The spiritual, mystical and esoteric symbolism of the Cross and the Crucifixion - Anna Kingsford

Anna Kingsford, The Perfect Way, Lecture 4, Part III, 20-37

Of Anna Kingsford's writings, Blavatsky stated: 'The first and most important was The Perfect Way, or the Finding of Christ, which gives the esoteric meaning of Christianity. It sweeps away many of the difficulties that thoughtful readers of the Bible must contend with in their endeavours to either understand or accept literally the story of Jesus Christ as it is presented in the Gospels.' She brings to an interestingly eclectic mix of Christian mysticism, Greek Hermetism, Christian Alchemy and Kaballah a wider appreciation of comparative religion, especially Hindu and Buddhist notions of karma and reincarnation along with modern theosophical notions of spiritual evolution. Although firmly rooted in a traditional Christian mysticism, she embraces more open notions of perennialism and evolution.

Introduction- The Cross

a- Cross and crucified, Universal symbols

The Cross and the Crucified are symbols which come down to us from prehistoric ages, and are to be found depicted on the ruined monuments, temples, and sarcophagi of all nations, – Coptic, Ethiopian, Hindu, Mexican, Tartar.

b- A Symbol of Initiation

In the rites of all these peoples, and especially in the ceremonials of initiation held in the Lodges of their Mysteries, the Cross had a prominent place. And this symbolism has been adopted by and incorporated into the Christian theosophy, not, however, through a tradition merely imitative, but because the Crucifixion is an essential element in the career of the Christ.

c- Cross symbol of equinoxes and solstices and has many microcosmic correspondences reflecting the macrocosm

The Cross of Christ is made by the sun’s equinoctial passage across the line of the Ecliptic, which indicates the axis of Heaven and Earth. It is present in nature as the magnetic forces of the earth, ice-crystals, snow flakes, the human form. It evokes the Tree of Life; the Mystery of the Dual Nature, male and female; the Symbol of. Humanity perfected, and of the Apotheosis of Suffering.

d- Fourfold Meaning,  the Divine Marriage

Fourfold in meaning, having four points, and making four angles, dividing the circle into four equal parts, the cross portrays the perfect union, balance, equality, and at-one-ment on all four planes, and in all four worlds – phenomenal, intellectual, psychic, and celestial – of the Man and the Woman, the Spirit and the Bride. It is supremely, transcendently, and excellently, the symbol of the Divine Marriage; that is, the Sign of the Son of Man IN HEAVEN. For the Divine Marriage is consummated only when the Regenerate Man enters the Kingdom of the Celestial, which is within. When the Without is as the Within, and the Twain are as One in Christ Jesus. 

The Fourfold Meaning of the Crucifixion

1- The natural and actual sense, the Crucifixion of the Man of God by the world

2- The intellectual and philosophical sense; the Crucifixion in man of the lower nature

3- The personal and sacrificial sense, the Passion and Oblation of the Redeemer 

4- The celestial and creative sense, the Oblation of God for the Universe

1- The natural and actual sense, the Crucifixion of the Man of God by the world

a- Scorn of the world

First in order, from without inwards, the Crucifixion of the Man of God implies that persistent attitude of scorn, distrust, and menace with which the Ideal and Substantial is always met by the worldly and superficial, and to the malignant expression of which ill-will the Idealist is always exposed

b- Via Dolorosa

And thus every great and merciful deed, every noble life, every grand and holy name, is stamped with the hall-mark of the Cross. Scorn and contumely and the cries of an angry crowd surround that altar on which the Son of God makes oblation of himself; and cross after cross strews the long Via Dolorosa of the narrow path that leadeth unto Life. 

2- The intellectual and philosophical sense; the Crucifixion in man of the lower nature. 

a- Victory over the old Adam of the earth

Yes, by blood and tears and suffering, and that not of the body only; for the Son of God, to attain that Sonship, must have first crucified in himself the old Adam of the earth. This is the second meaning of the Cross; it sets forth that interior process of pain which precedes regeneration; that combat with and victory over the tempter, through which all the Christs alike have passed; the throes of travail which usher in the New-Born.

b- Five wounds, five senses

And the crucified, regenerate Man, having made At-one-ment throughout his own fourfold nature, and with the Father through Christ, bears about in himself the “marks” of the Lord, – the five wounds of the five senses overcome, the “stigmata” of the saints. This crucifixion is the death of the body; the rending of the veil of the flesh; the uniting of the human will with the Divine Will; or, as it is sometimes called, the Reconciliation – which is but another word for the At-one-ment.

c- Transmutation, water into wine, Blood of Christ, inward purification by means of love

