Since we have been discussing the precession of the equinoxes, we will now cover the topic of the Zodiac and astrology to round out our discussion of the geometry of the solar system.
In the next three articles we will cover the geometry of galaxies and galactic clusters.
Canadian astrologer Werner Hirsig said, “Astrology is a science in itself and contains an illuminating body of knowledge. It taught me many things, and I am greatly indebted to it. Geophysical evidence reveals the power of the stars and the planets in relation to the terrestrial. In turn, astrology reinforces this power to some extent. This is why astrology is like a life-giving elixir for mankind.”
The Zodiac
The word zodiac is derived from the Greek zodiakos – “a circle of animals” or “little animals”. These 12 constellations represent the twelve principal manifestations of the Creative Force which motivates the universe.
The 360 degree band is divided into 12 sections. Each section has:
- 16 degrees in width
- 30 degrees in length
The divisions are called “Houses of the Zodiac”. The sun passes through each house during its annual pilgrimage on the ecliptic plane in the following order:
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces
Manly P Hall writes, “It is unlikely that the zodiacal signs were derived from the star groups which they now represent. It is far more probable that the creatures assigned to the twelve houses are symbolic of the qualities and intensity of the sun’s power while it occupies different parts of the zodiacal belt.”1
The Zodiac & its Influence Upon Religion
Nearly every religion in the world shows traces of astrological influence. A common theme for religion is the 12-around-1 system, deriving from the 12 constellations around the central Sun.
Jewish Zodiac
Albert Churchward sums up the influence of the zodiac upon religious symbolism in the following words: “The division here is in twelve parts, the twelve signs of the Zodiac, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve gates of heaven mentioned in Revelation, and twelve entrances or portals to be passed through in the Great Pyramid, before finally reaching the highest degree, and twelve Apostles in the Christian doctrines, and the twelve original and perfect points in Masonry.”
Medieval Christian Zodiac
“Modern churchmen are often quick to condemn astrology, but none can deny, for example, that the great Christian festivals are all astronomically derived – Easter being the first Sunday following the full moon that falls on or follows the vernal equinox, or that Christmas is the first day after the winter solstice when the rising sun begins to move visibly back in the reverse direction along the horizon.”2
Astrology – Astro-logy (Star Logic)
“We find in the great majority of pre-industrial communities the conviction that the positions of the heavenly bodies affect human affairs. This has the traditionally respectable title of astrology and yet ‘contemporary’ materialistic science has firmly placed it in the realm of folklore and not the logical science that its name implies.”3
“Throughout history cultures have held that the planetary vibrational orbital fields modulate the constant radiation from the Sun, and then resonate both concordantly and in discord with the planetary patterns in the heavens at our moment of birth. These planetary resonations, it was held, become inscribed throughout life in the metabolic energy field surrounding the body. These moments of resonance between the major seven planetary subtle fields and living beings are certainly compatible with the seven-fold Yuga system as well as the seven orbiting fields of the atom and the seven membranes enclosing the nucleus of a fertile egg.” ~ Robert Lawlor, The Geometry of the End of Time
Heliobiology
The study of heliobiology was founded by A.L. Chizhevskii in 1915.
He verifies that the angular position of the moon and planets affect the electromagnetic and cosmic radiations which impact the earth.
These field fluctuations then affect biological processes.
Changes in solar activity (11-year cycle on average) has been found to affect:
- the growth rings of trees
- the yields of grain crops
- the reproduction and migration of insects, fish and other animals
- the genesis and exacerbation of a number of diseases in man and animals, especially mental diseases
- the number of white blood cells in human blood and relative lymphocytosis
“Forecasts of sharp fluctuations in solar activity (chromospheric flares in particular) should be taken into account not only in space biology and medicine but also in the public health system, agriculture, and other branches of science and the economy.”4
Some who have studied this phenomenon include:
John Nelson
Nelson was engaged by RCA broadcasting in 1951 to investigate the factors which affect radio reception.
He found sunspots and radio interference both occurred when two or more of the planets were in line, that is, at right angles or arranged at a 180° to the Sun.
