Esoteric Astrology

by Alice A Bailey

  Again, the keynotes of this sign convey their meaning clearly and there is no need for me to elucidate. On the ordinary wheel, the command goes forth in the following words which institute the activity of Virgo: “And the Word said, Let Matter reign.” Later, upon the wheel of the disciple, the voice emerges from the Virgin Herself and she says: “I am the mother and the child. I, God, I, matter am.”

  Ponder upon the beauty of this synthesis and teaching and know that you yourself have said the first word as the soul, descending into the womb of time and space in a far [285] and distant past. The time has now come when you can, if you so choose, proclaim your identity with both divine aspects—matter and Spirit, the mother and the Christ.

  LEO, THE LION

  Passing as we are into the Aquarian Age in which the spirit of Aquarius will be exemplified in its universality and its sense of “general distribution,” it is inevitable that a point of crisis should be reached. The true Leo type must react in a new and unique manner to the proffered opportunity, and when I say type, I refer to those people whose sun is in Leo or who have Leo rising. The reason for this is that Leo is the polar opposite of Aquarius, and the interplay of energies between these two is far more potent than at any previous time in racial history. This is a fact which you are not in a position to verify, but I make it as a statement of fact. It is because of this fact that you have the appearance of the dictators in different countries at this time, and it is because of this fact also that in this present cycle (the ante-chamber of the New Age) you have the pronounced attitude of these dictators—an attitude which is so often ignored but which has real racial value. It is the attitude which leads to a synthesis of the national life, aims and intentions. A typical instance of this attitude is that of Hitler. No matter what may be our personal opinion of him, there is no question that he has unified, produced fusion and blended together the various elements in the German race. This activity is Aquarian in nature but in its lowest and most undesirable aspect. It is also of the nature of Leo, for the people who can produce these results have necessarily to be intensely self-aware. This is the major characteristic of the Leo person. What [286] part Leo may play in the personal horoscope of Hitler I do not know, for I have not investigated it, but it plays a very prominent part in the horoscope of his soul.

  I would suggest to modern astrologers that they cast the horoscopes of the dominant world figures at this time, with the planets which I have given you as the esoteric rulers; all advanced people and those of major importance are on or nearing the path of discipleship and the influence of the esoteric planets is becoming, therefore, increasingly powerful. It might prove most illuminating and teach them much. The tendency to fusion, blending, amalgamation, and the spiritual counterpart of this unity is stronger today than heretofore and the types which produce this exoterically must have Leo somewhere in a prominent position in their horoscopes or the Sun controlling in some important house. If the horoscopes do not prove this, it is because the exact hour, moment and day of birth has not been accurately ascertained.

  This sign, Leo, is the fifth sign of the zodiac which indicates that it is part of the mysterious number, ten—the number of perfection, a relative perfection, prior to entering into a new cycle of progress. This links Leo consequently with Capricorn, the tenth sign of the zodiac, for it is the processes of initiation which make the self-conscious person the group conscious individual. I am choosing these words with care and fore-thought. Upon the reversed wheel, this is the eighth sign, the sign of the Christ and of the indwelling Reality; it therefore marks—in this manner—a new cycle. When self-consciousness is born (as at the moment of individualisation) a new cycle begins. This numerical significance links Leo with Scorpio (the eighth sign of the Zodiac) in an effective manner and you have, therefore, the triangle of Leo-Scorpio-Capricorn involving [287] humanity and indicating the three important crisis points in man's career:

  1. Self-consciousness or human awareness. Unity—Leo.

  2. Consciousness of warring dualities. Discipleship—Scorpio.

  3. Group consciousness as an initiate. Unity—Capricorn.

  This sign is a fire sign, and it is the pre-eminent fire sign at this time. The Sons of Mind, the self-conscious Sons of God, are above everything else the Sons of Fire, for our “God is a consuming Fire.” There is in them that peculiar quality which can burn and destroy and so eradicate all that hinders their essentially divine expression. I would have you bear in mind the purificatory nature of fire. There are two elements in nature which are connected in the public consciousness with the thought of purification—one is water and the other is fire. It is in this connection that the water signs, Cancer—Scorpio—Pisces, are interesting, and the fire signs, Aries—Leo—Sagittarius, warrant study. Fire always carries forward esoterically that which water has begun.

  In Cancer, the purificatory waters of experience begin their beneficent work. This is begun upon the Cardinal Cross because that cross deals only with wholes and, therefore, with mass experience.

  In Scorpio, the purificatory waters of testing and trials are applied. This takes place upon the Fixed Cross and their effect is drastic in the extreme.

  In Pisces, the waters of purification are applied through daily life and the processes of incarnation; they apply to the “fish swimming in the waters of matter and finding there its sustenance.” This is upon the Mutable Cross of [288] ordinary material existence and experience. Thus the influence of the three crosses is brought to bear upon the incarnated Son of God upon the wheel of ordinary life and in the usual order. Upon the wheel reversed, the fire takes the place of water and burns away all dross. Purification of the entire nature is thus achieved gradually, and the man becomes sensitive to the influences which can be brought to bear upon him when the fiery triplicity plays its part and the influence of Aries-Leo-Sagittarius begins to re-orient him towards universality, self-consciousness and one-pointed attitudes. As we go on with our study, the significance of this statement will increasingly appear. I am hinting at matters of spiritual and esoteric importance because this sign, Leo, is of paramount control in the life of the aspirant. He has to know himself through true self-awareness before he can know that divine spirit which is his true Self and know also his fellowmen.

