JEP 7/2 (1992)

SEARCHING FOR THE STAR IN THE EAST II

SEARCHING FOR THE STAR IN THE EAST — II JUDAISM, HELLENISM, CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM AND THE GRAND TRIGON IN SCORPIO

INTRODUCTION

The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs every 20 years and forms, with 3 conjunctions, a great triangle in the zodiacal sky every 60 years. This great triangle of 60 years has been termed the Grand Trigon, at least since the Medieval era. The conjunction of these two "outer" planets implies alignment with the Earth, and therefore 3 planets are involved. Since they remain aligned for a year, more or less, they eventually conjunct the Sun within that year. It is for this reason, a triangle of planets conjuncting the Sun to form an alignment of 4 globes or a "tetrahedron" in a fourth dimensional sense, that they may be considered a reflection of the Divine TETRAKTYS (SD1.98-99).
The points of the Grand Trigon progress through the zodiac to spend around 250 years in one element after another, completing the cycle in around 1000 years. This 250 year period is the approximate time it takes for one arm of a pentagram formed by the Venus Heliocosm, or conjunction of Earth-Venus-Sun, to be replaced by the next arm of the pentagram, at the same constellational degree.

Technical Esoteric Observations. Keeping in mind that Jupiter is the agent of the physical Sun (297), Saturn being the correspondence to the solar physical permanent atom (CF.406), and Venus the alter Ego or Soul of the Earth, an amazing insight emerges. These 3 planets, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, are said to rule the Three Super Principles at this time (CF.299), coordinating our planetary orb with systemic life (systemic in terms of the seven planetary schemes or the solar systemic economy).

This article/tabulation is meant as an annex to an article in the previous issue (JEP 7/1), "Searching for the Star in the East During the War of the Calendars." While Scorpio does lend itself to the theme of "rivers of blood" (212-217) prevalent in this idealist/fanatic Piscean Age, the sign is also beautifully expressed by the Dioscuroi in ancient Greek religion, as I attempted to illustrate in the previous article — the war of the personality values with those of the universal Soul.
One of the major keynotes of this Piscean Age brought out in all the Middle Eastern religions is SACRIFICE — the internal, extroverted or spiritual expression of indignation of Spirit. As M once said, paraphrasing, it is difficult to weigh which is the greater sacrifice or martyrdom — one taking a number of days or minutes, or one lasting an entire lifetime. As long as we are truly alive, we make our choice. The living principle of sacrifice is simply an expression of human free will — a free choice from among the array of decisions that face us every day from every direction. As has been observed over the millennia, ethics (or philosophy) is the highest form of human and social intelligence. In its most elevated and inclusive forms, it takes on the nature of pure, impersonal and engaged love. In this light, the purpose of the living principle of sacrifice is to help induce human liberation. It is hard to evaluate how far we have come during the past 2000 years in this respect.
If a Jungian cast is given to the "Shadow," "Beast," or "Dweller on the Threshold" found so active in the constellation Scorpio, a very beautiful image appears. Because Christ identified so fully with the collective ("unconscious") consciousness of Humanity, He cast His Shadow across 2000 years of world history. DK has called His the "true broken heart." His Work remains unfinished.

Constellations and Signs

Examining the placement of the Grand Trigons in relation to the five major western conditioning world religions during the past 4000 years, one notices a late start in the first cycle and an early start in the last cycle covered. Let us entertain a possible explanation that is neither geocentric, heliocentric, but sidereal.
From around 2000 BC, the constellation of SCORPIO2 was veiled by the sign of Libra, the sign of Scorpio beginning to merge with the constellation of SAGITTARIUS. At 1 BC/1AD, signs and constellations coincided. Until around 2000 AD, the constellation of SCORPIO was increasingly veiled by the sign of Sagittarius, and the sign of Scorpio veiled the constellation of LIBRA in the living sky. During the next 2000 or so years, SCORPIO will be veiled by Capricorn. In the context of the 25,000 year precession cycle, it was only several hundred years around the Advent of Christ, when the vernal equinox more or less coincided with the border between the constellations of PISCES and ARIES, that we had a direct correspondence of sign with constellation.
Examining our tabulation, we find that events associated with the Judaeo-Classical-Christian-Islamic religion fall close to the signs late Libra and Scorpio in the first epoch (2000 BC – 1 BC), and to the signs Scorpio and early-to-late Sagittarius in the second epoch (1 AD – 2000 AD). This implies the constellation of SCORPIO in the background of events all along.

SCORPIO versus LIBRA-SCORPIO-SAGITTARIUS

From the point of view of the Christ – the great Exemplar of the Five Major Initiations, Christianity, or churchianity, two arguments can be made here, considering the previous 2000 year Abrahamic/planetary deity dispensation and the following 2000 year Islamic/Christian epoch:
1) that the signs are most significant; or
2) that the constellations are the important significators.

1. From the point of view of exoteric astrology, Babylonian/Judaic literalism/legalism (Libra) yielded to the battleground of the conflicting values of personality and soul (Scorpio), which values clarification after 1500 years of misery led to the incorporation of these ideals into action and society (Sagittarius), in forms which humanity prays will last until the next step upward (Capricorn) into collective enlightened living within a "lighted house" —our station within the "One in Whom we Live and Move and have our Being"— the planetary Logos.
The observation can be made that Christ came in with a triple PISCES Trigon conjunct Alpha Andromeda, conducted his Ministry under the SAGITTARIUS Trigon (Sun, Mercury & Venus in CAPRICORN), and finished his historical work just before the 34 AD LEO Trigon (Mercury, Venus & Mars all Retrograde) — He came in for the Piscean Age on a Triple PISCES Trigon, but conducted his work in FIRE. This lends itself to an interpretation that the Water sign Scorpio was meant to yield to the Fire sign of Sagittarius during the 2000 year Piscean dispensation. Indeed, Sagittarius is closely allied with the 6th Ray.
A number of the major martyrdoms in the Western psyche took place in FIRE — Christ (33) at the 34 AD Leo Trigon; the Masada Zealots Revolt and mass suicide (73) at the 74 AD Sagittarius Trigon; Apollonius' near-martyrdom (93) at the 94 AD Leo Trigon; and Al-Hallaj's (908) return to Baghdad (908 AD Aries Trigon) and his torture and death (922) close to the 928 AD Sagittarius Trigon.

2. From a sidereal and more esoteric point of view, the constellation SCORPIO was present throughout, behind its 3 most recent veiling signs (the interesting sequence of Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius [183, 180, 333, 337-9]). To understand this, we must look at the triple rulership of Scorpio: Pluto/Mars (507), Mars, and Mercury. His (Christ's) work was initially coopted by the predominant Scorpio trend in the human kingdom of conflict and crisis leading to Plutonian disruption and Martial confrontation. Later the Mercurian and Hermetic trend of harmony and resolution of dichotomies (in minds and psyches), cultivated by the alchemists and esoteric schools of the Neoplatonic Renaissance, brought about an initial social and subsequent psychological revolution in consciousness which we have yet to fully understand, let alone actualize.
This sequence is reflected on the Path of Discipleship where first, as an integrated personality, one gets a taste for the power of a personal integration which is expressed at the expense of the soul, producing conflict (Mars) in one's psychosocial environment (Pluto/Mars). This in turn precipitates (assuming the Right-hand Path) an inner crisis (Mars/Mercury) between the mundane values of the personality and the universal principles of the soul. Eventually, the `Philosopher's Stone' or `Mercurian Monarch' emerges and makes its appearance, when the determining will of the self-willed person is transmuted into the conditioning will of the group-conscious individual. The exponent of determining will might be termed a `control freak' obsessed with psychological or social cybernetic defense/aggression mechanisms inflicted through the mentally or astrally polarized path of least resistence in the immediate personality, and thence to the nonintegrated kama-manasic collectivity (or, even, mob). The generator of conditioning will "sees the end from the beginning" and leaves all persons and factors free to realize their greatest potential — or greatest lesson. Conditioning will recognizes that all humanly created `things' arise from the `inner' and invisible mind, and that all true changes in line with universal order arise causally from consciousness within, rather than from a tired and distracted manipulation of factors external to the principle of Being — a Being which is still unexplained by all past and present thinkers. Nevertheless, there is a reason it is stated that our solar system's goal is manasic in nature, even though our planetary School is that of Magnetic Response.

3. From the perspective of the esoteric astrologer, both the sequence Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius and the sidereal SCORPIO are simultaneously relevant and effective, and must be taken into consideration in both individual and group cases and their charting.
This is an important observation. Human beings are not exactly iron filings shifting around the planetary magnet, yet the relevance of the above cycles (causally or ecologically) on largely unconscious collective socio-politico-migratory levels may have a local reverberatory effect on psychosocial levels as well, even upon human ego development for the personality, and technically upon causal development within the soul. It is for this reason, among others, that the esoteric astrologer takes into consideration both the constellation of the "native," as well as the sign. This relationship is probably best described as the convention of the seasonal Signs resisting, concealing, veiling, or revealing the actual energy impact of the Constellations themselves on solar, planetary, kingdom, and human etheric vehicles. This may be considered parallel to the distinction between the force of planetary globes per se, and the energy of the planetary Lives flowing through them, though in this case we are speaking of the impact of systems of stars upon humans.

The EARTH Trigon Cycles

In terms of externalization of civilizations in coordination with the Grand Trigon, another interesting cycle is noticeable, and relates closely to TAURUS and hence SCORPIO.
The Islamic mystical flourishing of the 11th and 12th centuries took place during Earth Trigons. Both Pluto (1118-1152) and Transpluto (c.1128-1165) were found in TAURUS. Of course, this is also the century of cathedral building, after the foundation of the Knightly Orders and revivification of the Masonic or architectural Orders by Crusaders studying masonry with their Islamic counterparts in Jerusalem (See Charpentier and Fulcanelli).
The following Earth Trigon period is that which includes the American era or that of sociopolitical revolutions, from 1802 to 2000 AD, what might be called the externalization of major occult schools and their programs from the Old World, involving freedom and human rights. At the same time, the small progressive, mystical, and occult groups have had a hard time, at first from the Piscean zealotry and exultation over the victorious and expansionist wars of religion, and secondly as a result of the rank intellectual positivist materialist attitudes spawned by western community overconfidence in the wake of the Industrial and Information Revolutions.
The EARTH Trigon prior to these two occurred from (153) 213-432 AD, around the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine.
A most interesting EARTH Trigon period is seen in (642) 582-424 (364) BC during the preparation and flourishing of 5th century classical life and culture.

The Grand Trigon of the past 200 Years
Since 1776, the Grand Trigon's 20 year period has coincided with the 21 year period of the cycle of Uranus' nodes, emphasizing the 20 year period in American political life.1 Their parallel motion is phasing out during the next century, as the Trigon moves from EARTH into AIR signs. The first was a triple conjunction occurring with Libra in 1980-81. The last Earth Trigon is conjunct the Pleiades in 2000 AD, the closest since the cathedral building period of the 1146 Trigon conjunct Alcyone.

General Methodology
The present method of elucidating historical shiftings and recapitulations through following the Grand Trigon is not unprecedented in ancient, Islamic, and Medieval works, which usually concerned themselves with the dynastic histories of their powerful patrons (See Kennedy & Pingree on Masha'allah). My methodology has been to tabulate the astronomical cycles, citing major events from a traditional Western point of view, as well as from the angle of the history of mysticism, occultism and their fusion in modern esotericism. I leave it to readers to draw their own inferences, albeit listing some Trigons other than the LIBRA-SCORPIO-SAGITTARIUS series for comparison/contrast, and including a fair number of events outside of the exact Trigon year, most often within Saturn's period, and sometimes expanding to Uranus' and Neptune's, rarely to Pluto's. Noting these "higher octave" planetary influences will help sort out which influences are conceivably causal, which environmental or `barometric' — and perhaps even encourage controversy of the agreeable variety (See Johndro for theory). Of course, this attempt is just the beginning of a much larger and inclusive database, and perhaps a group project.
To simplify examination of the significance of the Grand Trigon in Scorpio for the Greek, Roman and Middle Eastern religions, it might be wise to offer a tabulation of the last 5 cycles of its occurrence (generally speaking, the WATER sign Trigons which include Scorpio). I have dated the early reigns in part from Dr. Hans Goedicke's (Johns Hopkins University) date of 1477 BC for a pharaonic inscription which may fix the date of a secondary eruption on Thera and consequent land uplift coinciding with the Exodus from Egypt, in order to compare these dates with other scholarly works, e.g., The New Oxford Annotated Bible, J. Finegan's Light from the Ancient Past, and The Penguin Encyclopedia of Ancient Civilizations, tending to rely heavily on the dates agreed upon in the 1990 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition. Admittedly, there is controversy over dating all these early events, but an attempt has been made to represent at least two positions when feasible.

As for detail, the orb for the Grand Trigon is basically .5 to 1 year, due to Jupiter's period of one year in a sign. Saturn's orb in the context of one sign is approximately 1.5 to 3 years; Uranus' from 3.5 to 7 years on either side (noted from 1500). This is as far as I would go, treating as we are the status quo mundane groups in relation to the progressives, intelligentsia, mystics, thinkers, and esoteric spiritual groups. However, Neptune's placement from 1500 AD has been notated to facilitate examination in relation to collective, religious, mystical, and spiritual groups and movements.

SATURN. After having tabulated the Trigons with their associated historical events, then noting Saturn's period of tenancy in Scorpio or other Trigon signs, it was somewhat of a surprise to notice in what ways this focused the effect of the relevant Trigons. I think it is possible for students of history to notice quite striking qualitative differences between those events that fall within, or outside, this 3-year Saturnian period. For this reason I have added these Saturn periods to the table below, placed immediately after the Trigon degree. Planets close to Trigon conjunction follow immediately after Saturn's period; planets in other, relevant signs follow next; with specific Trigon-conjuncting stars at far right.
URANUS. Researching the area of revolutions of thought brought on by religious, scientific or esoteric paradigm shifts, as well as group presentation of new thought and revelation (as distinct from religion), I imagine one might carefully use Uranus' approximately 3.5 to 7 year orb, particularly if working on the Trigon within one element. The period of 1517-1522 around Uranus' tenancy in TAURUS depicts this method quite strikingly with the birth of Protestantism in the West. The transition from Uranus in TAURUS (1767-1775) to GEMINI (1775-1782) coinciding with the SAGITTARIUS Trigon of 1782 (Sun, Mercury R, and Venus in SCORPIO) is a famous illustration of the cuspal shifting going on between sign and constellation.
NEPTUNE. Working with mystical trends leading to religious or yogic revelation, with mass movements, or group sociopathic addictive lapses, one might carefully use Neptune's approximately 10 to 20 year orb when considering effects within one element, in both the cycle and Trigon. For instance, the Trigon of 165 BC illustrates Neptune's impact added to the Trigon extraordinarily well. The coincidence of Neptune in PISCES during the PISCES Trigon (1520-1535) is aptly illustrated by Reformation (Martin Luther) and Counter-Reformation (Ignatius Loyola). The notable adventures of Charles I of Britain (1628-1643) occur during Neptune's tenancy in SCORPIO, with the strong Opposition of 1632-33 in both TAURUS/SCORPIO and GEMINI/SAGITTARIUS. The period of the British Revolutions during Uranus in TAURUS (1683-1691) leading up to the 1692 GEMINI/SAGITTARIUS Opposition is also illustrative of this principle of shifting.

Particular Stars. Stars conjunct specific Grand Trigons are placed flush right in the table, with the degree of orb from the Trigon conjunction, rather than the zodiacal or ecliptic longitudinal degree.
In the case of Sirius, the sign in which it is found is capitalized (TAURUS, GEMINI, CANCER) during the period of its tenancy in that sign.
It is also interesting to follow Alcyone's (and the Pleiades') placement (Aries and Taurus); its transition to TAURUS in 245 BC. Its tenancy signs have not been capitalized, but bear note.

Signs and Constellations. Among the purposes of this tabulation is an intent to clarify when DK's usage of the zodiacal symbols points to signs and when to constellations. SCORPIO is closely related to the influence of Sirius on solar, planetary and human evolutionary levels (197) associated with the work of the cosmic Christ with the christ principle on these three levels. It has been hypothesized in previous articles (JEP 4/2; 5/2) that signs stand for human and planetary levels, constellations for systemic, solar or cosmic levels. The dramatic presence of both constellation SCORPIO with its Libra/Scorpio/Sagittarius sign sequence, along with the sign itself of Scorpio in the present tabulation, may help elucidate this issue. If such a parallel correspondence is the case, then it can be reasonably posited for the rest of DK's remarks on the Science of Triangles, where he explicitly indicates human, planetary, solar or cosmic levels of impact.

