Tag Archives: soul astrology

Mercury, the Moon, and The Inner Journey of Virgo, Part I

Zemnya, original artwork by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie. See end of article for more info.

Virgo season is upon us once again, bringing with it the opportunity to focus on our true vocation, or divine purpose. Virgo is associated with purity, purification, health, healing, well-being, the Virgin Mother, mother and child, the physical human form, and divinity in form.

It is no accident that it is harvest time in the Northern Hemisphere, as Virgo is also associated with the harvesting, or results, of what was sown. This is the time of year that we realize the practical reality of reaping what we sow, and if we don’t like what we see, it gives us an opportunity to prepare the ground to plant a different crop next year.

It is the Soul purpose of Virgo to purify and prepare our physical form so that it is more receptive to light and becomes a suitable vehicle for the cultivation and gestation of the Christ consciousness that will be born in Capricorn. Whether we have planets in Virgo or not, at this time of year it is an ideal time for each of us to contemplate our divine purpose and check whether we are fully aligned with our true purpose.

Following the journey of the soul through the 12 signs of the zodiac, after the completion of the individuation process in Leo, the individual now prepares for service by ensuring that the physical vehicle is ready to receive the light. Virgo has two planetary “space-holders” (rulers) that create the conditions necessary for this crucial stage of our soul’s development: Mercury and the Moon. We explored Mercury’s role in Gemini and the Moon’s role in Cancer, and here in Virgo, both planets create different conditions, because Virgo is an Earth sign, so they are more practically and tangibly conditioning the physical form rather than feeling and thought.

Mercury creates connections and pathways for communication, or communion. Esoterically, Mercury creates the ultimate pathway to connect us with higher mind, the antahkarana or “rainbow bridge.” Although we are strictly speaking in terms of energy and energetic pathways, it is helpful to think of the analogy of mercury as liquid metal. Imagine the speed and fluidity of liquid metal as it creates tiny sparkling rivulets, then streams and then rivers, spreading and branching out wherever needed to create pathways of light.

At one end of the bridge Mercury connects with the light of the divine; at the other end of the bridge Mercury is sending roots down into physical form, enlivening and stimulating the growth of neural pathways – nature’s own communication network for consciousness – so that conscious awareness can travel deeper into physical form. This is a two-way communication. Through the activity of Mercury, consciousness “communes” with form, and form becomes awakened, aware of consciousness. As a result, somatic awareness (the felt-sense in our body) deepens in Virgo, and the fully integrated Virgo soul can feel when they are flowing pure Love through their physical work and/or actions. Using your nervous system as a medium for communion, Mercury sensitizes you to spirit, awakening you to subtler and subtler levels of energy and consciousness.

Whereas in Gemini there is still duality, a perceived separation between form and spirit, between the divine and the personality, Virgo is a sign of synthesis. So in Virgo, the action of Mercury prepares the physical form to receive. The connections made by Mercury prepare for the synthesis of spirit and form, so that ultimately there is no separation. Spirit is form and form is spirit.

This is not an easy stage of our developmental process. Part of the process involves cognitive stimulation, the stimulation of thoughts and cognitive processing, and it is this side-effect of Mercury that leads some people with Sun, Moon or Virgo Rising to feel edgy, anxious, or worry to excess. If you are experiencing this, it is because you need to ground this Mercurial energy, and that is easier said than done. Having said that, it is part of your divine purpose as a Virgo to be a kind of cosmic lightening conductor! Do whatever you need to do to connect with your heart center. It can be yoga, Reiki, or even gardening, but do whatever you need to do to feel the physical flow of energy through your heart center radiating throughout your body and down to earth. Once you have done that, your energy will become grounded into the physical, rather than having too much energy in your head!

As we saw in my previous article on Cancer, the Moon rules physical form. So it makes sense that once Mercury has created the pathways, the Moon would step into a higher role in holding the space and ensuring the conditions are ripe for spirit to be fully imbued into physical form. The sign of Virgo is associated with perfection. This leads the Virgo personality to misguidedly seek perfection in the outer world, where the Virgo soul seeks perfection of the inner world.

In Part II, we’ll go deeper into Virgo’s connection to the Moon – the “Mother of All Forms.”


Ruth

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

About the artist: This oil painting, the sixth in the Empowered Feminine Zodiac series by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie, features the Lithuanian harvest goddess Zemnya as the representation of Virgo. She is dressed in traditional Lithuanian embroidered clothing. For more information about the symbolism in this print and to view other works in her ongoing series, check out her website, Karen MacKenzie Art (her prints are very affordable).

The Sun and the Inner Journey of Leo, Part II

Sekhmet, original artwork by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie. See end of article for more info.

Just as the physical Sun connects to the great spiritual Sun through the heart of the Sun, so the Sun indicates to us that the path to our own deeper spiritual truth is an inner journey through our hearts to our spiritual core.

