In the cosmic dawn when human physical form was in a very elementary stage, and the angels worked to make it a more complete vehicle of expression for the Virgin Spirits which had left the heavenly Father and unity, seeking concrete embodiment and separate existence, they turned the creative force from the generative organs ruled by Scorpio into a new center, which became the larynx and is ruled by the sign opposite Scorpio, Taurus. Then the purely animal instinct, which impels every creature to perpetuate its kind, was partially diverted into a higher channel; intercourse was not limited to a union of bodies, but communion of souls by the spoken word became a possibility. Thus the first step toward Atonement was taken when both arms of the fixed cross were energized.
To further bind humanity together cosmic agencies generated the ardent affection commonly called love, and focused it upon the heart through the third fixed sign, Leo, which rules that vital organ. But though the brutal, animalistic force originally focused in Scorpio has been elevated and refined by the rays of Taurus, it is still contaminated with selfish desire, nor is this eradicated in the still higher expression of affection through Leo. We love our fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, our children, and our country; we love them even if they are not all we would wish, simply because they are our kin and our country. But our hearts do not beat high for the relatives of other people or for the people of other countries.
Neither are we satisfied to love our kindred and unselfishly help them, but we demand a return of love from those near and dear to us; the closer they are to our hearts the more we exact from them. We do not really seek their happiness, but feel that because we love them they are in duty bound to defer to our wishes in every respect, regardless of their own inclinations. If they refuse to conform, we may consider it the acme of heartlessness, and feel abused to the limit of human endurance or beyond.
The generative force focused in Scorpio imprisons the human spirit in a body and makes it the slave of matter from the cradle to the grave. Taurus, the opposite pole, is the focus of forces which vitalize the larynx. Through that organ the imprisoned spirit may voice its hopes and fears, its love and its longing to be free, free as the viewless air it resembles in nature.
In Leo the primal passion has a higher potency and a greater power to further fetter or to free the spirit, for in Leo this force functions on a loftier level. Focused through Scorpio it can only bind the spirit to a body, and as such a vehicle lasts only a few score years, the binding power of the primal passion in the physical world is comparatively insignificant; but when transmuted to ardent affection in Leo it operates in the spiritual spheres where neither birth nor death serves to abrogate or release from its influence. There it binds spirit to spirit, and the tie may last for many lives. It often furthers progress, but also often hinders whom it binds, both here and hereafter. Therefore Christ said, that unless we are ready to leave father and mother, we cannot be His disciples.
He did not mean that we must leave our relatives physically or neglect then, but the inordinate Leo affection which excludes all but our relations from our love must cease. We must learn to love unselfishly so that our love may help and not hinder those upon whom we bestow it, and that it may emancipate and not enslave. We must learn to give our love regardless of whether it is returned or not. This superlative emotion comes through the fourth of the fixed signs, Aquarius.This is the 11th sign of the zodiac, correlated to the 11th house, which deals with the department of Friends in life, also hopes and aspirations. What wonder, then, that Christ designated friendship as the highest expression of the emotion we usually call love, when He said; Greater love has no man than that he lay down his life for his friends.
The old folk stories which tell of the Niebelungen, or "Children of the Mist," refer to infant humanity during the stage in evolution when we lived in the dense, foggy atmosphere of ancient Atlantis. Ruled by Jehovah, whose forces were focused through the Moon and the water sign Cancer, humanity was guileless and easily swayed by the angels. They were also obedient to the Lords of Venus, who fostered their calm and innocent affections. Thus Luna, the heavenly body which has greatest influence on the water of our globe, and the cardinal sign of the watery triplicity, Cancer (Scorpio and Pisces are the others), cradled our emotions, and to this day water remains the esoteric symbol of the emotional nature.
As we may see ourselves in the silvery surface of a lake on a calm day, so also the spirit most readily mirrors itself in the personality when we are serene and unruffled. In those ancient days infant man, pure and innocent (but not virtuous), saw the gods face to face. Later the Lucifer Spirits from Mars, working through the cardinal sign of the fiery triplicity, Aries (Leo and Sagittarius are the others), made men headstrong (Aries rules the head) and rebellious against their rulers, the angels. They also fostered the sex passion; therefore Mars and Scorpio rule the generative organs. Thus the calm of the emotional nature was fundamentally disturbed, and it has by degrees become as a seething cauldron, astir with strife and struggle. Therefore it can no longer reflect the spirit any more than a windswept sea can mirror a man or a ship afloat thereon.
