{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_70749/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_70749","id":"gutenberg_70749","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70749","summary":null,"tags":["Cabala","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Occultism","Symbolism","Symbolism of numbers"],"text":"COSMIC SYMBOLISM\n\n\n\n\n                            COSMIC SYMBOLISM\n\n               BEING A DISCUSSION AND EXPOSITION OF SOME\n                RECONDITE AND OBSCURE POINTS IN THE ART\n                   OF THE KABALISTS, THE MYSTERIES OF\n                      SOUND, FORM AND NUMBER, AND\n                        THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF\n                            COSMIC SYMBOLISM\n\n                                   BY\n\n                               SEPHARIAL\n\n      AUTHOR OF \u201cA MANUAL OF OCCULTISM,\u201d \u201cTHE KABALA OF NUMBERS,\u201d\n          \u201cKABALISTIC ASTROLOGY,\u201d \u201cA NEW MANUAL OF ASTROLOGY,\u201d\n                       \u201cSECOND SIGHT,\u201d ETC., ETC.\n\n\n                                 LONDON\n                      WILLIAM RIDER & SON, LIMITED\n                        8 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.\n\n                                  1912\n\n\n\n\n                                CONTENTS\n\n\nINTRODUCTION 1\n\nI THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF OCCULTISM 4\n\nII THE PROBLEMS OF SCIENCE 15\n\nIII THE MODERN MIRACLE 26\n\nIV THERAPY\u2014ANCIENT AND MODERN 33\n\nV THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM 44\n\nVI COSMIC SYMBOLOGY 56\n\nVII READING THE SYMBOLS 65\n\nVIII ANCIENT AND MODERN EXAMPLES 75\n\nIX A TYPICAL CASE 86\n\nX THE LAW OF CYCLES 96\n\nXI THE TIME FACTOR IN KABALISM 109\n\nXII INVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION 118\n\nXIII PLANETARY NUMBERS 127\n\nXIV SOME FURTHER KABALAS 139\n\nXV PLANETARY SOUNDS 153\n\nXVI PLANETARY HOURS 161\n\nXVII CELESTIAL MAGNETIC POLARITIES 171\n\nXVIII VULCAN THE CHAIN MAKER 179\n\nXIX ALFRIDARIES 190\n\nXX IN THE LUMBER ROOM 199\n\nXXI THE LAW OF VIBRATIONS 201\n\nXXII THE EQUALIZATION OF EPOCHS 219\n\nXXIII LUNAR INFLUENCE 229\n\nXXIV SOLAR INFLUENCE 241\n\nXXV ASTROLOGY 251\n\nXXVI CHARACTER AND ENVIRONMENT 264\n\nXXVII THE LAW OF SEX 274\n\nXXVIII A TEST OF VALUE 285\n\n\n\n\n                              INTRODUCTION\n\n\n\u201cThere is no end to the writing of books,\u201d we are told. Certainly it\nseems to be the fact that one book leads to another, and the many\ndemands made upon me for explanations of points, problems and paradoxes,\ncontained in some of my recent works, have induced me to a comprehensive\neffort in the present volume. Whether I shall have succeeded in throwing\nmore light upon the dark problems of Occultism, or only in making\nconfusion worse confounded, it is for the reader to judge. \u201cAll truth is\nparadoxical,\u201d says Laotze, the great philosopher of Quietism. In such\ncase it were hard indeed to offer any argument which may be regarded as\nfinal and conclusive, and especially is this the case in reference to\nthe debatable ground of Occultism.\n\nYet a very wise writer has said that nothing can be accepted as true\nwhich does not submit to a mathematical statement. This is a tacit\nconfession of faith in the law of numerical ratios, the geometry of the\nuniverse which underlies all revelation. We cannot truly be said to know\na thing until we have reduced it to a mathematical concept.\n\nWe may conveniently regard life as manifesting in three stages or\ndegrees, namely, Principles, Causes and Effects. Our conscious relation\nto these three stages of life gives rise to Ethic, Philosophy and\nScience.\n\nScience is what we know of the universe; philosophy what we think of it;\nethic, how that thought affects our conduct. Thus the final appeal is to\nutility. The virtue of everything is in its use. Science, philosophy and\nethic must eventually submit to the test of utility.\n\nIt is not for the sake of the mathematical statement, nor yet for the\npleasure of abstract argument, but chiefly for the sake of utility that\nI have attempted this popular exposition of Occultism, for I think it\ndeserves more attention than has hitherto been given to it.\n\nThe idea that Occultism serves any useful end in life may not at once\nappeal to the casual reader. The deeper thinker will, however, discern\nin any coherent system of thought, in any orderly statement of fact, a\npossible means of self-adjustment to the problems of life, howsoever\ndimly apprehended. To the categorical imperative of Kant\u2014I must because\nI ought, but why ought I?\u2014Occultism offers a very definite answer. It\ngives a cogent reason for all action, and may indeed be finally judged\non its ethical value. It will not be found inadequate.\n\nPurposive action has no value without free will in man. That \u201cfree will\nin man is necessity in play\u201d is true only of those who are not divine\nconspirators. We are fated to the extent that we are ignorant of the\ncosmical and spiritual laws\u2014the one order is a reflex of the other\u2014by\nwhich the universe is upheld. We are culpable to the extent that we\nneglect those laws we know. Science has succeeded in harnessing many of\nthe forces of Nature to the service of mankind. Philosophy will bring\nman into conscious relations with the laws governing his existence, and\nethic will instruct him concerning their employment for the good of the\nrace.\n\nTo the extent that we understand the laws of our being and use them for\nour personal benefit, and through ourselves for the good of all mankind,\nwe become conspirators with the Divine Will, conscious co-operators\ntowards \u201cthat one divine far-off event to which the whole creation\nmoves,\u201d an apotheosis warranted by the trend of the physical and\nspiritual evolution of humanity, and prophetically indicated by the\nwords: \u201cThou hast made him a little lower than the angels, to crown him\nwith glory and worship.\u201d\n\nAs fragments in the fabric of a spiritual upbuilding, as detached\nobservations of the law of universal harmony, as things of isolated\ninterest, all conspiring to the founding of a single idea, these\ncuriosities of Occultism are offered to those who are able to appreciate\nthem.\n\nSEPHARIAL.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER I\n                  THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF OCCULTISM\n\n\nBefore one can enter intelligently into an understanding of Cosmic\nSymbolism, which underlies all occult science, it is necessary that he\nshould have some well-defined conception of the meaning and purpose of\nOccultism. Otherwise he will occupy the position of one who moves in the\ndark, a slave to formularies and dogmas, following blindly where others\nlead and without any definite idea as to his destination.\n\nMisconceptions regarding Occultism are very prevalent and are found to\naffect the thought of many who in their own walks are exceedingly\nlearned. Occultism is a broad and comprehensive system of thought; a\nsynthetic philosophy aiming at self-realization, and as much concerned\nin the practical development of the psychical and spiritual powers\nlatent in man as in the study of those wider cosmical laws which\nhitherto have escaped scientific observation, but which are found to\nafford a ready explanation of man\u2019s embodied existence, and the wide and\nvaried range of his faculties, aptitudes and individual characteristics.\n\nIf Occultism were merely a speculative system of thought regarding the\nhidden things of Nature, it could never find practical demonstration. If\nthe occult were merely the \u201chidden,\u201d then R\u00f6ntgen rays, wireless\ntelegraphy and metabolism would have been facts of Occultism at quite a\nrecent date. In the first case it is confidently affirmed that\nOccultism, so far from being speculative, is capable of instant\ndemonstration; and in the second case it anticipated the discoveries of\nScience by analogous psychical processes involved in the exercise of\nclairvoyance, psychometry, telepathy and hypnotism. Occultism is not\nindeed mainly concerned in the domain of physics, but rather in those\nimmaterial forces which are at the back of all material forms, of those\nuniversal laws which find their reflection in the constitution and\ndevelopment of man and the cosmos to which he is immediately related.\n\nThus while it seeks to demonstrate some unexplored facts in Nature, it\nalso offers a coherent system of thought in which those facts find\nappropriate places, and so in effect it affords an ethical basis for all\naction which is more comprehensive than any system which is the outcome\nof an insular sociology or a national religion. Its peculiar value as a\nbody of teaching lies in its inclusiveness and catholicity, its freedom\nfrom dogma, and its wide suggestiveness. While offering a definite\nsystem of cosmogenesis and anthropogenesis, it seeks only to throw new\nlight on old truths, being entirely constructive and in no sense\ncontroversial. Unlike orthodox Science and Religion, however, Occultism\ndoes not ignore the facts of man\u2019s psychic and spiritual experience.\nRather it makes use of these as links which bring us into relations with\nthat greater world and that higher life which for Science has no\ninterest and for Religion no certain meaning. Thus when Science\nrepudiated the Chaldean account of the Genesis, Religion was left with\nno ground upon which it could convict Science of error! The Occultist\nremains wholly unaffected by the incident, not because he is either\nunscientific or irreligious, but because the Book of Genesis is for him\nas true to-day as when it was written. It is the work of Occultists, and\nonly Occultists can rightly apprehend it.\n\nIn the biblical cosmogenesis we are not concerned with ordinary\ndivisions of time called \u201cday\u201d and \u201cnight,\u201d periods of twelve hours\neach, more or less, but with vast periods known as _pralayas_ and\n_manvantaras_, or periods of manifestation and obscuration, taking place\nalternately. These great periods answer to the systole and diastole\nmotion of the Great Breath, the out-breathing and in-breathing of the\nCosmic Life-force. In each of these great out-breathings the seven\nstages of evolution are realized: the Igneous, Gaseous, Fluidic,\nMineral, Vegetable, Animal and Human. But those monads that have reached\nany one of these stages do not become involved in the scheme until that\nstage is reached to which they attained in the last period of cosmic\nactivity; but from that stage they resume their evolution.\n\nNow as we have every reason to presume that our present period of\nactivity is not the first of our solar system, we have reason to place a\nspecial meaning on the words _Ber\u00e2sit br\u00e2 Elohim \u00e2th hashem\u00e2yim ve\u00e2th\nhe\u00e2retz_: In the beginning the Elohim compounded the original matter of\nthe heavens and of the earth. Long periods of cosmic evolution elapsed,\nand at the point where the Great Breath again reached our planet we take\nup the thread of the Chaldean account _vehe\u00e2retz tohu vebohu_: \u201cand the\nearth was chaotic and barren.\u201d The use of the prefix _vau_ as a\ncopulative conjunction at the beginning of each separate statement,\nlinks up the various stages of the evolutional scheme without defining\nthe vast ages, the \u201cdays\u201d and \u201cnights\u201d of the cosmos, which intervene.\nFrom the great aqueous development we pass to the amphibians, the\n\u201ccreeping things,\u201d the avians or \u201cflying things and fowls of the air,\u201d\nuntil by a process of natural evolution and natural selection,\ndetermined entirely by the individual power of adaptation to\nenvironment, we at length arrive at the evolution of the human-animal.