The Light of Egypt; Or, The Science of the Soul and the Stars - Volume 2

To the ordinary astrologer the Zodiac is simply a band of space, eighteen degrees wide, in the heavens, the center of which marks out the pathway of the Sun during the space of one year of 365 days, etc.

The twelve signs are to him simply thirty degrees of the space (12 times 30 equal 360), bearing the names of the constellations which once occupied them. Nay, he, as a rule, still imagines in some sense that the signs (constellations) are still there, and that the power and potency of the twelve signs is derived from the stars which occupy the Zodiacal band of the skies.

But this is not so, as any ordinary astronomer well knows. This single fact, i.e., the gradual shifting of the constellations, the DISPLACEMENT, let us say, of the starry influx from one sign to another without any ALLOWANCE being made in the astrologer's rules for any such change, has been one of the greatest obstructions to the popular spread of the art among EDUCATED MINDS. Argues the scientist: The "fiery influence of Aries," if depending upon the stars of that constellation, ought now to be shedding forth their caloric from the sign Pisces, and Aries ought to be lumbering along with the earthy Taurine nature. So, also, the lords of these signs ought to be changed, but that they are not can be proved by the fact that our earliest records of that dim, historic past show, equally as well as your latest "text-book," that Mars is the lord of Aries-a fiery planet in a fiery sign; but astrologers still say that Pisces is watery and Aries fiery, WHICH IS NOT THE CASE, IF THE STARS HAVE ANY INFLUENCE AT ALL. It is not necessary," say these logical thinkers, "to learn your abstruse science if we can demonstrate that the very basis upon which your conclusions rest is in every sense fundamentally false." The scientific facts of the case are as follows: The influence of the twelve signs, as described by astrologers, is a delusion, because in all ages they are reported the same; whereas WE KNOW that every 2,160 years each sign retrogrades to the extent of thirty degrees, and, as your art does not make allowance for this, it is false. For, if the influence of the twelve signs does not emanate from the stars occupying the space of those signs, it must emanate from nothing-a doctrine well suited, no doubt, to musty old sages of your superstitious Chaldea, but quite out of court in our progressive age-the last decade of our cultured and scientific nineteenth century.

So far, so good. And so the world rolls along its bright pathway in the heavens, little heeding the logical conclusions of an exact science. But to an initiate of those inner principles of our planet's constitution all these mental conflicts have a meaning and a purpose within Nature's divine economy; for it is neither wise nor expedient that the masses, with popular science in the lead, should grasp the truths which Mother Nature reserves ALONE for her own devoted priests.

The shining Zodiac, with its myriad constellations and its perfect galaxy of starry systems, derives its subtle influence, as impressed astrologically upon the human constitution, from the solar center of our solar system, NOT FROM THE STARS which occupy the twelve mansions of space. Aries, the fiery, and PISCES, the watery, ARE ALWAYS THERE, and, instead of its being an argument against astrology, it is one of its grandest truths that, in all ages and in all times, Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac has been found EVER THE SAME, equally as well as Pisces the last.

In order to convey our meaning, let us digress for a moment and bring forth a fitting illustration. The condition of our atmosphere and the surrounding objects-vegetation, etc.-have a peculiar condition and a magnetism wholly their own when surveyed exactly at sunrise. There is a freshness and peculiar sense of buoyancy not visible at any other time. If this state could be registered by any instrument and compared with any other set periods during the day, it would offer a remarkable contrast. Two hours later there is a very different influence, and at noon there is a wonderful contrast. The same may be said of sunset, and again at midnight; and, lastly, note the difference two hours before dawn. This is the coolest period of the whole twenty-four hours. These are facts, and yet our hearts are all beating to the same life-flow, and the Earth is no farther away from the parent Sun; and yet it is the angle at which we, THE INHABITANTS, receive this Sun's light that makes all the difference between dawn and sunset, noon and midnight.

When to these facts it is further added that it is sunrise, noon, sunset and midnight at the same instant, all the time, to some of the various, different portions of the globe, it demonstrates most conclusively that the Earth itself is enveloped, so to say, in a complete circle of conditions very similar to the twelve signs of the celestial Zodiac.

If we apply the foregoing illustration to the twelve signs of the Zodiac, we shall see a perfect analogy. We shall find that when the Sun reaches the celestial equator, so that it is equal day and equal night on the Earth, that he is on the line of the celestial horizon; it is cosmic sunrise. Hence Aries, the fiery Azoth, begins his active influx, and extends for thirty degrees, equal to two hours of the natural day.

It is the fiery red streams of awakening life that we all manifest at sunrise; then comes a change of magnetic polarity after the first fiery flush of cosmic life; the gleeful chattering of the birds and the cackling of the poultry. A reaction is noted; all things before active become restful and quiet.

So it is with vegetation, so it is with infant life, and so it is with cosmic conditions.

This corresponds with the sign Taurus. It is the solar influx, thirty degrees removed from his point of equilibrium toward the North. As this sign represents the powers of absorption, we see that at this period vegetable and animal life is quietly absorbing, for its own use, the fiery streams of solar life.

Again we view the activity of solar influx from a different angle and change of polarity, and all things become active, It is executive force. This corresponds to the sign Gemini. It is the solar influx, sixty degrees removed from his point of equilibrium. Then comes another change of magnetic polarity. It is rest from labor; it is noon. This corresponds to Cancer. The analogy is perfect. It is the solar influx, ninety degrees removed from his point of equilibrium toward the North, and the highest point in the arc of his apparent journey and of cosmic life. It is the equilibrium of life forces.

Again the fiery influx begins its activity, and, as the hottest part of the day is about two hours after noon, or middle of the day, so is solar influx most potent at this point in the Zodiac.

