"The esotericist, or Astro-philosopher, who meets his personal experiences with courage and fortitude,
fulfills them to the best of his ability and through regeneration of his
negative impulses purifies his intuitions and illuminates his Inner Knowledge,
conditions himself to be a 'Light-thrower' into the darkened areas of
another's consciousness."
We use the word anniversary to designate a
timing for the expressions of our appreciation of life. To those we love,
admire, and respect we do not give gifts simply because these persons have
succeeded in living a certain number of years — because it is natural for
everyone to remain on this plane as long as he can. We give gifts at our
festival occasions to express our appreciation that those we love (whose
vibratory qualities represent our ideals) have remained here with us. We love,
admire, and respect certain people because their vibratory quality is such
that it stimulates something of our finer, regenerate consciousness; contact
with these persons "ignites" our perception of the Light that abides in each
of us and of which we are the manifested expressions on this plane.
All ceremonies pertaining to the spacing of human
experience originate in the primeval impulse to recognize the principles of
life in their rhythmic expression during our years here. Since mankind tends
to objectify consciousness, festivals and symbolic ceremonies are used to
interpret man's awareness of life-processes. It will be observed that all
peoples have their own particular ways of presenting their interpretations of
life; some are joyous and rhapsodic in quality, others are dignified and
solemn. Ceremonies and festivals are dramatizations of mankind's emotional
reactions to the phenomena of life and his giving is an expression of his
appreciation and/or sympathies.
At the festival of Easter mankind, according to place
and time, celebrates his joy-in-living — the primordial response to awareness
of his on-going as a physical manifestation; his gratitude for the Earth as a
physical expression of beauty in its flowering, fragrance, and promise of
fruition. This is the occasion when mankind celebrates the Ascendant of the
horoscope — the renewing of the I am consciousness, the upward glance, the
forward impulse. The reference to the Ascendant of the horoscope pertains to
the dynamic, energizing quality of the sign Aries, the Ascendant-sign of the
abstract horoscope of the entity, humanity. The Easter-festival, regardless of
its varied forms and rituals, is mankind's "song of confidence in Life," the
indestructible faith in universal good that makes possible his equally
indestructible determination to progress. Easter is the timing in each year-
period to re-charge our own — and others' — consciousness with renewed vitality,
renewed courage, renewed awareness of the Divine Potential, and renewed
joyousness in the releasements and expressions of that potential. The story of
the Resurrection is the drama of liberation; our gift-giving at this season is
our appreciation of the liberating agency of Spirit as it manifests through
those we love, and the liberation which their love and encouragement has meant
in our lives. Easter is the "decrystallizing" function of Spirit, and in the
horoscope it is symbolized by the vibration and action of the planet Uranus
and the function of the sextile aspect between two planets to decrystallize a
congestion made by either or both of them to other planets. The transmutation
of quality of one — or both — squared or opposed planets permits a
redistribution of the planetary energies for more constructive expression.
This is the "Resurrection" in the life of each human who progresses
spiritually. Our "Easter gift," as Astro-philosophers, is our contribution of
insight to unraveling the congestions of our fellows and assisting them to
redirect themselves onto higher levels of consciousness and expression.
The birthday celebration of an individual is an
appreciation — by his loved ones and friends — of the way he expresses the ruler
of his Ascendant. This planet, whatever and wherever in the chart, is the
symbol of self-awareness and personality-potential. Our giving of gifts at
such a time is our expression of appreciation for the Light which that person
represents in our lives — as a "spark of the Divine Light." We must be grateful
for the efforts made by those close to us to improve their vibratory qualities
and expressions; their improvements assist us to make ours since their best
ignites our best. We objectify our appreciation by a material return —
something that will lift further the consciousness of the appreciated person.
It is not known by the writer whether occasions
comparable to "Mother's Day" and "Father's Day" have been celebrated by other
races or if they are, uniquely, American festivals. However, in composite,
they are the "festival of the fourth and tenth houses" — the vertical diameter
of the horoscope, the dynamic Essence of the universe. In appreciation of the
people it commemorates, we signify our reverential awareness of Love-
radiation, Sacrifice, Nurture, and Protectiveness which are the inherent
regenerate "bases" of the parental principles. We lovingly give a gift to
Mother and Dad on "their day" to express our appreciation to them as
individuals who, in Love-service, provided us with incarnation, protected and
guided us in our years of growing. But we appreciate something of which Mother
and Dad are individual human expressions: the nutritive and protective forces
of Life itself. Mothers and Dads who are truly loved and respected by their
children are so because they, in themselves, symbolize the overshadowing
protection of Divine Forces; their service of sacrificial Love is a human
counterpart of all out-giving for the perpetuation and on-going of human life.