\nThe brief but perfectly scientific statement, \u201cAnd God (the Elohim) made\nmen out of the dust of the earth,\u201d is a process which involves an\nindefinitely long period of evolution.\n\nBut so far we have only the ascending arc of physical evolution, which\nin effect found its apotheosis in the production of giant human forms,\nfitted to the great struggle for existence with the saurians and\npachyderms and all that mammoth life, both vegetable and animal, by\nwhich it was environed. \u201cThere were giants in the earth in those days.\u201d\nNature had done her utmost in the production of colossal forms of animal\nlife, she had expended all her strength.\n\nIt was at this point, where Nature unaided would have failed, and in\nprocess of time died down to her root, as a tree that has put forth leaf\nand flower and fruit, that the upward arc of _physical evolution_ was\nmet by a downward arc of _spiritual involution_. The two processes are\nwell defined: 1. God made man out of the dust of the earth. 2. And\nbreathed into his nostrils the breath of lives.\n\nIn effect, from this union of spirit and matter we get the genesis of\nthe psyche or soul: \u201cand man _became_ a living soul.\u201d The process of\nbecoming is one that was neither immediate nor complete. Most of us are\nstill in the process of becoming. But a certain number of advanced\nmonads became living souls, realizing their spiritual consciousness\nwhile in the flesh. These were the \u201csons of the gods\u201d referred to in the\ntext. All else were the sons of men. \u201cAnd the sons of God looked upon\nthe daughters of men and saw that they were fair.\u201d The self-conscious\nsouls took to wife the daughters of a less-evolved race, a process that\nwould seem to be necessary to the further uplifting and spiritual\nvitalizing of the inferior grades of human life. During the present\nmanvantara or period of cosmic activity we have traditional occult\nknowledge of four great races of humanity before our own, each of which\nattained to a successively higher state of civilization, the Atlantean\ntranscending the Lemurian, as in process of time the Aryan will\ntranscend the Atlantean. And as each period of cosmic activity has\nafforded means of successively higher human development, it is a\nquestion as to what has become of those very high forms of spiritualized\nhumanity who were the final product of the material and spiritual\nevolution of past manvantaras. Earth-born in their origin, and linked to\nthis Earth\u2019s humanity by a thousand compatriot ties, by bonds of blood\nand heritage, by lives of tireless service, they wait the time when\nhumanity shall have evolved to that stage when personal intercourse is\ncompatible with their own spiritual status and the needs of our further\nevolution. To them, as pioneers, guardians or masters of the race, we\nare indebted for the universal tradition which here and there is\ngathered up by Occultists the world over, and which is realized in its\nintegrity only by those who have fought their way to that place in the\nscale of spiritual evolution where detachment is possible. To them is\nattributable the founding of the great world religions, and at the\noutset these \u201cSons of God\u201d were the spiritual instructors of the world.\nEach race produces its own crop of masters, evolved initiates sworn to\nthe service of man for ever. As there is a natural selection, so there\nis a spiritual selection, and from the moment a human form is invested\nwith a soul (psyche) that soul continues to progress. There is an\nevolution that has come along the natural line to the production of\nhuman lives of great faculty and attainment; and there is an evolution\nthat has followed the spiritual line. Not all evolved humans are\ninvested with the breath of _lives_. Thus a man may be an intellectual\ngiant and yet not be ensouled, for the _psyche_ is one thing and the\n_pneuma_ is another. The _psyche_, or _nephesh_ is common to man and the\nlower animals and is capable of immense development when investing the\nhuman form, but unless this _nephesh_ is illuminated by the _ruach_ or\n_pneuma_ it cannot advance beyond a certain stage in the present cycle\nof evolution. Hence the saying, \u201cWork while the day is yet with you, for\nthe night cometh when no man shall work.\u201d\n\nSpecialized humanity is a composite of spirit, mind, soul and body. The\nelement or principle in man which distinguishes him from the animal\n(whether human in form or otherwise), is the Mind. Only in this\npossession is he truly man. The word man comes, indeed, from the root\n_man_ (Sansk.), to think. The limitations set up by embodiment of this\nthinking self is the primary cause of self-realization. All forms of\nlife are conscious, but only spiritualized humanity is self-conscious,\nor individualized.\n\nThe criterion of consciousness is response to stimulus. It is to be seen\nin chemic action, in vegetation and in animal life. If the Day\u2019s-eye\n(daisy) were not conscious of the sunrise it would not open its petals.\nYou may call it automatism, a reflex of the chemic action of light. You\nwill be wiser if you call it consciousness of light, and so spare\nyourself the trouble of pushing the question back indefinitely, for\nsomewhere or other you must admit response to stimulus and there you\nmust posit consciousness.\n\nThus while the animal soul in man responds to stimulus of every kind\ncoming to it through the sense-channels, the mind responds also to a\nhigher and immaterial gamut of vibrations, that is to say, to spiritual\nstimulus. As man he continues to evolve while all other forms of life\nremain in _statu quo_. The monads investing them have not been caught up\nby the Over-soul; they have not reached the stage where their\nmass-vibration is capable of responding to the spiritual impact; they\nare not attracted.\n\nAs the outcome of human evolution through successive ages, cycles and\nmanvantaras there is evolved the Christ, or perfect man. The mystical\ninterpretation does not suffice. We require a living individual who\nshall stand to us for the \u201cman made perfect\u201d through that same process\nof spiritual evolution which is to be our own means of final liberation\nfrom _sams\u0101ra_, or cyclic rebirth. The Christ is truly a generic title.\nThe sons of God are legion, and all of them are invested with the Spirit\nof Truth or Christ principle. They are the Children of Light, the Great\nWhite Brotherhood, and at their head is the Lord, the gravitating Centre\nof this world\u2019s humanity. He is the manifestation in time and space of\nthe inscrutable Deity, the revelation of God to man. The mythological\ninterpretation of the Christ does not suffice any more than the\nmystical. The Sun and the twelve signs of the zodiac may well stand as\nsymbols of the Master and his twelve disciples, but they will not\nsuffice for the historical fact, for the fact is not limited to a drama\nin which thirteen characters were at one time employed. It is a drama\nthat is playing through all time, in all places and among all peoples.\nIt is the great work of spiritual selection and co-ordination, and the\ntwelve signs are the twelve gates through which the elect of all\nhumanity will enter into the New Jerusalem or Spiritual Kingdom of a\nperfected humanity. Neither is the kingdom one that is afar off. Its\ndenizens are to be found among embodied humanity at this day. The\nFathers and many of the early rulers of the great countries were special\nrepresentatives of the Spiritual Hierarchy which at later stages in the\nhistory of the world sent forth its emissaries to become world-teachers,\nempire-makers, legislators, warriors and inventors, each speaking the\nWord that the world then had need of. Beside them are to be found the\nOccultists of the East and West, followers of their respective Gurus,\nSadhus, Yogis and Teachers, aspirants to the heirloom of the ages, the\nGupta-Vidya or Hidden Knowledge; with here and there a messenger under\nsealed orders, passing from one country to another; a host of\npsychic-researchers and higher-thought lecturers, the aide-de-camps,\nsappers and enlisting officers of the vast army of recruits, regulars\nand veterans who are enrolled under this standard.\n\nTo the Occultist the universe is a symbol and every part of it is\nsymbolical. Although essentially an Idealist he does not attempt the\nr\u00f4le of those visionaries who would argue the universe out of existence.\nHe may call it elusive but not an illusion, for his own existence\ndepends on his consciousness of the world about him and his well-being\nupon the degree to which he understands and observes the laws of that\nuniverse of which he is an integral part. For if it be said that the\nworld has no existence apart from our consciousness, it may with equal\ntruth be said that our consciousness has no existence apart from the\nworld to which it is related. What we understand as the laws of the\nuniverse are formulated in terms of our thought, but inasmuch as the\nlaws of thought are imposed on us by existence, it is clear that we do\nnot ourselves impose cosmic laws, but we merely apprehend them. It is\nnot in the Idealistic sense that the universe is a symbol, but in the\nreal sense of it being the embodiment or out-realizing of the Supreme\nLife and Mind. As symbol the universe is the revelation of all time, of\nthe past and the future; the repository of all history, the source of\nall prophecy, the synthesis of actuality. That Consciousness which is\nsimultaneously immanent in all the universe is called the Universal\nMind. The Platonic definition of God as \u201cThat whose centre is everywhere\nand whose circumference is illimitable\u201d comes as nearly to this\nconception of the Divine Mind as it is possible for words to compass.\nMan is a centre of consciousness in the Divine Mind from the time that\nhe realizes his spiritual existence, a soul investing a cell in the\nBrain of the Grand Man. As such he becomes subject to the higher\nspiritual laws of Being and enters into the Divine Conspiracy. The\nevolving monads circulate and finally become impounded in one or another\nof the various organs of the Grand Man, in agreement with their several\nstates of evolution, passing from one to another of them during the\nsuccessive incarnations of the Deity. In his effort to reach a higher\nsphere of consciousness and activity, a wider sphere of influence and a\ngreater measure of free will, man comes to realize that obedience to the\nlaw of his being is the means of attainment. Thus every man is a law\nunto himself, and the truly wise are they who are able to say in all\nconsciousness: \u201cThy will be done.\u201d For human safety and happiness are\nonly assured by devotion to the highest good, and this is the occult\nview of the dependence of mankind on an all-seeing and beneficent Spirit\n\u201cin whose service is perfect freedom.\u201d\n\nOccultism, therefore, whether consisting in the development and exercise\nof one\u2019s individual psychic powers, in systematic and impartial inquiry\nas to evidence of these powers in others, or in the pursuit of such\nstudies as astrology, kabalism, yoga, hypnotism, etc., reaches out from\nsuch vague beginnings into regions of thought and aspiration that\ntranscend the average mind and are seen to culminate, in specialized\ncases, in the attainment of powers which may be called miraculous and of\nattributes that are truly godlike.