THE GRAND TRIGON IN SCORPIO 2000 BC to 2000 AD
(CYCLE 1) Sirius in TAURUS

1992 8/1992 4° LIBRA Trigon 10/1993-1990.
2008 Mentuhotep I (2008-1957 BC) reunites Egypt and inaugurates Middle Kingdom period, building a massive temple complex to Amon Re at Thebes, later added on to by Hatshepsut with Temple of Mut, Amon's consort.

1953 3,10/1953 27, 23° Capricorn Trigon. 2/1955-1/1952.
1953 Beginning of the Sh'ia Dynasty with lineup of the 5 planets in Capricorn within 5°, "like a string of pearls," on February 23 according to the Bamboo Records (See Fagan).
Akkadian invasion by Ilushuma (c.1953-1935) of Babylonian Ur and Nippur (the "Fall of Ur").

1933 11/1933 14° LIBRA Trigon. 9/1934-10/1931.

1873 9/1873 20° LIBRA Trigon. 12/1876-9/1872.
1876 The oldest Chinese record of a solar eclipse, in the lunar mansion Fang, or SCORPIO (See Fagan).
Sesostris I (c.1918-1876) leads first dated invasion by Egypt into Canaan.
Amenemhet II (c.1876-42) reigns over Egyptian "Middle Kingdom."

1814 12/1814 1° SCORPIO TRIGON. 2/1843-10/1840. Sun Mercury
One of the latest astronomical studies of the Amizaduga Tablets dates Hammurabi's accession to 1848 BC, with his reign ending in 1806 BC (See Huber).

1754 10/1754 7° SCORPIO TRIGON. 11/1755-1752.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Hammurabi, the 6th of the Amorite Kings, ruled from 1792-1750 BC, consolidating the Babylonian Kingdom. This version is determined by adding the known 146 regnal years to the year of the Venus Tablets, dated at 1646. His reign would have started two years after a 17,17,12° Cancer Triple Trigon conjunct Regulus 5°, 0° of 1794-5.

1695 12/1695 16° SCORPIO TRIGON. 2/1696-10/1693. Venus
If Abraham's departure from Ur of the Chaldees to Canaan took place 215 years (Exodus 12.40) before 1477 BC, the date of Queen Hatshepsut's ("Pharaoh's Daughter"?) stela inscription which may fix the time of Exodus with one of the eruptions on Thera (God as a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night [Ex 13.21], leading the Israelites out of Egypt) and with the parting of the sea and inundation (by tsunami) of pharaoh's troops, then that would put Abraham at 1692 BC, 3 years from the Scorpio Trigon conjunct Venus (Ishtar) of 1695. 215 years after Hatshepsut (Exodus 12.40), by contrast, would give us 1262 BC (3,2,29° Libra/Virgo Triple Trigon, 1,3,8/1257), explaining the 13th century razing and reoccupying of so many of the cities uncovered by modern archaeology, and suggesting an Israelite invasion of Canaan, or a vengeful Egypt in hot pursuit.

1635 10/1635 22° SCORPIO TRIGON. 1/1637-1634. Venus
The presence of Venus (Ishtar) along with Jupiter and Saturn in these two specific Trigons is suggestive of astronomical worship in Chaldean Ur during the Old Babylonian Period. The Venus Tablets of Amizaduga, covering a 21-year period, and dated at 1646 BC (hence from one Jupiter-Saturn Opposition to the next), are used by some historians to date the reign of Hammurabi above. Recent Greenland ice sheet and dendrochronologic studies seem to indicate the first Thera eruption at 1645 or 1628 respectively (See Doumas), years close to these very same Jupiter-Saturn Opp. dates (1644-43 [20, 24, 28° Aquarius/Leo], and 1626-25 [10, 17, 29° Virgo/PISCES]).

1536 6/1536 9° Aries Trigon. 5/1536-5/1534. Sun Mercury in Gemini Alcyone 3°
1539 Ahmose (c.1539-1514), first pharaoh of the New Kingdom.

1476 4/1476 18° Aries Trigon. 7/1478-4/1475 Sun. Alcyone 5°
Mercury in PISCES-Alpha Aries 1°; Venus in Taurus-Sirius 1°
1480 Fall of Knossos c. 1480.
1477 Thera secondary eruption with land uplift in northern Egypt might explain pillar of fire at night and column by day during Exodus (See Goedicke). This is the date of the Hatshepsut victory stela inscription.

1417 8/1417 29° Aries Trigon. 6/1419-4/1416. Alcyone 14°
1417 Mycenaean occupation of Knossos (c. 1420, see Wood, p. 213).

(CYCLE 2) Sirius in GEMINI

1278 12/1278 7° Capricorn Trigon. 1/1278-12/1276. Mercury Venus in SCORPIO
1275 Battle of Kadesh recounted on temple walls of Karnak, Luxor and Abydos, wages in the 5th year of Rameses II against the Hittites.

1208 2,12/1208; 11/1207 21, 8° SCORPIO/Taurus; 26° Sagittarius/GEMINI Oppositions.
1208 Series of campaigns in Canaan led by son of Rameses II, Merneptah (1212-02) against the "Sea Peoples," with the first stela inscription mentioning Palestine (See Yurco).

1198 10/1198 9° LIBRA Trigon. 10/1199-11/1196. Sun Mercury Venus Mars in LIBRA
1200± Israel occupies Canaan throughout the Iron Age I period (1200-1000) (See Stager).
1190 Setnakht (1190-87) establishes 20th Dynasty, followed by Rameses III (1187-56).
1193 Eratosthenes, Librarian of Alexandria, traditional date of fall of Troy (VI).

1178 6/1178 8° GEMINI Trigon. 7/1179-5/1176. Mercury; Venus-Mars in Aries 0° Sirius 7°
1183 Traditional date for the Fall of Troy (See Wood).
1180 Destruction of Hittite capital Boghaz Koy (See Wood).
1175 Reliefs at Medinet Habu illustrate Rameses III's victory over Philistines in Canaan (See Stager).

1138 8/1138 13° LIBRA Trigon. 10/1140-1136. Sun Venus Mars in Leo
1146 Nebuchadnezzar I (c.1146-24) of the Pashe Dynasty presides over Babylon.
1145 Rameses VI (1145-37) presides over civil war and Libyan incursions.
1130 Temple at Boeotian (Greek) Thebes, City of the Dragon Cadmus, aligned to Gamma Draconis, built just after Rameses III's Temple M at Karnak aligned to the same star (See Lockyer).

1079 11/1079 25° LIBRA Trigon. 9/1081-10/1078. Sun Mercury Venus in SCORPIO
1077 Decline of Babylonian Empire under son of Tiglath Pileser I (1115-1077).
1075 Division of two Egyptian Kingdoms in 21st Dynasty (1075-950) between northern Tanites and Thebans.

1059 7/1059 29° GEMINI Trigon. 6/1061-7/1059. Mercury 1°; Sun Mars in Cancer
1059 Fall of the Shang Dynasty of China, according to recent decipherment of the Bamboo Records.

1019 9/1019 29° LIBRA Trigon. 12/1020-9/1016. Venus Mars Mercury all Rx
Subtracting 480 years (I Kings 6.1) from a 1477 BC Exodus gives 997 BC, 2 years from the 7° Cancer Trigon of 999 BC. This was the 4th year of Solomon's reign when he started construction of the First Temple at Jerusalem. Other sources give 440 years from Exodus, or 1037 BC, 2 years from the 10° Aquarius Trigon of 1/1039 conj. Mercury and Venus.
Adding 12 or 22 years (I Sam 13.1) would give 1013 or 1023 BC for the beginning of Saul's reign; very close to this late Libra Trigon veiling the constellation SCORPIO.
969 1,8,12/969 11, 22, 29° Capricorn/Cancer Opposition.
971 Thiele's accession date for Solomon.

960 12/960 11° SCORPIO TRIGON. 12/961-958.
If Solomon reigned for 40 years (I Kings 11.41) then the previous dating from 1477 gives 961 as his accession upon death of David (997 = 4th year of reign) — possibly exact, since Jewish new year was either religious or secular, both starting near the equinoxes and therefore possibly ± a year off.
Finegan favors the year 966 for beginning construction of the First Temple.
William F. Albright, comparing chronologies of Tyre and the Israelite Kingdom (ignoring unanalyzed biblical years), favored 959 BC, hence accession in 963, and division of the Kingdoms in 923/22.
Edwin R. Thiele, assuming Judah's new year was set at fall equinoctial new moon, Israel's being set at spring, plus Judah's use of the accession year system (Israel using actual time of accession), counted back 78 years from Ahab's death to 931 for the division of the Two Kingdoms at Solomon's death; 971 for his accession.

931 7,9/931; 5/930 23, 25° Aries/LIBRA; 8° Taurus/SCORPIO Oppositions.
931 Thiele's date for the division of the Two Kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

920 2/920 1° PISCES Trigon. 2/920-4/918. Sun, Venus
Allowing 78 years from Solomon's accession (Finegan, 117) gives us 923/22, close to the PISCES Trigon conjunct Sun and Venus of 920. This was the time of the division of the Two Kingdoms according to Finegan and Albright.

900 10/900 15° SCORPIO TRIGON. 11/902-899.
900 In Israel, 900 BC was the year of Baasha's assassination of Nadab, Jeroboam's son, and the entire royal family along with their courtiers (I Kings 15.27).
In Judah, Rehoboam introduced new gods to the land and Pharaoh Sheshonk attacked Jerusalem and was the first to haul off huge amounts of treasure from the city and Temple. At some period in his reign (913-873), Asa was kept busy fighting off an invading force from Ethiopia (2 Chron 14.9).
899 Chinese records of a double solar eclipse (at sunrise) on 4/21. This is the famous eclipse of the Bamboo Records that enabled historian Hung-hsiang Chou and astronomer Kevin Pang to factor in a solar day slower by 42/1000 of a second, thereby greatly increasing astronomical accuracy for periods BC (Fagan).

841 12/841 26° SCORPIO TRIGON. 11/843-840.
This is close to the year (842/1) Jehu marched on the northern kingdom, Israel, and slaughtered the entire royal family of both kingdoms (2 Chron 22.8). A garrison commander from Transjordan, he accomplished this with the help of the Prophet Elisha and the underclasses who wished to see Baal worship eliminated. Thus having alienated Tyre, he had to turn to sadistic Assyria for help, thereupon becoming a tributary. This led to predations by Assyrian kings under 3 Fire Trigons:

741 2/741 0° Aries Trigon. 6/742-3/739. Sun Mercury Venus in Aquarius Alpha Aries 4°
Tiglath-Pileser III (744-727) early in his reign received 300,000 shekels tribute from Menahem which preserved the northern kingdom and Samaria, but raised ire to the point that an army officer, Pekah, slew Menachem's son and took the throne. Ahaz of the southern kingdom employed tribute taken from Temple and palace, when Pekah was persuaded by the Syrian League to attack Jerusalem, Assyria's ostensible ally. Just after 734, Tiglath destroyed Damascus (Syria) and took large numbers of hostages from the northern provinces, sparing Samaria but installing a puppet, Hoshea;

721 1/721 11° Sagittarius Trigon. 12/723-721. MercuryVega 5°
721 Shalmaneser V (726-722) wiped out the capital city of Samaria (722), while his immediate successor Sargon II deported the "Ten Lost Tribes" of Israel (722/1);

701 8/701 29° Leo Trigon. 9/704-9/701. Mercury
701 Sennacherib (704-681) destroyed 46 cities of Judah and besieged Jerusalem (701) when King Hezekiah refused to pay tribute (See Bleibtreu).
It should be remembered that Scorpio, as well as Sagittarius, is found in the middle of what early astrologers deemed the Via Combusta, or "Fiery Way. After Jehu's murderous Scorpionic intrigues came payment in Fire, both literally and astronomically.

682 5/682 14° Aries Trigon. 10/584-581. Sun Mercury Venus in TaurusAlpha Arietis 11°, Alcyone 10°, Beta Persei 7°
683 Athens replaces kingship with institution of 9 yearly Archons chosen from the College of Archons.
682 Judah surrenders as tribute to Assyria.

582 9/582 16° Virgo Trigon. Sun
582 Ten Archons chosen after two periods of anarchy in Athens.
Pythian Games at Delphi instituted.
585 Thales predicts eclipse (5/28) that ends a war between Lydia and Media.
586 Fall of Jerusalem and Israel to Babylon.
Isthmian Games instituted every 4 years (586 or 582) at strategic isthmus near Corinth.

463 10/463 3° LIBRA Trigon. 12/464-8/460. Sun; Mercury Venus in SCORPIO Opp. Alpha Aries 5°
464 A major earthquake at Sparta allows Revolt of the Helots (slaves).
463 Pericles' rise in the Ekklesia (Assembly) begins; judges (and soldiers) receive regular payment, in part to make office available to poor citizens.
462 Athenians under Cimon attempt to aid Spartans after request, but are rebuffed and Cimon is ostracized.
Argos takes advantage of conflict between Athens and Sparta to destroy Mycenae.
461 At Pericles' urging, Ephialtes presents legislation that takes power from the Areopagus, strengthening democratic access.
460 The Age of Pericles (460-429); First Pelopponesian War between Athens and Sparta.
During the Second War (431-21) Thucydides commands a fleet of 7 ships in 424 (18° Capricorn Trigon 12/424), just before exile (423); Sophocles' "King Oedipus" (429-420), perhaps a commentary.

403 2,8/403 (12), 8° LIBRA Trigon. Venus Heliocosm. Venus Mars in GEMINIOpp. Alpha Aries 0°
404 Fall of Athens to Sparta with Spartan supremacy (to 371); government by 30 Tyrants (9/404-5/403).
Alcibiades assassinated while in exile.
403 The Spartan Pausanias restores democracy to Athens and Attica in September.
Thucydides, Greece's first political scientist, sociologist and historian dies violently (c.403-01).
399 Death of Socrates, as Saturn moves into SCORPIO (Sun-Venus-Mars in TAURUS Opposite Saturn in May).

384 7/384 6° GEMINI Trigon. 5/384-6/382. Mars; Mercury, Venus R in Leo Sirius 5°
384 Aristotle born in Stagira, Macedonia.

344 10/344 19° LIBRA Trigon. 11/346-343. Mercury Mars in SCORPIO Opp. Alpha Aries 12°
346 Philip II of Macedon concludes Peace with Athens in March.
345 Demosthenes impeaches Aeschines (to 343); Aeschines acquitted same year (343).
338 Philip of Macedon conquers Greece; 4th Sacred War over Delphi.
336 Philip assassinated in summer after divorcing Olympias and having child by concubine Cleopatra.
Alexander elected supreme general of Greeks against Persians (23° Cancer/Capricorn Opp. 8/335).

324 5/324 13° GEMINI Trigon. 9/327-6/323. Full Moon in SagittariusSirius 1°
Sun Mercury Venus Mars in Taurus
324 Hephaisteion, Alexander's favorite, dies in the Persian capital of Ecbatana with the most famous funeral games in history.
323 Alexander the Great dies in Babylon early in the evening of 6/10, when Saturns leaves GEMINI, where his (and his ancestor Achilles') star Sirius resides (See Welles).
304 1/304 4° Aquarius Trigon. 3/305-2/302. Venus; Sun Mercury in Capricorn
305 Alexander's generals, Ptolemy I and Seleucus I, become respectively Pharaoh of Egypt and King of Babylon, founding Eastern and Western Greek Macedonian Empires.

(CYCLE 3) Sirius in GEMINI

284 8/284 23° LIBRA TRIGON. 10/287-284. Mercury Venus Mars in Virgo
285 Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246) accedes to Seleucid throne. The Serapaeum Library of Alexandria, "daughter library" to the main museum and library, founded by Ptolemy in the Temple of Serapis.
283 Capture (285) and assassination of Seleucus I by Ptolemy II; accession of his son Antigonus Gonatus to Seleucid throne.
280 Hellenistic Achaean League established.