We cannot know the truth of these esoteric teachings by thinking about them, but only through experience. We need to go deep into our hearts in meditation to experience the truth of our innate connection with the heart of the Sun.

The Sun’s heart beats at eleven-year intervals, and with this ‘beat’ it sends out its life-force into its entire system, just as the human heart sends out this same vital force, via the bloodstream.
– Errol Weiner, Transpersonal Astrology

Through the infusion of life-force energy, the Sun illuminates the path to self-realization, and Leo is the sign of self-realization. There are many steps on this path and they can be put into three stages: self-consciousness, self-awareness and self-realization. These three stages can also be equated to the three aspects of the Sun and three stages of development on the soul path of Leo.

The path of self-realization in Leo is itself a vital stage in the overall evolution of human consciousness. The German philosopher Friedrich Neitzche spoke of three stages of consciousness: the camel, the lion and the child. The camel represents tribal consciousness, where we follow the herd, follow the masses, and go along with the collective consciousness. This is the pre-egoic state.

The lion represents individualization – the ability and the willingness to stand alone. Separate. Apart from the herd. In terms of our personal spiritual development this is the development of, and identification with, our ego. At the same time this is the beginning of our spiritual awakening. Just as the great river Ganges has its source in a tiny mountain stream, so our collective spiritual awakening has its origin in our currently emerging egoic state. Within the lion stage are stages one and two (below) of our path of Leo.

The child represents the free spirit once we are liberated from our egoic challenges and delusions. This is the post-egoic state (and the third stage of the path of Leo, which is why Leo is also associated with creativity, playfulness, and children. Our spirit is free. The child is our fully awakened state of self-realization, or enlightenment. In this final stage we arrive at a deeper realization, through experience, that we are not separate but have an individual expression in our oneness. When we finally reach this stage we experience the truth of our connectedness with the Sun and all living beings.

Know thyself. If thou canst learn the true nature of thine own self,
thou wilt know the reality of the Universe.
~ Abhedananda

We can see how important the path of Leo is for the evolution of consciousness. During the first stage of the path of Leo (self-consciousness) we become aware of self versus “other.” This is the first stage towards individuation. The path to individuation begins with an idea. An idea of separation. We become aware of the idea that there is a “me” in here, and there are others “out there.” This focus on the outer world, conditioned by the corona of the Sun, is vital for the development of a sense of an individual self. The individual at this stage will (necessarily) be personality–oriented with no sense of soul. This is the stage where we become self-ish, because our world is centered around our idea of “me” and meeting the immediate needs of our personality.

In the second stage of the path, self-awareness, we move to the heart. Conditioned by the heart of the Sun we begin asking, “Who am I?” We hear the call of spirit and our journey moves within. The individual at this stage is still largely personality-driven but has experienced soul awakening. We are aware of our spiritual nature but still experience soul and personality as separate. We become less selfish and more altruistic in our outlook.

At the final stage of the path, conditioned by the core of the Sun (the great spiritual Sun) the individual is fully self-realized. We realize there is no separation, and we live from unity consciousness (oneness). We are fully integrated in that there is full personality-soul fusion and no experience of separation. We become oriented toward world-service for the benefit of all living things, because we know from personal experience the deepest meaning of the soul keynote for Leo:

I Am That, and That Am I
-The Tibetan (Alice Bailey, Esoteric Astrology)

It is under the warm, loving, life-giving, custodianship of the Sun in all his aspects, that we walk the path of Leo to the full realization of our true nature as spiritual beings. To fully express our divine purpose, we need a strongly defined sense of self. From our fully integrated self-realized state, we are able to fulfill our soul purpose, which is to be a unique individual expression of divine will.

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Image caption: Sekhmet, original artwork by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie. See end of article for more info.

Karen MacKenzie has been working on a series of astrology inspired paintings using goddesses from different cultures. For more information about the symbolism in this print and to view other works in her ongoing series, check out her website, Karen MacKenzie Art (her prints are very affordable).

The Moon, Neptune, and theInner Journey of Cancer, Part II

Cancer/Xochiquetzal, original artwork by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie. See end of article for more info.

Cancer/Xochiquetzal, original artwork by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie. See end of article for more info.

We are currently still being conditioned by the Moon to awaken to our emotions and the power of our emotions – which is why emotional intelligence is such a hot topic right now and will be for many years to come.

We are all at different stages in the development of emotional intelligence and awareness. For those who may be thinking that emotional intelligence is an old topic because the term was first used back in the 1920’s, be assured that the subject will be with us for many years yet to come. At the moment, humanity is able to talk about emotional intelligence but very few can walk the talk by translating that intellectual understanding into emotional skill and competency. This is why we still have war, aggression, violence and bullying rippling through the masses, and their associated behaviors tend to leak out and peak around the time of the Full Moon. Continue reading →

The Moon, Neptune, and the Inner Journey of Cancer, Part I

Cancer/Xochiquetzal, original artwork by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie. See end of article for more info.

