SAMHAIN HALLOWEEN

 Apple tree

Apples of the Northern Autumn are symbols of the Samhain goddess for they contain the 5 pointed star within their heart. The 5 petalled blossom that results in the apple fruit is reminiscent of the simple 5 petalled rose. The red and white alchemical roses belong to the Virgin Mother who is Artemis/Isis whose dark side is Hecate/Lilith Queen of Samhain. Some call Samhain -  Halloween,  the night of the other world.

 

Hekate, Roman sculpture

Hekate is one phase of The Great Mother Goddess ISIS who is represented in the 3 stages of the fruiting of the apple tree. 

 

1. The bud, representing the virginal state of the aspirant.

2. The blossom, representing the fructified (by the bee) creative potential of the Mother.

3. The fruit or final product, the apple, representing the crone, guardian of the Lunar Wisdom Mysteries.

 

Attune with the ‘Fire of Purification and Peace’, on this day of Samhain/Halloween, as the Sun sails past the small star group ‘Crux’ of the Centaur in the sky and we commune with the ancestors and ask for their golden wisdom.

 

Constellation Centaur

The great poet Dante identified the 4 stars of ‘Crux’, the cross, as representing the cardinal virtues, 

             JUSTICE                   PRUDENCE                

 

FORTITUDE            TEMPERANCE 

 

Dante ends each of his 3 books with a reference to the stars [quoted in Hinckley Allen]:-

 

‘Inferno’:          Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars;

‘Purgatorio’:    Pure and disposed to mount unto the stars:

‘Paradiso’:       The love which moves the sun and other stars.

 

At Samhain/Halloween, the wall between world’s is thinned – listen for the words of inspiration, see the cyclic nature of birth- death- birth. Light a fire or candle to your ancestors living in the other world. 

 

John iii.3: ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’. And the Phoenix rises from the ashes,

 

Rose of Light and Peace

 

EQUILIBRIUM

 Having survived a rather powerful New Moon is the sign of Libra, those of us still left on planet Earth should perhaps think about the dark side of life and the powerful balancing force of EQUILIBRIUM.

MAAT goddess of Equilibrium [cTethy]

We are all searching for harmony or equilibrium in our lives. We search for this harmony internally in bodily health and externally in personal relationships, and in our place in the world.  Internal harmony or good functional working between body parts brings an Equilibrium of body function called good health, such a condition is a reflection of the external harmony of our lives, or lack of. Our living, thinking and relationships reflect the greater harmony or not, of the Cosmos and the Great Laws of Unity or the Universe. With all these many layers of life and living a lot can go wrong, there are just so many opportunities to get things out of balance according to thinking, emotion and action; and then health, living and relationships go sour and become difficult, without our constant vigilance. Like the dust and dirt that ever accumulates around the house and needs constant attention.

 

Some say that our internal bodily rhythms are but a reflection of the Cosmic rhythms and when there is balance these internal rhythms play an internal musical harmony that reflects the natural and unpolluted rhythms of natural law and the greater cosmic movements. But, you ask, what are these rhythms of balance that I so yearn for? I cannot hear them, feel them, see them, record them. To which the answer comes, they are silent rhythms that each must discover for themselves by developing those inner senses that can respond to intangible energies and influences. This discovery is helped and assisted by such humanitarian groups of self-development as the Rosicrucians [AMORC] who have been waiting patiently in the background for many, many, years anticipating our coming Age of Aquarius when the majority of people is growing who are becoming seekers of this light of understanding.

 

Achieving Equilibrium or harmony within ourselves and within our existence is a life-time struggle and the struggle to achieve it proceeds according to our Karma. Karma is the metaphysical concept of living to achieve this much wanted harmony and balance in life. Trouble is, most of us are so out of balance that it takes much effort and perhaps many lives to rebalance our Karma. Karma, what have you done and thought today that will demand compensation tomorrow, or the next day, or maybe in a week, a month, a year, or even in a distant new incarnation. Karma as a subtle energy that pushes all our buttons and forces us to become better than you were.

