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6. The Signs
The horoscope means ‘hour pointer’, and is a diagram of the heavens erected to determine the potentials and characteristics of a person born at a specific time, date and place. Because of the precession of the equinox, the Earth moves across the zodiac in minute increments each year, and it takes about 72 years for it to move 1 degree of arc. Because it takes 25,920 years for the precession of the equinoxes to make one complete passage within the entire belt of constellations within our zodiac, no two horoscopes will ever be the same, as each one is a unique diagram.
Each sign of the zodiac has a planetary ruler, a planet that is harmonious in temperament with the sign it rules. The sign rulerships are as follows:-
Sign Rulerships Sign Planet Aries Mars Taurus Venus Gemini Mercury Cancer The Moon Leo The Sun Virgo Mercury Libra Venus Scorpio Mars/Pluto Sagittarius Jupiter Capricorn Saturn Aquarius Saturn/Uranus Pisces Jupiter/NeptuneThe Earth is the centre of an imaginary circle called the zodiac. This zodiac is divided into 12 segments called signs, and each sign depicts certain traits. When all of the 12 characteristics are combined together they form a whole, or unity. The Sun, Moon, planets and asteroids orbit the zodiac and are therefore posited in the various signs that help determine what influences will be present depending on the time and place. By casting a horoscope based on the exact time, date and place of birth, much can be gleaned about the joys, happiness, and successes, problems and lessons that will be prevalent during the life of the person or event.
Aries
Traditional Association - Cardinal Fire - Ancient Association – Earth/Spring
Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, exemplifies its ambitious attitude by asserting himself as the conqueror, emperor, warrior or soldier of fortune. Aries is aggressive and forceful, and uses its energy to get what it desires. Aries has a great deal of enthusiasm for life and a sense of untamed daring, and early explorers of untamed wilderness have exemplified this sense of adventure. In Astrology, Aries is ruled by the planet Mars and rules the first house of the horoscope.
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, as the Sun is posited in it from 21st March to 20th April. It heralds the spring equinox when daylight and night hours are exactly the same. The spring equinox marks the beginning of spring, a time when the Earth is reborn after a long, harsh winter period where the Earth and its inhabitants have gone into a period of deep slumber, known as a hibernation of sorts. Miraculously, greenery reappears, year after year, signalling warmer times ahead. It is truly amazing to see the small blades of grass emerge from a formerly barren Earth to provide a natural carpet far surpassing anything man could ever devise.
The spring equinox occurs around the 21st of March in the northern hemisphere. At this point day and night are of equal length, and light has finally triumphed over darkness. From this point forward, the days will become longer, and nights shorter, meaning the light is about to obtain complete dominance over darkness. Nature blooms and new life will resume.
In addition to the lush vegetation that begins to overtake the Earth every spring, new animals are being born, which brings new life unto a formerly sleeping Earth.
The animal associated with Aries is the Ram, which is a male sheep. Because the ram is a land-based animal, living off of the lush vegetation of the Earth, it seems only appropriate it would be placed within the element of Earth. This is further demonstrated that while Ariens do possess a great deal of drive and ambition, they tend to focus this energy in the pursuit of their own desires, such as a career, accumulation of wealth, and the building of whatever empire they so desire.
The sheep or ram figured prominently during the age of Aries. It was at this time the Jewish religion was in full swing, and one of their religious practices was to give animal sacrifices, which were quite often the best lambs born out of that year’s flock. When the Jewish religion went into decline and Jesus the Christ began spreading his message, the lamb was also featured in his teachings. Jesus the Christ was quite often referred to as ‘the lamb of god’, the reference being Jesus had been sacrificed for a higher purpose in the same fashion as all those innocent lambs before him.
The one holiday most clearly associated with the sign Aries is Easter. Easter is an annual festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus the Christ, and the principal feast of the Christian year. It is celebrated on a Sunday, and on varying dates between 22nd March and 25th April and is therefore called a moveable feast.
Easter, a Christian festival, embodies many pre-Christian traditions. The origin of its name is unknown, but is believed to come from the work Eastre, which is the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated the month corresponding with April. Her festival is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in coloured Easter eggs, originally painted with bright colours to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter egg rolling contests or given as gifts.
Such festivals, and the stories and legends that explain their origin, were common in ancient religions. A Greek legend tells of the return of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the Earth, from the underworld to the light of day; her return symbolised to the ancient Greeks the resurrection of life in the spring after the desolution of winter. Many ancient peoples share similar legends. The Phrygians believed their omnipotent duty went to sleep at the time of the winter solstice, and they performed ceremonies with music and dancing at the spring equinox to awaken him. The Christian festival of Easter probably embodies a number of converging traditions; most scholars emphasise the original relation tot Easter. The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the messiah, as foretold by the prophets. In consequence, the Easter festival commemorated Christ’s resurrection. In time, a serious difference over the date of the Easter festival arose among Christians. Those of Jewish origin celebrated the resurrection immediately following the Passover festival, which according to their Babylonian lunar calendar, fell on the evening of the Full Moon. By their reckoning, Easter fell on different days of the week.
Christians of Gentile origin, however, wished to commemorate the resurrection on the first day of the week, Sunday. By their method Easter occurred in the same day of the week, but from year to year it fell on different dates.
Constantine the Great, Roman emperor, convoked the Council of Nicea in 325 ad. The council unanimously ruled the Easter festival should be celebrated throughout the Christian world on the first Sunday after the Full Moon following the vernal equinox; and if the Full Moon should occur on a Sunday and thereby coincide with the Passover festival. Easter should be celebrated on the following Sunday, thus avoiding a coincidence of feasts.
Ways of fixing the date of the feast tried by the church proved unsatisfactory, and Easter was celebrated on different dates in different parts of the world. In 387 ad, for instance, the dates of Easter in France and Egypt were 35 days apart. About 465 ad, the church adopted a system of calculation proposed by the astronomer Victorinis, who had been commissioned by Pope Hilarius to reform the calendar and fix the date of Easter.
Reform of the Julian calendar in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, through adoption of the Gregorian calendar, eliminated much difficulty in fixing the date of Easter and in arranging the ecclesiastical year, since 1752, when the Gregorian calendar was also adopted in Great Britain and Ireland, Easter has been celebrated on the same day in the western part of the Christian world. The Eastern churches, however, which did not adopt the Gregorian calendar, commemorate Easter on a Sunday either preceding or following the date observed in the West. These dates occasionally coincide, such as in 1865 and 1963.
According to the New Testament, Jesus the Christ was crucified on the eve of the Passover and shortly afterwards rose from the dead.
The Earth transited through the age of Aries from 1,946 BC to 246 ad.
Time Line
2,000 bc The watermelon was being cultivated in Africa, figs in Arabia, apples in the Indus Valley, and bananas in India.
Ice cream was invented in China in roughly 2,000 BC. The milking of farm animals began in China at about that time, providing one of the essential ingredients. This early ice cream consisted of a soft milk and rice concoction packed in snow or frozen on a platter. It became a favourite dish of Chinese emperors.
The first metallic money appeared between 2,000 BC and 1,800 BC. Prior to that time, cattle had been used for currency, as they still are in some parts of the world. The first metallic money was made of bronze and often took the shape of cattle. Its value was determined by weight, unlike later coins whose value was marked on the metal itself.
Stonehenge, a circular group of huge stone pillars, is one of the most intriguing monuments of ancient times. It was built in England between 3,000 and 1,000 BC. The main ring of stones was erected around 1,800 BC. Although no records survive to explain the significance of the monument. It was most likely a centre for religious devotions and astronomical observations.
1,800 bc Around 1,700 BC, eastern Europeans began to cultivate rye. The crop was soon a staple among Slavs, Celts, and Teutons. It was particularly valuable in northern regions, where the growing season was often too short for the production of wheat.
Horses would eventually contribute to Egypt’s prosperity and power. However, the first horses came as a curse rather than a blessing. They arrived at a gallop drawing the chariots of invading Semites, known to Egyptians as Hyksos. The Hyksos would rule Egypt for almost two centuries.
1,600 bc The ancient Greek language, the source of many English words, was spoken by 1,600 BC.
In roughly 1,500 BC a volcanic eruption destroyed the Mediterranean island of Thera, near Crete. The nearby Minoan civilisation on Crete was damaged by the eruption, and seismic waves flooded Egyptian croplands, causing a famine.
1,400 bc By 1,400 BC the most advanced forms of cuneiform writing represented syllables rather than things or ideas. This meant fewer and simpler characters, thereby making reading and writing easier. In the advanced Syrian script of this time, vowel signs, the next major advancement in writing, began to appear.
During the 18th dynasty of the new Kingdom, the Egyptian pharaohs built the great temple of Amon at Elpkamak, in honour of the Sun god Amon. Its most remarkable feature is a hypostyle hall. The hall was completed around 1,220 BC, during the reign of Ramses II. It covers almost 5,000 square metres, enough space to equally encompass the huge Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
1,200 bc India has the world’s oldest continuous musical tradition. In 1,200 BC Vedic chants were being sung to accompany readings from the Hindu scriptures. The chants employed three levels of pitch. A basic tone, used in recitation, was embellished by neighbouring tones used to accent the text.
By 1,050 BC the Greek alphabet was evolving from Phoenician symbols. Both cultures used letters to represent vowels and consonants, and important advance in writing. The Greek letters A and B, alpha and beta, give us the word alphabet.
In roughly 1,150 BC the Olmecs carved colossal male heads out of stone in Mexico, near modern day Veracruz. The heads, which range from 2.4 to 2.6 metres in height, have features that seem African and are often helmeted. The significance of these monuments remains a mystery.
1,000 bc One of the most impressive of ancient kings was Solomon of Judea and Isreal. His fleets traded in the Mediterranean and Red Seas, and his subjects mined gold in what is now Saudi Arabia. With his wealth he built the great temple and a palace in Jerusalem. In 950 BC Solomon’s household included 700 wives and 300 concubines. Despite his wealth and power, Solomon is known in history for his wisdom. He has been credited with authority three books of the Bible – Proverbs, Ecclestiastes, and the Song of Solomon.
800 bc The Olympian games, which eventually evolved into the Olympic games, were first held in 776 BC in Greece. The competitions included such events as foot races, wrestling, boxing, horse racing, long jumping, and the javelin throw. The games were held every four years. Like the winners today, early Olympic victors became national heroes and were celebrated in music and poetry. The games began as an amateur event and lost favour, as they became more professional. The Roman Emperor Theodosius I finally abolished them in 394 ad. More than 1,500 years later, in 1896, the modern Olympic games were established in Athens.
Metallic money began with bronze ignots in the form of cattle around 2,000 BC, followed by bean shaped ignots in 800 BC. The first modern coins appeared in Lydia around 600 BC. At that time the Lydians began manufacturing the kind of coins we use today: round and flat, with images and value printed on the surface.
Zoroaster, the Persian religious leader, was born around 630 BC. Although raised in an age of Polytheism, Zoroaster believed a good spirit, Ahura Mazda (Lord Wisdom) guided the world. He required ‘good thoughts of mind, good deeds of the hand, and good words of the tongue’ from his followers if they wished to enter paradise. Years later, Zoroaster’s followers posited the existence of a second, evil god called Angra Mainyu (Fiendish Spirit). Men and women must choose between these two gods, which represent good and evil. Today around 10,000 Zoroastrians live in Iran, and others, called Parsis, live in India.
The Greek statesman Draco codified Athenian law in 621 BC. This was part of a process by which the arbitrary power of the Athenian nobility was limited, and the lower class soldiers were given the vote. The laws have acquired a bad name in history. They prescribed death for most criminal offences, and were therefore said to have been written in blood. For that reason draconian’ has come to mean an unjustifiably harsh law. The code was revised a few years later under the direction of Solon, whose name came to be associated with legislative wisdom.
600 bc In 597 BC a powerful Chaldean army captured Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and carried the Jewish people into captivity in Babylon. Cut off from their temples and their traditional course of worship, the Jews developed new religious practices, such as reading the writings of the prophets on the Sabbath. This was the origin of the synagogue style of the Jewish faith. The period would ultimately be regarded as a formative time, but the experience was hardly joyful at the time.
In 490 BC the Persian Empire came close to winning control over others. However, at Marathon, a town of northeast of Athens, the Athenians defeated the Persians, losing only 192 men to the Persians 6,400. A Greek runner carried the news to Athens, a distance of about 40 kilometres. At the revival of the Olympic games in 1896 ad at Athens, a long-distance footrace was held, called a marathon in honour of that ancient Greek runners feat. The distance for the race has now been standardised at 42.2 kilometres.
Overlooking Athens is a natural fortress the ancient Greeks called the Acropolis. Here during the 5th century BC, several magnificent temples were built. The greatest of the monuments was the Parthenon, built in honour of the goddess Athena and sometimes called ‘the masterpiece of Greek architecture.’ Built entirely of white marble, the Parthenon measures 72 metres long and 34 metres wide. In addition to many other sculptures, a large gold and ivory statue of Athens once stood within the temple. At various times the Parthenon has been a Christian church, and Muslim mosque, and a warehouse for gunpowder. An explosion in 1687 destroyed some of the building but most of it still stands, as dramatic symbol of ancient Greece.
400 bc In 399 BC the Greek philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death; he fulfilled the sentence by drinking a cup of hemlock, a deadly poison. His challenging of traditional ideas has led to accusations by his contemporaries, who charged him with corrupting the youth of Athens and of neglecting the gods of the state. Socrates was an original thinker and aroused hostility with statements such as ‘I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world’; and ‘Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live.’
Around 300 BC the Greek mathematician Euclid published Elements, which set forth the principles of Euclidean geometry. Elements is said to be one of the most frequently translated and studies books in the world. Euclid’s geometry includes postulates subsequently learned by students for more than 2,000 years. Euclid’s other ideas included the arguments that all right angels are equal to one another and it is possible to draw a straight line from any point to any other point.
200 bc In 170 BC the world’s first paved streets were built in Rome. They had the advantage of being passable in all weather, but the disadvantage of increasing traffic noise. During the centuries that followed, roads of stone would link together much of the Roman Empire. By the peak of the empire, Romans had built 80,000 kilometres of road.
In 110 BC the Romans began to cultivate oysters near Baia in the vicinity of modern day Naples. The Chinese had been engaged in fish cultivation in 850 BC, but the Roman efforts with oysters were the first Western attempt to domesticate marine life. The experiment was successful, and oysterman Sergius Orata made a fortune selling his oysters to a Roman public gown fond of gourmet food.