Cancer/Xochiquetzal, original artwork by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie. See end of article for more info.

Cancer is associated with home, birth, family, and our tribe, clan or nation. It is also the sign of empathy, emotional intelligence, re-birth and mass consciousness.

The mysterious sign of Cancer is one of the quietest. It is the tiniest of constellations in the Zodiac and could easily slip by without being noticed. Yet within this tiny, silent sign are held the deepest secrets of reincarnation, for Cancer is the gateway into the physical realm. The sacred marriage of matter and spirit happens through this gateway of Cancer.

In considering the planetary rulers of Cancer, it is most important to understand what we really mean by “rulership.” Continue reading →

Mercury, Venus, and the Inner Journey of Gemini, Part II

Gemini (Iris & Arke Goddesses of the Rainbow), original artwork by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie. See end of article for more info.

There are many ways to describe the long journey from the head to the heart, but the simplest way is probably to think of it as a shift from fear to love.

The fear-love polarity is just one of the polarities resolved in Gemini. Gemini has a unique role to play in the spiritual awakening and evolution of planet Earth, and this happens through the conditioning effect of Mercury-Venus on an awakening humanity, such that humanity recognizes its unique and vital role as custodian of Earth. We are here to be lovers of our Earth home. Just like nurturing mothers or spiritual midwives, we are all here to hold our Earth home in love as she goes through her own birthing process.

Esoteric Astrology* tells us of the unique relationship between Earth and Venus, sister planets, and the unique relationship that Gemini has with the heart of the Sun. (Esoterically Cancer is associated with the physical Sun, Aquarius with the central Spiritual Sun, and Gemini with the heart of the Sun). Of the Seven Rays, Gemini is only associated with Ray Two: love-wisdom, otherwise known as the path of love.” Since Gemini rules humanity, this gives us a clear indicator of the divine purpose of humanity, the reason we are here.

In exoteric astrology the sign of Gemini is not usually associated with love and romance, and that is because it is not romantic love of which we speak here. It is the highest love that connects all sentient beings. It is said that God is love, and that is the highest mystery of Gemini and why Gemini is the sign that permeates and touches everything.

Gemini’s highest purpose is, through the conditioning effects of Mercury and Venus, to bring real, tangible, love into everything he touches; to love everything in existence, through right relationship, and the dissolution of all polarity – love-hate, male-female, friend-enemy, us-them, etc. – until we experience ourselves living as one body, the body of humanity, a “brotherhood” of individuals breathing vitality and love into the earth.

The symbol for Venus (and our contemporary symbol for the female), a circle above a cross, is similar to the Egyptian ankh. The ankh is known as the breath of life, and in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings, the deity can often be seen holding an ankh to the nose of the deceased pharaoh to give him the breath of life. It is said that midwives in ancient Egypt carried ankhs for this reason, so they always had the breath of life for the newborn.

This is a reminder of the conditioning effect of Venus in Gemini, connecting us all with love-wisdom and the breath of life. It is also a reminder of the importance of Gemini for the spiritual awakening of humanity and, ultimately, the evolution of planet Earth as she transcends and transforms into a sacred planet like her twin sister, Venus. The journey begins as humanity bridges the gap from our heads to our hearts.

Gemini season is especially important for all humanity, in terms of spiritual awakening, and if you have Gemini or Sagittarius strongly placed in your chart, it takes on a note of personal significance for you. It is potentially a time to open your heart and make the greatest shift in perception: to that of heart-centered living.

The year 2012 is of great significance, as on June 5/6 (depending where you are in the world) we have a transit of Venus crossing the Sun. This is a great alignment of the loving, sacred feminine energy of Venus (Gemini’s Soul ruler) with the heart of the Sun (Gemini) and the Earth (Gemini’s Hierarchical ruler) in the sign of Gemini (humanity/love-wisdom) for the purpose of a great influx of love-wisdom. Its purpose? To awaken a sleeping humanity to heart-centered living and divine purpose as a living expression of love-wisdom.


Ruth

* Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.

About the illustration: Karen MacKenzie has been working on a series of astrology inspired paintings using goddesses from different cultures. For more information about the symbolism in this print and to other works in her ongoing series, check out her website, Karen MacKenzie Art. Her prints are very affordable!

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Mercury, Venus, and the Inner Journey of Gemini, Part I

Gemini (Iris & Arke Goddesses of the Rainbow), original artwork by Seattle artist Karen MacKenzie. See end of article for more info.

Gemini Season is here again bringing with it the interplay of light through form.