Thus mankind destroyed its spiritual sight and lost touch with the gods when the turbulent emotions were generated under the ray of Scorpio. These emotions hid the beyond from us, and until we learn to subdue and control our passions and cultivate the peace of God in our breasts, we cannot penetrate the veil of the hereafter, not hear "the still small voice" which speaks in the silence after the winds, the fires, and other earthly disturbances have ceased.
The way of attainment is symbolically engraved in the pictorial zodiac. Aquarius appears as a man in the act of pouring water from an urn. By a light motion he may tip the urn a little more or a little less to regulate the flow; it is perfectly balanced. Therefore he represents the enlightened soul who has obtained control of his passions, emotions, and appetites. They are contained in his urn, hence they no longer blind, befog, or obscure his vision as in the Atlantean Epoch; hence also Aquarius is not a watery but an airy sign. Neither is it emotional like Cancer, but intuitional, for the true Aquarian knows without reasoning. The human sympathy, the fellow feeling, the friendship signified by the 11th sign and the 11th house are the true essence of the Christ Spirit which will eventually abrogate the primal separateness, accomplish the atonement, transform the world, and make the new heaven and the new earth a reality.
The keyword of Aquarius is therefore altruism, and this is also the keyword of Uranus, its ruler. This planet was at home from 1913 to 1920, and it is significant that though war and strife have been rampant, the effort to bring "peace on earth" is gaining strength with amazing rapidity. Advocates of amity among nations are hailed as saviors with universal acclamation. The Sun by precession is also nearing Aquarius, and will remain there 2100 years. Thus all cosmic forces are working for altruism and a loftier expression of the Christian Religion — Universal Friendship.
The keyword of the Sun is life. While we are under the Moon and Cancer, family is first and the individual last; but the Sun in Aquarius has a tendency to exalt the self somewhat unduly. Therefore egoism is a fault to be guarded against by those who have the Sun in Aquarius.
The keyword of the Moon is fecundation. It is restless, and therefore the Moon in Aquarius or the 11th house causes a restless seeking for truth and light. People with this position should endeavor to settle down to sustained effort in the occupation nearest at hand. Sir Launfal found the Grail at his castle gate when returning from a life spent in vain search for it all over the world. Christ is formed from within; He is not found exteriorly.
As the keyword of Mercury is reason and altruism is contrary to ordinary reason, Mercury in Aquarius is critical and cynical; it sharpens the intellect, however, and gives a good flow of language.
The keyword of Venus is coalition, and in the 11th sign of the 11th house it causes friends to flock around us; it makes us loving and lovable.
The keynote of Mars is dynamic energy. It lends force and provokes action wherever placed. When in Aquarius or the 11th house it makes us rough and blunt towards friends; though we may mean well, we seem invariably to ruffle those we really like, and much suffering results.
The keywords of Jupiter are benevolence and idealism. This planet is therefore in particular agreement with Aquarius and the 11th house. Happy the soul who has earned a well aspected Jupiter in either, for he is sure to have a great influence for good in a wide circle.
The real functions of Saturn are constructive: that is, they include the qualities which constitute sound character, create success, and put the person on the constructive side of Nature through application and continued effort. These qualities are as follows:
First, mental: concentration and power of analysis when working through Mercury.
Saturn gives us the building qualities - that is, the qualities by which we can built an edifice to withstand the storms of evolution. Saturn is pre-eminently a builder. The other planets bring success more through inspiration, by which a person is led to do the successful thing at the proper time, but Saturn goes to work and builds success, little by little, patiently, persistently, and carefully. However, when a person works for self to the exclusion of others, Saturn's constructiveness builds a shell around him and puts obstruction in his way. This results in limitation and sorrow is the result. As humanity is still very selfish, this aspect of Saturn is to be seen on every side. Under the influence of selfishness, Saturn contracts and crystallizes the vehicles of the Ego, which automatically shuts out good. The person then encounters opposition from others because he is demonstrating that he is, at least subconsciously, an enemy of them. If we abuse Saturn, we get bad results from him, but as a matter of fact he is the initiator. He presents conditions which appear to be temptations, but when the individual has progressed to the point where he refuses to be tempted, then he has developed the power through which he may be initiated into the higher realms.
