ENQUIRER. But "M. A. Oxon" (pen-name of William Stainton Moses) is a
Spiritualist?
THEOSOPHIST. Quite so, and the only true Spiritualist
I know of, though we may still disagree with him on many a minor question.
Apart from this, no Spiritualist comes nearer to the occult truths than he
does.
Nothing is more dangerous than for souls to be rudely
severed from their bodily habitation, and to be launched into spirit-life, with
angry passions stirred, and revengeful feelings dominant. It is bad that any
should be dismissed from earth-life suddenly, and before the bond is naturally
severed. It is for this reason that all destruction of bodily flesh is foolish
and rude: rude, as betokening a barbarous ignorance of the conditions of life
and progress hereafter; foolish, as releasing an undeveloped angry spirit from
its trammels, and enduing it with extended capacity for mischief. You are blind
and ignorant in your dealings with those who have offended against your laws
and the regulations, moral and restrictive, by which you govern intercourse amongst
yourselves.
Grouping criminals together is harmful
You find a low and debased intelligence offending against morality,
or against constituted law. Straightway you take the readiest means of
aggravating his capacity for mischief. Instead of separating such one from evil
influence, removing him from association with sin, and isolating him under the
educating influence of true purity and spirituality, where the more refined
intelligences may gradually operate and counteract the baleful power of evil
and evil manifestations, you place him in the midst of evil associations, in
company with offenders like himself, where the very atmosphere is heavy with
evil, where the hordes of the undeveloped and unprogressed spirits most do
congregate, and where, both from human associates and spirit influence, the
whole tendency is evil.
Jails often make criminals worse
Vain and short-sighted and ignorant folly! Into your
dens of criminals we cannot enter. The missionary spirits pause and find their
mission vain. The good angels weep to find an associated band of evil--human
and spiritual--massed against them by man's ignorance and folly. What wonder
that you have gathered from such experience the conviction that a tendency to
open crime is seldom cured, seeing that you yourselves are the plainest
accomplices of the spirits who gloat over the fall of the offender. How many an
erring soul--erring through ignorance, as frequently as through choice -- has
come forth from your jails hardened and attended by evil guides you know not,
and can never know! But were you to pursue an enlightened plan with your
offenders, you would find a perceptible gain, and confer blessing incalculable
on the misguided and vicious.
More effort should be spent on educational rehabilition
You should teach your criminals; you should punish
them, as they will be punished here, by showing them how they hurt themselves
by their sin, and how they retard their future progress. You should place them
where advanced and earnest spirits among you may lead them to unlearn their
sin, and to drink in wisdom: where the Bands of the Blessed may aid their
efforts, and the spirits of the higher spheres may shed on them their benign
and elevating influence.
Vindictive punishment only breeds rage and hate
But you horde together your dangerous spirits. You
shut them up, and confine them as those who are beyond hope. You punish them
vindictively, cruelly, foolishly: and the man who has been the victim of your
ignorant treatment pursues his course foolish, suicidal sin, until in the end
you add to the list of your foolish deeds this last and worst of all, that you
cut him off, debased, degraded, sensual, ignorant, mad with rage and hate,
thirsting for vengeance on his fellows: you remove from him the great bar on
his passions, and send him into spirit-life to work out without hindrance the
devilish suggestions of his inflamed passions.
Blind! Blind! You know not what you do. You are your
own worst enemies, the truest friends of those who fight against God, and us,
and you.
Modern incarceral system is blind and ignorant
Ignorant no less than blind! For you spend vast
trouble to aid your foes. You cut from a spirit its bodily life. You punish
vengefully the erring. You falsely arrogate to yourselves the right law divine
to shed human blood. You err, and know not that the spirits you so hurt shall
in their turn avenge themselves upon you.
Compassionate punishment is better than harsh punishment
You have yet to learn the earliest
principles of that Divine tenderness and pity which labours ever through us to
rescue the debased spirit, to raise it from the depths of sin and passion, and
to elevate it to purity and progress in goodness. You know naught of God when
you do such deeds. You have framed for yourselves a God whose acts accord with
your own instincts. You have fabled that He sits on high, careless of His
creatures, and jealous only of His own power and honour. You have fabricated a
monster who delights to harm, and kill, and torture: a God who rejoices in
inflicting punishment bitter, unending, unmitigable. You have imagined such a
God, and have put into His mouth words which He never knew, and laws which His
loving heart would disown.
