Leo and the Experience of Self-Awareness

LEO AND THE EXPERIENCE IN SELF-AWARENESS

Eduardo Gramaglia

When the universe is seen as a living organism, it becomes easier to understand that the motions of the celestial bodies, cyclic by nature, condition and have an influence on all kingdoms in nature; The planets, stars and constellations to which we attribute some astrological influence upon human affairs are living beings subject to a cyclic return, just as the human being. They are pursuing their own evolutionary paths, and have their own inner natures, their own notes, their presence and position having therefore a definite influence, on all else in Space. All stars and planets are conscious Beings and therefore have their own ray nature, their own “sound”, within the “Harmony of the Spheres”. This is perhaps the reason why Astrology is so helpful in understanding the different types of energies and influences acting on all kingdoms. The Tibetan once called astrology “the greatest and oldest of all sciences”; to this he added that this science “must be restored to its original beauty”. Essentially, Astrology is “the purest presentation of occult truth at this time”; and all these points of view concur with Blavatsky’s extreme and curious statement, that ancient esoteric astrology was as far above modern astrology as the zodiacal signs and the planets are above the street lamp-posts. Millennia of astrological studies have but only revealed its outer garments, though it seems that the “Astrology of the soul” is yet to come. We will be working with the energies of Leo this month. In the zodiac - according to H. P. B., one of the deepest mysteries of this universe - we find inscribed the whole story of the human being, as well as that of the spiritual disciple. After the mass experience of Cancer comes the self-consciousness of Leo, these are two important chapters of the story of the incarnated human soul. Let us therefore give some thought to this sign. As the word “cosmos” means both order and beauty, we are not surprised to hear that many secrets are found in numbers. God geometrizes, and this universe is in some mysterious way made up of numbers. Numbers reveal an important triangle of energies of which Leo is one point. Leo is the fifth sign, and in some way related to Capricorn, the tenth sign, being – as it were – a middle point between the emergence in Aries and the summit of initiation in Capricorn. Another numerical relationship emerges when we compare Leo with the eighth sign, Scorpio. Leo, the fifth sign of the zodiac, counting from Aries via Taurus, is also the eighth sign, counting from Aries via Pisces. Eight is the number of the Christ, or the indwelling reality, we are told. Esoteric Astrology is essentially a Science of 2 Triangles, and we have here a triangular combination of the energies of Leo, Scorpio and Capricorn involving the human experience and indicating three important crisis points in the unfolding of consciousness: 1- The unity of a self-conscious and integrated personality, Leo 2- The consciousness of duality the disciple has to face, Scorpio 3- The group consciousness of the initiate, Capricorn. Can we see how these three signs indicate this path from intense self-awareness to the point at which the personality begins to be recognized as an instrument of the soul, thus experiencing a deep sense of duality? As soon as the burning ground of Scorpio is trodden, and the Hydra is conquered by being lifted up in the air, the mountain of initiation is seen, where a whole transfiguration of the human being takes place. In Astrology, each sign is said to be ruled by a planet or star, which is found of so congenial a nature that it acts as its transmitter and messenger as it moves through the whole Zodiac. Leo is ruled by the Sun at all levels, exoteric, esoteric and hierarchical. This means that this star which is the center of our solar system can be considered to take care of the affairs of this sign at all levels: that of the ordinary human being identified with form; that of the spiritual disciple who has become conscious of her/his soul; and that of the initiate who works within the ranks of the spiritual hierarchy. The Sun is considered to be the source of physical consciousness, soul awareness and spiritual life. This is why esoterically we speak of the physical sun, the heart of the sun and the central spiritual sun, three aspects of the nature of that great Being who is the center of our solar system, in the same way as the human being is considered to be a personality, a soul and a spirit. In turn, the heart of the Sun, its soul, so to say, employs the planet Neptune as its agent; and the Central Spiritual Sun pours its energies through the planet Uranus. In a way, this triangle of planets corresponds to the triangle Leo, Scorpio, Capricorn we mentioned before. The visible Sun influences the personality life, while the heart of the Sun gives birth to the Christ, born within the cave of the heart, thus ushering in the stage of discipleship, when that other Self behind the personal identity is unveiled, and the influences of the spiritual planet Neptune are felt. When the sixth-ray planet Neptune is active, the emotion-desire of the personality is transmuted into loveaspiration and the entire sensitive nature becomes responsive to the energies coming from the heart of the sun. Such a beautiful picture, isn’t it? Even if we do not 3 understand its details, we gather that we are gradually becoming responsive to subtler and more impersonal energies, and what we thought was the self begins to be recognized as an instrument of the real Self, the soul. If the Sun stands for full self-consciousness, Neptune is that mystical consciousness, that sensitivity which leads to a higher vision. Eventually, this sensitivity will be replaced by a higher type: the consciousness of Uranus, which will enable the human being to perform real magic on the physical plane. This path in consciousness is within ourselves. Through Uranus we see the intimate connection between Leo and its opposite sign, Aquarius. We may picture it in our minds as a constant and never-ending flow of energy between Leo and Aquarius, the sign of the new age. Uranus is said to exoterically “rule” Aquarius, therefore its influence is lessened in Leo, the opposite sign. It is as if Leo were its less congenial nature, we could think of it as a house or place in the sky where Uranus feels not at home, but uncomfortable, not welcome, as it were. The Tibetan gives a highly esoteric explanation for this: The power of the mind, as symbolized by Uranus, is lessened, for it is not the mind which is in control, but the Self, the Soul, using and controlling the mind. Conversely, the power of the Sun, the ruler of Leo, is diminished in Aquarius, where the light of the personality is put out, dimmed, so to say, by the light of the subjective Sun, influencing the soul. This is another way of saying that in Leo, the center of consciousness is oneself, while in Aquarius the disciple becomes outgoing and pours the water of life into the human world, thus becoming a world server. We once said that Hercules, whom we called the greatest hero of all Greek heroes, is the symbol of the disciple who performs tasks and undergoes tests in its training. Hercules, is a solar myth, namely, a narrative which we can in some way relate by analogy with the path of the sun through the heavens. He represents one of those sun-gods who are struggling with the problems that will draw out the full powers of the soul. In other words, he proceeds through each gate as the Sun is seen to move through the Zodiac, each sign bringing in a new challenge to overcome, until he becomes a full-grown initiate. Hercules must fight animals which have some extraordinary attribute that makes them exceptionally difficult to overcome. In Leo he faces the killing of the Nemean lion. A few words about this task will help us understand Leo’s challenge a bit more. This lion is invulnerable to wounds, and its skin cannot be pierced by arrows or sword. The cave in which the lion is found has two openings, one leading into a dark corridor, the other into the light of day. Herakles blocks one of the entrances with 4 piles of sticks, and then faces the lion. He chokes the lion to death with bare hands, and then uses its own claws to skin it, and after he has skinned the beast, he takes the lion’s skin as his cloak, and this becomes his most recognizable attribute and art, Hercules normally carries his club, and wears his lion-skin cloak, and the cloak is often shown with Herakles’ face looking out from between the lion’s jaws, so the lion’s head becomes the hood of his cloak. But this time, just as he would do in Scorpio, he will not use his God-given club, but his bare hands, which I find a beautiful symbol of the disciple finally cutting out the root of evil, and this he must do by himself, without any external help. Now, what does the Nemean lion symbolize? It symbolizes the powerful personality running wild and devastating the environment. When an integration of the forces that constitute the personality has been attained, the human being often becomes a difficult and trying person, one of those strongly-oriented personalities who “devastate” our human environment, and I wonder how many politicians are found within this category. This seems to be a necessary stage in our human development. As for the cave with two entrances, the Tibetan gives us a highly interesting interpretation: The cave is the symbol of the pituitary body, an endocrine gland closely associated with the spiritual awakening. This gland has two lobes (symbolizing both openings of the cave), one of which the disciple must close before the higher mind can take control of the personality. He must use the opening which leads to the light, to a selfless life. In astrological terms, the disciple must discover the way out of the dramatic center; he must attune himself with the state of consciousness represented by those two planets, Neptune and Uranus, which the Sun veils. Can we see what this means? Behind self-awareness and personal identity lies the way out of the labyrinth of form, that path to the Kingdom of God. When the lion of the personality has been conquered and skinned, we see Hercules, the spiritual disciple, wearing it as a cloak, it has become his vesture, his clothing, and his real face is seen looking out from between the lion’s jaws. The real self now shines through the personality and he is now a center of peace, because he has conquered his own monsters. This can only take place when the disciple has moved from the dramatic center signified by the physical Sun, and become receptive to the soul energies of the heart of the sun, channeled through the planet Neptune. After what is technically called “Third Initiation”, he/she will be ready to become receptive to the energies of the Central Spiritual Sun, represented by the planet Uranus, also the ruler of Aquarius. At this stage he becomes a Magician, an occultist. 5 This shift from personal identity to a higher identification lies in the heart of several ancient mantras, such as Soham, or “I am That”; Tat tvam asi, or “you are that”; and “Tat Brahman asmi”, or “I am that Brahman”; the disciple immediately adding “tat karma asmi”, or “I am the work”, thus alluding to his commitment to help in furthering the Plan, as a result of his change in polarization. These mantras have a close resemblance with Leo’s keynote, with which we will be working as we approach the full moon period: “I am That, and That am I”. And let us not forget that the universal and group energies of Aquarius are also activated, given the interplay of energies between these two opposite signs. As we move into the Aquarian Age, one can expect that a further revelation on Astrology will someday become possible, mainly being Aquarius a sign related to the etheric web of the planet, to universal brotherhood, and to Astrology itself. Astrology will eventually be restored to its original beauty. “The time is coming… when Astrology will recover its ancient dignity as sublime science”. We are also told in Esoteric Astrology, that new teachings on Astrology, among other subjects, will come after 2025, which seems to be a crucial year, and it is just round the corner. According to the Tibetan, the new astrology will deal with significance and meaning; in other words, with inner causes. That is why it is said to be “esoteric”.