Question:
(You are welcome to e-mail your answers and/or comments to us.
Please be sure to include the course name and Independent Study Module number in your e-mail to us. You will find the answers to the questions below in the next Astrology Independent Study Module.)
1. Only a few very old people (in 1912) have Neptune in Aquarius, so it would be futile to explain its influence there; but please tell me what you think would be the effect of Saturn in Aquarius and the 11th house?
Our View of
Astrology
Any treatise on Astrology which deals only with planetary effects and makes no mention of the spiritual causes behind these effects gives the impression of fatalism.
But when one looks at Astrology from the standpoint of evolution, its whole aspect is changed, and one sees each individual Ego as a spark of the Divine Flame working toward a glorious unseen goal under the play of these tremendous cosmic forces, molding his destiny from moment to moment by his every thought.
It is perfectly true that we cannot escape the experiences which we have generated by thoughts, feelings, and actions of past lives. They are a bullet which has been shot from a gun. We ourselves chose the target, aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. But the Spirit is absolutely free to meet these self-generated experiences as it will......free to intensify every discord in the body or in the outer circumstances of the life by continuing the habits of thought which have produced it, or free to break the old habits and turn all the power of the being into the effort to attune thoughts and feelings to the glorious rhythms and harmonies of the universe. When this attunement has been made our difficulties will melt like snow before the sun.
The making of this attunement is therefore the one important task in every life and whether we know it or not, every constructive thought is carrying us toward the solution of our problems toward freedom from sickness and confusion, and is bringing us nearer to the moment when we shall be capable of glimpsing the divine plan and entering with joy and power into the working out of our individual part of this plan.
You will seen then it makes a tremendous difference whether we lie down under our difficulties and brood over them or whether we gird ourselves with courage and set about correcting the things which are wrong within ourselves. We alone are to do the correcting, and when we make the effort we connect ourselves directly with the powerful forces of good which are working everywhere to right all wrong conditions. The conditions which have been built into our being for many lives cannot be undone in a day or a year, but once we have allied ourselves with the divine purpose of Good, our whole being is flooded with joy and courage, and every task is lightened.
We all have in us the power to rise above our difficulties if we will but cease to sound the petty, discordant, or tragic lower tones which perpetuate them, and turn to the higher possibilities within ourselves. These will respond equally well if we but make the sustained effort to start them into activity.
Saturn in the 5th house opposition to Jupiter in the 11th house indicates the prospect for children is limited. Taurus, the sign on the cusp of the 5th house is in a fertile sign, but its ruler, Venus, is in the barren sign Leo as is also the Sun. The 11th house appears more promising with the presence of Jupiter, but it cannot become effective until the lessons of responsibility indicated by 5th house Saturn has been fulfilled. Another aspect the student may not be familiar with in this chart is Venus square to Saturn further lessening the possibilities of children, and again indicating needed lessons to be learned through 5th house affairs.
The earth sign Taurus on the 5th house cusp indicates an appreciation of beauty and harmony in the surroundings. Venus as ruler of Taurus could indicate pleasure in the study or pursuit of art and music, but 5th house Saturn could hinder the ability to fully enjoy or accomplish these things. Saturn's presence also indicates a serious and persistent approach to pleasures rather than a superficial or frivolous one.
Sun and Venus in Leo gives a warm and affectionate love nature, but Saturn in 5th house indicates he must cultivate an honest and open expression of his affections.
Supplemental Student
Material:
Saturn's Command:
"Thou Must Fulfill"
This material is offered to all astrological students
in the hope that it will serve to clarify the purposes and mundane
significance of the vibrations of Saturn. It is of vital importance that all
astrologers be able to present to those they assist a constructive
picture of why and for what this planet is as it is in any given
horoscope.