God--our God Good, Loving, Tender, Pitiful--delighting
in punishing with cruel hand His ignorantly-erring sons! Base fable! Base and
foolish fancy, produced of man's cruel heart, of man's rude and undeveloped
mind. There is no such God! There is none. He has no place with us: none, save
in man's degraded mind.
Great Father! Reveal Thyself to these blind wanderers,
and teach them of Thyself. Tell them that they dream bad dreams of Thee, that
they know Thee not, nor can know till they unlearn their ignorant conceptions
of Thy Nature and Thy Love.
Yes, friend, your jails and your legalised murder, the
whole tenor of your dealings with criminals, are based on error and ignorance. (2)
Remorse and sorrow
Punishment is ever the immediate consequence of sin;
it is of its essence, not arbitrarily meted out, but the inevitable result of
the violation of law. The consequences of such transgression cannot be
altogether averted, though they may be palliated by remorse, the effect of
which is to breed a loathing for sin and a desire for good. This is the first
step, the retracing of false steps, the undoing of error, and by consequence
the creation in the spirit of another longing. The spiritual atmosphere is
changed, and into it good angels enter readily and aid the striving soul. It is
isolated from evil agencies. Remorse and sorrow are fostered. The spirit
becomes gentle and tender, amenable to influences of good. The hard, cold,
repellent tone is gone, and the soul progresses. So the results of former sin
are purged away, and the length and bitterness of punishment alleviated. This
is true for all time. It was on this principle that
we told you of the folly which dictates your dealings with the transgressors of
your laws. Were we to deal with the offenders so, there would be no
restoration, and the spheres of the depraved would be crowded with lost and
ruined souls. But God is wiser, and we are His ministers. (3)
Esoteric aspects of mental illness
For
instance, you legislate for the masses, but you deal only with the offender.
Your legislation must be punitive, but it should be remedial too. Those whom
you think insane you shut up fast lest they should injure others. A few years
ago, and you tortured them, and filled your madhouses with many whose only
crime it was to differ from the foolish notions of their fellows, or to be--as
many were, and are, whom you have thought mad--recipients of undeveloped spirit
influence. This you will one day know to your sorrow--that to leave the beaten
track is not always evidence of a wandering mind; and to be the vehicle of
spirit-teaching is not proof of a mind unhinged. From many the power of
proclaiming their mission has been taken away, and it has been falsely said
that we have filled the asylums, and driven our mediums to madness, because
blind ignorant men have chosen to attribute insanity to all who have ventured
to proclaim their connection with us and our teaching. They have decided,
forsooth, that to be in communion with the world of spirit is evidence of
madness; therefore, all who claim to be are mad, and consequently must be shut
up within the madhouse. And because by lying statements they have succeeded in
affixing the stigma, and in incarcerating the medium, they further charge on us
the sin they have invented of driving our mediums to madness. (3)
For
the Egyptain gods related to the symbol of the ram, Blavatsky mentions Ammon, Khnoum, and Kneph.
Champollion lists the following as forms of Amon:Amon-Ra, Nef, Noub,
Noum, Cnèph, Cnouphis-ilus, Cnoubis, Chnoumis,
Agathodaemon, Mendes. (Panthéon égyptien, collection des personnages mythologiques de l'ancienne Égypte, d'après les monuments, Firmin Didot, (pp. 1-24).
According to Mythopedia, Amon is one of 'the most important gods in the Egyptian pantheon,
ram-headed Amun was a key member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad and the Theban
Triad. Amun was often combined with Ra,
with whom he shared many cosmological similarities. In their respective cults
of worship, each was hailed as a creator deity and the head of the Egyptian
pantheon.
Amon-Ra (1)
Amun was somewhat unique within Egyptian theology, as
he possessed many characteristics emphasized in modern monotheistic deities
(such as Christianity’s God, Judaism’s Yahweh, and Islam’s Allah). Omnipresent
and all-powerful, Amun was unknowable even to his fellow gods and goddesses.