This corresponds to the sign Leo. It is the solar influx, removed 120 degrees from his point of equilibrium and thirty degrees toward the South. And so on month after month, until the last one, Pisces, which well corresponds to the watery skies of February and the lifeless period two hours before dawn of a new day upon the Earth, a new year to man and a new cycle in the starry heavens. The Zodiac, then, as it applies to the human constitution and the science of astrology, has its foundation in the Sun, the center and source of life to the planet; and the twelve signs are the twelve great spaces of our Earth's annual orbit about her solar parent, each one typical of its month, and each month typical of its corresponding action upon our Earthy conditions.

As each sunrise is different in its aspects, so are no two signs of the Zodiac alike. The sunrise on the first of March is wholly different from the sunrise upon the first of May. So is the beginning and ending of each sign, and the beginning and ending of each natural day, peculiar unto itself.

When we reflect upon the inner laws of this action and interaction, we come nearer and nearer to the one great occult fact, viz.: THE DIVINE ONENESS OF LIFE.

We find a perfect analogy between the destiny, the life, and expression of life on the Earth, and the life and material destiny of embodied man. He, too, has his sunrise, the beginning of a new day of life, the seedtime, the flowering season, when life wears a roseate hue; the ripening fruits of experience, his harvest-time-it may be tares or golden grain; his gradual decay, the ebbing of the life forces and the icy winter of death; his gentle zephyrs and destructive hurricanes, floods and tempests, periods of drought and plenty. Within his triune constitution there are spring tides and low tides of physical, intellectual and spiritual forces. Man also makes the annual journey about the solar center, when, at the beginning of each new year to him, the life forces of his soul are renewed, regalvanized, so to say, according to the magnetic polarity of his constitution.

And so, every form of life has its Zodiac, its orbit of life and destiny. It may be infinitesimal, or vast beyond conception, each in its own peculiar plane. So we see that, the whole visible universe is one vast organism, the medium of expression for the invisible, real universe- the soul and God, the great central Sun, the eternal center of all life, binding the whole into unity-ONE LIFE.

The celestial signs of the shining Zodiac have no existence to us apart from the graceful and unwearying motion of our Mother Earth. She alone makes our seasons, years and destiny; and she alone, by her motion about the Sun, determines the thrones and mansions of the planetary powers.

The astrological Zodiac of a Saturn or a Mars cannot be like ours. Their years and seasons are peculiar to themselves and their material conditions; hence the twelve constellations have no existence as objective facts of concrete formation or cosmic potentiality. No! But as unalterable symbols of occult truth, the starry pictures of the shining constellations have an eternal verity. They pertain to the living realities of the human soul and its varied experience.

What the mysteries are, and what connection they have with the twelve constellations, will form the subject of our next chapter.

The twelve great constellations of the zodiacal belt which forms the Earth's orbit and the Sun's shining pathway around the celestial universe have been considered as mere imaginary figures, or emblems, invented by an early, primitive people to distinguish the monthly progress of the Sun and mark out, in a convenient manner, the twelve great divisions, or spaces, of the solar year.

To this end, IT IS THOUGHT, the various star groups, termed constellations, were fancifully imagined to represent the various physical aspects of the month, under, or into, which they were consecrated by the Sun's passage during the annual journey, so that, in some sense, the, twelve signs or constellations were symbolical, not only of the seasons, but also of the labors of the year.

That such a system seems perfectly natural to the learned mythologist, and that granting the ancients so much is a very great concession toward this CHILDISH KNOWLEDGE is, of course, quite excusable when we are constantly told, or reminded, that actual science-that is to say, "EXACT SCIENCE," does not date backward more than a couple of centuries at most.

Even the modern astrologer, much as be descants upon the influence of the twelve signs, has but little, if any, real knowledge of this matter above and beyond the purely physical symbolism above mentioned. And perhaps it is as well that such a benighted condition prevails, and that the Divine, heavenly goddess is unsought and comparatively unknown. The celestial Urania, at least, in such isolation remains pure and undefiled. She is free from the desecrating influence of polluted minds.

Such, in brief outline, is the general conception of mankind regarding the shining constellations that bedeck, like fiery jewels, their Maker's crown, and illumine with their celestial splendor the wondrous canopy of our midnight skies. Is there no more than a symbol of rural work in the bright radiance of the starry Andromeda, the harbinger of gentle spring? Nothing, think you, but the fruit harvest and the vintage is in the fiery, flushing luster of Antares and the ominous Scorpion? Are men so spiritually blind that they can perceive nothing but the symbol of maturing vegetation and the long summer's day in the glorious splendor of Castor and his starry mate and brother, Pollux? It would, indeed, seem so, so dead is the heart and callous the spiritual understanding of our own benighted day. To the initiate of Urania's mysteries, however, these dead, symbolic pictures become endowed with life; these emblems of rural labor or rustic art transform themselves from the hard, chrysolitic shell and expand into the fully developed spiritual flowers of spiritual entities, revealing in their bright, radiating lines the awful mystery of the soul's genesis, its evolution and eternal progressive destiny amid the mighty, inconceivable creations yet to come; pointing out each step and cycle in the soul's involution from its differentiation as a pure spiritual entity, a ray of Divine intelligence, to the crystallization of its spiritual forces in the realms of matter and its evolution of progressive life; the same eternal symbols of the springtime, the glorious summer, the autumn and winter of its eternal being.

In making this attempt, probably the very first within the era, to convey in plain and undisguised terms the interior mysteries of the twelve constellations, the reader and student is advised to ponder deeply upon the outlines presented. The subject is too vast to present in one or two chapters. Therefore we hope that this revelation may incite the student to further research. The real significance, the true, spiritual importance of such mysteries, can only be realized and fully appreciated after prolonged meditation and careful study.

With this brief digression, which we consider needed advice, we will resume our task, and attempt to usher our student into the weird labyrinth of Solomon's starry temple-"the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

1. Aries

"First Aries, in his golden wool."