Obstruction, crystallization, disappointment, poverty,
frustration, and the like are the only terms by which some students identify
the vibration of Saturn. We beg to inquire: "How, in the name of everything
that is enlightened, can such terms be used to calm the quivering nerves of
the apprehensive client?" If the horoscopical pattern is to be studied for
solutions to problems, each planetary vibration must be approached from the
standpoint of its significance in the Solar Spectrum and its importance
in the evolution of the Ego. To the degree that we can philosophically
understand why a planet is as it is in the chart under consideration, we are,
mentally and psychologically, so much better able to deal with the problems
and conditions represented.
Saturn is the symbol of the physical plane, through
which all agencies of mind, emotion, and Spirit manifest for evolutionary
purposes. It is the vibration of objectification and manifestation. Its
position in the horoscope shows where the expression of Spirit is most heavily
condensed; the point of greatest responsibility; the area of unfulfillment in
the past, therefore the area of greatest spiritual effort in this incarnation.
(The last phrase explains the exaltation of Mars-energy-in Capricorn, the sign
of Saturn's rulership; Venus, as beauty, is the principle of Perfected
Manifestation, and Saturn is exalted in Libra, sign of Venus' rulership.)
Saturn, the outpost of mundane vibrations, sets the boundaries for every
experience and every cycle of experience. Therefore, the great command of
Saturn is "Thou must fulfill."
Fear is one of the words that is most
frequently used to indicate one of Saturn's principal qualities in negative
expression. Fear is our reaction to any threat to our sense of security or
well-being. That which is spiritually unfulfilled represents insecurity on the
inner planes. So Saturn, afflicting, is the indicator of that which the Ego,
or Higher Self, recognizes as being the most incomplete or the most lacking in
fulfilled expression.
Assisting a client to approach his aspects without
fear is one of the principal purposes and duties of the astro-analyst. When
Saturn aspects are interpreted to represent needs for fulfillment, an
appeal can be made to the person's sense of integrity, self-respect, strength,
courage, and competence. Assist him to feel capable of handling his situations
so that his attitude is constructive. Study his chart carefully so that you
can find soul-agencies by which the needed fulfillments can be most
successfully realized. A good Mars indicates courage, and the ability to work
hard; a good Moon gives the protective impulse; Jupiter denotes benevolence
and abundance; Neptune represents faith and inspiration, etc. Also, the long-
range-viewpoint is particularly applicable to presenting the solution for
Saturn problems. Patience is one of the keywords for a "good Saturn,"
and patience, as a quality, is required to fulfill Saturn aspects — whatever
their nature. When a person uses the virtues of Saturn he tackles the problem
at its roots. To the degree that Saturn comes to represent, in the person 's
mind, certain constructive qualities within does Saturn cease to be
misunderstood as a burden or a frustration.
Saturn never indicates a complete denial of every-
phase of its position, as some students are inclined to think. Its position in
any house shows conclusively that fulfillment, therefore experience in some
form, is of utmost importance. There are as many avenues of experience in each
house as there are meanings of the house. If Saturn implies a denial in some
form, it automatically indicates that fulfillment of that house must be
made in some other form.
To think that Saturn frustrates expression of the
house of its occupancy or rulership is a miscomprehension of the purpose of
its vibration. It indicates that unfulfillment must be overcome by experience.
The frustrating effect of Saturn is shown by the conjunctions, squares, and
oppositions that it makes to other planets. It is the other planet that
must contribute to Saturn's work. The person, in this incarnation, is
compelled by his spiritual necessities — to direct the energies of the other
planet from expression in its own house to the house occupied by Saturn.
Hence, Saturn has been termed the "whiplash of fate," the "heavy hand of
karma," etc. Since there are many types of Saturn's patterns, the "whiplash"
effect is shown in varying degrees by different types of aspects. It is
important to study the chart carefully from this standpoint in order to
understand to what degree the person is, spiritually and psychologically,
"earth-bound."
