Three Fundamentals Related to Cycles

THREE FUNDAMENTAL APPROVALS

It is often argued that astrology is an exact science, which is far from the truth despite the abundance of mathematical calculations in it. Strangely enough, astrology is based on an illusion, because, as you well know, the Zodiac is nothing more than an imaginary path of the Sun in the sky, besides, visible from the position of our absolutely insignificant planet. Contrary to the claims of people, the Sun is not in any sign of the zodiac. This is only the visible effect when the Sun passes between our small sphere, the Earth, and the constellations at certain times during the year.

In the distant past, there was a belief that the Earth is the center of the solar system, around which the Sun and other planets revolve. These were exoteric knowledge and position, far from esoteric understanding. Later, when scientific discoveries brought more light to human thinking, our planet lost its central position for it, and the truth appeared to people in a clearer light. However, there are still many discoveries ahead, which by their nature will be no less revolutionary. A similar decentralization should occur in astrological representations. As a result, our solar system will no longer be considered the point around which the Zodiac revolves, traversed by the Sun in its great cycle lasting approximately 25 thousand years. Astrologers who have intuition may deny that this is a generally accepted position. However, for simplicity and use by the masses, such representation is tolerated and easily accepted by uninformed people. On this theory of the zodiac is largely based what we call the Great Illusion, and I want you to keep this in mind by exploring with me the new ways of this great and ancient of sciences. Astrology must be restored to its original beauty and truth before the world can gain a more faithful perspective and develop a more accurate and correct appreciation of the divine Plan, now expressed through the Wisdom of the Ages.

My next statement is that astrology is at present essentially the clearest and most distinct way of representing occult truth in the world, for this science deals with those conditioning and directing energies and forces which manifest throughout space and affect everything within that space. When this fact is perceived, the sources of energies are comprehended, and the nature of space is correctly understood, we will be able to see a much wider and, at the same time, closer horizon; we will understand the relationship between individual, planetary, systemic and cosmic entities and will be able to begin to live in accordance with the scientific point of view. It is such a life on a scientific basis that is the immediate goal that astrology should lead to.

Today, the average follower of astrology believes that he, as a person, has a certain degree of significance (at least for himself), that he lives on this significant (for humanity) planet Earth, and that with the help of astrology he can discover his destiny and learn his purpose. In noting this, I do not mean those astrologers who possess true esoteric knowledge. There are few of them, and only a few of them are worthy of practice. The modern researcher willingly believes that all those energies that come from the sign in which the Sun was “found” at the time of its birth are acting on him and flowing through him. He also considers himself capable of responding to the forces of the various planets ruling the houses in his horoscope, and is convinced that his life tendencies and circumstances are thus predetermined. This makes him feel like a factor of exceptional importance. Modern interpretations do not emphasize the meaning of the ascending sign (ascendant), since so far only a few are able to function as souls. To a small extent, the energies that constantly affect our planet and come from other constellations and numerous “hidden” planets are also taken into account. Timeless Wisdom claims that there are about seventy in our solar system.

I want to give you a more accurate and accurate picture. This is now possible because group awareness, group relationships, and group unity are at the forefront of human consciousness. In this process of group integration, a separate, self-centered, detached personality will gradually fade into the background, and the soul, functioning as a part of the Whole, possessing group consciousness and the principle of containment, will gain more and more power. Therefore, interest in the individual horoscope will gradually die out, and the planetary, systemic and cosmic vision will be revealed in the consciousness of the individual to an increasing extent. He will then regard himself only as part of a larger whole, and his world group will be much more interested in him than he is as an individual.

For this reason, I will not touch the subject of esoteric astrology at all from the point of view of the horoscope. The main part of our topic will be represented by universal interconnections, the interaction of energies, the nature of what is behind the Great Illusion, the deceptive “Visibility of Things as Such”, as well as the fate of our planet, the kingdoms of nature and humanity as a whole.

It does not matter to me whether modern astrologers accept these ideas or reject them. I will try to present certain facts to you in the form in which they are recognized by the Hierarchy. I will try to identify subjective realities whose phenomenal appearance is an external illusion, which has been fixed by limited human thinking for centuries. I want to emphasize the fact of the vitality of the Sources from which all energies and forces emanate and emanate, manifesting on our planet. I will try to show you that pervasive unity and that deep synthesis which is the basis of all religions and all the many manifested forces. I will try to move you as self-centered individuals out of the center of your separate consciousness, and without depriving you of individuality and identity, I will try to show you how you are part of a greater whole that you will become consciously aware of when you begin to function as souls. In the meantime, your response to the inner reality that you live, move and exist is mostly unconscious and instinctive. 