This constellation represents the first Divine idea, the "word" of the Kabbalist, and the first active manifestation of the glorious En Soph. In other words, it is MIND IN ACTION, the first pulsation of Deity in the dual aspects of "Lord and Creator." To the human soul it is, and always typifies, the unknown, invisible power which we term INTELLIGENCE; THAT WHICH KNOWS, and gives unto each Deific atom of life that distinguishing, universal, yet deathless force which not only constitutes its spiritual identity and physical individuality, but enables it to pronounce, in the presence of its Creator, those mystic words: "I am that I am." In other words, this beautiful constellation symbolizes the first pulsation of that ray of pure intelligence which constitutes the Divine Ego of the human soul. It is the force that impels ever onward the life atom in its evolutionary progress, and reveals to us the beginning, or first manifestation, of the Divine Ego as an active, self-existing atom of Infinite spirit, within angelic spheres.

Seeing the actual, spiritual reality symbolized in Aries, how easy it is to note its full significance upon the external plane when refracted and reflected into the planes below through the complex action of the human organism, conveying the same radical influx in the first astrological month and the first sign of the Zodiac. We can read a perfect parallel in the astral influx upon the human body, as set forth in the "Light of Egypt," vol. I, which says Aries symbolizes the sacrifice and represents the springtime, the beginning of a new year. The first action of pure intelligence brought forth the first expression of form, and led to the sacrifice of its angelic state, and, having gained the victory over the lower realms of matter, once more the springtime of a new life, with the promise of life, light and love.

The sign Aries represents the thinking powers of humanity; in short, the active, intellectual being, the lord of material creation-Man; and in its cosmic relations, as shown under "The Occult Application of the Twelve Signs" (vol. I), we find the same perfect analogy.

II. Taurus

"He (Aries) turns and wonders at the mighty Bull (Taurus)."

The second constellation of the shining twelve represents the first reaction of spiritual conception. In other words, it is the mind's attention to its own ideas. In the Kabbalah it represents that peculiar state of executive force whereof it is symbolically said: "And the Lord saw that it was good," after each act of creation.

When intelligence first manifests itself form is a matter of necessity, and, as no form can possibly exist without matter, so Taurus is the first emanation of matter in its most etherealized state. Hence it is feminine, Venus the ruler thereof, and it represents the first pure form of the human soul, as it existed in its bright paradise within the angelic spheres of its parents, and reveals to us the first surprise of intelligence in embryo, the first sensation of consciousness, so to say-conscious of its Divine selfhood. Hence "He (the male spirit of pure fire, Aries), glorious in his golden (solar) wool, turns (expressing reaction) and wonders at the mighty bull (or material form)." Thus the first idea of pure intelligence in embryo, the result of action in Aries, becomes objective to its consciousness and is surprised at its own conception. It is the first sensation of pure, Divine love within angelic realms, and it (the male spirit of pure fire) sees that it is good.

Bringing this spiritual reality within our conception, and comparing it with its reflected astrological influx, what a beautiful harmony we find, and yet so simple that verily we cannot refrain from once more quoting our old-time, worn, yet, nevertheless, golden law: "AS IT IS ABOVE, SO IT IS BELOW; AS ON THE EARTH, SO IN THE SKY." Reflecting that Taurus is an Earthy sign, and a symbol of servitude, we see that matter is ever the servant of spirit, a necessary means for the manifestation of intelligence, again recognized in the fecundating forces of this astrological sign on every plane of its action. And it is ruled by Venus, the love element in Nature, her sympathies ever finding expression in this beautiful sign. What can be clearer, more understandable, than, that the involved principles and Deific attributes, as represented by the shining constellations, when refracted through the human organism, so complex in its constitution, reflects qualities which are the external and parallel expression of the subjective principles, and, further, that form is absolutely necessary for the manifestation of intelligence?

III. Gemini

"He (Taurus) bending lies with threatening bead, and calls the Twins (Gemini) to rise. They clasp for fear and mutually embrace."

This bright constellation (Castor and Pollux), Gemini, is spiritually representative of the second spiritual action. Hence it is, of course, a masculine sign and positive. We have witnessed act I of the soul's drama, and, as some have said, tragedy, and in this, the third of the shining twelve, we find the opening scene of act II, viz: The evolution of the twin souls, or, more correctly, the differentiation of the Divine soul into its two natural component parts-male and female.

Here we approach one of the most arcane secrets within the wide scope of Occult philosophy, hence must be exact, and at the same time clear, in our statements. Note, then, that after the male spirit of pure, ethereal, divine fire (Aries) bad conceived the first idea, and Taurus, the material envelope, had given that idea objective existence to its (the Ego's) consciousness, we find SENSATION AS THE RESULT. No sooner sensation than aspiration; i.e., longing. This closes the action and the reaction.

Ever, in obedience to the unsatisfied wants of an immortal soul Nature immediately responds. Hence "He bending lies with threatening head, (that is demanding)," and calls the twins (the twin souls) to rise (to appear or evolve forth)," and as a first rude shock caused by their separation, or, rather, by their separate existence as two distinct, yet mutually dependent, forces, we have the context.

"They clasp for fear and mutually embrace."

This most impressive scene in the soul's drama is one of profound interest and sublime beauty.

In the Kabbalah we find the same parallel, wherein it is stated: "And so God created man in His own image (the action of Aries and Taurus); in His own image (mind) created He him, male and female created He them." In other words, Aries, Taurus and Gemini are thus spoken of in pure allegory.

The mundane Bible of the Jews, like everything else esteemed sacred, finds its original and perfect expression in the great Astral Bible of the skies.

To the average student the evolution of the Twin Souls is a profound mystery, embracing, as it does, the whole of involution and evolution, seeing that this beautiful constellation represents to us the first recognition, or consciousness, of the Divine Ego of its dual forces, sensation and aspiration, called forth by the action of Aries and Taurus. How beautifully has the poet expressed this first pulsation of Divine love: "They clasp for fear," etc. Evolved by the Divine will of pure intelligence, they must ever remain as separate, yet mutually dependent, forces, positive and negative, male and female, upon whose action and reaction rest the perfect evolvement of the powers and possibilities of the One.