265 8/265 26° GEMINI Trigon. 8/267-6/264. Sun Mercury Venus in LeoSirius 13°
The 3rd century sees the flourishing of a Hellenistic Golden Age, waning Egyptian influence in Palestine, and increased Hellenistic building in Asia Minor and Egypt.
Ptolemy II takes the responsibility of translating the Torah into Greek (the Septuagint Bible) with 72 scholars in the newly built lighthouse of Pharos, off Alexandria. From various sources this occurred from 273-260 (the previous 2 GEMINI Trigons conj. Sirius).
264 1st Punic War between Rome and Carthage (264-261).
245 3/245 15° Aquarius Trigon. 2/246-1/243. Sun Mars in Aries Alcyone at Aries/Taurus

248 Persia falls to the Parthian Empire (c.250-248).
247 Ashoka (to 236), Buddhist ruler of Maurya Empire of India.
Ptolemy III Eugertes (247-3), after invading Syria and Babylon, returns to Egyptian temples all religious statues stolen by Cambyses.
246 Death of Ptolemy II and Antiochus II, with accession of Ptolemy III and Seleucus II, who immediately embark on 3rd Syrian War (246-1) between Ptolemaic and Seleucid Empires. 1st Syrian War (279-6)(22,28° Capricorn/Cancer; 8° Aquarius/Leo Opps. 9,12/176; 7/275); 2nd Syrian War (259-3)(17,25° LIBRA/Aries, 3° SCORPIO/Taurus Opps. 5,10/255, 3/254); (See 4th below, 196).
Eratosthenes becomes Librarian at Alexandria.
241 Seleucus II reunifies Seleucid Empire.

225 11/225 3° SCORPIO TRIGON. 10/225-1/222. Mercury, Sun
223 The Seleucid Antiochus III (223-187) annexed Palestine, but Alexandrian Ptolemy IV Philopater arrived there first, insisting on offering sacrifice in the Temple of Jerusalem. This was the first abomination. Kept from the Holy of Holies, he returned to Alexandria to organize pogroms against the Jews there. Antiochus III returned later and conquered Palestine in 198 BC.
215 8/216; 2,7/215 7, 16, 24° Aquarius/Leo Opposition.
218 Hannibal of Carthage in Spain crosses Alps for 2nd Punic War and defeats Scipio in battle.
215 First Macedonian War (215-105).
Philip V of Macedonia attacks Rome; Hannibal defeated in battle at Nole (215; decisively 202).

196 7,8/196; 5/195 18, 20° Aries/LIBRA; 3° Taurus/SCORPIO
196 Philip V of Macedon surrenders Greece to Rome, while the Romans make their first contact with Palestine in 196 when Antiochus III marchs into Europe to seize Macedonia with Hannibal. He stalls, and is repelled by the Romans 191 in Greece, and again 190 near Ephesus in the 4th Syrian War.
185 1/185 20° Aquarius Trigon. 2/187-1/184. Mercury
189 Rome's conquest of Seleucids enables King Artaches to establish an Armenian Kingdom.
186 Senatorial Decree "De Bacchanalibus" to discourage abuses during Bacchanalian use of the Temple of Hades and Persephone at Baiae suggests an Orphic influence of reform.

165 9/165 8° SCORPIO TRIGON. 1/166-163. Mars
169 Just after the senatorial decree "De Bacchanalibus," Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164) sacked the Temple and murdered and tortured many citizens of Jerusalem. On October 14, 5:40 PM, Neptune, Venus and Mars as evening stars were conjunct at 8° SCORPIO, 20° above the setting Sun at the 1° Gemini Jewish new moon of Sukkoth.
167 Antiochus returned to plunder and murder again. On 15th Chislev (1 Macc 1.54), December 6, he "erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar," burnt incense throughout the city and burnt all the sacred books he could lay hands on. It was a full Moon rising in GEMINI on the horizon, the Sun having set with Mars-Venus in Capricorn as evening stars. Mercury-Neptune in SCORPIO were square Pluto-MC.
On 25 Chislev (I Macc 1.59), December 16, the eve of Country Dionysia that year (City Dionysia late January), Antiochus offered burnt sacrifice on the altar and tortured or killed those who would not participate in the debauched rites (2 Macc 6ff). Mars-Venus in Capricorn were still evening stars about to disappear the next week, a SCORPIO Moon and Neptune, conjuncted Saturn in Libra, while Uranus was at MC when the evening festivities began. A particularly deranged celebration must have been contemplated for some time, given Venus and Mars' near-conjunction dance as evening stars for almost 4 months, starting in the heat of late August, and arriving at climax with the full Moon on 5-6 December. Orgiastic rites must have proven irresistible to those so predisposed. The Romans defiled their own God in this case by calling Him Zeus, "Friend of Strangers," given their treatment of the locals.
164 Judas Maccabaeus retakes Jerusalem in 164, removes the status of Zeus and clears the Temple.
Exactly 3 years later, on 25 Chislev (1 Macc 4.52), the first Hannukah is celebrated for 8 days to purify the altar, a tradition which continues to this day. This was a year after 8° SCORPIO Trigon of 165 conjunct Mars and Neptune, both square Venus in Leo and Pluto in Aquarius. Moon, Uranus and Alpha Aries (Zeus' temple star) were all conjunct, ironically for the Romans.
Parallel to this was the Revolt of the Maccabees, which took place during the "Abomination of Desolation" defilement of the Temple in 167. An old priest Mattathias was first to resist, slaying a Syrian who ordered him to celebrate. He fled with his 5 sons into the hills, but died the next year (166) while his sons kept up the revolt. Judas Maccabaeus retook Jerusalem in 164, removed the statue of Zeus and cleared the Temple. While the Temple rededication was being celebrated as the first Hannukah, Antiochus was collecting taxes in the East; upon hearing of the news, he died on his way back.
Note that the Venus-Mars conjunctions occurred on all the significant years of this episode (and in all the significant signs): 10/13/169 in 8° SCORPIO; 9/9/167 in 27° LIBRA; 6/27/166 in 4° GEMINI; and 5/15/164 in 18° TAURUS — a SCORPIO through TAURUS cycle, again...

136 5,11/136; 4/135 2, 0, 18° Taurus/SCORPIO Opposition.
135 The first slave revolt (Sicily) in the Roman Empire.
134 John Hyrcanus I, youngest son of Simon Maccabeus, accedes to the Hasmonean throne.
126 4/126 1° PISCES Trigon. 1/128-12/126. Venus
128 Hipparchos of Rhodes discovers the precession of the equinoxes, proposed as a foundational concept of the Mithraic Mysteries (See Ulansey).

106 12/106 18° SCORPIO TRIGON. 12/108-105. Mercury, Moon
106 Heron the mathematician founds the first college of technology in Alexandria. Close to this year, the Stoic philosopher Posidonius (c.135-50) moves from Tarsus, city of the Perseus hero cult and probable origin of Mithraism, to Rhodes.
Between 135 and 105 the Book of Jubilees, or calendric festivals, is first written. The Essene capital of Qumran was founded around 110 under Hyrcanus. Here the Book of Jubilees was zealously observed and probably written. Their year (364 days) seems to have had a 5-week intercalary period every 28 years.
Between 135 and 104 John Hyrcanus reigned over a period which saw increasing divisions among Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes. Under the Maccabean Kingdom (from the 165 Trigon), the Jews enjoyed relative autonomy and a flourishing of culture. This began in earnest with the building projects under Hyrcanus. However, in 63 BC, the Pharisees ceded political rule of Palestine to Rome under Pompey.

86 8/86 24° Cancer Trigon. 7/88-6/85. VenusAlpha Ursa Major
88 Mithridates IV Eupator, King of Pontos, conquers most of Asia Minor by this year. The Three Mithridatic Wars between Rome and his Cilician pirates take place during this Trigon and the next.
77 7,9/77; 5/76 2, 6, 17° Taurus/SCORPIO Opposition.
Uranus & Pluto in Taurus; Neptune in GEMINI
78 Caesar returns from campaign in Cilicia upon death of Sulla, leaving rule to Pompey, whom he helps drive Lepidus out of Italy (77). Pompey spends the next 6 years conquering Spain, returning in 71 to meet the remnants of Spartacus' army, which fugitives he destroys.
Spartacus, a Thracian, escapes with the slaves of his training school in Capua (73) to hide out in Vesuvius' crater, defeating several Roman legions in the Revolt of the Gladiators. He was slain in battle but 6000 men are crucified along the Appian Way from Rome to Capua (71) in this 2nd slave revolt.
77 Lepidus offers to support Caesar, who declines. Caesar's early period of orations. He decides to leave town with the loss of a suit against an ex-consul for extortion.
76 On his way to Rhodes to study rhetoric, Caesar is captured by Cilician pirates and ransomed. He swears to crucify them and does so when he is released (Suetonius says this was only due to an oath he swore, not being vindictive by nature). He arrives at Rhodes, and in support of Rome's allies he raises a force to to drive Mithridates' deputy from the province.
John Hyrcanus II becomes high priest of Judaea (76-40).
67 2/67 8° PISCES Trigon. 3/67-2/64. Sun, Venus
67 Plutarch mentions that Mithraism enters Roman life when Pompey is sent to subdue the Cilician pirates (1000 ships and 400 captured towns).
66 Pompey conquers the Cilician pirates and ends the Mithridatic Wars.

46 10/46 23° SCORPIO TRIGON. 11/49-46. Sun, Mercury, Venus in LIBRA
49 The Senate demands Caesar give up his command of Gaul; Caesar crosses the Rubicon with his famous laconic statement, "The die is cast," to begin the Civil War.
48 Caesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalia.
47 Cleopatra orders Pompey's assassination; Caesar produces "On the Civil War" and makes Cleopatra his mistress. The Library of Ptolemy I in Alexandria is destroyed by fire. Antipater II, father of Herod, is appointed Procurator of Judaea, Samaria and Galilee, but is assassinated in 43 BC. In this year (47) Herod becomes governor of Galilee.
46 The Julian Calendar is adopted throughout the Roman Empire, adjusting the solar calendar by adding 2 months to this year, one of Caesar's best.
45 Athenodorus (74-1 BC), Stoic and Mithraic philosopher from Tarsus, meets Octavian (Augustus), returns with him and Agrippa to Rome (44) upon the assassination of Caesar, and becomes Octavian's tutor.

38 11/38; 9/37; 3/36 24° Leo/Aquarius; 10, 19° Virgo/PISCES Oppositions.
37 Closing up of the Orphic Temple of Hades and Persephone by Marcus V. Agrippa, Octavian's closest friend and ally (see Paget).
36 Fleet of Octavian defeats Pompey, whom he accuses of allowing piracy to continue.

26 6/26 3° Leo Trigon. 8/27-24. VenusRegulus 1°
27 Octavian is given the title Augustus Caesar. His friend Marcus Agrippa builds the Pantheon.

7 BC 5,9,12/7 BC 20, 17, 16° PISCES Trigon. 3/8-1/5. Alpha Andromeda 1°
6 In March, Christ is born a Pisces (conceived the summer before the Trigon of September, 7 BC), while shepherds watched their flocks the next spring, against winter-hungry predators.

BC/AD ——————————

5 AD 2,8/5 AD; 1/6 AD 7, 17, 25° Aquarius/Leo Opposition. Regulus 2°
5 Cymbeline, King of Catuvellauni, acknowledged King of Britain by Rome.
Ovid composes his "Metamorphoses," compiling the ancient myths.
6 Judaea becomes a province of Rome.

14 AD 12/14 4° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 10/14-11/17. Sun Mercury Venus in Capricorn
14 Death of Augustus Caesar at Nola, Giordano Bruno's town in the foothills of Vesuvius. Tiberius becomes Emperor of Rome.

34 10/34 16° Leo Trigon. 8/33-7/36. Mercury Venus Mars all Rx
33 Jesus Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection at Passover lunar eclipse in April.
34 Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus. His first visit to Jerusalem.

54 3/54 28° PISCES Trigon. 2/52-4/54. Sun, Venus
53 Marriage of Claudia (Gladys, daughter of Caradoc, adopted by Claudius), British Silurian princess, with Rufus Pudentinus, a young senator with estates in Samnium. They were the first to offer their homes to Paul and Peter, removing them and their followers to the country villa when times became unpleasant in the City. This forms part of the argument for first foundation of the Church in Britain rather than Rome (See Morgan).
54 Claudius is murdered by Agrippina. Nero becomes Emperor.
56 Paul arrives in Rome during the second year of Nero, according to Jerome.

64 6/64; 2,11/65 12, 24° Aquarius/Leo; 9° PISCES/Virgo Oppositions.
63 Nero makes Tiridates King of Armenia; Tiridates' magus initiates Nero into Mithraism and Nero is then considered by these two an emanation of Mithra.
64 On 7/18/64 Rome burns, so Nero can rebuild to his taste. Nero persecutes the Christians as scapegoats.
65 Seneca, Nero's tutor, commits suicide under Nero's orders, but more probably in despair.
66 Petronius Arbiter is pursued by Nero to Cumae (where the Cumaean Sibyl resided) near Baiae, where he prefers to slowly commit suicide over a dinner party with friends, thrown by himself, rather than await Nero's peculiar preferences (Tacitus, Annals 16.17-20).
In the spring, Apollonius of Tyana travels from Greece to Crete, and then to Rome, where he spends time introducing reforms to the temples with Pontifex Maximus Telesinus. In October, Nero banishes both from Rome, after subjecting them to the interrogations of his favorite, Tigellinus.
From 66 to 70 the Jews revolt at misrule by Roman procurators in Palestine.
Josephus argues against Jewish rebellion; is captured by Vespasian (67), his life spared by predicting Vespasian's accession; he is imprisoned until his prophecy is realized (69), then released.

74 10/74 9° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 2/73-1/76. square Mars
70 Jerusalem is destroyed by Titus.
73 On April 11-12 (the Encyclopaedia Britannica is mistaken, giving the 15th without calendric adjustments), the Zealots in the fortress of Masada commit mass suicide rather than surrender to Rome.
75 Josephus, Hellenist Jewish historian, writes "The Jewish War" (75-79) under imperial patronage.
79 In 8/24/79 Vesuvius erupts and buries Pompeii and Herculaneum.

94 8/94 25° Leo Trigon. 7/92-6/95. Sun Venus
93 The trial of Apollonius of Tyana at Rome by the tyrant Domitian. Tyana disappears at the bar.
94 Josephus completes "Jewish Antiquities" (93-94).

134 1/134 21° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 1/132-135. Venus
131 Hadrian is in Jerusalem, promoting the worship of Zeus (to 132).
132 Tineius Rufus is governor of Judaea during revolt of Simeon Bar Kokhba ("Son of a Star" — see Venus conj. Trigon).
134 Hadrian returns in person to the battlefield with the governor of Britain to put down the revolt.
135 With the fall of Bethar comes the final Diaspora of the Jews.

193 11/193 26° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 12/190-193. Mars, Sun, Venus in SCORPIO
193 Beginning of Praetorian (Guard) Rule of Rome with Septimius Severus. His wife, Julia Domna, commissions an account of the Life of Apollonius of Tyana, a reincarnation of the 6th Ray Master.
213 10/213 15° Virgo Trigon. 9/212-8/215. Sun Mercury in Libra
212 After Severus' death, Julia watches her two sons compete for the throne, Caracalla finally killing Geta in her presence.
214 Mani, founder of Manichaeism, born near Baghdad.

253 2/253 7° Capricorn Trigon. 12/252-11/255. Sun Mercury in Aquarius
[transition of Trigon from Fire-Sagittarius to Earth-Capricorn]
254 Origen (185-254) is arrested and tortured by Emperor Decius (250-54), and dies after release.

292 6/292 12° Taurus Trigon. 7/291-4/294. VenusAlpha Perseus 2°, Alcyone 5°
292 Diocletion comes to power (284) on the 7,2,5° Capricorn/Cancer Opp. 282-3.
302 6,6/302; 3/303 12, 3, 27° Virgo/PISCES Opposition.
300 St. Gregory the Illuminator of Echmiadzin Cathedral, converts Armenia to Christianity.
301 King Tirdat of Armenia proclaims Christianity the national religion.
303 Diocletian begins the Great Persecution of Christians on 2/23. Christians are forced to recant or die (303-305).

312 12/312 13° Capricorn Trigon. 3/311-10/314. Venus Mercury both Rx
310 Constantine executes Maximian, beginning his rise to power.
312 Constantine defeats Maxentius at Battle of Saxa Rubra (10/27).
313 On 6/13 Constantine and Licinius Augustus proclaim the Edict of Milan, granting freedom of worship to Christianity. They then go to war with each other (314).

352 5/352 20° Taurus Trigon. 6/350-4/353. Sun VenusAlcyone 12°
353 Constantius restores sole rule to Rome.
354 St. Augustine (11/13/354-430) discovers Cicero and philosophy (375)(23° Capricorn Trigon 3/372, Sun-Mercury in PISCES, Moon-Mars Retrograde in Virgo); ordained (391)(11° Libra Trigon 10/392, Sun-Mercury in Libra, Beta Crux 0° orb).