  Leo is a part of the Sphinx, and upon this I need not enlarge as we have touched upon this elsewhere. This is a great mystery. Virgo and Leo together stand for the whole man, for the God-man as well as for spirit-matter. It is important to have this in mind, for when the nature of the world is revealed, then the mystery of the Sphinx will no longer exist.

  The keynotes of this sign are exceedingly well known. They sound out the note of individuality and of true self-consciousness. Many people are convinced that they are self-conscious when they are only swayed by desire and are oriented towards the satisfaction of that desire or when they recognise themselves as the dramatic centre of their universe. Yet the only truly self-conscious person is the man who is aware of purpose, of a self-directed life and of a developed and definite life plan and programme. Where [289] these are present, the inference is that there is mental perception and some measure of integration. To be motivated only by emotion and actuated by desire is no indication of true self-consciousness. In the undeveloped man, it is far more instinctual than is self-awareness. In the truly developed self-conscious man not only is direction, purpose and plan present, but also a consciousness of the active agent of the plan and action. Ponder on this.

  There are two subsidiary yet potent keynotes of the Leo person upon which I should touch at this point if the nature of the influences wielded by Leo are to be clearly perceived. These are the will-to-illumine, which constitutes the driving urge towards self-knowledge, self-perception and intellectual positivity, and also the will-to-rule and to dominate, which is of such a controlling nature in this sign and such a subtle potency in the Leo type. It is this will-to-rule which leads a person born in this sign eventually to achieve self-mastery and t
he control of the personality (for either a good motive or a selfish one), and it is also the same tendency which leads him finally to the control by the personality, ruled by Leo, of groups and large or small bodies of people. This—at an advanced stage—is an expression of the fusion of Leo energy and Aquarian potency. It is inevitable in the long run for men and races; for this all experience in Leo is preparatory. The will-to-illumine is that which drives all Leo people on to experiment and so to gain knowledge; it is this which links them with Taurus, which “carries the fair jewel which gives light upon its forehead.” In the relationship of Taurus-Leo-Aquarius, you have a significant and important zodiacal triangle as far as man is concerned and it is peculiarly significant to the fourth Creative Hierarchy, the human Hierarchy. You have, therefore: [290]

  1. Taurus.—The incentive towards experience in order to gain knowledge.

  2. Leo.—The expression of experience in order to justify knowledge.

  3. Aquarius.—The use of experience in order to make the gained knowledge a factor in service.

  This triangle expresses the life of humanity and it demonstrates finally the perfection or consummation of the human way. Another triangle is of a somewhat similar nature, Leo-Virgo-Pisces, but these three produce a still more subtle expression of consciousness.

  1. Leo.—The self-conscious man. Personality. Lower unity.

  2. Virgo.—The latent Christ life or principle. Duality.

  3. Pisces.—The group conscious soul. The world Saviour. Unity.

  You will note how consistently the emphasis is laid upon consciousness and its progressive unfoldment, and not upon the form or the aggregate of forms which veil the conscious entity of whatever nature or grade of being. Just as A Treatise on Cosmic Fire endeavoured to give the psychological key to The Secret Doctrine and to interpret the underlying consciousness which the Beings (considered in The Secret Doctrine) express, so in A Treatise on the Seven Rays, I am carrying on the same idea and, at the same time, seeking to give the needed key to modern exoteric psychology and also some indications as to the astrological key to The Secret Doctrine to which H.P.B. refers. The Entities dealt with in her masterpiece of esoteric truth are here revealed as cosmic, solar and planetary influences evoking—in response to Their outpoured energy or vibratory [291] activity—an awakening of consciousness in the form so that it becomes aligned to or closely related to Their Own. All revelations appear to emerge into the consciousness of the race in their lowest or most material form because the “ascent of knowledge towards wisdom” is always the key to progress, and, therefore, exoteric psychology and exoteric mundane astrology had to precede the revelation of their significance; the nature of the form had to be made apparent and man accustomed to it before the meaning behind the form could be revealed.

  You may ask what is the reason for this mode of procedure? I can give you one among many which, with a little intuitive reflection, should be convincing to you. The understanding and the reasoning powers of the soul are complete and developed. But souls—oriented towards incarnation and the will-to-sacrifice—have not, as yet, the necessary forms in the three worlds which are adequate for the expression of the knowledge which the soul has on its own plane and level of awareness. If the inner meanings of the outer symbolic forms of existence were registered by an unprepared form (the response apparatus of the soul in the three worlds and, in the case of man, involving an unprepared and undeveloped nervous system, glandular system and brain) the destruction of the form by soul energy would naturally supervene and a shattering of the lower expression would take place. It is here that the significance and purpose of time can be noted and intelligently employed, but this involves a most definite development of the esoteric sense. There are other reasons, but this one will suffice. In the evolutionary process there is, therefore, first the form, gradually prepared, adjusted, aligned and oriented during many aeons of time; behind this active form, as it steadily improves and becomes more responsive to environment and [292] contact, stands the slowly awakening consciousness. This is the thinking, intuiting, loving soul, which tightens its hold over its response apparatus, avails itself upon every possible occasion of every advance made by the form, and employs every influence for the perfecting of the great work which it undertook under the Law of Sacrifice.