To live the Divine Life is to be partaker in the blood of Christ and to drink of Christ’s cup. It is to know the love of Christ which “passeth understanding,” the love which is Life, or God, and whose characteristic symbol is the blood-red ray of the solar prism. By this: mystical blood we are saved, – this blood, which is no other than the secret of the Christs, whereby man is transmuted from the material to the spiritual plane, the secret of inward purification by means of Love. For this “blood,” which, throughout the sacred writings is spoken of as the essential principle of the “Life,” is the spiritual Blood of the spiritual Life

3- The personal and sacrificial sense, the Passion and Oblation of the Redeemer

a- Wisdom and Love

This third aspect of the Cross is in itself two-fold, because Wisdom and Love, though one in essence are twain in application, since Love cannot give without receiving, nor receive without giving. We have, therefore, in this double mystery both the oblation and lifting-up of the Christ in Man, and the Passion and Sacrifice for others of the Man in whom Christ is manifest. For even as Christ is one in us are we one with Christ, because as Christ loves and gives himself for us, we also, who are in Christ, give ourselves for others. 

b- Salvation and transmutation by one’s own efforts

For that whereby a man is “saved” is his own re-birth and At-one-ment in a sense transcending the phenomenal. And this process is altogether interior to the man, and incapable of being performed from without or by another; a process requiring to be enacted anew in each individual, and impossible of fulfillment by proxy in the person of another.

c- Life of Jesus symbolizes the universal path of spiritual regeneration

True, the new spiritual Man thus born of Water and the Spirit, or of the Pure Heart and the Divine Life; the Man making oblation on the cross, overcoming Death and ascending to Heaven is named Christ-Jesus, the Only Begotten, the Virgin-born, coming forth from God to seek and to save the lost; but this is no other than the description of the man himself after transmutation into the Divine Image. It is the picture of the regenerate man, made “alive in Christ,” and “like unto him

d- Iesous, Issa, universal symbol of all Sons of God

For the Christos or Anointed, the Chrestos or Best, are but titles signifying Man Perfect; and the name of Jesus, at which every knee must bow, is the ancient and ever Divine Name of all the Sons of God – Iesous or Yesha, he who shall save, and Issa the Illuminated, or Initiate of Isis.

For this name Isis, originally Ish-Ish, was Egyptian for Light-Light; that is, light doubled, the known and the knowing made one, and reflecting each other. Similarly our affirmatives is and yes; because God is the supreme Affirmative and Positive of the universe, enlightening every soul with truth and life and power. God is the Sun of the soul, whereof the physical sun is the hieroglyph, as the physical man is of the true eternal spiritual Man. . But the negation of God is “Nay,” the Night, the Destroyer and the devil. The name therefore of Antichrist is Denial, or Unbelief, the spirit of  Materialism and of Death.

e- Renunciation

Christ Jesus, then, is no other than the hidden and true man of the Spirit, the Perfect Humanity, the Express Image of the Divine Glory. And it is possible to man, by the renunciation – which mystically is the crucifixion – of his outer and lower self, to rise wholly into his inner and higher self, and, becoming suffused or anointed of the Spirit, to “put on Christ,” propitiate God, and redeem the earthly and material. 

f- Christs redeem by giving their life to teach the path of spiritual redemption

And that which they who, in the outer manifestation, are emphatically called Christs – whether of Palestine, of India, of Egypt or of Persia, – have done for man, is but to teach him what man is able to be in himself by bearing, each for himself, that Cross of renunciation which they have borne. And inasmuch as these have ministered to the salvation of the world thereby, they are truly said to be saviors of souls, whose doctrine and love and example have redeemed men from death and made them heirs of eternal life. The Wisdom they attained, they kept not secret, but freely gave as they had freely received. And that which thus they gave was their own life, and they gave it knowing that the children of darkness would turn on them and rend them because of the gift.

g- The unreserved giving of the Love mystically called the Blood of Christ

The Christ gives and dies in giving, because Love constrains him and no fear withholds. And as the At-on-ment accomplished in and by the Christs, is the result of the unreserved adoption of the Divine Life, and of the unreserved giving of the Love mystically called the Blood of Christ, those who adopt that Life according to their teaching, and who aspire to be one with God, are truly said to be saved by the Precious Blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

h- Lamb of God, the spiritual sun in Aries

For the Lamb of God is the spiritual Sun in Aries, the spring-tide glory of ascending Light, the symbol of the Pure Heart and the Righteous Life, by which humanity is redeemed. It is Iesous Chrestos, the Perfect Yes of God who is symbolized by this white Lamb, and who, like his sign in heaven, was lifted up on the Cross of Manifestation from the foundation of the world. 

i- Creation by Evolution and Redemption Involution

For, as man is a Microcosm, and comprises within all that is without, the processes of Creation by Evolution, and of Redemption by Involution, occur in the Man as in the Universe, and thereby in the Personal as in the General, in the One as in the Many.

j- Salvation, Symbols of Inner Transformation

That from which he seeks to be saved is truly the Devil, who through the sin of the Adam has power over him; that whereby he is saved is the precious blood of the Christ, the Onlybegotten, whose mother is the immaculate ever-virgin Maria. And that to which, by means of this divine oblation, he attains is the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal Life

k- Process: 1 Fall, 2 the Exile, 3 the Incarnation, 4 the Passion, 5 the Crucifixion, 6 the Resurrection, 7 the Ascension, and 8 the coming of the Holy Spirit is symbolic.

