January 25, 2013 by P. James Clark

Gemini: Sign, Myth & Meaning

We are fortunate to have such access to many Classical texts on astrology In the The Anthology of Vettius Valens of Antioch, Book I. Concerning the Nature of the Stars (Schmidt & Robert Hand p. 3). Valens introduces Mercury with these words:

“The star of Hermes (Mercury) is significant for the education of children, letters, disputation, speech, having brothers, interpretation, the herald’s office, number, counters, geometry, commerce, youth, playthings, theft, community, announcement, service, profit, discoveries, following, contest, wrestling, declamation, sealing, sending messages, setting up, being suspended, scrutinizing, hearing, versatility.”

John Dee – Modified Mercury Glyph from Monas Hieroglyphia . The Crescent of Soul is being drawn down to the centre of the Sun His glyph for the Monad adds the Horns of Aries at the Base and a Dot in the Circle of Spirit, signifying consciousness..

Hermes has two domiciles viz. Gemini and Virgo. Hermes is the most protean of all planets and is only masculine or feminine according to placement, that is to say Oriental or Occidental of the Sun. As the messenger of the gods you will find his glyph to be Solar and Lunar over the Cross of Matter; Mercury contains all three symbols, signifying the potential integration of spirit, soul and matter.

Hermes is the Primordial Hermaphrodite, adept at communicating with lightning speed. The price of speed however is lack of depth. This comes when he co joins other planets either by Aspect of Reception. It is important to note that Apollo is an ancient Greek name for Mercury as a morning star

Valens writes of the Sign Gemini:

“Gemini is male, bicorporeal, articulate, the house of Mercury, upward-trending, celestial, feminizing, a freedman, sterile, public. Under it are born scholars, those working in education and letters, poets, music-lovers, declaimers, stewards, those who receive trusts; also translators, merchants, judges of good and evil, sensible people, practicioners of the curious arts, and seekers after mystic lore.

Flora And Zephyr by William Bouguereau, 1875

In general, whatever the house ruler usually produces according to its own nature, whether good or bad, greater or lesser, this it produces in each of the signs according to the operative or inoperative configuration of the houseruler.”

I find this less satisfying than the description of Mercury itself. It’s not that any of what he writes is false; but it has little meaning until the last sentence brings it all into focus. I dare say this is more true of Gemini than other signs, including Virgo.

Let’s turn now to the Gemini Myth. The tale of Castor and Polydeuces is complex. Other than the fact that they are called the twins (Gemini) it takes a bit of effort to find other elements of the myth that point to the sign.

They were the Dioscuri, twin sons of Zeus and Leda or Tydareus and Leda. When Tyndareus is called the father, Castor and Polydeuces — or Pollux, as he is known in Latin, are known as the Tyndaridae. Sometimes Castor is considered the son of Tyndareus and Polydeuces the son of Zeus, just as the Dioscuri’s sister Clytemnestra is the daughter of Tyndareus, while their sister Helen of Troy is the daughter of Zeus. Only Polydeuces was divine.

Gemini finds its place in the Air triplicity, as the mutable (or common) expression of that element. The Air triplicity is concerned with the Intellectual faculties and the world of Mind. The sign is hot and moist, masculine, human and barren.

Hermes stirring up the Ether – Botticelli’s Primavera.

Like the element Mercury, Gemini likes to run over the surface of things, without ever penetrating the surface. This can manifest as the joy of intellectual play. Gemini is a dual sign and needs focus in order to resolve the apparent dual natures of their being, as illustrated in the myth of Castor and Pollux. It is only apparent: this is not like the situation with Pisces where the two fish are bound together and swimming in different directions. Although one is an equestrian and the other a pugilist, the Gemini twins are inseparable and move as one .

When Castor was slain in battle, and Polydeuces, inconsolable for the loss of his brother, besought Zeus to be permitted to give his own life as a ransom for him. Zeus so far consented as to allow the two brothers to enjoy life alternately, passing one day under the earth and the next in the heavenly abodes. According to another form of the story, Zeus rewarded the brothers by placing them among the stars as Gemini the Twins. They received divine honours under the name of Dioscuri.