 

The ancient Egyptians understood this concept of Equilibrium and balance. They gave it a name, Maat.They made the concept of Maat into a goddess and gave her a partner called Thoth. Maat is the concept of Truth and Justice, not the truth and justice of mankind or his law courts, but the Truth and Justice of the gods or the One reality that the Egyptians of old represented in its many god-forms.

 

Hermes, Thoth, Tehuti, three names for the same deity, to honour his tri-powers over the three regions of the cosmos and the three metaphysical divisions of our being; all reflected in the Macrososm and the Microcosm, ‘As above, so below’.  Tehuti of ancient Egypt represents knowledge and understanding of the heart, which in turn can be symbolised in the Ibis, the wisest of birds according to ancient Egyptian lore. Thoth measures and Maat weighs the truth of that measurement.

Thoth recording Judgement of the Heart

Tehuti or Thoth, presides over the weighing of the heart in the Am Dwat or Afterlife and is therefore symbolised also in the scales; bit like the scales of the sign of Libra The weighing scales are monitored by the wisest of animals, the ape, who sits on the fulcrum of the scales and communicates to Thoth the results of the weighing. The scales are used to weigh the deceased’s heart in one pan against the weight of the feather of Maat in the other pan. How do they measure up, are they balanced or is the heart heavy with neglect. The constellation in the sky known as Libra the Scales, also carries the theme of balance and harmony in life, it is the fulcrum between the constellations of Virgo the pure Virgin, who represents outer earthly work, service and health, and Scorpio the Eagle, sign of sharing and the inner mystical transformative life. In the same way, we must strive to balance our inner and outer living.

 

Thoth is the judge of the Equilibrium of these scales of judgement, of the Equilibrium or not of the scales. For this reason, Thoth is also known as the god of the Equinoxes, those two points in the year where equal hours of day and night balance our small universe at the commencement of spring and the commencement of autumn. The principle of this harmony or balance comes under the formula or concept of Maat, the syzygy or partner of Thoth. 

 

We move towards harmony and balance [somewhere between Order and Chaos] by not minding so much about the trials and tribulations we are faced with, or the blocks, obstacles and frustrations encountered along the ‘Way’. Such a process is assisted by detaching from the notion of importance of personal opinion and desire. An ongoing and not easy pathway to be pursued, but as the saying goes ‘No-body said it was going to be easy’, just satisfying in the eventual attainment of inner peace with yourself, and knowing that you have done your best. Greet the sunrise with outstretched arms of Equilibrium and purposeful breathing in of the essence of life to nourish your body and soul, then meet your busy external day in the mode of the Sun Hero, treading the Labyrinth Path of Life.

Labyrinth Mandala of the Mind [cTethy]

BEAUTIFUL VENUS

 The beautiful planet of Venus is closely associated with the sign of Libra and with that of Taurus. Venus is the planet of love and harmony bringing the desire for companionship and reconciliation after the war of competition. Venus likes to eat and dance, to make music and create. Venus needs to find her comfort zone and enjoy that pleasure to its fullest until she grows wise, then she needs to satisfy the mind.  The Egyptian goddess Hathor is often equated with the planet Venus due to her love of music and dance. But Hathor does also have more serious missions to perform.

Egyptian goddess Hathor, representing the planet Venus, 

welcoming Pharaoh Seti into the ‘After Life’.

HYMN TO HATHOR

All hail, Jubilation to you, O Golden One,

Sole ruler, Uraeus of the Supreme Lord himself!

Mysterious one who gives birth to the divine entities,

forms the animals, models them as she pleases, fashions men..

 

O Mother!...Luminous One who thrusts back the

darkness, who illuminates every human creature with her rays,

Hail, Great One of many names..

 

You from whom the divine entities come forth in this your name of Mut-Isis!

You-who-cause the throat to breathe, daughter of Re,

whom he spat forth from his mouth in this your name of Tefnut!

 

O Neith who appeared in your barque in this your

name of Mut!

O Venerable Mother, you who subdue

your adversaries in this your name of Nekhebet!

O You-who-know-how-to-make-right-use-of-the-heart,

you who triumph over your enemies in

this your name of Sekhmet!