The Roman Empire expanded rapidly during the 1st century BC. One of its new possessions was Gaul, which included most of modern day France. In 52 BC a Gallic chieftain named Vercigetorix led a rebellion against Roman rule. He succeeded for a time, but then Julius Caesar crushed his rebellion and led captive Vercigetorix to Rome, where he was put on display during Caesar’s celebratory march through the city. At the conclusion of the festivities he was promptly executed. Vercigetorix is remembered today in France as an early patriot.
Between 30 and 28 BC the Romans occupied Egypt as far south as Aswan. There they came into contact with the black African nation of Kush. A few years later, when the Romans were busy with a campaign in Aragbia, Kushites sacked several of the Roman strongholds. Roman historian Strabo records the leader of the attack on Philea was a woman called Queen Candace. ‘Candace’ meant queen among the Kushites, but women were influential in Kush, so it is likely a real queen did lead the attack. Shortly afterwards a treaty established the boundary between the kingdom of Kush and Roman Egypt.
100 bc The first paper, probably made from the bark of the mulberry tree, was fabricated in 105 ad by Tsai Lun, a eunich in the Chinese court. The invention of paper facilitated writing and made possible the invention of paper money. Rag paper was slow to reach Europe, where papyrus and parchment were used until well after 1,000 ad. Only in the 12th century did paper mills appear in Europe.
It just so happens that due to the precision of the equinoxes, the Earth was in the age of Aries for much of the Old Testament period. A timeline for this era is as follows:-
Time Line 1,526 bc The birth of Moses 1,446 bc Moses happens across the burning bush 1,446 bc The Passover 1,446 bc The Israelites leave Egypt 1,445 bc Moses receives the 10 commandments 1,445 bc The Israelites build the golden calf 1,085 bc Samson and Delilah 1,003 bc David and Goliath 587 bc Judah falls to Babylon 500 bc Jonah in the whale’s belly 445 bc The Walls of Jerusalem rebuilt 2 bc The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary to tell her she will have a child 2 bc Jesus born in Jerusalem 1 ad The Wise Men search for the baby Jesus 1 ad King Herod has all male children under the age of two murdered 26 ad John the Baptist begins his ministry 26 ad John baptises Jesus 26 ad Jesus spends 40 days in the desert and is tempted by Satan 26 ad Jesus begins his ministry 27 ad John the Baptist is beheaded 30 ad Lazarus is raised from the dead 30 ad Jesus enters Jerusalem on an ass 30 ad Jesus is crucified 30 ad Jesus is resurrected 30 ad Jesus stayed on Earth for a period of time and then ascended to heavenIn matters of health, each degree of Aries rules the following body parts:-
Aries (the ram) Quality Cardinal Glyhp Ram’s horns Element Earth Natural sign of First house Principle Active Opposite sign Libra Ruler Mars keyword activity Anatomy Head, face brain, upper teeth Key phrase I am Positive characteristics Pioneering Negative characteristics Domineering Executive Quick-tempered Competitive Violent Impulsive Intolerant Eager Hasty Courageous Arrogant Independent ‘Me first’ Dynamic Brusque Lives in present Lack of follow-through Quick Selfish Pragmatic EgocentricTaurus
Traditional Association – Fixed Earth - Ancient Association – Earth/Spring
Taurus is the second sign of the zodiac, and heralds the middle of the spring period. The Sun transits the sign of Taurus from 21st April to 20th May each year. By this time, the greenery has begun to carpet the Earth and the flowers have prepared to bloom, showing us all the simplistic beauty nature can create far surpasses anything man could achieve through his meagre endeavours. There are very few, if any, vestiges of that dark, cold period, known as winter. It is also during this period the depression that has been so much so a part of the Earth for the past several months has begun to lift. People will begin to feel the renewed freedom that can only arise from the Sun’s warming rays, longer days, and new cycle of life that has begun to cover the Earth.
Taurus, the second sign of the zodiac, comes into being when the farmers are tilling the fields and planting the crops. Taurus is fertile, voluptuous, sensual, practical, earthy and materialistic. Taurus loves to be surrounded by luxury and is primarily concerned with accumulating wealth and prosperity. Don't be fooled by Taurus’s sensual and pleasant nature however, because her stubbornness, combined with endurance and stamina, make her a formidable foe when her path has been crossed. In Astrology, Taurus rules the second house of the horoscope and is ruled by Venus.
People will also wish to take part in this new cycle of life, and love will most definitely be in the air. The type of affection that is shown, however, will be more physical in nature. It should therefore come as no surprise to learn the babies born in the sign of Aquarius, which is nine months after Taurus, are a result of the inner friskiness transpires after such a frigid winter.
The bull is the animal associated with the sign of Taurus. This animal has historically been associated with land, as it grazes on the lush vegetation of the Earth. It is a force not to be reckoned with, as it has a fierce temper and can easily kill a man with its horns.
The bull is such a powerful figure in history that many religions have been based on it. Hinduism is a classic example of the reverence of the bull.
Bullfighting is a remnant of the ancient religion or Mithra. It is a sports spectacle involving conflict between a bull and one or more contestants, fought in an outdoor arena according to certain rules and procedures. Traditionally, the bullfight is a combination of ritual and mortal combat, with an attempt, at the risk of principle contestant life, to manoeuvre a bull gracefully is confirmed largely to Spain and to the western hemisphere, such contests also take place in southern France and in Portugal.
In Spanish speaking countries the bullfight is known as la fiesta brava or la corrida, as it is popularly known, takes place before crowds of enthusiasts often numbering many thousands.
Often termed indefensible but irresistible, the spectacle of bullfighting has existed in one form or another since ancient days. For example, a contest of some sort is depicted in a wall painting unearthed at Knossos in Crete, dating from 2,000 BC. It shows male and female acrobats confronting a bull, grabbing its horns as it charges, and vaulting over its back.
Bullfights were popular spectacles in ancient Rome, but it was in the Iberian Peninsula that these contests were fully developed. The Moors from North Africa who overran Andalusia in 711 ad changed bullfighting significantly from the brutish, formless spectacle practised by the conquered Visagothis to a ritualistic occasion observed in connection with feast days, on which the conquesting Moors, mounted on highly trained horses, confronted and killed the bulls.
As bullfighting developed, the man on foot, who by their cape work aided the horsemen in positioning the bulls, began to draw more attention from the crowd, and the modern corrida began to take form. Today the bullfight is much the same as it has been since around 1726, when Francisco Romero of Rhonda, Spain introduced the estoque and the muleta.
Mithraism was one of the major religions of the Roman Empire, it was based on the cult of Mithra, the ancient Persian god of light and wisdom. In the Avesta, the sacred Zoroastrian writing of the ancient Persians, Mirthra appears as the chief yazata, or good spirit, and ruler of the world. He was supposed to have slain the divine bull, from whose dying body spring all plants and animals beneficial to humanity. After the conquest of Assyria in the 7th century BC and of Babylonia in the 6th century BC, Mithra became the god of the Sun, which was worshipped in his name. The Greek god of the Sun helped to spread the cult. It was brought to Rome in 68 BC by Alician pirates whom the Roman general Pompey the Great had captured, and during the early empire it spread rapidly throughout Italy and the Roman provinces. It was a rival to Christianity in the Roman world.
Mithraism is similar to Christianity in many respects, for example, it encompasses the ideals of humility and brotherly love, baptism, the rite of communion, the use of holy water, the adoration of the shepherds at Mithra’s birth, the adoption of Sundays and of 25th December (Mithras birthday) as holy days, and the belief on immortality of the soul, the last judgement, and the resurrection. Mithraism differed from Christianity in the exclusion of women from its ceremonies and its willingness to compromise on the issue of Polytheism. The similarities, however, made possible the easy conversion of its followers to Christian doctrine.
The golden calf, according to the biblical account in Exodus, was an idol cast at the foot of Mount Sinai from the jewellery of the Israelites by Aaron, brother of Moses, while Moses was on the mount. Later, when Moses accused Aaron of sinning, Aaron explained that he made the calf to satisfy people’s desire for visible objects to worship, according to Exodus 31:21-24. Jeroboam I later set up similar objects of worship at the ancient towns of Bethel and Dan, according to 1 Kings 12:28 – 29.
In Greek mythology the Minataur was the monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. It was the offspring of Pasiphae, queen of Crete, and a snow-white bull that the god Poseidon had sent to Pasiphae’s husband, King Minos. When Minos refused to sacrifice the beast, Poseidon made Pasiphae fall in love with it. After she gave birth to the minataur, Minos ordered the architect and inventor Daedalus to build a labyrinth so intricate that escape from it without assistance would be impossible. Here the Minataur was confined and fed with young human victims Minos forced Athens to send him as tribute. The Greek hero Theseus was determined to end the useless sacrifice and offered himself instead of the victims. When Theseus reached Crete, Minos’s daughter Ariadne fell in love with him. She helped him to escape by giving him a ball of thread, which he fastened to the door of the maze and unwound as he made his way through it. When he came upon the sleeping Minotaur, he beat the monster to death and then led the other sacrificial youths and maidens to safety by following the thread back to the entrance.
May Day is the name given to the first day of May, which for centuries has been celebrated among the Latin and Germanic peoples. May Day festivals probably stem from the rites practised in honour of Flora, the Roman goddess of spring. May Day is celebrated in many European countries as a labour holiday.
Rituals of vegetation imply the idea that by an active participation in the resurrection of the plant world, the whole of humanity may be regenerated. In some parts of Europe, a tree is still brought from the forest in the spring and set up in the centre of the village. Alternatively, people go out into the woods and cut green branches to hang in the house in order to assure prosperity. This is known as ‘bringing in the May’. In Sweden, the Maypole, which is a fir tree with its branches stripped off and decorated with artificial flowers and toys, is brought into the house at the summer solstice. The coming of May, and the renewal of life are not only celebrated by a tree or maypole, but also by images in human form, which are seen to embody the power of vegetation.
The Earth was in the age of Taurus from 4,106 to 1,946 bc. In order to better understand the age of Taurus, it is essential to know what is going on in the world at that time in history:-
Time Line
3,500 bc As early as 3,400 BC Egyptians adopted a special symbol for the number 10. Previously, numbering had been limited to systems of straight lines, each representing one item.
Having learned to write using simple images for nouns, adjectives, and verbs, Summerians tackled more complex concepts using homonyms. These combined characters were simplified into simple images known as phonograms. Eventually, the pictures evolved into a system of lines cut into clay tablets. Called cuneiform, this form of writing spread to Egypt, Syria, Persia and Asia Minor.
The wheel was invented by Sumerians in Mesopotamia about 3,500 to 3,000 BC. Unlike other early inventions, such as pottery, the wheel is thought to have been the creation of a single, brilliant, unknown inventor, and is what spurred mankind on his current path of evolution.
3,000 bc Both the Koran and Arabian Nights refer to an Arabian city called Libar as the ‘queen’ of the frankincense trade. Frankincense, a sweet-smelling resin used for perfume and medicines, was as valuable as gold. For many centuries, however, no evidence of the city’s existence was found. It seemed to have vanished without a trace. A team of scientists began archaeological excavations in 1991 in Oman, having targeted a likely area by using satellite photos to trace ancient camel routes. In 1992 they announced their discovery of the ruins of Libar. The city was built around 3,000 BC as a processing and shipping centre for frankincense. The site was apparently abandoned long ago when the city fell into a limestone cavern over which it had been built.
Papyrus, a plant found along the banks of the Nile, was first made into writing material by Egyptians in about 2,800 BC. Fibrous layers from papyrus stems were laid together, dampened and pressed. As the material dried, the sap held the layers together, creating a smooth and durable writing surface. Papyrus was the primary writing material in classical times and in medieval Europe.
The first stone pyramid – and the oldest surviving example of an architectural monument – was built for Zoser, and pharaoh who reigned in Egypt until 2,717 BC. A step pyramid, it established a precedent for much larger pyramids to follow. A few years later the great pyramids were built. The largest is the Great Pyramid built as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu at Giza.
2,500 bc Although dogs had already been domesticated for thousands of years, the first historical trace of tame cats comes from Egypt in roughly 2,500 BC. Their progenitors are thought to have been a species of African wildcat called the Caffre cat. Egyptian cats were brought to Europe during the crusades and are the ancestors of many of the modern cat breeds throughout the world.
A great deal of the biblical period transpired during the age of Taurus, so it is therefore important for the student of astrology to understand how Taurus influenced the Biblical era:-
Time Line 2,166 bc Abraham offers his son as a sacrifice, who was spared, thereby beginning the traditional of animal sacrifices in the early Jewish religion. 2,047 bc The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 2,006 bc Jacob’s name is changed to Israel. 1,991 bc Israel’s family settles in Egypt.
In matters of health, each degree of Taurus rules the following body part:-
0. Throat, gullet
1. Palate
2. Pharnyx – oral part
3. Uvula
4. Pharyngeal cavity
5. Larynx
6. Vocal cords. Azimene
7. Cervical nerves. Azimene
8. Jugular venis. Azimene
9. Cervical veins. Azimene (Alcoholism)
10. Cervical and branchial plexi. Azimene (Nervous debility)
11. Cervical and brachial plexi
12. Cervical and brachial plexi
13. True vocal cords
14. Epiglottis
15. Caratid arteries (Abscess)
16. Thyroid gland and tonsils
17. Lymph vessels (Hair)
18. Lymphj vessels (Hair)
19. Maxillary artery
20. Occiput (Goitre)
21. Arteries of nasal cavity
22. Tongue muscles
23. Teeth (Rheumatism)
24. Upper jaw
25. Lower jas (Alcoholism, adenoids, suicide)
26. Nasal bone
27. Atlas
28. Deltoid muscle and main neck muscles
29. Deltoid muscle and main neck muscles (Eyesight)
30. Trapezius muscle
Taurus (the bull) Quality Fixed Glyhp Bull’s head & horns Element Earth Natural sign of Second house Principle Passive Opposite sign Scorpio Ruler Venus keyword stability Anatomy Throat, neck ears, vocal chords, thyroid, tongue, mouth, tonsils, lower teeth Key phrase I have Positive characteristics Patient Negative characteristics Self-indulgent Conservative Stubborn Domestic Slow-moving Sensual Argumentative Thorough Short-tempered Stable Possessive Dependable Greedy Practical Materialistic Artistic Unfaithful loyal PretentiousGemini
Traditional Association – Mutable Air - Ancient Association – Earth/Summer
Gemini, the third sign of the zodiac, occurs as the weather warms up enough so people want to go places, visit friends and socialise. Gemini is mental, active and witty. It enjoys light, airy social contact, and is very communicative. Being The Twins, Gemini often displays two personalities and can appear dualistic at times. Since Gemini has the gift of gab, it has been known to spread rumours and gossip if other stabilising influences are not present. In Astrology, Gemini rules the third house of the horoscope and is ruled by Mercury.
Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac, and the Sun is in this sign from 21st May to 21st June. June is the last sign in the spring season, and is the warmest, sunniest of the signs.
Gemini is a period where people begin planning for their summer holidays because the weather is so nice they cannot think of much else. It is also a period when many people are concluding a course of study, and therefore denotes an endings and new beginnings.
Many people decide to marry in the sign of Gemini, hoping an ability to communicate with one another will lead to a long and prosperous marriage. It is a well-known fact that two can quite often live just as cheaply as one, so deciding to wed will make good economical sense. In the same vein, two individuals working in unison together can often accomplish much more than a lone person could, which is another good reason for two people to join forces to achieve a common goal.
While the sign of Gemini deals with one’s ability to communicate, it is nevertheless a sign focused primarily on the earthly elements of this physical world we live in. It is highly unlikely one will ever achieve any type of material success if he is not able to utilise his intellect and relate to others in a fairly accurate manner.
The Earth was in the age of Gemini from 6,226 to 4,106 bc, which was a rather quiet time in world events. According to the biblical account, Adam and Eve are believed to have been created during the age of Gemini, and their appearance in the Earth at this time is most appropriate for the sign. The sign of Gemini is the Roman numeral 2, which is two ones standing side by side. These two digits can constitute a married couple, a brother and sister, or two individuals of the same sex.
Because Adam and Eve were made from the same genetic material, they could just as easily have been brother and sister as they could have been a married couple. It should also be noted that in ancient times royalty had to marry their siblings. This is evidenced by the fact that in Egyptian mythology Osiris married Isis, and Seth married Nepthys. Even in biblical times Abraham married his sister, Sarah.
It was not until the Israelites were given the code of laws by which to live their lives that sexual relationships between close family members was outlawed. This had less to do with morals than the health risks associated with inbreeding. Consanguinity can cause birth defects such as multiple digits, haemophilia, albinism, mental retardation, nervous disorders, developmental delays, cretinism, and behavioural problems. Spreading the gene pool out would ensure the human race survived and propagated the Earth.
Time Line 6,500 bc Creation of Adam 6,500 bc Creation of Eve 6,500 bc Fall from grace 6,500 bc Cain and Abel 5,000 bc The Great Flood 5,000 bc God’s covenant with Noah 4,800 bc Tower of BabelOne legendary figure most closely associated with the sign of Gemini is the fairy. The fairy is a creature that appears in the folklore of Western Europe. Fairies have magical powers, which they use to perform both good and bad deeds. Fairies are usually helpful, but they often behave mischievously and occasionally act cruelly.
There are several different types of fairies, brownies, buccas and pixies that live in England, goblins live in France, kobolds and nixies live in Germany, and elves and trolls live in the Scandinavian countries.
Fairies make themselves invisible to human beings. However, some people have the power to see fairies and the places where they live. Sometimes fairies become visible to a person who steps into a fairy ring, which are dark green circles, found in a field or meadow.
No one knows how the belief in fairies began. In some stories, fairies were spirits of the dead. Some scholars believe fairies began as ancient nature spirits, such as the spirits of mountains, streams and trees.
Fairies vary in size, but the majority of them are smaller than adult human beings. Most fairies have various human features. Some fairies, including pixies, have great beauty. Other fairies have misshapen faces and deformed bodies.
Fairies may live alone or within a group. The banshee is an example of a fairy that lives on its own. In Scotland she can be heard wailing by a river as she washes the clothes of a person who will soon die. In Ireland, banshees live near a particular family.
Large groups of fairies live in fairyland, a fairy society with its own governments and territory. In most stories, the king and queen rule fairyland, with the queen having the most power. Queen Mab is a famous fairy queen in Irish folklore. Oberon is king of the fairies in many legends.
Life in fairyland closely resembles life in the human world. Fairies work, marry, and have children. Time passes very slowly in fairyland, so there is no old age or death.
People and fairies sometimes marry. A man might go to fairyland to live with his bride, or he might bring his fairy wife back to his home. In many stories, the human being must follow strict rules to remain married to a fairy.
Fairies often aid people in various ways. They might help with the housework or with farm-work, such as reaping and threshing. In some cases, the person is not allowed to thank the fairy, to offer it gifts, or to even watch it work. If the person breaks one of these rules, the fairy runs away and never returns.
Sometimes fairies reward people for doing them a favour. According to one story, a farmer who mends a fairy oven or chair will receive delicious food in return. Grateful fairies may also leave money for people who have treated them well.
Fairies sometimes try to trick some women into caring for fairy babies. The fairies may exchange their babies, called changelings, for healthy newborn human infants. Usually a human mother can see that a changeling has been substituted for her child because the fairy baby has some ugly physical feature or habit. If the woman threatens to burn the changeling, it may leave and give back the woman’s own child.
Fairies also have trouble in childbirth and often need a human woman to assist in the delivery of the baby, who is paid very well for the service that she provides.
In matters of health, each degree of Gemini rules the following body parts:-
Gemini (the twins) Quality Mutable Glyhp Roman numeral 2 Element Earth Natural sign of Third hosue Principle Active Opposite sign Sagittarius Ruler Mercury keyword Versatility Anatomy Lungs, collar bone, hands, arms, shoulders, nervous system Key phrase I think Positive characteristics Dual Negative characteristics Changeable Congenial Ungrateful Curious Scatterbrained Adaptable Restless Expressive Scheming Quick-witted Lacking concentration Literary Lacking follow-through Inventive Opportunist Dextrous Materialistic Clever DeceitfulCancer
Traditional Association – Cardinal Fire - Ancient Association – Fire/Summer
Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac, is intuitive, sensitive and emotional. The love Cancer sends out is pure and simple because she only wants to love, and in turn be loved. When confronted, Cancer normally reacts based upon emotions rather than intellect, and this can cause some difficulties if she is not able to control her behaviour. Cancer is very protective of her home and family, and can consequently appear grasping and clinging if she feels she is not in control. In Astrology, Cancer rules the fourth house of the horoscope and is ruled by the Moon. It should be noted that in ancient astrology the Moon was assigned ruler-ship over only this sign while the other planets (with the exception of the Sun) were each allocated two signs to rule, one sign being active and the other active. This indicates Cancer is a very powerful sign in its own right and encompasses both active and passive attributes.
Cancer is the fourth sign in this placement, and the sign transits the sign of Cancer from 22nd June to 22nd July each year. When the Sun moves into Cancer, it also corresponds with the summer solstice. The summer solstice marks the beginning of summer and is typically remembered by the fact that daylight hours exceed the night hours, thereby nicknaming this day as the longest day of the year. From this point forward, the intensity of the day will begin to wane until the autumn equinox, when the daylight and night hours are the same.
The summer solstice occurs about the 21st of June in the Northern Hemisphere. The longest day of the year and the shortest night of the year have occurred, and the forces of darkness and rest are starting to gain control once more. The summer solstice marks the beginning of the phase of hibernation and sleep. The days are still longer than the nights, but the length of the night increases. This is the beginning of the temporary phase of death, sleep, and rest of nature, which, however, still has to develop to its full potential.
Because the astrological sign of Cancer is marked by the Sun’s rays shining down on the Earth longer than any other day in the year in the Northern Hemisphere, it is only fitting this sign should be aligned with the element of Fire.
During the sign of Cancer, the Earth has sufficiently warmed up enough to the point where people would like to spend more time outside and enjoy the life-giving rays of the Sun. This is a period of immense creativity, as people plan to take a well-earned break and enjoy themselves after a period of intense work during the autumn, winter and spring months. Because many schools are closed during the summer months, this is a time when children and young people will be out and about, enjoying a break from their studies.
The crab has been associated with the sign of Cancer for a very long time. The crab is an animal that is covered by a hard shell, and has jointed legs. It lives in shallow waters along the shore, and also in deep waters. There are 4,500 different kinds of crab. Some types, such as the fiddler crabs, live in burrows in the banks of salty tidal streams. Others live among corals, while other live in the deep sea.
Crabs are well known for their hard outer shell and soft interior, and this association is what is normally identified with Cancer, appearing hard on the outside and soft on the inside. It is for that reason Cancerians are very misunderstood beings. They are often much more sentimental than people give them credit for.
Another animal associated with the element of Fire, but suitable to the sign of Cancer, is the salamander. In myth, a salamander is able to endure fire without harm, which is why such an aquatic animal is is associated with the element of Fire.
A salamander is a timid, harmless animal that looks like a lizard but is related to frogs and toads, and is an amphibian. There are 360 species of salamanders, making up nine families. They live mainly in temperate regions, but the largest group, the lung-less salamanders, are also found in tropical territories of Central and South America. Most salamanders measure only a few centimetres in length, but the great salamander of China and Japan can grow as high as long as 1.5 meters.
Most salamanders mate and lay their eggs on water, but otherwise live on land. They tend to dwell in rotten logs, under rocks and caves, and in other cool, dark, moist places. However, some species, such as the giant salamanders, spend their entire lives in water, and a few species never enter the water at all.
Most salamanders have moist, dark skin and are difficult to see in their natural environment. A number of species, however, are brightly coloured. Some species secrete a milky fluid through the skin when handled roughly or in danger. This fluid is poisonous to some animals.
Salamanders have a long tail that is used for swimming. Most salamanders have four legs, but a few species that live in water lack hind legs. Salamanders have a strong sense of smell, and most have a long, sticky tongue they use for catching food. They eat mainly worms and insects.
Salamanders are cold-blooded animals, which means the temperature of their blood is the temperature of their environment.
Female salamanders lay eggs, which hatch in a few weeks. Young salamanders are called larvae, which look like frog tadpoles but have feathery gills at the sides of their faces. The larvae change into salamanders through a gradual process called metamorphosis, which range from 42 days to 5 years. During metamorphosis, most salamanders lose their gills just before becoming adults. As adults, salamanders breathe with lungs and through their skin.
The one interesting thing about salamanders is the fact they have the ability to regenerate parts of their bodies, and a salamander that loses a leg will grow a new one. Many salamanders can break off their tails to escape the grip of an enemy, and later re-grow a new one.
Unfortunately, we have a disease that is deadly, which has the very name of Cancer. One such cancer, skin cancer, is acquired through spending too much time in the Sun. Although the Sun is necessary for life in Earth, those very rays that sustain life can also take it away, which is in effect a paradox of the life we have chosen to incarnate into. It is for that reason we need to have a clearer understanding of cancer the disease so we can gain greater enlightenment of Cancer the sign.
Cancer is a disease in which the cells multiply wildly, destroy healthy tissue, and endanger life. About 100 types of cancer attack people and is a leading cause of death in many countries. Cancer occurs in most other animals and in many kinds of plants as well as people.
Cancer strikes all kinds of people, but is most common in the middle aged and elderly. The disease can start in any part of the body and spread to other areas. The most common sites are the skin, digestive organs, lungs, prostate gland and breast.
Cancer occurs when the chemical instructions in the body become damaged and the cells multiply beyond control. Substances in the environment and chemicals in tobacco are the leading causes of cancer. Scientists estimate the elimination of cigarette smoke would prevent 1/3 of cancer, including most cases of lung cancer.
People acquire genetic damage either by inheriting them or being exposed to substances in the environment that can damage the genes, called carcinogens.
Possible carcinogens are:-
The Cancerian day that is most prominent is the American Independence Day. Independence Day is the birthday of a nation, marking its freedom from another country. The best known Independence Day is the United States of America, which is 4th July. It is the anniversary of the day when the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on 4th July 1776. The Declaration of Independence announced the formation of a nation free from British colonial rule.
The founders of the United States of America considered Independence Day a day of rejoicing, and were first observed on 8th July 1776. The Declaration was read, bells were rung, bands played, and people rejoiced. In 1941, Congress declared 4th July as a federal holiday.
The day a nation celebrates its special day tells a lot about that nation in particular. The fact that the American Independence Day is in the sign of Cancer shows it is a Cancerian nation. America embodies the active principles of its sign, in that it is a powerful fighting force, yet at the same times cares for others immensely. It is also a great warring nation, which is another characteristic of the sign.
The Earth was in the age of Cancer from 8,426 BC to 6,226 BC.
Time Line 8,500 bc The remains of a domesticated dog, estimated to be about 10,500 years old, have been found in Idaho. Dogs are thought to have been the first animals domesticated by human beings. Their role as pets and helpers probably began with the cave dwellers. In ancient times dogs could be found in the company of human beings throughout the world. 8,000 bc By 8,000 BC human beings had to recognise the importance of other animals – dogs, goats, cattle, and sheep. These animals provided protection, food, clothing and companionship. Men and women found the arrangement so gratifying that they tried to tame other animals, some of which were less tracable. Until recently, domestication was seen as a one-sided affair in which human beings dominated animals. However, new theories and evidence suggest the impetus for domestication came from both sides. Some animals chose to live in the proximity of human beings for protection from carnivorous enemies, or for the chance to approach a warm hearth on a cold night. 7,500 bc One of the oldest known towns in the world is Jericho, located in the present day West Bank, which was occupied before 7,500 BC. By 7,000 BC the population had risen to 2,500 and the town was walled shortly thereafter. By 5,500 BC the countryside of Mesopotamia was dotted with towns and villages.In matters of health, each degree of Cancer rules the following body parts:-
Cancer (the crab) Quality Cardinal Glyhp Crab’s claws Element Fire Natural sign of Fourth house Principle Passive Opposite sign Capricorn Ruler Moon keyword Devotion Anatomy Breast, stomach, upper lobes of liver Key phrase I feel Positive characteristics Tenacious Negative characteristics Brooding Intuitive Touchy Maternal Too easily hurt Domestic Negative Sensitive Manipulative Retentive Too cautious Helpful Lazy Sympathetic Selfish Emotional Sorry for self Good memory Clingy Traditional SelfishLeo
Traditional Association – Fixed Fire - Ancient Association – Fire/Summer
The Sun passes through Leo, the fifth sign of the zodiac, at the height of summer. People are laughing, singing and enjoying themselves, and romance is in the air as lovers can be seen walking hand in hand throughout the long summer days. Likewise, children can be seen playing happily in the parks and streets during this carefree, enjoyable time. Resorts are full of vacationers who simply want to bask in the sun and enjoy their holiday. It should be noted that in ancient astrology the Sun was assigned ruler-ship over only this sign (with the exception of the Moon) where each other planet was allocated two signs each to rule, one being active and the other passive. This indicates Leo is a very powerful sign in its own right, as it encompasses both active and passive components. In Astrology Leo rules the fifth house of the horoscope and is ruled by the Sun.