First, the most earth-bound of all, the conjunction of
Saturn with one of the dynamic planets (Mars, Sun, Jupiter, and Uranus), with
no alleviating sextiles or trines: In this instance, a planet which is
outgoing in expression is compelled to forsake the house of its rulership and
express itself in terms of Saturn's requirements, for fulfillment of the
conditions of its house position and house rulership. Thus, the dynamic planet
is enslaved, "in bondage to earth."
Second, a dynamic planet squared or opposed by Saturn,
with no alleviating aspects: This type of frustration allows much more leeway
for the afflicted planet to express itself than the first instance because it
does have, by influence of house rulership and house occupancy, "room to
breathe." Because no other planetary contacts are "enjoyed" by the dynamic planet, in
this case, its expression has to be made in terms of constructive Saturn
qualities in order that its own negative expressions may be avoided. This
vibration blending does, then, give the planet scope for expression in its own
house, and its house of rulership, if otherwise unoccupied, is also activated.
The requirements of Saturn 's house of occupancy are fulfilled much more
satisfactorily and constructively to the degree that the constructive
qualities of the dynamic planet are "poured" into Saturn's house. This process
on the inner planes corresponds to the redirecting of water from its original
or natural flow into the field by irrigating channels. The dynamic energies of
the planet are as life-giving, water to Saturn-Earth. Until this process is
done consciously by positive transmutation, the person will be compelled by
his spiritual necessities to do so — unconsciously — and the result will be the
suffering we call frustration. On the inner planes, Saturn has the first — and
last — word. Progress in the larger sense cannot be made until Saturn's needs
are fulfilled and its expressions perfected.
Third, a dynamic planet, with one sextile, squared by
Saturn which has no other aspects: In this instance, the dynamic planet has
alchemical assistance from the planet that it sextiles; but Saturn, having no
other expressions, acts as a vampire, sustaining itself on the "life blood" of
the dynamic planet. Because the alleviating aspect is a sextile, not a trine,
this aspect seems to indicate a chronic or lifelong condition. If it is not
worked on and worked with, it is easy to perceive the possibility that in the
next incarnation Saturn will also afflict the sextiling planet as well as the
one it now afflicts — a heavy burden!
Fourth, a dynamic planet squared by Saturn, but
having one trine: This repeats, to a degree, example three with the
qualification that the trine promises much more in favor of the Saturn-squared
planet. This example may indicate also a lifelong condition, but the dynamic
planet will have much more capacity for self-expression and compensating
factors for the Saturn square can be utilized for greater happiness and well-
being. The person or persons represented by Saturn will be the agencies of
restraint and responsibility, but the persons who "tie in" with the trine
aspect will be those who compensate for the deficiencies induced by the Saturn
fulfillments. In every one of these Saturn-patterns, the development of the
constructive qualities of Saturn is the purpose of the aspects.
Fifth, Saturn conjunct or afflicting one of the
negative planets (Moon, Venus, Neptune, or neutral mercury): Saturn, as Earth,
is itself negative or feminine. However, its function, being gravitational,
does imply action or process. ( Capricorn, its sign of rulership, is cardinal,
and so is Libra, its sign of exaltation). In this type of Saturn affliction,
the other planet — particularly Mercury, Venus, or Neptune — needs the dynamic
stimulus of another planet to energize its expression, or serious
crystallization can result. Even a semi-sextile to the afflicted planet must
be considered of value in this case, as it does indicate a start, a reaching-
out for the afflicted planet.
Saturn gives us the clearest picture of our identity
with experience on the physical plane, and thus, serves as a measuring rod of
our progress on the particular cycle of manifestation we are now on. Let us
consider examples of Saturn as cycle-development-indicator.
Saturn unaspected: The start of a neat cycle of earth
experience; there is little "ballast" in the nature, except if Capricorn is
rising, or Saturn is in the first house; scope of expression is indicated by
planets in Capricorn or planets in the house ruled by Saturn. If the latter
conditions are shown in the chart, the promise of a well-aspected Saturn is
indicated for future incarnations if the house of Saturn's occupancy and
dispositing influence are expressed in terms of Saturnian virtues and
constructive qualities.
Saturn with one semi-sextile: A start on the path;
contact has been made with the chart through direct expression with one
planet; the birth of an alchemical agency through the planet aspected.