In order to clearly grasp the whole of these ramifications, we again invite our student's careful attention to the same sign, Gemini, in its astrological aspect, as it is representatively expressed by refraction upon the human organism. We find that this sign (the representative of the constellation always) signifies the union of reason with intuition, and that it governs the arms, hands and executive forces of man.

Surely, as we reflect upon the almost marvelous inter-relationship between things spiritual and things temporal, we must conclude, with the man Jesus, that "They have eyes but they see not, and ears, but alas they hear not."

If it were not so man would, indeed, by virtue of the latent forces within him, take the kingdom of Heaven by storm and reign supreme as enthroned king of all material forms. Man, in his blindness, has relegated intuition to obscurity; has neglected the cunning of the left hand and debauched the pure love of the divine state. Consequently, the executive forces within him are unbalanced, thus rendering him the slave of material forms, instead of being their lawful sovereign. Therefore, not until, with clean hands and pure heart, he restores intuition to her throne, united with reason, can he hope to COMPREHEND the reality of this arcane mystery of the twin souls, Gemini.

IV. Cancer

"And next the Twins with an unsteady pace

Bright Cancer rolls."

In this beautiful constellation we witness the reaction of Gemini, the closing scene in act II. Hence it is, of course, a feminine force we are observing. In other words, it is that period (or rather one of them) wherein the Kabbalah expresses the reaction of the En Soph, via his Creators, as "And behold the Lord saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good."

Just so Cancer, spiritually interpreted, means equalizing, hence HARMONY, which is indeed very good as contradistinguished from chaos.

To the human soul Cancer is the period of exalted rest. It is the highest point in the arc of the Divine Soul's Angelic Cycle. From this glorious, but subjective, summit or altitude in the realm of spirit it must descend.

Restless energy and the still unsatisfied longings of its own immortal nature are the forces that bring such evolution about. Having evolved the dual forces of its divine nature, the Ego sees that it is good and rests from its labor. But as this exalted state is purely subjective, and ideal, it must of necessity, to satisfy the longing for further unfoldment and desire to know, descend into material realms and conditions. From this point begins the soul's involution downward, until the lowest point in the arc is reached, viz., Capricorn.

Refer now to the sign Cancer, and carefully study out the parallel upon its astrological planes and also under its Occult aspects, as given forth in the "Light of Egypt," Vol. I, where we read: "Cancer rules the respiratory and digestive functions of humanity, and governs the reflective organs of the brain." Note the parallel. Within subjective realms the Divine soul has inspired and assimilated all that is possible to that angelic state, and knows a period of blissful rest. But the longings of its immortal nature urge on the soul. So we see that the sign Cancer symbolizes tenacity to life; to live we must breathe and eat and assimilate upon every plane of our being. It necessarily follows that, the mentality expressed by Cancer must be susceptible to inspirational currents; to inspire is to indraw. In its application, we find that this sign symbolizes love. How beautiful the harmony and contrast of the constellation and its astrological representative.

V. Leo

"Then Leo shakes his mane."

Herein is typified the third grand spiritual action which, as we find throughout Nature, travel in pairs; hence Leo is a positive, masculine constellation.

Having attained the highest point in the super-celestial states of subjective, embryonic existence; having evolved sensation and aspiration; now, inspired by a desire for immortality, the DUAL SOUL of the Divine Ego is once more impelled forward; but, as all evolution works in spirals, it cannot ascend higher without first apparently descending lower; so ever onward in its eternal march. This beautiful constellation symbolizes the first action on the downward portion of the are. It is the affinities of the heart, so to say, working from within to without.

Matter, in its more etherealized form, begins to assert its sway. The allegorical serpent of Eden is working upon the feminine portion, symbolized by the heart, and, like a magnetic tractor, the soul's affinities are drawn downward, and, as if in defiance of all responsibilities, consequences, and Karma, the soul, lion-like, "shakes his mane in the imperiousness of deathless courage."

As we read these weird allegories, written by Deity in the starry vaults of heaven, the interested soul bows in reverence and awe before that almighty power we term Providence, and the profane call God.

No man has altered these pure records of divinity; no finger has interpolated one single line. They are as beautifully clear to the soul now as they were in the very dawn of Nature's awful creation.

To the Initiate into Urania's mysteries it is unnecessary to draw a parallel between the constellation and its astrological sign. They are too clear, magnificent and impressive to escape notice. To the majority of students the resembance may not be so apparent, hence, for their benefit, we will point out a few aspects of this interesting parallel.

We read that the sign Leo is the "solar Lion of the mysteries, that, ripens with his own internal heat the fruits brought forth from the Earth by the moisture of Isis (the soul)." Just so, the Divine Ego, by its eternal energy and strength, the pure fire of intelligence, externalizes through material forms the principles involved in the downward portion of the arc, as qualities and attributes of the soul (reflected in the physical man as traits and qualities). Again we are told, "this sign reveals to us the ancient sacrifice and the laws of its compensation." In the imperiousness of a deathless courage, the soul defies all consequences and responsibilities. Surely, this is the supreme sacrifice, to leave its pure, Edenic state to gain knowledge, to evolve its latent forces. And from this lion of the Tribe of Judah, is born that Divine love and sympathy which ultimately redeems and purifies the soul and saves it from death in matter. The laws of its compensation are fulfilled in the prefected man.

In its intellectual aspect, we learn that the mental forces of those dominated by this sign are ever striving to attain unto some higher state. Their ideas are grand, compared with the nature of the constellation, and all that it implies. The reflection is clear, natural and beautiful. When we reflect upon this awful period in the involution of the dual souls of the Divine Ego, as symbolized by the constellation, and the grand truths represented by the astrological sign when refracted through the human organism, the reason for Leo being named the Royal Sign becomes quite plain.

VI. Virgo

"And following Virgo calms his rage again."

Beautifully expressive are these lines to those who read their mystic import aright. Virgo is the reaction of the leonine force, and is, consequently, a feminine symbol.