The Soul, which began its journey in Aries as a “point of light in the mind of God,” became a beam of light in Taurus and now divides into multiple beams of light in Gemini. Think of the quality of sunshine playing through the leaves or the dancing sparkles of light on water, and you have the light, playful, fairy-like quality of Gemini. The one becomes many, and the Divine dance has begun.

Don’t misunderstand the playfulness of light; indeed, a sense of play is in the nature of light and is inherent in the whole of creation. The apparent superficial quality of Gemini belies his deepest mysteries: the mystery of life and the mysteries of our divine purpose as a spiritually awakened humanity. Gemini is associated with the breath, and indeed the divine use of the breath, through words and sound, is a clue to the deepest mysteries of Gemini.

Gemini has three planetary “rulers,” each of which is important in understanding these deeper mysteries of Gemini. The personality ruler of Gemini is Mercury, the Soul ruler of Gemini is Venus, and the Hierarchical ruler of Gemini is the Earth herself. (Esoterically, Venus and Earth are said to be sister planets.) It is through Gemini that humanity fulfills its divine purpose as custodian for Earth and the elemental kingdoms. Gemini connects us to the etheric and the elemental at one and the same time. This apparent sign of duality is actually a sign of multiplicity, connection, and communion. Through Gemini we realize our interconnectedness with one another, Earth and her creatures, and all sentient beings.

At the personality level Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods. Esoterically Mercury is responsible for the Rainbow Bridge, or Antakharana, connecting lower and higher mind. It is through Mercury that we learn to connect and commune with our higher selves and hear our spiritual calling. It is ultimately through the activity of Mercury, conditioning, expanding and awakening our perception, that we attune to higher consciousness and perceive our divine purpose. It is through Mercury that we realize our interconnectedness to one another, that the brotherhood (or sisterhood) of humanity becomes the body of humanity as we transcend separatism and realize the divine task of humanity as custodian of the Earth and her creatures.

At Soul level, Gemini is ruled by Venus. Once the activity of Mercury has expanded our perception, we are open to the activity of Venus through the heart center. This brings a spiritual awakening in the form of a deep sense of communion and connectedness with all sentient beings. There is an awareness of love, not as an idea, but as a living energy which permeates and radiates throughout all life. This shift in perception brings us to the realization of our interrelatedness with one another and all living things.

Mercury opens portals of communion between lower and higher self, so we connect with our inner “guru,” coach, or our own, wise self. However, there is still a perceived duality, a separation, as experienced from the side of the personality. In last month’s article, we looked at the harmonizing aspect of Venus as experienced through physical matter in Taurus. Venus achieves harmony through the law of right relationship. What makes the difference between music and a collection of disharmonious sounds? It is the relationship between each note. When each note sounds in right relationship to the others, the human ear (and indeed all of existence) recieves it as music: in other words, sounds that are played in harmony with one another.

As Venus begins her work, Gemini moves from the lower octave to the higher octave and begins harmonizing all perceived duality. It is the conditioning effect of Venus and the law of right relationship that allow Gemini’s higher octave to resolve all duality. Gemini has a unique role in the zodiac and, esoterically, it is the only sign that is connected with each of the other eleven zodiac signs. This is because, according to the Tibetan,* Gemini will play a vital role in the future astrology, be resolving all duality and polarities so that eventually we have six zodiac energies rather than the currently perceived twelve as Aries-Libra, Taurus-Scorpio, and so forth, synthesize into one energy. This synthesizing effect of Gemini is due to the unique relationship between Mercury and Venus, opening a pathway to higher love.

As this Mercury-Venus connection grows, clarifying and strengthening the Rainbow Bridge, the Soul presents ever more clearly and strongly to the individual. Hence the Soul keynote for Gemini:

I recognize my other self and in the waning of that self I grow and glow.

This speaks to the individual process of Soul recognition and identification, whereby eventually the Soul experience is so strong, the connection is such that the individual realizes, “This is who I am.” At that point, the grip of the personality is loosened and the individual lives freely as a fully Soul-centered being.

Next: Gemini’s role in awakening humanity to the power of love.


Ruth

* Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.

About the illustration: Karen MacKenzie has been working on a series of astrology inspired paintings using goddesses from different cultures. For more information about the symbolism in this print and to other works in her ongoing series, check out her website, Karen MacKenzie Art. Her prints are very affordable!

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Venus, Vulcan, and The Inner Journey of Taurus, Part II

Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas, by Francois Boucher, 1757.

Desire is the force of the form in nature; will is the energy of the soul expressing itself as direction, progress, and conformity to the [Divine] Plan.
~ The Tibetan1

In Patanjali’s description of the five energy bodies2 we can see that the bliss body is the closest to our ultimate spiritual goal of “universal mind” and so is considered a very powerful (and dangerous) path to enlightenment. Tantric practice is based on the transformation of blissful energy into the path. But this path is fraught with danger, in the form of being “seduced” from our path and getting lost in the realm of sensory pleasures. It is for this very reason that sense pleasures are considered sinful in so many spiritual traditions (the origin of the word sin means “to miss the mark”3). Without cast-iron will and discipline, forged in the furnaces of Vulcan (and under the guidance of a qualified spiritual teacher), they are more likely to cause us to miss the mark, miss our spiritual purpose, and miss the point of our life altogether. If we don’t have such will, we are better to steer well clear of this path.