For, such of us as know and live the inner life, are saved, but by the Christ-Jesus, the God with us, the Immanuel of the heart, born, working mighty works, and offering oblation in our own lives, redeeming us from the world, and making us sons of God and heirs of everlasting life. 

l- Redeeming evil in the world

But, if we are thus saved by the love of Christ, it is by love also that we manifest Christ to others. If we have received freely, we also give freely, shining in the midst of night, that is, in the darkness of the world. For so long as this darkness prevails over the earth, Love hangs on his cross; because the darkness is the working of a will at variance with the Divine Will, doing continual violence to the Law of Love. 

m- Wounded Heart of Christ

The wrongs of others wound the Son of God, and the stripes of others fall on his flesh. He is smitten with the pains of all creatures, and his heart is pierced with their wounds. There is no offence done and he suffers not, nor any wrong and he is not hurt thereby. For his heart is in the breast of every creature, and his blood in the veins of all flesh. For to know perfectly is to love perfectly, and so to love is to be partaker in the pain of the beloved. 

n- Ministering to the sorrows of the poor and oppressed

But, if he love perfectly, he shall be able to redeem; for strong Love is a Net which shall draw all souls unto him. Because unto Love is given all power, both in heaven and on earth; Seeing that the will of him who loves perfectly is one with the Will of God: And unto God and Love, all things are possible. 

4- The celestial and creative sense, the Oblation of God for the Universe

a- Pantheism

The celestial Olympus – Mount of Oracles – is ever creating; God never ceases giving of the Divine Self alike for Creation and for Redemption. God is in all things, whether personal or impersonal, and in God they live and move and have being. And that stage of purification through which the Cosmos is now passing, is God’s Crucifixion; the process of  Transmutation and Redemption of Spirit from Matter, of Being from Existence, of Substance from Phenomenon, which is to culminate in the final At-one-ment of the ultimate Sabbath of Rest awaiting God’s redeemed universe at the end of the Kalpa.

In the Man Crucified, we have, therefore, the type and symbol of the continual Crucifixion of God manifest in the flesh, God suffering in the creature, the Invisible made Visible, the Volatile Fixed, the Divine Incarnate, which manifestation, suffering, and crucifixion are the causes of purification and therefore of Redemption.

b- Six days of Creation – Passion Week – Decaying of matter

Thus, in the spiritual Sense, the six days of creation are always Passion Week, in that they represent the process of painful experience, travail, and passing through, whereby the Spirit accomplishes the redemption of the Body; or the return of Matter into Substance.

c- Eucharist – Bread and Wine, Spirit and Matter

For the Bread which is broken and divided for the children of the Kingdom is the Divine Substance, which with the Wine of the Spirit, constitute the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Communion of the Divine and the Terrene, the Oblation of Deity in Creation. 

d- Love of God, Image of God

We also beholding the glory of God with open face; may be transformed into the same Image, from glory to glory by the power of the Spirit. 

The Esoteric Meaning of the Crucifixion

The spiritual, mystical and esoteric symbolism of the Cross and the Crucifixion

The Symbolic, Mystical, Esoteric Meaning of the Resurrection, Part 1/2

The Spiritual Mystical, Esoteric Meaning of the Resurrection

 

Astrology: Jupiter Conjunct Neptune April 12, 2022

Give Peace a Chance

Spring has arrived and the astrological new year has begun with some forward-looking aspects to begin the new cycle, which marks the beginning of a very eventful five-week Easter period with two upcoming eclipses:

The Sun is in Aries from March 20-April 19. In Aries, the Sun is enthusiastic and spontaneous. We are motivated by the desire to conquer. We are more impulsive and have the urge to initiate. Aries is a sign that bounces back quickly–there is little in the way of shame with Aries. It is brave and pioneering, and somewhat innocent. We are direct and rather uncomplicated in our needs, but we can also be short-sighted and lack the desire to plan ahead. (Astrology Café)

Looking back at some aspects near the Spring Equinox, we have the Mars square Uranus exact on March 22, a very volatile aspect, and one could point to the plane crash in China that occurred the day before 

As an example of the  positive Piscean (Mars, Venus, Saturn in Aquarius) and Aquarian (Jupiter, Neptune in Pisces) energies, on April 2nd, Pope Francis gave an apology to Canadian Indigenous people for the Catholic Churche’s role in the forced assimilation and abuse of the residential school program 

Following the Jupiter-Uranus sextile, of February 17 (which foreshadowed the strong changes that saw the Russian-Ukraine affair break out), the next major aspect occurs just prior to the full Aries-Libra moon on April 16 (square to Pluto). We have:

Jupiter in Pisces Mysticism, sensitivity to the needs of others, and an awareness of karma (the link between the present and the past): these are your paths to spiritual growth now. Addressing these issues brings you gain and satisfaction at many levels. A tolerance for differences, an understanding of human frailties and shortcomings.