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER II\n                        THE PROBLEMS OF SCIENCE\n\n\nIt is quite a popular misconception that credits Science with exact\nmethods and certain knowledge on all matters concerning which it has\ngiven an opinion. There is, in fact, a slavish reverence for the dicta\nof Science which is as inconsistent as formerly was the submission of\nthe public mind to religious dogmatic teaching. And if, as some writers\nassert, there still exists a conflict between Religion and Science it is\nat least satisfactory to see that to-day Science appears to be getting\nits own back to a creditable extent. If Science makes appeal to the\npopular imagination or proves its claim to public recognition and\nsupport on the grounds of utility, Religion has only itself to blame if\nit fails to come into line with the established facts of scientific\ndiscovery and lacks the enterprise which is necessary to give it a\nmodern representation. Instead of mumbling orthodoxies about the saving\nof souls, Religion could very profitably concern itself with the task of\nproving that man has a soul to save. It could use the argument afforded\nby modern experimental psychology. It could observe the scientific\nmethod, and could without loss of dignity employ the facts of Science in\nthe upbuilding of a scheme of thought which has man\u2019s spiritual welfare\nas the end in view. When we recognize the fact that it is our conception\nof God and of our relations with Him that is alone effective in the work\nof regeneration and reform, and that this altered view-point is largely\ndue to the widening of the mental horizon by scientific discovery and a\nphilosophy adapted thereto, then religiously-disposed people do wrongly\nto ignore the facts of Science, however much they may appear to conflict\nwith orthodox notions of the relations of God to man. It is little more\nthan three centuries ago that the custodians of religious belief burned\nGiordano Bruno at the stake for daring to declare that there were more\nworlds than one. In his _Della Causa Principio ed Uno_ (Of the First and\nOnly Cause) Bruno says: \u201cThe divine Omnipotence is more aptly expressed\nin an infinity of worlds of various dimensions than in the production of\na single world of infinite dimensions.... Infinite variability is the\neternal juvenescence of God.\u201d That which happened to Bruno in the name\nof Holy Religion was barely escaped by Copernicus because of his heresy\nin declaring the Sun to be the centre of the system and the Earth one of\nits satellites moving about it. It was a pagan doctrine and belonged\nproperly to Pythagoras. The history of Science reveals many such\npersecutions of its devotees, and yet in modern times it cannot be said\nthat Science is without its prejudices. It nearly killed religious\nbelief in the nineteenth century owing to its recognition of the\nMaterialistic hypothesis.\n\nYet when we come to examine the claims of modern Science, or what\npopularly goes by that name, we find that it is largely hypothetical and\nthat sciences which are usually known as \u201cexact\u201d are by no means so.\n\nScience has no certain knowledge of the origin of life and\nconsciousness. Many distinguished men have sought to define life. Dr.\nAlfred R. Wallace in his _World of Life_ points out how inadequate are\nall these definitions, and wisely refrains from adding to them.\nConsciousness as a by-product of organic matter was quite correct\nscience fifty years ago. To-day, in the presence of many well-attested\nfacts which go to prove the possibility of consciousness apart from\norganism as we know it, the man of science is not at all sure that\nconsciousness is anything of the sort. Modern psychology is a new leaf\nin the book of Nature which until quite recently had not been\ndeciphered. We are getting our facts sporadically, a few at a time, and\neach new discovery changes our ideas concerning things which had passed\nfor correct theory. The facts remain; our views of them are changed. We\nreally have no certain scientific knowledge about the wonderful\nconversion of inorganic to organic matter. The alchemy of Nature baffles\nus.\n\nEven the cosmic theory is incomplete and full of anomalies. In the\nvortex theory there is nothing to show why some swirls of cosmic matter\nbecame suns and others planets. There are two theories regarding the\nsolar system diametrically opposed to one another. There are similarly\ntwo theories regarding the Moon. The most recent theory is that the Moon\nacts as a brake upon the Earth by causing the tides, which run contrary\nto the axial rotation of the earth, thereby slowing down its rotation\nand causing a longer day than formerly. But the same theory requires\nthat the Moon is gradually enlarging its own orbit and getting farther\naway from the Earth, which is inconsistent with our records of ancient\nobservations of eclipses, etc., for in order to agree our calculations\nwith the observed positions of the Moon at these ancient epochs, we have\nto augment the _present_ mean motion of the Moon in its orbit by a\nquantity equal to about 10\u00b4\u00b4t\u2082, which means ten seconds for the first\ncentury and the same quantity multiplied by the square of the centuries\nfor times anterior. In other words, the Moon was moving quicker in a\nsmaller orbit in former days. But this supplemental theory is wholly\ndestructive of the first regarding the Moon\u2019s tidal action. For if the\nMoon is getting farther away from us, its tidal influence is also\ndecreasing, and the \u201cbrake\u201d power being lessened, the Earth\u2019s axial\nrotation must be increasing in velocity and the day must be getting\nshorter than formerly, which is the exact converse of what was argued in\nthe first place. Hence we see how, in their efforts to explain observed\nfacts, scientific men can put up two mutually destructive theories. Only\nrecently, in the Solar eclipse of 17th April, 1912, we had an\nillustration of an exact science blundering in practice. The\n_Connaissance des Temps_, the official organ of the French astronomers,\ngave this eclipse as total, while the _Nautical Almanac_ gave it\ncorrectly as partial, the apparent diameter of the Moon, depending on\nits anomaly, being some 20\u00b4\u00b4 less than that of the Sun.\n\nThe theory of what is called the attraction of gravitation is one of the\nscientific facts which have recently been abandoned as unsatisfactory.\nIt is found that the theory of \u201cattraction\u201d does not answer to the facts\nas experimentally determined. Theories that are inelastic are apt to be\nnegatived by the discovery of new facts or modified beyond recognition\nby extended observations. The Earth itself is a huge magnet whose radial\ninfluence extends some fourteen feet beyond its surface, and this fact\nhas to be taken into account in all local magnetic observations.\n\nThe permeability of matter was a fact that had been under scrutiny for a\nlong time before the discovery of the R\u00f6ntgen rays. Sir David Brewster\nnotes the passage of carbon through solid wood by means of electric\nfluid, and by an electric current an acid may be separated from its\nsodium base and passed through dilute syrup of violets without changing\nthe colour of the vegetable solution. The question then arises, in what\nform was the carbon in the one case and the acid in the other when they\npassed through the respective media? Obviously their atomic vibrations\nwere temporarily raised in such degree by electrical action as to change\nthem from their normal characters. I suggest to psychologists that\nsomething of the same or a similar nature may occur in the case of\nindividuals when acting under the influence of hypnotism or spiritual\nafflatus, ecstasy, etc. The question is whether they can be rendered\npermanent effects.\n\nBut these are not by any means the whole of the problems confronting\nmodern Science, which nevertheless has a tendency to become dogmatic in\nother matters with which it is not officially concerned, as one may\nlearn from a reading of H\u00e4ckel\u2019s _Riddle of the Universe_. In Ernst\nH\u00e4ckel we see probably the last of the old school of materialistic\nphilosophers. Another problem is that of atomic arrangement. It has been\nobserved that two chemical bodies composed of exactly the same number of\natoms of the same elements assume entirely different characteristics by\nreason of their respective atomic arrangement. This fact, while wholly\nunexplained, opens up many interesting psychological issues and serves\nby analogy to explain why two human beings compounded of exactly similar\ncosmic elements, manifest different characters and faculties. Science\nhas too long neglected the free use of its own hypothesis of the\nsolidarity of the system, and while astronomy employs interplanetary\naction in all its calculations, it scouts the idea of astro-meteorology\nand relegates astrology to the limbo of antiquated superstitions. Yet\nboth these concepts are necessary and logical dependents of the cosmical\nhypothesis.\n\nUp to the present day Science has ignored psychology and opposed the\nclaims of psycho-therapeutics. Medical science other than that depending\non surgery will soon find that the process of readjustment in the human\norganism rendered necessary by the rapidly changing conditions of modern\ncivilization and the opening-up of new centres of activity in the\nmind-sphere of the world, will present a new series of pathological\nconditions to which the prescriptions of the Pharmacopoeia are\naltogether inadequate. The psychic origin of disease will have to be\nadmitted and provided against. The x-factor in human pathology which\ndefies the action of drugs and evades the scalpel, call it by what name\nwe may, will increasingly assert itself, and medical men will have\nperforce to take it into their counsels, make friends with it and get to\nunderstand its vagaries. The plurality of worlds and the habitability of\nthe other planets in the solar system, taught by Pythagoras in the sixth\ncentury B.C., has received a certain speculative recognition by\nastronomers, notably Camille Flammarion, Richard Proctor, Schiaparelli\nand Sir Robert Ball, in recent years. It was affirmed as fact by that\nremarkable man of science and inspiration, Baron Swedenborg. But in a\ncontemporary issue of the journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of\nCanada, Prof. Aitken, of the Lick Observatory, states, as the result of\nhis researches, that the Moon is a dead world, with the exception\nperhaps of low forms of vegetable life sustained by water vapour exuding\nfrom the Moon\u2019s interior; Mercury gets seven times as much heat as the\nEarth and keeps the same face towards the Sun, offering the alternative\nof an eternal night or an equally unending tropical heat and daylight,\nfrom which it is not protected by any atmosphere. Venus, having many\ncharacteristics similar to the Earth, is admitted to be problematical,\nsince it is not yet decided whether its day and year are equal or not.\nIf they are, then it is uninhabitable. Mars has a rare atmosphere, and\nthere is not enough water on the planet to fill an American lake. It has\na low temperature, and there may be vegetable and animal life there, but\nno beings of intelligence. The \u201ccanals\u201d may be natural or artificial\ncanals or merely earthquake markings. Jupiter is a semi-sun, its\ndevelopment is in a state of chaos, and it is probably gaseous\nthroughout with matter distributed as on the Sun, there being no defined\nsurface or crust. Saturn resembles Jupiter, but probably is not so far\nadvanced, and it is even less fitted for human habitation than Jupiter.