When correctly focused and disciplined the path of bliss can lead to the higher octave of Taurus which brings spiritual illumination and the knowledge that bliss arises from within. It is not “caused” by external objects but is part of our very own inner nature. Once Taurus has mastered the lower desire nature through meditation, patient effort and discipline, she is open to receive the transformative energies of Vulcan. Whereas Venus brings the energy of desire and sensuality, Vulcan is more aligned with will – divine will in particular.

Once Venus has done her job of opening our senses to the presence of blissful energy within our physical form, it is Vulcan’s job to guide us in the correct use of that energy. The dangers of addiction and being “lost” in the bliss would arrest our spiritual development and bring our journey to a premature end. The path is one of transcending all five energy bodies to arrive at our true nature and Universal Mind.4 The energy of Vulcan brings the gift of steadfast willpower that allows us to continue our spiritual path blow by blow, like Vulcan’s hammer, forging the personality into something that is useful for our soul’s purpose and driving us forward on the spiritual path, although there is always the danger that we could go either way. While the ruling planets may provide the conditions, how we react or respond to them is up to us.

The path of Taurus involves strong will and strong choices, for desire has the habit of leading our attention outward toward worldly concerns. It is part of the soul’s journey through Taurus to learn to focus this energy inward toward the spiritual path.

One reaction produces the onward rush of the materialistic systems of life, thought and desire, dashing blindly forward in the force of their own momentum and producing a stage of powerful expression and active movement; the other demonstrates in a far vision of possibility and a steady movement forward in spite of the immediate dangers and difficulties…The question is: Will the Bull of desire or the Bull of illumined expression succeed?”  ~ The Tibetan5

Vulcan is known as the blacksmith of the gods. His job is to shape and fashion substance, to forge physical matter from light in the heat of his furnace. Once the illumination in Taurus has been realized, it is also Vulcan’s job to then shape that energy into some tangible, practical shape in physical form to fulfil divine will, or spiritual purpose.

One thing that happens to metal, once it is melted down in the blacksmith’s forge, is that it can also be purified. In a liquid state anything that is not gold, for example, can be removed so that pure gold can be poured out and fashioned into shape. This alchemical function of Vulcan gives a clue to one of the deepest mysteries of Taurus: the opening of the third eye. There are many references in esoteric writing to the Eye of Light and the Eye of the Bull. Even the consciousness of Buddha has been referred to as the “Diamond Eye.” 6In nature, natural diamonds form in conditions of high pressure and high temperature, deep within the earth. So we have the energy of Vulcan at work, transforming ordinary rock through fire and pressure into something pure, clear, and revealing that illuminates by showing us the nature of light.7 These higher octave properties of illumination and revelation are hinted at in the esoteric keynote for Taurus:

I see and when the Eye is opened, all is light.  ~ The Tibetan8

Venus brings us the power of love and the potential for higher love, but if the love of Venus is not to be degraded into worldly desire, we also need to pass through the fiery forges of Vulcan. This purification process transforms primordial love and desire, through divine will and revelation, into higher love, compassion and illumination.

As we discipline ourselves to eliminate the undesirable aspects of our lower ego-personality, we become aware of and aligned with our soul. The soul begins to take shape and becomes the true vehicle for the fulfillment of our spiritual purpose. We begin to realize, and know ourselves to be, a soul, to recognize that our physical body is only one part of our soul and that all physical forms are manifestations of One Great Spirit.


Ruth

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Footnotes:

Footnotes:
1. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled by Alice Bailey.
2. See the bliss body and Patanjali’s “five bodies” in my previous article, “Mars, Mercury and the Inner Journey of Aries.”
3. The English word “sin” is a translation of the Greek word hamartia, which literally means to “miss the mark.” This phrase in itself is interesting in terms of the path of Taurus, because in archery, to miss the mark means to miss the bulls eye or the Eye of the Bull.
4. Five, seven or twelve energy bodies, depending upon your school, tradition, and/or level of study. The anatomy of the human energy field has been described through many different schools, too numerous to mention here. In the Tibetan tradition, five major chakras are commonly identified, and in the Vedic tradition, there are seven. The differences in emphasis are due to different spiritual paths and taking account of our varying levels of understanding and awareness. For example to a 5-year old, you might describe your hand as having a palm, four fingers and a thumb; but to a medical student you would probably include skin, bone, muscle, ligaments, fascia, plus hormonal, endocrine, lymphatic, immune, nervous and circulatory systems, and then you would explain how they all relate to one another to create a functional whole.
5. See Footnote 1.
6. Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, The wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.
7. A diamond can show us the nature of light by revealing its many rainbow colors.
8. See Footnote 1.

