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| Photo by Nastya Dulhiier on Unsplash |
I have to say, at the outset, that the author's sources are not part of my particular area of interest. But I find the interpretations are very interesting. Especially my own and I thought the negative in particular had some truth to it. I also enjoyed the Hasbrouck's discussion of the world as it was prior to the second WW - especially in regard to scientific discovery.
Some of the cards listed seem inconsistent with the sign of the Zodiac with which they are associated but I've found that elsewhere. Her advice, as it pertains to me seems sound.
The assigned major arcana card for Leo is Strength and whatever my faults, I do consider myself to be a strong person. Sometimes too strong. The card for my particular birth date (August 22nd) is the 7 of Wands, which Hasbrouck calls the seven of Leo. By her interpretation this card is ruled by Mars and Mars is prominent in my birth chart. Positive attributes for this birth date follow:
"Leo Sevens are dominant, vital people, always ready for action, adventure - or a battle. They are energetic and enthusiastic, tireless themselves, they are capable of inspiring others to work with them [unless those others are offspring it seems] and for them. They have great charm, especially for the opposite sex. They are emotional, highly charged, and passionate in their personal affections. Their imaginations are vivid and creative, they tend to dramatize everything in life, from petty details to great enterprises. They have the ability for intense concentration, and when positive, they are entirely without fear. Under pressure, they exhibit great fortitude, and resourcefulness is one of their most valuable assets." Not so sure about the charm and would like to think I am not dramatic about everything but not necessarily all that far off otherwise!
The negative:
"They are fighters, taking, at all times, the opposition or the defensive. They are quarrelsome [want to argue with that but probably shouldn't], proud, touchy and obstinate. They lack the ability to co-operate with others, they desire always to dominate and direct. Their resourcefulness becomes mere excitability and impetuosity; they rush into action with considering the consequences. Wrong side out, they are apt to be cruel in personal relationships, especially where the emotions are involved. Their versatility leads them to scatter their energies so widely that the effort to concentrate on a number of things at the same time destroys their mental balance, making them highly irritable, nervous and unpredictable. It is difficult for them to coordinate their energies." Pretty on the mark though thankfully not always the case.
The author's comments:
"Their versatility is of an unusual type. Not only can they do a surprising number of different things, but they do them all astonishingly well, apparently without training or preparation. But the net result of this magic is rather likely to be that the roof is placed on an edifice built without foundations, so that the first storm blows it down. The imagination of the Leo Sevens knows no bounds. They have to learn to practice the art of doing one thing at a time [!], and of completing one job before they start the next one. The average Leo Seven leaves a trail of unfinished business."
"They take their knocks well, however, and no one of them has yet been found to be discouraged for more than a few hours." This last is not strictly true but close. Overall, I found the author's assessment fairly accurate - especially, unfortunately, some of the negatives. I found it encouraging as well.
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| Fig. 1 Signs of the Zodiac & the Constellations (modern) |
At the end of November I promised to write a blog entry about astrology. My intent was to work my way through the Marion March's 'The Only Way to Learn Astrology series book one and then discuss it. I have done some of book one, to date, but not a lot and while I would highly recommend this author she is not perhaps the best introduction to the field.
In particular I did not find her explanation of the astrological signs and their relation to the constellations basic enough for my purposes. I opted out of 'The Only Wayseries for the very user friendly KISS Guide to Astrology coupled with the Dummies book (Astrology for Dummies) but will be coming back to March when I feel I have a better handle on the basics.
So what did I learn from these books?
The first observation I would make about astrology is that it is somewhat complicated even without the math! Understanding how it all comes together required (for me) a three dimensional model like Figure 1 above. This is because an astrological chart takes into consideration two discrete planes (the houses and the signs) complicated by the precession of equinoxes. In this article I will do my best to describe my understanding of the signs, and their relation to the heavens.
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| Fig. 2 The Earth's Wobble (More info at oceanworld.tamu.edu) |
As just about everybody knows, the earth orbits and rotates and wobbles. The
effects of orbit and rotation create the seasons of the year and the 24 hour
day and is pretty straight-forward but the wobble (Fig. 2 above) can be
confusing. Imagine a top at the end of it's spin. The axis as it slows is no
longer straight up and down but begins to circle and this is basically what
the axis of the earth does though it is perceptible only over hundreds of
years (and relatively stable). The wobble is significant in this article
because it causes our view of the fixed stars to change over time.
