Franz Hartmann 1- To Know (Know, Dare, Will, Keep Silent - Occultist Motto, Kabalist Axiom)

(Note: Hartmann's description of higher knowledge seems very much in the oriental spirit of Jnana Yoga).

Let him remember the universal Kabalistic axiom. “To know, to dare, to will and be silent.” Let him read the impressive phrase translated by Eliphas Levi from the Book of Numbers in Vol. I of “Dogme de la Haute Magie,” p. 115. (Blavatsky, H. P.  The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett, T. Fisher Unwin ltd. London : Adelphi Terrace, 1925, p. 17)

 ’To dare, to will, to act and remain silent’’ is our motto as that of every Kabalist and Occultist (Jinarajadasa, C., ed. Letters from the Masters of Wisdom 1881-1888. Theosophical Publishig House. Adyar. 1919, letter 66).

If we wish to enter the path to infinite life, the first requirement is

To Know
Knowledge is the perception and understanding of truth. We can only know that which we perceive. 

Lower Knowledge

As long as the true nature of man is not known, his lower interests are mistaken for his higher ones. Scientific attainments are often only used for the purpose of obtaining the power to speculate on the ignorance of those that have no such intellectual acquirements, and by taking advantage of their beliefs to obtain money and material comfort. Such scientific attainments may be good for such purposes, but they retard the progress of man in a spiritual direction, because they make men more selfish, and cause them to worship matter; they are therefore useless for the only true and permanent interest of man.

If science wishes to find the foundation of truth, it must begin to realise the unity of the universe and know that the world of appearances manifested in nature is a revelation of truth originating in divine wisdom. This realisation cannot be attained by arguments and inferences, it is only realised by the power of universal love, which is the recognition of truth.

“To bring thee to thy God, love takes the shortest route;

The way which science leads is but a round about”. [Angelu Silesius]

The harmful knowledge consists in scientific attainments without any corresponding perception of the moral aspect of truth. It is only partial knowledge, because it recognises only a part of the truth. A high intellectual development without any corresponding growth of spirituality is a curse to mankind. Knowledge to be good must be illuminated by Wisdom; knowledge without wisdom is dangerous to possess. Misunderstanding and misapplication of truths are the sources of evil.“ A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”.  Such an attainment of knowledge without wisdom may become detrimental. The invention of the fulminates of mercury, of gunpowder and nitro-glycerine, has caused much suffering to a large part of  humanity. Not that the substances applied, or the forces which are liberated, are intrinsically evil, but their  misapplication in the hands of those without wisdom leads to evil results. If all men were intelligent enough to understand the laws which govern the world, and wise enough to employ their knowledge for good purposes only, no evil results would follow. 

One of the most harmful acquisitions is the so-called “religious knowledge”; that is to say the holding on to theological doctrines which are wrong or misunderstood, because it is unaccompanied by any unfoldment of true spirituality. Such a “ religion” results in bigotry, hypocrisy and intolerance; it is based upon fear and not upon faith. A religion without universal love is an absurdity; because that Love is the link which relates man to God. A faith without love is only a superstition. Nevertheless it is that foolish “faith” which clamours the most for its rights.

‘’Faith without love will make the greatest roar and din;

The cask sounds loudest when there is nought within”. [Angelus Silesius]

If we proceed a step further and imagine intellectual but wicked and selfish people possessed not only of the power to employ explosives, and poisonous drugs, to injure others, but able to send their own degrading poisonous thoughts to a distance, to leave at will the prison house of the physical body to kill or injure others, the most disastrous results would follow. Such forbidden knowledge has been and is sometimes possessed by people with criminal tendencies, a fact which is universally known in the East, and upon the possibility and actuality of such facts have been established on many occasions, and among others by many of the witch trials of the Middle Ages. Modern scientists may now laugh at these facts, but the doctors of law, of medicine, and of theology of their times, were as sure of their knowledge as modern representatives of science are of their own opinions today, and the former had as many intellectual capacities as the latter. The only difference is that the former knew these facts, but gave a wrong explanation; the latter find it easier to ignore than to explain.