Neptune in Pisces Things spiritual and psychic take the driver’s seat of your imagination as you begin a new cycle. The fine arts and all manner of fantasies assume a larger-than-life importance. Surrendering to fate, karma, and other powers greater than merely mortal may be seen as the ultimate liberation. If all is Maya (illusion), what is the reality that gives rise to the world of appearances? (Astrology Café)

Jupiter Conjunct Neptune Transit

Compassionate and tolerant, Believes in humanity and life itself, or a guardian angel, Love of the underdog, Altruistic, Visionary, Easily moved, Seducible, Extremely sensitive.

Jupiter conjunct Neptune transit is a good time for spiritual self-development because you can more easily understand esoteric principles. You can absorb a variety of broad concepts and abstract ideas then merge them into your philosophical or religious belief system.

Travel, adventure, or spiritual groups may interest you but listening to your intuition will teach you plenty. Dreaming, meditation and psychic revelations may also help you grow spiritually.

Having unrealistic expectations is a possibility as you will generally be feeling optimistic and lucky. You are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories or be brainwashed by charismatic cult leaders.

The Jupiter Neptune conjunction on April 12, 2022, is at 23°58′ Pisces. It stays within a 1° orb from April 7 to 17. It is at the midpoint of Sun sextile Saturn. This is very positive as it helps materialize in practical form, the most positive manifestation of Jupiter conjunct Neptune. (Astrology King)

With Jupiter forming a conjunction to Neptune, idealistic and humanitarian goals or impulses surface. A spirit of altruism and generosity, making connections with others from a different background, widening our minds through unusual or different experiences, expanded faith, and a feeling that anything is possible if we believe in it are all themes.

Practical considerations could take a back seat now. We more easily make personal sacrifices for what we believe to be the better good. Everyday, ordinary life doesn’t satisfy, as we hunger for a more idealistic life. This can certainly lead to disappointment or strong feelings of discontent and restlessness. We may need a reality check in order to keep our expectations realistic. Caution should be exercised with legal matters, finances, and other worldly, practical affairs, as the tendency to ignore critical details or to take foolish risks runs high. (Astrology Café)

Planets in Signs

Mercury is in Taurus from April 10-29. Our thinking is down to earth, solid, and grounded. Common sense reigns over more fanciful thinking. We communicate more deliberately under this influence, and our minds are oriented to the world of the five senses. We prefer the tried and true rather than new ways of thinking. We may be in danger of narrow, overly conservative, or rigid thinking.

Venus is in Pisces from April 5-May 2. Venus in Pisces is tender and affectionate, although hard to reach, as there is a longing for something that is difficult to define and hard to satisfy Venus is exalted in Pisces and does well in the sign. It’s devoted, compassionate, exceptionally giving, and capable of sacrifice. The shadow side of this position is allowing ourselves to be deceived because we want to believe, as well as evasiveness. Borders and boundaries blur under Venus in Pisces. Money may slip through our fingers, or we could turn a blind eye to some of the practical elements of our lives now.

Mars is in Aquarius from March 6-April 14. Dynamic yet erratic energy levels, achieving our goals through hit or miss tactics, and impersonal expression of anger are characteristics of Mars in Aquarius. We are team players–cooperative and less concerned about personal power. We are attracted to unconventional methods, and we tend to approach problems from an intellectual, detached perspective during the Mars-in-Aquarius cycle.

Saturn in Aquarius Ideals are in for a period of testing, as a new phase begins in your life. What are principles worth, unless they are put into practice? That’s an important question for you now. This could mean you may be disappointed by causes you believe in – but if you abandon your principles, you lose.

Uranus in Taurus Practicality and ingenuity combine as powerful drives in your life now that you have begun a new cycle. Taking innovative concepts and making them real and practical is your strong suit; getting stuck in the mud is to be avoided at all costs. Financial savvy, inventiveness, worldly genius.

Pluto in Capricorn As this new phase dawns for you, the pursuit of social/political power and status has a way of seeming necessary and inevitable – and let nothing stand in its way. It starts out small but has bigger consequences than you’d think. Ambition, responsibility, a place for everyone, and everyone in their place…(Astrology Café)

Upcoming

Apr 30 – Solar Eclipse
May 03 – Jupiter sextile Pluto
May 16 – Lunar Eclipse  

Bhagavad Gita Summary - Book Nine. Raja Vidya Raja Guhyayoga (The Yoga of Sovereign Science and Sovereign Secret)

This chapter and the next deal with the monist nature of the divinity in its immanent aspect. Paving the way for the mystical transcendent vision of the divinity, accessible through a path of knowledge through devotion.