This brings me to the third statement, which is so significant and fundamental that I would ask you to reflect on it, even if you do not yet understand everything that follows from it. Ancient Wisdom teaches that “space is essence.” It is with the life of this great entity, its impulses and rhythms, forces and energies, cycles and periods that esoteric astrology deals. This was stated by H.P. Blavatsky in The Secret Doctrine. Let me remind you that there is an astrological key to the "Secret Doctrine", which cannot yet be revealed in its entirety. However, I can give a number of hints and suggest certain directions that, when consciously considered by enlightened astrologers, can help any of them later discover this key, in order to use it in the name of humanity, to discover the fourth fundamental truth of Timeless Wisdom. Three such truths have already been given in the preface to The Secret Doctrine.

Space is an entity, and the "complex of heavens" (as it is poetically called) is a phenomenal manifestation of that entity. Note that I did not say "material" manifestation, but "phenomenal". It is useless and pointless to speculate about the nature and history of this entity. You can form a vague idea of it, giving an analogy without too much detail, if you try to think of the human race, the fourth kingdom of nature, as a single entity expressing itself through a variety of different human forms. Each individual is an integral part of humanity; however, each of you lives his own life, responds to his own impressions, responds to external influences and impulses, and in turn has an influence, radiating a certain quality, or expressing a number of characteristic properties. This way, you also influence your surroundings and those you are in contact with. However, you remain part of the phenomenal entity to which we give the name humanity. Now extend this idea to a larger phenomenal entity, the solar system, which in turn is part of an even larger life expressing itself through seven solar systems, one of which is ours. If you can grasp this idea, a vague picture of the great underlying esoteric truth will manifest itself in your mind. The life and effects, radiations and emanations of this Essence and their combined effects on our planetary life, the kingdoms of nature and the changing human civilizations are an incomplete picture of what we have to consider.

This topic is so extensive that I had to solve the problem of the optimal method of its presentation. I have preferred brevity, a concise statement of facts (facts for those of us who work on the inner side of life, but for you these are only hypotheses) and a departure from details and detailed discussions. We will try to move from universal to specific and from general to particular, but with an emphasis on universal and general rather than particular and specific. Those of you who study astrology will have to adequately apply the truth to particular cases. It is in this respect that the present astrology has gone the wrong way. It has perverted the true, correct order, emphasizing the particular and the special, the personal horoscope and the individual destiny, and ignoring the great energies and their Source. Ultimately, it is these sources that are responsible for manifesting the private. The present position and the present presentation of the truth must be changed.

Thus, in esoteric astrology, we are dealing with Life and Lives saturating the “points of light” within the universal Life. Constellations, solar systems, planets, kingdoms of nature and microscopic man are all the result of the activity and manifestation of energies of certain Lives whose cycles of expression and limitless goals lie beyond the understanding of the most advanced and enlightened minds of our planet.

The next thing you need to realize is the fact that the ether of space is the medium in which and through which the energies coming from the many generating Sources operate. Thus, we are interested in the etheric body of the planet, the solar system and the seven solar systems, one of which is our system, as well as the general and more extensive etheric "body" of the part of the universe in which we are located. I deliberately used the word "placed" because of the meanings it conveys. This vast area, as well as smaller and more localized areas, are the medium for the transmission of all energies acting on and through our solar system, our planetary spheres and all forms of life contained in them. Thus, a single indissoluble field of activity is formed, which is in constant, continuous movement - an eternally existing medium for the exchange and transmission of energies.

Therefore, for the sake of a more correct understanding, it will be useful to investigate the individual person; in this way we will be able to get closer to a weak understanding of the fundamental deep truth. Students should never forget the Law of Analogy as a means of interpretation. Esotericism teaches (and modern science quickly comes to the same conclusion) that behind the physical body and the complex system of nerves is the vital or ethereal body, which is a double and the true form of its external, sensually perceived material aspect. It is also the medium of transmission of power to all parts of the human body and the agent of life and consciousness that saturates it. The etheric body determines and conditions the physical body, being the storehouse and transmitter of energy from various subjective aspects of the person and the environment in which the person (both internal and external) is located.  

