INTRODUCTORY ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

INTRODUCTORY ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

AQUARIUS 2009

Labor of Hercules
Cleansing the Augean Stables

Turn back on Light and give it to others, as in Capricorn [saving animals in bulk].
King Augeus, son of Neptune god of sea, kept stables uncleaned for 30 years;
Hercules breaks down outer walls, makes holes on either end for 2 river waters to flow through;
suspicious King rewards Hercules with death threat. (Sound familiar?)

Motto: Water of Life am I, poured forth for thirsty men.
(Aquarius releases Virgo from her load)

The Individual and Society

Why is Astrology Important in Esoteric Studies? — Esoteric Astrology studies the effects of solar systems, planetary centers and the 7 Rays on human chakras, healing, education, psychology, and spiritual reintegration. Aquarius unites mystical and occult Paths through Group Consciousness and Right Stewardship, directing clarifying rivers of Light through the Augean Stables of the world’s human environment.

Aquarius (and the Capricorn Constellation that stands behind the seasonal Sign) both concern themselves with society at large. Capricorn deals with the status-quo establishment of ambitious human animals in a bell curve with a small percentage of self-interested materialist unregenerate power mongers at one end and with altruistic humanitarians at the other. Both are highly influential and in perpetual conflict with each other, but need to mediate, negotiate deals, and keep each other in sight. This is where Aquarius comes in, creating the ‘high society’ of self-perceived and (50%) majority-approved elites. If true humanitarian and intelligent cooperation are not possible, at least deal-making in a salon, cocktail, or country-club environment of well-funded human pleasures can oil the squeaking wheels of ‘progress’ (though very little has changed in a thousand years on this particular playing field). This lower ‘personality’ approach is different from the cycle of conferences of the humanitarian intelligentsia, though the two mix – Aquarian style.

Aquarius is either a chaotic and highly superficial, short attention-span sign or the opposite, highly evolved socially with a developed sense of long-term responsibility to make real their benevolent altruistic attitude. Aquarius continues the new cycle of effort initiated in Capricorn and tests the limits of group consciousness and social development, just as its opposite sign Leo (vide the Leo generation) tests the limits of individual freedom and the sense of responsibility that must go with it. Most of that generation fell back into the status-quo Leviathan after a decision to ‘work within the system.’ Many others initiated public-interest groups and progressive non-profits with raising the general level of human consciousness in mind long-term. Many idealistic and progressive ‘activists’ experience periods of ‘failure,’ exhaustion, and disillusionment — because of the focus of their personal experience in the surface appearances of Form rather than in a higher or longer-view focus on Consciousness. This (Aquarian) fixed point of view on Consciousness (a Fixed Air sign) demands a rare degree of Patience and Humility.

Humanity is composed of social sets (Aquarius) of various kinds — the privileged have less gritty ground level experience or empathy generally, and the impoverished have little sense of how they are controlled and manipulated. The problem with ‘power’ in the US and in the world starts with the incipient (and therefore primitive) development of Ray One exponents (Will-Power, Death, Destruction and Resurrection–later). Ray One types are often the petty tyrants found in home and office with a thuggish element to their character and attitudes – but when they have wider influence a lot more damage can result. Dynamism cuts both ways. The ‘sense of power’ derived from social-set mutual flattery and public or media approbation is not power itself. Speaking generally and socially, power results basically from control of societies or from citizen or group consensus. It is dependent upon wielding force to establish social (cybernetic) control prostituted to a political or economic machine (a dangerous direction), or upon silent and intense observation that reveals the wellsprings of power within the group organization or organism. The method of force builds upon the previous (minimalist) status-quo field of play, as in political ‘game theory’ which is often merely utilitarian for a questionable set of mechanistic norms. The method of benevolent cooperation depends upon the quality of discourse, mutual sharing and conference with regard to real humanitarian problems on ground level. The method of powerful cooperation demands a highly developed heart and mind working together.