Amun was depicted in a variety of ways, with the most
common being that of a bearded man wearing a dual-feathered plume. He often
wore a short kilt and a feather-patterned tunic.While
Amun was frequently depicted as having blue skin, later representations used
red as well.
Amun’s other representations included a ram-headed
man, a ram-headed serpent, a primordial goose, and a ram-headed sphinx.' (Meehan,
Evan. “Amun.” Mythopedia, November 29, 2022)
According to Blavatsky: 'Ammon or Mon, the “hidden,” the Supreme
Spirit. Ammon-Ra, the generator, is the secondary aspect of the concealed
deity. Khnoum was adored at Elephanta and Philoe) The same with Khnoum and
Ammon;§ both are represented ram-headed, and both often confused, though their
functions are different. Khnoum is “the modeller of men,” fashioning men and
things out of the Mundane Egg on a potter’s wheel;' (Isis Unveiled 2, 465)
Cnouphis, Chnoubis, Ammon-Chnoubis (2)
She gives certain elaborations on the various forms of Amon in her Theosophical Glossary:
Ammon (Eg.). One of the great gods of Egypt. Ammon or Amoun is far older
than Amoun-Ra, and is identified with Baal. Hammon, the Lord of Heaven.
Amoun-Ra was Ra the Spiritual Sun, the “Sun of Righteousness”, etc., for—“the
Lord God is a Sun”. He is the God of Mystery and the hieroglyphics of his name
are often reversed. He is Pan, All-Nature esoterically, and therefore the
universe, and the “Lord of Eternity”. Ra, as declared by an old inscription,
was “begotten by Neith but not engendered”.
Kneph (Eg.). Also Cneph and Nef,
endowed with the same attributes as Khem. One of the gods of creative Force,
for he is connected with the Mundane Egg. Deveria writes: “His journey to the
lower hemisphere appears to symbolise the evolutions of substances which are
born to die and to be reborn”. Thousands of years before Kardec, Swedenborg,
and Darwin appeared, the old Egyptians entertained their several philosophies.
(Eg. Belief and Mod. Thought.)
Chnouphis
Khnum creating man and woman (3)
(Gr.)(here she seems to be describing the
form of Khnoum) Nouf in Egyptian. Another aspect of Ammon, and the
personification of his generative power in actu, as Kneph is of the same
in potentia. He is also ram-headed. If in his aspect as Kneph he is the
Holy Spirit with the creative ideation brooding in him, as Chnouphis, he is the
angel who “comes in” into the Virgin soil and flesh. He
is seen on a monument seated near a potter’s wheel, and forming men out of
clay. The fig-leaf is sacred to him, which is alone sufficient to prove him a
phallic god—an idea which is carried out by the inscription: “he who made that
which is, the creator of beings, the first existing, he who made to exist all
that exists.” Some see in him the incarnation of Ammon-Ra, but he is the latter
himself in his phallic aspect, for, like Ammon, he is “ his mother’s husband”,
i.e., the male or impregnating side of Nature. His names vary, as Cnouphis,
Noum, Khem, and Khnum or Chnoumis. As he represents the Demiurgos (or Logos)
from the material, lower aspect of the Soul of the World, he is the
Agathodæmon, symbolized sometimes by a Serpent ;
Chnoumis
(Gr) The same as Chnouphis and
Kneph.
Kneph, temple of Khnum, Esna, Egypt (4)
A symbol of creative force ; The
fact is that all these gods are solar, and represent under various aspects the
phases of generation and impregnation. Their ram’s heads denote this meaning, a
ram ever symbolizing generative energy in the abstract, while the bull was the
symbol of strength and the creative function. All were one god, whose
attributes were individualised and personified.
Esoterically,
however, and as taught by the Initiates of the inner temple, Chnoumis-Kneph was
pre-eminently the god of reincarnation. Says an inscription: “I am
Chnoumis, Son of the Universe, 700”, a mystery having a direct reference to the
reincarnating EGO.