He achieved a 93% success rate with this new information.
Soviet Union Studies
USSR scientists found a number of deaths from heart disease occurred after the event of sunspots.
H.S. Burr
Burr demonstrated a connection between bio-potential in trees and sunspots using highly sensitive instruments in 1964.
Michel Gauquelin
Gauquelin was from a psycho-physiological laboratory in Strasbourg, France.
He conducted many years of research on the connection between the positions of the heavenly bodies and the behavior and occupations of humans.
Maki Takata, Toho University, Japan
Takata conducted 20 years of tests thereby demonstrating conclusively that there was a direct connection between the behavior of the sunspots affecting the Earth’s magnetic field and the body chemistry of humans in terms of their blood serum’s albumen content, which affects blood coagulation.
Eugene Jones
Jones was a Slovak psychiatrist who showed the actual ability of a mature woman to conceive coincides with the phase of the Moon which prevailed on the day she was born.
Vernon Clark
Clark was an American psychologist whose guarded verdict after many tests: “astrologers, working with material which can be derived from birth data alone, can successfully distinguish between individuals.”
The Root of Astrology
“The root of astrology is one way of perceiving the primal distortions which may be predicted along probability/possibility lines given cosmic orientations and configurations at the time of the entrance into the physical/mental complex of the spirit (time of soul entering body) and at the time of the physical/mental/spiritual complex into the illusion (time of birth).
This then has the possibility of suggesting basic areas of distortion. There is no more than this. The part astrology plays is likened unto that of one root among many.
In other words, it is one way among many to learn to know yourself and know others. It by no means needs to be used as the only way. For each person is unique and cannot be boxed in by any label, including birth sign or birth chart.
The value of that which you call astrology is significant when used by those initiated entities which understand, if you will pardon the misnomer, the sometimes intricate considerations of the Law of Confusion.
As each planetary influence enters the energy web of your sphere those upon the sphere are moved much as the moon which moves about your sphere moves the waters upon your deeps.
Your own nature is water in that you as mind/body/spirit complexes are easily impressed and moved.
Indeed, this is the very fiber and nature of your journey and vigil in this density: to not only be moved but to instruct yourself as to the preferred manner of your movement in mind, body, and spirit.”5
We will now review the 12 houses of the Zodiac.
The Houses of the Zodiac
Aries
The Ram – March 21 – April 21
Characteristics: assertive, urgent, energetic, forthright, selfish, enthusiastic; willful
Associated Area of Human Life: physical & psychological health, attitude, temperament.
The vernal equinox is associated with Aries. “It is fitting that of all beasts a Ram should be placed at the head of the heavenly flock forming the zodiacal band. Centuries before the Christian Era, the pagans revered this constellation.”6
Godfrey Higgins states: “This constellation was called the ‘Lamb of God’, the ‘Savior’, and was said to save mankind from the sins of the world. The Lamb of God is a title given to the sun, who is said to be reborn every year in the Northern Hemisphere in the sign of the Ram.”
“The lamb is a familiar emblem of purity because of its gentleness and the whiteness of its wool. The blood of the lamb is the solar life pouring into the world through the sign of Aries.”7
Taurus
The Bull – April 21 – May 21
Characteristics: patient, possessive, permanent, reliable, self-indulgent, persistent, warm
Associated Area of Human Life: security, possessions, feelings, partners.
“It is probable that the form of the bull and the bull’s proclivities were assigned to this constellation because the bull was used by the ancients to plow the fields, and the season set aside for plowing and furrowing corresponded to the time at which the sun reached the segment of the heavens named Taurus.
To the ancients, the sun appeared emerging from the back of Taurus, so they often called Taurus the breaker or opener of the year: The celestial Bull “broke the egg of the year with his horns.”8
The bull “further signifies that the God-Mind is incarnated in the body of a beast and therefore that the physical beast form is the sacred vehicle of divinity.”9
The constellation of Taurus is found in the Pleiades – the Seven Sisters – famous to Freemasonry as the Seven Stars at the upper end of the Sacred Ladder.