Two additions should be made here. First, the individual etheric body is not a separate isolated human vehicle, but, in a sense, an integral part of the body of the entity we call the planetary etheric body. The planetary etheric body, in turn, is not isolated from the etheric bodies of other planets, and their entire totality, including the etheric body of the Sun, constitute the etheric body of the Solar system. It is connected with the etheric bodies of the six solar systems, which together form our cosmic unity, into which the energies and forces of certain great constellations are poured. Space is ethereal in nature, and its vital body consists of the totality of etheric bodies of all its constellations, solar systems, and planets. Through this cosmic golden network, or web, is a constant circulation of energies and forces, which is the scientific basis of astrological theories. Just as the forces of the planet and the inner spiritual man (to mention only one factor among many) flow through the etheric body of the individual on the physical plane and determine his external expression, activity and quality, so the various forces of the Universe flow through each part of the etheric body of the essence that we call space, conditioning and determining the external expression, activity and qualities of each form located within the cosmic periphery.

The second point that I want to emphasize is that within the etheric body of man there are seven main centers of power, which are by their nature distributors and electric batteries that provide man with dynamic power and energy of various qualities. The centers have a certain impact on its external manifestation. Due to their constant activity, the quality of a person is manifested, and also his ray tendencies begin to appear, which together clearly indicates his point of evolution.

This "control of form through the seven energies" (as the Ancient Commentary says) is the unalterable rule of internal control for our universe and in particular for our solar system, as well as for the individual. For example, in our solar system there are seven sacred planets, corresponding to the seven individual power centers in man, as well as the seven solar systems, one of which is ours and which are the seven energy centers of the One who has been mentioned in other books of mine as the One about whom nothing can be said.

Much has been given in the occult books of such things as the average astrologer remains profoundly ignorant and unconscious. It is vitally necessary for him to learn to think in the categories of the greater Whole and to pay much more attention to the radiating Sources and the eternal Causes than to the influences of these Sources on the ephemeral creation, the human being, and his temporary existence on a very minor planet. In this case, he will discover the signs of the essential divinity of man - divinity, which should be sought in the infinity of human consciousness when it is illuminated by the light of the soul, and in his ability to project his thoughts into the consciousness of those diverse Lives in whose "magnetic movements" he will-not-will participate, since his own more than modest energy reservoir is an integral part of their energies.

There is an aspect of energy that the modern astrologer takes very little into account despite its paramount importance. It is the energy emanating from or emanating from the Earth itself. The human body, which, like all living beings, is on the surface of the Earth and therefore projected into the etheric body of our planet (due to its direct passage), is constantly immersed in its emanations and radiations, as well as in the integrating quality of our Planetary Logos, which sends and transmits energy to its planetary environment. Astrologers have always emphasized the role of external influences and energies that affect and interact with our small planet, but have omitted to consider the radiated qualities and forces that are Earth’s contribution to the etheric body of the larger whole. We will discuss this topic later; now I have found it necessary to draw your attention to it.

The next necessary remark concerns the fact that the influence of the Moon is purely symbolic in its essence and effect and is simply the result of ancient ideas and teachings inherited from the Lemurian era and not based on any real radiation or influence. In those distant times, before even Lemuria and already in the Lemurian era were a deep antiquity, the moon was a living vital entity. Today, the Moon is nothing more than a dead form, and I ask you to keep this in mind. It is not a source of any emanations and radiations and therefore can not have any influence. From the point of view of a knowledgeable esotericist, the Moon is simply an obstacle in space, an undesirable form that must disappear over time. In esoteric astrology, the influence of the moon is seen as the action of thought and as a consequence of the most powerful and ancient thought form. However, the Moon does not have its own quality and cannot transmit anything to Earth. Let me repeat: the moon is a dead form; it emits nothing. That is why in the ancient doctrine about the moon it is said that it “hides the Volcano or Uranus”. This hint or conclusion was always available, so it would be useful for astrologers to experiment with my clue about the moon. Instead of working with the Moon, they should work with Vulcan, dealing with the ordinary undeveloped person and with Uranus, exploring the highly developed person. Then they will come to interesting and convincing results.

Students of astrology should also remember that the twelve constellations that form our Zodiac are themselves receivers of numerous flows of energy coming to them from other sources. These energies mix and fuse with the energy of a constellation and, when transformed and "occultly purified," eventually reach our solar system.