Man is continually surrounded by unseen influences, and the astral plane is swarming with entities and forces, which are acting upon him for good or for evil, according to his good or evil inclinations. At the present state of evolution man has a physical body, which is admirably adapted to modify the influence from the astral plane, and to shelter him against the “ monsters of the deep”. If the physical body is in good health, it acts as an armour, and, moreover, man has the power, by a judicious exercise of his will, to so concentrate the odic aura by which he is surrounded, as to render his armour impenetrable to the influences of the astral world and its inhabitants; but if by bad health, by a careless expenditure of vitality, or by the practice of mediumship, he disperses his protective power, his physical armour will become weakened and unable to guard him; he becomes the victim of elementaries and elemental forces, his mental faculties lose their balance, and sooner or later he will, like the symbolical Adam and Eve, know that he is naked, and exposed to influences which he cannot repel.  Such is the result for which those ignorantly crave who wish to obtain knowledge without corresponding morality. To supply the ignorant or weak with powers of destruction would be like providing children with  gunpowder and matches for play.

Higher Knowledge

Only an intelligent and well-balanced mind can discriminate properly and dive into the hidden mysteries of Nature. “Only the pure in heart can see God”. He who has reached that stage need not search the world for a person to instruct him; the higher intelligences will be attracted to him, and become his instructor, in the same manner as he himself is attracted by the beauty of an animal or of a flower. A harp does not invent sound but obeys the hand of a master, and the more perfect the instrument, the  sweeter will be the music. A diamond does not originate light, but reflects it, and the purer the diamond  the purer will be its lustre. Man does not invent or create thought, will, and intelligence. He is a mirror in  which the thoughts of the world are reflected, an instrument through which the will of nature expresses  itself; a pearl filled with a drop of water from the universal ocean of intelligence.

The only true knowledge is the knowledge of one's own true self, which knows neither “good” nor “evil”, but is the realisation of truth. He who ate from the tree of the knowledge of illusion has died; because by  experiencing the illusion of self, he has died to his spiritual nature and become an illusion himself.[Gen. ii. 17] If you eat of the tree of divine knowledge, which is the tree of life, your illusion will die and you will live. Your personality will be swallowed up by a realisation of the fact that “you” are nothing, and that God  in you is the only true self and the All. Realising this, you will not be “as one of the gods”; but a self-conscious power in God, unlimited and immortal.

How can self-knowledge be attained? The answer is: “By the realisation of truth”. The truth is  everywhere, always ready to manifest itself in you and around you, if you only permit it to become manifest. Wisdom requires no other teacher but wisdom itself. Rise up to it in your soul and it will descend upon you and fill your heart. He who ascends to the top of a high mountain need not enquire for somebody to bring him pure air. Pure air surrounds him there on all sides. The realm of wisdom is not limited, and he whose mind is receptive will not suffer from want of divine grace to feed his holy aspiration.

The school in which the occultist graduates has many classes, each class representing a life. The days of vacation may arrive before the lesson is learned, and what has been learned may be forgotten during the time of vacation; but still the impression remains, and a thing once learned is easily learned again. This accounts for the different talents with which men are endowed, and for their propensities for good or for evil. No effort is lost, every cause creates a corresponding effect, no favours are granted, no injustice takes place. Blind to bribes and deaf to appeals is the law of justice, dealing its treasures out to everyone according to his capacities to receive, but he who has no selfish desire for reward, and no cowardly fear of punishment, but who dares to act rightly because he will not do wrong, identifies himself with the law, and in the equilibrium of the law will he find his Power

(Franz Hartmann, Magic White and Black. Chapter 12, 1888)

Part 2 

Astrology: Fall Equinox - September 22, 2021

Cautiously Optimistic

Leading up to  the summer solstice, there was a lunar eclipse (May 26), a Mars-Pluto opposition (June 5), a solar eclipse (June 10), the 2^nd exact Saturn-Uranus square (June 14). The solstice was a very intense one, with two powerful aspects, the challengeing Grand Cross and the beneficial Grand Trine, both involving the Moon, which can be quite powerful in a transit chart, even though it doesn’t last long. Some of the major news events from the Jun 9-15 period include:

More than 350,000 people in Ethiopia experiencing dire hunger, with millions more facing "high levels of acute food insecurity," Ethiopians head to the polls  for the country's first multiparty election in 16 years. Anti-government protesters flooded the streets of Lebanese cities as the country's currency tanked, adding to a string of economic woes. Naftali Bennett was sworn in as Israel's new prime minister, ending former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 12 years in office.

In the United States, president Biden attended the NATO G7 summit in the UK. and the US-EU summit in Brussels , recommitting to global concerns like cybersecurity, global health, and climate change.  A severe drought occurred, and the Delta variant appeared as responsible for a six-fold increase in hospitalizations in one Missouri city. The Keystone XL Pipeline deal was officially cancelled.

Around the Summer Solstice, also in the United States, ten mass shootings happened across the nation leaving at least seven people dead and more than 40 injured. It was the latest in a streak of violent weekends in America. The weekend before this, there were also 10 mass shootings that left 12 people dead across seven states.  On June 25 A Minnesota judge sentenced Derek Chauvin to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. The sentence "is one of the longest a former police officer has ever received for an unlawful use of deadly force," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said, calling it a "moment of real accountability."

The Summer Solstice marked the beginning of a Mars/Saturn/Uranus T-Square, one of the most intense aspects of the year, which was at its most intense around  July 4. Around this time, there occurred the assassination of the Haitian president, as well as a string of bad floods, forest fires, hurricanes, building collapses, vehicle accidents, and freak accidents.

This was all part of the longer-term aspect Saturn-Uranus square, where we have an unusual situation in which Saturn, the conservative planet, is in a progressive sign, Aquarius, while Uranus, the progressive planet, is in a conservative sign, Taurus. There can be tension experienced as our needs for freedom and spontaneity seem to clash with a need for structure and stability. At times, these energies can feel oppressive and we might feel that we’re often at cross-purposes, even when the end game is similar. Rules and limitations can feel more challenging to tolerate, but without some lines drawn, life feels too chaotic. Attempts to assert our individuality, freedom, and originality tend to undermine our feeling of groundedness and security. Yet, we are not satisfied when we conform. There may be sudden and unexpected twists that force us to do something different or free ourselves from old habits. Ideally, we can find creative ways to satisfy these diverging needs, perhaps by giving form to our ideals and quest for progress. Adjusting our plans may be in order, and striking a balance between convention and innovation is the challenge. Setbacks tend to be temporary and often lead to new, more creative paths or solutions. While this aspect is active, however, we can feel some real frustration (Café Astrology).

An example of these tensions can be seen with the Covid pandemic, (which seems to recede in concert with the Pluto and Saturn retrogrades; although this occurs as the weather gets warmer in many places, with less people indoors, so it is harder to track the correlation). The problem has been admirably addressed at a medical level, as great progress was made with the vaccine roll-out process, but it has proven unable to curb the fourth wave and delta variant due to failures at the political level. Despite sophisticated communication technology, governments are having difficulty educating the public of the need for safety measures. When restrictions are lifted, the case numbers tend to rise dramatically. Relatively small, but vocal groups are radically opposed to vaccinations, but end up getting the virus and overloading the medical services. This strong distrust in government is probably not helped by their seeming inability to prevent a majority of vaccines going to the rich, while the poor continue to suffer the worst, although there has been some concerted manifestation of generosity in vaccine distribution such as COVAX. Another related example was the need to apply widespread restrictions on social media platforms in order to curb Covid and vaccine misinformation, as well as conspiracy theories.