The Sun is in the sign of Leo from 23rd July to 22nd August. This is the time of year when the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth is at its warmest and people have little or no inclination to go out and earn a living. Most people would rather enjoy the exceedingly pleasant weather because they know that as the days become increasingly shorter, the Earth will cool accordingly.
It is for that reason people tend to relax under the soothing rays of the Sun and enjoy themselves, knowing fully well the time will soon come when they will have to prepare for cooler days ahead.
The lion traditionally rules the sign of Leo, which is undoubtedly one of the most majestic creatures to walk the Earth. The lion is a large, powerful feline, probably the most famous of the cat family. He is called the ‘king of the beasts’, so it is only fitting he would adopt the sign of royalty. He is truly a royal animal because of his great beauty and power.
Lions can live in cool climates and in the intense heat of semi-desert areas. They live where they can find a supply of food – such as deer, antelope, zebra, and other hoofed animals. They also like to live where there is a steady supply of water.
In ancient times, lions lived in Europe, the Middle East, India and much of Africa. Humans, however, have killed off thousands of lions as they settled in new areas. As a result, no more lions are left in the Middle East and northern Africa. Only about 200 lions still live in Asia – all in the Gir Forest in India. Lions still live in central and southern Africa.
The lion is the most sociable of all cats. A pride may include from 10 to 20 lions, or as many as 35. Each pride has from up to five adult males, several lionesses, and cubs. Life within the pride is peaceful. They usually spend about 20 hours a day sleeping or resting. Cubs chase each other and wrestle as they practice some of the skills they will need in adult life. Hungry cubs will nurse any lioness who has milk, and not necessarily their own mothers.
Each pride has a specific territory, which can range from 40 to 200 square kilometres, depending upon the availability of food. Lions do not allow strange animals to hunt in their territory. They warn intruders by roaring or squirting a mixture of scent and urine onto bushes. Strangers know if they ignore the warnings, they may be killed.
For centuries people have hunted lions as a way of showing courage. In 1375 BC the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III hunted lions with bow and arrow from a chariot. During the 7th crusade, St Louis and his followers chased lions on horseback and shot them with crossbows. Until recent times, the Masai warriors hunted lions for food.
Lions try to avoid contact with humans. They rarely attack people unless they are tormented or injured.
The Earth was in the age of age of Leo from 10,586 BC to 8,426 BC. It was at the end of the age of Leo when dogs were domesticated. The remains of dogs, estimated to be around 10,500 years old, have been found in Idaho. Dogs are thought to have been the first animals domesticated by the human beings who survived the Great Flood. Their role as pets and helpers probably began with the cave dwellers. In ancient times, dogs could be found with humans throughout the world. It has only been in modern times that man has allowed himself to descend into the eternal state of forgetfulness and to subsequently forget he is in fact an animal too, and thereby separate himself from his fellow residents of our Earth.
The last time the precision of the equinox moved into the sign of Leo, it was in pre-deluvian times, and one can only speculate what the world may have been like during that age. Chanellers have related the Great Flood occurred around this time in the Earth’s history.
Prior to the Great Flood, the civilisation of Atlantis was at its height. Atlantis was a very technologically advanced warring nation, not unlike modern day America.
Edgar Cayce, the well-known American mystic, noted the Atlanteans used laser technology quite extensively and the probably used it as its primary source of energy. America, in contrast, uses fossil fuels as its primary source of energy, and it was their dependence on petroleum that brought about the Gulf Wars in the early 1990’s and 2000’s.
It is also believed the dinosaurs roamed the Earth at this point in the Earth’s evolution, which would have been a sharp contrast to the animal life we are exposed to today. These creatures were so massive that they posed a threat to humankind at that point and the people were said to have been looking for ways to rid the civilised world of those gigantic creatures. It is highly probable the Atlanteans used the power of the laser to try to eradicate the dinosaurs, mammoths and sabre tooth tigers.
A laser is a device that produces a very narrow, powerful beam of light. Some beams are thin enough to drill 200 holes on a spot as tiny as the head of a pin. The ability to focus laser light so precisely makes it extremely powerful. Some beams can pierce a diamond; others can trigger a nuclear reaction. A laser beam can be transmitted over long distances with no loss of power. Some beams have even reached the Moon. Lasers vary greatly in size, ranging from the size of a grain of salt to a football field.
Lasers have many uses, which include:-
Modern day America is much different from Ancient Atlantis because it uses nuclear power as an energy source, as well as its primary method of destruction. A nuclear weapon is any weapon that derives it power from the transformation of matter in atoms to energy. All nuclear weapons are explosive devices, and they can take the form of missiles, bombs, artillery shells, mines and torpedoes. The most powerful nuclear weapons are far more destructive than any other conventional weapon known on Earth.
Because the Ancient Atlanteans lived up to ten times longer than modern man, it is quite possible that they utilised more of their brainpower than modern man. With more experiences to draw upon, they would inevitably have to store these experiences in the deep recesses of their mind, areas modern man is in all probability not properly utilising.
Because pre-deluvian man lived significantly longer than modern man, the factors involving his longevity need to be addressed. Some people believe prior to the Great Flood, the atmosphere on Earth was similar to Venus, as it was encased in a firmament that kept the atmosphere within the Earth, leaving it something of a topical paradise. Rather than open skies, the Earth was encased in a mist that would serve as a filter, not allowing the harmful, ageing cancer causing rays of the Sun to affect man. As a result of this mist, the climate of the Earth could have been similar to a tropical rain forest, where all manner of life could quite happily exist in a complex eco-structure.
It is highly unlikely the ancient Atlanteans ate meat because they had no need to engage in such practices. With a temperate Earth that produced an assortment of vegetation, they had no need whatsoever to kill an animal until their very life was in danger, as in the case of the massive dinosaurs roaming the Earth. Their vegetarianism is further verified by the biblical scripture Genesis 2:15 – 18:-
‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden on Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man; ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’
Because pre-deluvian man, as stated in the Bible, lived significantly longer than modern man and was primarily vegetarian, his features would have in all probability been different. Adam and Eve were created as perfect human beings, in God’s image. Since modern man is not anywhere close to perfection, it is highly unlikely that Adam and Eve had the same physical characteristics and physiology as the species of man that we have evolved into. After the Great Flood, in order to survive, man had to have gone through a genetic mutation, which was a result of the catastrophic consequences that led to the whole face of the Earth changing dramatically.
Unless we have access to the akashic records, we will never know exactly what pre-deluvian man looked like, but we can hypothesise. Edgar Cayce, the 20th century American psychic who founded the Association of Research and Enlightenment, indicated whilst in trance state that there were actually five Garden of Eden’s, which reveals why we have distinct racial variations today.
One race of people that has been referred to by seers is the white race. This race of people is said to have fled to the area of ancient Egypt after Atlantis was destroyed. This group of people were the Aryan race, and they were the people who Hitler, possibly one of the most prolific murderers of all time, tried to recreate in his Third Reich. This Aryan race is believed to have conducted genetic engineering and human experiments, which resulted in the creation of the many monstrosities referred to in ancient mythology. The survivors of the Flood and these genetic experiments are believed to be the ancestors of modern man, a species of people who do not have the longevity and conscious awareness that pre-deluvian man had.
Since extensive DNA and genetic testing have indicated a matriarchal lineage to a remote village in Eastern Africa, the African continent cannot be discounted as one of the original five Garden of Edens. While much of Africa is stricken with drought and has fallen into decline, in ancient times parts of Africa were worldwide centres of learning and vast metropolises. In addition, in pre-deluvian times the climate would have been sufficiently different to allow for advanced agricultural methods and commerce.
It is believed the ancient Atlanteans were a red race of people. Psychic artists have channelled through red humanoids who had strikingly different features from modern man. They had large eyes, high cheekbones, and large skulls. It is believed the Atlantean survivors of the Great Flood fled to Ireland and America. Those that made it to Ireland mixed with the Aryan races that lived in the area, thereby forming the Celtic peoples. Those that arrived in the Americas mixed with the natives of that region, and have merged to form what we now refer to as the Native Americans.
The Mormon religion is based upon the assumption that the Garden of Eden was actually somewhere in the continental United States. Although the Mormons use the Bible, they also use a book, titled ‘The Book of Mormon’, which was channelled by the founder of the religion, Joseph Smith. The Mormons also believe the Native Americans are the lost tribe of Israel, and have conducted extensive archaeological and genealogical research to attempt to prove this within the confines of modern science.
Because the age of Leo was in the Golden Age of Man, it is felt life in that era truly was golden.
In matters of health, each degree of Leo rules the following body parts:-
Leo (the lion) Quality Fixed Glyhp Lion’s tail Element Fire Natural sign of Fifth house Principle Active Opposite sign Aquarius Ruler Sun keyword Magnetism Anatomy Heart, sides, upper back Key phrase I will Positive characteristics Dramatic Negative characteristics Vain Idealistic Status conscious Proud Childish Ambitious Overbearing Creative Fears ridicule Dignified Cruel Romantic Boastful Generous Pretentious Self-assured Autocratic Optimistic Selfish Loving EgocentricVirgo
Traditional Association – Mutable Earth - Ancient Association – Fire/Summer
After everyone has had their yearly dose of fun, Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac, calls people back to work, as this is the month of harvest and preparation for the long winter ahead. Virgo goes about her duties in an efficient and unassuming manner, and can actually become embarrassed when people take notice of her accomplishments. She is concerned about health and hygiene, and is therefore likely to have a very neat, clean house. In Astrology, Virgo rules the sixth house of the horoscope, and is ruled by the planet Mercury.
The Sun is in the sign of Virgo from 23rd August to 22nd September. This is the third astrological sign of the summer season, and the days have become shorter and the weather cooler. It is at this point in the year when people begin to prepare for the coming winter ahead by harvesting their crops and processing the food they have planted and grown the preceding spring and summer. Virgo is a period of work and servitude because everyone must pitch in and do their fair share as a part of a coordinated team if they hope to survive the long, cold winter months that invariably comes year after year.
Virgo is ruled by the maiden. Although she has been traditionally associated with the Virgin, it would be preferable to relate the archetype of Virgo with a young, unmarried woman. This person, having no family commitments, would be inclined to work in a serving capacity. Since she has not yet had the experience of married, domestic life, she would in all probability have a deep yearning in her soul with intensity unsurpassed by any more experienced souls. This person would have a longing to experience life to its fullest, and would therefore endeavour to work tirelessly to accomplish any such activities.
The last time the precession of the equinox was in the age of Virgo was in pre-deluvian times. The Earth was still in what was called the golden age, so it is safe to presume the Earth was illuminated by the soothing rays of the Sun, and possibly another star or planet during the entire course of an Earth day.
The Earth day during the golden age may have been 28 hours because modern man’s circadian rhythm is currently based on a 28-hour day. If the Earth historically rotated on its axis in 24 hours, then it would be plausible to suggest that even ancient man would have evolved in such a manner as to have a circadian rhythm of 24 hours. If man is an inhabitant of the Earth, was created on the Earth, and developed on the Earth, then one would have thought he would have had a biorhythm that was synchronised with the movement of the Earth.
The mere fact alone that man’s internal rhythm is four hours longer than Earth’s daily motion suggests the Earth at one time operated on a 28-hour cycle or the creators of man, who according to the Genesis account created him in his image, operated on a 28-hour circadian rhythm.
It is important to note the constellation of Virgo was at one time comprised of the three constellations of Virgo, Libra and Scorpio, which took the form of one huge snake that traversed the sky. It is for that reason it would not be unreasonable to presume that in our antiquity, when astrology was just starting out as a science/art form, less than twelve signs were assigned to operate as the guardians of our zodiacal belt.
In matter of health, each degree of Virgo rules the following body part:-
Virgo (the virgin) Quality Mutable Glyhp ‘Virgin’ in Greek Element Earth Natural sign of Sixth house Principle Passive Opposite sign Pisces Ruler Mercury keyword practicality Anatomy Intestines, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, lower plexus, upper bowel Key phrase I analyse Positive characteristics Industrious Negative characteristics Critical Studious Petty Methodical Melancholy Discriminating Self-centred Fact-finding Fears disease Exacting Fears poverty Clean Picky Humane Pedantic Seeks perfection Skeptical Helpful Sloppy Thoughtful HoarderLibra
Traditional Association – Cardinal Air - Ancient Association – Air/Autumn
Sooner or later people start thinking about making a permanent commitment to one another, and that's where Libra, the seventh sign of the zodiac, comes into play. Libra is involved in all close relationships and partnerships. Because there is a fine line between love and hate, it should not be surprising to note Libra also governs both close friendships and open enemies. Libra tries to be fair, but at times can appear judgmental. It tries to stay balanced, but only the weight of a feather gently placed on its scales can upset its complex harmony. In Astrology, Libra rules the seventh house of the horoscope, and is ruled by the planet Venus.
The Sun transits through the astrological sign of Libra from 23rd September to 24th October. The Sun’s entry into Libra signifies the autumnal equinox, as the hours of day and night are exactly the same. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun’s ingress into Libra signals the end of summer, and the days will become increasingly cooler as the nights become longer. The weather will become significantly crisper and people will find they must heat their homes and don jackets when they venture out of doors. Because the weather will become increasingly more inclimate, people will find they are spending more and more time indoors. Because people are spending a significantly larger proportion of their time indoors, they will as a natural consequence engage in more intellectual pursuits. It is for that reason people will read, listen to music, watch television, talk, and engage in one to one communications.
The autumnal equinox occurs about the 21st of September in the Northern Hemisphere. Day and night are equal once more, and from this time on, the days will become shorter and the nights longer. Nature has resigned herself to enter a period of hibernation and preparation for the upcoming period of death, and life is suspended while awaiting its renewal at the winter solstice. Trees are bare, and nature rests. Some flowers are especially designed to bloom. In general, life is in abeyance. The situation prevails for three months until the wheel of the year turns again, and we face the winter solstice once more, with its renewal of life, and the beginning of a new cycle in nature.
Libra has traditionally been associated with marriage and relationships, and this is so because the vast majority of people need to have a significant other in their lives to make them feel as if they have a purpose in life. There are very few people who are so self absorbed that they do not care to share their lives with anyone else, and such individuals have in all probability experienced traumatic events in the past, which has caused them to shy away from close relationships.
Libra was not always a part of the zodiacal belt that overseas our celestial universe. At one time it was not a constellation at all, but was carved out of a large, serpent-like string of stars that transversed what we now know as Virgo, Libra and Scorpio. One legend is Julius Caesar carved Libra out of the large constellation because he wanted to instil in people a concern for the law.
Libra is most commonly associated with the concept of balance. As anyone who has tried to maintain equilibrium will attest, one wrong move can make one so easily lose balance. Balance is the key that opens doors, establishing in our minds and hearts a better co-ordinated and secure personality. Divine order within the universal plan requires nature to express itself in our lives as the middle path.