Here I would like to draw your attention to some of the remarks I made in the Treatise on Cosmic Fire, which are now relevant and useful. I'll rephrase them a bit:

Astrology investigates the influence, or effects, of the vibrations of various planets on the substance of the shells. In the esoteric sense, this is the influence of one or another of the solar centers. The forces emanating from these centers affect the planetary centers... The reason for this is hidden in the karma of the Heavenly Man. When true esoteric astrology appears, more information will be given about it. Students of astrology are still learning only the alphabet of this immense subject, engaged in the exoteric fringe of that giant veil that was wisely thrown over all information about the planets. 1051])

Below is an incomplete, but sufficient for our purposes, list of the main influences reaching our planetary life from distant Sources and causing certain consequences in the individual person and in humanity as a whole.

So we have a nine-dimensional energy effect. This is the main scheme, but it must be remembered that there are other, less significant, influences.

To these must be added other streams of energy that affect our planetary life — the radiation of Betelgeuse, the giant star, or the influence of Antares and other great suns and solar systems associated with the zodiacal constellations; their energies reach us not directly, but through the constellations of the Zodiac.

Also, it should be remembered that technically we should include the influence of radiation coming to us directly from our own planet, that is, from the Earth on which we live. Then and only then will you get a truly complete analysis and picture of the energies to which the etheric body of a person must respond and responds, which determines the physical body, whose reactions to the etheric body are mainly automatic and passive. Understanding this response and conscious control of individual reactions is highly necessary, but will only be possible at a sufficiently advanced stage of evolution, when a person approaches the Path (in the technical sense). A person must first learn to control his reactions to the influence of the planets that direct his personal affairs and are in different positions in the twelve houses of the horoscope. There are two ways to achieve this:

First, having a properly designed horoscope, one should strive to determine what needs to be done in order to resist planetary influences when it seems desirable to control personal reactions. This must be done by thought and requires complete confidence in the clear understanding and interpretation of the astrologer, as well as knowledge of the exact moment of birth. I wonder if it is now possible to comply with the conditions of accurate knowledge of the moment of birth and the perfect wisdom of an astrologer?

Second, one should consciously accept the position of the spiritual observer and cultivate the ability to respond to one’s Soul. Then it is necessary to learn to control from the position of the Soul the circumstances and the accompanying reactions of the individual.

It is also necessary to note the following attitudes and initial provisions that an astrologer should take:

1. Planetary influences indicate the direction of the circumstances of external life. Being correctly interpreted for the average undeveloped person, they can point, and point, to his personal destiny. They determine and completely control the person who does not have a conscious experience of the soul. At the moment when a person begins to realize his soul and tries to determine his own “life path”, the influence of the planets clearly and consistently weakens, and the map of his personality becomes incomplete and often quite inaccurate. It is then guided and controlled by the force flowing through the planet, not the force of the planet itself, and man begins to perceive the subtler and higher energies of the solar system and the twelve governing constellations.

2. The so-called Sun sign indicates the physical, mental and spiritual nature of a person. It contains the mystery of the personality ray and the human response or lack of response to one's soul, or the real person. He also points to the integration and the point of revelation of the qualities of the soul already achieved, to the available equipment, to the quality of life, and to the group relationships directly possible. From the point of view of Timeless Wisdom, he points out nothing more, and this is the opposite of the point of view of ordinary astrology. The reason I am speaking of this is that humanity has developed sufficiently to make the astrology of the soul possible soon; in many respects it is the opposite of the usual procedure. This is reasonable and necessary, and also inevitable. Astrologers will eventually be divided into two classes: exoteric astrologers who are engaged in the horoscope of personality, and esoteric astrologers who will be interested in the tasks of the soul.

3. The ascending sign indicates more distant possibilities, the spiritual goal and task of the given incarnation and the next subsequent incarnations. The sign itself refers to the spiritual man's struggle to "continue moving" from the point reached, so that when the vital energy is exhausted and the "death of personality" comes, man will find himself "closer to the center of his life, in closer contact with the center of his group and approaching the center of divine life," as the Timeless Wisdom puts it. The special expression "death of personality" has a dual meaning:

It can mean the death of the physical body, followed inevitably by two stages of death: the disintegration of the emotional vehicle and the subsequent dissolution of the temporary and ever-changing form that part of the mental energy has assumed during the period of incarnation.

b) Subjective mystical "death of personality". This phrase means shifting the focus of energy distribution from the individual (a certain center of power) to the soul (another center).