Saturn with one sextile: A member, in good standing,
of the family of planets; an effective channel for transmutation; agency of
restraint if the aspected planet is dynamic and otherwise unafflicted; promise
of future trine.
Saturn with one square: treated, in part, in the
earlier part of this article; a vampire, drawing energy from the planet
aspected; need to express two-fold constructive qualities through house of
occupancy; this condition of Saturn can indicate a blessing in disguise,
though felt as a frustration, if the chart contains many cardinal and/or
mutable afflictions — in which case the fulfillment requirements of Saturn
serve to give focus and point to energies that would otherwise be disordered
and incoherent. The person who possesses this kind of set-up will redeem the
aspect, and himself, if he lovingly, willingly, and courageously accepts the
opportunities to work and live with his Saturn, not against it in conflict.
Saturn with one trine: the planet aspected has been
productively and harmoniously integrated with Earth; through Saturn 's house,
wisdom has been developed and knowledge can be beneficially expressed to
others; older and more mature people benefit the person through the house of
Saturn 's occupancy — they serve to stimulate that which he has already built
into his pattern; a reliable counter-active to escape tendencies; a trine from
Saturn to any planet is a point of maturity for the planet itself, Saturn, in
this case, is a most effective antagonist for the squares and opposition of
the planet so aspected; a trine aspect of Saturn is a flowering of the
Saturnian virtues.
Saturn with one opposition: a frictional aspect that
draws the energies of the planet aspected into the opposite side of the chart;
a polarizing through responsibility and fulfillment needs; an "exchange of
currents" is indicated by this pattern — each planet needs the virtues of the
other for mutual fulfillments and the establishment of balance on the inner
planes.
Saturn afflicted with various aspects: a varied
development of Saturnian qualities, representing different stages of growth
that has gone on for a longtime. The person with this pattern is well along on
the cycle, much has been learned, much is yet to be learned; integration with
Earth has been made in many different degrees and many types of "Saturn
experience" are indicated for this incarnation; the qualities of the planets
which receive the trines and sextiles from Saturn can be utilized,
alchemically, to harmonize the afflicted planets The person so represented is,
in relation to this cycle, an "old-soul" — give careful analysis and
consideration to his trines in order to gauge his ability to transmute the
squares.
Saturn unafflicted: Saturn identified with other
planets through sextiles and trines is indicative of great development and
soul power. It serves as a counteractive to evil second only in scope to Sun
trine Moon; it is a panacea for any frictional aspecting the horoscope and the
Saturnian virtues can be used as aides to any psychological problem indicated
by other planets; if cadent in a chart containing many frictional aspects in
cardinal signs and houses, its power may remain dormant during the early years
of life, but since it promises much of value in the life of the person, it
will, sooner or later, be activated into full expression; progressed Sun or
Mars square or opposition natal unafflicted Saturn may indicate the period of
activation — the energies of the dynamic planetary thrust can awaken Saturn to
its objectification. A person with such a Saturn should not ignore any
responsibility that comes to him — he has the power to fulfill it and he must
utilize it to direct and give scope to his other planetary conditions. The
person with unafflicted Saturn is blessed with the assistance of those in
authority, and those who are advanced on his particular paths of life
expression. They are truly his "brothers in Spirit," since both he and they
have distilled Wisdom from their response to Saturn's command: "Thou must
fulfill!''
Uranus Commands
"Release!"
As a keynote to this discussion of Uranus, we offer
the following definition of spiritual liberation: those points in evolution
when the Ego, having completely and perfectly fulfilled the requirements of
Saturn — relationships, responsibilities, works, utilizations — automatically
begins to function on progressively more impersonal phases of experience.
The vibration of Uranus provides this process of
"progress after fulfillment." He is the disintegrator of forms, the antidote
to crystallization, the opener of doors. Because of the intensely dynamic
functions that he represents on the emotional plane, Uranus symbolizes the
alchemist, the magician, and the creative artist. He represents the
astrologer, whose impersonal wisdom is the distilled result of alchemical
processes made during the course of wide and varied experiences in love and
relationship.