\n\nWe see therefore that as between the teaching of Pythagoras and that of\nProf. Aitken there is a great gulf fixed. It will probably be bridged by\na little freer use of the scientific imagination that Prof. Huxley\nextolled. The great American astronomer has argued humanity out of\nexistence in a manner so complete as to warrant the instant dismantling\nof the statue of Bruno by the Vatican. But alas for the shortcomings of\ndogmatic science, we have not yet been told how or why the Earth alone\nis favoured by the presence of humanity. We are left to speculate upon\nthe question as to what has become of the Moon\u2019s humanity, supposing\nthis dead orb was once alive and afforded habitable conditions. We are\nleft wondering why conservative Nature evolved the planets Neptune and\nUranus\u2014which \u201care so far away from the Sun that its light and heat can\nhardly be effective in protecting life upon them, even should life in\nany way originate there\u201d\u2014if they are never to come within the life-belt\nlimit of the solar rays! These vapourings are altogether unworthy of the\nname of Science, and are, in their way, as fanciful and speculative as\nany of the superstitions of a primitive religion. Who gave the\nastronomer to know that man as we see him is the only sort of humanity\nor intelligent being that can exist? It is open to him to remark that\neven should there be forms of intelligent life on other planets we\nshould not recognize them as human. That is beside the mark; we do not\nrecognize the human by its form, we do not confound the man with the\nanimal part of him; and we may even speak of discarnate humanity. In\nevery possible way we protest that articulate language, which infers\narticulate thought and intelligence, is the criterion of the human, and\nin this category we include for sociological reasons all that are of\nhuman generation, whether intelligent and articulate or not. Of the\n\u201cinfinite variability\u201d of God as expressed in Nature, the astronomer\ntakes no count. Here on this globe of ours we find the human persisting\nin temperatures varying from over + 150\u00b0 to - 30\u00b0, and we have no reason\nfor suggesting that the power of adaptation to environment is at the\nmaximum in this world. Violent ophthalmia and even madness would result\nin us if \u201cthe earth\u2019s green livery\u201d were suddenly and permanently\nchanged to red. But a very little alteration in the chemical\nconstitution of the vitreous fluid in the eye would render us immune\nfrom these evils, and we have every reason for thinking that were such a\ncolour-change to take place, Nature would not be long in adapting\nherself to the new conditions. But she would first be sure that they\nwere likely to be permanent, for although very amicable, the old lady is\nextremely cautious and prudent! What we know as solar light and heat\nhave no existence outside the earth\u2019s atmosphere, and even within it\nthey only have the values that our sensation-consciousness gives to\nthem; so that all we can scientifically assume in regard to those\nplanets that have no atmosphere is that their humanities, if they have\nany, must be physiologically different from man as we know him. We\ncannot argue that he does not exist or that he cannot exist on them.\n\nThe sum of the matter is this, we have need of a Religion that is\nscientific, and equally of a Science that is religious. What we do not\npositively know we may logically infer, but we have to guard ourselves\nagainst the tendency to take the inference for fact and to dogmatize\nabout things which are wholly unrelated to our personal experience. The\nmany curious observations I shall have occasion to make in the course of\nthese pages are so remote from general experience and so far removed\nfrom scientific scrutiny as to belong to the category of things called\n\u201coccult,\u201d and it was therefore expedient that the reader should have a\nfairly clear idea that all the statements of orthodox science do not\nrest upon the immovable rock of observed fact, and for this reason are\nnot so well founded as many of the conclusions of occult science. It is\nadvisable also that the reader should discern between the theoretical\nvalue of a statement and its experimental value. Many things which\nappear reasonable will not respond to test, and others that seem\nunreasonable are found nevertheless to be true.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER III\n                           THE MODERN MIRACLE\n\n\nIt has been said that the medical practice of the future will have to\nprovide for the interference in ordinary therapeutic methods of an\n_x_-factor, which is amenable to hypnotic suggestion and to\nauto-suggestion, but which on rare occasions assumes a more positive and\nextraordinary form, and acts spontaneously. Indeed, we may have to admit\nthe possibility of an extraneous healing power acting independently of\nmedical skill and contrary to all recognized therapeutic agents,\nmedicinal or clinical.\n\nAn instance of this is to be seen in what is called the Modern Miracle.\nA miracle, it should be understood, is not supernatural. We have no\nreason for prescribing limits to Nature\u2019s powers. A miracle is simply an\nabnormal manifestation of those powers, and hence something to be\nwondered at. The case in point is that of Miss Dorothy Kerin, who on the\nnight of Sunday, the 18th February, 1912, being bedridden with advanced\ntuberculosis, concomitant disease of the kidneys, and finally suffering\nfrom loss of sight and speech, together with some signs of aphasia, was\nsuddenly and miraculously cured entirely of all ailments, and when\nmedically examined was pronounced to be absolutely free from tubercle\nbacillus, or any other form of morbid disease, and to be in complete\npossession of all her faculties and normal bodily functions. The\nevidence is unassailable and the facts beyond dispute. We have to\narrange our thought and modify our therapy to accommodate these facts.\n\nDorothy Kerin was born on the 28th November, 1890, in London, her father\nbeing Irish. She received an ordinary middle-class education in a\nprivate school, and would have gone on the stage, where her sister,\nNorah Kerin, has achieved considerable success, but for the break in her\nhealth.\n\nAt the time of her wonderful recovery she had not stood up for five\nyears, and latterly had suffered from partial loss of memory, sight,\nhearing and speech. Yet she was always bright and cheerful, and her\ninvariable sweetness of disposition, her patience and gentleness,\nendeared her to all her friends and relatives, and made her greatly\nbeloved by those who came in contact with her. She was one of those who\n\u201csuffered all things gladly,\u201d and was by nature of a religious\ndisposition. The following account of her recovery is extracted from the\n_Daily Mirror_ report of the 19th February\u2014\n\n\u201cDorothy Kerin is convinced that her remarkable recovery of apparent\nhealth is literally \u2018a miracle.\u2019\n\n\u201cHer account of the angelic vision, which on Sunday night restored her\nsight, hearing and strength and left her painless, happy and \u2018feeling\nbetter than I ever felt in my life before,\u2019 may be ascribed to hysteria\nby sceptics, but, whatever the cause, the facts of her recovery are\nbeyond dispute.\n\n\u201cDr. Frederick Norman, of Brixton, her physician, is, of course,\ndeterred by professional etiquette from public discussion of her case.\n\n\u201c\u2018But it is no secret that my husband was incredulous,\u2019 said Mrs. Norman\nto the _Daily Mirror_ yesterday, \u2018when he was informed that Dorothy was\n\u201cquite well.\u201d\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018He did not consider on Saturday that she could possibly remain alive\nmore than a day or two. The girl had been in St. Bartholomew\u2019s Hospital,\nSt. Peter\u2019s Home for Incurables at Kilburn, and other institutions, but\nwas sent home finally as a hopeless case two years ago.\n\n\u201c\u2018She has not stood up for five years, and latterly was blind and deaf\nand utterly weak, taking only occasional doses of brandy and other\nstimulants.\u2019\n\n\u201cDr. Norman has been compelled to safeguard his patient. No fewer than\nsixty people saw her yesterday, but such a reception has now been\nstopped. A perfectly healthy girl could not stand the constant\nexcitement of receiving visitors eager to interrogate her. Three days\nago, it must be remembered, she was in an advanced stage of consumption.\n\n\u201cFor breakfast yesterday Miss Kerin ate wheat-meal porridge, bacon and\ntomatoes, and drank two cups of coffee. A beefsteak was cooked for her\nlunch.\n\n\u201c\u2018I slept last night more soundly than I ever remember doing,\u2019 Miss\nKerin told the _Daily Mirror_ yesterday. She read the Ten Commandments\nprinted on the base of a minute toy magnifying glass with perfect ease.\nAnother doctor who was present said he could not read such tiny print.\n\n\u201c\u2018A fortnight ago,\u2019 said her mother, \u2018Dolly could not call things by\ntheir proper names, and often did not know us. Bread was \u201csoft, white\nstuff,\u201d fish was \u201cwhite stuff with needles in it,\u201d nut-milk chocolate\nshe asked for as \u201clumpy sweet.\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2018Now she can bath herself and is not an invalid at all. Often during\nher long illness her temperature went up to 105.\u2019\n\n\u201cMiss Kerin shakes hands firmly, and her palm has a touch that is quite\nnormal. Scores of doctors have already sought permission to see her. The\nhistory of her case is well known to the profession.\n\n\u201cThe Rev. A. J. Waldron, vicar of the adjoining parish of St. Matthew\u2019s,\nBrixton, visited her yesterday and is making arrangements to have her\nmoved at once to a nursing home, where she can have privacy and quiet,\nwith country air.\n\n\u201cMiss Kerin has no hectic flush, and declared yesterday that she did not\nfeel a bit tired. But there is little doubt she requires careful\nsupervision to prevent any relapse.\u201d\n\nI am informed by her brother, Mr. G. Kerin, that during her illness, and\nespecially during the later stages, when her normal faculties showed\nsigns of decline, that Miss Kerin developed some super-normal powers.\nShe was able, for instance, to give an accurate account of incidents\nhappening in connection with her brother while at a distance from home.\nThe greatest care had to be observed by those in the house when speaking\nof her, as she could always hear what was said in another room, although\nshe appeared deaf to those who spoke aloud in her presence. There is, in\nfact, evidence that she developed the telesthesic sense during the later\nstages of her illness, but also that she lost this faculty just before\nher recovery.\n\nDr. Forbes Winslow was of opinion that the cure was due to\nauto-suggestion. It appears to me a singular conclusion. One can\nunderstand neurasthenia, paralysis and other nervous disorders being\namenable to auto-suggestion, and in fact these are the cases which most\nreadily respond to such action. But that a young girl whose mind is\nperfectly resigned to what she believes to be a mortal disease, and even\nsuffering gladly the inscrutable ordinances of a beneficent Providence,\nshould after five years of such suffering suddenly auto-suggest that\nthere is no organic disease in her body and that she was never better in\nher life, seems to me to invest the term \u201cauto-suggestion\u201d with a\nmeaning and significance it has never yet held. We have to remember that\nhere there is the certified presence of a virulent organic disease with\nconcomitant functional disorders. Can Dr. Winslow advance other\ninstances of voluntary auto-suggestion which have instantly cured morbid\ndiseases? Yet we are asked to believe that the girl auto-suggested an\nangelic presence, a voice that spoke to her, hands that touched her, and\nthe surpassing miracle of instant destruction in her body of all disease\ngerms, the restoration of all functional powers and the entire clearing\nof the system of effete tissues. Then why did she not do so five years\nearlier, before her forces had been undermined by a wasting disease, and\nwhen the will-to-be was stronger in her than it can possibly have been\nat the last hour? We shall soon be asked to believe that Miss Kerin\nauto-suggested the disease itself. Another instance of your scientific\nmind, which lacks the humility necessary to say: \u201cI do not know,\u201d and\nplunges into the most absurd speculations to explain what it does not\nunderstand. The mental attitude of that atheist who bowed his head and\nwept in the presence of the Unknown commands our instant respect and\napproval, but this foolish theorizing by reputable men of science is\nonly pitiable. And theories in regard to this particular case are not\nlacking, for we have in turn hypnotic suggestion (the hypnotizer being\nunnamed because non-existent), collective mental therapeutic action,\nanswer to prayer, and spirit-healing.