I am aware that these concepts are at odds with the usual astrological postulates. Nevertheless, experiments and research on these ideas would not be a waste of time. Astrologers could uncover some very important and exciting problems and probably achieve an accuracy unknown in the present. This may be due to the little that we discuss in our discussion.

In connection with the solar sign, the ascending sign and the influence of the thought-form relating to the Moon, the position of esoteric astrology is as follows:

The solar sign indicates the current problems of a person; it sets the rhythm, or pace, of his personal life; it refers to the quality, temperament, and life tendencies seeking expression during a particular incarnation, as well as to the realm of the Rajasic, or aspect of the activity of the inner person. Basically, the forces related to the solar sign indicate the line of least resistance.

The ascendant, or ascending sign, indicates the life purpose, or the immediate task of the soul in a given incarnation. It holds the secret of the future and represents the power that will lead to success if used properly. The Ascendant represents the sattvic aspect, or aspect of the harmony of life, and can establish the right relationship between soul and personality in any particular incarnation.

Luna. This type of force (coming from certain planets, not the moon itself) points to the past. Thus, it is the sum of the limitations and shortcomings present in the present. It controls the physical body and shows where the prison of the soul should be sought.

My next statement, which naturally follows from the above, is that the zodiacal, systemic, and planetary energies act either as impeding or as stimulating forces according to the type of conductor or body they act upon. The nature of these vehicles and their ability to attract, respond, reject, absorb and transform depends entirely on the point of evolution, as well as on the general planetary conditions and psychological climate of the human race at any given time. An example of the latter can be seen in today's world, where the forces that give our planetary life a new, unimaginably violent, overwhelming rhythm and pace awaken a highly intense response of the world's thinkers, stimulating them to serious efforts in the ideological direction, and at the same time cause nothing in the masses and underdeveloped people but horror, pathetic fatalism, widespread devastation and a variety of undesirable reactions from nature. Those who are able to understand the nature of the activity of the planet Saturn will easily understand these interfering or stimulating effects. This planet determines first of all the point of evolution at which a certain choice is possible, at which one can consciously accept or reject the opportunity available, and at which the acceptance of personal responsibility becomes a conscious fact of planned and ordered life. The Ancient Commentary on this point in the human evolutionary process speaks in the following symbolic phrases:

"Around the whirlwinds of power, I stand in confusion. I don’t know them, because throughout my past they have dragged me up and down, here on earth, where I was moving blind and unconscious. From place to place, from point to point, they threw me on the ground, and there was no peace anywhere.

Now I know them, and I will remain standing here motionless until I recognise the Law governing all this movement. I can turn and look in the direction of many different paths. I see broad horizons, but for now I stand here.

I'll choose my own path. Then I'll go ahead. I won't be throwing myself on the ground or circling in space. But I will move forward.”

There is another revolutionary idea that the esoteric science of astrology brings to its modern, exoteric aspect. In the great cycle of his many incarnations, man is said to travel around the zodiac from Pisces to Aries, moving backwards through the zodiac against the Sun's motion. This phrase has always troubled me, yet the apparent backward movement, based on the precession of the equinoxes, is simply an integral part of the Great Illusion. The moment a person begins to free himself from this illusion and ceases to be subject to it and to the influence of the world's maya, the motion of the great Wheel of Life reverses, and he begins to move slowly and steadily in the opposite direction. He then passes through the signs from Aries to Pisces. He begins to function patiently and consciously as a soul, making his way towards the light until he finally reaches the last stage of the Path in Pisces as the Conqueror of the World and World Saviour. The meaning of the triumph over death is then revealed to him, for he has conquered desires and risen above them.

Turning the path of a person in motion through the signs of the Zodiac will require a revision of the astrological method when compiling a horoscope of advanced aspirants, students and initiates.

Thus, the practicing astrologer will have to change the interpretation of the horoscope in accordance with the point of evolution of man on the Path, or (in other words) according to his position on the wheel of life. Interpreting and interpreting the horoscopes of those who are active living souls in one of the final stages of the Path will require work based on the intuitive thinking of an astrologer acting through contact with his own soul and through intense meditation. The composition of the horoscope of an average undeveloped person does not cause such difficulties.