Greece
Phrixus & Golden-Fleeced Ram, C 5th B.C (5)
Aries, the first astrological sign, is
represented by the ram, with a general symbolism of rebirth and beginnings. Aries, which
is ruled by the planet Mars, is associated with the Greek myth of Jason and the
Argonauts.The myth tells the story of Phrixus and Helle, who were born of
Athamas, a Boetian king, and the goddess of the clouds, Nephele. Athamas fell
in love with a woman named Ino, and Nephele left in anger, causing a drought in
her wake. Ino attempted to sacrifice Phrixus and Helle in order to end the
drought that had stricken the land. Nephele prevented this from happening by
sending a ram with golden wool to rescue them. The two children escaped on the
winged ram’s back.The ram was initially meant to be sacrificed to Mars, but
Zeus took it and placed it in the sky in his honor. (Hyginus Fabulae 188, Krios Khrysomallos)
Roman Jupiter Ammon, 1st c, AD (6)
According to Blavatsky, 'In his astronomical aspect
Zeus-Dionysus has his origin in the zodiac, the ancient solar year. In Libya
he assumed the form of a ram, and is identical with the Egyptian Amun, who
begat Osiris, the taurian god. (Isis Unveiled I, 263 )
Amun, worshipped by the
Greeks as Ammon, had a temple and a statue, the gift of Pindar (d. 443
BC), at Thebes (Description of Greece. ix.16 § 1.), and
another at Sparta,
the inhabitants of which, as Pausanias says,consulted
the oracle of Ammon in Libya from early times more than the other Greeks (Description of Greece. iii.18 § 2). At Aphytis, Chalcidice, Amun was worshipped, from the time of Lysander (d.
395 BC), as zealously as in Ammonium. Pindar the poet honored the god with a
hymn. At Megalopolis the god was represented with the
head of a ram (Paus. viii.32 § 1), and the Greeks of Cyrenaica dedicated at Delphi a chariot with a statue of Ammon.
Rome
Ovid describes the importance of the Ram symbol for the Romans at the Spring equinox, recounting the myth of golden fleece:
March 23: Tubilustrium: Nefas
Publicus (ll. 849-876)
The last of the five days (i.e.
of the Quinquatria) exhorts (us) to purify the tuneful trumpets, and
to offer sacrifice to the mighty goddess (i.e. Nerio, the wife of Mars, with
whom Minerva came to be associated). Now you can raise your face to the sun
and say, "Yesterday, he touched the fleece of Phrixus' ram (i.e. on
22nd March the sun entered the zodiac constellation of 'Aries', the Ram)."
6th c. mosaic zodiac in a synagogue (7)
The seeds were parched by the trick of the wicked stepmother (i.e. Ino),
and the grain had not sprouted as it usually (did): (a messenger) had been sent
to the oracle to report by a sure prophecy what cure the Delphic (god) would
prescribe for the barren earth. Tarnished also like the seed, he reports that
the deaths of Helle and of young Phrixus are sought by the oracle. And, when
the citizens, and the season, and Ino compelled a reluctant king (i.e.
Athamas) to submit to these impious orders, Phrixus and his sister,
covering their brows with head-bands, stand together before the altar and
bewail their joint fate. Their mother (i.e. Nephele, cloud) sees (them)
by chance as she hung in the air, and beats her bare breasts with her hand in
shock, and, with the clouds as her companions, she dives down into the
dragon-born city (i.e. Thebes, founded by Cadmus, who sowed the dragon's
teeth), and snatches her children away from there; and, so that they can
make their escape, a ram, gleaming with gold, is provided; it conveys the two
(of them) over the wide seas. The girl held on to the left-horn (too) weakly,
they say, when she called the name of the water after herself (i.e. theHellespont,
the straits that link the Aegean to the Propontis, or the Sea of Marmora).
Her brother almost died with her, when he tries to help (her) as she falls, and
he extends his outstretched hands as far as possible. He wept at losing his
partner in their twin peril, unaware that she has been joined to the azure god (i.e.
Neptune). On reaching the shore, the ram becomes a constellation (i.e.
Aries); but his golden fleece arrives at the halls of Colchis (i.e. a
city on the eastern sea-coast of the Black Sea).