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Venus, Vulcan, and the Inner Journey of Taurus, Part I

Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas, by Francois Boucher, 1757.

Taurus season is upon us once again, bringing with it the energy of desire as it works through form.

After the initial pulse of life in Aries, desire in Taurus becomes the driving force in shaping what form life will take. Will we forge ahead driven by our egoic desires and wishes? Or will we align with divine will and shape our primordial life-force energy into spiritual path and purpose?

Taurus, the sign of the bull, is associated with steadfastness, material possessions, beauty (especially in physical forms), art, stubbornness, security and even enlightenment. It is said that the Buddha himself had six planets and Chiron in Taurus and that the Buddha was born, passed and entered parinirvana all during the time of this auspicious sign.1 Esoterically, Taurus is associated with illumination and the opening of the third eye.

It is under the sign of Taurus that humanity is learning the deeper spiritual lessons of desire and the transformation of the energy of desire. It is through desire that we take a physical incarnation, and it is desire that also keeps us trapped in Samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth. Taurus teaches us about the nature of desire and what needs to happen so we can release our personal attachments and transform the energy of desire into spiritual realizations.

Humanity … is beginning to come under the influence of Taurus.
The great question is – Will this influence … produce the floodlight of illumination of which Taurus is the custodian, or will it simply foment desire, increase selfishness and bring humanity to the ‘fiery heights of self-interest’ instead of to the mountain of vision and initiation? ~ The Tibetan2

Taurus has two planetary rulers: Venus and Vulcan.3 Venus is the personality ruler, and Vulcan is both the soul ruler and the hierarchical ruler. According to Esoteric Astrology, both Venus and Vulcan are sacred planets, while Vulcan is a “hidden” planet. 4 Esoteric Astrology tells us that there are hidden planets that we are unaware of because we do not yet have the consciousness to perceive them or to be receptive to their energy. Once we have expanded our consciousness to the degree that we are more receptive and aware of these subtler energies, we will become aware of these planets. The fact that both ruling planets are sacred (and one is hidden) hints that the inner journey of Taurus is deeply hidden, mysterious, highly significant, and sacred.

The Soul is our individual link to the essential substance of the Creative Source … Astrology is a system that seeks to interpret the nature of the Universal Life Force as It moves, shapes, and creates human life and all events. The planets, signs, and houses, are not the causal elements of manifestation. They are, rather, the reflections of a transcendental synchronicity manifesting through the rhythms and timing of a cosmic clock. ~ Alan Oken5

When considering planetary influences from a Soul Astrology perspective, it is more appropriate to think of the planets as lenses or focalizers of divine energy rather than as causative agents. In Esoteric Astrology, the basic energies of creation are referred to in terms of Seven Rays. I will say more about these in future articles, but for our purposes here it is enough to know that there are Seven Great Rays, within which our universe aligns with just one, and then within our universe, there are seven sub-rays. Just as the sunlight contributes to the optimum conditions for life on earth to thrive, so divine energy, in the form of these Seven Rays working through planetary lenses, is contributing to the optimum conditions for the flowering of human consciousness.

Venus is the goddess of love, the powerful energy of desire, which translates as romantic love, when filtered through a human mind! She rules both Libra and Taurus. In Libra, she endows her subjects with a harmonizing aspect that manifests through the mind, in terms of conceptualizing or idealizing ideas of ethics, beauty, attractiveness and justice. Her work in Libra is more closely linked to harmony in the mental body.6 In Taurus the loving energy of Venus has a more sensuous, earthy, influence. She works initially through the physical senses to eventually bring awareness of the bliss body.7

As Venus works through desire in Taurus, she seeks to awaken the senses. She awakens our sense perception through the physical senses of sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. This has the potential to open us to an experience of bliss and awareness of the bliss body.8 Herein lies the danger of the Taurean path. If the individual is still centered in the ego-personality, the tendency can be towards grasping at more external objects to feed the bliss experience: clinging to possessions of beauty, beautiful people, music, a beautiful body, and losing sight of the spiritual journey. This is a symptom of the lower mind externalizing the bliss experience and projecting it onto outer worldly objects.

The ego-mind uses logic in the extreme. If one chocolate made me feel good, then ten chocolates will make me feel ten times as good, right? Yet we all know this is not so. Too much of a good thing leads to lethargy, dullness, weight gain and that uncomfortable (even painful) feeling of being over-full. Then we have the addiction effect; we begin to believe we need something outside of ourselves – the chocolate, new shoes or whatever our craved substance, possession, or person may be – to feel good. We begin clamouring for more of the object that we believe will lead to more pleasure (bliss). This leads us to pursue “worldly concerns” (objects outside of ourselves), and the sad part is that while doing so we are neglecting our inner spiritual path, which is the true path to inner peace, bliss, and beyond.