411 8/411 3° GEMINI Trigon. 7/411-5/414. Sun Mars; Mercury Rx in VirgoPolaris 3°
408 Emperor Theodosius II (408-450).
410 Rome sacked by Alaric and the Visigoths; Roman legions leave Britain.
The Sack of Rome led indirectly to St. Augustine writing his "City of God."
Proclus (c.410-485) is born, Neoplatonic philosopher who synthesizes the Platonic Theology just before the School of Athens is closed. His writings exceeded the total of Plato and Plotinus combined; most are lost.
412 British monk Pelagius initiates Pelagian Controversy, denying original sin and salvation only through the external church.
452 1/452 22° Libra Trigon. 9/450-453. Sun; Venus Rx Mars in Aquarius
451 Council of Chalcedon asserts Roman papal primacy in Italian church.
Vardan Manikonian, martyr with his comrades for freedom of Armenian Church in Battle of Avarair with Persia.
452 Pope Leo I the Great (440-61) persuades Attila the Hun to desist invading Italy.

471 6/471 12° GEMINI Trigon. 6/470-4/473. Polaris 5°
471 Accession of Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths, ends the Roman Empire (476).
484 Rome and Constantinople in a state of schism (484-519).

(CYCLE 4) Sirius in GEMINI

506 Council of Dvin, Armenia rejects Chalcedon and Armenian Church remains Monophysite.

511 10/511 28° Libra TRIGON. 12/508-7/512. Sun Venus
511 Death of Clovis and partition of the Empire of the Franks between his 4 sons.

531 5/531 20° GEMINI Trigon. 6/529-3/532. Sun Venus Mars in TaurusSirius 3°
529 Justinian closes the Academy of Plato in Athens, and its head Damascius (student of Proclus) with his students flee to Persia until they are allowed back under stipulation not to teach philosophy. At this time, they still possess and circulate all the writings of Proclus.
Codification and recodification of laws of Byzantine bureaucracy, with subsequent enforcement and reenforcement, by Justinian.
Traditional date for St. Benedict's relocation at Montecassino, and period of composition of his monastic Rule, dividing the day into prayer and meditation, worship, and work in field or cloister.
530 Benedict's Rule first incorporated into one of Justinian's Laws (11/17/530).
531 Nika Revolt of Constantinople razes the city (532); St. Sophia built on the ashes.
540 7/540; 4/541; 2/542 15, 28° Aries/Libra; 12° Taurus/SCORPIO Oppositions.
542 Plague of Justinian (probably for violating guest-friendship by closing the School of Athens). The first major recorded outbreak of bubonic plague; in 4 months it takes over a million lives in Constantinople and spreads throughout the known world.
551 1/551 14° Aquarius Trigon. 3/549-2/552.
Babylonian Talmud compiled (550-500), largely based upon the Palestinian or Jerusalem Talmud compiled by Rabbi Johanan in Tiberias yeshiva (with those at Caesarea and Sepporis) (See Hirschfeld).

571 3/571 3° SCORPIO TRIGON. 10/570-573.
This particular Trigon is called by the 8th century Jewish astrologer, Masha'allah, the Trigon conjunction of the religion Islam itself (see Kennedy).
572 According to Al-Biruni and Masha'allah (f230r,2; f231r,15) Muhammad is born (Aquarius Sun, Cancer Ascendant) the second year of the Trigon, the year of the Elephant — 7 February 572, at 7 PM in Mecca (Kennedy, p. 127).
573 His father-in-law, Abu Bekr, 1st Caliph of Islam, is born.

620 2,4/620; 1/621 24, 28° SAGITTARIUS/GEMINI; 12° Capricorn/Cancer Oppositions.
622 Muhammad migrates from Medina to Mecca (the Hejira) in 622. Skirmishes start in 3/624.

630 11/630 13° SCORPIO TRIGON. 10/629-632. Sun, Mercury Rx Beta Ursa Minor, Alpha2 Libra
628 The Persian-Byzantine wars end in 628 with Byzantium victorious but weak.
629 Dagobert I succeeds the Merovingian throne of France, dies 1/19/639 at St. Denis, France.
630 In January a murder provides the excuse for the war that wins Mecca for Islam.
632 Muhammad dies 6/8/632 from illness; Abu Bakr succeeds him as 1st Caliph.
633 First war of Arab conquest begins with Battle of Aqraba (Place of the Scorpion).
639 8/639; 3,7/640 17, 26° Leo/Aquarius; 3° Virgo/PISCES Oppositions.
640 The Byzantine forces in Egypt are conquered in July 640, Cairo falling in 641. According to a recent anti-Arab propagandist book, around December 640 `Umar I offhandedly ordered the Library of Alexandria burnt, its books used as fuel. However, this seems to be a 13th century rumor of a late aftermath, since Alexandria remained in Byzantine hands for two more years and the Serapaeum library had been destroyed through internal dissension, around 272 AD (23° Virgo Trigon, Sun, Mercury, 273 AD) during the civil war under Aurelian (270-275); the Serapaeum Library was destroyed by Christians in 391 AD under the sign of the Cross (Beta Crux) 350 years before (11° Libra Trigon, Mercury, Beta Crux 0°, Epsilon Ursa Major 2°, 392 AD). Neither of these episodes are mentioned in the book under question (_________).
661 1/661 25° Taurus/SCORPIO Opposition. Saturn conj. Antares 4°
661 In January, Muhammad's cousin Ali, the 4th Caliph, is assassinated with a poisoned sword. He was the first chronological arranger of the Quranic suras.

680 2,6,12/680 11, 19, 29° Capricorn/Cancer Opposition.
679 Murder of (Saint) Dagobert II (12/23) leads to unification of Frankish lands under Theodoric III.
680 Under this opposition, Ali's son Husayn is martyred with his assassination, October 10th (Sun-Mars-Mercury conjunct in Libra square Neptune-Jupiter conjunct in Capricorn), at the Battle of Karbala by Yazid, whose legitimacy he refused to recognize in April of that year (Aries 3/17-4/17). This is the origin of Shi`ite Islam (Shi`atu `Ali, Party of `Ali), and the animosity between generally non-tribal convert Iraqis (Shi`a) and tribal Arabs (the wealthy Umayyad family of Medina) begins.
Echoes into the 20th Century
Did the latest Gulf War (1990-?) actually start with the TAURUS/SCORPIO Jupiter-Saturn opposition of 661 AD? This serves as explanation only in the sense that Karma marches on forever until the person, group, or Humanity takes responsibility for breaking our crisis-addicted thought generation and our conflict-addicted reactionary behavior and assumes a higher, more evolved ability to respond and cooperate intelligently with what is perceived as the rational, nonrational and irrational in life. The duality/conflict/self-discovery interpretation of oppositions certainly is borne out through all the SCORPIO Trigons we are examining, and this series with Antares, the Heart of the Scorpion (Qalb al `Aqrab) poised overhead is quite suggestive. Ironically, it marks one of the fortunate stations in Arabic astrological practice.
The world should have been warned of the Gulf War when Saddam started the Iraq-Iran War on 9/21/1980. Sun-Saturn-Jupiter conjuncted in Virgo just before a Libra Triple Trigon (1981). Chiron, Venus, Mars, Moon and Nodes formed a Fixed Cross in 15-17° from Taurus to Aquarius respectively; Uranus-Mars conj. in SCORPIO by 7°.
When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait at 5:13 am on August 2, 1990, Mars at 13° Taurus was near the 3° Taurus MC and opposite Pluto at 14° SCORPIO, forming a cross with the Sun at 9° Leo, 3 min. from the Ascendant and opposite the North Node at 7° Aquarius. This IS a Jupiter-Saturn Opposition Period, and Neptune retrograde at 12° Capricorn with Saturn retrograde at 20° Capricorn is opposite Jupiter at 26° Cancer (see 680 AD Jupiter-Saturn Opposition).
When Bush certified to House Speaker Foley at 6:35 pm on 1/16 that all remedies had been exhausted, Jupiter at 10° Leo was on the Ascendant at 14° Leo (14° the Pointer associated with self will [EA 196-7]) opposite the Moon at 7°, and Venus at 14° Aquarius exactly, setting. Rather apt. Bush's Venus-Pluto square Moon-Saturn in Cardinal were under siege by Capricorn at the moment. Poor Moon-Venus.
At January 15th High Noon in Kuwait City, 3° TAURUS was rising, close to Saddam's Sun-Uranus at 7° to 9° TAURUS (nice horary election chart). And with the first air attack at 2:32 am (announced at 2:45 am) on January 17th, Pluto was at 20° SCORPIO conjunct the Ascendant at 22°, still opposite Mars conjunct the setting Pleiades at 29° TAURUS.
The assassination during the 661 AD TAURUS/SCORPIO Opposition was at 25° SCORPIO, and Pluto was in Leo. That year's triple conjunctions of Venus and Mars started at 7° TAURUS in March as evening stars conjunct the Pleiades by 5 degrees. What a curious world we live in. What an echo!

690 9/690 18° SCORPIO TRIGON. 2/688-10/691. Antares 4°
691 The Dome of the Rock is established in Jerusalem. In October 1990 we had the Massacre at Temple Mount, Pluto at 16° Scorpio — watch the 17° fireworks this summer — Pluto square Mars-Venus in Leo around 6/24 and Pluto square Jupiter-Mercury-Moon in Leo on 7/13-14. [6/23 "The Army Bans Reports of Disguised Units [posing as Palestinians]" NYT 6/24/91; 7/15 UN Report on Humanitarian Needs in Iraq; 7/18 "Police Criticized in Israel Shootings, Judge Reports on Temple Mount Riot, BG 7/19/91]
690 The Umayyad Caliph `Abd al-Malik begins a successful 3-year campaign against "rebels" and non-tribal Arab converts in Iraq, driving many into Iran. This 2nd civil war helped start Iraqi-Iranian-Arab animosities.
709 9/709; 2,4/710 22, 19, 18° Cancer Triple Trigon. 6/708-7/710.
710 In 710, with the completion of the Arab conquest of North Africa, the Moors launched their first invasion into Spain, and continued through the PISCES Trigon (4/729) to the Pyrenees, at which point they were held back by Charles Martel (732) at the Battle of Poitiers.
711 Dagobert III accedes to the Merovingian throne for 5 years, dominated by Pepin II, mayor of the palace and father of Charles Martel.
719 5,11/719; 4/720 12, 20, 27° Taurus/SCORPIO Opposition.
719 These oppositions marked the reign of the pious `Umar II (717-720), the only Umayyad granted the title of Caliph by later historians. After the 2nd civil war, started in 690, it was `Umar II who initiated major fiscal and land reforms which took effect at a deadline in 719. This eased tensions between wealthy landowning Arab warrior aristocrat tribalists, and the much poorer non-tribal converts to Islam, or Mawali, along with the Shi`a, until 747.
717 Rabi'a (717-801), famous Sufi saint and poetess of Basrah, sold into slavery but released when observed in mystical radiance while praying.

749 AD 28° SCORPIO TRIGON. 1/747-9/750. Mercury, VenusAntares 6°
750 With the 3rd Islamic civil war, the Abbasid Caliphate was inaugurated with the fall of the Umayyads.
751 Pepin the Short, a Roman Papist, founds the Carolingian Dynasty in November after subtly handling assassinations of the non-Papist Merovingian line, which some say preserved a direct bloodline from Jesus and Magdalen (See Baigent). The Merovingians were said to "rule, not govern." Interesting to see a Colonel Pepin fielding questions from the press during the Gulf War in 1991.
After 6 years of tribal strife and a revival of Shi`a and other "rebel" parties, the then extremist Shi`a Hashimites, centered around Basrah, initiated a coup in alliance with the followers of the moderate Abbas, descendant of the Prophet, who inherited their logistics network.
754 The 2nd Abbasid Caliph established the capital at Ctesiphon, or Baghdad on the Tigris.
789 2/789 16° PISCES Trigon. 4/787-3/790. MercuryAlpha Pegasus 7°
787 Albumazar (8/10/787 - 3/886) writes "The Great Introduction to the Science of Astrology" and "On the Great Conjunctions," both in 8 books. His "Book of Revolutions of the World-Years" posited the creation of the world with all (7) planets conjunct in Aries — its end with a similar conjunction in PISCES.

809 10/809 3° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 12/808-811.
809 Harun al`Rashid dies; civil war breaks out between his two sons, ruling Iran and Iraq, respectively.
Saracens occupy Corsica and Sardinia and pillage Italy from the islands until 916; Harun al`Rashid sends an embassy to Charlemagne.
848 5/848 28° PISCES Trigon. 4/846-2/849.
851 Johannes Scotus Erigena (810-77) translates Greek Fathers for western scholars. His "On Predestination" (851) is condemned by church theologians; his "On the Division of Nature" reconciling Neoplatonism and Christianity (862-6)(2° Virgo/PISCES Opp. 1/860) condemned for pantheism.

868 12/868 13° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 11/867-870.
869 This coincides with the Zanj Revolt of black slaves in southern Iraq, which included two attacks on Basrah, briefly conquering it on the third attempt.
Danes overrun most of Anglo-Saxon Britain, until Alfred the Great emerges as King (871-899).
908 3/908 4° Aries Trigon. 5/907-3/910.
908 Al-Hallaj (858-922), after 15 years of a teaching journey, returns to Baghdad where he begins a program of political and moral reform. For this he is suspected of helping inflame the Zanj black slave rebellion in southern Iraq. When he declares "Ana al-haqq" ("I am the Path [Truth]") in an interrupted mystical transport, that is all it takes for authorities to brutally execute him with hideous tortures (3/26/922), during which he remains lucid and calm. Sun conj. Alpha Aries 5°, Mercury-Mars-Uranus in PISCES.
910 Imam Junayd (d. 910) practices and teaches Sufism "behind 7 locked doors," and as head judge of Baghdad signed the warrant for Al-Hallaj's execution, adding that "under law he is guilty; by inner truth, Allah knows."

928 10/928 18° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 11/926-929.
928 King Abas of Armenia (928-953) presides over building of Byzantine-style cathedrals.
Sa'adia ben Joseph (882 Egypt - 942 Babylon), philosopher and polemicist who helps coordinate Diaspora Jews in the Middle East during this period, defends in Babylon the traditional Rabbanic calendar, with his "Book of Discernment."
929 `Abd ar-Rahman III declares himself Caliph over Spain, severing ties with the East, and allowing a distinctly cosmopolitan Moorish culture of Muslims, Jews and Christians to flourish. It was these Moorish cities and universities which established Scholasticism with the revival of classical studies; large translation projects being undertaken in many languages, e.g., Arabic, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Catalan and Ladino.
967 6,10/967; 1/968 17, 14, 12° ARIES TRIPLE TRIGON. Alpha Aries 1°
963 St. Athanasius the Athonite first organizes hermits of Mt. Athos in Great Laura Monastery.

[971] [Sirius enters CANCER]
The Seljuk Turks march into the Arab lands from the East.

978 3,9/978; 1/979 2, 12, 19° Virgo/PISCES Opposition.
977 King Ashot the Merciful of Armenia (928-77) and his Queen found monasteries and churches, followed by Sembat II (977-90) who reigns over Armenian Renaissance.

988 10/988 29° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 1/985-10/988. VenusGamma Draconis
987 In July, Hugh Capet accedes to throne of France, displacing the Carolingian line.
988 Vladimir of Kiev introduces Greek Orthodox Christianity from Constantinople.
Vikings begin inland raids on the Britain with Devon and Somerset.
1087 2/1087 3° Taurus Trigon. 5/1086-3/1089.
1087 The Christians recapture Toledo, the first great center for transmission of Islamic culture to the West. Classical translation projects, undertaken by Spanish, Italian, Jewish, German and British scholars, continued under Alphonso the Wise of Castile and Leon (1252-1284).

1146 6/1146 17° Taurus Trigon. 4/1145-2/1148. Venus; Mercury Rx Mars in GEMINIAlcyone 1°
1144 Chartres towers and Rose Window installed (1144-50).
1146 St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), defender of Mariolatry (his mother died at 16° Capricorn Trigon 1107) and Knights Templar; appointed to found monastery at Clairvaux (1115)(Libra/SCORPIO Opps. 1116-7); coerced by Pope and French king to promote 2nd Crusade (1147-9); greatest work (1130-45).
1148 Cordoba conquered.
1166 12/1166 21° Capricorn Trigon. 3/1164-11/1167.
1164 Thomas à Becket (c.1118 - 12/29/1170) forced by Henry II into exile (10/1164) for resisting his will to dominate English Church. Becket's appointment to luxurious Canterbury on the prior Opposition (1154).
1166 Maimonides (3/30/1135 - 1204) begins "Commentary on the Mishnah" (1158-68) (23° PISCES/Virgo; 6,20° Aries/Libra Opps. 7,3,12/1156-7) as his family flees Cordoba for Fez (1159); when his teacher Rabbi Shoshan was executed as a practicing Jew, his family moves to the Cairo area where he becomes physician to Saladin and his son. There he starts "Mishnah Torah" (1166-76) in Hebrew; his famous "Guide to the Perplexed" (1176-91) (SCORPIO/Taurus Opp. 12,3,11/1175-6) written in Arabic, was later burned in Montpellier as heretical (1233) (SCORPIO/Taurus Opp. 12,5,11;1235-6).