1- Brahma-Jnana is the best Religion. (1-3)

I. To thee who dost not cavil, I shall now declare this, the greatest secret, knowledge combined with experience, which having known thou shalt be liberated from evil.

2- The Universe (4-10)

All beings rest in the Lord. (4-6)

Having prepared Arjuna (to listen to the Doctrine) by extolling it, the Lord says: 

4. By Me all this world is pervaded, My form unmanifested. All beings dwell in Me; and I do not dwell in them. All this world is pervaded by My Highest Being, My form being invisible to the senses.

In Me, of unmanifested form, dwell all beings from Brahma down to the plant. No being devoid of the Self can ever become an object of experience. Wherefore they dwell in Me, i. e., they are self-existent (or have an individual existence) through Me, the Self, (i. e., they are what they are in virtue of Me, the Self, underlying them all.) 'Since I am the Self of all those beings, it would seem to the deluded as though I dwell in them. Wherefore I say : I do not dwell in those beings, because of the absence of contact with others, unlike corporeal things. I am, certainly, the innermost essence even of the akasa. That which is unconnected with any object cannot I indeed be contained anywhere as though in a receptacle. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

5. Nor do those beings dwell in Me ; behold My Divine Yoga! Sustaining all beings, but not dwelling in them, is My Self, the cause of beings. The Lord is the source and the end of all beings.

The ancient teaching which Krishna once more enunciates is that all forms of every kind proceed from One Universal Source; the life of each is hidden in and sustained by that Source—the One Life. The power to perceive and expand its range of perception and expression is the same in all beings and forms; the degrees of perception and expression are shown in the innumerable classes of beings it is this power that is behind all evolution— the unfolding from within outwards. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 158)

The Lord is the source and the end of all beings. (7-8)

7. All beings, O son of Kunti, go into My Prakriti at the end of a kalpa. I send them forth again at the beginning of (the next) kalpa.

This living and non-living universe is created by Me only through the establishment of Prakriti therefore with this logic I am the cause of its creation. Therefore understand in the light of Knowledge the Divine principle that all living things are in Me but I am not in them or (going still further), all living things are not in Me and I am not in them. Do not forget this fundamental thing which is My most guarded secret which you should enjoy through Meditation after shutting of your sense-organs. Nobody can understand My true nature unless this is understood. Normally, it is thought that this principle is understood through logic but it is useless unless it is experienced. (Dnyaneshwari; 9:132-140, transl. M.R. Yardi)

The Lord is not bound by His acts. (9-10)

10. By Me presiding, Prakriti produces the moving and the unmoving; because of this, O son of Kunti, the world revolves.

Similarly, all the knowledge and behaviour of those who have no control on their mind becomes useless. They are caught in the grips of Prakriti thus getting entangled in worldly affairs and their mind gets afflicted by the Tama attribute affecting their reason and discrimination. Desire and violence generate dissatisfaction in them leading to unrighteous behaviour. Knowledge is destroyed by hate. Persons with materialistic thinking are specially victims of Prakriti and are affected by delusion. Affected by Tama attribute they cannot be saved by righteous thinking and are lost. (Dnyaneshwari; 9:178- 185, transl. M.R. Yardi)

3- Different kinds of worshippers (11-26)

The life of the impious.  (11-12)

12. Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge, devoid of discrimination, partaking only of the delusive nature of Rakshasas and Asuras.

And Arjuna, they keep their body and mind in complete control and sitting in vajrasana position and practising pranayama they go in samadhi state and experience complete Self-realisation in the light flashes of  Kundalini helped by the mind and the life-force. Thus the path of devotion is deep and mysterious and those who follow it realise that I completely pervade everything living and nonliving. From Brahmadeo to the tiny gnat and the creatures between these two extremes are all My forms. They thus identify everything with My form and respect it. To be humble and polite to every living being becomes their nature. Thus I have explained to you the nature of the great devotion. Now I shall tell you about those who worship Me through performance of Yajna or sacrifice of Knowledge (i. e. through the path of Knowledge) though I have already told you about this earlier (4th chapter). (Dnyaneshwari; 9:212-229, transl. M.R. Yardi)

The ways of the faithful devotees. (13-15) 

13. The Mahatmans, O son of Pntha, partaking of the nature of the Devas, worship Me with mind turned to no other, knowing (Me) as the imperishable source of all beings.

All worship goes to the Lord. (16-18) 

18. I am the Goal, the Sustainer, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Shelter and the Friend, the Origin, Dissolution and Stay ; the Treasure-house, the Seed imperishable. 

