absorbed with Mars conflicts and crises precipitated by self-interest and self-will. The Mars mind is the inherited, semi-conscious and unreflective mind of kama-manas, of congealed attitudes, enthusiasms, fanaticisms and ideologies that are karmic in nature and conditioned by the indolence of the personality. In Buddhist philosophy, the animal kingdom is distinguished by ignorance, or lack of self-consciousness, and humans by desire. Of course that is not to say the 3rd kingdom in nature does not have prodigious natural intelligence and sensibilities in a great spectrum of forms (rapidly going extinct). Among humanity, Scorpio and Mars rule the dangerous and ambitious human animal posing as the ‘king of beasts’ — as an animal.

Unfortunately we live in a world society where too often might makes right, or pure undeveloped self-assertion overwhelms merit, service and high idealism. And more appalling, where the insignia or paper patents and certifications of competence and social probity have no living ideals behind them, only a fight for economic survival in a modern Mediocracy. This is about to change. We have covered at least five broad expressions of the use of the lower mind or mental unit in the sign Scorpio. Hence Scorpio can be very useful in identifying the stage and focus of conscious expression in the person or individual. The focus of Scorpio is the transmutation of animal instinct into intellect and eventually into intuition. In the early stages, a defective mental apparatus can force transition to the Ray 2-4-6 line of activity, or it can prompt a challenge to overcome limitations when there is a fully developed line of work and dedication to self-improvement or self-mastery. Defects or damage are to be found on form levels for a variety of karmic or incidental causes. After all, Scorpio is the warrior, but also the wounded healer. A highly developed consciousness can still be seen to exist behind lack of expressive capacity by those with eyes that see through form an mental or attitudinal delusions and presumptions.

For the Scorpio aspirant or disciple, Mars rules the battle royal between personality and soul until the soul emerges triumphant and takes full charge of the personality mechanisms. Later the disciple finds Mars, Jupiter, Sun and Earth useful in fighting for true spiritual values and proving those values in the world. This is the Scorpio-Sagittarius stage of Scorpio’s expression. Fully developed aspiration returns as intuition and Mars is revealed as high idealism. It becomes clear why Mars and Scorpio (on the Fixed Cross) demand a clear recognition of stages of focus and development of consciousness. Scorpio is more fully developed and can be used more intelligently in training and educational work (and in instructing trainers and educators).

For the Scorpio initiate, Mercury begins to take charge. The Three Fires of Matter (Kundalini), Mind and Spirit have merged in a distinctive individualized manner, and high idealism is refined and articulated to a much greater degree. The initiate lives and works on the mental plane. Mercury is coordinating the triad with the soul and the dual life of the initiate relates to the planetary Hierarchy through Capricorn, to disciples through Scorpio, and to the masses through Gemini. Venus the solar angel is now facing Mercury the Angel of the Presence.

Inspiration: Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Astrology. NY: Lucis Publishing Company – website (http://www.lucistrust.org/en/publications_store).