THREE X FOUR

The 12 zodiac signs can be divided up into categories. One category consists of the 12 signs gathered into groups of 3 according to the 4 astrological elements, Fire, Air, Earth and Water. These 4 groups of 3 signs each, are called in astrology the ‘Triplicities’. [See earlier blogg]

A further division of our 12 zodiac signs is by ‘mode’ of action. These are the inherent qualities of differentiated matter. There are 4 signs gathered together according to each of the 3 ‘modes’ of action. These modes are possibly best described by the Hindu classification as put forward by the Astrologer and Theosophist Alan Leo. In Hindu they are called the ‘Guanas’, and are as follows:-

Rajas: which gives a direct motion of desire and activity.

Tamas: which gives a rotary motion that tends to firmness and building.

Sattva: a vibratory motion, which gives rhythm and harmony.

In the western world we give these modes of activity the names of Cardinal [Rajas] Fixed [Tamas] and Mutable [Sattva]. Cardinal signs get things started; Fixed signs give the endurance to make the action sustained and worthwhile; Mutable signs allow for change and variety when the thing considered needs to move on. A little imagination will allow one to get a grip on these states of being and expand them fully.

The 3 modes of action may be represented by the Hindu Trinity of:-

BRAHMA symbolising the action of Rajas as the first out-pourings of creative energy to stimulate life, seen in the Cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.

SHIVA symbolising the action of Tamas, the moving around in a circle or cycle of conservation, destruction and regeneration. It is the dance of life, symbolised in the Fixed motion of the Fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.

VISHNU symbolising the activity of Sattva, as the god of many and varied aspects of form. The shape shifter of the Mutable quality seen in the signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.

The Cardinal quality [Rajas] energises, the Fixed quality gives stability [Shiva], the Mutable quality allows for adjustment [Vishnu].

PREDICTION

With all the hype of the predicted ‘End of the World’ according to Western interpretation of the Mayan calendar, it might be as well to remember our history, which is full of such predictions.

Going way back to the 12^th Century it may be noted that an abbot of Calabria in Italy by the name of Joachim of Fiore, depressed everyone with a prediction of the end of the world in 1260. Dante accredited him with praise for his spirit of prophecy.

Albrecht Durer 'The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse'

As a Medieval mystic Joachim held thoughts that the ages of history ended in a ‘Last Judgment’. Every new age, he thought, was ushered in by a period of incubation, which necessarily saw great disturbances in the existing order of things. It was at such times of instability that bloody wars and chaotic conditions existed and preceded the unsealing of the next seal of the ‘Book of Seven Seals’.  It is said that each of the Biblical Apocalyptic 7 seals represents a new age of increased consciousness for humanity, following on from a period of upheaval.

Joachim prophesied 3 epochs in human history corresponding to the 3 Persons of the Trinity. The first was the ‘Age of the Father’ as recorded in the Old Testament, the second the ‘Age of the Son’ as recorded in the New Testament, and a future ‘Age of the Spirit’ would be heralded by a new order of monks and the demise of the existing corrupt Church.

After the upheaval comes a new sunrise.

Song of the Dawn

Salutation to the Rising Sun

Listen to the exhortation of the Dawn!

Look to this Day, for it is life, the very life of life.

In its brief course, lie all the verities and realities of your existence;

The glory of action, the bliss of growth, the splendour of beauty.

For yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision.

But today well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this Day.

 [Excerpt from sacred Sanskrit text]

CAPRICORN SOLSTICE

In its yearly course, the Sun now crosses from the zodiac sign of Sagittarius into the sign of Capricorn. This marks the final quarter of the natural year which reaches its end and new beginning in March, a time when a new influx of energy is given to the world as the sun ingresses into the zodiac sign of the Ram.

The 4 points of the natural year ‘cross’ the circle of the heavens, marking out the beat of life on Earth. These 4 points marked by 4 zodiac signs correspond to the changing seasons. As we all know, these seasons are opposed on the opposite sides of the globe due to the angle of the earth sphere at any particular time.

There are several emblems or pictographs representing the sign of CAPRICORN. One is the goat and the design below comes from that ancient culture of Knossos in Crete. D.A. Mackenzie says on page 139 of his 1917 book called ‘Myths of Crete & Pre-Hellenic Europe’,

The faience relief of the wild goat and its young is one of the triumphs of Cretan art. It is of pale-green colour, with dark sepia markings…One of the kids is sucking…The nimble-footed mother ….. is the watchful protector and constant nourisher of her young – a symbol of maternity.