(CYCLE 5) Sirius in Cancer

The Eleventh through Twelfth Centuries Interim.
Pluto in Taurus, 1118-1152; in Gemini, 1150-1179
During these centuries (outside the purview of the SCORPIO Trigon) mystical and philosophical Islam flourish. From 1008 to 1206 the Trigon is in EARTH (excepting 1027 in Aries and 1186 in Libra). The 17° Taurus Trigon 1146 was conjunct Alcyone by 1°, the 25° Taurus Trigon 1206 by 6°.

Abu Ishak Chisti (d. 966) establishes at some time in the 10th century the Chisti Order of Sufis, which was to spread primarily throughout Southeast Asia.
Omar Khayyam (5/18/1048 – 12/4/1122), Persian astronomer, mathematician and poet represents the Islamic Renaissance man, fluent as well in languages, jurisprudence, philosophy, medicine, history and geometry.
El Ghazali (1058 – 12/18/1111), a prolific writer in philosophy, theology and jurisprudence, became a Sufi in November of 1096 (28° PISCES/Virgo – 6° Aries/Libra Opp. 9,2/1097-98), and goes on to make Sufism acceptable to Islam at large. In the "Niche of Lights" he attempts to reconcile the spectrum of cognition with direct mystical experience. He justified his retirement to monastic life with an autobiography, "The Deliverer from Error." He believed that theology was inferior to direct mystical experience. Earlier, he wrote tracts contra the fanatic muslim Isma'iliyah Sect of Assassins.
Hakim Sanai (d. c.1131), Ghaznavi mystical poet, composes "The Garden of Truth and the Law of the Path."
'Abd al Qadir al Jilani (1078 – 1166) establishes the Qadiriyah School of Sufism.
Attar of Nishapur (c.1142 – c.1220), renowned poet who composes "The Conference of the Birds [Sufis]," describing their quest for God in the form of the Phoenix King, in Whose Countenance they ultimately discover the mirror-like Wisdom. His "Biographies of the [early Sufi] Saints" is an invaluable source book.
Ziah ud`Din Jahib Suhrawardi (c.1155 – 1191), founder of the Ishraqiyah Sufi Order and favored by Saladin's son, is murdered for espousing a Sufic pantheism in his Illuminationist school of Islamic thought. His "Wisdom of Illumination" describes the stages of the mystical Path in terms of light and darkness.
ash`Shadhili (c.1196 – 1258) visits Tunisia (1218-9) and is exiled to Egypt where he founds the Shadhiliyah Order in Alexandria, suborders in Morocco and Tunisia.
Ahmad ar`Rifa'i (d. 1187) founds Rifa'i Order in Basrah, practicing extreme self-mortification; outlawed in 1925 (26° Virgo Trigon 1921).

The greater number of these Sufi saints chose to die in November and more often in December; see Rumi (Sagittarius), Hakim Jami (Scorpio), Sa`di of Shiraz (Sco), Ibn El-Arabi (Sco/Sag), besides Khayyam (Sag) and El Ghazali (Sag) above. Since belief in reincarnation is strictly proscribed, even in orthodox Sufism, the art of fixing the date of death might have been considered of major spiritual import.

The Thirteenth Century Trigons.

1186 11/1186 12° Libra Trigon. 10/1185-1188. Sun Mercury Mars in SCORPIOEpsilon Ursa Major
1186 Saladin spent 10 years conquering Syria and surrounding Jerusalem by 1186.
1187 Saladin takes Kingdom of Jerusalem with Crusaders' major defeat at Horns of Hattin (7/3-4/1187).
Under Leo II and Saint Nersess, Little Armenia in Cilicia has its cultural Silver Age.
1195 7,12/1195; 6/1196 12, 10, 28° Cancer/Capricorn Opposition.
1194 Chartres Cathedral fire.
1206 4/1206 25° Taurus TRIGON. 4/1204-5/1206. Alcyone 6°
1202 4th Crusade of Roman Catholic Christians versus Greek Orthodox Christians of Constantinople.
1204 Crusaders establish Latin Empire in Constantinople after sacking the city during 4th Crusade.
1206 Temujin proclaimed Genghis Khan.
Ibn Arabi (1165–1240) as a youth in Andalusia studies with 2 Sufi women saints; arrested and denounced in Cairo (1206) he flees to Mecca, Konya and then Damascus. His works banned during his lifetime.
1208 Albigensian Crusade instigated by Innocent III to steal the supposed accumulated wealth of the Cathars (to 1213).
1209 St. Francis issues the first rules of his Franciscan Order.
1216 4,10/1216; 3/1217 6, 15, 23° Aries/Libra Opposition.
1215 Magna Charta framed and signed, solidifying Britain's common law and "living Constitution" traditions.
1226 3/1226 2° Aquarius Trigon. 1/1226-1229. Venus
1225 Magna Carta signed in its third and final form.
1226 Death of St. Francis; Genghis Khan (1227).
1228 Frederick II recaptures Jerusalem (after Saladin's conquest in 1187)
Teutonic Knights begin their conquests in Prussia.
Jalal ud`Din Rumi (9/30/1207 – 12/17/1273) moves to Konya (1228), and succeeds his father's preaching vocation (1231).
1229 Ibn al`Arabi (7/28/1165 – 11/16/1240) composes "The Bezels of Wisdom," which gives Islamic mysticism a considerable philosophic voice. It represented the distillation of an earlier encyclopaedic work in 560 volumes on Islamic esoteric, etc., traditions and writings.

1235 12/1235 26° SCORPIO/Taurus Opposition. Antares 3°, Algol 10°
5,11/1236 6, 16° SAGITTARIUS/Gemini Opposition.
1236 Cordoba reconquered from Moors by Ferdinand III of Castile.
The Knights Hospitaller and Templar threatened with excommunication for attempting to form a secular alliance with the extremist Ismaili subsect of the Assassins.

1246 9/1246 19° Libra Trigon. 10/1244-9/1247. Spica 1°, Zeta Ursa Major 1°
Pluto in SCORPIO, 1245-1257
1242 Alexander Nevski defeats Teutonic Knights (April 5) after defeating the Swedes at Neva in 1240.
Friar Roger Bacon cites specific formulae for manufacture of gunpowder, and describes spectacles, two-lensed telescopes and microscopes in his prolific writings.
1244 Montsegur surrenders at the end of the last Albigensian Crusade.
1244 The greatest turning point in Rumi's life (November 30), when he meets the Sufi saint Shams ad`Din Tabrizi. Rumi's wealthy family is implicated in Shams ud`Din's murder three years later.
1245 St. Thomas Aquinas (1224-74) studies Arab-Aristotelian literature with Albertus Magnus at University of Paris (1245); returning to Paris from Roman Curia (1268) he argues relation of faith to reason.
This Trigon sees a dramatic struggle between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy. When the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (Sun-Saturn in Capricorn opp. Pluto), son of Barbarossa, begins gathering armies and maneuvering to take over Rome itself, Pope Gregory IX excommunicates him in 3/20/1239; when his troops occupy Rome and he is about to enter, the 95 year old Pope drives a procession of all the most sacred relics through the city (2/22/1240) and rallies the Romans, dying himself in August of the next year after summoning a general council of the Church on Easter Sunday, most of his legates being captured on their way to Rome by Frederick. On 6/28/1245, Pope Innocent IV convenes a Council at Lyons which declares Frederick II deposed and excommunicated. Frederick dies in 1250.
1246 Roger Bacon inaugurates an intense period of experimental research (1246-47), with the construction of instrumentation, compilation of tables, and amassing a library of "secret books" of which the Voynich Manuscript may be one, passed on to Rudolf II of Bohemia by John Dee in the 16th century (See Brumbaugh).
1256 2,6/1256 8, 13° Leo/Aquarius Opposition. Pluto in SAGITTARIUS, 1257-1270
1257 Sa`di of Shiraz (c.1213 - 11/9/1291) writes his Bustan, "The Orchard" (1257);
1258 and the Gulistan, "The Rose Garden" (1258), just before the fall of Baghdad to the Mongols (1258). Both works contrast the life of the world with that of Sufi spiritual disciplines through aphorisms and anecdotal treatment of the standard religious virtues.

1265 7/1265 9° Gemini Trigon. 5/1265-6/1267. Venus-Uranus north nodes conjunct
1261 Greek Orthodox forces retake Constantinople under Michael VIII Palaeologus.
1267 Roger Bacon's "Opus Tertium."
1268 Roger Bacon's "General Principles of Mathematical Science and Compendium of Philosophy."
1275 6,7,8/1275 7, 9, 4° Aries/Libra Opposition.
1273 Riots at Oxford during which Roger Bacon sets off gunpowder to simulate the opening of the threshold of hell. It was a quote of Bacon's on the spherical Earth that encouraged Columbus to voyage.
1274 Ramon Lull, a prolific writer in Christian Cabala, has his vision on Mt. Randa regarding the essential nature of the Elements, which is to inspire the rest of his work, including the "Book of the Gentile and the Three Wise Men," attempting to unify classical planetary deity worshop with Islam, Judaeism and Christianity. A year or two later (1275-6) he publishes his "Book of the Order of Chivalry" which spread across the continent in many languages, including an English translation by Caxton which influenced Edmund Spenser.
On May 1, Dante meets Beatrice Portinari, the inspiration of his "Divina Commedia," in Florence. The Sun is conjunct Alcyone by 3° orb and Mars, T-square Neptune Rx in Leo on the ascendant and Moon-Jupiter in Aquarius on the descendant, Venus-Mercury exactly conjunct in Aries (5 min. orb at noon).
1275 In 1275 the Zohar of Moses de Leon (d. 1305) is written in Castile, although circulated after 1280 and published in 1286 (8° Aquarius Trigon). The Cabala from which it derived, according to Gershom Scholem (who published his major work in 1941 [Triple Taurus Trigon]), preceded it by about 100 years.
1277 Between 1277-79, Roger Bacon is arrested and imprisoned (to c. 1292) by King Edward and his fellow Franciscans, due to his "irascible" personality, attacking the status quo.
1286 1/1286 8° Aquarius Trigon. 1/1285-1288. Venus
1285 In this year Lull finishes his "[Pope] Blanquerna," in which he advises "Masters of the Temple and Hospital" to train their knights in truth and wisdom so they might conquer by learning rather than by arms.

1295 1,3,12/1295 28° SCORPIO/Taurus; 1, 15° SAGITTARIUS/Gemini Oppositions.
6,11/1296 26° SAGITTARIUS/Gemini; 3° Capricorn/CANCER Oppositions.
1295 Lull is in Rome attempting to introduce Boniface VIII to his "Arbor Scientiae" or "Forest Encyclopedia" of 16 mnemonic Trees of Knowledge. [This reminds one of the Buddhist teaching re the Vidyadharas or "Eight Knowledge-holders" with their 8 feminine Consorts; sixteen being associated with the higher creative center.] Interest existed to some extent, and Boniface VIII summoned him to Rome in 1302 to assist with a religious controversy. I mention Lull in detail to preface the work of his spiritual successors, the hermeticists, high mystics, neoplatonists and rosicrucians who flourished during the Water and Fire Trigons, their works generally published in the Cancer and Pisces Trigons.
Marco Polo returns to Italy from China, Mongolia and the Silk Route.
1298 Marco Polo begins writing his memoirs in a Genoese jail.

1305-6 12/1305; 0° SCORPIO/Libra TRIPLE TRIGON. 12/1305-1308. Venus
4,7/1306 27° Libra Trigon. opposite Venus 26° Libra Trigon.
1301 Osman, a Turkoman chief under Seljuk Sultan Ala ed`Din and Father of the Ottoman Turks, begins an attack on the Byzantines. He succeeds his father in 1288 (8° Aquarius Trigon 1286, Venus) and dies as Bursa falls in 1324-26 (18° Gemini Trigon 1325, Polaris 1°).
1302 Papal bull "Unam sanctam" on highest authority of Pope.
Dante's house burnt, and he is condemned to death by fire by the Neri (noble Guelph) faction.
1304 Boniface VIII disagrees with Philip IV of France and dies in Vatican "house confinement."
1305 Ramon Lull publishes his mnemonic "Ascent and Descent of the Mind," illustrating the virtues associated with the great chain of being from creation to God.
Pope Clement V moves to Avignon; the fissiparous Avignon Papacy generally dated 1309-1377 — two Popes for Libra.
Duns Scotus (c.1266-1308) appointed Master of University of Paris (1305) where he finishes his "Ordinatio," addressed to Peter Lombard's medieval textbook on theology. Scotus wrote commentaries on Porphyry and Aristotle, believing will and love superior to intellect and knowledge.
1306 Meister Eckhardt (1260-1328), renowned mystic, rules Dominicans in Saxony (1303); becomes Vicar (1306) of Bohemia.
Philippe IV le Bel expels the Jews from France.
1307 Philippe le Bel orders (10/13) all Templars in France seized and arrested, their goods confiscated.
Dante begins his "Divina Commedia," an early work of the coming Renaissance. He works on it until his death in 1321, 4 years before the 18° Gemini Trigon conjunct Polaris (1°) — truly a reorientation "refacing and recovering that which is lost" — the Soul of Italy and Europe (EA 196).
1308 On August 12, the Inquisition draws up charges against the Knights Templar.
1314 8/1314; 1,7/1315 27° CANCER/Capricorn; 4, 14° Leo/Aquarius Oppositions.
1314 Jacques de Molay (c.1243-1314), Grand Master of Knights Templar, lured into Paris for planning Crusade, but all Templars are arrested (1307) in France. He is burnt at the stake (3/18/1314).

1325 6/1325 18° Gemini Trigon. 5/1324-6/1326. Sun. Mercury-Venus in TaurusPolaris 1°
1325 The traditional founding date for Aztec Tenochtitlan, astronomical city of the Temple of the Sun.
Nizam ud`Din Awliya (1238-1325) goes to Ajodhan and becomes Chisti Order successor, settling near Delhi. One of the greatest Sufi masters of medieval India, Sufism spreads rapidly at his death in 1325.
1326 Teutonic Knights begin the First Polish War (to 1333).
1328 Robert Bruce recognized by England as King of an independent Scotland.
Ivan I of Russia makes Moscow and the Kremlin his capitol.
1335 5,11/1335; 3/1336 21° Aries/Libra; 1, 8° Taurus/SCORPIO Oppositions.
1332 Constantinople falls to Ottoman Empire.
1335 Benedict XII orders reform of the monastic orders.
1338 Schism of the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy.
1345 3/1345 18° Aquarius Trigon. 1/1344-12/1346.
1343 Jan van Ruysbroeck (1293-1381) founds Augustinian abbey at Groenendaal (1343-45), where he writes mystical "Spiritual Espousals" (1350) and all but one of his major works.
1346 Battle of Crecy and ensuing Black Death (1346-50), which kills one-third of Europe's population.

1365 10/1365 6° SCORPIO TRIGON. 11/1364-1367. Sun, Mercury, Venus
Pluto in Taurus, 1362-1396
1363 St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) finally admitted to Catholic Mantellate Order of charitable widows, although a young unmarried and unwidowed woman.
Tamerlane begins conquest of Asia.
1365 St. Catherine experiences her mystical marriage to Christ in a vision.
1366 Dominicans begin their inquisitorial campaign against Lull's works.
1368 Hafiz (c.1325 - c.1390), Sufi poet famous for his "Divan," falls out of favor at the court (1368); but returns (c. 1388) just before his death.
End of Yuan Dynasty in China; start of Ming Dynasty.
1369 Tamerlane becomes King of Samarkand.
1373 10/1373; 29° CANCER/Capricorn Opposition;
8/1374; 2/1375 13, 22° Leo/Aquarius Oppositions
1373 Dame Julian[a] of Norwich (1342 – c.1416) is healed after a vision of the suffering Christ and Blessed Virgin (May 13), and writes the beautiful "Revelations of Divine Love" as a result.
1375 From 1375 to 1379, Ibn Khaldun (5/27/1332 - 1406) retreats to a desert castle where he composes his "Muqaddimah" ("An Introduction to History"), visualizing history as a cyclic flow of nations' rise and fall. In this work he anticipates Giambattista Vico and modern sociology, developing a sociological methodology and historical philosophy, which remain unprecedented for its time.