To this may be added that the signs of the Zodiac are connected primarily with the life expression of the Heavenly Man (in so far as it concerns our planet) and, consequently, with the purpose and life of the Planetary Logos. They are also associated with the great Man of Heaven, the Sun Logos. Here I mean their influence, manifested in the solar system as a whole (few among modern astrologers are able to deal with this influence). I want to remind you that for the Lives that saturate these great constellations and whose dynamic and magnetic radiations reach our Earth, this influence is side-effected and is not given much attention. The main effect of these energies is made on our Planetary Logos and through Him reaches us, pouring through the great planetary center, which we call Shambhala. This influence is therefore capable of eliciting a considerable response from the monads, who in turn express themselves through the realm of souls and the human realm; it therefore expresses itself through the Hierarchy and humanity as a whole. This is a very important point to note and connect with all the teachings you are familiar with on this most interesting topic regarding the three major planetary centers. The work of the zodiacal influences is to awaken the volitional aspect of the Heavenly Man and all the monads, souls, and personalities that form the planetary body of expression. Today, this statement means little to you, but it will be of great importance to those students who will explore everything I have said here for decades. Well understood, my words explain much of what is happening in the world right now.

Leaking through our planet and planetary centers of power, these influences produce a twofold effect:

They act on the advanced person, reviving and activating the centers above the diaphragm, which gives the person the opportunity to respond to the radiation and activity of the Hierarchy.

They influence the undeveloped person, allowing him to function as an ordinary, unenlightened human being.

It should be noted, however, that all energies - zodiacal, systemic, and planetary - have a definite influence on all forms in all kingdoms of nature. Nothing can escape these radiating magnetic influences. The purpose of human evolution is to become consciously and vitally aware of the nature of these energies, to recognize them and learn to use them, which is the field of occult activity in accordance with the teachings of the Hierarchy. It may be added that the student needs to become consciously aware of planetary influences and begin to apply them to the tasks of his own soul. The initiate must also be aware of the zodiacal influences emanating from sources wholly outside the solar system. They can be recognized as:

(a) Vibration recorded at one of the seven centres.

b) Revelation of a certain type of light, which conveys a special color to the initiate.

(c) A special note.

d) Directional sound.

The entire history of the zodiac can be figuratively but definitely combined in the following statement: there are three books studied by three types of human beings. These books, from which people draw their knowledge, are as follows:

The Book of Life - Initiates - 12 constellations.

The Book of Wisdom - Disciples - 12 planets.

The Book of Form, or Manifestations, Humanity, 12 Creative Hierarchies.

Summarizing, we can say that:

Zodiac signs have an effect mainly on a person living below the diaphragm. This is an ordinary average person. These signs determine the activities of four centers: 

(a) The base of the spine.

B. The Sacred Center.

(c) Solar plexus.

d) The spleen

The inner group of solar systems, acting together with the signs of the zodiac, affects primarily those who live above the diaphragm. It determines:

(a) Heart centre.

b) The throat center.

(c) The Ajna Centre.

(c) The main centre.

Three energies^∗ They operate through the head center, but only after the third initiation.

A few more explanatory points can be mentioned. Of the many energies that come into contact with each other on our planet, passing through it and influencing it, esoteric astrology distinguishes the following four types of forces, since they affect what can be called the personality of our Earth:

The quality of our solar system. God is a fire eater, but God is also love. This is taught by both esoteric and exoteric truth.

The quality of the Logos of our planet, passing through the chains, circles, races and kingdoms of nature.

The quality of the Earth-complementary planet, which is esoterically regarded as the polar opposite of Earth. This planet is Venus.

The attraction quality of the three planets forming the esoteric triangle of force.