The law of balance is best related through the example of the scales. If we are too objective in our thinking, the weight of the scales is disturbed and becomes unstable. On the other hand, if we are too psychic and not objective enough, the weight of the scales is also disturbed and becomes unbalanced. If the objective thinking and the inner guidance or psychic self are maintained on an even keel by understanding cosmic laws, the balance of the scale is regained proportionately with the weight of both sides.
There is a constant struggle for growth between our spiritual side and or physical selves. Man grows because his soul grows within the limits of his physical body and mental processes. Our mental and emotional complexities are within ourselves and can only be considered by the seeking of balance in our everyday living. When we are in harmony with the creative forces of the universe, we are in balance with ourselves and in attunement with all living things.
One crucial point in the sign of Libra is the Via Combust Way, which spans from 15 degrees Libra to 15 degrees Scorpio. It represents a fiery section of stars that can damage the favourable properties and enhance the unfavourable properties of a planet. It is believed a major cataclysm occurred, which altered life on Earth forever, when the Earth was transiting the Via Combust Way. Some people believe the event was the destruction of Atlantis, which altered life on Earth forever. The event could also have been when the comet Phaeton burned off and finally settled into its present orbit, and thereby became the planet we now call Venus. On any account, this is a very precocious placement indeed.
It seems quite odd that the scale, an inanimate object, would appear in the zodiac because the word zodiac actually means belt of animals.
Because the zodiac refers to animals, it would be more appropriate to assign an animal to this sign. The most appropriate symbol to use to relate to Libra would therefore be Lady Liberty, which is an archetypal figure and is portrayed in the West as the Statue of Liberty.
Freedom is the ability to make decisions and to carry them out. For people to have complete freedom, there must be no restrictions on how they think, speak or act. They must be aware of what their choices are and they must have the power to decide among those choices. They must also have the means to be able to think, speak and act without being controlled by anyone else. No organised society can provide all of these conditions at all times, however.
From a legal point of view, people are free if society imposes no unjust, unnecessary, or unreasonable limits on them.
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous landmarks in America. The figure of a robed woman, holding a torch is one of the largest statues ever built. This monument was given to the people of the United States by the people of France as an expression of friendship and of the ideal of liberty shared by both nations.
The Earth was in the age of Libra from 14,986 to 12,746 BC. This was during the time the Earth was still at war. The pre-Atlantean civilisations wanted to go back to the Lemurian system of judges because they found that style of government to be superior to the more authoritarian Atlantean governmental system of kingdoms.
While the ancient civilisations of Atlantis and Lemuria were believed to have been in existence at roughly the same time in the history of the Earth, it is believed Lemuria is actually an older civilisation. While Atlantis was a technologically superior culture, Lemuria is believed to have been more spiritually inclined.
Lemuria had a system of judges who ruled the Earth, working in an egalitarian manner. Moses tried to instil the Lemurian type of government among the Israelites when they fled Egypt, but it was unsuccessful. The Israelites wanted to be ruled by kings, which was a remnant of the Atlantean system of government. The ancient Atlantean system of government still prevails on Earth today, as even progressive European countries, such as England, Scotland and Wales, still serve a monarchy in the 21st century.
Lemuria was an ancient civilisation that is believed to have co-existed independently and separately from Atlantis in the Pacific Ocean. It is believed that this civilisation, along with Atlantis, was destroyed in the great cataclysm that brought about the Great Flood.
Lemuria is believed to have been a highly spiritual race of people who had no need or desire for the material things of this world.
Jane Roberts, while channelling the entity Seth, noted the Lemurians utilised a completely different art form that incorporated the concepts of sound into their drawings and paintings. While such a way to express oneself is totally alien to our way of thinking, there do in fact exist a few people on Earth today who can hear colour, and feel sound, and see numbers. They perceive things differently from humans today, but such anomalies may very well have been the norm in ancient times. For example, the noted singer Stevie Wonder, although blind from birth, is able to see sounds as colour in his mind’s eye, which has enabled him to compose many outstanding songs. Perhaps what we propose to be a genetic oddity that enables individuals to perceive reality in other than ordinary means is actually a genetic throwback to that time in our very distant past when humans were completely different than they are today.
Because the Lemurian’s needs were virtually taken care of, they had no need to work and every opportunity to expand their spirituality. It is because they had no need to go out and work for their survival that they had the time to ponder the secrets of the universe. It should be remembered though that these individuals had the same level of spiritual aptitude as later races, but the world they lived in was significantly different to later worlds, and they were therefore able to express their spirituality in alternative ways.
In A Soul’s Journey, Acharya explains to Peter Richelieu about the spiritual level we are all a part of, regardless of our particular religious beliefs, which is related as follows:-
We incarnate into the Earth plane. We undergo the first death, which is the transition all of us are aware of. This is probably the most traumatic death because we are not sure of what to expect. After the first death we enter into the astral plane. This is composed of seven spheres, which we must progress through before we can go onto the next level of existence. When we have come to the end of the astral plane, we encounter the second death, which merely involves a subtle shift of consciousness and is not traumatic. After the second death we enter into the mental plane, which is a lighter level of consciousness. We enter into the third death, which is another transitional phase that brings us to a higher level of awareness. We enter into the casual plane, which is the highest plane of our existence while in this reality. We incarnate back into the physical plane.
Because the Lemurians had a highly spiritual civilisation, combined with a governmental system of elected judges, it is most appropriate they should be allocated to the age of Libra. By all outward appearances, one might not necessarily see Libra as being spiritual, but this sign is so highly attuned to the sense of balance in the universe that it must encompass some spiritual overtones.
Although there is no animal directly associated with the sign of Libra, one animal associated with the civilisation of Lemuria is the Lemur. It is for that reason this sign should be directly correlated with the sign of Libra.
A lemur is a long tailed mammal with a flurry fur. Some kinds of lemurs resemble monkeys, and others look more like mice or squirrels. Lemurs, along with human beings and apes, are classified as primates. They live only in Madagascar and Comores, which are island countries off the southeast coast of the African mainland.
Most lemurs live in trees. They eat fruit, leaves, birds and their eggs, and insects and other small animals. Some lemurs move about during the day, while others are nocturnal. Lemurs vary in size from 13 to 70 centimetres in length.
Before mankind came to their homeland, however, some lemurs were actually as large as human men. Lemurs have become an endangered species because man has cut down the forests were they live.
In matters of health, each degree of Libra rules the following body parts:-
Libra (the scales) Quality Cardinal Glyhp The scales Element Air Natural sign of Seventh house Principle Active Opposite sign Aries Ruler Venus keyword Harmony Anatomy Kidneys, lower back, adrenal glands, appendix Key phrase I balance Positive characteristics Co-operative Negative characteristics Fickle Persuasive Apathetic Peace-loving Loves intrigue Refined Peace at any price Judicial Pouting Artistic Indecisive Diplomatic Easily deterred Sociable Depressive Suave Lazy Fair Financially irresponsible Reasonable NoncommittalScorpio
Traditional Association – Fixed Air - Ancient Association – Air/Autumn
Is it not surprising to find that after the crops have been harvested, the days have chilled, and people have returned to the warm confines of their homes they finally have time to go deep within themselves and reflect upon their achievements and defeats. This is the effect the eighth sign of the zodiac has on our deepest thoughts. The emotions inherent in Scorpio are so extreme that compulsive or vindictive behaviour are not uncommon. Scorpio's introspection allows people to honestly look within themselves, find out what needs to be transformed or healed, and emerge renewed and rejuvenated. The sign of Scorpio allows us to go into a journey of self-awareness so we can gain a greater understanding ourselves, and ultimately others. Scorpio is good at keeping secrets. One of Scorpio's best-kept secrets is death is but a veil people must pass through so they can be reborn anew into bodies stronger and wiser than before. In Astrology Scorpio rules the eighth house of the horoscope, and is co ruled by Mars and Pluto.
The Sun moves into the sign of Scorpio from 24th October until 22nd November. This is the second sign in the autumnal season, thereby firmly instilling the element of Air into this seasonal sign.
During the sign of Scorpio, the weather is much crisper and people will tend to spend more time indoors. It is for that reason people have more time to go within themselves to reflect upon the sequence of events that have brought them to their current station in this life.
Scorpio is very much an intellectual sign, as individuals born under this sign tend to be the great thinkers of the world. Even the act of revenge is not emotive, as some would like to believe, but a well thought out plan that can come only through an in depth study of the object of one’s wrath.
Scorpio has been traditionally associated with the scorpion, which is a small animal with a potentially poisonous sting in its tail. It belongs to a class of animal called the arachnids. The scorpion has six pairs of jointed appendages, the first pair consisting of pinchers. The second pair is large claws, which are used to crush prey. Scorpions have anywhere between 6 and 12 eyes, depending on the type. They eat insects, spiders and other scorpions. They are most active at night, and are fluorescent when exposed to ultraviolet light. The thing that is most prominent about the scorpion is its sting, while it is painful; it rarely causes death in human beings.
Another symbol for Scorpio, which is considered to be that of the highly evolved archetype, is that of the Eagle. Eagles are such majestic, endangered species that fly through the air, and those beings are most definitely associated with the element of Air.
Eagle is the name given to some of the largest and most powerful birds in the world. Among birds of prey, only condors and some vultures are larger than the eagle. Eagles look fierce and proud, and sometimes soar gracefully high in the air. They are often pictured as courageous hunters and have long been symbols of freedom and power. Roman warriors used a golden figure of an eagle as a sign of strength and bravery. Russian and Austrian emperors also used eagles as symbols. So fierce is this bird that the United States chose the bald eagle as its national bird in 1782.
Wild eagles generally live for 20 to 30 years. In captivity they may live for up to 50 years or more. Eagles first breed when they are four years old, and keep their mate for life. If one dies, however, the other usually finds another mate and breeds the following year.
The bald eagle is found only in North America. It has been considered an endangered species since the 1960’s and has been protected by federal law since 1940 in the lower 48 states and 1953 in Alaska. The golden eagle lives in Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America. Plains Indians once used golden eagle feather in their bonnets, and this eagle became known as the ‘war eagle’
The mythological symbol of the phoenix is one animal that resounds with the Scorpio influence. The phoenix is a fabled bird in Greek mythology. Only one such bird existed at any one time, and it was always male. It had brilliant gold and reddish purple feathers, and was as large or larger than an eagle. According to some Greek writers, the phoenix lived for 500 years. Other writers believed that its cycle was as long as 12,954 years, which was approximately half of an astrological age. At the end of the cycle, the phoenix burned itself on a funeral pyre. Another phoenix then rose from the ashes with renewed youth and beauty. The young phoenix, after rising from the ashes, carried the remains of its father to the alter of the Son god in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. The long life of the phoenix and its dramatic rebirth from its own ashes made it a symbol of immortality and spiritual rebirth.
The butterfly, one of the most beautiful insects on Earth, is one animal that is closely associated with the sign of Scorpio. The delicate, gorgeously coloured wings of butterflies have always charmed people. The beauty and grace of these insects have inspired artists and poets. Butterflies have also played a part in our religious beliefs, as the ancient Greeks believed the soul left the body after death in the form of a butterfly. Their symbol for the soul was a butterfly-winged girl called Psyche.
Butterflies live almost everywhere in the worldm but tropical rainforests have the most butterflies. They live in fields, woodlands, cold mountaintops, and hot deserts. Many butterflies travel great distances to spend the winter in a warm climate.
There are from 15,000 to 20,000 different species of butterfly. Their wingspan ranges from 1 centimetre, as the western pygmy in North America, to 28 centimetres, as with Queen Alexandria’s bird-wing of Papua New Guinea.
A butterfly begins its life as a tiny egg, which hatches into a caterpillar. The caterpillar spends most of its time eating and growing. But its skin does not grow, so the caterpillar sheds it and grows a larger one several time before it reaches its full size. When the caterpillar has matured, it will form a protective shell, where the metamorphous occurs. The worm-like creature becomes a beautiful butterfly. The shell opens up and the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis state.
The life of the butterfly centres on reproduction. The reproductive cycle begins at courtship, where the butterfly seeks a mate. If the courtship proves successful, mating occurs. In most cases, the male butterfly dies soon after mating. The female goes off in search of a place to lay her eggs. She usually begins laying eggs within a few hours of mating.
Most adult butterflies live only a week or two, but some species may live up to 18 months. Most butterflies feed only on nectar, which provides quick energy but does not contain life-prolonging proteins. A number of butterflies do not feed on anything, but live on food they have stored up during the larval stage.
Halloween is a festival that takes place on 31st October. It developed from ancient New Year festivals and festivals of the dead in the AD 800’s. The Christian church established All Saints Day on 1st November. The mass that was said on this day was called Allhallowmas. The evening before All Saint’s Day became All Hallow E’en. People once believed ghosts roamed the Earth on Halloween. They also thought all witches met on 31st October to worship the devil.
The Celtic festival of Samhain is probably the origin of the present day Halloween celebration. The Celts lived more than 2,000 years ago in what is now the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, and northern France. Their New Year began on 1st November. A festival that began the previous evening honoured Samhain, the lord of death. The celebration marked the beginning of the season of cold, darkness and decay. On the evening of the festival, the Druids ordered the people to put out their hearth fires. They then built a huge New Year’s bon fire and burned animals, crops, and possibly even human beings as sacrifices. Each family then re-lit its hearth fire from the New Year’s fire. They told fortunes of the coming year by examining the remains of the animals that had been sacrificed.
In matters of health, each degree of Scorpio rules the following body parts:-
Scorpio (the scorpion) Quality Fixed Glyph Scorpion’s tail Element Air Natural sign of Eighth house Principle Passive Opposite sign Taurus Ruler Pluto keyword Intensity Anatomy The genitals, bladder, rectum, reproductive organs Key phrase I desire Positive characteristics Motivated Negative characteristics Vengeful Penetrating Temperamental Executive Secretive Resourceful Overbearing Determined Violent Scientific Sarcastic Investigative Suspicious Probing Jealous Passionate Intolerant Aware Spying Thoughtful Bizarre sexualitySagittarius
Traditional Association – Mutable Fire - Ancient Association – Air/Autumn
All of that introspection and healing can leave a being quite sombre, and that's where Sagittarius, the ninth sign of zodiac, comes into play. Sagittarius’s optimism and joviality make him the life of the party. Sagittarius also has a philosophical side, as he seeks answers to religious, spiritual or esoteric questions posed by philosophers throughout the ages. In his quest for knowledge he has become wise and understanding, and is usually able to give sound advice when consulted. In Astrology, Sagittarius rules the ninth house of the horoscope and is ruled by Jupiter. The Sun transits the sign of Sagittarius from 23rd November until 23rd December each year. It is during this time the general population begins to prepare for the impending winter, which is only one month away.