Next: How Vulcan takes over from Venus in guiding Taurus along the true path.


Ruth

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Footnotes:

1. Buddhist Astrology, by Jhampa Shaneman.
2. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled by Alice Bailey.
3. The term “rulership” is not intended in the commonly held sense of exerting force or power over another. In this context, the meaning is closer to nurturing-custodianship, in the sense of providing those conditioning factors necessary for divine seeds to ripen, grow and flourish.
4. See Footnote 2.
5. Soul Centered Astrology: A Key To Your Expanding Self, by Alan Oken.
6. Ibid.
7. See the bliss body and Patanjali’s “five bodies” in my previous article, “Mars, Mercury and the Inner Journey of Aries.”
 8. Ibid.

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Mars, Mercury, and the Inner Journey of Aries, Part II

In Part I of this article, Ruth explained the meaning of Aries in Soul Astrology. In Part II, she elaborates on the concept of Mercury as the esoteric ruler of Aries. ~Pat

My Aries son in flames. © Osk Ingad Alden, 2012.

Esoteric Astrology speaks of three stages of spiritual development known as the mutable, fixed, and cardinal cross.1

Those on the mutable cross are personality centered and have little or no awareness of Soul. Those on the fixed cross have some experience of Soul. They have begun awakening, but there is still duality: separation between personality and Soul. The individual on the cardinal cross has fully integrated Soul and personality. There is no separation. Such an individual would be a highly realized spiritual being like Christ or Buddha. Most of us on the planet at this time will be on the mutable cross, while a fast-growing minority are beginning to awaken on the fixed cross.

The majority of people on the mutable cross will still relate and be receptive to Mars as the ruler of Aries. Those on the fixed cross who are awakening and becoming aware of their Soul presence will begin perceiving the qualities of Mercury and its influence in Aries. When the Being is sensitive, and receptive enough to receive Mercurial energy, then Mercury takes over from Mars and begins the process of awakening, ripening, conditioning and developing the intuitive body.

Mercury is responsible for the development of the antahkarana, or Rainbow Bridge, by which we connect lower and higher mind.2 Aries is very much a sign of the mind, and it is through this ripening and conditioning effect of Mercury that Aries arises from his lower nature to reach his full spiritual potential. The effect of Uranus in Aries lies beyond the individual and is known only at the hierarchical level. As we awaken spiritually, developing our senses and deepening our perceptive capacity, we become aware of the more subtle influences of these energies. In Aries it is the effects of both Mars and Mercury that are creating the perfect conditions for spiritual development.

During the early stages of our spiritual journey, like tender vulnerable seedlings, we are very susceptible to the energies that condition our growth, but there is a reciprocal effect that comes later. Just like a fully mature forest gives back and sustains the environment which nurtured the individual trees, so we too as fully flowering mature spiritual beings will have the capacity to emanate beneficial energies, such as compassion, to nurture and sustain all sentient beings.

I cannot too strongly reiterate the constant necessity for you to think
in terms of energies and forces, of lines of force,
and energy relationships…
The whole story of astrology is, in reality,
one of magnetic and magical interplay
for the production or externalization of the inner reality…3
~ Alice Bailey

Soul Astrology is astrology of our inner world: our energy field, of all five “bodies.” The natal chart is our own personal mandala, showing us the energetic patterns and dynamics that were present at the precise moment that we came into incarnation and the planets that are co-creating the conditions for our growth. How much we grow spiritually and increase our capacity to receive and perceive the potential influences depends very much on us — on our motives, intention, motivation, and the choices we make. We must strive to expand our perception if we are to be aware of more subtle influences.

Will we recognize Mars as the benevolent father of life on earth, driving us steadily towards Mercury and the revelation of our Higher Self? Or will we continue to cast him down as a god of war? The choice is ours.

Next Month we will explore Venus, Vulcan and the Inner Journey of Taurus.


Ruth

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Footnotes:

1. This is not the same as having a grand square or cosmic cross in one’s own natal chart.
2. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.
3. Ibid.

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Mars, Mercury, and the Inner Journey of Aries

As the new astrological year begins, Ruth starts a new series on the planetary rulers of the signs according to Soul Astrology. Isn’t it ironic that both Mars and Mercury currently are retrograde, and Uranus is in the sign of Mars? The synchronicities just keep on comin.’ ~Pat

My Aries son in flames. © Osk Ingad Alden, 2012.

Aries season is upon us once again, heralding the spring and marking the beginning of another zodiac year. At the Soul level, Aries also marks the beginning of a fantastic journey: the journey of life.