I have used the expression “passing through” centres and forms several times. This suggests the idea of distribution centres into which energies can flow and from which they emerge as radiation. You may gain some idea of this if I offer you a concept of the centres of the human etheric body that is new to you, though familiar to esotericists. The four centres above the diaphragm—the heart, throat, ajna and head centres—are primarily receptive centres. The centres below the diaphragm—the centre at the base of the spine, the sacral centre, the solar plexus centre and the splenic centre—are vitalised and stimulated into activity by the four higher receptive centres. This functioning of the centres manifests as personal and physical magnetism, symbolised by the Sun’s movement from Aries to Pisces and onwards through the Zodiac, until the time comes for the movement to reverse and the human being to pass around the zodiacal circle as a soul, symbolised by the reverse movement from Aries to Taurus and onwards. The same occurs in the human body: the four lower centres ultimately return what they have received, reversing the usual process. The centres above the diaphragm then begin actively to radiate energy, becoming dynamic and magnetic. This occult subject is very complex and concerns the etheric body’s response to incoming energies. Eventually, a connection is established between the lowest centre at the base of the spine and the highest centre in the head, corresponding to the relationship between the Earth and the Sun. Reflect on this.

In our work on these questions, we will always take into account the fact that the main subject of our consideration is the Seven Rays and their relationship in the cosmic process. Esoterically we are dealing with:

1. The seven rays and twelve signs of the zodiac. 

2. The Seven Rays and the Twelve Creative Hierarchies.

3. The seven rays and planets that govern the twelve houses of external manifestation in the horoscope.

If we consider and relate the various aspects of the teachings, we will discover three positions that control the flow of life energy to the planet and to the individual person. They had been set out earlier in the Treatise on the Seven Rays, but it would be useful to recall them.

Position 1: Every ray life is an expression of solar life, and therefore every planet −

associated with any other planetary life;

It is animated by the energy pouring into it from seven solar systems, one of which is ours;

It is driven by three streams of force:

(a) forces coming from other solar systems;

b) our own solar system;

(c) our planetary life.

Position 2: Every radiation life is a receiver and a keeper of energies coming from − 

Seven solar systems;

Twelve constellations.

Position 3: Phenomenal manifestation is determined by the quality of radiation life manifested in space and time.

Before proceeding further, I would like to highlight the following two circumstances:

First, we consider esoteric influences, not astrology as such. The subject of our research is the Seven Rays and their relation to the zodiacal constellations or, in other words, the interaction of the seven great Lives saturating our solar system, with the twelve constellations forming the Zodiac.

Second, we will inevitably have to examine these energies and their interactions in terms of their impact on the planet, as well as their impact on forms in various kingdoms of nature, especially in connection with the fourth kingdom, the human kingdom, and also in connection with the individual person - the average person, the disciple and the initiate.

We will not deal with the technical side of astrology, and I will avoid using numerous special terms. In setting forth this vast theme and the relation of the Ageless Wisdom to this new (and yet very ancient) "science of active energies" (as it is called), I hope that if I can present a new approach or note a new attitude and correct what is considered erroneous by the Ageless Wisdom and Masters on the inner side of life, then there will be astrologers capable of taking what I have said. I believe that there are fairly unbiased researchers in the field of astrology who recognize the above as probable hypotheses and will conduct adequate experiments. Let me repeat: I am not writing an astrological treatise, but a treatise on the Seven Rays and their corresponding energies, on the influence of radiant energy and the interaction of these energies with various planetary forces - especially with the influence of the Earth. I am looking for astrologers with an open mind who are able to properly experiment with the factors and ideas that I propose. With that in mind, let’s continue.

 So, I noted that these energies are divided into three groups:

Coming from certain great constellations active in relation to our solar system and from ancient times always associated with it in myths and legends. These constellations are associated with us in a special way.

Comes from the twelve constellations of the zodiac. It is recognized that they have a certain impact on our system and on our planetary life.

Those that come from planets within the Sun's sphere of influence.

From a certain point of view, one can make a broad generalization and say that in the solar system these three types of influences correspond to the three main centers of power that generate and guide the manifestation of the human being and its evolutionary process:

The great outer governing constellations are analogous to the center of power we call the Monad and its universal will-to-power, which is the hallmark of the first divine aspect.

The twelve constellations can be seen as embodying an aspect of the soul; at present, their influence on the individual must be viewed and studied in the categories of consciousness and the development of the soul's life. It is, in fact, will-to-love.

The twelve planets (seven sacred and five non-sacred) are active (in a technical sense) with respect to the outer life, environment, and circumstances of the individual. Their power contacts should be treated mainly in the categories of the human person, or the third divine aspect. They embody will-to-know.

I want you to remember that I speak only in terms of the consciousness and the individual’s response and reactions to these powerful forces. The influence of the emanations of our planet, the Earth, corresponds to the influence of the aggregate of atoms and molecules, which we call a dense body, and its response to the attraction of any other dense bodies. 