The key here is knowing what it is to be human and divine at the same time. Hermes weds Earth to Heaven. Using Alchemical language, Paracelsus tells us that “The world is as God created it. In the beginning He made it into a body, which consists of four elements. He founded this primordial body on the trinity of Mercury, Sulphur and Salt . These are the three substances of which the complete body consists.” (Paracelsus Ed. Jacobi . Trans Guterman p. 14) Salt is Base Matter, Sulphur is omnipresent Spirit of life and Mercury brings about the divine fusion of opposites.

Roman remains of Temple of Castor & Pollox

Roman ruins – Temple of Castor & Pollox

Hermes is given many attributes in Classical sources. One of the better known is the association with the West Wind or Zephyr, the subject of much art work, including Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.

January 25, 2013 by P. James Clark

Hermetic Philosophy & Astrology

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I have discussed the Hermetic Philosophy in a number of contexts. Here I want to get to the very core of the teaching because it is essential to Astrology as well as Sympathetic Magick. In such a medium it can only be an introductory article – I hope it will inspire further research.

The image above is of the Goddess Nut. Her name is translated as ‘sky’ She is considered one of the most ancient deities in the Egyptian pantheon.

Her origin is found in the creation story of Heliopolis (city of the Sun). Originally Nut was goddess of the nighttime sky only. Eventually she was referred to simply as the sky goddess.

I have referred to the third century Alexandrian philosophy as essentially syncretic Neo Platonism and the Hermetic is very much part of the mix.

Her headdress was a hieroglyphic of part of her name which symbolizes the womb Female sky gods are not common.. Symbolically the Sky is the Mother — the divine origin.

The Magician weds Earth to Heaven – Note the infinity symbol above his head

The tractates of the Corpus Hermeticum, along with Asclepius, are the fundamental documents of the Hermetic tradition. It was written by unknown authors in Egypt towards the end of the third century C.E.

They were part of a once substantial body of writing attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, which means Thrice Great. They can ce seen as a Hellenistic fusion of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth.

The Hermetica is thoroughly compatible with Platonism and neo Platonism in most cases and are often used side by side. For example, Plato’s doctrine of the Forms is congruent with the Egyptian belief that the Milky Way was the true Nile – more accurately the ideal Nile..

Under the Sub Lunary Sphere everything is subject to decay and corruption. The Hermetic Philosophy taught the way to liberation. We have a n inner light or *spark* of divinity that grows as we progress. But we can never be separated from the source

Plotinus used the image of a fountain of light to explain the soul’s descent into matter and invetible return to the source.

The Hermetica is a rich text, but at it’s core is what has become known as The Emerald Table of Hermes. This where we find the words :

“True, without error, certain and most true: that which is above is as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above, to perform the miracles of the One Thing. “

If we turn to Astrology in particular, we can see how these precepts are the core of authentic astrological work. Marsilio Ficino referred to this as “making your life agree with the Heavens (Book of Life p. 86).

The teaching of As above, So Below isn’t just a concept. It implies that the relationship between Heaven and Earth is very real. Plato would call this doctrine of essence that of the Forms.

When we discuss the Elements, Signs, Houses etc in Astrology, we remember this formula

Astrology would be a futile endeavour if this were not true. The horoscope connects it’s native to the heavens, the source. It’s a strong recognition of interconnectedness with natural and the celestial world.

January 24, 2013 by P. James Clark

Element of Air

Alchemical Symbol for the Element of Air

The element of Air governs intellect and all forms of verbal or written communication. It works with Fire, Water and Earth. Physically it consists of several gases : nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, methane, helium, neon, krypton, hydrogen and many more. It’s invisible. We see it through what it does.

It bends the trees as wind, can carry massive volumes of water in hurricanes. It appears to self propel in tornadoes.