Imagine yourself as a speck on the very tip of a wobbling top on your own kitchen table. As you wobble to the left, you see the cabinets, circling around to the right, you see the refrigerator. It is the same, over a much longer period of time, for our view of the fixed stars of the galaxy. This phenomena is applicable to the study of astrology only because the signs of the zodiac are named for certain fixed stars or groups of stars called constellations. It doesn't really matter where the stars are (relative to our location) because astrology confines itself to the influence of the Sun, Moon and planets of our surrounding solar system. It does create some confusion however because the signs are named for these constellations implying a connection that isn't really there.
The zodiac - comprising the twelve individual sun signs we are all familiar with - is an imaginary band which follows the elliptic or apparent path of the sun around the earth (this is the path shown in Fig. 1 which defines the seasons of the year). The band of the zodiac is divided into segments of 30 degrees (30 x 12 = the 360 degrees of circle) and each segment is given a name from Aries all the way around to Pisces (Fig. 1). The signs correspond to the seasons, solstices and equinoxes because of the oval shape of the elliptic in the same way that months of calendar correspond.
What makes this confusing in an astrological sense is the fact that these signs were originally named, some 4000 years ago by the Sumerians and Chaldeans, after the constellations (the cabinets or refrigerator of our wobbling top example) which appeared behind each signs 30 degree spot on the elliptic. 4000 years ago the sign of Aries stood before the constellation of Aries (at the equinox), for example, but this is no longer the case (Fig. 1).
If Leo is not really in Leo (or more correctly the segment of the Zodiac band called Leo does not line up with the distant constellation of Leo), skeptics argue, astrology doesn't work. Modern astrologers believe however that it is the motion of the planets in our solar systems that influences us, not the distant stars. They are concerned with the placement of the planets (including the luminaries of the Sun and Moon) in terms of the signs and houses.
The astrological houses are a second and separate category of placement and I think I'll try to write about that next post. My goal at this point is to develop a solid basic or overall understanding of the components of the birth chart. I am less troubled by the relationship of the astrological signs to the galaxy as a whole but still feel that there is something arbitrary in the inherent structure of the horoscope. It is important to remember that the constellations themselves have no real bearing on modern astrology. In this respect, precession does not necessarily negate the validity of astrology even if it does seemingly misplace the field.
Moving into 2011, I plan to look at Kabbalistic astrology beginning with
This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age. — Obi-Wan Kenobi
I have always identified with the Queen of Wands not only because I'm a Leo but because I'm strong and creative and a few other things that go along with that particular suit on a good day (and a bad one). From time to time however, I reflect upon the Queen of Swords and I recognize that this card represents me too, whether I want it to or not.
The suit of Swords is not a happy suit and we have only to look at Pamela Colman Smith's depiction of the cards it contains to understand that.
Traditionally Swords are associated with air, winter, wind, cold, strength, sharpness, intellect, independence, violence, loneliness, power and ruin—and Colman Smith has incorporated these themes into the Rider-Waite-Smith. And the RWS has become the tarot deck of choice for many readers as well as a interpretive point of departure for many alternative decks—with an emphasis on the negative.
I have never seen a person cheered by Colman Smith's Ten or Three of Swords!
The popular imagery of this suit is may appear tragic. So tragic that it is easy to forget that the symbolism of the suit would have been different when the cards were first introduced. They would have reminded people then of a passing age, where the sword was a weapon reminiscent of chivalry and the nobility. Some might have described the sword in the same way Obi-Wan Kenobi described the lightsaber.
When tarot was new, Wands, the suit of spring and creativity, victory and manifestation, would have been associated with the peasantry or at the very least, the craftsman. Cups, the modern suit of love and happiness—the clergy. Pentacles, which now suggest prosperity—the merchant class.
In this system then, Swords would have represented the class most respected by society at large. And, at its best, the suit is worthy of respect. It symbolizes strength, independence, intellect, and courage, and these are fine attributes in any estimation. Loneliness, as implied in a reading predominated by swords, may be a byproduct of these characteristics in the same way that violence and ruin can be a potential consequence of decisive action. And yet, I cannot dismiss the inherent sadness of this dark queen.
Perhaps it is only a product of the season. Winter is, in northeastern Appalachia, is an austere and unforgiving time that encourages introspection and dark thought. Even in our modern age, it is a season of survival, and I feel this very keenly when I force myself outside on the coldest days to walk the frozen ground.
It takes a certain degree of determination to live this season well and I think that is, on a level, what the symbolism of this suit is fundamentally about.
The Queen of Swords is an independent queen. She rules the wind, winter, and herself with a strong and not necessarily gentle hand, but she is the one I think most of us want to be when we face a challenge.