It is the Golden One...the lady of drunkenness

of music, of dance, of frankincense, of the crown,

of young women, whom men acclaim because they love her!

It is the Gold of the divine entities who comes forth at

her season, in the month of Epiphi, the day of the

new moon, at the festival of 'She is Delivered'....

 Heaven makes merry, the earth is full of gladness,

the Castle of Horus rejoices.

 

(Translation after M. Alliot, Le Culte d'Horus a Edfou. From Lucy Lamy    )

VENUS in the astrological natal chart represents a search for balance, love and harmony, in the form of inner contentment, and in the outside world through satisfying relationships with other people and pleasant sensations, by war or diplomacy – whatever it takes to restore the Equilibrium.

 

The Greeks anthropomorphised the concept of love and beauty in the goddess Aphrodite, generally an appeal to the aggressors of the world to calm down and see another viewpoint.

Venus-Aphrodite [Larousse]

The ultimate aim of the sensory experience of Venus is to awaken the inner spirit or soul. This is achieved as life experience teaches one to truly evaluate the material world and not just succumb to its pleasures. By and through the symbol of Venus one attracts what one thinks one would like. The lesson being, to discriminate between what one truly likes or loves and what is simply a passing desire on the one hand, or on the other simply an uncontrollable fascination or wanting.

 

In her orbit Venus hurries after the sun and they travel the zodiac almost together for Venus is never more than 48º from that great star, although sometimes running ahead of him, and sometimes behind. Thus Venus sometimes rises before the sun and sometimes she sets after the sun. In this way she acquired the names of ‘morning star’ and the ‘evening star’ depending on where she is in her orbit. From our Earth point of view, if we trace Venus pathway around us it can be plotted as a 5 petal flower or rose which in itself has a deep and mystical meaning.

'

From ‘ EarthSky’, this illustration shows what’s called the 5 petals of Venus. It shows a simplified geocentric – Earth-centered – plot of the orbit of Venus as seen from planet Earth over an 8 year period, from 2016 to 2023. Image and article via Guy Ottewell

VENUSIAN SCALES

 The sun is now passing through the Tropical zodiac sign of Libra, the sign of the Scales of Balance and Justice, which may account for the Libran tendency to weigh up matters, sometimes to the point of extreme annoyance for those observing and in futile procrastination for themselves. But where would we be without them on a good day when they can maintain the harmony and balance of relationships so essential to profitable progress. Such progress in personal development is well guided through AMORC http://www.amorc.org/ and probably would contribute much to the world situation at the moment. When will we give up war and see another’s point of view?

    Libran Scales of Justice 

The beautiful planet Venus has a close attachment to the sign Libra, so that when the whole is synchronising, there is much peace and love in the world. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that anything associated with this sign and planet is therefore simplistic and empty headed just because it likes peace and quiet. The complicated cycles of Venus, if studied will soon dispel this mistaken view.

The Birth of Venus

The Swan is an emblem of Venus and Libra, symbol of their desire to bring love and companionship to its highest form; but neither the swan nor the Libran enjoys being caged simply for another’s pleasure alone. Libran Swans can dance the dance of peace but should this condition be disturbed, watch out for an attack in order to return that peaceful and tranquil state. Everything has its two sided nature!!

The swan has the magic of music in it movement. It is the desire for love and harmony, for justice seen to be done, that can sometimes make the Libran quite combative and whirl into a flurry of fury and indignation. Watch a full grown mother swan in flight when her babies are threatened. Librans can often be found amongst those fighting for human rights and defending those unable to do so for themselves, and even going to war if this is the only way perceived to return the missing equilibrium. That is, unless it is a Libran on an eternal holiday of rest, relaxation, coffee mornings and sun baths, because they just couldn’t get up the energy to take part in life!

This image is an 18^th Century woodcut of Tressan’s retelling of the story of Tristan and Iseult from the Arthurian cycle. It is a party but hides something deeper for those who would chase the Grail Cup.