Action and reaction are the eternal laws upon which the cosmos is founded. They constitute the inseparable affinities, attraction and repulsion, of everything within the realm of manifested being. In this mystic constellation, we see the first ideas of maternal instinct arise. This is a necessary result of the impulsive action of the heart in Leo-the reaction from a state of imperious, defiance. The heat of rage or energy and deathless courage results in the IDEAS of something to be encountered, overcome, and of self-preservation. The dual soul descends still another volve in the spiral of its celestial journey toward crystallized forms.

Virgo, the Virgin of the skies, and eternal symbol of that Divine, immaculate conception, shows wherein these forces lie. Here is conceived, in a pure, holy sense, the first instinct of love within the dual soul. It represents that awful period in the Biblical Garden of Eden, wherein the VIRGIN WIFE stands before the tree of knowledge, of good and evil, where she is fascinated by the allurements of matter and is unconsciously becoming enveloped in the coils of the serpent. In other words, after the cosmic force had SHAKEN ITS MANE in defiance of material forces, it is the reaction of his subjective half which sees HOW GOOD material things are; or, in other words, "and following Virgo calms his rage again." The masculine half, or positive force of the soul, yields to temptation and is soothed by the alluring prospects.

It will be noticed in this connection that pity, reflection, and compassion, are the peculiar actions of the sign Virgo in the Zodiac (not the constellation), and that astrologically it governs the bowels. This symbolism is really very beautiful when closely compared and studied. That immaculate conception of pure love of the soul for its other half, upon the astrological plane, becomes refracted and reacts as compassion and pity. Again, the soul, within subjective realms, sees how good material things are, and its refraction represents the assimilating functions of the human organism. It also reveals to us the significance of the Lord's Supper. At this stage of its journey, the Divine Ego knows for the last time that close communion with the twin soul before the crucifixion, the wine typical of the sacrifice, the bread, and the sustaining forces, of its own immortal being.

The intellectual aspect of the sign Virgo forms a perfect analogy to the constellation, and is too evident for further remarks.

VII. Libra

"Then day and night are weighed in Libra's scales;

Equal awhile, at last the night prevails."

Another volve in the spiral, and we reach the grand climax of the soul's journey, within the spiritual world.

The nature of this constellation was, for ages, concealed from all but Initiates; for the reason that, it contains the most important mysteries connected with the human soul. It is the grand transition are between the spiritual world and the astral world; in other words, between ideal conceptions and elemental forms, between the world of design and the realms of force.

One of the chief mysteries of Libra is, that, it is androgyne, or bisexual, in nature. So far the dual soul has evolved within the realms of spirituality; here it stands, in the celestial balance, between the two, giving way to temptation, takes the forbidden fruit and instantly awakes from its purely spiritual state to become surrounded by the illusions of matter. The struggle of the soul with the attracting forces of matter is very clearly expressed in the line:-

"Equal awhile, at last the night prevails."

In other words, astral and physical darkness bedim the soul's spiritual sight, and, leaving the realms of innocence and bliss, they sink into the vortex of the great astral world.

The celestial state is now forever lost as a realm of angelic innocence. It can only be regained amid trial, sorrow, suffering, and experience, and, when regained, it is as Lord and Master, not as the innocent cherub. But when, having gained or reached the equator of the upward arc of its progress, and, united once more to its missing half, gives expression to that deathless force with which it started from the opposite point, Aries: "I AM THAT I AM;" no longer an embryo, but being within the UNIVERSAL SOUL of being. Before closing this symbolic constellation, we must reveal the mystery of its BI-SEXUAL NATURE. In the higher or first portion of the sign it is {}, positive to some extent, and masculine. The soul is still within the Garden of Eden and pure, clad in the raiment of God, and is represented by the Chaldean statues of "The Bearded Venus," or Venus, the Angel of Libra, as a morning star, bright Lucifer. But in the latter half, after the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (positive and negative, you see) has been partaken of, bright Lucifer falls. The Sun of the Morning, shorn of his glory, becomes the symbol of night, or Vesper, the evening star, and the symbol is thus {}, and the soul loses its heavenly raiment, or spiritual consciousness, and becomes clothed with matter, the symbol of night.

The sign Libra in the Zodiac, in its astrological aspect, is a very external correspondence of all the foregoing.

VIII. Scorpio

"And, longer grown, the heavier scale inclines,

And draws bright Scorpio from the winter signs."

We now behold the gates of Paradise guarded by the FLAMING SWORD which points to the four quarters of the world. This sword is, according to Genesis, "to guard the way of the tree of life," and such, esoterically, it really is.

The soul is no longer dual, but separated into male and female personalities; "and behold they see that they are naked." Stripped of their spiritual raiment, they feel the chill of matter and the lusts of an animal nature. They need clothing, "so God made them coats of skin." Sex is the symbolism herein typified, and the evolution of the animal passions of procreation, of multiplication and evolution. It is the complete entry of the soul into elemental conditions, and the flaming sword guarding the four quarters of the Earth to the way of life are the four great realms of the astral world; the way to physical life in concrete forms; and the way to life eternal through the realms of the Sylphs, Gnomes, Undines and Salamanders. They are the basis of all matter, known as Air, Earth, Water and Fire. Here we see that, through the evolution of sex and its accompanying desire for procreation, these blind forces of Nature find their avenue of expression. Spiritual consciousness almost lost, and without reason, the soul becomes the prey, so to say, of these forces of the astral world, which is the realm of design. The soul's creations must be met and vanquished upon the upward arc of the Cycle of Progress. They guard or oppose the way to eternal life. Here the soul, having gained the victory, stripped forever of its earthy raiment and the lusts of the flesh, arrayed once more in its spiritual raiment, purified and sanctified, it will stand once more at the gates of Paradise, where, reunited with its missing half, it will partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life and become as Gods. Astrologically the correspondence is perfect, and so thinly disguised as to need no explanation.

IX. Sagittarius

"Him Centaur follows with an aiming eye,

His bow full-drawn, and ready to let fly."