1384-5 10/1384; 4/1385 0° CANCER; 25° Gemini Trigons. 7/1382-5/1385. Sirius 5° CANCER
1384 Baha ad'Din Naqshband dies, founder in Bukhara, Turkestan of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, one of the few Orders tracing its lineage to Abu Bekr rather than Ali. Called Masters of the Design (or Painting) for the 'pentimento' stratifications upon the heart resulting from prayer and meditation.
1385 Giangaleazzo Visconti captures Milan on May 6, just after exact Trigon.
1386 Union of Poland and Lithuania under Jagiello and Jadwiga consolidates resistance to Teutonic Knights.

1394 6,8/1394; 4/1395 23, 25° Aries/Libra; 7° Taurus/SCORPIO Oppositions.
Pluto in Gemini, 1394-1423
1396 Ottoman Turks conquer Bulgaria.
1398 Tamerlane sacks Delhi; 1401, Damascus and Baghdad; 1402 most of Ottoman Empire.
1405 1/1405 23° Aquarius Trigon. 12/1402-2/1405. Sun
1402 Jan Hus becomes preacher of reform at Bethlehem Chapel, Prague (to 1411).
1405 Death of Tamerlane.
1409 Battle of Grunewald (to 1410), where almost all masters of the Teutonic Order are slaughtered.

1415 1,6,12/1415 3, 12, 21° Capricorn/CANCER Opposition.
1414 Hakim Jami (11/7/1414 – 11/9/1492), considered by some the last great mystical poet of Iran (from Herat, Afghanistan). Collection of poems entitled Haft Awrang ("Seven Thrones," or "Ursa Major"); and the Lava'ih ("Flashes of Light") on the existential unity of Being.
1415 On July 6, Jan Hus, founder of the first reformed (Bohemian) Church in Europe, is burnt at the stake in Konstanz, Germany. He decreed the burning of Wycliffe's works, for which he was excommunicated (1409), and opposed the abuse of indulgences. Offered safe conduct by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund (of which more to come) to the Council of Constance, he was arrested by the notorious John XXIII. His martyrdom and suppression of the Hussites precipitated civil war in Bohemia (1419-1434).

1425 2,3,8/1425 17, 17, 12° SCORPIO TRIPLE TRIGON. 11/1423-1426. Alpha and Delta Librae
1428 English begin siege of Orleans.
1429 Jeanne d'Arc military commander; burnt at stake (1431).
1433 9/1433; 1,7/1434 12, 19, 28° Leo/Aquarius Opposition.
Uranus in Taurus, 1432-39; in Gemini, 1439-1446.
1433 Cosimo de Medici imprisoned by the Albizzi, manages to bribe the presiding gonfaloniere, and escapes to become political leader of Florence (1434), and to set up his banking empire.

1444 7/1444 9° CANCER Trigon. 8/1443-6/1446. Jupiter north node 3.5°Sirius 1° 1443 From 1443-1444, Hunyadi Janos leads the "Long Campaign," a crusade against Murad II, returning to Buda in 2/44 after driving the Turks out of most of the Balkans. He is made Voivode or Governor of Transylvania, Count of Temes, modern Timisoara (which HPB visited and wrote about). His greatest victory, at Belgrade on 7/22/1456, freed Hungary from Turkish dominion for 70 years.
Hunyadi's 20th century spiritual successors, under the Oppositions in 10° CANCER/Capricorn 11/89; 22° CANCER/Capricorn 7/90; 3° Leo/Aquarius 3/91) free Rumania from the Ceaucescu brood. The Hunyadi/Dracula - Tokes/Ceaucescu parallels are quite striking. The Tokes Mass and demonstration took place in Timisoara, Hunyadi's hereditary capital. The Ceaucescus fled to and were captured in Tirgoviste, being executed on Christmas Day in Tirgoviste, Dracula's capital, as if to exorcise them for good. 1-11° of Cardinal signs are emphasized in all charts.
1444 Cosimo de Medici founds the Library of San Marco, Europe's first public library.
Ottomans defeat Christians at Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast (11/10).
Sultan Murad lures young Vlad "Tepes" Dracul (Dracula) into a trap, who remains captive as a janissary page until 1448. After Varna, Vlad blames Hunyadi Janos for the death of his father and brother, and they became lifelong enemies.
1446 Hunyadi Janos declared Voivode of all Hungary (to 1452). Early in his life, he studied warfare with Francesco Sforza of Milan and the Bohemian Hussites, who developed the idea of wagon-mounted cannon.
1447 In December, Vlad's father Dracul is murdered. The name Dracul came from his investiture with the Order of the Dragon of the Holy Roman Empire by Sigismund (1411-37) in Nuremberg, 2/1431.

1454 3,10/1454; 5/1455 7, 15, 24° Taurus/SCORPIO Opposition. Neptune in SCORPIO
1451 Muhammad II Sultan, Establisher of Ottoman Empire.
1453 Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople; end of Byzantium; fleeing Greeks spread language and classical manuscripts.
1456 Hunyadi's greatest victory at Belgrade on 7/22/1456.
This was the year of Halley's Comet, accompanied by earthquakes in Italy, and the plague.
Cadamosto discovers Cape Verde Islands, while Diego Gomes sails up the Gambia River and meets traders from the Islamic university town of Timbuktu. Both men's work represented the culmination of Henry the Navigator's purpose.
1464 4/1464 4° PISCES Trigon. 2/1464-1/1467. Neptune in SCORPIO
1460 Dracula's St. Bartholomew's Day in Brasov claims close to 30,000 victims on stakes.
1461-2 Although outnumbered 6 to 1, Dracula insults Mohammed II and the Wallacho-Turkish Campaign begins with Dracula impaling the entire Turkish citadel town of Giurgin, leaving the bodies to rot outside Tirgoviste for six months until Mohammed II arrives, appalled. Where Dracula's scorched earth policy fails, the plague outbreak succeeds (See Florescu & McNally).
1462 Hunyadi's son Matthias incarcerates the terrible Vlad (1462-1474), called by some a "premature nationalist." Vlad later marries Matthias' sister. Glamor is strong in the water signs!
Marsilio Ficino spends 22 years translating the Hermetic Corpus for Cosimo di Medici, completed on the SCORPIO Trigon of 1484.

1484 11/1484 23° SCORPIO TRIGON. 10/1482-1485. Venus
1482 Leonardo da Vinci, pursuing his empirical research under the shadow of the Platonic Academy, seeks patronage in Milan, offering his military and civil engineering skills to Ludovico il Moro, who ignores him.
1483 Edward V and brother assassinated in Tower, perhaps by Richard, perhaps by Buckingham.
1483-5 Richard III, last York king. Cunning enough, but probably overly vilified by Tudor propaganda.
1484 Papal bull, "Summis desiderantes" against witchcraft and sorcery.
First complete translation of Plato into Latin.
Morte D'Arthur collection of legends published.
1485 Matthias Corvinus, son of Hunyadi Janos of Hungary, captures Vienna. Italian and German Humanists flock to his Court, fleeing Protestant-Catholics vying for mutual martyrdom and glory.
1486 Pico della Mirandola publishes his 900 theses harmonizing philosophy and Judaic, Christian and Islamic mysticism.

1493 8/1493; 7,14/1494 28° Leo/Aquarius; 7, 14° Virgo/PISCES Oppositions.
Pluto in SCORPIO, 1491-1503
1492 Columbus sails for the Far East, but runs into the Americas.
Expulsion of 200,000 Jews from Spain by Catholic bigots, Ferdinand and Isabella.
1495 Charles VIII of France enters Naples in May and carries syphilis to France and Europe, just in time for it to stalk the wars of religion. By Luther's Bull-burning in 1520, it had spread through Eurasia to Japan. Named after a shepherd in a Veronese physician's poem (1530), fellow student with Copernicus at Padua.

1504 5/1504 16° CANCER Trigon. 8/1502-6/1505. Sirius 9° 1502 Leonardo becomes military engineer to Cesare Borgia, and friend to Machiavelli. Leonardo paints "The Virgin and St. Anne," and "La Gioconda" (Mona Lisa) (1500-06), which recent scientific scrutiny seems to identify as a sort of self-portrait (See Schwartz).
Safi od-Din establishes the Safawiyah Sufi order in Iran, inspiring the Safavid Dynasty (to 1736).
Amerigo Vespucci states that Columbus must have discovered an entire continent, hence the name.
1503 Henry the Navigator publishes one of his major works.
1504 Michelangelo sculptsthe "David," beginning in 1501 and finishing 4/1504.
1505 In March, Magellan begins his career on an expedition to Africa and India to challenge Arab control of the Indian Ocean.

1513 7,9/1513, 5/1514 8, 10, 23° Taurus/SCORPIO Opposition.
Uranus in Taurus, 5/1516 – 3/1524
1511 In July and August of this year, the Portuguese siege of Malacca in Indonesia, under Afonso de Albuquerque (with Magellan), takes control of the Arab capitals of sea trade in the East.
1512 Michelangelo completes and unveils the ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel on 10/31.
1513 Machiavelli writes "The Prince," some consider modeled after Cesare Borgia (see de Grazia).
1514 Ottoman Turks defeat Persia. First printed version of Septuagint published in Complutensian Polyglot Bible (1514-22).
1516 War of Ottoman Turks with Egypt (to 1517). (Uranus enters Taurus 5/1516)
1516 Sir Thomas More's "Utopia" published in Latin.
1517 Martin Luther posts 95 theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, and Reformation begins.
1524 1/1524 9° PISCES Trigon. 1/1523-1/1526. Sun, Mercury, Venus in Aquarius.
Neptune in PISCES 3/1520 - 1/1535.
Uranus in Taurus, 5/1516 - 3/1524; in Gemini, 7/1523 - 4/1531.
1520 Luther is served the Papal Bull (10/10), then burns it (12/10) on the deadline.
On October 21st, Magellan rounds Cabo Virgenes to discover the Straits named for him.
1521 Pope Leo X excommunicates Luther early in the year.
Ignatius Loyola writes his "Spiritual Exercises," recuperating from serious wounds received as a Spanish officer. He goes through a period of solitude and asceticism before returning to the life of an aristocrat.
The Diet of Worms bans Luther after he refuses to disown "The Babylonian Captivity" (4/17).
1522 Luther finishes his translation of the New Testament into German.
Polyglot Bible (Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic) published in Spain.
Teutonic Knights secularize their Order and support Luther.
The "Victoria" under Captain Elcano returns spice-laden to Spain after circumnavigating the globe, proving it is indeed spherical.
1524 Pietro Aretino, "Scourge of Princes" and friend of Titian (3rd Ray), is expelled from Rome.
Paracelsus (1493-1541) returns to Switzerland; burns books of old classical and scholastic authors on medicine (6/24/1527), introducing an understanding of the chemical properties in pathology (silicosis, goiter) and in medicinal healing. Forced to flee the murderous medical establishment (1528), he introduces mercurials for treating syphilis and writes his "Great Surgery Book" (1536) on the Opposition.
Zwingli abolishes the Catholic mass in Switzerland.
Verrazzano begins (1/17) his voyages to the Americas (1524-28).
1525 Luther marries.
Machiavelli writes and dedicates his "Florentine History" (1520-25) to Medici Pope Clement VII.
1526 Luther presents German mass; the first Protestant university established in Marburg.
Babur, founder of the Moghul or Islamic Dynasty of India, Emperor (1526-30).
1527 Castiglione's "The Courtier" attempts to set civilized, even noble, standards of bearing and conduct in a world of violent contradictions.
1534 1,6,12/1534 19, 28° Capricorn/CANCER; 8° Aquarius/Leo Oppositions.
1533 Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim publishes "De Occulta Philosophia."
Ivan IV Vasilievitch "The Terrible" accedes to throne of Russia (to 1584).
1534 The Jesuit Order is founded by Ignatius Loyola with 6 friends, allowing that "it is permissible to do evil that good may come."
Luther completes Old and New Testament translations into German vernacular.
Jacques Cartier sets sail (4/20) on his first voyage (See Morison).
1535 Sir (Saint) Thomas More executed (7/6) for refusing to support a bill allowing Henry VIII's theological domination over the Church of England.

1544 9/1544 29° SCORPIO TRIGON. 10/1541-1544. Venus, Sun, Mercury in Libra
Neptune in Taurus, 5/1547 - 5/1561; in Gemini, 7/1560 - 4/1575.
1541 Neoplatonic Academy reestablished after Ficino's death.
On April 22, the Jesuits of Loyola officially take vows as members of a new church Order.
1542 Pope Paul III inaugurates the Inquisition in Rome.
1543 Nicholas Copernicus publishes 6 books of his "De Revolutionibus."
First Protestant burnt at the stake in Spain.
1544 Henry VIII and Charles V of Milan invade France.
1545 Council of Trent convened to correct abuses and encourage conciliation with Lutheran Protestants, but ends up hardening doctrinaire extremists — Reformation and Counter-Reformation.
1552 9/1552 27° Leo/Aquarius Opposition.
8/1553; 4/1554 13, 25° Virgo/PISCES Oppositions.
1552 Secularization of church properties and religious minority emigration regularized in Europe.
1553 Already in possession of several (Roger) Bacon manuscripts, John Dee writes one of his first works on astronomy/astrology for Lady Jane, Duchess of Northampton, mother of Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester and favorite of Elizabeth. Lady Jane's husband, John Dudley, profiteered as a "fence" from Henry VIII's policy (1538) of seizing church lands, properties and possessions — including old libraries.
1555 Peace of Augsburg attempts to solve religious conflict territorially.
1563 8/1563 29° CANCER Trigon. 7/1561-5/1564. Venus
Uranus in SCORPIO, 12/1555 – 8/1563; in SAGITTARIUS, 12/1562 – 12/1569.
1561 First Calvinist refugees arrive in England.
1562 Catherine de' Medici presses for freedom of public worship for Huguenots in her Edict (January).
Third session of the Council of Trent.
Massacre of French Huguenots at Vassy leads to First War of Religion.
1563 Flourishing in print of Spanish mystical poetry (Teresa de Jesus, Luis de Grenada, Juan de la Cruz, Luis de Leon). This time in WATER Trigons, unlike the Sufis in EARTH Trigons.
1564 John Dee, Elizabeth's librarian, publishes his Monas Hieroglyphica, a Rosicrucian work combining Magia, Cabala, and Alchemy.
Ahmad Sirhindi (1564-1624), Naqshbandi Sufi reformer, gives the Order new life in Mughal India.
1565 Najib Suhrawardi and his nephew `Umar found the Suhrawardiyah Sufi Order in Baghdad around this time. They practice the mantric repetition of various sets of 7 names of God, in turn identified with 7 "Subtle Spirits" and 7 Lights.

1573 5,10/1573; 4/1574 21, 27° SCORPIO/Taurus; 8° SAGITTARIUS Oppositions.
1571 Mulla Sadra (1571-1640), Persian gnostic of Shiraz Illuminationist Ishraqiyah Order, advocates balance of direct spiritual experience and reason, and so is made an outcast by Shi'a orthodox. After 15 years retreat in Qom, he writes his Asfar, or "Journeys."
Battle of Lepanto where Ottoman Turks are defeated at sea.
1572 St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (8/23) of French Protestant Huguenots by Catholic fanatics, 112 years after Dracula's. This time in SAGITTARIUS, then in PISCES.
Tycho Brahe observes a supernova in Cassiopeia (11/11), and views it (until 3/1574).
1573 Venice establishes peace with Ottoman Turkey. Don John recaptures Tunis from Turks.
1574 Turks recapture Tunis from Don John.
1576 Protestants banned in France.
1583 4/1583 20° PISCES Trigon. 2/1582-4/1584. Uranus in PISCES, 1584-1593.
1580 Jesuits begin mission in England.
Montaigne's "Essays."
Tycho Brahe completes Uranienborg on Island of Hven, Denmark.
Jan Baptista Van Helmont (1/12/1580 - 1644) lives between two PISCES Trigons and bridges alchemy and chemistry.
1581 English Jesuit missionary executed.
1582 October 5th/15th, Pope Gregory XIII takes advice of Luigi Giglio (1510-76) and revises Julius Caesar's calendar.
1583 John Dee visits Rudolph II in Prague and the Rozmberks (to 1589) of Bohemia while a mob, suspicious of sorcery, destroys part of his (and Elizabeth's) library back at Mortlake (1583).
1584 Bruno publishes his "Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast," on the immanence of God in His Creation. Since Reason pervades all substance, he visualized nature mysticism, philosophy, the arts and sciences as forming a new religion of reason.
Feeling cramped in Uranienborg, Brahe builds the Stjerneborg underground observatory nearby.
Queen Elizabeth grants Sir Walter Raleigh a charter (3/28) to explore and occupy the New World (enabling him to found the "lost" colony of Roanoke, Virginia in 1585).
1586 Sir Philip Sidney dies unexpectedly at Zutphen in the Low Countries.
1587 Mary, Queen of Scotts, is executed by Elizabeth I.
1588 The Spanish Armada blown to Kingdom Come by North Sea storm.
1594 1,9,12/1594 7, 19, 25° Leo/Aquarius Opposition.
1593 "Shake-Speare" publishes "Venus and Adonis."
Christopher Marlowe is ostensibly killed in a tavern brawl (unless he continued writing as Shakespeare on the continent, passing through Italy, Bohemia, etc.). The latest computer analysis points in the direction of Queen Elizabeth herself (See Elliott & Valenza) (See Yates, generally).
1594 Giordano Bruno seized for supporting Copernican theories, or more likely for his espousal of Neoplatonic esoteric philosophies. He is betrayed to authorities in Venice (May) by Mocenigo, who, uninterested in Bruno's universalist theories, desires his "occult secrets."
Edmund Spenser (1552-99) marries (6/11). His "Faerie Queen" (1590), dedicated to Elizabeth I, is an elaborate symbolic conceit fashioned upon the knightly exemplifications of 12 Virtues. His "Venus and Adonis" (1593); "Lucrece" (1594); "Epithalamium (1595), help to regularize English vernacular.
1598 Fyodor I dies, last ruler of the Russian Rurik Dynasty.