The Earth was in the age of Sagittarius from 19,226 to 17,066 BC. It was during this time that there was warfare all over the Earth and the Atlanteans had control over the planet.
Sagittarius is generally associated with the higher intellect, such as professional people, theologians, colleges and universities. Because long-range thinking is so much a part of this sign, the element of Air is only a natural assignment.
The Galactic Centre of the Universe is at 27 degrees Sagittarius, and is 30,000 light years away from our Earth, beyond the majestic dust clouds of the constellation Sagittarius, lays the centre of our Milky Way. It is hidden from optical view by dust, and is a relatively unexplored starscape. Infrared light is able to penetrate this region in space, and it has revealed 100,000 previously unseen stars from the Milky Way’s central region. Huge obscuring dust clouds crowd the area. The centre of the universe is very difficult to photograph because it is so bright it could saturate a sensitive camera. The stars in the centre are mostly evolved red giants, intrinsically cool, large bright stars that have swollen after exhausting their central supply of hydrogen fuel. The properties of the red giants can be very revealing because they contribute to the interstellar gas and dust clouds, enriching their galactic environment with carbon and other elements. Because of the motions of these red giants, it is believed the galactic centre of our universe may support the idea that our galaxy grew by swallowing smaller, nearby galaxies.
No one knows for sure what lies in the centre of our universe, but some believe a black hole, called Sagittarius A, with a mass of several million suns, lies at its core. Such a hypothesis would also support the idea that our galaxy was formed by swallowing up other smaller galaxies.
In line with Greco-Roman mythology, the centaurs are associated with Sagittarius, which was an animal that had the hindquarters of a horse and the torso of a human. The myth of the centaurs is related as follows:-
Zeus turned a cloud into the likeness of his wife, Hera, and sent it to Ixion to see if he would dare seduce it. From this sacrilegious union the centaurs were born, monsters whose torso was that of a man and whose lower half was that of a horse. They were monstrous, both in shape and character. They were riotous, violent and savage and lived away from the towns and cities. They ate only living flesh, respected nothing, hunted with nothing but stones and branches, rebelled against each other over trifles and flew into terrible fits of rage. Only two of them were kindly: Chiron was born of the love between Philyra and Cronus, and Pholus was born of Silenus and a nymph. These two centaurs were welcoming, wise, and the friends of man.
Chiron was the tutor of Apollo, Achilles, Jason, Asclepius and many others. Because of his sense of harmony with nature, he accumulated much knowledge of hunting, war, drugs, ointments, medicine and even music. He helped Peleus by giving him back his sword when he had been handed over to the centaurs by Acastus, who was jealous.
Pholos warmly welcomed Hercules, setting cooked meat before him while he kept the raw meat for himself. When Hercules asked for some wine, he replied that he had none, other than a jar that was owned jointly by the centaurs. He decided to open it, but the smell of the wine provoked the centaurs to come and attack the cave. Hercules repelled Ancius and Agrius and went after the others, who had gone to Chiron. He wounded Elatus and, accidentally, Chiron. Despite every care the wound remained open, so the wounded centaur, born immortal, preferred death. Prometheus therefore exchanged his death for Chiron’s immortality.
In esoteric terms, the magical, mythical unicorn is a universal archetype, which many people have claimed to be able to visualise during altered states of consciousness. Like Sagittarius, the unicorn has something important to teach us if and when we are ready to open our mind to the universal secrets that are so much a part of our earthly existance.
The unicorn is an imaginary animal that plays a prominent part in medieval European legend and art. The unicorn has the head and body of a horse, the legs of a deer, and the tail of a lion. It is named after the single horn that projects from the middle of its forehead. Unicorns are usually portrayed as white and are generally believed to symbolise purity, chastity and meekness.
Angels bear a special significance to Sagittarius. In A Soul’s Journey, Acharya explained to Peter Richelieu the evolution of the angelic forces. Apparently, there are two paths to reincarnation that souls can take, and unless there are special circumstances, it is very difficult to change the path of this evolution.
The mineral kingdom is the lowest level of soul evolution, and contrary to popular assumption, rocks and stones do contain life. When the life force of minerals ceases to exist, they will crumble into dust, which affirms the biblical scripture Genesis 3:19:-
‘By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’
After the soul has experienced all it can in the mineral kingdom, it progresses onto the plant kingdom, which could take a considerable length of time, considering the fact the Great Bason Bristlecone Pine tree can live up to 4,000 years or more.
After the soul has experienced all it can in the plant kingdom, it will progress onto the animal kingdom. While in the animal state of reincarnation, the soul can take one of two distinct paths.
If a soul reincarnates into the animal kingdom, the kingdom of primates, hoofed animals, canine, felines, and other Earth bound species, they will eventually evolve into human form and progress along that path of spiritual development. If, on the other hand, they evolve into fish, birds, insects, spiders and reptiles, they will evolve into what is known as elementals and will become essentially nature spirits that control the four elements of Fire, Earth, Air and Water. These souls will also become divas, fairies, elves and gnomes, and will eventually develop into angels. These beings have completely different evolutionary paths and are just as important in the universal manifestation of the physicalities of this world as humans are.
According to many religions, an angel is a being created by God. The word comes from the Greek word ‘messenger’. According to religious tradition, angels live in heaven and act as God’s emissaries and messengers between God and human beings. They also serve as guardians between individuals and nations. Angels traditionally are pictured as having a human body and wings. In some primitive religions, legends tell of bright, powerful spirits that appear in dreams and visions and protect people or tribes. In Hinduism and Buddhism, many major gods are accompanied by a band or court of spiritual beings.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have the most elaborate doctrines about angels. They recognise an order of beings in which angels rank above human beings and below God. Satan and other angels rebelled against this order and are regarded as ‘fallen angels’.
Christian doctrine regarding angels reached full development during the 12th and 13th centuries, especially in the teachings of St Thomas of Aquinas. Aquinas believed angels were necessary to fill the gap between God and human beings. He taught that countless numbers of angels existed and they were immortal. According to Aquinas, angels knew everything except those things that depended on human choice and things known only to God.
In matters of health, each degree of Sagittarius rules the following body part:-
Sagittarius (the archer) Quality Mutable Glyhp Archer’s bow Element Air Natural sign of Ninth house Principle Active Opposite sign Gemini Ruler Jupiter keyword Visualisation Anatomy Hips, thighs, upper leg Key phrase I understand Positive characteristics Straightforward Negative characteristics Argumentative Philosophical Exaggerative Freedom-loving Talkative Broadminded Procrastinating Athletic Self-indulgent Generous Blunt Optimistic Impatient Just A gambler Religious Pushy Scholarly Hot-headed Enthusiastic ExtravagantCapricorn
Traditional Association – Cardinal Earth - Ancient Association – Water/Winter
Capricorn, the tenth sign of the zodiac, instils responsibility, practicality and discipline into our lives. Capricorn helps people become successful because it gives us a sense of purpose in this life. Because Capricorn wants to be respected, it is very much concerned about its status and reputation among the community. Yes, it is true that Capricorn is materialistic and firmly grounded to the earth, but it does have a deeply hidden emotional side as well. It must be remembered the symbol for Capricorn is a goat with a fish tail. People all too often play up the rugged image of the goat trying to climb up the mountain and quietly dismiss the fish tail that is earnestly swimming in a sea of emotion. Alas, poor Capricorn is often misunderstood and people sometimes fail to appreciate the much needed grounding this sign provides. It should also be noted that ancient oriental drawings depict this sign placement as a fish or crab, so it may actually be in the distant past this sign was in fact considered to be a Water sign. Therefore, the modern symbolism of a sea-goat may be an attempt to obtain symmetry between ancient emotional sensitivity combined with new age practicality. In Astrology, Capricorn rules the tenth house of the horoscope and is ruled by Saturn.
The Sun transits the sign of Capricorn each year from 23rd December to 21st January. When the Sun crosses into the sign of Capricorn, it signals the winter solstice, where the daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere are at their shortest. The month of December is generally when people spend their time preparing for the festivities of the Christmas and New Year season. The Jewish people also celebrate this period by preparing for their Hanukkah celebrations.
While Christians tend to celebrate the birth of Christ, the fact is the date this birth is celebrated is actually symbolic in nature, and originated in pre-Christian times to signify the fact that the days were again beginning to lengthen. For early, prehistoric people, it must have been a daunting experience to find the days lengthening on the spring equinox, until the summer solstice when the days were at their longest, and then to find them slowing decreasing little by little until the winter solstice. No doubt, these people feared the length of the days would continue to decrease until the world was pitch black, and that is something that filled them with at least a fair amount of trepidation. After the winter solstice, when the days began their incremental increase, people’s fears must have been replaced with a great relief, knowing that for the time being anyway, there would not be perpetual darkness, and the world would not be coming to an end.
The Earth was in the age of Capricorn from 21,386 to 19,226 BC. It was at this time there was warfare all over the Earth, as the Atlanteans strove for dominance over the other nations on the planet.
The winter solstice takes place around the 21st of December in the Northern Hemisphere. After the longest night of the year, which is accompanied by the shortest day of the year, there is a sudden reversal of order. The days become longer and the nights shorter. Mythologically speaking, this can be regarded as the point of conception of the principle of light, or the renewal of nature. The process of revitalisation has begun, and although the nights are still longer than the days, the length of the days is increasing.
Down through history, people have celebrated the great event of regeneration when, following the long winter darkness, the Sun is reborn in light. Perhaps it was early humanity’s instinctive apprehension of night, symbolic of chaos, death and the unconscious, that led them to celebrate the evidence of the increasing light of the Sun, symbolic of law and order, life and consciousness.
Among the Nordic people of Europe, the Yule feast was devoted to the dead, as well as to the renewal of life, and was held at the winter solstice. Here the concepts of death and rebirth were enacted in combined ritualistic patterns. It is only natural that divinities of fertility should, in their opposing aspect, become divinities of death. In India, Holika was originally represented in the form of a tree, was seen to function as both. Odin, god of death, became associated with certain agricultural rites. In Europe and elsewhere, the major feasts of fertility were celebrated in conjunction with feasts in honour of the dead.
For the Germanic people, Yule represented that crucial moment in time when the resurrection of the year took place. On this occasion, the dead were drawn to the living, as they spontaneously drifted toward anything that was in the process of assuming new life. When the living would gather to augment the energy needed for the rebirth of the Sun, the dead could draw from the vitalising forces to ensure their continued existence. The Nordic people celebrated Yule with elaborate banquets, and saw it as a time for weddings, as well as for attending the tombs of the dead. The Christmas tree, which in the north was originally a tree with only its topmost leaves left on, was used both at weddings and funerals.
The Christmas tree, symbolising the rebirth of the Sun, or nature, of humanity, and of the cosmos in general, is identical in symbolism with the May Tree, which augments the rebirth of nature in the spring. The difference between the two can be seen as the difference between a celebration of conception and a celebration of birth. Conception of the renewed life of the cosmos occurs at the winter solstice, when the Sun, after having reached the farthest point south in its apparent journey, commences its return toward the north. The actual birth of nature takes place at the spring equinox, when life takes its visible form.
The Saturnalia of ancient Rome was a solstice ceremony of the turning of the year, celebrating the golden age of Saturn’s rule (Saturn being the god of vegetation and husbandry). It was a fertility festival, but also re-enacted the pre-creation chaos, with its complete overturning of values and reversal of ordinary patterns of life. It was a time of good will, when presents were exchanged, war making ceased and no punishments could be administered. Homes and temples were decorated with foliage, on which were hung the images of gods. After a preparation of 30 days, human sacrifices were supposed to have taken place with the impersonation of Saturn.
The celebration of the ‘Dies natalis Solis Invicti’ (Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun) was also held on 25th December. Sol Invictus was an epithet of the Persian god Mithra, a syncretic god of the Roman imperial state cult. It is interesting to note that in the ancient Indian Vedic pantheon, Mitra, the light of day, was associated with Varuna, the thousand eyes of the night. Mithra was a widely worshipped mythological nature god-hero, who appears to have been most adaptable in receiving a variety of archetypal projections throughout the centuries.
It is only natural that the whole complex of archetypal patterns connected with the myth of dying and rising throughout the ages should be projected onto the last manifestation of this archetypal truth. Christianity places it emphasis on the spiritual rebirth of humanity, rather than the yearly rebirth of nature, thereby stressing one particular facet of the overall pattern of this archetype.
Although the word Christmas literally means ‘the mass of Christ’, namely a mass or other religious ceremony celebrated in honour of the birth of Christ, the many rituals connected with it are certainly not exclusively Christian. The similarity between winter solstice rites and the complex Christian imagery is quite obvious:-
Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Light or Feast of Dedication. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means dedication. The holiday begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev and lasts eight days. The two books of Maccabees in the Apocrypha tell the story of Hanukkah: after a three year struggle led by judge Maccabee, the Jews in Judea defeated the Syrian tyrant Antichos IV. They held festivities in the Temple Jerusalem, and dedicated it to God. According to the Talmud, written many centuries after the event, when the Jews cleaned the Temple of Syrian idols, they found only one small cruse of oil, with which to light their holy lamps. But miraculously, the cruse provided them with oil for eight days.
In modern times, Capricorn has been associated with the goat, but this designation was more to align it with the element of Earth than to make any realistic archetypal associations with the goat. Prior to Capricorn’s association with the goat, however, astrologers aligned it with the mythological sea goat, which would have enabled the sign to retain its watery beginnings while at the same time gravitating towards the element of Earth. Still earlier than Capricorn’s association with the sea goat, however, was a more obscure animalistic clarification. In the zodiac’s very early animal assignments, this sign was allocated to the sea monster, which made it a very watery sign indeed.
The oceans of our Earth cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, and much of the water supply is still unexplored. It is for that reason man knows much more about the heavens above than the seas below. Perhaps that is why modern man attempted to convert Capricornus, the sea monster, to an Earth sign so he would not need to explore the watery depths of his soul. It is easier to relate to the simplistic earthiness of our world than to ponder the intensity of emotions that are so very much a part of this sign, and ultimately, our souls.
The animal most closely associated with Capricorn is the Loch Ness Monster. It is a large animal that people believe lives in Loch Ness in northern Scotland. If such a creature exists, it avoids people and is thought to be very shy. Hundreds of people have sighted the monster and have nicknamed it Nessie. It is believed to be 9 metres long, have flippers, one or two humps and a long, slender neck. Some scientists believe Nessie may be related to a dinosaur-like reptile or to a modern sea animal, such as the manatee or seal. The earliest known sighting of Nessie was 565 AD, and such sightings have increased since the 1930’s when a new road made the lake accessible to travellers.