Of all abstract terms, the word "transcendent" most
concisely describes the nature of Uranus. He transcends blood-relationship
because he himself is the fusion of the fires of polarity which create
relationship in human experience (the ultimate of the emotional triad). He
transcends materiality because his realm is that of the Soul — the "Inner" —
and, as such, is beyond and above those illusions of reality which are so
often ascribed to the material phases of life. He transcends possessiveness of
things and people in any form, for his vibration makes possible that type of
consciousness which recognizes soul power as the only real possession. The
flowering of his vibration represents the transcendence of fear because Love-
Wisdom, the result of experience, abolishes fear.
Aside from the synthesis of sign-position, house-
position, house-rulership, and aspects of Uranus in a given chart, there is
another — and very important — study of his vibration to be made: in
relationship or contrast to the influences and powers of Saturn. The two
planets, by nature and purpose, are antipathetic. Saturn, afflicting,
crystallizes, condenses, limits, and frustrates the possibilities of other
planets. The position of Saturn indicates the path toward inertia. Uranus,
however, provides release as the logical and natural progress following
fulfillments, but when stagnation threatens, he forces open the paths which
have become congested and his electrifying power creates a charge of renewing
life. It is in his afflicting effect on other planets that he seems to act as
a "smasher-up," a destroyer-by-violence, a disrupter and a disorganizer. The
person who does not, or will not, keep in line with progressive measures of
living must, by the laws of progressive evolution, be forced to do so.
With this thought in mind, the astro-analyst will
realize that Uranus does not afflict any planet in a chart unless there is a
karmic tendency toward crystallization to be counteracted. Uranus does not
"shake us up" unless we need to be shaken loose from our inclination to "cling
to form" in some part of our experience. Therefore, to interpret the function
of Uranus, and get the complete picture of his significance in a chart, we
must compare his patterns with those of Saturn.
The perfect example of this conflict is seen in the
aspect of Uranus squared by Saturn, a pattern symbolizing the old versus the
new, bondage versus transcendence, fear versus liberation, the instinct for
safety versus the urge for adventure, creed and race versus universality, the
tribe versus the individual, and orthodoxy versus realization.
The following are a few "pointers" — suggestions for
reading this aspect in different combinations:
1. Both planets otherwise unaspected: In this case,
the two planets must be compared from the standpoint of comparative
"strengths" — dignity, exaltation, elevation, angles, and planetary
dispositorship. Further, either planet gains in power to the degree that the
sex-polarities (masculine: Sun and Mars; feminine: Moon and Venus) and the
solar-lunar polarity are dynamic (Uranus) or passive (Saturn). This must be
found by careful synthesis of sign-quality and aspect-quality. Either Saturn
or Uranus will be found to be the more influential and must be taken as the
"key" to the square aspect, and will be regarded as an "evolutionary
barometer" of this incarnation. The person concerned either clings to the form
side of life and resists change, or he rebels against forms in his search for
broader experience and wider realizations.
2. Saturn otherwise well-aspected: The consciousness
is well integrated in the form side of life. Saturnian virtues; patience,
practicality, utility, etc., have been developed in the past and the urge to
security is strongly developed. Uranus is here seen as a threat to the
orderly, accustomed processes of living, a disturber of the peace, a "defier
of morality," impractical, disreputable, and unreliable. This is how a Saturn
person feels about Uranus people — they just don't fit into his neat, tangible,
"two-times-two-equals-four" universe. In fact, a Uranus person sometimes feels
that two-times-two doesn't make much of anything that's really interesting
3. Uranus otherwise well-aspected: This is a person
who has "lived and loved much." Inner freedom is his range of understanding,
independence of mind and action. The square from Saturn shows that in this
incarnation he must fulfill a certain area of responsibility. In one respect,
at least, he has been "foot-loose" too long. He has abilities — he must
use them; he has knowledge — he must make it available to others; he has
relationship-responsibilities — he must learn to fulfill them willingly
and lovingly. Until he does so, Saturn will hold him in ever-tightening
bondage.