THE FIRE TRIGONS
1603 12/1603 8° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 12/1602-1605. Venus Heliocosm at Galactic Center
Sun Mercury Venus in Sagittarius; Full Moon in GeminiAntares 4°
Uranus in Taurus, 8/1599 – 2/1608; in Gemini, 6/1607 – 6/1614.
Pluto in Taurus, 1606-1640
1599 Tycho Brahe (d.1601), first full-time modern astronomer, settles in Prague under patronage of Rudolf II).
1600 While Giordano Bruno is being burnt at the stake in Rome (Feb.), Tommaso Campanella is jailed and tortured for similar ideas, but feigns madness and lives to write "City of the Sun" while in prison (1602).
1602 Jihad between Turkey and Persia.
Rudolf II continues persecution of Protestant Moravian Brethren.
1603 Elizabeth I dies; James I becomes King; [Ieyasu becomes Shogun in Japan]
Sir Walter Raleigh arrested and tried for high treason by suspicious James I.
1604 Persecution of the Puritans. James I bans the Jesuits.
Kepler observes supernova in Ophiuchus when Mars conjuncts the Trigon in SAGITTARIUS nearby. These two constellations flank the Galactic Center. The observation of an anomalous star argues for the mutability of the firmament.
1605 Akbar the Great, of the Moghul Dynasty of Greater India, dies.
Francis Bacon publishes "The Advancement of Learning" and later the expanded "De Augmentis Scientiarum" in 1624.
Rudolf II of Bohemia, Kepler's patron, deposed while distracted with esoteric, alchemical and astronomical studies.
1607 First permanent English settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in the New World (5/14).

1612 9,3,8/1612-13 13, 21, 29° Virgo/PISCES Opposition.
1612 Jakob Boehme (1575-1624) publishes "Aurora" on mystical philosophy, for which his works were subsequently banned.
Rudolf II of Bohemia dies.
The February marriage of Princess Elizabeth (daughter of James I) to Frederick V, Elector Palatine, the "Winter King and Queen of Bohemia" (1619-1620) (See Yates, Rosicrucian Enlightenment).
1613 Fire destroys the Globe Theatre.
Galileo presents "Letters on the Solar Spots" concerning sunspots, solar rotation and acceptance of the Copernican solar system.
1614 Raleigh publishes his "History of the World."
1615 Cardinal Bellarmine (1542-1621), after having watched the trial and burning of Bruno, produces "The Ascent of the Mind in God by the Grade of Natural Things," a year he presides over Galileo's trial.
After two short pamphlets, circulating from c.1610 (publ. 1614-15), Johan Valentin Andrea publishes "The Mystical Marriage of Christian Rosenkreutz," introducing Rosicrucian philosophy to the world stage.
1616 Robert Fludd's subsequent "A Brief Apology for the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross."

1623 7/1623 6° Leo Trigon. 8/1622-6/1625. Mercury Alpha Ursa Major
1620 Kepler races home to rescue his mother, who is indicted for witchcraft.
On November 8, Protestant "Winter King" Frederick V is defeated at the Battle of White Mountain outside Prague.
1622 Massacre by Indians of settlers in Jamestown (summer).
1623 Jakob Boehme, Protestant mystic, near the end of his life writes 30 books (1619-24) in defiance of his ban, including "The Way to Christ" (1622); "The Great Mystery" on threefold `Paracelsian' Creation, and "On the Election of Love" (1623).
Abbas I, Shah of Persia, conquers Baghdad.
The great First Shakespeare Folio, with 20 hitherto unpublished plays, mysteriously appears.
Witch-craze starts with the Rosicrucian Scare in nervous France. The French Marin Mersenne begins the published attack on Rosicrucians, Robert Fludd answers, and it becomes a European controversy.
1627 Kepler's "Rudolphine Tables" published in honor of his deposed alchemist patron (Rudolph II), one of the most accurate ephemerides to date, due to amalgamation of his work with Brahe's.
1628 Parliament presents a money-short Charles I with the Petition of Right, securing civil rights for Britain.

1632 7,9/1632; 5/1633 22, 25° Taurus/SCORPIO; 7° Gemini/SAGITTARIUS Oppositions.
Neptune in SCORPIO, 11/1628 – 10/1643; in SAGITTARIUS, 1/1643 – 10/1657.
Uranus in SCORPIO, 11/1639 – 1646; in SAGITTARIUS, 3/1646 – 12/1653.
1632 Queen Christina (b. 1626) accedes to the throne of Sweden; begins reign in 1644.
Second Shakespeare Folio published.
1635 Treaty of Prague.
1636 Library donated to Cambridge by John Harvard to start a College.
1638 Harvard College inaugurates its classics-based curriculum.
1643 2/1643 25° PISCES Trigon. 5/1640-3/1643. Mercury
1639 Academie Francaise begins work on a dictionary of the French language.
1641 Descartes' "Meditations metaphysiques," suggest thought is tantamount to existence.
1642 Charles I raises the royal standard at Castle Hill, Nottingham; English Civil War begins (to 1646).
Hobbes' "On Government."
Cardinal Mazarin succeeds Cardinal Richelieu in the French government.
1643 In early spring, Charles I begins his triple advance on London.
1644 Roger Williams writes on separation of church and state in "Queries of Highest Consideration."
Descartes' "Principles of Philosophy" establishes modern positivist materialist atomism.
1645 London scientists meet to form what is to become the Royal Society.
1649 Proclamation by Louis XIV of French Protection of Catholic Maronite Church in Lebanon.
1653 3,7/1653; 1/1654 6, 15, 25° Aquarius/Leo Opposition.
1653 Angelus Silesius (1624-1677) converts to Roman church (1653) and begins writing (1652-55) with 300 couplets composed in 4 days, his "Epigrammatic Verses on the Spiritual Life" (pub. 1657), better known at the next Opposition (1674) as "The Cherubinic Wanderer."

1663 10/1663 15° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 12/1661-1664. VenusAntares 6°
Pluto in Gemini, 1638-1670
1660 The Restoration forces Charles II's dependency on Parliament.
1661 Cavaliers (Protestant) exclude all Roman Catholics from public office.
War between Holy Roman Empire and Ottoman Turkey (1661-1664). Treaty (1664).
1662 Act of Uniformity requires all clergy to use Anglican Book of Common Prayer.
The Royal Society receives its charter from Charles II.
Descartes' "On Man" suggests a radical separation between mind, body and environment, depicting man as a nonreflective cognitive agent.
1663 Descartes' writings put on the Catholic Index.
The reflecting telescope, intimated by Roger Bacon in the 13th century, is introduced in a paper by James Gregory of Scotland.
Third Shakespeare Folio published.
1665 Isaac Newton's Cambridge B.A. on early theory; conducts experiments for his "Opticks" (1665-1666).
Great Plague of London.
1666 Great Fire of London.
1667 Locke's "Essay on Toleration," advocating the right to dissent.
1671 10/1671; 1/1672; 13, 18° Leo/Aquarius Oppositions.
9/1672; 4,8/1673 29° Virgo/PISCES; 9, 13° Libra/Aries Oppositions.
1670 Spinoza's "Tractatus Theologico-Politicus" published, advocating a balance of faith and reason under religious liberty.
1671 First written copies of Locke's "Two Treatises of Government."
Newton delivers lectures on optics (1670-72) which comprise most of Book I of his "Opticks"; and introduces his reflecting telescope (1671) to the faculty.
1672 Cornelius and Jan de Witt, Spinoza's best friends, murdered by mob.
1674 Spinoza's "Ethics" completed, arguing God's transcendent identity with Nature, Whose perfection is reflected in natural ethical laws; his work a later inspiration for Rousseau, the Enlightenment philosophes, and the Romantic Movement of the 19th century. Tractatus is put on the Catholic Index.
1675 Newton completes Book II of "Opticks," where the world is described as "God's sensorium."

1683 5/1683 16° Leo Trigon. 8/1681-6/1684. Beta Ursa Major
Uranus in Taurus, 6/1683 – 5/1691.
1680 From winter 1679 to 1683 Locke finishes his "Two Treatises of Government" under the title "De Morbo Gallico" ("The French Disease" [Despotism]), slang for `syphilis,' to avoid detention; his patron Lord Shaftesbury, however, is arrested July 1681 (See Locke).
1682 In late summer Halley's Comet blazes across the sky, named for the English astronomer who first observed its cyclicity, predicting its recurrence in a letter of 1758 to his friend Newton.
In America, Cotton Mather uses the comet in several tracts from 1680-83 (Kometographia, 1683) to inflame the witch-craze chaos from which he capitalizes through real estate confiscations and social notoriety.
John Locke joins Lord Shaftesbury at 9/15 meeting of Whig leaders, at height of "Insurrection Plot."
Pierre Bayle writes "Thoughts on the Comet of 1680" against superstition.
1683 Jan III Sobieski of Poland (1624-1696) defeats the Ottoman Turks at Kahlenberg (9/12) on land outside Vienna; the constellation Scutum is named for him, and croissants are created to celebrate the event.
Locke and Shaftesbury attend 4/24 meeting at Essex estate during "Rye House Plot" preparations.
Locke's self-exile in Holland, after England's last book-burning (7/21) at Bodleian Quad, Oxford.
Newton explains effect of Sun-Moon-Earth barycenter on sea tides.
1685 Spaniard Michel de Molinos, founder of the mystical Quietist movement, teaches a form of Christian contemplative absorption and high meditation, publishing "Il Guida Spirituale" (1675, 1685). In August, he is arrested by Jesuits on charges of heresy.
Increase Mather is appointed Harvard's president (1685-1701); his will forbade his son Cotton's accession to the Presidential Chair.
1686 Leibniz' "Discourse on Metaphysics."
The Royal Society receives Book I of Newton's "Principia" ("The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"), defining the scientific method for the modern era (See Berman).
1687 Molinos is put on trial (9/3), and in spite of many influential friends, is jailed for life.
1689 After final abdication of James II, the Convention Parliament establishes the British Bill of Rights.

1692 6,12/1692; 4/1693 7, 15, 22° Gemini/SAGITTARIUS Opposition.
1689 Recovering from a series of anti-Catholic riots, England institutes freedom of worship with the Declaration of Rights; William & Mary's accession in the February "Glorious Revolution."
1690 Locke's "An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding" encourages the British social and environmental Improvement movement among landed middle classes.
1692 Salem witchcraft trials.
1693 Increase Mather's "Case of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits Personating Men" apologizes for '92.
1702 5/1702 6° Aries Trigon. 3/1702-2/1705. Venus
1701 With the Act of Settlement, British Parliament establishes law of constitutional Protestant monarchic succession under the Church of England.
1702 Cotton Mather's "Magnalia Christi Americana," lauding/lamenting the rise/fall of the New England Puritan Kingdom of God on Earth. His solution to avert its decline — "I'll shew them the Graves of their Fathers" — undoubtedly directed at the Quakers, Antinomialists and Roger Williams.
1704 Leibniz writes "New Essays on Human Understanding" in response to Locke's essay remains unpublished due to Locke's death. Leibniz transfers his thoughts on Locke to a voluminous correspondence.
Final edition of Newton's "Opticks"; the world now described as "like God's sensorium."
1705 Ferencz Rakoczi Hungarian Rebellion (to 1711).

1710 Leibniz' "Theodicy."
1714 Leibniz' "The Principles of Philosophy, or, the Monadology."
1718 Voltaire imprisoned for 6 months in the Bastille on suspicion of satirizing the Regent.
1719 Jesuits expelled from Russia.
1720 Vico's "On One Universal Principle of Law," outline of his later "Scienze Nuova."
1721 Investiture of Peter the Great, Tsar of all the Russias (to 1725). He immediately abolishes Russian Orthodox Patriarchate and establishes a ruling Holy Synod.
Cotton Mather's "Christian Philosopher" discusses God's immanence in nature and the universe, anticipating Enlightenment Deism.
1723 1/1723 23° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 12/1720-1723. Mars, Mercury
Neptune in Taurus, 5/1711 - 4/1725; in Gemini, 7/1724 -5/1738.
Uranus in SCORPIO, 10/1723 - 1730; in SAGITTARIUS, 2/1730 - 11/1737.
Pluto in SCORPIO, 1737-1749
1724 Voltaire publishes his "La Henriade," a national epic written during his stay at the Bastille.
1725 Catherine I, later a correspondent with Voltaire, establishes the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Vico's "Scienza Nuova" founds modern cultural anthropology and ethnology by unifying history and the social sciences. He observed the duality of body and soul, but not personality and soul, which would have to wait for A.A. Bailey. However, he was a keen observer of social and psychological conditioning (karma). Influenced by the Neoplatonist Pico della Mirandola, he declared the primacy of religion (not necessarily spirituality) over anthropology. Criticized for his idea that society passed through and could revert to a Bestial stage where Reason is eclipsed, he had implied this might happen to Christianity.
1726 Voltaire writes "Lettres philosophiques" during self-imposed exile in England (1726-29; publ. '34).
1729 Newton's "Opticks" translated into English, compiled with an annex, "Hypothesis Explaining the Properties of Light."
1742 9/1742 28° Leo Trigon. 8/1740-6/1743. VenusRegulus 2° 1742 Voltaire's mission to Berlin to rally his tutee, Frederick II the Great. His successful Mahomet (depicted as an imposter) is banned by the court.
1743 Emanuel Swedenborg (1/29/1688 - 1772), modern mystic, composes his "Economy of the Animal Kingdom" (1740-41) and "The Animal Kingdom" (1744-45), both in 2 volumes. Along with his then controversial "Journal of Dreams" (1743-44), he attempts to find the `soul' of creation [`anima mundi'] in animal movement, to demonstrate the soul to the senses. His vision of Christ occurs on 4/7/1744.
1744 Definitive posthumous edition of Vico's "Scienza Nuova."

1751 8,10/1751; 6/1752 7, 10, 22° Gemini/SAGITTARIUS Opposition.
Pluto in SAGITTARIUS, 1749-1762
1750 Sayat Nova (1712-1795), Armenian court poet to Irakli II of Georgia; enters monastery of Haghbat (1770 Opp.); martyred by Persians (1795 Opp.).
1751 British calendar begins its New Year on January 1st, by Act of Parliament.
Powers of Portuguese Inquisition greatly restricted by government.
David Hume's "Enquiry Concerning Principles of Morals."
French "Encyclopedie" published (to 1772).
1752 Benjamin Franklin invents a lightning conductor, the Leyden jar, proving lightning is electricity.
William Law (1686-1762), mystic criticized by Christian theologians for espousing unity of creation with Creator, composes "The Spirit of Prayer" (1749), "The Spirit of Love" (1752), and "The Way to Divine Knowledge" (1752).
David Hume's "Political Discourses."
1753 An Act of Parliament allows naturalization of Jews in England.
1762 3/1762 12° Aries Trigon. 3/1761-4/1763. Mercury Rx
1758 Voltaire's "Candide," a disciple of Dr. Pangloss (Leibniz) extolls "cultivating one's own garden."
1762 Rousseau's "Social Contract" and "Emile"; Voltaire's essay "On Tolerance."
1763 Kant's "One Possible Proof for Demonstrating the Existence of God," attempting to reconcile Newton's empiricism with metaphysics.