In matters of health, each degree of Capricorn rules the following body part:-
Capricorn (the seagoat) Quality Cardinal Glyhp Seagoat’s horn & tail Element Water Natural sign of Tenth house Principle Passive Opposite sign Cancer Ruler Saturn keyword Ambition Anatomy Knees and lower leg Key phrase I use Positive characteristics Cautious Negative characteristics Egotistic Responsible Domineering Scrupulous Unforgiving Conventional Fatalistic Businesslike Mind rules the heart Perfectionist Stubborn Traditional Brooding Practical Inhibited Hardworking Status seeking Economical Lacking direction Serious BossyAquarius
Traditional Association – Fixed Air -- Ancient Association – Water/Winter
Aquarius, the eleventh sign of the zodiac, is intellectual, social, and thinks about future developments. In the symbology of this sign, the water bearer is seen to be pouring a jug of water into a larger mass of water. The contents of the jug represent the knowledge he is carrying, and this act of pouring the liquid into a larger mass illustrates him disseminating knowledge to humanity. While Aquarius is friendly and sociable, it is also aloof, detached and difficult to get close to, as evidenced by the fact that Aquarians as a rule have many acquaintances but few true friends. Aquarius dreams of a utopian society where there is no pain, suffering or inequality, and this ideal is what keeps us going in what can often be a rather unkind world. In Astrology, Aquarius rules the eleventh house and is co ruled Saturn and Uranus.
Aquarius is the penultimate sign of the zodiac, as the Sun transits this sign from 21st January to 19th February. It is the middle sign of the winter season and therefore has many stabilising influences to what can be a rather emotionally turbulent period. Because the days are getting longer, people find they have a new sense of hope for more prosperous times in the future.
The main holiday associated with Aquarius is Valentine’s Day, which occurs on 14th February of every year. Valentine’s Day is a celebration in many countries on 14th February as a festival of romance and affection. The earliest records of Valentines Day in English tell that birds chose their mates on that day. People used a different calendar in those days before 1582, and 14th February came on what is now 24th February. Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet of the 1300’s, wrote in The Parliament of Fowls, ‘For this was on St Valentines Day, when every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.’ William Shakespeare also mentioned this belief in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A Character in the play discovers two lovers in the woods, and asks, ‘St Valentine is past. Begin these woodbirds but to couple now?’
Many Valentines Day customs involved ways that single women could learn who their future husbands would be. Englishwomen of the 1700’s wrote men’s names on scraps of paper, rolled back each in a little piece of clay, and chopped them into water. The first paper that rose to the surface supposedly had the name of a woman’s true love. During the 1700’s groups of friends met to draw names. For several days, each man wore his Valentine’s name on his sleeve.
The custom of sending romantic messages gradually replaced that of giving gifts. In the 1700’s and 1800’s many shops sold handbooks called Valentine writers, which included versus to copy and various suggestions about writing valentines. Commercial valentines were first made in the 1800’s. Many of them were blank inside, with space for the sender to write a message.
Saint Valentine is the name associated with two martyrs of the early Christian church, but little is known about them. The Roman history of martyrs lists two St Valentines as having been martyred on 14th February by beheading.
The mythological mermaid, an aquatic animal that is half human and half fish, most appropriately symbolises Aquarius. The mermaid attracted mortal men by their beauty and their singing. They would sit and comb their golden hair, a magic cap lying beside them. They would slip the cap on the head of the man they wanted and take them away with them. A human being could live in the sea by wearing the magic cap. There were mermen as well, who captured mortal maidens as their brides.
The Earth was in the age of Aquarius from 23,546 to 21,386 bc. At that time the Earth was experiencing warfare, as the Atlantean civilisation fought to gain worldwide control.
It is possible that in the Genesis creation story, the Hyborneans were the first humans to be created prior to Adam and Eve’s creation in one of the five Gardens of Eden. Accordingly, their genetic structure was in all probability quite different from that of the humans who were the offspring of Adam and Eve. Edgar Cayce, while in the trance state, has inferred that the first species of humans were actually hermaphrodite.
Dick Stuphen, a famous hypno-therapist, has used hypnosis as a means of helping people to overcome health problems, phobias and other traumas. During this work with his patients, he found he could regress certain people into awareness of having experienced past lives. During these past life regressions, some individuals were aware of having lived in pre-Atlantean times.
What was particularly striking when recalling these experiences was the fact that individuals recalled being hermaphrodites, which meant they possessed both male and female organs, and therefore did not need any assistance from another human being to help them procreate. Accordingly, their sex life, if indeed they had one, must have been totally alien to what modern humans would expect to encounter.
The very presumption that the ancient civilisations were hermaphrodites can be traced back to the Genesis account of creation. Genesis 1:27 states, So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. It seems there was very little difference between the genders in those ancient times.
It was not until much later that God created Adam and Eve, who he named. When Adam and Eve fell from grace, God went to great pains to inform them that Eve would have difficulty in childbirth, and this revelation was of great significance to the propagation of mankind. It is assumed; therefore, that mankind before Adam and Eve procreated differently and did not have such difficulty in giving birth. Prior to Adam and Eve, mankind may have been more ethereal, having a lighter physical substance, almost angelic in being. Adam and Eve, however, were much more physical in nature, making them more solidly grounded to the Earth.
Lest one believe the concept of hermaphroditism is so alien, it is important to keep in mind that it does occur in nature today. Some creatures, such as flatworms, segmented worms, echinoderms and molluscs are born with both male and female sexual organs.
It is also important to keep in mind that before the wonders of modern science, there were many such individuals who were born with both male and female sexual organs, which made it quite difficult to determine exactly which sex they were. In some cases, individuals are born with no sexual organs at all, which further perplexes the issues because these souls, while neither male nor female, are forced to assign themselves to a particular gender when they are in fact asexual.
In addition to the physical limitations one may be born with, there are also reasonably perfect souls who are born into this world with what can best be described as gender confusion. They may have been born into female bodies, but feel compelled to live as males. Alternatively, there are individuals born into male bodies who wish to live as females. These people, no doubt, must feel nature has played a very cruel joke on them, giving them the mind of one sex, but the body of another.
Nature is a very complex organism, and anything man can make pales in comparison to that which nature can create. Because there are so many weird and wonderful things that are so much a part of nature, it would not be unreasonable to presume that at one time in the history of humankind, man possessed a different physiology and sexuality as modern man.
In ‘A Soul’s Journey’ Acharya, an Indian mystic, explained to Peter Richelieu precisely how the human souls were created. He stated that when a soul is created, it is actually a twin flame, which is composed of a male half and a female half. This twin flame separates into a male soul and a female soul, and both souls must go their separate ways, incarnating into the Earth plane to enable them to experience the fullness that life has to offer. These two twin flames are what are known as soul-mates, and they operate compatibility and harmoniously with each other whenever their soul path allows them to meet up every now and again. Therefore, even on the level of the soul, it begins as one and splits into two separate entities.
In the Age of Aquarius and during the Hybornean civilisation, it also appears that these beings had an egalitarian social network. This is obvious by the Genesis account, when it is stated that God made them male and female, giving no reference to their duties. It was not until the creation of Adam and Eve that the female was given a position lesser than that of her male counterpart, being called his ‘helper’. It appears that when the first humans were created, there did not appear to be a clear distinction between the male and female roles, thereby further blurring the gender gap. Because the Earth at that time was what can only be described as a paradise, there would have been little need for those beings to go out and earn a living, as the vast majority of humans today must. Therefore, there would have been no need to assign duties to people based upon their physical or mental capabilities. It was not until the Genesis account, when God created Adam and Eve, that any mention at all was made with regard to the female’s role in the grand scheme of life. She was assigned as Adam’s helper, but even as a helper, she would have been worthy of a little respect.
It was not until Adam and Eve fell from grace, and were subsequently expelled from Eden, that the female’s dire fate was metaphorically etched in stone, becoming a man’s servant. Genesis 3:16 states:-
‘To the woman he said, ‘I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.’
The precession of the equinox will soon be taking the Earth and humanity into the Age of Aquarius again. We have already begun to see the vibratory influences of this age as the computer age has dawned upon us. Computers have enabled man to disseminate information at much greater speed. In earlier times it took man several weeks or even months to get a message by way of letter to someone across the Earth, but with the advent of computer technology, that same message can be sent via email in a split second.
Computer technology has also immensely aided one’s ability to perform complex mathematical computations, which has resulted in many tedious calculations that would have previously have been performed manually to be done effortlessly through a computer program.
One invention that has more or less revolutionised the world’s ability to have access to all manner of information at the tip of their fingers is the Internet. The downside of the World Wide Web, however, is there are many dubious activities that are conducted through the use of the internet, such as computer hacking, virus infestation of systems, embezzlement, fraud, and child pornography.
The downside of our sophisticated computer systems is that employees have lost a great deal of their privacy and are virtually unable to live private lives away from the scrutiny of much larger organisations.
Modern companies today legally monitor the emails a person sends, they record his telephone conversations, they check his computer system to see what is on his hard drive, they monitor an employee’s Internet usage, and they even have special software that records the keystrokes a persona makes on his keyboard. While these efforts are carried out to ensure an employee does not engage in any activities that would discredit the company, the tactics these companies use resound of the activities of Big Brother, as depicted in George Orwell’s book entitled ‘1984’.
As our world becomes more technologically advanced, the normal toil of our life generally becomes easier because we have so many labour saving devices. As a result, we have more free time for which we can enjoy ourselves, and ponder the complexities of the universe.
In this age of technological sophistication, we have entered into a service economy, where nine out of ten new jobs created are service roles. Correspondingly, the Age of Aquarius will be one where people will need to serve mankind as part of the evolutionary path for one’s soul development. It is for that reason a person in authority should never ask another person to do something he would not be prepared to do himself, or he would never be able to gain any kind of credibility.
In matters of health, each degree of Aquarius rules the following body parts:-
Aquarius (the water bearer) Quality Fixed Glyhp Waves of water Element Water Natural sign of Eleventh house Principle Active Opposite sign Leo Ruler Uranus keyword Imagination Anatomy The ankles Key phrase I know Positive characteristics Independent Negative characteristics Unpredictable Inventive Temperamental Tolerant Bored by detail Individualistic Cold Progressive Too fixed in opinions Artistic Shy Scientific Eccentric Logical Radical Humane Impersonal Intellectual Rebellious Altruistic UnfaithfulPisces
Traditional Association – Mutable Water -- Ancient Association – Water/Winter
After people have been given the gift of knowledge, they soon begin to realise that the more they know, the more they don't know. When they realise the vast immensity of this gulf of awareness which is yet to be understood, they begin to ask spiritual questions such as:-
Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and the Sun transits this sign from 19th February to 21st March. It signifies the end of the winter season, as the days become lighter and warmer. Because it is the last phase of the winter season, people will want to unwind and relax a bit after their previous period of inclimate conditions.
Lent is the holiday period most closely associated with the sign of Pisces. Lent is a period of fasting and penitence traditionally observed by Christians in preparation for Easter. The length of the Lenten fast, during which observants eat sparingly, was established in the 4th century as 40 days. In the Eastern churches, where both Saturdays and Sundays are regarded as festival days, the period of Lent is 8 weeks before Easter, in the Western churches, where only Sunday is regarded as a festival, the 40 day period begins on Ash Wednesday and extends, with the omission of Sundays, to the day before Easter. The observance of fasting or other forms of self-denial during Lent varies within Protestant and Anglican churches. These bodies emphasise penitence. The Roman Catholic Church has in recent years relaxed its laws on fasting. The period of Lent represents the time Jesus the Christ spent in the desert, fasting and being tempted by Satan.
In ‘A Soul’s Journey’ Acharya related to Peter Richelieu that we can experience other realms of existence while we are in the dream state. Whether we remember it or not, we do gain a great deal of enlightenment while we are sleeping. Even if we have never left the town or city we were born into, while we are sleeping, we can experience other places, planes of awareness, and realities.
One culture that has relied heavily on their dreams in order to open up their level of awareness is the aborigines of Australia. Since they are a culture that has lived for millennium unhampered by other people, it could be that these people are actually the remains of an ancient civilisation, such as Hybornea or Lemuria.
A dreamtime myth of Australia is related as follows:-
‘In the beginning the Earth was a bare plain. All was dark. There was no life and no death. The Sun, the Moon, and the stars slept beneath the Earth. All the eternal ancestors slept there too, until at last they worked themselves out of their own eternity and broke through to the surface.
‘When the eternal ancestors rose, they wandered the Earth, sometimes in animal form – as kangaroos, or emus, or lizards – sometimes in human shape, sometimes part animal and human, sometimes part human and plant.
‘Two such beings, self-created out of animals and plants, but were shapeless bundles, lying higgledy-piggledy, near water holes and salt lakes and unfinished, without limbs or features.
‘With their great stone knives, the Ungambikula carved out heads, bodies, legs and arms. They made the faces, and the hands and feet. At last the human beings were finished.
‘Every man and woman was transformed from a plant or an animal, and each person owes allegiance to the totem of the animal or the plant they were made from – the plum tree, the grass seed, the large and small lizards, the parakeet, the rat.
‘Their sacred work done, the ancestors went back to sleep. Some of them returned to underground homes, others became rocks and trees.
‘The trails the ancestors walked in the Dreamtime are holy trails. Everywhere the ancestors went, they left the sacred traces of their presence – a rock, a waterhole, a tree.
‘For the Dreamtime does not merely lie in the distant past, the Dreamtime is the eternal Now. Between heartbeat and heartbeat, the Dreamtime can come again.’
The sign of Pisces is typically identified by two fish flowing in opposite directions of each other. Fish are vertebrates that live in water. There are more kinds of fish than all other kinds of land and water vertebrates put together. The various kinds of fish differ so greatly in shape that it is hard to believe they belong to the same group of animals.
Fish live almost anywhere where there is water. They are found in the near-freezing waters of the Artic and in the steamy waters of the tropical jungles. They live in roaring mountain streams and in quiet underground rivers. Some make long journeys across the sea, while others spend most of their life buried in sand at the bottom of the sea. Most fish never leave the water, while others are able to survive for months in dried up riverbeds.
Fish are important in the balance of nature. They eat plants and animals and, in turn become food for plants and animals.
All fish have two main features in common:-
The first fish are believed to have appeared on Earth around 500 million years ago, and were the first animals to have a backbone. Scientists believe they are the ancestors of all present-day vertebrates. Because fish are such old animals, it would seem the Pisces would be a very old sign, therefore encompassing a great deal of ancestral knowledge that can only be gleaned through intuition or tapping into one’s body memories.