Fire needs air: but a strong wind on a minor fire can soon become a catastrophe. We see it most often when it works with water. The jet stream requires both elements plus heat from the Sun. Clouds are moved. Oceans stirred up into great storms.

octahedrorn

The original meaning of Aquarius isn’t entirely clear. It is said that he got the name Water Carrier because he brought seasonal rains. But Aquarius is in the middle of winter and less *wet* than either Libra or Gemini because of it. He’s under the governance of Dry Saturn after all.Even if we take precession into account, it’s still a stretch; and the greatest rains of all are the monsoons that occur n the late Summer.

In my estimation the Water Carrier operates on a far grander scale and is not dependent on the seasons. Air quite literally carries water.Because Air is Intellect, this power can translate to the ability to move people’s thought in concert with the emotional element of Water.Air can stir things up with Earth or feed Fire. We use terms like a breath of fresh air to describe a welcome change, physical or mental. We might say someone has a breezy or sanguine character Without air, macrocosmically or microcosmically we suffocate.

Air is represented by the sword because of its ability to cut through illusion or confusion. Manjushri is the Buddhist Archetype of Wisdom. In his right hand he holds a flaming sword, a symbol of cutting through the roots of ignorance, including spiritual materialism. See also the Japanese Sword Dance video

The element is associated with the origins of things and particularly ideas. In ritual, Air is in the East, the inspiration, the Rising Sun. All creative action begins with inspiration.

The Air Triplicity consists of Libra, Aquarius and Gemini, ruled by Venus, Saturn and Mercury respectively. We have discussed Aquarius and there is a fairly comprehensive article published here quite recently

Gemini is the Air Element in Mutable – once might even say Protean mode. Gemini spreads ideas with the speed of Quicksilver. Ideas can consist of anything, but Mercury the Element and Gemini the Sign like to roll over the surface of things, rather than penetrating the depths. Libra is Cardinal Air.

Cardinal initiates. Libra is both Masculine and Venusian. Sun in Libra is in his Fall here, opposing the Sun’s exaltation in Aries. Libra seek balance before all things and all of the visual and musical arts are a primary form of persuasion through artistic seduction. We’re drawn to beauty and changed in its presence..

January 21, 2013 by P. James Clark

Element of Water

The intended readership of this article is the informed astrological neophyte, although I hope practicing astrologers will find something of value as well.

In Astrology we use the four elements: Earth, Water, Fire and Air. The fifth or Quintessence is the source of them all.

We have become accustomed to thinking of such things in the abstract; but these are live and dynamic elements, each with unique and complex characteristics. The doctrine of As above, So below doesn’t just apply some of the time. It applies always. Consciousness and vital expression is everywhere.

My goal is to use the study of each element from many perspectives to be ultimately used in the interpretation of horoscopes: to experience the elements as not only living, but divine, both in the microcosm and the macrocosm. One of the most regrettable blind allies taken by students of Traditional Astrology is to divorce the Art not only from psychological concerns but spiritual ones as well. This can lead to a very dry materialism that puts little or no value on the spiritual.

Considering the Neo Platonic, Pythagorean and Hermetic philosophies that inform the art, this is a sad state of affairs. I read not so long ago that “Modern astrology has no brains and Traditional Astrology has no soul.” Technicalities can become an end in themselves.

The most concise definition of astrology is ‘the practical application of astronomy to human use.’ Titus Burckhardt writes: “our response to it must necessarily hinge on our understanding of what it means to be human ” (Ibn Arabi p.5). If our essential interconnectedness with all that is and all that will ever be is ignored, we become greatly diminished as human beings; but what might have been a sad fact at another time in history is inexorably linked to our own survival and the survival of thousands of other species in our own lifetime. The deliberate or unconscious pollution of the oceans, for example, is immediately connected with spiritual sickness. It is the act of someone who has no idea of who they really are.

