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3. Spiritual Effects of the Zodiacal Constellations. - Part 14

Taurus, as you know, rules the neck and the thyroid gland. This is essentially the region whence must emanate the creative activity of the man who is upon the Path. The throat is a point to which the energy of the sacral centre must be lifted so that creation through love and by the will eventually will prove the sublimatory effect of the transference to higher use of the sex energy. The right use of the organs of speech gives the clue to the processes whereby the disciple must bring about certain basic changes. The Taurian upon the way of liberation would do well to employ the [398] method of directed and motivated speech of an outgoing and explanatory nature in order to transform himself from one who goes wilfully on his personality way into a wise cooperator with the Plan. By this I mean that, as man translates his ideals into words and acts, he brings about transformation, transmutation and eventually translation upon the mountain top of Initiation. The results of this creative work of materialising the vision must be carried to the point of effectual demonstration in Scorpio in which sign the final tests are applied to prove that the energy is flowing freely and without impediment and obstruction between the throat and sacral centres; to show that right direction has been achieved and that there is no longer any fear that the Taurian subject will blunder blindly forward again in his own self-interest but will, in the future, move intelligently upon the Way of Liberation—the way that brings about his own release and at the same time sweeps him into those activities which bring about the release of others. In Scorpio, the man who has mastered his lessons in Taurus must demonstrate that creativity which will work under the inspiration of aspiration and vision and constructively attempt to express the beauty which all forms intrinsically veil, thus bringing to all revelation of that underlying purpose which motivates all events and forms. All these aspects of basic change in purpose, interest and orientation must manifest in Scorpio, thus proving the effectiveness of the evolutionary processes undergone in the great repeated transition from Scorpio to Taurus and from Taurus to Scorpio. This cycle of moves constitutes (with the greater cycle) a rhythm of experience of tremendous moment. These seven signs are pre-eminently life-experience signs. The preceding sign of Aries is the "sign of institution" [399] whilst the four which come after Scorpio prove to be signs of discipleship and initiation. This is on the reversed wheel and the implications along the same line on the ordinary wheel can easily be applied by you.

It is the recognition of these goals and a grasp of the Taurian problems which will make clear to you the position of the planets in this sign. I would remind you again that the exaltation of a planet in any particular sign, its fall within the sphere of influence of a sign as well as the lessening of a particular planetary influence in any sign cycle (making it what has been technically called "in detriment") is purely symbolic of the effects of energy as it impinges upon the form-nature, meeting resistance or non-resistance, evoking response or non-response, according to the calibre of the planetary instrument subjected to the impact. In this sign, the Moon is exalted. Symbolically this means that the form side of life is a powerfully controlling factor and one with which the man must ever reckon. The Moon is the Mother of the form and in this case veils or hides Vulcan—which might be expected. The Moon, therefore, stands here for the fashioner or moulder of the form, bringing in both the feminine and masculine aspects of form-building, the dual functions of Father-Mother. This is a point for astrologers to remember. This process of interplay brings about two phases of the needed fashioning:

1. A process wherein is created a form of great potency in which self-interest and personality aims and desires are the motives bringing about activity. The Moon and Taurus activity.

2. The processes, self-applied by the awakening Taurian, wherein the form nature is fashioned anew and motivated [400] in a different manner and so is "raised up into Heaven" and thus irradiated and glorified. The Vulcan and Taurus activity.

The exaltation of the form, ruled by the Moon, can be traced throughout the entire zodiac and provides in itself an interesting and progressive story with which I have not at this time the intention to deal. It is told by the various women who figure in the different constellations and around them some day the astrology of the form will be built. There is Cassiopea, Venus, Coma Berenice, Andromeda and one or two others, as well as Virgo, the Virgin, the most important of them all. I can only indicate here a field of thought and of astrological investigation hitherto untouched but I have not time for the interpretation of this vast and profitable field of knowledge. "Our Lady, the Moon" is related to all these and before the great disruption in an earlier solar system which led to the Moon becoming a dead planet, the energies of these stars and certain of the planets which were produced through their activity, were all focussed in and transmitted by the Moon in a most mysterious yet powerful manner. Through desire translated into terms of spiritual will, the form is esoterically "exalted" and of this fact the exaltation of the Moon in Taurus is a symbol. To this the ordinary astrological symbol of the Bull's horns testifies. This is the crescent Moon and also the symbol of the destructive nature of the form life of the Bull. Forget not that in this connection the destruction or death of the form and the ending of form influence thereby is the goal of the process which changes desire into aspiration.