When, indeed, has Mankind not celebrated, in ceremony,
the union of two who love each other? The festival of marriage is the
dramatization of the horizontal diameter of the horoscope, the cusps of the
first and seventh houses. The ecstasy and inspiring beauty of love-union is
the agency by which mankind is most intensely alerted to the existence of his
ideal self — ignited in his consciousness by the virtues and graces of the
person who represents his or her complement. The human heart responds with
utter joy to the "beauty that is Love" and those persons who have lived this
beauty in the marital relationship stand as symbols, in human form, of the
eternalness of beauty itself. We respond with a sense of deep rapture to the
exalted vibration of a wedding ceremony — and the radiant happiness of the new
wife and husband bring forth our most sincere wishes that their experience
together will be happy and successful in every way. Because of the quality of
spirit that they display, we appreciate couples who make a true success of
marriage because they have lived the truth of loving and we are grateful to
them for what they represent. The Astro-philosopher "celebrates the horizontal
diameter" whenever he learns something from the best of other people and
incorporates those qualities into his own living. The other person represents
the seventh house — the complement; he is the Ascendant — the I am; the fusion
of the best of the complement into the I am consciousness is what the marriage
ceremony really symbolizes — the rounding out of personal consciousness into a
more complete and perfect whole. As wives and husbands, Astro-philosophers re-
live the love that united them whenever they seek to emulate the virtues and
regenerate qualities of their partners: and they use the symbolic patterning
of their horoscopes to clarify the inner meanings of their union and to gain
perspectives on how each can help, teach, and guide the other.
Though it is not credited with the scope of meaning
implied by Easter or Christmas, the festival of St. Valentine's Day is a
charming occasion which celebrates the fifth house of the horoscope and the
sign Leo. This is the "song of the young in heart," the "star-shine of love,"
the warm and gracious impulse of the human heart to appreciate the beauties
and virtues of the opposite sex, the recognition of the dawning of emotional
fulfillment. Gifts of flowers and sweets are offered as expressions of the
"feelings of sweetness" in our hearts to those who represent our ideal of
loveliness and charm. The radiant quality implied by the sign Leo is that from
which our Love consciousness warms and blesses the lives of those who are dear
to us — we express to these persons our appreciation for the ideal which they
represent to us. The young woman or young man who is beloved is a human symbol
of Life's beauty in the eyes of the one who loves and the message that is
presented by the sign Leo is that of: "live by loving;" "keep your heart
renewed and refreshed by warm impulses of affection; "keep your perception of
beauty alive by loving the finest in the other person." The daily gift of our
heart's finest impulses toward beautiful living in relationship, the
enchantment of harmonious togetherness and the inspiration of ever-renewed
awareness of the Light which is inherent in the consciousness of the loved one
is the true celebration of St. Valentine's Day — the annual gift of flowers (or whatnot) is simply the outer expression of that which the human heart should
express continually toward the loved one; it is our appreciation of that which
the person represents to us as an ideal of our hearts.
The composite festival, in the sign Scorpio, of
Halloween — October 31 — and All Saints' Day — November 1 — has a much more solemn implication; it is the "Esotericist's Festival."