The fruits of interested acts of Vedic ritual. (20-21) 

20. Men of the three Vedas, the soma-drinkers, purified from sin, worshipping Me by sacrifices, pray for the goal of heaven ; they reach the holy world of the Lord of the Gods and enjoy in heaven the heavenly pleasures of the Gods.

This Yajna of knowledge is as follows. The original thought that I am one but I desire to be many is the pole for tying the sacrificial animal and dualism is that animal. The five elements are the pandal (temporary enclosed shelter), the special attributes of the five elements namely the five organs and the five types of vital breaths (Pranas) are the material to be used in the yajna and ignorance is the ghee (clarified butter used in Indian households for cooking and for lamps) to be burnt in it. 

In this Yajna, the mind and the intellect are the two pits in which the fire of knowledge is ignited. The feeling of equanimity towards pleasure and pain is the altar. The dexterity of the intellect to discriminate is the Mantras in the yajna. Peace is the pair of vessels sruka and sruva used in the yajna. The seeker is the host who performs the yajna. Using the vessels of experience, the mantra of discrimination and rituals of Knowledge, he sacrifices the dualism and destroys the ignorance and then what remains is only the host and the rituals. And when the seeker gets the purifying bath by the water of Self-realisation then he does not find the elements, organs and their objects to be separate from each but considers all of them to be one. When he experiences Brahman in the entire universe the talk of his being an individual living being ends and he believes that from Brahmadeo downwards the Supreme Soul has pervaded everything. Thus some people worship Me by attaining Brahman through the yajna of Knowledge. (9:239- 248)

The Supreme watching over His devotees' interests. (22)

22. Those men who, meditating on Me as nonseparate, worship Me all around,—to them who are ever devout, I secure gain and safety.

I serve those who have completely surrendered to Me, who think there is nothing better than Me, consider that their whole life belongs to Me and thus, with extreme faith meditate on Me and worship Me. When they accepted the path of My worship, at that time itself the responsibility of taking their care in all respects fell on Me and I was compelled to do what they should have done for themselves. Just as mother bird takes complete care of her babies who have not yet developed wings and lives only for them, I also take care of My devotees who have kept complete faith in Me. If they want moksha (liberation) leading to oneness with Me, I take them towards it and if they like to serve Me then I offer them My love. I give them whatever they want and having given, I guard it also for them. I provide maintenance to all those who give themselves to Me completely. (Dnyaneshwari, 9:335-343, transl. M.R. Yardi)

Other devotees do but worship the Supreme in ignorance. (23-25) 

23. Even those who, devoted to other Gods, worship Them with faith, worship Myself, O son of Kunti, in ignorance.

4- Bhakti Yoga, The Yoga of Devotion (26-34)

 Facility in Devotion to the Supreme. (26-28) 

27. Whatever thou doest, whatever thou eatest, whatever thou sacrificest, whatever thou givest, in whatever austerity thou engagest, do it as an offering to Me. 

Whatever thou doest of thy own accord [i.e., not enjoined in the sistra) and whatever thou offerest in sacrifice as enjoined in the sruti or the smriti, whatever thou givest — such things as gold—to the brahmanas and others, ...do all that as an offering to Me. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

28. Thus shalt thou be liberated from the bonds of actions which are productive of good and evil results; equipped in mind with the Yoga of renunciation, and liberated, thou shalt come to Me. 

Then, just as a roasted seed does not germinate, the actions offered to Me do not bear fruit. Arjuna, it is only when Karma remains that it gives rise to fruits of happiness and sorrow and leads to rebirth in order to go through them. On the other hand, if the action is offered to Me then immediately the rebirth is avoided and one is saved from the pains accompanying it. Therefore Arjuna, avoid getting trapped into the bonds of the body and thus getting drowned in the ocean of happiness and sorrow and so by following this easy path become one with Me. (Dnyaneshwari; 9:402-406, transl. M.R. Yardi)

The impartiality of the Supreme. (29) 

29. The same I am to all beings ; to Me there is none hateful or dear ; but whoso worship Me with devotion, they are in Me, and I am also in them.

Even the Low-born attain salvation by Devotion. (30-32)

32. For, finding refuge in Me, they also who, O son of Pritha, may be of a sinful birth—women, vaisyas as well as siidras,—even they attain to the Supreme Goal.

The Yoga of Devotion. (33-34)

34. Fix thy mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Thus steadied, with Me as thy Supreme Goal, thou shalt reach Myself, the Self.

The real “worship”, is devotion to an ideal. Here “the Self of All” is the ideal, and the action indicated is to think and act for, and as, the One Self in all things, without self-interest in the results. We are not attached to results by our acts, but by our thoughts; freedom comes from a renunciation of self-interest in the fruit of actions. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 163)

Astrology: Spring Equinox, March 20, 2022, part 2

War and Peace

On February 24, Russia began military offensives in Ukraine that sent most of Europe into political turmoil. This post aims at presenting some short observations on the astrological factors related to this crisis. I had noted the festering tensions in a post the week prior:

In a previous post I wrote:’’Judging from the previous ones, the third and final Saturn-Uranus square (December 24, 2021) could bring some heavy difficulties, but it is also an opportunity to come to terms with the previous conflicts. It can be considered as a final reality check before this aspect gradually fades, embarking on a new, optimistic, constructive phase that the Jupiter-Saturn cycle brings.’’