\n\nAs to collective mental therapy, the same objection is raised as in the\ncase of auto-suggestion. If operative at all in a case of organic\ndisease, it would be more readily efficacious in the early stages, when\nsupported by a reasonable expectancy, than at the last, when all hope\nhad been abandoned. It is true that for some five years prayer had been\nconsistently made on behalf of the patient, and we have certainly no\nmeans of proving that this sustained effort was not instrumental in the\nrecovery. But we do know that no mention was made of it by the angelic\nvisitor. The Presence did not say: \u201cWe have heard the prayers of the\npeople,\u201d or that it came in answer to prayer. The theory of\nspirit-healing is by far the most reasonable explanation. It accounts\nfor the facts without, however, explaining the means by which the cure\nwas effected.\n\nThat it is a perfect instance of organic metabolism everybody must\nadmit. Exactly similar cases are difficult to find, and in effect Dr.\nAsh, who undertook the study of the case after the cure had been\nperformed, is thereby able to give us a most interesting account of what\nhe regards as a unique medical experience. The Lourdes miracles are, as\nfar as I know, all of a nervous character. They pertain to cases where\nfunctional disorders arise from nervous corrosion without lesion. Even\nwhere there is lesion there may come a time when nervous contact is\ncomplete and an instantaneous cure is possible. But in the present case\nwe have deep-seated organic disease of a chronic nature, the existence\nof morbid tissue and whole tracts of the lungs ruined by the action of\nnoxious germs. So far as our experience goes it would seem that the term\n\u201cmiraculous intervention\u201d fits this case as well as any other that can\nbe offered, and certainly better than many that have been applied to it.\nIt is an old and well-worn term, of a sort to vex the scoffer, but when\nit comes to a matter of sticking on labels to cover our ignorance of\nmethods, we can at least count upon the willing aid of modern science.\n\nFor a categorical statement of this case by an independent medical\nobserver I refer the reader to _Faith and Suggestion_, by Dr. E. L. Ash,\nand to the pr\u00e9cis of that book by the editor of the _Occult Review_,\nJuly 1912.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER IV\n                       THERAPY\u2014ANCIENT AND MODERN\n\n\nIn old times, when the teachings of Hippocrates were more in vogue than\nat this date, when Aristotle and Galen and Ibn Sina and Paracelsus made\ntheir contributions to contemporary medical science, it was the custom\nto regard man in terms of the cosmos. They classified all disorders in a\ncomprehensive manner as accidental or incidental, as acute or chronic,\nas functional or organic. The functional powers were governed by the\nMoon, the organic constitution by the Sun. Accidental and acute ailments\nwere ascribed to the action of Mars, incidental and chronic disorders to\nSaturn. Mars was responsible for all inflammatory action and fevers,\nwhile Saturn was the cause of all morbid diseases and loss of vitality.\nIt was only a question of the distribution of the vital principle in\nman, and this, originating in the Sun and regulated by the Moon, induced\nfevers when in excess and morbid disease when deficient in any organ of\nthe body. Jupiter was the great healer and arbiter of destiny, and it\nwas his aid that the physician invoked when at the head of his\nprescription he wrote the symbol \u211e\u2014Help, O Jupiter!\n\nThis ancient custom, together with many of the terms of ancient usage,\nis retained by modern physicians, many of whom see no more in it than\nthe letter R, the initial of the word Recipe. But we still speak of\nchronic diseases, while tracing nothing to the action of Kronos\n(Saturn). We own to a _solar_ plexus and a _semilunar_ ganglion, and\nthere are many other terms which have survived the practice of putting\nnew names to old facts when some new function or structural peculiarity\ncomes under modern observation. Had the ancients known of the existence\nof Uranus they would have had a potent cause for paralysis, nervous\nlesion and similar disturbances of the organism, while in Neptune they\nwould have found the cause of an\u00e6mia, consumption and wasting decline,\nand possibly of neurasthenia and the various effects of nervous\ndepletion.\n\nBut who shall say, without making trial of the matter, that the ancients\nwere at fault in regarding man as embodied cosmos, a compound of the\nfree elements in the universe about him, or wrong in interpreting his\nvarious disorders in terms of the stellar ambient? It is, at all events,\njust worth notice that at the birth of Miss Dorothy Kerin, on the 28th\nNovember, 1890, the Sun, Venus and Mercury were in quadrature to Saturn\nand in opposition to Neptune, while on the 18th February, 1912, Jupiter\nwas in the 13th degree of Sagittarius, the very degree of the zodiac\nthat was rising at her birth. The odds against this coincidence are\n4,319 to 1. If it were a solitary example of what is said to be the\nbeneficent influence of Jupiter in the saving of life it would not be so\nsignificant, but from the array of evidence accumulated by modern\nobservations and retrogressive calculation, it is quite clear that the\nancients were justified in their ascriptions in the case of Jupiter.\nPossibly it is not to the planetary orb itself but to the cosmic\nsynthesis represented by it in our physical and mental constitution that\nappeal is made. Be that as it may, and while asserting the fact of\nplanetary influence in human life without fear of contradiction I am not\nin a position to dogmatize as to the _modus operandi_, it is yet evident\nthat there is a concert of action between the various cosmic centres and\ntheir corresponding principles in ourselves, such as to uphold the\ntheosophic concept of man as Microcosmos.\n\nI have just been speaking of cancer as a morbid disease. It was known to\nthe ancients and by them named after that sign of the zodiac which\nresponds to the zone most frequently affected by the disease, namely,\nthe breast and stomach. It has already been shown that Saturn was\naccounted the chief cause of disease. Napoleon Buonaparte died of\ncancer, and at his birth we find Saturn in the sign Cancer in opposition\nto the Moon. On the principle that one swallow does not make a summer, I\nleave the observation for what it may be worth, but it is satisfactory\nif we can recognize a swallow when we see it. We are on the way to\ndistinguish between martins and swifts, and between house and sand\nmartins, and thus forefended from building our house upon the sand. For\nalthough Occultism deals with an order of facts outside the normal range\nof orthodox science its methods are equally scientific, both analytical\nand constructive. If we take the horoscopes of a number of persons whose\nfatal illness was of the same nature and compare them, we shall find a\nfactor that is common to them all. The existence of this factor in the\nhoroscope of a living person is a presumptive argument for \u201ctendency\u201d to\nthe same disease. If in event that person develops the particular malady\nindicated by the horoscope, we have at once a scientific basis for a\nsystem of astro-therapy and a valid means of prognosis.\n\nAssuming that the astrologers have been as busy in their special\ndepartment of research as have the representatives of other branches of\nlearning in theirs, it may reasonably be expected that with an equal\nbody of tradition behind them and an equal field of experimental\nresearch before them, they have arrived at conclusions of which they are\nas sure as any scientific man can be in regard to any matter. To ignore\ntheir statements or to disparage them without test appears to me to be\nwholly prejudicial to the interests of truth and most likely to reflect\nupon the scientific integrity of those who pursue either course, for as\nthe old philosopher says: \u201cWhere confidence is lacking it is not met by\ntrust.\u201d\n\nIn regard to the faculty of auto-suggestion in connection with\npsychotherapy; it has been suggested that this faculty depends on the\nactivity of the subconscious sphere of the mind. It is seen that all\naction is either purposive or automatic. All purposive action tends to\nbecome habitual, and to the extent that it becomes so, it passes from\nthe region of mind-control into the subconscious region where it is\ncapable of itself controlling the mind. We then recognize what is called\nthe \u201cforce of habit.\u201d But it is further suggested that the activity of\nthe subconscious part of the mind-sphere is at its maximum when we are\nasleep, whether natural or hypnotic. Certainly it is a fact that at a\nparticular stage in hypnosis the subject passes out of the power of the\nhypnotist to control and assumes an activity of mental function which is\nremarkable both as to range and precision. But the facts seem to suggest\nsomething more than mere automatism, for while the patient remains\nsubject to suggestion there is evidence of something more than the\ndischarge of accumulated impressions. The subject is not found to be\nblundering about in the lumber-room of the mind, searching for odd bits\nof stuff that will answer the purpose in view, but is seen to exhibit\ndirect perception of things as they are, the power to traverse space and\nto annihilate time, and to come into voluntary and conscious relations\nwith the past and the future as if they coexisted and had a present\nreality. Many cases are on record. A single well-attested case would\nhave sufficed.\n\nThese facts have given us grounds for establishing a theory of psychism\nvery closely akin to the teaching of the Occultists. It is that the\nmind-sphere or soul is divided into two hemispheres, one of which is on\nthe level of normal consciousness and the other below it. The _nous_ or\nmind is then seen to be energized from above by the _pneuma_ through\ninspiration, and from below by the _psyche_ through instinct. Intuition\nand instinct, or inspiration and passion, are thus at opposite poles of\nthe mind-sphere, and appeal can be made to either by suggestion through\nthe sphere of the mind. We trace these opposite aspects of the mind in\nthe Oversoul and the animal soul of the mystical schools, the\n_augoeides_ and _antinous_ of the earlier teaching. In the Yoga system\nthey are the Buddhic and Kamic principles, the centres of spiritual\nknowledge and of animal desires respectively, the process of Yoga being\nto bring these opposite poles of our nature into active accord.