1772 3,7/1772; 23° Aquarius/Leo; 0° PISCES/Virgo Oppositions.
2/1773 11° PISCES/Virgo. Sun, Mercury, Venus in Aquarius
Uranus in Taurus, 5/1767 - 4/1775; in Gemini, 7/1774 - 4/1782
1771 Luigi Galvani discovers the electrical nature of nerve impulses.
1772 Inquisition abolished in France.
French "Encyclopedie" completed (1751-1772).
Mirabeau's "Essai sur le despotisme."
Captain James Cook's Pacific voyages on Endeavour (1768-71) and Resolution (1772-5; 1776-80).
1773 The Boston Tea Party.
Pope Clement XIV dissolves the Jesuit Order.
1774 The Jesuits are expelled from Poland.
Mesmer begins using hypnotism and "magnetic readjustment of nerve fluids" for healing.
Anne Lee of Massachusetts begins a revival of Spiritualism in New York.
1775 Franciso Goya (1746-1828), painting at the court of Madrid (1775-1792), begins "The Madhouse" series of paintings on public life in an "exaggerated realist" style, a prelude to his "Los Caprichos" (1799) on "extravagance and follies common to all society" [read glamour].
1776 The American Declaration of Independence.

1782 11/1782 28° SAGITTARIUS TRIGON. 11/1779-12/1782. Sun Mercury Rx Venus in SCORPIO
1780 Riots against Roman Catholics in London.
American Academy of Sciences founded in Boston.
Serfdom abolished in Bohemia and Hungary, two countries with an early strong Rosicrucian influence, beating America and Russia to the challenge.
1781 Joseph II brings religious toleration to Austria with "Patent of Tolerance" abolishing serfdom, ignoring pleas of Pope Pius VI in 1782 to the contrary.
Rousseau's "Confessions" on natural religion and innate nobility of humankind.
Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" [read Buddhi].
British land operations cease in the American Revolution.
Herschel discovers Uranus in GEMINI near north Uranian node, influential in American history.
1782 Benjamin Franklin negotiates peace with Great Britain in Paris, resulting in the Peace of Versailles.
Joseph Priestly's "A History of the Corruptions of Christianity."
The Montgolfier balloon; the Watt steam engine.
1783 Kant's Prolegomena to his "Critique of Pure Reason," wherein he claims to achieve a "Copernican revolution" in philosophy; his "Prolegomena to any Possible Metaphysics."
Herschel's "Motion of the Solar System in Space."
1790 12/1790; 1/1791 29° Virgo/PISCES; 1° Libra/Aries Oppositions.
1787 Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia to frame a constitution, distilled during the next two years by Federalist and Anti-Federalist debates, and completed with the Judiciary Act setting up the third branch of government most concerned with human rights.
1789 The American Constitution is inaugurated along with George Washington in the spring.
The French "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen."
1791 American Bill of Rights is ratified as an amendment to the Constitution (12/15), prohibiting curtailment of freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and due petition of grievance.
1792 Louis Claude de St. Martin (1/18/1743 – 1803), as "le Philosophe Inconnu," leaves army (0,11° PISCES/Virgo Opp. 1772-3) to share his mystical experience with "The New Man" (1792), "The Spirit of Things" (1800), and "The Ministry of Man and Spirit" (1802)(6° Virgo Trigon conj. Venus 1802).

Neptune in SCORPIO, 11/1792 – 11/1806.
The culmination of philosophical and material foundations set when Neptune was in TAURUS (1711-25) — the American Bill of Rights and French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, in contrast to "The Terror," Napoleon, the Indian Wars and roundup onto reservations, and Aaron Burr.

(CYCLE 6) Sirius in Cancer

CONCLUDING REMARKS

SCORPIO as a Sign in the Libra/Scorpio/Sagittarius Sequence.

A Note on Sagittarius Veiling Scorpio.
Given that Sagittarius frames two extremes in the Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius sequence at hand, due to the reversal of the Wheel, perhaps it would serve some purpose to illustrate the lower aspect of Sagittarius — the obsession with social acceptance and popularity. Popularity — the word has a nice `pop' to it, as in culture. And what is to be said about "non-advanced" humanity? Their behavior has remained typical and miserably predictable for decades, centuries and even millennia of years. Sluggish and distracted by trivial pursuits, it takes more than lifetimes for this group to emerge from inattentiveness to recognize the next step humanity as a whole must take — spiritually, sociopolitically, culturally, psychologically, etc.
In another lifetime, surrounded by the new conditions and attitudes, these types are then arrogantly self-assured in the very conditions which they obstructed just a lifetime before, reacting or rejecting the next step that follows, particularly if they can capitalize materially or psychically with essentially antisocial antics. In short, they cannot think for themselves, and therefore cannot take responsibility in any given situation besides an automated, convenient and comfortable conformity. This includes the heartless and gutless variety of neo-pseudo-conservative parvenus and white-collar plunderers/panderers, as well as the small percentage of benefit cheats they are so attached to criticizing — both groups are undeserving of welfare beyond the solitude required for intelligent reflection upon the riches of their own soul (technically, causal body) which, finding itself suppressed by the personality, remains in a stagnant potentiality, and for a possible yet denied inner thought life of contemplative reflection (admittedly leaving spiritual life for some future period).
As for the homeless, the destitute and the children, perhaps it is too much to expect from the limited intelligence, imagination and affective capacity of the typical corporate, government, bureaucratic or finance trough-managers and executives to reorganize their priorities around anthropomorphic, rather than "mechanomorphic" models of human constitution, society and institutions. This is not meant to disparage the "best and brightest," and certainly not the truly noble world workers who expect nothing but misunderstanding, abuse and assault for their efforts. However, it must be realized that not all meritocracies are based on humanist ethical, intellectual or compassionate merit or capacity. Many late 20th century "meritocracies" are based upon criminality or raw cunning. Nevertheless, just as the Information Revolution drove the pseudo-communists from power, perhaps the next paradigm shift (the Internet Revolution) will drive the ribald and irresponsible neo-pseudo-conservatives and casino-capiddlists out of their vile business. We might expect something of the sort at the going out of the 5th, and coming in of the 4th Rays, perhaps by 1994-95, 2005-07, or later.
And interestingly, on the Mutable Cross it is Sagittarius which, in a peculiar way, unifies the 4 arms of the Fixed Cross — through the triple sign rulers of the 4th and 5th Rays:

Sagittarius – Taurus/Scorpio	4th Ray Humanity
Sagittarius – Leo/Aquarius	5th Ray Science and 5th Kingdom

The Triangle of Sagittarius-Leo-Aquarius rules the evolution of consciousness through the 5th Ray, facilitating the relation of Humanity to Hierarchy, and the approach of Hierarchy to Humanity (492-3).
The Triangle of Taurus-Leo-Aquarius, which combines the abovementioned rays in some sense, rules the expression of the 5th or knowledge-holding Kingdom arrived at through the experience of initiation in Capricorn (488). In this 5th Ray world of Knowledge: Taurus gathers knowledge through experience; Leo expresses and justifies it; while Aquarius uses knowledge to serve, thereby subjugating Knowledge to Wisdom and arriving at the higher aspects of Sagittarian intuition and inspiration once again. The arrow of transmuted desire or spiritual aspiration (Taurus) directed upward, returns as the arrow of intuition (Sagittarius) illuminating the next steps upon the Path.

Sagittarius/Scorpio/Libra on the "Wheel of Mutability"
This sequence of signs is found prominent during the series of lives before the Reversal of the Zodiacal Wheel takes place, where the circumscribed self-referencing values of the personality begin to yield to the universal group and world-reoriented values of the soul. For instance, on the Wheel revolving backwards by entropic momentum, Capricornian obsession with self-checking according to current sartorial, expressive or intellectual fashions moves on to heightened expectations and calculated risk-taking self-aggrandizement in Sagittarius. In Scorpio, these lower values are wrested from the person's environment in a martial manner and are competed and fought for as personal possessions. Ultimately, one loses oneself psychologically or physically in the game, and a sense of balance swings in to rescue the confused and beleaguered entity. The self-interested little personality pays the price of that self-interest, and learns to move on. It is time to reflect, and initiate a period of reevaluation.
The Quarternary of Taurus-Libra-Scorpio-Pisces, mentioned as constituting the "history of desire" (232), illustrates the victory of spiritual desire (Scorpio) over the "bull" of personal desire (Taurus) evidenced by the worldly beguiled. On a psychic level, however, the desire of Taurus passes from spiritual aspiration to intuition, and from thence to directed loving will, illumination, or pure reason/intuition and inspiration (375-377, 154, 393).

Libra/Scorpio/Sagittarius on the Reversed Wheel
The Bull of Desire swerves in its tracks in Libra and the Wheel Reverses. When the personality has proven to itself that it can fight equally bravely for the decentralized and higher values of the soul, the soul begins to take interest and the battle is on between soul and personality in Scorpio. At this stage the seeker faces a series of self-imposed tests, brought on by the goals demanded by a new set of values, and Sagittarian attitudes begin to result from these tests (206). Sagittarius focuses on the goals, ignores at this stage any reactions in the psyche and environment, and reaches these goals, only to discover in the ensuing insight of work and service, another set of goals. With regard to Scorpio and Sagittarius, Mars definitely enters the scene, presenting a progression of attitudes toward the uses of the lower vehicles which make up the entire form nature of the personality (209-11). Personal desire becomes aspiration, soulful desire, or spiritual striving, according to the aspect of the triad predominating. Sagittarian sensitivity to the Plan, and a one-pointed discipleship attitude begin to demonstrate. The power and persistence to tread the PATH, and the ability to create in thought and in a higher spiritual sense are two lessons learnt in Sagittarius (191).

Scorpio, as the central pivot of the Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius sequence, is the point at which the 3 "cosmic decanates" of a great zodiacal decanate begin to make sense. The Triangle of SCORPIO-TAURUS-PISCES (204, 486-7) in relation to the teachings of Hercules, Buddha and Christ, "test and perfect the 3 personality aspects" as reflections of the 3 divine aspects of the Triad. These are externalized and made evident through 3 sets or stages of 3-fold tests in Scorpio, and have a direct relation to the three decanates of each sign of the zodiac (203). These also relate at a certain stage to the 9-fold choice of triadal emphasis (CF 177), since it must be remembered that as Mercury supercedes the influence of Mars in the Scorpio native, it is Mercury which reveals the triad to the soul (349, 354).
Taking the SCORPIO-TAURUS-PISCES Triangle into consideration, PISCES Trigons have been added to the table, along with Taurus. It is good to bear in mind that the signs of Aries, Virgo and Pisces are those associated with the Cosmic Christ principle (67, 232, 243). Aries turns up quite often with the Grand Trigon in major world events and turning points (esoteric rulers Mars, Mercury and Uranus).

Ultimately, it is the Triangle of ARIES-SCORPIO-PISCES that "links and merges the Three Crosses" (98), Aries and the executive qualities of the soul asserting themselves over the light-bearing Taurus of the immediately preceding Triangle. This triangle is that of the three deaths, through water (Pisces), earth (Scorpio), and fire (Aries), mentioned as constituting the Science of Divine Dying, symbolically liberating the planetary Logos into Air, the goal of our system (97). Incarnation into the human personality can be looked upon as a type of death for the soul, a suspension of the soul's life activities on its own plane, vividly illustrated by the symbol of PISCES — the two fish chained to each other in manifestation (116) — personality capturing and enslaving the soul, soul mastering the personality. Pluto or death, personality ruler of Scorpio and esoteric ruler of Pisces, never destroys the consciousness aspect (127). In fact, the vast percentage of death episodes take place psychologically. This triangle depicts the passage out of the "anima mundi" or planetary Christ nature of PISCES and the Mutable Cross, into the life of the individual Christ on the Fixed Cross of Light; and finally in Aries into a greater LIFE, to see "the jungles of experience... set on fire and dissolve in flames... [—] the Path stands clear and unobstructed vision is achieved" (95).

Let us look at two tabulations in Esoteric Astrology which open up the inner significance of this basic sequence of Libra/Scorpio/Sagittarius.

1)	Leo concentration,	Virgo meditation,
	Libra Contemplation,	Scorpio Illumination and	Sagittarius Inspiration (228-9).
2)	Cancer Instinct/desire,	Leo Intellect/ambition,
	Sagittarius Intuition/aspiration,	Capricorn Illumination/intuition,
	Aquarius Inspiration/service,	Pisces Identification/liberation (178-9).

In this light it is said that Humanity is under the pervasive influences of Cancer, Leo, and Gemini force; disciples of the world and advanced humanity under the forces of Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio; initiates to the energies of Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces (161-2).
World disciples are related to the mass of humanity through response to Gemini, to each other through Scorpio, and to their own work through Leo.
Initiates coordinate their relations to world disciples through Scorpio, to the 7 Rays and centers of hierarchical endeavor through Capricorn, and to the mass through Pisces.
From the above 9-fold triangulation, is can clearly be seen what a central position Scorpio occupies for the entire spectrum of human consciousness.

Scorpio as a Constellation
Scorpio as a constellation is intimately related to Sirius and the Seven Solar Systems, source of the Seven Rays and egoic groups, and the life of the Seven major Ashramic groups within Hierarchy. Its Triangle with Taurus and Leo brings in a clear influx from the Heart of the Sun, revealing the nature of the soul (111, 620). Scorpio is presently bringing to bear the influence of the Hierarchy upon Humanity (379). It is said that in this world period, the mass of intelligent humanity has moved on from Libra, which now is beginning to exert an increasing influence on world affairs at large (238), and is coming directly under the influence of Scorpio (203, 239) and Ray IV (490) as a "world disciple."
Looking at the "war between Saturn and Uranus" (VIth and VIIth Rays), and the dynamic relationship between the Jupiter-Saturn Grand Trigon status quo/reform cycle and the Uranian Nodal cycle of innovation/progressives, makes this much clearer. Uranus is exalted in Scorpio, initiating "a new order of life and conditions" (224), and ultimately a transfer from strictly human consciousness to the spiritualized group consciousness of the soul. Uranus is related to the influx of influences from the 7 or 12 Creative Hierarchies onto collective human levels and into events (99).
The energetic influence of the Creative Hierarchies through Uranus (or Neptune) upon the "anima mundi" and human psyche is what technically provides the opportunity, through Saturnian ability to respond, for mystical or alchemic self-transmutation and subsequent identification with the next developmental turn of the spiral. This represents an order of magnitude above psychosocial ego development and individuation. This is a higher octave purport of what modern psychology, sociology and political science denominate "identity formation," from a lower or materialist epistemologic grasp of the principles and processes of spiritual individualization, identity, and identification. When DK mentions that "Scorpio [or the principle it represents] is the great constellation which influences the turning point both in the life of humanity and the life of the individual human being" (198), it has become a most apparent and self-evident fact for us all in the late 20th century.
On an individual level, the experiences of memory and 9-fold testing of the Dweller on the Threshold (206) serve to stimulate the spiritual imagination in world service (225). The mass of glamours attendant upon unconscious externally imposed conditioning are turned into the conscious self-imposed conditioning and mastery of the lower vehicles of the personality by the soul. Scorpio presents either the "crises of the battlefield" (101) experienced by the lumbering personality to be negotiated through conflict management, or provides "points of crisis" in psychospiritual growth and "moments of reorientation" resolved through spiritual crisis orienteering.

Concluding Reflections
Looking for the Christ principle in these cycles, it is easy to get lost for a while in mundane patterns which, while they may not exactly illuminate, reflect basic principle even as in a stained glass window, for instance, symbolic of the Great Work of timeless Guilds and Orders, which sometimes lies shattered on the ground — yet still persists reflecting what light may be found.
Psychologically and from the point of view of the unit, Humanity —dominated by the crisis habit and dependent upon conflict for any degree of thoughtfulness— the sustaining principle of Life is Sensitivity to Contact, which evokes its own inherent coherence in mutually constructive and enlightened Relationship, and through intelligent, loving and impersonal Service.
This seeming paradox will have to be resolved by world actors psychologically at first, and then socio-politically. In other words, consciousness first. This implies the three divine Aspects of Rays I, II and III governing Ray IV Humanity. Typical procedure has been vice versa. We still have a planetary House to build and guard, one which has the capacity to radiate its own light infrastructurally from within.

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Cited with permission of Lucis Publishing Co., NY — http://www.lucistrust.org/en/publications_store
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Source: The Agni Yoga Books, published by the Agni Yoga Society, Inc. (http://www.agniyoga.org/)