The exact Jupiter sextile Uranus may give the protesters a boost of enthusiasm and new ideas, although it might likely give a greater boost to the law-enforcement strategies, due to the inherently conservative, rigid stance of the protest under a waning Saturn-Uranus aspect that fuelled it. It's possible that this new aspect could also see a significant shift in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has been festering since the end of December. 

Therefore despite, the chaotic phase we are going through, I still consider this new aspect to be a more specific beginning of a more optimistic, progressive phase related to the new Jupiter-Saturn cycle. The upcoming Apr 12 – Jupiter conjunct Neptune aspect will bring a strong spiritual influence, although the difficult conditions of the Saturn-Uranus square with Jupiter in Pisces will return briefly at the of the year.

Note also an astrological aspect for February 23:

Mercury square Uranus. New info can surface that upsets status quo

A precision about what I mean about the Jupiter-Saturn cycle: The first ten years can be characterized as predominantly Jovian, followed by a decade predominantly Saturnian. The optimistic Jupiter phase doesn’t necessarily preclude warfare, as it can be considered an extreme manifestation of Jovian over-zealousness, often ideologically influenced. (And there is a complex political-religious subtext to this crisis). It can be compared to the ill-fated American-led occupation of Afghanistan that book-ended the previous Jupiter-Saturn cycle. Unfortunately the Jovian phase often sees examples of excessive, misguided optimism, that end up being radically re-adjusted during the stern, realistic Saturn phase.

It is also possible to connect this crisis with an event previously noted:

Solar Eclipse, December 3, 2021 - There is increasing concern over the potential for Russian aggression against Ukraine. Russia has rapidly escalated its military presence along the countries' shared border, amassing up to 175,000 troops there.

According to Astrology King:

The December 4 solar eclipse and the November 19 lunar eclipse form an eclipse phase that lasts until the solar eclipse on April 30, 2022.

Aquarius and Pisces Stellia

The two powerful stellia in the Spring Equinox chart indicate a strong humanistic, compassionate, social, global solidarity against the invasion. The chart around the new moon on March 2 captures one of the strongest moments of the stellia, with a conjunction of five planets in Aquarius and four planets in Pisces, and actually all nine planets could be considered in conjunction with each other. This moment coincided with a record United Nations vote supporting a resolution against Russian aggression in Ukraine and also a strong vote to end plastic pollution.

US Pluto Return

The US Pluto return on February 22 (more accurately, Feb. 20), coincided quite closely with the Russian invasion, so there would seem to be a connection. As noted, one could see a parallel with the Afghanistan occupation which marked the previous Jupiter-Saturn cycle.

How long will it last

The Spring chart is quite intense, with a tight Moon-Pluto square and a fairly tight Venus conjunct Mars square Uranus, so it would seem to indicate passionate, deceitful, volatile conflict in effect for the next three months. The Summer solstice seems less conflictual, but has a difficult Mars-Pluto square, and by the Fall equinox, the Saturn-Uranus square will be in effect again, with a two degree orb.

I tend to connect these events to a waning energy of rebellion dating back to Uranus-Pluto squares of 2012-15 (marked by the Russian annexation of Crimea in Ukraine) and ending with the recent Saturn-Uranus square. That square is still currently in an eight degree orb, still relatively close, so it can still have some strength and Pluto is still in Capricorn (November 26, 2008 – March 23, 2023; Sept 1, 2024 – November 19, 2024), (driving ambition for political power) which I consider to be another factor (and as it nearing the cusp of the sign, it's influence is stronger).

The Syria situation shows that Russia can remain entrenched in long, complicated, violent conflicts. Whether the current situation ends in an eventual short-term takeover by Russia, or a negotiated settlement is reached, or if it becomes a long-term occupation affair like Afghanistan, is hard to say. Although overall, the planetary aspects will be evolving toward more peaceful figures over the next year, it seems possible that intense violent fighting could continue until Pluto leaves Capricorn on March 23, 2023, at which time the Saturn-Uranus square will have also faded. Hopefully, the very positive Aquarius and Pisces energies can help bring about a peaceful resolution sooner.

for a more detailed chart analysis, see:

https://astrologywithandy.com/2022/03/11/the-astrology-of-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/#more-443

Astrology: Spring Equinox, March 20, 2022, part 1

Renewal and Resistance

Welcome to the Spring! It has been a long, difficult Winter season, with many Covid-related complications and political turmoil, but the pandemic problems have been easing up and the new season has many positive developments to offer.