\n\nThere are on record a fairly large number of instances in which it\nappears that either one\u2019s subliminal consciousness or an extraneous\nintelligence affords prescience of things in which one is not\nparticularly interested and for which there is no special call. Persons\nhave thus been given the winning numbers in lotteries without, at the\nsame time, being given the means of participating in the benefits\nattaching thereto. An instance quite pertinent to the general accusation\nof futility lodged against this class of intelligence came to my notice\non the 2nd of April, 1912. A lady, on awaking that morning, exclaimed,\n\u201cNumber twenty-nine will win!\u201d Asked as to whether it was a number in a\nlottery she at once replied: \u201cNo, it\u2019s a horse.\u201d Some cudgelling of\nbrains failed to suggest any means by which the information could be\napplied. The problem was, however, successfully solved by a\ntwelve-year-old girl who took the morning paper in hand, counted from\nthe first name of the opening event in the programme for the day,\nexhausted the names in that event and continued into the second event\nuntil she arrived at number 29, against which was the name \u201cPrimrose\nMorn.\u201d Obviously it had no connection with the 2nd of April, but on\nreflection it was remembered that the lady was born, on the 29th of the\nmonth and was engaged to be married on Primrose Morn. Immediately below\nthis name in the list of competitors was \u201cMarie\u2019s Choice,\u201d and the\nlady\u2019s name is Marie. The coincidence was completed by the winning of\nthe Bestwood Park Plate by \u201cPrimrose Morn.\u201d Reference to the morning\npapers of the 2nd of April last will enable the reader to check this\nstatement. The rising and bursting of these bubbles of subconscious\nactivity appear to be quite automatic and in most instances without\npurpose or utility. They serve, however, to demonstrate the fact that\nthere is such a source of inspiration, a submerged selfhood in touch\nwith the _anima mundi_ or world-soul, upon which we can at all times\ncall for information and aid. The purpose of Occultism is to put us in\nthe way of doing this when and as we please. From the point of view of\nthe world-soul, the future and the past are coexistent. Every race is\nalready run, every event is historical. This gives a new and a higher\nmeaning to the old saying: The future is only the past unfolded. As the\nold Philosopher says: Tsae yin jo fang\u2014all truth is paradoxical.\n\nAnother interesting feature of the psychic principle in us is that of\nthe projection of the ethereal double or wraith. It is recorded of\nGoethe that he had a vision of himself, or rather of his double, on more\nthan one occasion. It is well known that he had the faculty of\nexteriorization of thought, the projecting of visible thought-forms, in\na remarkable degree. This faculty of _Kriyas\u2019akti_ is cultivated by the\nyogis of India, and forms an important feature in all occult training.\nThe poet Shelley frequently effected \u201cexteriorization\u201d and was seen by\nByron and Trelawney and by his wife on more than one occasion to be\nvisibly present when it was certain that he was some distance away from\nthe scene. Many such cases are on record and will be found included in\n_Real Ghost Stories_, and _More Ghost Stories_, published by the late\nWilliam T. Stead. I know a yogi in India who has been certified to be\nvisibly present in four places at the same time. Even allowing for\nslight errors of observation in regard to time, the fact is remarkable,\nespecially as there had been no suggestion of pre-arrangement. The\ntheory of \u201cexpectancy\u201d would not therefore cover the ground.\n\nA correspondent sends me the following certified experiences of psychic\nself-projection\u2014\n\n\u201cI intended visiting a great friend (who is psychic _when_ I am with\nher), twenty-five miles away, from Saturday to Monday. On the previous\nTuesday night I could not sleep at all; still wide awake at 3 a.m. I\nsuddenly thought of Miss H\u2014\u2014, and instantly was in her dining-room, in\nthought, saw vividly furniture, etc., and felt beside me her dear dead\nmother (my friend). I thought we both went upstairs together to the\n\u2018spare room\u2019 I usually occupy when visiting. We went into the room, and\nI walked straight to the window, held the curtains back with my hands\nand looked out, then, turned and looked at the bed, surprised to find\nMiss H\u2014\u2014 in it, instead of her own room; turned to the door and came out\nof my \u2018brown study\u2019 to find myself in my own bed at home.\n\n\u201cWhen I visited her on Saturday she said: \u2018About 3 a.m. last Tuesday I\nwished you in your own home; I slept in the spare room that night for a\nchange, and could not sleep; I felt you and my mother were downstairs,\nand distinctly saw you both come into the room. You went straight to the\nwindow, parted the curtains with your hands, and looked out, then turned\nyour head and looked surprised to see me in the bed and walked out of\nthe room.\u2019\u201d\n\nNow, I had said nothing about my \u201cpsychic visit.\u201d Yet in every detail it\nwas authenticated at the other end!\n\nOne night I dreamed I felt nervous (it was a brilliant moonlit night),\nand that I would go into the next room and see if M\u2014\u2014 was awake for\ncompany. I went in my nightdress, barefooted, and distinctly shivered\nwith cold. I found M\u2014\u2014 sound asleep, so did not awaken her. Wondering\nwhat time it might be, I walked to the mantelpiece, where she keeps her\nlittle clock; _it was not there_, but on a chair near the bed. I made\nout fifteen minutes past something, but the moon was not now so\nbrilliant I thought. Then feeling very chilly, I dreamed I returned to\nmy bed. I awoke with a shock (the shock of returning to my body?)\nfeeling sure I had _been_ there. My watch pointed to 4.15. My body was\nperfectly warm, so it could not have been sleep-walking; it was very\nfrosty. Next morning at breakfast I said: \u201cWhere do you keep your little\nclock?\u201d\n\nM\u2014\u2014 said: \u201cUsually on the mantelpiece, but it is a good way from the bed\nthese frosty mornings, so last night I put it on a chair near my\nbed-head.\u201d\n\nShe also said: \u201cI had a curious feeling when I awoke this morning that\nyour presence had been in my room during the night.\u201d\n\nThese experiences undoubtedly show the power of the human mind to take\nform and to effect visible self-presentation at a distance. It is\npresumptive evidence for the existence of a mind-form or\n_karana-sharira_, which if temporarily separable from the physical\ncentres of consciousness, may be so separated permanently at the moment\nof death, and thus assume independent and conscious existence in a world\ninhering in its consciousness. While affording _a priori_ argument in\nfavour of a reasonable belief in post-mortem existence, it does not\nprove immortality. The two cases stand upon entirely different grounds\nand require distinctive evidence. I know that after the butterfly has\nemerged from the chrysalis it has independent existence and that it is\nneither grub nor chrysalis, but a potentiality that has become realized\nin a new order of being. But I also know that the butterfly comes to an\nend. Our problem is concerned with the soul of the butterfly and what\nbecomes of it thereafter. The case is not identical but merely\nanalogous. The human evolution is presumably a good many stages beyond\nthat of the lepidoptera.\n\nYet I find it quite the usual thing, especially among Spiritualists, to\nregard evidence of post-mortem existence as equivalent to evidence for\nimmortality. Occultism, in common with all the great Religions, teaches\nthat post-mortem existence is natural and imperative, while immortality\nis spiritual and conditional. If the shell of a nut be broken the kernel\nwill continue to exist as nut for a considerable time. It is thus with\nthe psychoplasm after separation from the physical body or shell. It is\nsaid of those who have attained: These are they over whom the _second\ndeath_ hath no power. The tendency to regard all that is not physical as\nbeing spiritual in its nature and constitution, is one of the greatest\nfallacies to which modern interpreters of psychic phenomena have\ncontributed. A change in the sphere of activity does not involve change\nof character, nor does it determine the degree of spiritual\nconsciousness of the individual. That is a matter of evolution, of\nknowledge and devotion. The confessed ignorance of discarnate\nintelligences upon matters mundane and spiritual is sufficient evidence\nof this fact.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER V\n                         THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM\n\n\nThere is one star above all others which periodically sheds its light\nupon the world, but about which very little is known, and on the occult\nsignificance of which little or no light has been hitherto shed. I refer\nto what is popularly, and as I shall show, correctly known as the Star\nof Bethlehem.\n\nI propose to bring the facts into review with the intention of finally\nestablishing the place of this star in cosmical symbology, and also of\nshowing its connection with the central fact of the Christian\nreligion\u2014the Nativity.\n\nThe Star is due to make its appearance during the present century, but\nat what precise date cannot be determined, owing to lack of data. It was\nseen in the year 945, again in 1264, and by Tycho in 1572, and after\nbecoming visible in the daytime, so great was its lustre, it gradually\nfaded away and disappeared. Sir J. Herschel thought from these facts,\nthat it would reappear in 1872, but such was not the case. The\nappearance of a large luminous star in Perseus at the beginning of this\ncentury led to the belief that it was the long-expected visitant. The\nbody, which was named Nova Persei, was eventually considered by\nastronomers to be a centre of disruption, on account of its sudden\nflaring up and disappearance. It may have been this or a collision of\ntwo telescopic stars. Tycho tells us that the Star gradually grew in\nluminosity until it outshone Sirius and even Venus, and as gradually\ndisappeared. This seems to suggest a star of great eccentricity and vast\norbit, whose major axis is at right angles to the sphere of visibility,\nso that it appears to us \u201cend on.\u201d It would thus grow and gradually\ndisappear, without any sensible alteration of its position in the\nheavens, as here depicted\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 1.]\n\nIt is of interest to note that mythology connects the Star with\nCassiopeia, Andromeda her daughter, and Perseus the husband of\nAndromeda. These three constellations are in close proximity to one\nanother in the heavens; together with Cepheus, the husband of Cassiopeia\nand father of Andromeda.\n\nThe Star appeared above \u201cthe head of Andromeda,\u201d according to Tycho,\nwhich would give it about 32\u00b0 of N. declination, and thus make its\nappearance vertical to the latitude of Bethlehem in Judea. The sign of\nthe zodiac coinciding with its longitude would thus be Aries, which\naccording to Ptolemy rules over Judea. It is the Oriental sign and\nstands in relation to the cardinal points thus\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 2.]\n\nThis observation satisfies the requirements of that passage where the\nMagi are reported to have said: \u201cWe have seen his Star in _the East_,\nand have come to worship Him.\u201d Then if a geographical quarter was\nreferred to by \u201cthe East,\u201d why should they travel westward from Persia\nto Judea? Obviously they referred to the quarter of the Heavens, and,\nbeing Astrologers, would well know that Judea was signified by Aries, in\nwhich sign the Star made its appearance. Its \u201cstanding over the house\nwhere the child lay,\u201d indicates its position in the zenith of Bethlehem\nat the time of its southing, the latitude of Bethlehem being 31\u00b0 43\u00b4 N.