Representing, not only the nobility, intellect and the most difficult time of year in northern climates, she is courage, maturity and self-determination. I can draw very direct associations between this card and the season it represents. A time of year, but more significantly, a time of life.
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| The Strand Saturday Night |
It was a busy weekend – a short family vacation. Everyone had their own agenda and a window of time. Saturday afternoon was my turn.
I had a list of places to see. It included The Strand, a Botanica, a Persian Restaurant, China Town and possibly the Indian neighborhood near a friends' old apartment. The Botanica was first because it was on the way into the city.
I have a friend who likes Santeria and I wanted to pick up something for her and for myself. There is a small Botanica in NJ with a nice selection of incense and home-made candles and it was our plan to go there.
When we arrived however, the shop was closed. A second botanica nearby, sold mass produced candles and machine blended oils only. Somewhat daunted, we got an address for a third shop but were unable to locate it.
When we arrived however, the shop was closed. A second botanica nearby, sold mass produced candles and machine blended oils only. Somewhat daunted, we got an address for a third shop but were unable to locate it.
I have come to believe, as I’ve gotten older, that there is a current to things and I sincerely believe that it’s a spiritual current. This is not superstition, not “this is what is meant to be” - or at least not necessarily - but a kind of energy. Whether or not it is cognizant, whether or not it's destiny or great or small, it is very simply our own personal energy and mine just wasn’t cooperating!
We gave up on the candles and went into the city. There were lights and people and interesting restaurants. Afternoon turned into evening and the whether turned sleety. Hours later, after what seemed like miles of mid winter slush, we walked into the bright lights of The Strand, which if not the biggest used book store ever is certainly the biggest one I've ever been in. After the dark winter streets, it seemed crowded and cheery. There was an interesting occult section and in the end I found something connected to my cultural frame of reference.
I bought nothing to sell and nothing to give as a gift. The clock was ticking and we were tired and and hungry and in the end, picking one good book was enough. Being away from my usual routine I didn’t have a strong sense of the day but as I stood in line with my new book it occurred to me that what is open to us and what is closed has meaning.
That was Saturday and we didn't get a lot of news. Still reports filtered in via snatches of CNN playing in the hotel lobby and iPad updates. Things were happening in Egypt. Being on vacation made it seem even further away then it was in fact I think.
Sunday morning found us in the room in front of the television however. We heard that ordinary citizen's were putting their lives on a very literal line to stand between looters and the Cairo museum. Between the lines of courage and sweeping change and life and death, I was reminded how fundamentally important culture is to all of us.
I bought nothing to sell and nothing to give as a gift. The clock was ticking and we were tired and and hungry and in the end, picking one good book was enough. Being away from my usual routine I didn’t have a strong sense of the day but as I stood in line with my new book it occurred to me that what is open to us and what is closed has meaning.
That was Saturday and we didn't get a lot of news. Still reports filtered in via snatches of CNN playing in the hotel lobby and iPad updates. Things were happening in Egypt. Being on vacation made it seem even further away then it was in fact I think.
Sunday morning found us in the room in front of the television however. We heard that ordinary citizen's were putting their lives on a very literal line to stand between looters and the Cairo museum. Between the lines of courage and sweeping change and life and death, I was reminded how fundamentally important culture is to all of us.
I came home with my new book and some new ideas. I don’t know what it is about vacations but there is something about being free of the daily routine that encourages reflection and affords us the opportunity to see things from a slightly different perspective.
I'm always tired after a vacation and always glad to be back in my little backwater. Still it is nice to feel the shift from time to time!
I'm always tired after a vacation and always glad to be back in my little backwater. Still it is nice to feel the shift from time to time!
The new year is coming and I've been thinking a lot about time and cycles and beginnings and endings. Astrology seemed like a good topic numerically for the 12th month of the year, as well. I am going to do a couple of charts and hopefully learn a few things that might be of use to others.I'll be referencing The Only Astrology Book You Will Ever Need by Marion D. March. (I'm hoping that neither book is really the only way to learn and that they will complement each other.) I can tell already that Marion March's book is hard going. Though I don't doubt that a person would learn from it.
I have tried Astro123, and AstroWin. They are, I'm sure, quite accurate and they circumvent the math which is no small thing, but the stored latitude and longitude file is tiny. Astrolabe on the other hand has a online chart calculator with a larger data base. It provided the coordinates, a chart and a very basic report for free. I am going to try, I think, to use a combination of free software and books try to write my own report. The generated reports leave no room for intuition anyway.
I will also be wrapping up Mike Barra's book, The Choice, this month and commenting on that, and trying to get some kind of handle on astronomy but have not decided on a reference.