The persons represented by Saturn in the Uranian's
chart will seem, to him, to be "trampers of his style," "millstones around his
neck," and, in general, burdens and crucifixions.. And they will continue to
seem so until he realizes that they serve to give form to his dynamic urges,
to keep him united to the stream of constructive living, to give purpose and
direction to his abilities.
(Incidentally, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of
Christ Jesus symbolize, perfectly, this "conflict" of Saturn and Uranus.
Saturn symbolizes the crystallization of fear and ignorance possessed by the
"world" that sought to kill the Teacher and destroy His influence; Uranus
symbolizes the Divine Purpose of liberation which must, and inevitably will,
release the consciousness of man from stagnant concepts and slavish
ignorance.)
4. Both planets variable: this pattern is best
approached, after synthesizing, from an astro-dynamic standpoint. Either
planet may have been emphasized the more strongly during the years of growth
and maturity. The counteractive agencies to the afflicting aspects will show
as possible neutralizations for the unregenerate qualities of both planets.
The sextiles to each are particularly important, since they show avenues of
potential alchemical developments.
Uranus is electric, magnetic, and the most dynamic of
all the planets. His "conditions," for this reason, must never be interpreted
as superficialities. His conjunction with any planet intensifies the quality
of experience represented by the planet, and a quality of "extremeness" is
shown in that part of the life.
The position of Uranus in the chart shows the source
of potential genius; the benefic aspects, the opportunities for developing
that potential, and the culmination of those developments. The malefic aspects
indicate primarily the need for control and direction, for Uranus, by nature,
is all "out-going," and his urges, if uncontrolled, can result in wastage on
all planes.
Interpret Uranus' conditions from a "largeness"
standpoint. His sorrows are soul agonies; his punishments are catastrophic;
his loves have nothing to do with man-made ceremonies and regulations. They
are volcanics of the heart, the power of which can disrupt any set emotional
pattern and hurl the lover into an entirely new universe. Uranus represents
the intense fusion of emotional polarity which we call "creative power," and
under the stimulus of his electrification, new forms of art, philosophy,
fields of research, etc., are projected into human affairs. Continents are
discovered, concepts of time and space are revised and elaborated, and man,
himself a dynamic unit, finds ever-new worlds within himself.
Uranus stands for our response to that which is new to
us. He is "the way we walk to the opening door, "our ability to see farther,
deeper, higher, lower — and to welcome any form of change (newness) which comes
into our lives. That which was ten years ago called radical, extreme, and
"brand new" has by now been poured into the mold of experience and is
commonplace. That which is really new is that which we recognize as an
unfoldment of areas of consciousness which have never before been tapped.
Since liberation (progress) is a life principle, and
no respecter of sex, Uranus shows in the charts of both men and women as the
urge to freedom. His position shows in which department of experience
the person must have "elbowroom;" where "limitlessness of self-expression" is
sought and obtained. It also shows, since it is the potential of genius, how
the person seeks to assist others in their search for liberation.
In line with the above statement, trines to Uranus
can indicate channels of precocity in children. It is evident that many
children are, in their very early years, clearly aware of some knowledge or
talent which was brought to a high peak of development in the past. These
youngsters don't even have to wait until physical or chronological maturity
takes place — they just abolish time and give vent to these amazing abilities
while still in knee pants and pigtails! Trines to Uranus, regardless of the
evolutionary status of the person, indicate that he is in advance of his time
and place and background.
Squares and oppositions to Uranus from other planets
show to what degree his energies need controlling and directing. Conversely,
the squares and oppositions that he makes to other planets show how his
vibration can throw the other planets off center, make them express in
confused and chaotic ways. Whenever Uranus and Sun, Mars, or Jupiter (the
dynamic planets) are in discordant relationship, then check carefully to find
the degree in which Saturn holds a controlling influence in the chart. Saturn,
in this case, can form the patterns for fulfillment into which the dynamic
energies must be poured.
The astrological student or astro-analyst tunes in
with the vibration of Uranus every time he, or she, studies a horoscope. That
study must be used, and the Uranian vibration directed for the purpose of
helping a fellow being to understand his life-patterns more clearly and
impersonally. In this way, astrology is used as a channel of liberation and,
as such, stands as one of the highest expressions of this mighty and spiritual
vibration.
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