In Esoteric Astrology, the twelve signs of the zodiac tell a story – the magical story of consciousness incarnating into matter, in the form of a human being.1 Irrespective of different faiths and known by many names, all scriptures tell of Holy Beings that are here to help, guiding the human soul on its journey and ensuring we don’t stray too far from the path.

Every blade of grass has an Angel
that bends over it and whispers Grow! Grow!
~ The Talmud

Esoteric Astrology tells us that the twelve signs of the zodiac are Divine Intelligences, or Angelic Beings, who oversee the different stages of our Soul’s development. In this fantastic journey, the Soul begins in Aries as “a point of light in the mind of God.” 2 In Aries we see the initial spark of inspiration: the first impulse to exist, a divine idea that eventually translates into the pulse of life, an original concept.3

The Soul in Aries is carrying the blueprint and the potential, just as the seeds of spring have the potential to become trees, under the right conditions. They are not yet trees, and the seed is very different from the tree. It is similar with our Soul’s journey. We are in the process of growth and, under the right conditions, we will realize our spiritual potential. Just as the seed needs the right mix of sunlight, warmth, water, earth, and nutrients in order to grow, so a human soul is also conditioned by a number of factors, not least of which are the planets.

The planets play a vital role in this conditioning of our Soul, and three planets have an important relationship with Aries: Mars, Mercury, and Uranus. At the personality level, Mars is the primary energy providing the motivating, driving force. Mars is related to the vital body and brings life force energy into physical existence.

As we navigate our inner journey, we become more familiar with our inner world. The dedicated master yogis and saints who have trodden this inner path before us have described their experiences in scriptures, leaving a kind of map, so we can know what to expect on our own journey. Although each journey is unique, there is some common ground that we can all expect to experience.

Patanjali, one of the founders of modern Yoga, described five bodies we can experience on our inner journey.4 He related these to five elements of earth, fire, water, air, and ether. These he called the physical or “earth” body (annamay kosh), the energy “fire” body (pranamay kosh – this is also known as the vital body in other traditions), the mental “water” body (manomay kosh), intuitive “air” body (vigyanamay kosh), and the bliss “ether” body (anandmay kosh). Our journey is one of awareness and movement through each of these inner bodies. Once all five have been transcended, we attain Universal Mind.

Mars brings drive, motive, and motivation.5 It is the driving force that pushes life-force energy into the physical world. It is the energy of creation, conception, and new life (think sperm!). It enlivens and vitalises, brings life and vitality, and is closely related to Patanjali’s energy body. The driving force of Mars motivates us into action. This universal force is present throughout nature.

Animals live and are driven primarily by their vital, or energy, bodies. Only in humans did Mars fall out of favor as its influence historically became associated with war and aggression. This is because of man’s misinterpretation through his lower consciousness. The message of Mars is, “Take action,” or “Move.” When this pure life-giving energy is distorted through the filter of a human mind, it all too often becomes, “Let’s fight,” or “Go to war.”

This is partly due to the consciousness of humanity at this current time and the effect of Mars vitalising our lower nature. In time, as we expand our consciousness, we will experience and respond to Mars differently and perceive its influence as largely beneficial.

The effect of Mars is, therefore, largely mass effect and group results, producing great struggles but eventually leading to great revelation. In Aries, it is the final revelation of the nature of knowledge and the purpose of incarnation.
~ Alice Bailey

Mars moves us into action. Ultimately it is up to us to choose the action we take: conscious action or unconscious reaction. The outcome of our actions depends on our own motivation. It is important for anyone with planets in Aries, especially Mars, to continuously check their motives. Are your actions motivated by the needs of your head (ego) or the call of your heart and Soul?

Mars rules the lower octave of Aries, the personality, and empowers Aries with motive – the need to move the Self forward into life and light.6 For the Soul-centered individual, who has fully integrated personality and Soul, the ruler of Aries is Mercury. The hierarchical ruler of Aries is Uranus.2

As we evolve in consciousness, our spiritual eyes are opened, and we are suddenly able to perceive that which we could not before. More subtle energies and influences become apparent to us. At this point in our evolution, the Hierarchical level is beyond our perception, so we will focus on the personality and Soul rulers: Mars and Mercury.

Next: From Mars to Mercury in the three stages of spiritual development.


Ruth

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Footnotes:

1. Incarnate: From Ecclesiastical Latin incarnates, past participle of incarnari (“be made flesh”), from in- + caro (“flesh”). All definitions from Wiktonary.
2. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.
3. Concept: From Latin conceptus (“a thought, purpose, also a conceiving, etc.”), from concipere, present active infinitive of concipi? (“to take in, conceive”).
4. Mastery Over The Five Elements, by OSHO.
5. Motive: From Medieval Latin motivus, “serving to move, motive.” From Latin motus, past participle of movere, “to move.”
6. For more about the lower and higher octaves of Aries, see my previous article on Aries.

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Ruth Hadikin, Soul Astrologer

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”