Let’s look at two examples — Cambridge MA (4 planets in Capricorn) and Boston in Massachusetts (Aquarius state). Cambridge is known for its two major educational establishments Harvard and MIT, besides many others. Both universities are complexes of many sub-schools. Harvard (more Capricorn) inducts its students based on whether they have the personality power to delegate work. It exhibits the standard bell curve with small-percentage extremes of unregenerates and progressives at opposite ends. Many major educational institutions have associated the latest favored neuroses with high intelligence, which explains much observable academic behavior, along with the unrelenting politics of ambition. It is one of America’s best grooming academies for maintaining a quota of status-quo (with some progressive) elites. MIT (more Aquarian in its technocratic teamwork) has had a long history of scientific development and contribution since WWII, for instance. The work of Bill Gates, recognized by MIT students as one of its prize rejects, went off to transform world work and communication, generated abundance, and then distributed it through world philanthropic work. Both schools have their extremes in personnel and effect, but with major US social impact. Harvard has many reasons to be proud of its own Capricornian ‘rejects’ and ‘failures’ as well.

Boston, the capitol of Massachusetts, is well known for its role in American history. Viewing the capitol as the center and springboard of an Aquarian state (5 planets in Aquarius), it has formulated many progressive agendas later adopted by the rest of the country. It has the largest concentration of educational institutions in the world. Its Virgo-Pisces axis has made it a major world center for medical innovation. Its reiterated Scorpio placements show a considerably dark underworld shadow that lies hidden for the most part in the 12th house of behind-the-scenes deal-making. It was founded with almost all of its formative events taking place with Neptune conjunct Saturn in Scorpio on the angles. Perhaps it exhibits more extremes than other cities, that in turn need unusual forms of integration. Historically it has demonstrated both personality (machine/mob politics) and soul qualities (Unitarian and Transcendentalist movements) in a strong way. The extremes of Aquarius are not due to emotion, as in Cancer, etc., but to polarized swings in consciousness, and on lower levels in attachment to ideologies.

Aquarius’ rulers are Uranus instability/spontaneity for personality, Jupiter benevolence/synthesis for soul, and the Moon — veiling Saturn for the undeveloped, and veiling Uranus for developed humanity. Saturn indicates the native is still transmuting human animal instinct into intellect and self-consciousness, Uranus that the higher transmutation of instinct and intellect into intuition parallels a growing and eventually highly-individualized group-consciousness. These swings from high to low in the Aquarius-Leo subject (for all signs are dual with their opposite) eventuate in a mastery of cycles, increasingly understood and recognized as self-possession evolves with the transmutation of intellect to intuition. The key to identifying the advanced Aquarian is their freedom from Saturnian Karma as found in Capricorn. This type of Aquarian needs no presentation of opportunity through Saturn’s challenges. They create their own opportunities and circumstances. The merging of Aquarius with its shadow-side of Leo creates a self-possessed dynamism which inspires others, while expressing an ongoing group-conscious agenda or dharma. Uranus emphasized in Aquarius with Leo creates a distinct leadership ability which can express on lower and higher levels. This is related to the executive ability of the developed Aries (hierarchic ruler Uranus).

There is an intermediate stage which describes Aquarius’ effect on society’s intelligentsia, or the large group of aspirants to the Path of Probation (before discipleship work). Its description is best left to AAB:

The Moon which here takes the place of Saturn hides the planet Uranus. In this case Uranus, the occult planet, stands for exoteric science which penetrates into the hidden side of form life, and thus we have the period wherein man is not alert enough or conscious enough to seize upon opportunity and turn it to esoteric or soul ends, but can identify himself with the more advanced aspects of form. (EA 149)

It is important here to re-emphasize that in Aquarius the hierarchical (planetary-level) ruler, the Moon, veils both Saturn and Uranus, and that the two distinct and often warring paths taken by the two major stock groups on the planet are associated with the outgoing Saturnian 6th Ray transmuting instinct to intellect, and the incoming Uranian 7th Ray transmuting intellect into intuition. Intuition can be understood as a synthesis of deep reflective capacity with a wide-angle and inclusive faculty of vision, a sense of cyclic opportunity and faculty for organized planning.