As for the influence of the seven solar systems, I can only hint that they are astrologically connected with the constellations of Ursa Major, Pleiades and Sirius. These seven systems are closely related to them, but their own action is of a transmitting nature and it cannot yet be said that they have a noticeable effect on humanity and other kingdoms of nature. The influence of the three great constellations is also not noticeable to the individual until he - after the third initiation - begins to be aware of the monadic vibrations. Many powerful influences continuously affect our solar system and its planets, but, as for man, his apparatus of response and mechanism of reaction remain, so to speak, "occultly imperceptible", because they do not have a quality that allows any noticeable recognition of them both in a dense and in a thin conductor, and even on the part of the soul. Such recognition and corresponding response will come in the course of a further evolutionary process, but at present it can be considered that they are absent from the point of view of any astrological goals and noticeable results, except for their influence on the fourth kingdom of nature as a whole, which forms a living unit in the body of the Planetary Logos. The conscious effect of these forces is as small as the effect of high contact in your morning meditation on the atom or molecule in your hand’s little finger. There may be a general response and stimulation throughout the body, but in the atom as a unit of consciousness this will not cause a conscious response: the vibration is too high.

It is pointless to theorise about these matters. Throughout the cosmic etheric body, of which the etheric body of our system is an integral part, a vast system of interwoven energies circulates actively and rapidly. Nevertheless, speculative inquiry in this direction and attempts to traverse the intricate labyrinths of the mind are entirely meaningless until a person can think in terms of the greater whole and acquire a greater capacity for synthesis. We shall confine ourselves to the broad field of energies I have outlined for you and consider only the principal circulating forces. For the present, this is sufficient. We are concerned with energies that can and do evoke a response, of which a person can become aware and is often already conscious.

It would be useful to provide a general comment, with many necessary clarifications, on the wide range of these responses:

Undeveloped humanity is conditioned in its life and circumstances primarily by the influence of the small Zodiac and, consequently, the position of the planets in the twelve houses.

The average educated humanity and those who approach the Path of Discipleship while on the Path of Trial consciously respond to: 

(a) Planets governing persons;

(b) a solar sign indicating the already established trends in life, forming the line of least resistance;

(c) A rising sign to a lesser extent. He points to the life purpose of a particular incarnation, or to an even greater period of seven lives. The last two indicators - the solar and the ascending signs - make up the Big Zodiac.

Students and initiates can begin to consciously respond to all the above-mentioned influences, constructively operating with them, as well as those powerful but infinitely subtle forces that pour into our solar system from the three above-mentioned main constellations. In the early stages, the response occurs in subtle bodies, and the brain is not able to register them, but after the third initiation, they begin to be recognized on the physical plane.

Returning to the subject of this treatise, i.e., the seven Rays, I want to emphasize that these Rays are closely related to the seven stars of the Great Bear (again, as always, three and four as a secondary differentiation) and to the seven Sisters, the Pleiades. The first constellation is the transmitter of positive force to the Planetary Logos, and the second is the negative aspect. Thus, a direct exchange of energies is established between the lives of the seven planetary Logos and the great immeasurable Lives saturating these major constellations. Between the seven planets and the two groups of seven stars in each there are interrelated triangles of forces. Eventually it will be discovered that the deepest mystery of astrological interpretation in the planetary sense is connected with these “sacred triangles,” which in turn are represented by triangles (motile and variable) that can be constructed in connection with the seven centers.

In drawing up the horoscope of the planet (which will one day be possible), it will be found that the influence of these forces on our planet and its response to them is much more significant than the influence of the zodiacal constellations on the human unit. This is a consequence of the immeasurably higher point of evolution of the planetary Spirits, who (in their individual lives) have largely transcended the influence of the twelve constellations and are rapidly becoming responsive to the higher vibrations of their great Prototypes, the "three inner constellations," as they are esoterically called. The analogy of this phenomenon in the life of these great Beings is the time when the advanced individual transcends the influence of the planets and thus becomes the master of his personal life to such an extent that it is no longer possible to predict with accuracy his activities and circumstances of life. The soul dominates, and the planets no longer condition life. The same is true of constellations and planetary Logos. They are able to eliminate the lower influences by awakening and responding to the infinitely higher vibrations of the three great constellations.

^∗ Big Bear, Sirius and Pleiades.