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When we consider this in light of a particular chart, we will of course want to know how a given element expresses itself in the horoscope. This perhaps sounds all too obvious, but you will never meet anyone with the same chart as you, no matter how long you live. ‘

Likewise, no two drops of water are identical. So while it is tempting to think of an element as one thing, we must also take into account that the same element exists in many different states. Most obviously we have water, ice and clouds in the Water Triplicity. but that’s just the beginning.

Cornelius Agrippa discusses this at great length in Bk I of Occult Philosophy, using the language of his own times. However, Jakob Boehme and William Blake were just as expressive of this reality – “To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour” is on the mark. (Augeries of Innocence)”

In Hermetic Philosophy elements are not just things, categories or qualities. Everything is imbued with spirit and everything we can know see has consciousness: “Everything That Lives is Holy” (Blake MHH).

Water is incredibly dangerous. Traditionally this is one reason that Saturn was given governance over seafarers. This also carries the meaning of the extremities or ‘furthest reaches’ as Saturn is the furthermost visible planet. The ocean was regarded as both chaos and the source of life in cultural mythologies.

milky-way-galaxy

Water is essential to life. Either too much or too little can mean the difference between life and death. She gives and takes life.

The human body is approximately 2/3 water. About 83 percent of our blood is water, which helps digest our food, transport waste, and control body temperature. Each day humans must replace 2.4 litres of water, some through drinking and the rest taken by the body from the foods eaten.

Great civilizations grew up around rivers, such as the Euphrates, the Nile, the Indus, the Mekong, the Yangtze, the Danube and the Ganges. The Egyptians refer to the Milky Way as the “true Nile.” The Indians say the Milky Way is the Heavenly Ganges.

Rivers are often a place of worship and most specifically ritual purification. The Ganges is a goddess to Hindus. The bather in the Ganges is letting the waters of the goddess dissolve all physical and spiritual impurities. She is alive and responsive.

Because water retains memory, the person drinking water at the mouth of the Rhine is taking in more information than one drinking at the source of the Rhine (see video 1)

This is science in accordance with the spirit of Hermetic doctrine

Indian mythology equates the river Ganges with the Milky Way. According to Vedic lore Ganga (Ganges) resided in the sky (Milky Way) and was called Akash Ganga’ or Sky-River.

All Signs of the Water Triplicity are Feminine and Receptive. In other words, they are absorbent.

This is more true of Pisces than Cancer and Scorpio because the fishes have no armor. But the principle applies to all three nevertheless.

Water is highly receptive and demonstrably responsive to sound waves or in fact being in contact with anything, It is not malleable as is Earth; but it will conform to any container.

It is not my intent here to go into any detail regarding the signs. That is for another post. But we can take a quick look at a couple of examples to see the principle at play.

Yangtze River

With the Moon in Cancer she is in her own domicile. The Moon is the most reflective of all luminaries and planets.

The Moon governs memory. Both luminary and sign are feminine and receptive.

To put it simply, the Moon functions best in her own home.

Venus is exalted in Pisces. Again we have feminine with feminine.

The selfless nature of Pisces produces what we can call an optimum Venus because she is spiritualized. But she is even better off in Libra or Taurus predominantly through art and sensuality respectively, balanced and stable. Libra and Taurus are her domiciles.

Elements perform best when placed with harmonious planets and luminaries: particularly in their domicile or exaltation. In the case of water signs, they are particularly impressionable and absorbent.

Massive wave near Australia’s Bondi beach

The element of water is highly intuitive and, unless otherwise afflicted, highly empathic.

Those with strong water signatures in the horoscope need to drink more water than most and do well near large bodies of water. Salt water can absorb *negative energy* even is used in a small receptacle at home.

Pisces, the most Feminine sign of all, needs to cleanse themselves from the excess of negative energy absorbed. Pisces is like a sponge and requires more time alone to recharge than any other sign.

Belugas playing in the Arctic

Most I think are aware of the relationship of water to positive or negative ions. A negative Ion is an atom or molecule that has absorbed one or more extra negatively charged electrons. Negative ions are highly beneficial. They are generated by evaporating water, ocean surf, or waterfalls.

