Stargram
Week of July 5
When I am in the senses’ heights
The Godhead’s word of truth
From fiery regions of the Spirit
Flames in my inmost soul:
‘Go search in spirit-fields,
With open heart, your spirit-kin’.
[From Calendar of the Soul, July 1–6]
Dear Friends,
Astrosophy is one such search in spirit-fields! Since the unveiling of the positions of the planets at the turning point of time, the study of star wisdom allows us to ‘walk with Christ’ in a wholly new way.
Last week we found Mercury and Venus in Cancer; Mercury moved retrograde through the first decan of the Crab while Venus sped through its last. Willi Sucher offered his insights into the zodiacal constellation of Cancer:
The Egyptians realized this constellation as the image of a scarabaeus. The scarab is a very common beetle which has the strange habit of making a ball of clay, sometimes bigger than the beetle itself, and rolling or pushing it along with great effort. Images of the scarabaeus have been found in sarcophagi. The dead were provided with them in order to find their way to the subterranean realm of Osiris—in other words, to find the ‘Sun shining through the Earth’. The beetle laboring with the Earth became a symbol of the promise of resurrection after death, after earthly struggle. . . . [In] the Crab, the ancient world saw a promise of the spiritual renewal of Earth existence. [Isis Sophia, p. 36]
On Sunday, these planets part ways: Mercury will back into Gemini (providing it with another month among the stars of the Twins) as Venus (ninety minutes later) will enter the realm of Leo. If any planet is up to the task of properly greeting the King, it’s fair Venus—for it is she who abounds in modesty and social graces. This is a highly compassionate placement for Venus, as evidenced by its presence in the first degree of the Lion at the birth of the Blessed Virgin.
As for our winged messenger (now in the last degree of Gemini), we’ll find Mercury in zodiacal alignment with the star Pollux, the brightest in the easternmost region of the constellation. The immortal Pollux, son of Zeus, implored his father to restore Castor to life after he was slain in battle. The condition for this request was that Pollux thenceforth had to spend half his time in Hades. Such was the depth of his love for his brother!
By Monday, the Sun will have reached 19° Gemini, the zodiacal longitude of the great star Sirius: known to the Egyptians as the ‘star of Isis’ and described by Rudolf Steiner as Zarathustra’s eternal star. When the Sun is thus aligned, it will simultaneously form a square aspect to Saturn (19° Pisces). Because a Sun-Saturn square was present throughout much of the Passion of Christ, we might for a moment turn from what we think we know about astrology toward what might be learned from its presence at the turning point of time. Might this aspect implore us to uphold our spiritual mission—no matter the trials that we thereby encounter? (So, too, was a Sun-Saturn square present at the birth of Kaspar Hauser.)
On Tuesday, we’ll find the Sun at 20° Gemini, the zodiacal longitude of the southern star Canopus, known to the Egyptians as the ‘star of Osiris’. (At this moment, the Moon will reach its Last Quarter at 20° Pisces.) Indeed, the Sun’s passage between the longitudes of the ‘star of Isis’ and the ‘star of Osiris’ marks a very special day in the year! Two healing miracles occurred when the Sun was closely aligned with these stars: the healing of the two blind boys (10/Jun/32) and that of the ten lepers (12/Jun/32).
Years ago, I took notes as Robert Powell spoke of Sirius and Canopus. He indicated that Sirius works down through the chakras (from crown to root, along the front of the body), while Canopus works upward through the chakras (along the spine). The pillars of Jachin and Boaz at the entrance to Solomon’s temple thus danced before my eyes—pillars that correspond to the pillars of mercy and severity within the Tree of Life.
The following are Robert Powell’s remarks about Steiner’s fourth apocalyptic seal (shown below, without color) in Cultivating Inner Radiance:
The fourth seal represents Earth evolution, which has no precedent. In this fourth seal, we see two pillars, one red [on the left] and one blue [on the right], with the red pillar representing the Tree of Knowledge and the blue pillar representing the Tree of Life. These pillars are ‘bookends’ of present Earth evolution. The Tree of Knowledge, being associated with the (first) Fall, [represents] the descending path, and the Tree of Life, brought to Earth by Christ, [represents] the ascending path. An alignment with Christ-consciousness brings the Tree of Knowledge into service with the ascending path. The descent into physical incarnation upon the Earth was represented symbolically by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil—the red pillar, resting on the sea. Now, with the coming of Christ, we have the possibility of nourishment from the Tree of Life, represented by the blue pillar (resting on the land), which will lead us upon the ascending phase of Earth. Christ comes into service on the ascending path of evolution. [p. 129]
May benediction find you, wherever you are!
~ Julie H.