Deeper and deeper sinks the soul into material forms. The evolution of sex has produced the necessary avenues for the entrance of countless forces, and the soul is now rapidly losing the last vestiges of its spiritual conscience. In other words, Sagittarius symbolizes that state of the soul wherein it is descending to its polarizing point, and is, therefore, the vortex of innumerable opposing forces, seeking expression in different forms.

"It is the bow (strength or force of the soul), FULL-drawn and ready to let fly" its arrows (of energy) in any direction that may afford proper opportunity. Here we see the expression of that deathless, fiery force, and imperious daring and courage, within more material states; the primal fire reflected from another angle.

But everything is unsettled. It is a masculine force, and restless, and is represented under the allegory of the "Tower of Babel" and the utter dispersion of the people (entities) to the four corners of the Earth, and finally becomes involved in dense matter, and its migrations are at an end on this side of the Cycle of Necessity.

Upon the astrological plane, the zodiacal sign Sagittarius rules the motive forces and the pedestrian instinct, the thighs, or basis of locomotion; hence, we see, even here, a most perfect analogy. This sign symbolizes, also, the governing forces of humanity, which see the necessity of law and order; hence government. In this expression, we find the bow (strength or force) ready to let fly its arrows of energy in any direction the opportunity may afford; when refracted upon the human organism and reflected upon the external plane, these forces manifest as the restless spirit, that ever impels onward, seeking new fields of expression, out of which develops a sense of order, restraining and training, or the governing of self and control of others. When we reflect upon these symbols of starry truths the mind bows in reverence before the wisdom that created them.

X. Capricorn

"Next narrow horns the twisted Caper shows."

The Goat, and in the realms of spirit, the crystallized mineral is the reaction of the former, and shows to us death, inertia and rest; hence Kronos, or Saturn, the symbol of death, is lord of this state and condition. It is the polarizing point of the soul's evolution in matter, and therefore, forms the lowest are in the Cycle of Necessity.

Herein we behold the soul, imprisoned within the mineral state. The fire of the flint, and the spark in the crystal, are the only avenues of its lonesome expressions. But, as the lowest point, it is also the promise of a higher, and the symbol of a higher state, and the symbol of another spiral in its endless life.

This constellation, as the symbol of inertia and death, is also the symbol of awakening life, and prepares the soul for the more perfect expression of its powers in its forthcoming upward journey. If we pause for a moment and consider the force and power necessary to evolve out of this dark, dense, mineral realm, the foregoing sentence will become clear and forcible. Hitherto, the soul has been slowly drawn down into coils of matter, imprisoned by material forces. It has penetrated the lowest depths, and can go no farther. Rest here, is to gather strength, force. Mark well the difference and parallel between Cancer and Capricorn, opposite points in the arc. Cancer is the symbol of exalted rest within angelic realms; Capricorn the symbol of rest in dense matter. From the former state the soul is impelled forward on its downward journey; from the latter state the soul awakens to the struggle for life on the upward are; and must now give expression to the positive powers of its immortal being, which have become involved in material form; that shall make it the master, and give it the victory over death and material forces. Surely, this is truly the promise of a new day, and higher state of existence.

It will he instructive to study this by a comparison of the zodiacal sign, Capricorn, as set forth in the "Light of Egypt," Vol. 1, wherein we read: "This sign signifies the knees, and represents the first principle in the trinity of locomotion, viz., the joints, bending, pliable, movable." The analogy is perfect. The soul, which has been pliant, bending to material forces, now reverses this action, and bows the knee in awe and reverence to the higher powers of its being. When refracted upon the human organism, we find that the cold, lonesome state, and weary struggle within the mineral realm, becomes love of self, directing its energies to the attainment of selfish ends. What could be more natural?

XI. Aquarius

"And from Aquarius' urn a flood o'erflows."

The soul, released from its crystallized cycle of matter, now rapidly evolves into states, though material, yet entirely different. Its previous arc, from Libra to Capricorn, has been amid inorganic matter. It is now rushing with lightning speed upon its weird, toilsome, upward, journey through purely organic forms, from vegetable to animal; and, as all organic forms have their primary origin in water, so does this celestial urn express the primary conception of this physical state. Further, to more fully express this, Aquarius is typical of man, as prototype of the last grand goal of the soul's future material state-in other words, the last quadrant of the four elements, viz.: Bull, Lion, Eagle, Man.

There is something exceedingly significant in all this, and the more we ponder on this spiritual allegory of the shining constellation, the more we are impressed with the divine wisdom of those early instructors of our race, who thus preserved truth in an incorruptible form.

From this weird, but beautiful constellation, we learn how the soul has progressed, finding innumerable avenues of expression of its latent forces; the manifestation of its powers in the various chemical changes, and development of functions expressed through countless forms, on the lower planes of existence. The sacrifice of its angelic innocence, the imperious defiance and deathless courage, symbolized by Leo, have obtained the victory over the lower kingdoms; which will be incorporated into his vast empire. Yet, unstable as water, it cannot excel; or, in other words, cannot rise to a higher state within this are, of its progressive life.

We find that the astrological expression of this constellation, the sign Aquarius, governs the legs, and is the natural emblem of the changeable, moveable, migratory forces, of the body, forming a perfect parallel with its interior symbol. There is a great deal contained in this zodiacal sign worthy of deep study and reflection.

XII. Pisces

"Near their loved waves cold Pisces take their seat,

With Aries join, and make the round complete."

Once more a reaction-the last scene of the soul's impersonal drama. The constellation (if Pisces is the symbol of rest and expectation. The soul has now completed the first round, or rung, in the Cycle of Necessity; and its next state is that of incarnated man. It has triumphed over every sphere below, and defied, in turn, every power above, and is now within that sixth state of the embryonic soul-world that transforms all its past knowledge, sorrow, and suffering, into experience; and produces the impersonal man.

It has traveled through constellated states within matter and spirit, and, as a human soul, with reason, intuition, and responsibility, it will, in its next state, become subject to those same powers when reflected from a different plane. The twelve constellations of its soul will manifest a complete rapport with the twelve signs of solar light and power.