Uranus, the planet of the hidden mystery and one of the most occult of the planets "falls" in this sign, producing [401] the accentuation and the sharp division between body and soul which is so marked a characteristic of the Taurian subject. It prepares the inner man for the sharp interplay and conflict in the next sign, Gemini. The presence, therefore, of the exalted Moon and the fallen Uranus gives a marvellous picture of man's history during the stage of personality development and power. The task of Uranus, hidden in the depths, is to awaken and evoke the intuitive response of Taurus to an ever-increasing light until such time that full illumination is achieved and also the development of the spiritual consciousness—substituting these higher soul aspects for the lower form reactions. It is interesting to note that in Scorpio, Uranus is exalted which gives indication of the success of the task which the Uranian forces undertook. Achievement is attained.

Mars is in detriment in this sign. Its activity adds constantly to the naturally warlike nature of Taurus but the potency of the Taurian struggle is so great, esoterically speaking, that the effect of Mars is lost in the larger whole. It "adds to the glamour and confusion and yet holds within itself hope for the struggling man."

Constantly in this sign comes the emphasis upon struggle. It is a cosmic, planetary and individual struggle, for desire-will underlies the manifested activities of the Logos, the planetary Life and of man and also of all forms in nature. It is the struggle of that which is deeply hidden in darkness to reach the light of day; it is the struggle of the hidden soul to dominate and control the outer form, the struggle to transmute desire into aspiration and aspiration into the will to achieve. It is the struggle to attain the goal which an increasing light reveals. So potent is this struggle that on the ordinary wheel it culminates (prior to the re-entry in Aries of the soul seeking incarnation) by the fixed [402] desire, growing steadily stronger, to follow the wheel of re-birth; on the reversed progress around the zodiac, the struggle is to overcome and destroy all that has been so laboriously achieved upon the ordinary wheel and to demonstrate in Scorpio (through the terrific tests there applied) that the form no longer controls but that the lessons learnt through the use of the form have been retained; the struggle is to achieve initiation in Capricorn and thus release the soul from the revolving wheel and achieve final liberation from the thralldom of desire and from form control of any kind.

This is curiously emphasised by the rulers of the decanates in this sign. Both the astrologers, Leo and Sepharial, practically and to all intents and purposes, agree in their assignment of planets to govern the triple aspects of the sign. They only vary exoterically on one point for Sepharial gives the Moon as governing the second decan whilst Leo gives Venus as ruling the first decan. However, Venus and the Moon are often used interchangeably and both express or emanate the same basic energy of active intelligence in its higher and lower aspects. One expresses intelligent love and the other the intelligence of matter; this dual emphasis is concerned with the dominance of the form nature in the Taurian subject and his release through the Venusian Son of Mind. The Moon or Venus, Mercury and Saturn control the decanates and our consideration of these planets in the other signs will have indicated to you their right interpretation, both here and elsewhere. Form life, intelligent activity, and intense struggle summarises the Taurian problem, whilst Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods, reminds the struggling man that he must become ever what he essentially is, thus escaping from illusion and entering into light.

Keynotes of this sign are, as usual, clear in their implications. [403] One states the note of the form aspect, "Let struggle be undismayed." The Word of the form is to take, grasp and go courageously after that which is desired. The Word of the Soul is, "I see and when the Eye is opened, all is light." The eye of the cosmic Bull of God is open and from it light pours radiantly forth upon the sons of men. The eye of vision of the individual man must likewise open in response to this cosmic light. Hence victory is inevitable for the potency of cosmic energy will unfailingly and in time subdue and re-orient the energy of humanity.

We have now considered briefly and yet I believe instructively certain of the subjective influences and significances of the twelve signs of the zodiac. We have touched upon their mutual inter-relation and their planetary interplay and have sought to portray the reactions of humanity to these multiple energies and forces. These forces, pouring out from cosmic sources, find their way into our solar system, being attracted thereto through analogous quality or—under the Law of Contradictions or the Law of Contraries—find their way to certain planets. Thus they affect and condition units of life upon each of these receiving planets. We have seen man incited to progress by the nature of the forces of divine attraction and have noted the differing divine qualities which this play of energies evokes in humanity—as well as in all other forms of life. We have perhaps emphasised almost to the point of bewilderment the vast aggregation of impelling energies which play throughout our cosmos; individual man may well be stunned by a sense of his helplessness and his unique futility. But this is only due to the relatively undeveloped state of his "receiving apparatus." When thus bewildered let him remember that potentially he possesses the creative ability to build and gradually to develop a better mechanism of reception which [404] will enable him finally to be responsive to all impacts and to every type of divine energy. This capacity is indestructible and is itself a divine focus of energy which must and will without fail carry forward the good undertaken under the inspiration of The Great Architect of the Universe. He fashions all things to a divinely foreseen end and in this sign—through His agents, Venus and Vulcan, typifying the form and the soul—will lead man from the unreal to the real.