We could add that the figure just as well symbolises the nurturing and caring father figure, or symbol of paternity in the cosmic sense. There is always an element of sacrifice when the welfare of other people is a concern.

ELEMENTARY

PYTHAGOREAN FORM

Based on Pythagoras’ work with numbers, Plato very artfully constructed 5 geometrical forms to symbolise our 4 plus one most subtle elements: Fire, Air, Water, Earth and the Æther.

 The 12 astrological zodiac signs are grouped according to the 4 elements of Fire, Air, Water, and Earth; so there are 3 zodiac signs to each element. Each sign takes up the characteristics of that element to which it belongs.

The salamander of FIRE: Aries Leo Sagittarius

FIRE crackles and burns, it is impatient to eat everything up, it wants to endlessly consume, it wants to be somewhere ahead of itself.

FIRE warms in the winter and destroys in the summer.

FIRE lights our way and transforms our food through the alchemical processes;

it may do the same for us.

FIRE is quick moving, fast, ignoring surrounding pleas for consideration.

FIRElight glows softly and benignly in the candle and the touch and the light bulb,

to guide our actions by.

FIRE blazes in the full glory of our sun and wants to be a hero for the world.

But FIRE needs AIR to make it breath and function well.

The sylph of AIR:  Gemini Libra Aquarius

AIR is invisible until it moves.

AIR moves in the smile of a light summer breeze,

AIR moves in the rustle of the trees, it moves in the lashing of a storm, it moves in the devastation of a hurricane.

How can something so invisible have so much power?

AIR supports us all

with the magic that it contains and which we breath in and out every day.

AIR circulates and runs between all things, drawing invisible lines of communication, tying things and people together, provoking ideas.

But how dry and unproductive these would be without some WATER moisture to aid mixture and fermentation.

The Undine of WATER:  Cancer Scorpio Pisces

WATER, the universal solvent, it cleans and refreshes, moistens and oils.

WATER aids the process of reproduction, of generation, of seed forming and awakening.

The morning dew gently touches the petal and makes it sparkle, the summer showers refresh its roots, the thunder-storm weighs down everything and the furious cyclone washes all away.

WATER quenches the thirst and bathes the babe, then dashes all hopes when it reaches beyond saturation point and drowns that oh so necessary anchor and support bed of EARTH.

The Gnome of EARTH:  Taurus Virgo Capricorn

EARTH, rock solid, allowing us to put down roots like a healthy plant, somewhere to anchor, somewhere to call home, somewhere to give form to our airy thoughts, our wet emotions, our fiery activity and enthusiasm.

EARTH who produces from her bosom all that might be needed to keep physical existence viable.

EARTH is fine white sand that trickles pleasingly though the toes.

EARTH is fecund soil.

EARTH is the rock and mountain that resists all and blocks the way.

EARTH is the substratum of life.

But EARTH needs to be ignited by FIRE, moistened by WATER, and stirred by AIR.

All 4 elements need to cooperate to keep the wheel endlessly turning.

It is a story of alchemy really, as seen through the principles of astrology, and all can use their charts to understand themselves and change the pattern of their being. We all have lessons to learn as indicated in our astrological natal chart. It is well to remember the wise words from an old text, ‘The 12 Keys‘, that ‘if the fruit of a tree be plucked before it is ripe, it is unfit for use; and if the potter fails to harden his vessels in the fire, they cannot be employed for any good purpose. In the same way you must exercise considerable patience in preparing your own self.’

STRANGER THAN FICTION

Astrology is a strange subject. Why does it work people ask. And Astrology answers; with the first breath a new living thing takes into itself the essence of the Universe. This essence carries the seed pattern of experience for that existence.

 This pattern is recorded in the Astrological Natal Chart of that thing or person. However, the outcome is not dogmatic or set in concrete because humans are endowed with will-power and with this will-power they can adjust their living and thereby their circumstances can change. Another ‘however’: it takes quite some effort and self-knowledge to achieve such a thing but it certainly is not impossible. One should rule the stars not allow the stars to rule the Self.