Around the 17^th October the Sun will be with the star Spica which marks the ear of corn held by the Virgin in that constellation. Although bearing the same name, the constellation is not the same space as the Tropical sign of the Virgin. The constellation and the Ecliptic sign once coincided but due to the phenomena of ‘Precession’ they have moved apart. Some systems of Astrology still use the celestial groups of stars rather than the 30 degree divisions of the Ecliptic.

AAL’S LABYRINTH HISTORY An Alternative Viewpoint…..contd. #63

 

Cyrus the Great of Persia

549                 CYRUS the GREAT (600-529 BCE) son of Persian Cambyses I and Median Princess Mandane. As King of Persia he establishes the great Persian/Mesopotamian Empire and secures the Achaemenid Dynasty (from the founder Achaemenid c650 BCE). Building a great empire Cyrus took over Media, Lydia (Turkey) and Babylon but failed to take Egypt. The Empire expanded under his successors Cambyses II (529-522 BCE) Darius (522-486 BCE) and Xerxes (486-465 BCE). From this civilization came the so called ‘Arabic’ numerals. 

                       The Persians under Darius will use the Phoenician alphabet [to write in Arabic] rather than the cuneiform script of Babylon and Sumer. (176) The Persian triad of gods by this time are; Ahura Mazada, Mithra and Anahita. (102)

                       It is around this time that the zodiac is introduced to the Greeks. [16]

Anaximenes

Engraver  Girolamo Olgiati 1580

c545               ANAXIMENES (c585-528 BCE ) Ionian Philosopher born at Miletus, member of the Greek philosophic group, along with Anaximander and Thales.  Attempting to resolve the problem of the origin and structure of the universe, Anaximenes held that the fundamental and most pervasive thing in the world was air, which being infinite, allows for the manifold processes of nature. (114) Air (‘pneuma’ or cosmic breath) is thus taken as the primary form of matter, from which all things, such as water, earth and stone are formed by successive stages of compression or in the case of fire, by rarefaction. (13]

                       As the primary source, air, is taken as the basic essence of life which can remain itself whilst undergoing many transformations. Thus, the ‘arche’ or the beginning or originating cause becomes the ‘principle’, something that eternally maintains its own nature while transmuting itself into many transient and changing phenomena of the visible world. (19)

                       With the establishment of the Ionian school of philosophy, mythology gradually shed and replaced anthropomorphic deities with a world whose source and substance is a primary element such as water, air or fire. Eventually these primary substances cease to be endowered with divinity or intelligence and become understood as purely material entities mechanically moved by chance or blind necessity. 

539                The Persians conquer Mesopotamia as part of the expansion of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus II, known as Cyrus the Great. They make Aramaic the state language, whilst ink and papyrus now replace cuneiform tablets. (46)

                  From these cuneiform texts it is known that the Babylonian priests of Mesopotamia had made astronomical observations of the planets through the twelve constellations of the sidereal zodiac. The original delineation of this sidereal zodiac, at the physical/astronomical and spiritual/occult levels, is attributed to Zoroaster (580 BCE) who is to carry forward the ancient wisdom of ancient Egypt. (50a)

Cyrus liberates the Jews.

Painting: Jean Fouquet [1420-81]

Court painter to Louis XI

538 BCE          The Babylonian Jewish diaspora return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple that was destroyed in 586 BCE after standing for the previous 400 years to house the tablets of Moses. This temple will be embellished by the future King Herod the Great, and others, until the time of its own and final destruction in 70 CE. These exiles returning from Babylon are to be led by the High Priest Ezra. It is from this period of the Second Temple that the Torah becomes the scriptural basis for the Jewish religion. The Oral Torah now becomes the written ‘Five Books of Moses’ or the ‘Pentateuch’ of the Old Testament. [226] When the priest Ezra returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon be brought with him ‘The Book of the Law of the Lord’, (198) which was probably added to the existing ancient Hebrew writings.