Gemini
The Twins – May 22 – June 21
Characteristics: communicative, adaptable, versatile, restless, witty, intellectual, sharp
Associated Area of Human Life: siblings, communication, early education, transportation.
“The constellation of Gemini is generally represented as two small children, who, according to the ancients, were born out of eggs, possibly the ones that the Bull broke with his horns. The stories concerning Castor and Pollux, and Romulus and Remus, may be the result of amplifying the myths of these celestial Twins. The symbols of Gemini have passed through many modifications. The one used by the Arabians was the peacock. Two of the important stars in the constellation of Gemini still bear the names of Castor and Pollux.
The sign of Gemini is supposed to have been the patron of phallic worship, and the two obelisks, or pillars, in front of temples and churches convey the same symbolism as the Twins.”10
Cancer
The Crab – June 22 – July 22
Characteristics: sensitive, emotional, protective, moody, melancholy, imaginative, loving
Associated Area of Human Life: home, family, parents, especially mother, land.
The summer solstice is associated with Cancer (the Crab), which the Egyptians called the scarab – a beetle of the family Lamellicornes, the head of the insect kingdom, and sacred to the Egyptians as the symbol of eternal life.
A crab is used because, “the sun, after passing through this house, proceeds to walk backwards, or descend the zodiacal arch.”11
Richard Payne Knight writes about the relationship of Diana, the moon goddess to Cancer: “[She] is often represented by the symbol of the sea crab, an animal that has the property of spontaneously detaching from its own body any limb that has been hurt of mutilated, and reproducing another in its place.”
Cancer is the symbol of generation, for it is the house of the Moon, the great Mother of all things and the patroness of the life forces of Nature.”12
This water sign, being symbolic of the maternal principle of Nature, and recognized by the pagans as the origin of all life, was a natural and consistent domicile of the moon.
Leo
The Lion – July 23 – August 23
Characteristics: generous, expansive, loving, bossy, creative, impressive, powerful, dictatorial
Associated Area of Human Life: creativity, parenthood, children, love life, risk-taking.
“On the 21st of June, when the sun arrives at the summer solstice, the constellation Leo – being but 30 degrees in advance of the sun-appears to be leading the way, and to aid by his powerful paw in lifting the sun up to the summit of the zodiacal arch…This visible connection between the constellation Leo and the return of the sun to his place of power and glory, at the summit of the Royal Arch of heaven, was the principal reason why the constellation was held in such high esteem and reverence by the ancients.” 13
Leo is distinguished as the ‘sole house of the sun’ and it was taught that “the world was created when the sun was in that sign.”14
Virgo
The Virgin – August 24 – September 22
Characteristics: analytical, critical, fastidious, modest, meticulous, intelligent, fussy
Associated Area of Human Life: general well-being, diet, exercise, routine work.
“The virgin can be interpreted to signify the secret doctrine itself and her son the initiate born out of the “womb of the Mysteries”.15
This virgin was often symbolized by Isis: “Veiled from head to foot, she reveals her wisdom only to the tried and initiated few who have earned the right to enter her sacred presence, tear from the veiled figure of Nature its shroud of obscurity, and stand face to face with the Divine Reality.”16
Libra
The Scales – September 23 – October 23
Characteristics: charming, balanced, sympathetic, easygoing, diplomatic, sociable, gullible, resentful
Associated Area of Human Life: personal and professional relationships.
The autumnal equinox is associated with Libra.
“The scales tipped and the solar globe began in pilgrimage toward the home of winter. The constellation of the Scales was placed in the zodiac to symbolize the power of choice, by means of which man may weigh one problem against another.”17
Scorpio
The Scorpion – October 24 – November 22
Characteristics: passionate, intense, intuitive, magnetic, jealous, compulsive
Associated Area of Human Life: sexuality, investments, inheritances, self-searching.