I read Isaiah today. The Chaldean sky scanners were not well thought of by the prophets. That's a fact but there is probably more to it. than just that fact. There are tons of things I don't know about the Chaldeans (commonly called Babylonians) and the Jews had plenty of reasons to dislike them.
Still the Chaldean's were astronomers and they had a knowledge base, as did the Sumerians, Maya and Egyptians. This makes it interesting to me and I hope to others. I'm going to look into it going forward.
What is the relationship - the real relationship - between the planets and our own personal human experience?
My interest in Astrology began in 1974 with the Linda Goodman classic, Sun Signs, and I have done a number of natal charts over the years for family and friends. First, the old fashioned long math method, then years later a free software called Astro-Lab.
I haven't done much with Astrology recently however and I'm thinking of changing that. A section in the book I'm currently reading (The Choice by Mike Bara) makes some interesting points about our solar system and has reawakened this old and very dear interest.
I haven't done much with Astrology recently however and I'm thinking of changing that. A section in the book I'm currently reading (The Choice by Mike Bara) makes some interesting points about our solar system and has reawakened this old and very dear interest.
The argument is part of Bara's case for hyper-dimensional physics and plugs into the solar fission theory with which he explains the creation of our solar system. In reading his book, I realize that I am at a disadvantage. I don't have the time, inclination or education to go off and check the math. But I like it in an intuitive sense.
I believe in cycles. So when Bara describes a solar system created by the star in the center of every ecliptic it makes sense to me. I know this is how things happen. But Bara makes it seem credible. When he talks about spin energy it makes sense to me. As do his views on harmony and dissonance, missing planets (well I'll go along with one), higher dimensions (26), and the life force and I'm going to blog on those things after I finish the book.
But back to astrology. There is an experiment (RCA Sunspot Study 1950), Bara says that demonstrates that radio waves are effected by the planets in a way not explained by conventional physics. He then compares radio waves to brain waves. and makes credible comparison's between astrology and astronomy. Suddenly astrology seems possible and that interests me - not necessarily in terms of my daily horoscope but in terms of 2012 which is I suspect what Bara is getting at.
Be that as it may, I have decided to get my birth chart done again. I will post highlights when it's complete.
Be that as it may, I have decided to get my birth chart done again. I will post highlights when it's complete.
The word scry (to see) found in reference to divination in several medieval texts including a 1549 narrative calling Thomas Malfrey and an unnamed woman "scryers of the glasse" (Oxford English Dictionary).
But the practice of scrying is much older, going back thousands of years to the land of ancient Egypt as evidenced in the biblical account of Genesis and beyond.
Genesis 44: 1. And he [Joseph] commanded the steward of his house, saying: 'Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. 2. And put my goblet, the silver goblet, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money.' And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 4. And when they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward: 'Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them: Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? 5. Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth?.
The use of the cup, while probably part of the "trick" Joseph played upon his brothers, is an obvious reference to scrying. One that Joseph expected his family, who were from far away Canaan, to understand. It seems likely that scrying was known in the ancient middle east and can be found in other sources such as the Persian Legend of the Cup of Jamshyd in which, it was said, the entire universe could be seen.
Divining by direct use of a physical object was undoubtedly performed by the ancient Israelites through the use of a pair of mysterious objects, called the Urim and Thummim. Carried in the breastplate of Aaron (Exodus 28) and subsequent high priests of Israel, these objects were used to answer questions of great importance but are never described.
Unfortunately, scholars are not in full agreement in regard to the linguistics making it difficult to speculate about the way they were used but it's likely that using these items was a variant on the ancient practice of casting lots which is still used today when working with the runes.
Unfortunately, scholars are not in full agreement in regard to the linguistics making it difficult to speculate about the way they were used but it's likely that using these items was a variant on the ancient practice of casting lots which is still used today when working with the runes.
Moving forward into the book of Exodus, a possible, albeit tenuous, association between pooling water and biblical prophecy appears in the story of Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses, called Miriam the prophetess (Exodus15:20).
Though no details of Miriam's prophecy in the biblical narrative, Jewish oral tradition (as contained in Sefer Ha-Aggadah) tells several such stories. It also tells of the Well of Miriam. Traditionally described as a literal portable source of water, which followed the Israelites through the desert for the forty years of their wandering. We are not told how transporting this portable well is done or why the well was associated with Miriam.
Did Miriam, or any other biblical figure for that matter, scry? The research is, as I see it, inconclusive. The cup of Joseph was I think, only a cup, and we have no idea how the Urim and Thummim of the high priests of ancient Israel were employed.
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