Building Temple of Jerusalem

Painting: Jean Fouquet [1420-81]

c525               Persians capture Egypt, and the Roman Republic gets going with its ideals of democracy. Persian conquest of Egypt dramatically increased the influence of Mesopotamia in that country and of the Chaldean star knowledge. (29)

CLEVER MERCURY

 The small planet Mercury, with deep meanings, is said to have a close affinity with the sign Virgo. This planet is also closely associated with the sign Gemini. Other planets of the ‘traditional’ 7 group also have affinity with two signs of the zodiac, unlike the Sun and Moon which rule only one sign each. These other traditional planets in order from the Sun are, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These 5 planets plus the Sun and Moon are known in astrology as the ‘traditional’ seven planets. They are observable in the sky by the naked eye [in clear skies] and they formed the basis of astrological interpretation for a very long time before the ‘new’ planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto entered into the human consciousness. These late comers were ‘discovered’ with the aid of new technological innovation, that is the telescope. 

 

Mercury is a very important planet, one whose qualities indicate how we perceive and intellectually respond to the world around us, and what our nerve energy is like, are we quick or slow or over-stressed from too much worry. In Ancient Egypt the god Thoth represented these qualities, those of communicating by letter and voice. Later this role was taken over by the Greek god Hermes.

 

THOTH Ancient Egyptian god of writing and

communication, who opens the 4 doors

By the time of the Greeks and Romans

Thoth had become Hermes/Mercury [Larousse]

In Egypt, Thoth as master of writing, transcribed the word of the gods so that humans could understand what was being communicated. The gods being represented by the other planets and acting as symbols for the different human traits such as loving [Venus] giving [Jupiter] conserving [Saturn]. feeling [Moon] generosity [Sun]

 

In Greece, as a descendent of Thoth, Hermes too communicated between the gods and humans; he wears wings on his heels for speedy transport between the two worlds, that of man and that of the gods. This hints at another Egyptian god, that of Anubis who also commutes between worlds and is known as a psychopomp or one who leads and guides the dead to the world of the spirit or gods.

Here is an amusing composite of Anubis and

the Greeco-Roman Hermes/Mercury. [Barnett]

Moving back through time we follow the evolution of communication, both physical and spiritual; from Roman Mercury who inherited from Greek Hermes, who inherited from Egyptian Thoth. The Greeks called an inherited collection of ancient Egyptian essays on Divine Wisdom, ‘The Hermetica’. Try the Solos Press edition.

 

MERCURIAL VIRGIN

 The glorious sun has now entered the gentle but astute sign of Tropical Virgo, the sign of the Virgin. Virgo people like to be neat and organised, in their striving for cleanliness and purity in their life. These qualities taken to extreme become ‘nit-picking’ and overly critical of themselves and all those around. Then there are those who rebel in their own quiet way and take to the bohemian road of complete disregard for the conventional ways of living. Now the Virgo influenced person is inclined to spurn the rules of ‘neat and tidy’ or the careful attention to practicalities and duty.

VIRGO WHEAT

This sign has always been a bit of a mystery, especially as it is really difficult to have a baby if you are a virgin – or is it. The fact that Virgo is ruled by the planet Mercury would point to a mental virgin rather than a physical one; that is, someone with uncorrupted thinking processes or a pure heart. Such a person is best placed to see things clearly and truthfully without personal prejudice and bias, therefore they can give birth to a truer ‘thought form’.

 

This part of the zodiac has been associated with the Virgin Mary carrier of the Christ principal, as personified in Jesus the Christos. Before Mary’s time there was the Egyptian Isis and her son Horus, the well-known god and goddess of ancient Egypt. It is quite likely that this zodiac sign refers to an Essene priestess or priest.

 

Fred Gettings spent 16 long years researching his book ‘The Secret Zodiac’, from which the following wood cut was taken of the ‘Wheat Maiden’, a symbol of the sign Virgo. Gettings has much to say about the zodiac located on the floor of the Basilica of San Minato in Florence, with reference to the Virgin giving birth to the Piscean Sun/son.

THE WHEAT MAIDEN

Virgo people have careful thinking processes that can take them to the height of their profession, and equally are they careful and practical in producing their creations, which are often in the form of potting and weaving, two very basic and essential crafts of survival.