Another interesting event that illustrates this tension and also coincides closely with the 20-year Jupiter-Saturn cycle has been the end of United States military occupation of Afghanistan with the ensuing return of Taliban rule around August 14. The September 11, 2000 destruction of the World Trade Center occurred six months after an exact Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, the latest Taliban takeover, eight months after the most recent conjunction. Possibly, it can be seen to signal the end of end era in a certain style of oil-interested military interventions and a steady decline of international US military involvement, previous to the decline of Russia and the rise of China as an international military enforcer. At any rate, an interesting bookend to the previous Jupiter-Saturn cycle, which was marked by the 9/11 disaster.

This chart (which can be considered as a kind of snapshot of the quarter to come), arriving just after the full moon, is rather complex and intense, with three T-Squares, centered around Jupiter, Saturn, & Pluto. There are also two triangles of potential, one of them attached to a T-Square. Although quite intense, not nearly as dramatic as the Summer Solstice chart; expect it to bring some weirdness, confusion, and disfunction, but one can do well if one stays focused and optimistic.

Moon, Mercury, Pluto T-Square

Moon opposition Mercury, Moon square Pluto, Mercury square Pluto

This aspect brings minor irritations like the car breaking down, missing the bus, lost emails, best  to avoid scheduling negotiations, test-taking, or contract-signing now. Tendencies for futile obsessions, suspicions that can lead to personal emotional crisis.

Moon, Mercury, Jupiter Triangle of Potential

Moon sextile Jupiter, Mercury trine Jupiter, Moon opposite Mercury

The Moon, Mercury, Pluto T-Square is balanced by emotionally upbeat, optimistic, sociable, open-minded, adventurous energies. Favorable influence for short trips, writing, teaching, studying, mailings, interviews, advertising and promotion. Good for career opportunities.

Venus, Saturn, Uranus T-Square  (also a Venus, Jupiter, Uranus T-Square)

Venus opposite Uranus, Venus Square Saturn, Saturn square Uranus

This brings a tendency for a need to express one’s most unique individualism and an anti-social, rebellious attitude. Relationships may change or end.

Sun, Neptune, Pluto Triangle of Potential

Sun opposition Neptune, Sun trine Pluto, Neptune sextile Pluto

This tends to make one directionless, unfocused, dispersed and less able to face everyday realities. Willpower is low. This is a balanced by strong energies that help make us more decisive than usual, and our abilities to concentrate and focus help us achieve what we set out to do. Good endurance. Leadership skills are in focus and strong. a pioneering spirit, making you unafraid to challenge the accepted way of thinking and doing things.

There are also two positive aspects that can help cut through all the tense, challenging, complex energies.

Mars trine Saturn -determined effort and actions, a sense of responsibility and purposefulness good discipline and endurance.

Neptune trine Venus Compassion, harmony, kindness, and openness. Good artistic and creative inspiration.

The nature of these aspects can be seen to make for a year that will be a consolidation process of the year’s previous upheavals (actually part of deconstruction/revolution process over the last five years), a final year of checks and adjustments to prepare for the new twenty-year Jupiter-Saturn cycle. What needs to be let go, what needs to change, what new projects need to be undertaken, these are some of the key considerations at this time. We will see the third and final Jupiter-Uranus exact station just after the Winter Solstice on December 24th, 2021, a final hurdle to overcome.

This new Jupiter-Saturn cycle marks a definitive shift from earth signs to air signs, which will last until 2159. The previous Jupiter-Saturn cycles were in earth signs since 1802. Once can interpret this as the age of oil and carbon fuels, whereas the next cycle in air signs can mark a new era of alternate energies, along with satellite and computer technologies that have developed over the last 40 years. In the following years, four outer planets will be changing signs over a four-year period, 2023-2026, and so by 2026, we should be witnessing an interesting paradigm shift. There is still much uncertainty, but at the same time, one can see how effective modern medicine and modern information technology (Computers, Internet, Cell Phones) have been in dealing with the pandemic crisis.

References

https://cafeastrology.com/events/saturn-square-uranus/

Tolstunka Astrology - Saturn square Uranus, T-Square to Mars—What has occurred under similar transits in the past?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx8hOns4zwI