\nin agreement with the observed position of the Star in Tycho\u2019s day.\n\nNow regarding the year of the Nativity, we know that it was in the same\nyear as the death of Herod. This event can be fixed. Josephus, in his\n_Antiquities_, lib. xvii, mentions an eclipse that took place on the\nnight preceding one of the fasts, and which was immediately followed by\nthe last illness of Herod. We know from the same source that Herod\nreigned thirty-four years after the death of Antipater, and thirty-seven\nfrom the beginning of his reign. The date is further fixed by the\nstatement that this latter event took place in the 184th Olympiad, and\nwe hence get the year of Rome 714 or 39 B.C., and the year of the\neclipse would therefore be 3 B.C. The same author says that after\nmourning Herod for seven days, the feast of the Passover was\napproaching, and as this was always held on the 14th of Abib or Nisan,\nwhich is the first full Moon after the Equinox, we are able to confirm\nthe date as the 13th March. At this date it is found that there is a\nconsiderable eclipse of the Moon as shown by the following calculation\n(see p. 48).\n\nThe Sun being 7\u00b0 34\u00b4 from the Node, the extent of the eclipse would be\nnearly five digits, and the Moon would be about two-thirds down the\nwestern sky and in the south-west quarter of the heavens. It is of\ninterest also to note that the Moon was eclipsed in the sign Virgo,\nwhich the ancients say rules Jerusalem, where Herod the Tetrarch died.\n\nIn the R.C. Festes we are told that the death of Herod took place before\nthe Passover and after the eclipse of 13th March, so that the date\nappears to be very well established.\n\nEclipse of the Moon, March 13, 3 B.C. (astron.)\n\nFrom Epoch New Moon March 1797\n\n               March      Sun-Node   Moon\u2019s Anom.   Sun\u2019s Anom.\n               D. H. M.   s. \u00b0. .    s. \u00b0. \u2019.       s. \u00b0. \u2019.\n       1797    16  9 12   9  9 10    2 12 39        8 26 26\n       \u00bd lun.  14 18 22   0 15 20    6 12 54        0 14 33\n               \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014   \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014    \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014        \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n               31  3 34   9 24 30    8 25 33        9 10 59\n               \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014   \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014    \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014        \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n       1800\u2014)  19  0 32   9 18 59    7 17 19        0  1 31\n               \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014   \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014    \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014        \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n       Equats. 12  3  2   0  5 31    1  8 14        9  9 28\n       a          +4  6     +2  3       1 34\n                          \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014    \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n       A+a           -1   0  7 34    1  9 48\n       A-a           +2\n       A\u00b9         +6 37\n               \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n               12 13 46\n\n                   _i.e._, March 13, at 4.46 a.m. G.M.T.\n                               E. long. 2.22 Jerusalem.\n                                        \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n                                        4. 8 a.m.\n\nLuke also gives confirmatory evidence, and the account is very\ncircumstantial. The Evangelist mentions Tiberius C\u00e6sar by name, and also\nthe Governors of the Provinces, as well as many dates. From him we learn\nthat the Mother had good reason to be in or near Bethlehem at that time,\nbecause there was a registration or census under Augustus which was\nfixed for the First of Tishri, when the Jewish civil year commenced. In\nthe same month was the feast of Tabernacles, an additional reason for\nthe journey. Bethlehem was their objective, \u201cbecause they were of the\nhouse and lineage of David,\u201d who was born at Bethlehem. Now the 1st\nTishri would fall in that year on 19th September. At this time there\nwould be \u201cshepherds abiding in the fields by night,\u201d that being the hot\nseason. The 25th December is, of course, an impossible date.\n\nI now take my cue from the Apocalypse: \u201cA woman clothed with the Sun and\nthe Moon under her feet. And she brought forth the Man-child who should\nrule the nations with a rod of iron.\u201d\n\nThe Sun in the middle of the sign Virgo is the woman clothed with the\nSun. To be \u201cclothed\u201d with the solar rays the luminary must be in the\nmiddle of the sign and neither just entering it nor just leaving it. The\n\u201cMoon under its feet\u201d signifies a full Moon, when the lunar orb was in\nthe opposite point of the zodiac, namely, the middle of Pisces. \u201cA rod\nof iron\u201d indicates that the Man-child was born under the planet Mars,\n_i. e._ under the rising of the sign ascribed to the government of that\nplanet. We have to construct a horoscope which, while in actual accord\nwith astronomical facts, exhibits these features.\n\nWe have already seen that the full Moon of March fell on the 13th, and\nif to this we add the values for six lunations, we shall have the full\nMoon of September in the year 4 B.C., thus\u2014\n\n                   D. H. M.  s. \u00b0. .   s. \u00b0. \u2019.  s. \u00b0. \u2019.\n         March      12 3  2  0  5 31   1  8 14   9  9 28\n         6 luns.   177 4 24  6  4  1   5  4 54   5 24 38\n                   \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014  \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014   \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014    \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n                   189 7 26  6  9 32   6 13  8   3  4  6\n                                2  4   -1 35     Sun\u2019s\n                                                 Anomaly.\n                             \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014   \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n         A+a             -1  6 11 36   6 11 33\n         A-A             +2  Sun from  Moon\u2019s\n         A\u2019           -1 50  Node.     Anomaly.\n                   \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n                   189 5 37\n\nor Sept. 5, at 5.37 p.m. G.M.T.\n\nThis is equal to 7.58 p.m. at Jerusalem, and the position of the Sun\ninforms us that there was an eclipse of the Moon of about 4\u00bd digits. The\nSun would be in the middle of Virgo, and hence the woman would be\nliterally \u201cclothed with the Sun.\u201d\n\nVirgo, being the birth-sign, or that which the Sun occupied, it comes to\nbe associated symbolically with Bethlehem, or Beit-lachm, _i. e._ the\nHouse of Bread, for Virgo is none other than Ceres, the goddess of the\nharvest of cereals, and is associated with Isis by the Egyptians, as Leo\nwith Osiris and Aries with Horus.\n\nThis Horus is the Man-child, ruled by Mars or Vulcan, the Roman god of\nfire and iron, the husband of Venus or Aphrodite.\n\nAstrologically Mars is associated with the sign Aries, and under the\nrising of this sign the Nativity would take place, and with Aries rising\nthe Sun would be below the western horizon and in opposition to the\neclipsed Moon, the latter being conjoined with Uranus in Pisces, and the\nsign Aries with the constellation Andromeda, and the Star of Bethlehem\nin the orient. Saturn and Jupiter were then in close conjunction in the\nbeginning of the sign Taurus, Mars just entered, into Leo, Mercury\ntowards the end of that sign, Venus setting as an \u201cevening star\u201d in\nLibra 22\u00b0, and Neptune in the sign Scorpio.\n\nHere we find Mars, the ruling planet in the sign Leo, ruling Judah,\nhence Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The\nprophecy of Jacob was that Judah should be as a lion crouching down. \u201cA\nsceptre shall not depart from Judah nor a law-giver (Cepheus) from\nbetween his feet, until Shuleh come.\u201d This Shuleh is the name of the\nstar Cor Scorpio on whose rising Leo declines from the position of\nmeridian power. It is in accord with the universal symbology that here\nin the sign Scorpio we find the planet Neptune in the 8th division of\nthe heavens, signifying \u201cbetrayal unto death.\u201d The Moon, ruler of the\n4th House, conjoined with Uranus in the 12th House, in opposition to the\nSun is an additional indication of an untimely end, and that on account\nof secret enmity. The sign Scorpio is associated with the principle of\nevil and is called the accursed sign. The tribe of Dan, to whose lot\nthis division fell, substituted the symbol of its antiscion, Aquila, the\neagle, on that account. Among the disciples it was connected with Judas\nIscariot.\n\nThe Pascal full Moon of A.D. 33 fell on 3rd April at 2\u00b0 55\u00b4 G.M.T., the\nSun being about 6\u00bd\u00b0 from the Node. The time at Jerusalem was 5.16\np.m.\u2014\u201cabout the sixth hour.\u201d The Sun was then close to the Star in\nAries, known as Alnatha, _i.e._ \u201cthe slain lamb.\u201d\n\nThe universality of this incarnation has been frequently commented upon.\nThe cosmical Man has employed the symbolism of the whole of the solar\nsystem as known to the ancients. Thus we have him referred to as\u2014\n\nSaturn\u2014\u201cA man of sorrows.\u201d\n\nJupiter\u2014\u201cThe Sun of Righteousness,\u201d and a \u201cpriest after the order of\nMelchizedek,\u201d _i. e._ the King of Righteousness.\n\nMars\u2014The sword bearer, \u201cI came not to bring peace but a sword.\u201d\n\nSun\u2014\u201cThe Day-star from on high.\u201d\n\nVenus\u2014\u201cThe Prince of Peace.\u201d\n\nMercury\u2014\u201cThe Word,\u201d \u201cThe Messenger.\u201d\n\nEarth\u2014\u201cSon of Man,\u201d _i. e._ Adam\u2014Earth.\n\nJesus the Prophet and Master of Wisdom is of the order of those \u201cwhose\ngoings forth are from of old.\u201d Some have seen in Him the reincarnation\nof the Buddha, whose ethical doctrine is strongly akin to the teachings\nof the holy Nazarene.\n\nBut there are strong reasons in the astrological scheme here presented,\nto warrant all Occultists in accepting the Incarnation in a sense other\nthan symbolical or mythological. The prophecies and the record agree\nwith the astronomical facts. Jesus is called especially \u201cthe Lamb of\nGod,\u201d and is born under the rising of the sign Aries. He is called also\nthe \u201cLion of the Tribe of Judah,\u201d and Mars, the ruler of the horoscope,\nis found in Leo. He is called \u201cthe Virgin-born,\u201d and we find the Sun at\nthe Nativity in the sign of the Virgin. These positions are not\naccidental, but are in agreement with the particular state of the\nvisible heavens at the epoch to which we are impelled by reference to\nthe facts of the case in conformity with the historical record.\n\nWe have, I think, specific evidence of the Incarnation\u2014of what? Of the\nChrist, the Logos, the Word. Jesus the man, whose horoscope we have been\ntracing, is not to be confounded with the Christ principle investing\nthat Personality, nor yet with the Spirit of God animating the Christ.\nThe relationship of these are apparently as Spirit, Soul and Body to one\nanother, that is\u2014\n\n                               Spirit = God.\n\n                               Soul = Christ.\n\n                               Body = Jesus.