  It is for this reason that I have not attempted in this Treatise to prove—scientifically and in the modern exoteric sense—the natural response to the inner psychological factors and to the esoteric astrological influences. These can be easily demonstrated and instantly made apparent once modern science accepts the occult premises, even if only in an experimental and hypothetical manner. I am confining myself entirely to the theme of the unfoldment of consciousness, of meaning and of significances and of the response of this conscious entity to the many influences and vibratory impacts to which it is subjected on account of its being an integral part of other and greater Lives. Ponder on this. This is my frequent injunction, given because the activity of reflection is a potent means to revelation.

  I have sought to bring the above thoughts to your attention because the sign we are now studying is one in which the theme of self-consciousness lies open to the investigator. Mass consciousness in Cancer gives place to individual consciousness in Leo. Out of the mass or the herd emerges the self-sufficient unit which becomes increasingly aware of its oneness, its aloneness and its isolated attitude as the “one in the centre” of its small cosmos. This attitude continues to develop and to become emphatic and dynamic (I use these words with intent), leading to the pronounced ego-centric consciousness of the selfish, intelligent man and to the ambitious display of selfish power of the man who desires place and position. But eventually the time comes [293] when the nature of the Fixed Cross begins to dawn upon the consciousness of the man and the influence of Aquarius (the polar opposite of Leo) begins to balance that of Leo. Then there comes the gradual shift of the focus of attention away from the “one who stands alone” to the environing group, and an equally important shift away from selfish interests to group requirements. This gives concisely the objective which is attained by the man upon the Fixed Cross; the effect of that Cross is to bring light and liberation. This can be clearly seen if we contrast the energies of the four arms of the Cross as they are demonstrated by the man both before and after the long and drastic experience upon the Cross.

  1. Taurus.—The Bull of Desire. The light of aspiration and knowledge.

  2. Leo.—The Lion of Self-assertion. The Light of the Soul.

  3. Scorpio.—The Agent of Deception. The Light of Liberation.

  4. Aquarius.—The Chalice of Self-service. The Light of the world.

  The Fixed Cross is the cross of light. And playing through this Cross all the time, and emanating from Leo, are the “fires of God”—cosmic, solar and planetary—producing purification, the intensification of the light and eventual revelation to the purified man who stands in light. From Aries comes cosmic fire; from Sagittarius comes planetary fire; and from Leo comes solar fire; and each of these fires “clears the way by burning” for the expression of the three divine aspects: spirit (Aries), soul (Leo) and body (Sagittarius). Such is the scientific basis for the yoga of fire, applied by the fully self-conscious man to the reflection of [294] the three divine aspects in the three worlds; these are the three modes of divine expression in these three worlds. Such is the significance of the fact that it will be found that before the Door of Initiation lies the burning ground which all disciples and initiates must tread. The Leo subject treads this burning ground with will and self-effacement. When he has reached full self-consciousness and mental integration and when he has attained personality effectiveness, then he treads it—undeterred by pain.

  A little thought will make it apparent to you why the Sun is the ruler of all the three conditions of Leo—exoteric, esoteric and hierarchical. It is a correct surmise that the purpose of this solar system is the unfoldment of consciousness, and if for the strictly human being
self-consciousness is the goal, then the Sun must obviously rule, for it is the source of physical consciousness (exoteric and symbolic of the personality), of soul awareness (esoteric), and of spiritual life (hierarchical). I am reiterating the necessity to recognise the stimulation of consciousness as the objective of all the astrological influences because the outstanding theme of Leo is the activity of the self-conscious unit in relation to its environment or the development of sensitive response to surrounding impacts by the one who stands—as the Sun stands—at the centre of its little universe. The whole story and function of Leo and its influences can be summed up in the word “sensitivity,” and this sensitivity can be studied in four stages:

  1. Sensitivity to conditioning impacts from the environment, i.e., to the impacts of the world of human evolution, the three worlds or planes, through the medium of the three aspects of the response apparatus of the soul;

  2. Sensitivity to the will, wishes and desires of the personality, [295] the integrated self-conscious man, the lower self;

  3. Sensitivity to the soul as the conditioning factor instead of sensitivity to the environing world as the conditioning factor;

  4. The spiritual sensitivity of the God-Man (the soul and personality fused) to the environment. At this stage of unfoldment, the liberated man is not conditioned by his environment but begins the arduous task of conditioning it in relation to the divine plan and purpose and at the same time to cultivating sensitivity to the higher impacts of those worlds which lead to the final goal.