The ancients understood this Universal essence, taken in at birth, to be made up of 4 subtle elements that pervade the universe. Even now we do not really understand the subtle essence of Universal forces, so until science can oblige we might as well stick with the ancient view, which is still used in Astrology to explain the principles of the discipline of Astrology.

 The elements from J. D. Mylius, 'Philosophia Reformata'.

Theses 4 subtle essences or elements are called Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, the reason being that in the material world these are the nearest analogies to be found to the more subtle and invisible qualities of the Cosmos.

So we have a good starting point for a very general classification of the 12 tribes of the human species and this is according to the 12 zodiac signs, each of which is given to one of these above mentioned elements.

It must be remembered that this classification is very general and very basic. Each individual expression of one of these signs and qualities can manifest in a myriad of possibilities or shades of the one prime element.

Life will not respond to a dogmatic statement that leaves no room for movement. As the ancient wisdom advises, if there is one thing we can be sure of, it is that change and transformation is ever present and no two things are ever exactly the same.

Each of the 3 signs in one elemental group is therefore divided once again into 3.

3 x 3 = 9.

9 is the number symbolic of a circle or a cycle of growth. A woman is pregnant for 9 months; the nodes of the Moon return to their starting point every 18 years [9 + 9] and of course the important half nodal cycle is 9.

The 12 signs of the zodiac fall into 4 groups of 3 when classified according to our metaphysical elements of Fire, Earth, Air and Water.

FIRE: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius.

EARTH: Capricorn, Virgo, Taurus.

AIR: Libra, Gemini, Aquarius.

WATER: Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio.

There is a 5^th element but that is hidden and secret. The Chinese call it ‘Chi’ or ‘Qi’.

FULCRUM

On 22^nd September is the Equinox. Once more we have reached the fulcrum of the year, that point in the solar cycle where the sun either increases or decreases in Light hours. For the Southern Hemisphere the great orb starts to increase in heat as it rises in the sky and we head towards summer. For the Northern Hemisphere Ra starts to lose his power as he descends in the sky and preparations are made for the coming winter.

The Barque of RA

Such is the symbolism of the sign of Libra, keeping a balance between the polarities of life – summer and winter, heat and cold, up and down, in and out, good and bad, black and white, day and night, you and me, boy and girl.

Sol ingresses into the Tropical sign of Libra, the sign of ‘The Balance’ or the weighing scales, on the 22^nd – 23^rd of September, close to the fixed star of Markeb in the constellation Argus.

Leaving Virgo, the sun passes by Markeb at 28º Virgo. The Sabean symbol being of ‘An arrogant domineering military man of power.’  Who is this dominating us all? Can we see the fall of many tyrant leaders in this symbolism. The star Markeb denotes ‘piety and knowledge’ [or maybe the lack of it!]. The Sabean symbol for the first degree of Libra, the place of the Equinox is, ‘A butterfly is killed with wisdom’s pain’, [the killing of beauty to gain wisdom?]

This same Equinox, 10 years ago, brought questions of the wisdom of USA President Bush’s actions in relation to the global tensions, that is the decision to go to war. Now there is a tug of war between the two great nations of China and America, as well as tension in the Middle East.

Our very personal and self-centred wants of the previous Aries equinox March, now need to be balanced by considering other people’s welfare, which means having confidence in the portrayal of ourselves as individuals, whilst combining the effort with a striving for harmony in companionship. Nothing could be more necessary in the current times of social and economic upheaval.

A great ship such as the Argo [carrying the star Markeb] reminds us that we are all on a great journey, a journey of discovery, like ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ and before him, ‘Osiris and Isis in the barque of RA’. All are searching for that spirit of renewal symbolised in either the ‘Golden Fleece’, or in the ‘Phoenix’. Maybe like these travellers we need to seek out a new message of wisdom and spirit from the cosmos.

 The Sun God RA in his boat with the Phoenix

An interesting book is ‘Hamlet’s Mill’, by Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend; heavy reading but worth the persistence. 

*NB due to an astronomical (not astrological) phenomena known as the ‘Precession of the Equinoxes’, there has occurred a shift in the alignment of the Ecliptic or Tropical Zodiac and the Zodiac of the Constellations. The Constellations near the ecliptic belt continue to share the same names as the Ecliptic Zodiac even though they are now out of alignment.  As a result of this situation a fixed star may be located in a constellation zodiac sign but have a differing co-ordinate according to the Topical Zodiac.