It should be an easy task to connect the spiritual and the material by understanding the essential nature of any element. But all the true Arts take many years to master. The doctrine of As above, So below will become increasingly profound in the process

Alchemical Symbol for the Element of Water

January 21, 2013 by P. James Clark

Jupiter – Moon Conjunction

EarthSky Facebook friend Janet Furlong in Culpeper, Virginia took this photo on January 19, 2013. The two brightest objects are the moon and Jupiter. View larger. Janet says: Step outside and lift your head up and view the sky. Totally gorgeous … so much to see tonight.

Mark your calendar for January 21, 2013 – a close conjunction of the moon and Jupiter as seen from around the world – the closest the moon and Jupiter will appear in North America until the year 2026! Courtesy http://earthsky.org/

Here’s the chart for the time of partile conjunction. It’s set for Greenwich Mean Time (22 January 2013 @ 03.12.49 ) Using GMT makes it easier to adapt the chart to your own time zone. May you have clear skies and warm mitttens !

January 20, 2013 by P. James Clark

Heart & Sol

Devotee at Sun God Surya Festival

We are stardust.

We are golden.

And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden

.- Joni Mitchell

SOL.] The Sun is placed in the middle of all Planets, and is called amongst the Ancients, both Poets and Historians, Sol, Titan, Ilioa, Phebus, Apollo, Pean, Osyris, Diespiter: It’s needlesse to mention his Colour, being so continuallly visible to all mortal men: He passeth through all the twelve Signs of the Zodiack in one yeer, or 365 dayes and certain hours. The Sun governeth the fiery Triplicity, viz. Aries, Leo, Sagittarius by day (W.Lilly CA I).

Vettius Valens begins his anthology in praise of the Sun :” In a nativity the all-seeing sun, nature’s fire and intellectual light, the organ of mental perception, indicates kingship, rule, intellect, intelligence, beauty & …”).

Eye of Horus- Courtesy National Geographic 1

We are literally made of star-dust. The Sun is the primary giver of life on Earth. It’s not hard to understand why the circle with the dot in the middle is among the most ancient of symbols. Also know as the circumpunct, it’s is the glyph of the astrological Sun. It signifies Divine spirit (circle) surrounding the seed of potential – the Solar Essence.

Astronomers tells us that all the elements heavier than hydrogen originated inside stars: “The carbon in the ink on a page, and the silicon in glass and microchips, were created in the heart of a star, long ago, as that star shined by fusing hydrogen. The iron that carries the oxygen in your blood as you read this, was created when a star, in its dying phase, exploded. ” (Gerald Grow 1997) Science is finally catching up to Ancient wisdom.

Worship of the Sun and Sun Gods is ubiquitous. In Egypt it was the beginning of monotheism. The All-Seeing eye of Horus is a variation of the Solar symbol.

The Babylonians usesd the Solar Disk, often with wings, but they also had a number system for the luminaries and planets. The Sun was represented as a four pointed star with rays between each one.

Just as the physical Sun is the centre of the Solar System, the Sun is at the heart of our own being., ruling both visi0n and heart. Both may be taken physically or spiritually.. When we say someone is warm or cold hearted, we are really saying they have abundance or lack of Spirit. Likewise, when we say there is lack of vision, we also mean lack of light – again, physically or spiritualy. As above, so below.

Solar Disk – Church of the sacred tomb in-Jerusalem

I’m reminded of a mantra that translates as ‘all evil vanishes for he who keeps the Sun in his heart.’

This is of course the reason for ancient fear and awe during eclipses. It’s as if the source of life is being consumed, meanng not just loss of human life but of all that exists. That is in fact the language used to describe the event in many cultures.

