INTRODUCTORY ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

INTRODUCTORY ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

LIBRA 2008

Labor of Hercules
Capturing the Erymanthian Boar

Capture the wild boar, save a ravaged country, but take time to eat — Kills 2 Centaurs during orgy & brawl over consecrated group cask, after leaving Apollo’s bow behind; drives Boar down mountain by its hind legs, laughing.

Motto: I choose the way which leads between the two great lines of force.

(Libra relates the two in Gemini)

Ten of the twelve signs of the zodiac grow and evolve through conflict, crisis, and meeting the challenge of communication, understanding, and loving and intelligent cooperation.

Libra, along with Aries, is one of the two signs which do not develop or evolve through crisis. Their method is to achieve a point of balance, tension and poise –Aries a point of silent tension before the projection of the creative impulse or thoughtform, and Libra a point of silent poise before bringing two factors into harmony and creating a third and liberating factor. It is interesting that one of the 2008 presidential candidates, John McCain’s motto is “sustain the strain.” His 9am chart (questionable birth time) has Libra rising. McCain’s Mercury is in Libra. Allow me to observe that healthy, balanced tension and poise are the opposite of unhealthy strain, which belies a deep attitude of force and coercion toward self and others.

Libra rules No Man’s Land. We are left to our own devices and Karma in Libra to judge ourselves from the point of view of our higher Self, wherever stationed. Libra rules the duality of Self and Humanity at large.

We all know the rather negative traits of Librans – sacrificing all for comfort or harmony, sitting on the fence until the self-serving values emerge, lots of talk about seeing both sides of the issue at hand (when someone is about to be figuratively raped) with no real interest in inquiry and justice, only pacification and face-saving. Libra is very good at creating the appearance of cooperation and even-handedness, but often with a hidden agenda, only revealed at the moment of self-interest. There can be talk of justice, but Tact can be expressed as either infinite and devious manipulation or as a kind of divine vision, discernment, and diplomacy.

Libra is meant to serve brains over brawn, or brains over the gut-brained. Most people do not think. They only think when confronted with a conflict or crisis. Humanity has the addiction of conflict. This is the challenge of the 2008 elections coming up. Will demagogues be able to manipulate the gut-brained 50% of the populace into violating basic humanitarian values, or will America regain its Soul?

Virgo gives humanity a choice in terms of purification — through Vision or through War (society’s “favorite holiday”) — change through brains or through dumb force and inertia.

Libra gives us the choice of humanity’s approach toward the use of law — the guardian of fairness, justice and positive righteousness, or law as the enforcer of a kindergarten regime for men, such as we see with the present administration (2000-08) encouraging private-sector building and management of detention facilities while creating a plantation-slave casino economy with a ghetto wall to the south. A mercenary armed forces parallels a potential mercenary and overtly militarized (fatherland defense) municipal order — how sick and degenerate can a society get before the rot actually dismembers it for composting? Unfortunately this disease and rot spreads throughout the planet from a country that once represented the human democratic ideal.

The Bull in Taurus swerves in Libra to reverse the zodiacal wheel. Most of humanity revolves backward through the signs. The spiritual disciple moves forward. As the animal gut-brain was transformed into the human brain, and instinct became intellect, so the basic human instincts and urges must reverse direction to direct the self-interested personality nature toward the Soul — intellect evolves to include intuition and true vision. We once were blind, but now we see.

In Libra the evolving human reaches a point of tension that demands nerve and poise to make the best decision. Without that poise, he slouches back into the familiar and comfortable.

Libra is meant to have a very wide view of social and worldly affairs. Libra’s standard symbol of The Scales is superceded by its esoteric symbol, the Triangle that surrounds the All-Seeing Eye of God — Duality surmounted by a Point of At-One-ment. It is only with this very broad vision that Libra can make those choices, establish that poise, and exercise that tact that enable great and broad effects within the family, group, nation or planet within which it functions.

In Libra the value of self-interest widens to include greater and greater spheres of interest and an ensuing sense of social responsibility. Self-interest finally dissolves in this greater Vision and sense of a wider Responsibility. As Souls, we are indeed “our brother’s keeper.”

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).