9 (Ovid, Fastii, Book 3, March)
Judaism
Mosaic in Santi Cosma e Damiano (8)
Blavatsky posits a link between lamb sacrifice in Judaism and the symbolism of Aries (Theosophical Glossary, 'Ammon'). The Torah gives various indications: 'According to the norms
regarding sacrifices in the former temple, a lamb could be offered in various
situations: a common person could offer a lamb as a sin offering in atonement
for his sin (Lev 4,32-35), or as part of a rite of purification (Lev 12,1-8;
14,10-32), or as a communion sacrifice (Lev 3,7-10); the Passover lamb was, in
fact, a special type of communion sacrifice (Exod 12,1-14.21-28).' (The Sacrificial Symbolism of the Lamb in the Book of Revelation) According to Saul Youdkevitch: 'We said that the lamb (Aries) represents the
ego, and we toast it on the good fire of enthusiastic and positive work, then
we eat it with Matsa and Maror'(Nisan-Aries).
Christianity
Agnus Dei (9)
Blavatsky, referencing H. T. Colebrooke, (Essays on the Religion and Philosophy of the Hindus, London, 1837, Vol. I, p. 190. [In the one-volume ed. of 1858, this occurs on p. 119. It is an essay
originally published in the Asiatic Researches, Calcutta, 1801, Vol.
VII, pp. 232-85) has observed that:'it is, to say the least, a strange coincidence, remarked even by some
Christian clergymen, that Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God, should have the
symbols, identical with the Hindu God Agni. While Agnus Dei expiates and
takes away the sins of the world, in one religion, the God Agni, in the
other, likewise expiates sins against the gods, man, the,manes, the soul, and repeated sins; as shown in the six prayers accompanied by six oblations.' (Cross and Fire, Collected Writings, 2:143-149;
The Theosophist (1:2), November, 1879, pp. 35-36.) For a referenced connection, she gives Edward Kenealy, The Book of God : the Apocalypse of Adam-Oannes(p. 88)('Agnus Dei (the
Indian Agni, as Dr. Kenealy thinks' (The Secret Doctrine 1, 383). Jean Marie Ragon posits a connection between the Agnus Dei and the sign of Aries specifically (La Messe et ses Mysteres, 1844, p. 347).
Historically speaking, Rupert
Gleadow gives some basic considerations concerning the origin of the symbol:
'For
the Ram, to begin with, is definitely not a Babylonian constellation. It was
also thought not to be Egyptian because on the later system of decans it fell
in Capricorn. But the Ram and the Boat were both extremely important in Egypt this
cannot be explained if both were invisible at the rising of Sothis. It has of
course nothing to do with the later position of Aries as the first sign of the
12. The Ram was important because it culminated when Sirius rose, and the
Boast as a particularly obvious sacred emblem which stood on the same occasion
conspicuously high in the sky. If we accept the identity of the Boat with our
own Pegasus, the Ram was an Egyptian and not a Babylonian constellation.' (The Origin of the Zodiac, 1968 212-213)
4- See Colorful Paintings of the Zodiac Signs From an Ancient Egyptian Temple
Newly restored, the Ptolemaic era reliefs were previously covered by a layer of dirt and soot
April 4, 2023 Christopher Parker
PS -For a more recent use of this type of research on 19th century sources, albeit with all the more mystical, theosophical perspectives removed, Blavatsky's research, but with more conservative conclusions, if you will, see
Acharya S, Suns Of God; Krishna, Buddha, And Christ Unveiled ( 2004)
Blavatsky describes the Zodiac as:’ Zodiac (Gr.).
From the word zodion, a diminutive of zoon, animal. This word is
used in a dual meaning; it may refer to the fixed and intellectual Zodiac, or
to the movable and natural Zodiac. “In astronomy”, says Science, “it is an
imaginary belt in the heavens 16° or 18° broad, through the middle of which
passes the sun’s path (the ecliptic) .“ It contains the twelve constellations
which constitute the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and from which they are named.
As the nature of the zodiacal light—that elongated, luminous, triangular
figure which, lying almost in the ecliptic, with its base on the horizon and
its apex at greater and smaller altitudes, is to be seen only during the morning
and evening twilights—is entirely unknown to science, the origin and real
significanće and occult meaning of the Zodiac were, and are still, a mystery,
to all save the Initiates. The latter preserved their secrets well. Between the
Chaldean star-gazer and the modern astrologer there lies to this day a wide
gulf indeed; and they wander, in the words of Albumazar, “‘twixt the poles, and
heavenly hinges, ‘mongst eccentricals, centres, concentricks, circles and
epicycles”, with vain pretence to more than profane human skill.