Scorpio the scorpion or serpent is the “symbol of the concealed spiritual mystery.”18
“This sign has 3 different symbols. The most common is that of a scorpion, being the symbol of deceit and perversion; the second (and less common) form of the sign is the serpent, often used by the ancients to symbolize wisdom. Probably the rarest form of Scorpio is that of an Eagle. The flying eagle – the king of birds – represents the highest and most spiritual type of Scorpio, in which it transcends the venomous insect of the earth.”19
Sagittarius
The Archer – November 23 – December 21
Characteristics: casual, free, philosophical, optimistic, intellectual, explorative, searching, tact-less
Associated Area of Human Life: travel, higher education, ideals, dreams, conscience.
“The sign of Sagittarius consists of what the ancient Greeks called a centaur – a composite creature, the lower half of whose body was in the form of a horse, while the upper half was human. The centaur is generally shown with a bow and arrow in his hands, aiming a shaft far off into the stars. Hence Sagittarius stands for two distinct principles: first, it represents the spiritual evolution of man, for the human form is rising from the body of the beast; secondly, it is the symbol of aspiration and ambition, for as the centaur aims his arrow at the stars, so every human creature aims at a higher mark than he can reach.”20
Capricorn
The Goat – December 22 – January 20
Characteristics: prudent, calculating, practical, ambitious, querulous, disciplined
Associated Area of Human Life: ambitions, aspirations, authority issues, career changes.
The winter solstice is associated with Capricorn.
It was called the “House of Death” because in winter all life in the Northern Hemisphere is at its lowest point in the cycle.
“Capricorn is a composite creature, with the head and upper body of a goat and the tail of a fish…The symbol therefore of the Goat rising from the body of a fish represents with the greatest propriety the mountainous buildings of Babylon rising out of its low and marshy situation; the two horns of the Goat being emblematic of the two towns, Nineveh and Babylon.”21
Aquarius
The water bearer – January 21- February 18
Characteristics: independent, eccentric, humane, original, honest, inventive, distant;
Associated Area of Human Life: social life, friendships, good causes, personal objectives.
Aquarius is called the Sign of the Water Bearer, or the man with a jug of water on his shoulder mentioned in the New Testament. Among Oriental peoples, a water vessel alone is often used.
In other traditions an angel is used symbolizing the spiritual evolution of humanity from human to ‘god-like’.
“The water pouring from the urn of Aquarius under the name of “the waters of eternal life” appears many times in symbolism.”22
Pisces
The Fish – February 19 – March 20
Characteristics: sensitive, ambiguous, deceitful, impressionable, imaginative, vague, kind, intuitive, easily led
Associated Area of Human Life: escapism, seclusion, the unconscious, reflection & faith
Aspects in Astrology
“In astrology, an aspect is an angle the planets make to each other in the horoscope…The more exact an aspect, the stronger or more dominant it is said to be in shaping character or manifesting change.”23
The key is geometry. As planets move into geometric alignment the power of their effects grow and change. “There is a relationship between the structure of audible sound and geometry, in which the geometric angles act as a controlling device to release certain potential qualities locked with a holistic sound pattern,” Robert Lawlor reminds us. “If we consider angles as whole number ratios or proportions, as did the ancients – so that two to three (2:3) forms an angle, then the effect of angulation on resonant patterns could be a key to understanding how angles of planetary configuration might affect or modify the electromagnetic atmosphere of the solar system and thus affect the dispersal of radiation from the sun.”
Examples include:
Conjuction – an angle of 10º
Sextile (Hexagonal) – an angle of 60º
Square – an angle of 90º
Trine (Triangular) – an angle of 120º
Opposition – an angle of 180º
Two systems of Astrological Philosophy – Geocentric vs. Heliocentric
Geocentric – Ptolemaic
This system of astrology acknowledges that: We are the center of our experience. The earth is considered the center of the solar system, around which the sun, moon, and planets revolve.
This system is confined to the earthy side of nature. Astronomically, the geocentric system is incorrect; yet for thousands of years it had proved its accuracy when applied to the material nature of earthly things.