The most recent and vivid illustration of the conflict between these two groups in a relevant American period began around 1955 with the rise of the military-industrial complex after WWII, with Pluto and Uranus both in Leo. Neptune entered Aquarius in 1998, which disclosed all the signs of the imminent and now present financial debacle for those with eyes to see. Pluto will enter Aquarius in 2023, which may see the results of strenuous labor in the next 15 years dig us out of the present hole, before the rise of the rest of the world at the end of this century, with its absolute necessity for intelligent worldwide interaction and cooperation. The planet is already at risk with increasing destabilization of solar and weather cycles, combined with unstable and growing holes in both northern and southern ozone layers, leaving sheep and shepherds blinded by the increased radiation in Tierra del Fuego, for example. We do not need evil and infantile self-will and self-interest added and compounded to destroy planetary homeostasis, to indulge the ‘sense’ of power and control of a miserable few to “float off with their abducted wreck.”

These unregenerate interests and causes, greed and the cornering of wealth, have only produced a situation where self-willed and self-interested adult-children have painted themselves into a non-interactive corner, like shamed and pouting infants. By the long-term indulgence in their more fanatical ‘capitalist’ schools of mechanomorph tech-training they have made new paradigms for credit and socially responsible economic models imperative. Sharing and barter will be forced to take on new forms, methods, and influence. Perhaps the casino capitalists have become too old and decrepit to handle any more sharp predatory economic instruments. Perhaps they have already fallen on these implements while running off to lock up their loot. Inevitable death makes cash rather irrelevant, particularly when falling into the hands of heirs who have had poor moral examples in their sires. It is only a matter of time before planetary populations wake up with a clear vision of things are they are and can be. For example, it took 200 years of discussing European union before the fact was formalized.

The basic questions to ask for this dual fixed air sign are:
1. Do we want a nation that respects and intelligently utilizes science or do we need a technocratic state? In other words, is broad science serving society, or is society serving enforced corporate technocratic self interest? 2. Do we want education by direct human interaction and tutelage, or a consumer-training factory for corporate business? Are we educating humans to contribute their individual gifts, or are we technically training ‘dogs’ to behave and fit in to the transient PC fashions of the current mediocracy? 3. As Dostoevsky observed, will the Church serve the Christ life, or will Christ serve the Church ‘service’? 4. Will society serve human interests through understanding, or will society ‘service’ humans on the terms of its own ignorant, slovenly or mediocre bureaucratized political protocols?

On a more positive note, it is interesting to note that groups composed of individuals all having Moon and Uranus in aspect (particularly angular or conjunct) often take on progressive humanitarian projects, often without a full recognition of what motivates them and what effect they have in the larger environment. They are a group to watch. These groups amount to the beginnings of a visible and clear expression of group consciousness and the sense of responsibility in a planetary sense. This is the opposite of the passive and indefensible ‘duties’ and ‘defenses’ of ‘social role-playing’ while ‘playing house’ and playing at governance through liability-free bureaucracies, in fear of their own lurid parochial projections. The creative groups are learning to recognize the world of causes in themselves —the soul— and the intangible (air sign) side of their work in the world (within the Mind of God). In such groups the humanitarian learns to remember the beauty of group life and responsibility, and to hold it precious.

We are entering a year where Jupiter, the esoteric ruler of Aquarius, has entered the sign Aquarius (2009). This is a great and promising period for taking on altruistic and humanitarian projects, as groups or as individuals. It is a period where true thought or reflective and synthetic thinking can produce exceptional leverage and miracles, especially with loving and intelligent cooperation. Jupiter rules the union of heart with head and brains, and its testing is both applied and assessed through inclusive and synthetic understanding. Jupiter is intangible in nature but often produces the most benevolent and material results. Saturn tests developmentally through Karma (the results of action) and through recognized, accepted or rejected opportunity. With Uranus, Aquarius presents the test of true leadership and esoteric power — esoteric or occult because conventionally ‘intangible.’

“…The knowledge of that which is hidden at any stage upon the path of evolution relates the individual to Uranus.” (EA 150)

May all true esotericists and spiritually-minded individuals recognize their true group relations and enthusiastically find ways of supporting, encouraging and participating in the One Work together in joy.

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).