The Christian religion is symbolised by the fish, which is indicative of the fact the religion developed when the Earth moved from the age of Aries into the age of Pisces. So ingrained is the Christian faith based upon the age of Pisces that Jesus the Christ told his disciples Simon, Peter and Andrew that he would make them fishers of men.
The two fish swimming in opposition to each other is an apt reflection of our religious systems in the world today. There are few religions on our Earth that allow individuals to live and let live, and would like for all races, creeds and religions to live harmoniously on our one Earth. If anything, the opposite is true. Most of the wars in the history of man have been fought on the basis of religion.
The age of Pisces was preceded by Jesus the Christ’s walk upon the Earth plane. There were, however, other master avatars who walked the Earth approximately 600 years before and after the founder of Christianity.
Buddha was born around 563 BC and is believed to have died around 483 BC. He is the founder of Buddhism, which is one of the world’s great religions. Buddha is translated as Enlightened or Awakened One. The Buddha was Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhists believe there were at least six other Buddha’s before Gautama. They believe another one will come, whose name will be Maitreya.
Buddhists believe in rebirth, which enables a soul to attain perfection through his various life forms. The desired moral perfections are qualities such as generosity, patience, and loving kindness.
Muhammad, who lived from 570 to 632 ad, was a prophet whose life teachings form the basis of the Islamic religion. His name is translated as ‘praiseworthy’ or ‘praised one’ in Arabic. Muslims believe Muhammad was the last messenger of God. They believe he completed the sacred teachings of Abraham, Moses and Jesus the Christ. Muslims live, honour and respect Muhammad, but they do not worship him. As he himself emphasised, even when on his deathbed, he was only a human being with no divine powers.
Muhammad was one of the most influential men of all time. His belief in his driving mission gave him the strength to bring about many changes in Arabia. When Muhammad started his teaching, Arabia was a wild and lawless land. Its people lived in tribes, most of which were nomadic, moving from one camp to another in the desert. These tribes were fierce and lived by harsh, unwritten tribal laws.
In Mecca, a city in southwestern Arabia, there was much suffering among the poor and much selfishness among the rich. Most people worshipped many gods and prayed to idols and spirits. Drunkenness and gambling were common and widespread, and the status of women was so low that baby girls were sometimes buried alive at birth. Into this atmosphere, Muhammad brought a new message from God to his people. He taught there was only one God, Allah, and this God requires people to submit to him. The Arabic word for submission, Islam, has become the name of the new faith Muhammad preached. He replaced the old loyalty to the tribes with a new tie of equality and allegiance among all Muslims.
The age of Pisces can best be symbolised as faith for a better world. It should be noted, however, that this blind faith was not tempered with any kind of reasonability, and in many ways the predominant religions of the day, such as Christianity and Islam, have done more to harm our culture than to help it. The fact is that prior to Christianity becoming a socially acceptable religion, man already had embraced the technology of the steam engine, but the intolerance of the religion plummeted Europe into the dark ages.
Pisces is ruled by Neptune, which rules drugs. The use and abuse of drugs has become rampant in the age of Pisces. Everywhere we turn, someone is attempting to self-medicate in an attempt to cover up the psychic wounds that sear through his soul. Alcohol is the drug of choice to many, but others smoke cigarettes and marijuana, snort cocaine, or inject heroine into their veins. Even the compulsive eater is attempting to push down deep-seated emotions that lie just beneath his conscious awareness. In an attempt to keep his emotions at bay, he stuffs more and more food down his mouth until his appearance and health are detrimentally affected. More socially acceptable drugs that people partake of are caffeine and sugar, but those are drugs nevertheless that we use to help us get through the day. What we don’t realise, however, is our day would be so much easier if we refrained from using any drugs. One only has to wonder what kind of world we live in if we feel the need to pollute our bodies with chemicals and other substances, living under the misguided impression that those drugs make us feel better. If we were one with God, we would not need drugs to make us feel okay with ourselves.
The Earth is in the sign of Pisces from 215 to 2,375 ad.
Time Line 271 In 271 Chinese mathematicians used a simple compass. The invention was not put to use in Europe for navigation until the 13th century. The early Chinese were pioneers in many areas of science, including the development of a primitive seismograph in 132, which they used to measure the tremors of the Earth. 312 The Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 312, after a vision before the battle of Milvian Bridge. In the vision he supposedly saw the words ‘in hoc signo vinces’, which is translated as ‘in this sign you will be the victor’. Constantine won the battle and he credited the victory to his new faith. The next year he issued the Edict of Milan, granting legal rights to Christians. 387 In 387 Augustine, who later became Bishop of Hippo in North Africa, converted to Christianity. Previously Augustine had sampled several of the religions then prevalent in the Roman Empire, including Manichaeism. After his conversion, he became one of the great leaders of the Christian world. 570 Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca around 570. His parents were members of the Quraish tribe that ruled Mecca. At age 40 Muhammad felt himself selected by God to be a prophet of the one true religion. ‘There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah’. Became the fundamental statement of Islamic faith. Islam was a remarkably dynamic religion. Within a few years Muslim armies carried their faith as far afield as India, China and France. 600 The expense of rebuilding China’s Grand Canal in the 600’s led to the downfall of the Sui dynast. The canal, however, became a valuable asset in later years. Grain could now be transported easily from the farmlands of the lower Yangtze and Huai regions to market, 1000 km north. The water level on the canal was regulated by log gates operated by hand or wind. On slopes too steep for navigation, boats were hauled up the grades on slipways. 655 One of the most forceful rules in Chinese history – and the only woman ever to reign – was the Empress Wu. She entered the royal household as a concubine of the Emperor Tai Tsung. In 683 she became empress after deposing and executing a rival. In that year she directed the Chinese conquest of Korea. A master of court intrigue, she defeated all her rivals, and after ruling through puppets, she assumed the title of emperor in 690. Wu held power until 705, when she was finally supplanted at the age of 80. 732 Charles Martel, Christian ruler of the Franks, met the Moors at Taus, deep inside modern-day France. In earlier decades, Islamic armies had marched across North Africa, Asia Minor, and Spain. In 710 they had crossed the Pyreneis and occupied parts of France. During a daylong battle, fought somewhere between Tousan Poitiers, Martel drew his army into a tight square ‘like a belt of ice frozen together. The Moors were unable to penetrate this human way, and many of them died in their effort, including their leader Abd-ar-Rahman. At nightfall they fled the field. The victory was one of the most decisive in history, and it helped preserved Europe for Christianity. 751 Between 751 and 754 Pepin the Short united the Frankish domains, beginning the Carolinian dynasty. Three years later he invaded Italy at the invitation of the pope and defeated the Lombards. Pepin gave the territory he conquered around Rome to the pope, creating the basis of the Papal States. 751 By the middle of the 8th century, China controlled territory deep in central Asia, north of modern-day Pakistan. To maintain this position, the Chinese had to fight numerous battles against Turks, Tibetans, Arabs and other enemies. In 751 the Chinese met an Arab army aided by the prince of Tashkent at the Battle of Talas. The Chinese were decisively defeated and withdrew from this advanced position in the West. The Arab victory facilitated the spread of Islam in central Asia. 800 In 800, the year Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Harun-ar-Rashid, the 5th caliph of the Abbasid Dynasty, reigned in Baghdad over a vast empire covering the south-western Asia and parts of northern Africa. Unlike Charlemagne, Harun was literate and interested in the modern arts. 800 Charlemagne, king of the Franks, was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas days in 800. Although the Holy Roman Empire did not grow under his rule, many later kings used his life as their models. As a Germanic warrior, Roman emperor and Christian, Charlemagne blended the three cultures into a mixture, which later became for European civilisation. 868 The Chinese led the world in the invention of paper and the printing press. The oldest surviving book in the world is the Diamond Sutra, and book in China. It contains as collection of Buddhist prayers and is richly illustrated. 962 Otto of Germany was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII. In 955 he had defeated the Magyars at the Battle of Lechfield, ending the Magyar threat to Western Europe. He also brought Italy and Burgundy under German control. Shortly after his coronation as emperor, he and the pope started to quarrel, beginning a centuries long tradition of conflict between the Holy Roman Empire and the papacy. 1000 Scandanavian explorer Leif Ericson is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot on North America. Ericson may have reaced the North Atlantic coast, naming it Vinland. A Viking settlement discovered in Newfoundland matches Ericson’s description of Vinland. 1013 Canute II was one of the most powerful of the Norsemen. In 1013 he completed the Danish conquest of England. Within a few years, he became King of England, Denmark and Norway, and was called Canute the Great. Canute died in 1035, his kingdom was divided, and the Danish realm in England came to an end. 1066 One of the most important battles in history occurred near Hastings, England in 1066. William, Duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel from Normandy, claiming the English crown. On 14th October the Saxon king, Harold II, met him in battle. The Normans triumphed, and Harold was slain on the field. William became known as the conqueror and the Norman conquest of England followed rapidly from his first battle. 1189 Richard the Lion-Hearted, king of England, set forth on the third crusade in 1189. He captured the city of Acre and made a truce with Saladin, the sultan of Egypt and Syria. Although Richard was seldom in England during his 10-year reign, his prowess in battle established him as one of the great heroes of English romance. 1200 In the 13th century, during the Sung dynasty, foot binding became common practice in China because upper-class males began to express a preference for smaller feet. Soon the custom spread to the peasantry. Realising that a daughter’s marital opportunities might hinge on the size of her feet, Chinese mother bound them with silk, which was pulled tighter as the girls grew. By marriage age, the ideal foot had been warped into a ‘lotus petal’ shape. A woman with bound feel was considered attractive, but she found it difficult to walk or engage in most occupations. The painful practice symbolised the subordination of women, a common feature of China and elsewhere in the world at that time. 1390 The first great work of literature in English language was the Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer around 1390. Chaucer was, at various times, a court page, a soldier, and a diplomat. His travels exposed him to a variety of men and women, many of whom served as models for his vivid characters. 1431 On 30th May 1431, Joan of Arc – the maiden of Orleans – was burned at the strike in Rouen. One of the great heroines of France, she lived at a time when the English controlled much of her country. Joan fought several winning battles, but she was finally captured by a rival French faction and sold to the English. Tried before a pliable French court, she was proclaimed a witch and executed before her 20th birthday. In 1920 the papacy canonised her as a saint. 1452 Leonardo di Vinci, a leading figure in the Italian Renaissance, was born in 1452, the illegitimate son of a Florentine notary and a peasant girl. Despite his humble beginnings, Leonardo’s career gave substance to the expression ‘Renaissance Man’. He was a painter, a sculptor, architect and scientist – one of the most brilliant men who ever lived. His work includes the Mona Lisa, which is one of the most famous paintings of all times. 1492 In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed to America. When he arrived in the New World, North American Indians already inhabited the land, and Norsemen had visited the shores of present day Canada almost 500 years before. Spanish support made possible his initial voyage and three others, but when he failed to bring back treasures of the orient, he lost favour in the Spanish court. 1543 In 1543, after 25 years of work, Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus wrote the book, On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres, and ventured the revolutionary idea that the Earth travels around the Sun – the heliocentric theory. The book aroused a storm of protest from scientists and the church. 1692 In 1692 the famous witchcraft trials were held in Salem, Mass. The episode began when a group of young girls accused others, generally older women, of consorting with the Devil. Before the trials were over 300 men and women had been accused. Twenty people were executed, including a minister who intoned the Lord’s Prayer before his death. 1729 Catherine the Great, one of Russia’s foremost leaders, was born in 1729. Married to Czar Peter III, she joined a court revolt in 1762 that deposed her husband and elevated her to the throne. As empress, Catherine presided over Russian expansion in the Baltic region, Ukraine, Poland, the Near East, and Alaska. She was also one of the most cultured of Russian monarch’s. She wrote stories and memoirs, and corresponded with the leader of the French enlightenment Voltaire. Catherine died in 1796, having ruled for a third of a century. 1776 In 1776 the Continental Congress voted in favour of separatism. Thomas Jefferson took the lead in writing the Declaration of Independence. It proclaimed America’s new status as an independent nation and laid for the fundamental political values of the new nation. 1838 In 1838 the Cherokee Indians were forcibly removed from their homeland in the Appalachian Mountains. They had previously signed treaties with the United States government stipulating that if they lived peaceably and adopted ‘civilised’ ways, they would be allowed to remain in the eastern United States. In response the Cherokees adopted a constitution modelled on the American government, and one of their leaders, Sequoya, had developed an alphabet for the Cherokee language. During the 1830’s, however, land hunger overcame principle, and 18,000 to 20,000 Cherokees were moved by the US Army to Oklahoma. About 4,000 Indians died along the route, which came to be known as the Trail of Tears. 1838 In 1938 Frederick Douglas, as Maryland slave, borrowed papers from a free black seaman and escaped to New York. He soon became one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement. He travelled the United States, describing his life as a slave, and founded the anti-slavery newspaper, North Star. 1863 President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg address on 19th November 19623, at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Pennsylvania. 1930 In 1930 Mahatma Gandhi led thousands of Indian followers on a 200-mile march to the sea. There they made salt in an act of defiance against the British, who imposed a tax on salt. The act was characteristic of Gandhi’s tactics of passive resistance to British rule in India. He was jailed, and in the process he won worldwide sympathy for his movement. Martin Luther King Junior adopted Gandhi’s non-violent tactics during US civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s. 1945 The Americans used nuclear weapons to attack Japan, and this changed the nature of warfare. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought World War II to and end and inaugurated the nuclear standoff of the cold war. 1946 The ENIAC computer at the University of Pennsylvania, is considered the world’s first truly electronic digital computer. It contained 18,000 vacuum tubes and occupied the space of a large garage. The tubes were an improvement over the electromechanical relays previously employed, but it was nonetheless temperamental, functioning only in short bursts. A modern hand-held computer is more powerful than the ENIAC was in its heyday. 1969 Human beings landed on the Moon. As Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the Moon, he radioed the message to the world, ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ 1990 The National Aeronautics- & Space Administration (NASA) launched the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope has provided evidence of a black hole in the centre of our universe. Using the telescope, scientists estimate that our universe is 10 to 20 billion years old.
In matters of health, each degree of Pisces rules the following body parts:-
Pisces (the fish) Quality Mutable Glyhp Two fish tied together Element Water Natural sign of Twelfth house Principle Passive Opposite sign Virgo Ruler Neptune keyword Understanding Anatomy The feet Key phrase I believe Positive characteristics Compassionate Negative characteristics Procrastinating Charitable Over-talkative Sympathetic Melancholy Emotional Pessimistic Sacrificing Emotionally inhibited Intuitive Timid Introspective Impractical Musical Indolent Artistic Misunderstood Intuitive Deceitful Faithful Subversive