Halloween, in later days, has become a festival of
"fancy-dress and monkey-shines" — a far cry from the deeply spiritual
significance which it had originally. Its perpetuation through history has
been an expression of mankind's awareness of life on the inner planes and its
astrological pattern, through the sign Scorpio, is the eighth house — the
regeneration of evil into Good — the arch-symbol of the Powers of the White
Esotericist. Halloween is, according to old traditions, the one night of the
year when those dead are granted respite from the bondage of their graves and
freedom to roam the habitations of the living. The picturing of witches,
devils, skeletons, and all such weird creatures are dramatizations, by man's
imagination, of his awareness of the earth-bound and condemned; they symbolize
his fear of the unknown — unknown because not understood. The sequence of
Halloween with All Saints' Day completes the meaning of this festival: the
conquest of the forces of darkness (fear and ignorance) by the Forces of Light
(Virtue and Truth). In this connection, and at this point, a word of deepest
appreciation to:
Mr. Walt Disney, whose work in motion-pictures has
proved him to be one of the greatest agencies for inspiring the heart of
humanity in the world today. In the last two parts of his monumental work
"Fantasia" — "Night On Bald Mountain" and "Ave Maria" — Mr. Disney and his
colleagues have presented this "Scorpionic Festival" in magnificently dramatic
form. We see the shades of Egos who, while on earth, became congested in
negative qualities of pride lust, greed, cruelty, wrath, and envy. In
"Fantasia" the characters which serve to represent these qualities live in a
world where all is dark, smoky, fetid, painful, and anguished. These levels of
consciousness, in any human being, are truly the hell-realms, and in such, we
are lost in the power of the Prince of Darkness, hopeless and lacking self-
direction. The luminous music of "Ave Maria" introduces the advent of dawn
which is the Light of Truth, Purity, and Virtue, dispelling the perverse and
dark conditions and powers of the "Black Angel." The esotericist, or Astro-
philosopher, who meets his personal experiences with courage and fortitude,
fulfills them to the best of his ability and through regeneration of his
negative impulses purifies his intuitions and illuminates his Inner Knowledge,
conditions himself to be a "Light-thrower" into the darkened areas of
another's consciousness. We may give parties and enjoy games and fun on
Halloween and go to church in tribute of reverence to our saints the nest
morning, but we celebrate, as philosophers, this occasion in our daily living
when we regenerate and qualify ourselves to be givers of Light to
humanity. Every Astro-philosopher has a particular planetary condition as the
ruling agency of his eighth house — and this planet gives him the key as to the
principal requirements of his regenerative experiences. Each effort in this
direction contributes more light into the collective vibratory body of
humanity — it is the great spiritual gift by which the part contributes to the well-being of the whole.
The great festival of Christmas is the most
"Composite" of all of our present day celebrations. It is the dramatization of
mankind's most profound spiritual realizations, hopes, ideals, and
aspirations — the focal-point for expressing love for his fellow-man.
It is remarkable that the story of the first
Christmas involves in its presentation life on this plane from the "lowly
beasties" to the angelic hosts — the complete range of life-expressions from
the most humble to the most exalted. Kings and wise men, humble shepherds, the
angelic voices, the transfigured human parents — all grouped around the
representation of Divine Spirit embodied in the purity of the new-born child.
This festival is the dramatization of the eleventh and twelfth houses of the
Abstract Horoscope as the impulse behind the manifestation of the
cardinal cross; the symbol made by the vertical and horizontal diameters of
the wheel is the Mighty Symbol of Incarnation.
The eleventh house is spiritualized universal Love-consciousness — the polarization — or higher octave — of the fifth house. Its
abstract rulership by Uranus is Love for all, Love that recognizes no
limitations or hindrances, Love that decrystallizes and transforms all limited
conditions. The twelfth house is the voice of redemption — the
impulse (and necessity) to reincarnate for further fulfillment through
evolutionary processes and experiences. That which is manifested by the powers
of these two houses is the expression, in material dimension, of the bi-polar
vehicle through which the latent Godhood is revealed. "...and He took upon
Himself the likeness of a man" is the statement of Spirit manifested, and it
pertains to the appearance of every Life-expression on this plane.
In the consciousness of humanity, the symbol of a
child has always represented the innocence of a new start; in the
adoration of the Child who was to be Christed, we see the dramatization of
mankind's up-looking to the vision of its own forgotten purity. Our hearts are
deeply touched by the vibratory power of this festival because, all over the
world, the joyousness and well-being of children and, in general, all people
who are dependent, are focal-points of our emotional attention. We seek to
manifest the power of benevolence to make better the conditions of others.
Since incarnations are taking place every day all
over the world we realize that spirit, manifesting, is an endless
process and the Principle of Light, incarnate, is implied by every birth on
this plane. Our giving of gifts at this season is our dramatization of homage
to the Divine which is manifesting through myriads of forms through the entire
cycle of evolution and our expressions of friendliness and good-will toward
our brothers and sisters constitute our recognition of them as expressions
of divine light, and divine love.
The reality of Christmas can only be perpetuated if we function in this consciousness daily — never to lose sight of the
essential light in all other human beings. The continued expression of
such consciousness makes more and more evident the underlying meaning of the
statement that: "He came that the Kingdom of Peace and Righteousness would be
established on Earth." As with the Teacher, so with us; we are all agencies of
this illumining and transfiguring power; our reverence for the Child, His
human parents and the Angelic Hosts is our reverence for the
love and the light which enfolds us all.
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