The
movable or natural Zodiac is a succession of constellations forming a belt of
in width, lying north and south of the plane of the ecliptic. The precession of
the Equinoxes is caused by the “motion” of the sun through space, which makes
the constellations appear to move forward against the order of the signs at the
rate of 501/3 seconds per year. A simple calculation will show that at this
rate the constellation Taurus (Heb. Aleph) was in the first sign of the
Zodiac at the beginning of the Kali Yuga, and consequently the Equinoctial
point fell therein. At this time, also, Leo was in the summer solstice, Scorpio
in the autumnal Equinox, and Aquarius in the winter solstice ; and these facts
form the astronomical key to half the religious mysteries of the world-—the
Christian scheme included.
Daksha, Rameshwara Temple (1)
The
Zodiac was known in Indiaand Egypt
for incalculable ages, and the knowledge of the sages (magi) of these
countries, with regard to the occult influence of the stars and heavenly bodies
on our earth, was far greater than profane astronomy can ever hope to reach to.
If, even now, when most of the secrets of the Asuramayas and the Zoroasters are
lost, it is still amply shown that horoscopes and judiciary astrology are far
from being based on fiction, and if such men as Kepler and even Sir Isaac
Newton believed that stars and constellations influenced the destiny of our
globe and its humanities, it requires no great stretch of faith to believe that
men who were initiated into all the mysteries of nature, as well as into
astronomy and astrology, knew precisely in what way nations and mankind, whole
races as well as individuals, would be affected by the so-called “signs of the
Zodiac”. (Theosophical Glorssary)
Blavatsky,
in discussing the symbolism of the first sign, Aries, mentions that symbol of
the Ram is present in mythologies of India,
Egypt, and Greece, as well
as Judaic and Christian traditions.
In
Hindu mythology, she mentions the myth of Daksha. In the epics and Puranic
scriptures, he is a son of the creator-god Brahma and the
father of many children, who became the progenitors of various creatures. According
to one legend, a resentful Daksha conducted a yajna
(fire-sacrifice), and deliberately did not invite his youngest daughter Sati and her husband Shiva. In the Linga
Purana, for insulting Shiva during this event, which caused Sati to
self-immolate in fury, he was beheaded by Virabhadra,
an attendant of Shiva. He was later resurrected with the head of a goat (Williams, George M. (27 March 2008). Handbook of Hindu Mythology. OUP USA. p. 261)
According to Blavatsky: ”Daksha, who is regarded as the Chief Progenitor, is, moreover, pointed out as
the creator of physical man in the “fable,” which makes him lose his head from
his body in the general strife between the gods and the Raumas. This head,
being burnt in the fire, is replaced by the head of a ram (Kasi-Khanda). Now
the ram’s head and horns are ever the symbol of generating power and of
reproductive force, and are phallic. As we have shown, it is Daksha who
establishes the era of men engendered by sexual intercourse. But this mode of
procreation did not occur suddenly, as one may think, and required long ages
before it became the one “natural” way.’ (Secret Doctrine 2, 182)
She
also mentionsl Agni: ‘The Hindu
god Agni, who presides at the sign of Pisces, next to that of Aries in their
relation to the twelve months (February and March), is painted of a deep red
color, with two faces (male and female), three legs, and seven arms; the whole
forming the number twelve. Agni is represented mounted on a ram, with a tiara
surmounted by a cross. (Isis Unveiled 2, 465)
Agni (3)
In
Vedic literature, Agni is a major and oft-invoked god along with Indra and Soma.Agni is
considered the mouth of the gods and goddesses and the medium that conveys
offerings to them in a homa (votive ritual).He is conceptualized in ancient Hindu texts to exist at three levels, on earth
as fire, in the atmosphere as lightning, and in the sky as the sun. This triple
presence accords him as the messenger between the deities and human beings in
the Vedic scriptures.
The relative importance of Agni declined in the post-Vedic era,as he was internalisedand his identity evolved to metaphorically represent all transformative energy
and knowledge in the Upanishads and later Hindu literature.