With this we close. The mystic sign of this constellation is {}, or completion, a seal and a sign of its past labors.

And, as we have seen, the shining constellations are the soul's progressive history from its genesis, to its appearance within embodied conditions as man; and so, by correspondence, are the twelve solar signs symbols of man and his material destiny. The foundation has been laid, the material and resources are at hand, for his kingdom is exclusive. With his own hands he must build his temple (the symbol of the perfected man), each stone accurately measured, cut, polished, and in its proper place, the proportions symmetrical, hence, harmonious; the keystone of whose arch is WILL, its foundation love. This accomplished, be will have completed the second round of the great Cycle of Necessity.

And who, after contemplating the wondrous harmony of this beautiful system, and the complete accord of each part, can refuse to agree with the truly inspired Addison that-

"Ever moving as they shine,

The hand that made us is divine."

As a sequel to the foregoing subjects, viz., the Zodiac and constellations, we will add the spiritual interpretation of the twelve houses of an horoscope, which completes the triune expression of these celestial symbols of eternal truths.

In revealing this mystery, we would impress upon the mind of the student that the order of the Zodiac is the reverse of the external, in its spiritual application, to the twelve houses of the horoscope.

As the four cardinal signs, viz., Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, correspond to the four angles of a natal figure, it is our purpose to explain, first, the symbology of the four angles, or cardinal points; believing the whole revelation will thus become clear and forcible.

The four angles of the horoscope correspond to the four elements, the four triplicities, and the four cardinal points, or epochs, in the soul's involution from pure spirit to the crystallizing, inert, mineral state.

The first angle is the ascendant, or House of Life. It is the eastern horizon, and symbolized by Aries. Upon the interior, this first angle stands for the birth, or differentiation, of the Divine Ego, as the result of the creative action, or impulse, of the Deific mind.

The Ego rises upon the eastern horizon of celestial states, a glowing, scintillating atom of pure intelligence, an absolute, eternal Ego, rising out of the ocean of Infinite Love.

The South angle, meridian, or Tenth House, pertaining to honor, etc., is symbolized by Cancer; the highest point in the arc of the soul's involution, as a differentiated atom of Deity within angelic spheres.

Having evolved the first dual expression of its (the Ego's) self, the twin souls-Sensation and Aspiration, or Love and Wisdom, the Ego rests awhile, radiant with celestial love and wisdom, and inspiring the Divine breath of life.

Again the restless impulse of the creative purpose arouses the Ego to further action. The culminating point has been reached, and now must begin an apparent downward course toward the western horizon.

The seventh angle, or House of Marriage, etc., is represented by Libra (the Balance), or point of equilibrium; where the two souls are still one, balanced upon the western horizon. The alluring temptations of material illusions draw the souls downward, and, divorced from their celestial state, the radiance of Divine love becomes obscured, until the twilight of consciousness of that former state is lost in the night of material conditions.

This house signifies, also, law, and open enemies, and (Libra) justice. Sex is the law. The antagonism is surely too apparent to require explanation.

The fourth angle, or Nadir, the point opposite the M. C., signifies the frozen North, and is symbolized by Capricorn, the crystallizing point in the soul's involution. It is death, inertia; that is, crystallization of the soul's spiritual forces. It is the lowest point of the are in the monad's downward journey. It is the night, before the awakening of a new day upon a higher plane of existence.

The remaining houses are the lights and shadows that, fill out and complete the picture, upon this, the first round of the Cyclic Ladder.

The Twelfth House, symbolized by Taurus, represents the first expression of form of the human soul. It is matter in the most etherealized state. It is the trail of the serpent; the silent, secret, tenacious, negative principle; that ultimately draws the soul down into the vortices of gross matter and death.

The Eleventh, or House of Friends, whose symbol is Gemini, the Twins, expressive of the first emanation of this sublime relationship, the dual attributes, love and wisdom, closest friends. It is sensation and aspiration, which enable the spirit to attain to the exalted state indicated by the Tenth Mansion.

The Ninth Mansion of the celestial map is the House of Science, Art, Religion, Philosophy, etc., and its symbol is Leo, the Heart, with its emotions, love, and longings, and sympathies. Having evolved the twins, and inspiring the Divine breath of wisdom; glowing with Deific love, the Ego aspires to know; and all the sympathies of the soul are aroused. Dauntless and fearless, defying all opposition and consequences, It (the Ego) is ready to sacrifice this angelic state and explore the boundless Universe in pursuit of knowledge, and goes forth on its long voyage upon the ocean of Infinite, fathomless love and wisdom.

The Eighth, or House of Death and Legacies, is symbolized by Virgo, the virgin wife, standing before the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil," fascinated by the flattering prospects of greater power and wisdom. Desire and sympathy draw the soul down into realms which lead to death, and the beginning of a heritage of sorrow,

The Sixth, or House of Sickness, Menials, and Sorrow, is symbolized by Scorpio. The fall, from Libra through Scorpio (sex), created the first condition of what we recognize as sickness and affliction. It is evident that this house is related to the elementals of the astral plane, which become the servitors of man.

The Fifth, or House of Children, etc., symbolized by Sagittarius, signifies the offspring of sex (Scorpio), entities sent forth to people the Earth, to take their chances of life, speculating on its future course, fearlessly eager for the struggle, gaining pleasure in its migrations and activities.

The Third House is symbolized by Aquarius. This is the first step of the upward journey, or evolution, from the inert mineral state. The changes are now rapid; the journeys innumerable; through mineral, vegetable, and animal planes, of existence. Here, the Soul Monad brings into actual practice the knowledge gained on its long voyage. The magical powers of the soul are brought into action to effect these changes in form and function, conquering material forces and planes of life, transmuting Nature's elements to its uses and purposes, and writing its history, as it journeys ever onward, step by step.