This chart (which can be considered a kind of snapshot of the next quarter) is very powerful because there are two stellia formations (at least three planets in conjunction), one stellium in Aquarius, the other in Pisces, and the remaining aspects all more or less form aspects to these two groups of planets. Moreover, there are four very tight aspects, so the chart can be analyzed in four parts.

1- Moon (in Libra) square Pluto (in Capricorn)

Moon in Libra is about solving problems through diplomacy, using relationship skills. Pluto in Capricorn is about a driving ambition for political power. Moon square Pluto is about complicated emotional struggles, financial struggles, obsessions, with jealousy, suspicions, intrigues, with mind games. It can be a time of intensity in relationships and a time of deep personal transformation. Overall, this gives a conflict of diplomacy versus political power that brings out deep, complicated emotional baggage and manipulation.

2- Mars (in Aquarius) square Uranus (in Taurus)

With Mars in Aquarius, there’s a drive for reform, invention and engineering and a need to assert one’s individuality and freedom. Uranus in Taurus brings a practical sense of innovation including finances. Mars square Uranus brings a sense of frustration, restriction, a forceful expression of the need for independence and originality, and a general sense of rebellion, impatience, and risky impulsiveness. Moreover, this aspect is one the twelve more volatile aspects in astrology (comprised of oppositions and squares with any combination of Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto) with violence, accidents, surprises, natural disasters. It is somewhat easier to see the effects of these aspects as the more spectacular ones tend to give heavy media coverage.

This aspect is one part of a Mars-Venus-Saturn stellium in Aquarius, which serves to galvanize the Aquarian energies, which is focused on progressive, collective ideals. Mars and Venus bring a very emotional, passionate quality to this, but a dominant Saturn here tends to mute or even frustrate those energies, but also provides balance and focus. This stellium can also serve to re-activate the Saturn-Uranus square to a certain extent. Overall there is a desire to express one’s originality and social freedom, that often feels frustrated and repressed.

3- Sun (in Pisces) sextile Pluto (in Capricorn)

Sun in Pisces gives an  inclusive compassionate, sense of  empathy and tolerance. There is a self-sacrificing spiritual outlook, with an abstract, holistic outlook. Pluto in Capricon, gives a drive and ambition for social and political power and deep organizational transformation. With Sun sextile Pluto there is a strong drive for pursuing transformative ideals of self-respect, empowerment and honesty, with a need to renew relations with authority figures. This idealistic impetus can be overwhelming and there is can be a tendency for overbearing excessiveness.

This aspect is part of a larger Sun, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury stellium in Pisces, which galvanizes the Pisces energy very strongly. An idealistic, mystical, spiritual outlook is prevalent with an very intuitive feeling. Compassion and empathy are strong, with a effusive, eloquent communication and interaction. Artistic creativity is very inspired. There may be tendencies for being impractical, absent-minded, vague, confused and imprecise. There could be tendencies for delusion, fanaticism and paranoia as well.

4- Mercury (in Aquarius) sextile Uranus (in Taurus)

Mercury in Aquarius brings an intuitive, eloquent, communicative sociability. Uranus in Taurus brings a practical innovative knack. Mercury sextile Uranus encourages meetings and social interactions. Topics of science and metaphysics are favoured. Fertile for intuitive, original progressive ideas. Unexpected gains could occur.

This is aspect is again part of the larger Sun, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury stellium and so brings a strong impetus for innovation and transformation in terms of compassionate spiritual values and holistic, global perspectives. (See also  the recent Jupiter sextile Uranus post).

Summary

With Sun, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury stellium in Pisces, the Spring rebirth period is certainly bringing an exceptional opportunity of strong spiritual renewal and growth. As positive opportunities inevitably entail a shadow side, lately Mars (currently close to Pluto and Saturn) has been re-igniting energies of rebellious power struggles (how this affects the current Russian invasion of Ukraine will be the topic of the next post), which bring obstacles  that need to be addressed (which can involve untangling deep issues in past relationships) as some of the year's most important favourable aspects are due to occur in the upcoming weeks: 

Apr 12 – Jupiter conjunct Neptune
Apr 30 – Solar Eclipse
May 03 – Jupiter sextile Pluto
May 16 – Lunar Eclipse  

References 

https://cafeastrology.com/

painting by: Mikhail Vrubel , Kiev 1887

Addendum 

This chart has an interesting (and very tight), but more obscure triangle pattern comprised of the Moon square Pluto, Moon Quincunx Sun, and  Sun sextile Pluto aspects. This can be interpreted in the following three-point resolution process:

Conflict:  diplomacy versus political power, complicated emotional struggles

Striving for resolution: accepting your needs for autonomy and self-expression and your needs for comfort and closeness 

Harmonization: pursuing transformative ideals of self-respect, empowerment and honesty, with a need to improve relations with authority figures.