Agni remains an integral part of Hindu traditions, such as being the central
witness of the rite-of-passage ritual in traditional Hindu
weddings called Saptapadi or Agnipradakṣiṇam (seven steps and
mutual vows), in the Upanayana ceremony of rite of passage, as well being part
of the diyā (lamp) in festivals such as Deepavali and Aarti
in Puja.The design guidelines and specifications of his iconography are described
in the Hindu Agama texts. (Jansen, Eva Rudy (1993). The Book of Hindu Imagery: Gods,
Manifestations and Their Meaning. p. 64. )
Mesha (4)
She mentions the traditional Hindu astrological
attributions: ,’1. Mecha (Aries) is dedicated to Varuna’ (Isis Unveiled 1, 263). Subba Row gives his own esoteric account of the Hindu
astrological symbol:
1) Mêsha. One of the synonyms of this word is Aja.
Now, Aja literally means that which has no birth and is applied to the
Eternal Brahman in certain portions of the Upanishats. So the first sign
is intended to represent Parabrahmam, the Self- existent, Eternal,
Self-sufficient Cause of all. The Self-existent, eternal Brahman (The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac, The Theosophist, November, 1881).
Image References
(1) Rameshwara Temple, Keladi, Sunday, 17 June 2018
For the Spring Equinox chart, March 21, I wrote: 'We have a very interesting, intense chart (which can also serve as a preview of the whole semester) with a Mercury,
Sun, Neptune, Moon conjunction book-ended by
Pluto and Uranus sextiles and a Mars square to it. Moreover, it coincides with the New Moon. Besides the Sun, Saturn and Pluto shifts, three more planets will have changed signs within a three-week period (Venus in Taurus, March 16, Mercury in Aries, March 19, Mars in Cancer, March 26) for a total of seven changes between March 7 and March 26. Hang on to your seats folks, we could be in for a bumpy ride!'
Indeed, for the Spring semester, we have quite a lot of important aspects and events:
For the eclipses, near April
20 Total Solar Eclipse in Aries, there was a civil war flare-up in Sudan that began a week earlier. Moreover, a rocket ship blew up. Super Heavy's 33 powerful Raport engines malfunctioned on
ascent. For the May 5
Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio, the end of the COVID emergency was declared, and there was a shooting incident in Allen, Texas.
With Jupiter forming a square to Pluto, we
can be quite ambitious now, feeling that we can achieve virtually
anything we choose to do. However, while it may not come naturally,
treading lightly now is advised as it is easy to stir up opposition. We may take on too many interests,
activities, or desires under this influence. Exaggerating our
importance or power, either to ourselves or others, should be avoided.
Our belief system could be
challenged, and the need for a major attitude change arises. Instead, we
might have to face narrow-mindedness in others (or in ourselves).
Trying to force our beliefs on others will only lead to frustration. The
tendency now is to push too hard in general
and to ignore the critical details. Thinking in big terms is fine, as
long as we also consider the practical elements of any pursuit.
Expecting too much, too soon can unnecessarily bring us down.
There can be difficulties with legal, tax, insurance, publishing,
educational, or travel matters at this time. Different outlooks and
beliefs can cause deeper divides than usual. We might have conflicts
with others that lead to reputation problems. The desire to lead or
guide can be strong, but cynicism can get in the way of this urge.
Mistrust and cynicism with current systems and structures is likely. Dangers with this combination include self-importance, obsession, and
never really feeling content or satisfied.
Jupiter square Pluto on May 17, 2023, is the most significant planetary
aspect of the year. It will have a far more intense impact than usual
because Jupiter aligns with the April 20 solar eclipse,
which was also square Pluto. Jupiter square Pluto May 2023 amplifies the influence of the April 20 solar eclipse. Jupiter at 00♉43 aligns with the eclipse at 29♈50. And since the eclipse, Pluto has only moved from 00♒19 to 00♒18.
Jupiter square Pluto 2023 will give intense desires to become rich,
successful or famous. But ruthless behavior will have consequences.
Pluto will try to eliminate greed, corruption, immorality and other
negative manifestations of Jupiter. This means bankruptcies,
foreclosures, recession, falls in share prices, job losses and other
repercussions of corporate greed.