THE WEAVER

GLORIOUS SUN

 

The Barque of RA

Sun god of Egypt

The Sun has a special affinity with the sign Leo and in astrological terms is said to rule this sign. The Sun is hot and fiery, warming and sustaining, pleasant at the right temperature but destructive when you get too much of it. The sun fires our soul and tempers our character, guiding us to our full potential.

 

In Alchemy, gold, the metal of the Sun, is the ultimate aim of the disciple, for gold symbolises the highest attainment of human nature simply because it is the only incorruptible metal. The so called discipline of Alchemy is not really so, for it does not exist as a discipline to be studied. Alchemy is a life process and can only be lived, as the Sun rolls across the sky marking the different times of day with its changes temperatures and shadows. The endless books written on the topic are a blind for those who cannot accept the hard road of experience, which alone moulds and perfects us.

From the alchemical text ‘The Book of Lambspring’, Figure IV reads,

 

The Sages do faithfully teach us

That two strong lions, to wit, male and female,

Lurk in the dark and rugged valley.

These the Master must catch,

Though they are swift and fierce,

And of terrible and savage aspect.

He who, by wisdom and cunning,

Can snare and bind them,

And lead them into the same forest,

Of him it may be said with justice and truth

That he has merited the meed of praise before all others,

And that his wisdom transcends that of the worldly wise.

 

Throughout mythology there are many sun gods who represent several things, among which is the hero of legend, the conqueror, the leader of the way symbolised in the magnificence of a beautiful and benign but life giving Sun. One Solar Hero is called Heracles. Joseph Campbell is the well-known author who explores these myths and legends in some great works, not least ‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces.’

The end and beginning of another day

SOLAR LION

 Now the Sun is in the Tropical Zodiac sign of Leo. Leo types will greet you with warmth and a generous heart. But wait – did you insult the cubs? In which case you had better duck quickly in order to avoid the swift and heavy paw across your ear, for a Leo has much pride in its offspring. This will include other creative efforts besides their babies for we are in a highly creative sector of the zodiac.

LEO the Lion

Naturally, the lion is the emblem of this sign. The proud beast of the jungle, the soft pussy-cat of the den or nest. You can tell when they are unhappy for they stop their incessant grooming and walk around lonely, dejected and dishevelled. They do need your attention and your understanding of their ways, even if they do roar a little at times. They are proud beasts and rightly so for their courage and dignity, and look quite miserable when chest fallen for lack of appreciation.

The Lion of Lyon

Leos are proud and regal, and justly so if they are living up to the highest of their nature. This is a truth when the sun occupies any sign of the zodiac, the sun in a zodiac sign indicates where a person’s highest qualities of character are and to be striven for, such qualities at their highest expression make a true and noble character of strong individuality. A Leo shunned or abused can turn into a stubborn and dictatorial creature who has no patience with the perceived ‘enemy’ and only wants to eat them!

 

The Sun has close ties to this sign and it too sends its warmth and vitality to its human children who inhabit Earth. Science measures the solar influence upon Earth as it reaches us from the regular and cyclic nature of the solar-flares or sun spots. These great outpourings of sun energy stream through space and influence Earth’s atmosphere with a direct hit of extra energy approximately every 11 years. 

 

From French history we have a fine example of a ‘Sun King’ in Louis XIV, he could dance, yet he could lead men to battle, he was majestic and dignified, yet rather self-indulgent. He built a sun palace at Versailles, called such for the amount of gold glittering around about! Although very popular, powerful and successful in his time, some say that over spending set the ball rolling towards the future ‘French Revolution’, a time when those who felt themselves neglected and abused, rebelled. Nancy Mitford has written a very nice book on the ‘Sun King’.

Louis XIV ridding his charger, before the time of motor bikes.

[Detail from a Gobelins Tapestry reproduced in Mitford’s book]

On the 22^nd August the Sun moving from the sign of Leo to the sign of Virgo, will meet the star ‘Regulus’ of the constellation Leo. This is a royal star once used to mark one of the four corners of the celestial vault in the era of the ancient astrologers.