And further, this house stands in opposition to the Ninth House, symbolized by Leo; longing to expand its (the Ego's) possibilities through trial and suffering; gaining knowledge through bitter experience; yet fearlessly braving all things; guided and sustained by the imperial will of spirit. The recompense promised by that supreme sacrifice has been won in Aquarius-the Man-consecrated now to a higher existence, baptized in the waters of affliction (experience), ready to be transmuted into actual knowledge. This is Aquarius, and the Third House.

The Second House, signified as Pisces, the House of Wealth, that which has been accumulated on the long and toilsome journey-the wealth of experience, acquired through trials and struggles. And now, with higher, greater possibilities, the soul eagerly awaits the hour when it shall be born again, a conscious, responsible human being, to begin the second round of the Cyclic Ladder; on this second round, to externalize the knowledge gained, to evolve the involved attributes and forces of being,-a creature of will and intellect, to work out its destiny, as the lord of material creation.

Observe, the order of the Zodiac is reversed upon the external human plane. But, Aries is always symbolical of the first angle, and Libra of the seventh, being the point of equilibrium, while the tenth, or South, angle becomes Capricorn and the fourth Cancer. The mission of the soul now is to evolve the positive, spiritual attributes.

Aries rules the brain and the fiery, imperial will. It signifies courage, daring, etc., the first qualities necessary for the battle of life. Ruling the head, the sign and house show us the ability of man to view the field of action, to mark his chart, and arm for the war (which will be incessant); responsible for his acts, a creature of unfolding consciousness, an individual, whose measure of free will enables him to wander so far North or South of his celestial equator, within his orbit, or Zodiac.

The South angle, or Tenth House, now ruled by Capricorn, tells of the honor, position, fame, etc. (or the reverse) acquired by patient labor. The crystallized material gains, the concrete result of ambition, skill, and talent, which will, at the close of his earthly career, become liquefied by the universal resolvent; symbolized by Cancer upon the opposite angle, symbolical of the grave, the end of mundane affairs; when they will be mirrored forth in new forms in that great white sea, according to the manner in which he gained his worldly accumulations and prestige.

The seventh angle is Libra, House of Marriage; that all-important relation which may make or mar a life, the Balance is so easily disturbed in its equilibrium. To preserve its harmony, equality must reign, blending love and wisdom. It is the perfect poise of body, mind, and soul, achieved by loving obedience to the higher laws of our being and the true union of intuition and reason.

The Second House, now represented by Taurus, shows us that personal wealth and possessions must come through patient servitude, steady application, and diligence, in being able to choose and assimilate the knowledge, that will enable man to battle with material conditions, and wrest from the abundant sources of Mother Nature his share of treasure and experience. It is the battle-ground to which humanity, armed with brain and will, life and energy, goes forth to battle with material forces for the bread he must earn by the sweat of his brow, and through the silent, subtle forces of mind and soul conquer matter, thus storing up a wealth of knowledge and experience.

The Third House is ruled by Gemini, the Twins, Reason and Intuition, the brethren who aid and guide us on our many journeys in the pursuit of knowledge. As this sign governs the hands and arms and the executive forces of humanity, we see, that, the hands become the magical agents of mind, moulding into outward form the ideas conceived in the mind, projecting these into the field of active life, that he may write a bright record in the Book of Life. The hands should be kept clean, the images pure; and the perfect poise gained by the equal exercise of love and wisdom, intuition and reason, making the basis of education; the evolution of the interior or real self. This is the true meaning of this house upon the external plane. it is Occult, because it means projecting the powers of the soul into conscious life, externalizing the qualities and magical forces of spirit, as shown in the first instance by Aquarius. This can be accomplished only through pure desire and aspiration. Otherwise, the unbalanced scales, with floods and cataclysms, will be the results.

The Fifth House, ruling children, etc., is symbolized by Leo (the Heart). The joys and sorrows that offspring of every kind bring, all belong to this House of the Heart. The sacrifice indicated is too obvious for comment.

The Sixth House governs sickness, disease, etc., and its symbol is Virgo, an Earthy sign, clearly showing us that the material form is the matrix, out of which are born disease and suffering. But, the perfect assimilation of the fruit of the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil;" transmuting the trials, experiences, sorrows, and suffering of the physical and external life into true wisdom; makes man master of his material universe; and the blind forces of Nature become his servants. Having accomplished the task, and attained the harmonious poise, or balance, in Libra, the individualized soul arrives at the eighth step in the journey.

The Eighth House, or House of Death and Legacies (Scorpio). The old Adam dies. The sensuous has no place in the balanced, harmonious being, but recognizes sex as the law, the door to regeneration now, and that a new legacy is awaiting him.

The Ninth House, Sagittarius. where, with the knowledge acquired, self sits in judgment upon the works of the hands and mind, whether or no they have been well done; the sacrifice of the lower nature properly made, control of the triune being established, the transmutations correct and accurate, assimilation perfect and free from dross, harmony gained by loving obedience to the higher law of being, and thus becomes ruler of his kingdom; the long journey almost accomplished, so far as Earth is concerned, perceiving and understanding that all sciences, philosophies, and religions, have their origin from one primal source. Having penetrated the depths in reverent obedience to the Divine law of creation, and evolved the attributes of the dual constitution, the forces of his being become crystallized. He has reached the culmination of his earthly pilgrimage, and stands forth the perfected human reflection of the higher self.

The Eleventh House is represented by Aquarius on the human plane. Friends surround and welcome him. These friends are the pure thoughts, noble impulses, lofty ideals, and generous deeds. The bread cast upon the Waters of Life returns to nourish and sustain him in his encounter with the secret foes, symbolized by the Twelfth House and Pisces. The idols, false ideas, and vampires of his own creation, are to be cleansed and washed away by the Waters of Love, the universal solvent that is ever seeking to bring about change and new forms; born again of water to make the round of the astral Zodiac, until, having again reached the equator of the ascending are, where he is reunited to the missing half of his soul, the true friend of the Edenic state; the highest point in the arc of human progress won; the honor and glory of a perfected soul; the Lord and Master, the "I am that I am," to rest in peace in the heart of Infinite Love and Wisdom.