Jeremy Naydler comments in The Future of the Ancient World, “One of the great injustices done to this pre-modern cosmology is that it is so often literally interpreted by modern commentators. The geocentric worldview was largely symbolic. As soon as one moves away from the center point of the earth, one is venturing into spheres that are only partially physical. The planetary spheres represent soul-qualities and the planets themselves are by no means simply physical objects – they are spiritual subjects, that is to say they are beings, they are gods. Once beyond the planetary spheres, one comes to the outermost boundary of the physically observable universe, the sphere of the fixed stars. Beyond this, one approaches a different kind of reality altogether from physical reality.”
A careful consideration of the writings of the great occultists and a study of their diagrams reveal the fact that many of them were acquainted with another method of arranging the heavenly bodies: the heliocentric.
Heliocentric
This posits the sun in the center of the solar system, where it naturally belongs, with the planets and their moons revolving about it.
This system is used to analyze the higher intellectual and spiritual faculties of man.
The Ancient View: Geocentric vs. Heliocentric
“The important point to be remembered is that when the sun was said to be in a certain sign of the zodiac, the ancients really meant that the sun occupied the opposite sign and cast its long ray into the house in which they enthroned it.
Therefore, when it is said that the sun is in Taurus, it means (astronomically) that the sun is in the sign opposite to Taurus, which is Scorpio.
This resulted in two distinct schools of philosophy: one geocentric and exoteric, the other heliocentric and esoteric.
While the ignorant multitudes worshiped the house of the sun’s reflection, which in the case described above would be the Bull, the wise revered the house of the sun’s actual dwelling, which would be the Scorpion, or the Serpent, the symbol of the concealed spiritual mystery.
The Egyptians, Assyrians and the Babylonians, who knew the sun as a Bull, called the zodiac a series of furrows, through which the great celestial Ox dragged the plow of the sun.
Hence the populace offered up sacrifice and led through the streets magnificent steers, bedecked with flowers and surrounded with priests, dancing girls of the temple, and musicians.
The philosophic elect did not participate in these idolatrous ceremonials, but advocated them as most suitable for the types of mind composing the mass of the population.
These few possessed a far deeper understanding, as the Serpent of Scorpio upon their foreheads – the Uraeus – bore witness.”24
The Antiquity of the Zodiac
“The antiquity of the zodiac is much in dispute.
One author, after many years of deep study on the subject, believed man’s concept of the zodiac to be at least five million years old.
In all probability it is one of the many things for which the modern world is indebted to the Atlantean or the Lemurian civilizations.
About ten thousand years before the Christian Era there was a period of many ages when knowledge of every kind was suppressed, tablets destroyed, monuments torn down, and every vestige of available material concerning previous civilizations completely obliterated.
Only a few copper knives, some arrowheads, and crude carvings on the walls of caves bear mute witness of those civilizations which preceded this age of destruction.
Here and there a few gigantic structures have remained which, like the strange monoliths on Easter Island, are evidence of lost arts and sciences and lost races.
The human race is exceedingly old.
Modern science counts its age in the tens of thousands of years; esotericism, in tens of millions.
There is an old saying that “Mother Earth has shaken many civilizations from her back,” and it is not beyond reason that the principles of astrology and astronomy were evolved millions of years before the first white man appeared.”25
Conclusion
In this article we are reminded of the importance that the position or geometry of stars and constellations plays in regards to human activity, health and consciousness.
This has been acknowledged since before the beginning of history.
We are learning now that the shifting effects of the different constellations of the Zodiac are a result of the energetic Aetheric geometric foundation that underlies all things. Planets move in geometric orbits, and stars move in geometric orbits. Where they are within the geometry has a direct effect on the relative strength and power they have over human consciousness at any given time.
- Hall, Manly P. The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Philosophical Research Society, 2003
- Booth, Mark, The Secret History of the World, The Overlook Press, 2010
- Critchlow, Keith, Time Stands Still, St. Martin’s Press, 1982
- http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Heliobiology
- Elkins, Rueckert, McCarty, The Law of One, Session 19.21, https://www.lawofone.info/results.php?s=19
- Hall, Manly P. The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Philosophical Research Society, 2003
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- ibid.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_aspect
- Hall, Manly P. The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Philosophical Research Society, 2003
- ibid.
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