Another area on which you may focus your energy is philosophy or
religion. Religious mania or extremism are possible outcomes if you
remain single-minded and self-righteous. Instead of narrowing your field
of view, it is much better to gain more comprehensive knowledge.
Traveling and mixing with people from different backgrounds will help
you avoid any chance of bigotry, xenophobia, or other forms of
intolerance and ignorance.
May 14-28: Volatile Mars, Jupiter, Pluto T-square
With the exactMay 17 Jupiter square Pluto, May 20 Mars opposite Pluto, and
May 22 Mars square Jupiter, we have a rather tight T-square which is an intense, difficult pattern that brings much energy and resolution possibilities. Mars opposite Pluto in particular is one of the twelve most volatile astrological aspects (see my Mars square Pluto analysis). It is even more intense because the aspects occur on the cusp between two signs, just behind the Jupiter move from Aries to Taurus on May 16, a high-energy position, and Jupiter is close to the North Node.
Attached to the T-Square, we also have, interestingly, twotriangles
of potential,formed by the ubiquitous Pluto sextile Neptune, Mars trine Neptune, and Mars opposite Pluto. There also a triangle formed with Sun trine Pluto and Sun sextile Mars. Since we also have Sun sextile Neptune, more precisely, this is called a is a cradle aspect pattern, something that occurred recently on aMay 16, 2022 Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio. Thus, strongly connected Neptune and Sun bring helpful support for managing tough Mars opposite Pluto
It is possibly the most intense, volatile period of the year, but overall, the alignments are moving to more peaceful figures, especially when Pluto returns to Aquarius at the end of the year.
Mars opposition Pluto. Power struggles, “all or nothing” energy, the
desire to force one’s agenda meets with opposition and resistance. Do
what you can to avoid a contest of wills. The desire to get the upper
hand is strong, but it’s unlikely to happen under this influence. It
would be wise to observe whatever powerful feelings that confrontations
or conflicts arouse under this influence, as this transit has a way of
pulling out suppressed matter, or emotional “slush”. Passions run high,
and so does sexual energy.
Mars square Jupiter You may be overconfident at this time. Success and progress can
be had during this transit, but only if you apply moderation to your
efforts. Don’t force anything or anyone. It is too easy to come across
as threatening or overbearing at this time. You are restless in physical
terms and regarding your desire nature. You are looking for more
from life, but you may have a hard time satisfying your urges. You may
find yourself to be more adventurous on a sexual level. Be extra
cautious with regards to physical risks. Accidents are certainly not a
given during this transit, but they are more likely than usual. Your
restlessness can lure you into reckless situations.
Mars trine Neptune (May 15) We act on our intuition now, fantasies are
strong, we strive towards all that is boundless, and our creative
impulses are potent. We are less tense and driven, and more relaxed.
“What will be, will be” is the attitude now. Inspiration can be found
now. This transit favors dancing, swimming, photography, arts, and
entertainment.
Sun sextile Neptune (May 18) We’re at the right place at the right time,
probably because our hunches are more likely to be correct and we are
“tuned in”. We are inspired, and charitable acts now will serve to lift
our spirits like no drug can. A good time for self-improvement programs
or efforts. Instinctual judgment is enhanced under this influence. We
are able to see matters, and people, from a different perspective–one
that allows for, and even finds beauty in, differences.
Punishment is ever the immediate consequence of sin;
it is of its essence, not arbitrarily meted out, but the inevitable result of
the violation of law. The consequences of such transgression cannot be
altogether averted, though they may be palliated by remorse, the effect of
which is to breed a loathing for sin and a desire for good. This is the first
step, the retracing of false steps, the undoing of error, and by consequence
the creation in the spirit of another longing. The spiritual atmosphere is
changed, and into it good angels enter readily and aid the striving soul. It is
isolated from evil agencies. Remorse and sorrow are fostered. The spirit
becomes gentle and tender, amenable to influences of good. The hard, cold,
repellent tone is gone, and the soul progresses. So the results of former sin
are purged away, and the length and bitterness of punishment alleviated. This
is true for all time. It was on this principle that
we told you of the folly which dictates your dealings with the transgressors of
your laws. Were we to deal with the offenders so, there would be no
restoration, and the spheres of the depraved would be crowded with lost and
ruined souls. But God is wiser, and we are His ministers. (3)