So, when ill dignified. Lilly tells us that “Solar man is Arrogant and Proud, disdaining all men, cracking of his Pedegree, he is Pur-blind in Sight and Judgment, restlesse, troublesome, domineerning; a meer vapour, expensive, foolish, endued with no gravity in words, or sobernesse in Actions, a Spend—thrift, wasting his Patrimony, and hanging after an other mens charity, yet thinks all men are bound to him, because a Gentleman born. (CA I).

In short, he is everything that is not noble – his selfishness and ego eclipse his solar nature.

These are just a few passing thoughts you may wish to consider when interpreting the Sun in a horoscope

January 18, 2013 by P. James Clark

Bright Sky : Thunderbolts & Tin

Jupiter and Semele – by Moreau

This is to discuss some of the etymological and ubiquitous symbolic qualities of the Sky God known by several names, but most famously as Zeus or Jupiter. He is perhaps best known as the Master of the Heavens.

He was identified by the Romans as Jupiter or Jove. Jupiter is known as the earth-shaker. At will, he could summon rain, snow, hail, and all other meteorological phenomena. He married his sister Hera. Zeus was known for his countless love affairs. Neither chastity nor restraint are jovial attributes.

The son of Jupiter was Bacchus , synonymous with the Greek Dionysus. He shares some of his father’s traits, but in exaggerated form. He is typically depicted as the god of harvest, grapes, fertility and theater: other traits such as drunkenness, altered states including ecstasy makes him the opposite of Apollo.The “Apollonian and the Dionysian” have been identified as archetypes in their own right.

Apollo, Dionysus & Hermes-Feasting. C. 450 BC

Dionysus was very much his father’s son and was the subject of Mystery Cults, particularly in Greece.

Jupiter’s most feared and revered weapon was the lightning bolt, forged for him by the Cyclopes. Most cultures have a deity sharing enough similarities to associate it with Zeus.

Zeus’ name translates to “Bright Sky.” The letter zeta, is the Greek letter z for Zeus. Zeus is Jupiter’s namesake in Greek mythology. The same symbol represents tin, since it is one of the planetary metals in alchemy. His Roman names are Jupiter and Jove. He is usually shown with his characteristic scepter and attendant eagles

I view the planets and luminaries as powerful archetypes, recognized cross culturally and for millenia. I prefer to think of these archetypes as Plato’s Forms.

This isn’t a modern idea as some misguided Traditional astrologers would say. It’s primordial.

Indra, the Hindu king of the gods, is always shown with a vajra (thunderbolt) held aloft in his right hand. He too is an Earth shaker and bringer of all kinds of meteorological phenomena.

Images of Jupiter and Zeus were employed to portray Christ, particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Church, but there are plenty of examples to be found throughout Christendom. Justin Martyr is said to have converted a man to Christianity by assuring him that the Christian God was just like Zeus ! Read Plato’s On the Soul’s Recollecting True Being and Beauty from The Phaedrus for a the Platonic and Neo-Platonic conception of Zeus.

Also read William Lilly’s Of the Planet Jupiter & his Signification. for the the Medieval Astrological Jupiter.

Indra Holding Thunderbolt Vajra – Keshava Temple, Somnathpur

In astrology, Jupiter is a rich matrix of symbolism greater than the sum of its parts. He is power, excess, benevolence, jurisprudence. philosophy, joviality, exaggeration, generosity, and largesse. The thought of “the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom” comes to mind ( William Blake – The Marriage of Heaven & Hell)

It is becoming increasingly apparent that Europeans , Central and South Asians migrated from a common region in and around what used to be called Aryana. The term Indo European can be taken more literally than it has been.

The Celts had deities which are almost perfect parallels to Greek and Indian gods. There are perhaps thousands of words in English almost identical to Sanskrit: for example, such as naam and name. The Celts had deities which are almost perfect parallels to Greek and Indian gods. See this article for a list of thunder gods

I stress this because our recovery and understanding of ancient astrology depends on having some deeper knowledge of anthropology as well as philology, history. philosophy and geography.

The Classical Astrologer

Ancient and Traditional Astrology

Monthly Archives: January 2013