\n\nThis order seems to be supported by the earliest statements of the\nChristian faith. The Master-Soul speaking through the person of Jesus\nsaid: \u201cThese things I do not of myself but of the Spirit of God which\ndwelleth in me,\u201d and again, \u201cKnow ye not that ye are the temple of God\nand the Spirit of God dwelleth in _you_?\u201d Further, the Master in bidding\nfarewell to His disciples said, \u201cI go unto my Father and your Father,\nunto my God and your God.\u201d It is clear, therefore, in what relations the\nincarnate Christ stood to humanity and to God. Other masters have\nappeared at various times as manifestations of the Spirit of Truth,\nBodhisattvas as they are called in India, and are seen to be the\nfounders of schools of religious thought in all parts of the world. They\nall answer to the universal paradigm, and consequently we find the same\nmyths and legends centring in them. Occasionally we get specific record\nof the birth of these Great Souls. Thus we know that Confucius\n(Kong-fu-tze) was born 550 B.C. on the 27th day of the 10th month, and\ndied on the 18th day of the 2nd month in the year 477 B.C., at the age\nof seventy-three years. The birth of Gautama Sakyamuni is vaguely\nindicated as having taken place at the full Moon of Jyestha. So far no\nrecords have been discovered to throw light upon the year of birth, so\nthat we cannot determine the cosmic relations of this great luminary.\nThe birth of Sri S\u2019ankar\u0101ch\u0101rya, however, is specifically indicated in a\nstanza of Yidy\u0101ranya, where it is said that the Sun, Saturn, Jupiter and\nMars were all in their exaltation signs, that is to say, in Aries,\nLibra, Cancer and Capricorn respectively; and in _Kendra_, _i. e._ in\nsigns that were upon the angles of the horoscope. This is the ideal\nhoroscope of the successful reformer, and this Confucius of India, who\nbegan his crusade at twenty years of age, has left his mark for all time\nupon Indian thought and literature.\n\nWherever we can obtain the time of the incarnation of these Great Souls,\nit is seen that either there are some special celestial portents\nattending them or the planetary positions are such as to stamp the\nhoroscope at once as that of an epoch-making birth. The portents\nattending the birth of Romulus, as recited by Dionysius, are no less\nstriking than those which signalized his death. Something of this sort\nwas obviously the belief in Shakespeare\u2019s time concerning the death of\ngreat men\u2014\n\n          When beggars die there are no comets seen,\n          The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of Princes.\n\nFrom this we may conclude that the gods are not democratic, but favour\nindividualism of the most pronounced type; and if, as would seem to be\nthe case, the whole trend of evolution is the specialization of faculty,\nthe elaboration of the unit from the mass, we can readily understand why\nspecially selected cosmical conditions attend the incarnation of\nhighly-evolved souls.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER VI\n                            COSMIC SYMBOLOGY\n\n\nA consideration of great astronomical epochs naturally leads to the more\ncomprehensive subject of Periodicity and the Law of Cycles. Some notes\nin my former works have raised special points of inquiry which may very\nwell be dealt with in the present chapter.\n\nWhat is known as the Great Year of Plato is one of those occult\nstatements which seem to point to the existence among Initiates of some\ndegree of special knowledge in cosmical facts. The observation of the\nPrecession of the Equinoxes is usually ascribed to Hipparchus, who lived\nin the Second Century B.C. By comparison of the star positions in his\nday with those of Timocharis a century earlier, it was found that while\nmaintaining their relative distances from one another and from the\necliptic, the stars had altered their positions in regard to the\nequinox, and a rough calculation showed that they were moving at the\nrate of about 50\u00b4\u00b4 per year. Observations of particular stars, while\nconfirming the fact of their change of longitude, did not yield uniform\nresults, and this no doubt was due to the imperfection of the\ninstruments employed. Thus in regard to the star Spica Virginis we have\nthe following observations of its longitude at various dates by\nindependent authorities\u2014\n\n           Timocharis, B.C. 293, Spica observed in Virgo, 22\u00b0 20\u00b4\n\n           Hipparchus,  \u201d   145,   \u201d        \u201d        \u201d    24\u00b0 20\u00b4\n\n           Menelaus,   A.D.  99,   \u201d        \u201d        \u201d    26\u00b0 15\u00b4\n\n           Ptolemy,     \u201d   139,   \u201d        \u201d        \u201d    26\u00b0 30\u00b4\n\n           Copernicus,  \u201d  1515,   \u201d        \u201d      Libra, 17\u00b0 14\u00b4\n\n               \u201d        \u201d  1525,   \u201d        \u201d        \u201d    17\u00b0 21\u00b4\n\n           Naut. Al.,   \u201d  1820,   \u201d        \u201d        \u201d    21\u00b0 20\u00b4\n\nThus while the fact of Precession is very clearly defined by these\nobservations, the amount of it is not accurately determined. Later\nobservations with more perfect means of measurement have enabled the\nofficial astronomers to give a true value to the Precession of the\nEquinoxes, which is 50\u00b72453\u00b4\u00b4 plus O\u00b70002225\u00b4\u00b4 _t_ where _t_ is the\nnumber of years from 1850. Thus while Hipparchus and Ptolemy found it to\nbe 1\u00b0 in 100 years, Albatani found it to be only 1\u00b0 in 66 years, and\nmodern observations seem to point the fact that it has been accelerated\nup to our own time. By taking a mean of all observations during the last\neighteen centuries, the amount appears to be 50\u00b7062\u00b4\u00b4 and by extending\nthe observations we can work it down to 50\u00b4\u00b4 nearly. Now if we divide\nthe circle of the zodiac, or 360\u00b0 by 50\u00b4\u00b4 we shall arrive at the figures\n25,920 comprised in the Great Year. There are two theories in existence\nas to the cause of this Precession. At the point of time when the Sun\ncrosses the Equator and comes to the first point of Aries, let the Sun\nbe in line with a star in the heavens. When the Sun returns to the same\nposition on the Equator it is found not to be in line with that star but\n50\u00b4\u00b4 in advance of it. The first theory is that this is due to the\nchange in the obliquity of the ecliptic, or, what is the same thing, in\nthe inclination of the earth\u2019s axis to the plane of the ecliptic, a\nchange caused by the action of the Moon and Sun on the equatorial bulge.\nThe whole effect is taken to be about 50\u00b4\u00b4 as said, and of this 35\u00b4\u00b4 is\ndue to the Moon and 15\u00b4\u00b4 to the Sun. Various observations have shown\nthis change of axial inclination to be about 50\u00b4\u00b4 per century, or one\none-hundredth part of the Precession of the Equinoxes. Of this I shall\nhave something to say later. For the moment we may consider it as part\nof the theory of Precession. The other theory is that Precession is\ncaused by the proper motion of the Sun through space, whereby it\ncompletes an arc of 50\u00b4\u00b4 of its vast orbit every year. Then the gradual\nincrease of the Precession already noted would in terms of this theory\nbe due to the fact that the earth is getting nearer to the Sun and\nconsequently the angle of parallax would be greater. Here we may leave\nthe theorists with their own material and turn to the significance of\nthis Great Year.\n\nAs the whole Year consists of 25,920, during which the Equinoxes precess\nan entire circle, there will be a period of 2160 occupied in traversing\none sign, that is to say, a twelfth part of the circle. Now this period\nis 72 periods of the planet Saturn, otherwise known as Kronos, the god\nof Time. From this again we derive the foundation of the great Yugas or\nAges known to the Indians and referred to in the Vishnu Purana as the\nFour Ages, Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. They\ncorrespond with the four ages known as the Gold, Silver, Copper and Iron\nages. Thus\u2014\n\n         72 \u00d7 6  equals  432 multiplied by 1000 =   432,000 years.\n\n         72 \u00d7 12   \u201d     864      \u201d       \u201d     =   864,000   \u201d\n\n         72 \u00d7 18   \u201d    1296      \u201d       \u201d     = 1,296,000   \u201d\n\n         72 \u00d7 24   \u201d    1780      \u201d       \u201d     = 1,728,000   \u201d\n                                                  \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014-\n         Total number of years in the Maha-yuga,  4,320,000 years.\n\nAt present the Vernal Equinox is at the very end of the constellation\nAquarius, and there was a time when the equinox fell in the middle of\nTaurus, and the solstices in the middle of Leo and Aquarius\nrespectively. Thus we find Varaha Mihira, an Indian astronomer of the\nfifth century, stating that in his day the solstices fell in Katakam\n(Cancer), and Makaram (Capricornus), but that according to former\nshastras they were once in the middle of Aslesha (Leo) and Kumbha\n(Aquarius) respectively. This tells us that some two thousand years\nbefore Mihira\u2019s time there were Indian observations which determined the\npositions of the solstices among the asterisms, and it cannot have\nfailed to strike Mihira that there was such a fact as Precession, even\nsupposing that he had no knowledge of it from the Greek and Egyptian\nastronomers. It was about this time, namely 2000 B.C., that the\nBabylonian empire was at its height, and accordingly we find the\nastronomical facts written in all their records and built into their\narchitecture. We find it in the Assyrian Bull and in the Egyptian\nSphinx, wherein the four constellations which then held the cardinal\npoints are found to be compounded. They comprise Taurus the Bull, Leo\nthe Lion, Aquarius the Man, and Scorpio (Aquila) the Eagle.\n\nIn connection with the position of the Vernal Equinox in the\nconstellations, there are a number of very interesting myths and symbols\nwhich form an essential part of Occultism. We find, for instance, that\nat the time when the equinox was in the constellation Taurus the worship\nof the Bull as a symbol was closely associated with the Spring\nfestivals. The Egyptians at this time decked a white Bull with garlands\nof flowers and set a golden discus between his horns to represent the\nentry of the Sun into the constellation of the Bull. Later, when the\nsigns of the zodiac became confused with the constellations by the fact\nof their coincidence, the same myths and ceremonies were transferred to\nthe signs, and remained associated with them in the popular use. Hence\nthe May Day festival, which had its origin with the Sun in the\nconstellation Taurus at the Vernal Equinox, came to be associated with\nthe entry of the Sun into the sign Taurus in the month of May.\n\nHistory brings to us a curious confirmation of the astronomical basis of\nthe Bull ceremonials. The Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is stated\nto have taken place in 1491 B.C. Now we have already seen that Mihira,\nthe Indian astronomer, noted the Vernal Equinox at his time to have been\ncoincident with the first point of the constellation Mesham (Aries),\nand, as his date is fixed by calculation to have been A.D. 536, the\ninterval would consequently be 1491 plus 536, or 2027 years. And if we\nmultiply this by 50\u00b71\u00b4\u00b4, the mean precession per year, we shall have as\nresult 28\u00b0 12\u00b4 35\u00b4\u00b4, which, added to the first point of Aries, takes us\nto the end of that constellation on to the verge of the constellation\nTaurus. Hence we conclude that about the time of the Exodus the Equinox\nwas passing out of Taurus into Aries, and consequently we find the\ninstitution of the Jewish Passover (Pasach), to have been inaugurated by\nMoses who was \u201clearned in all the lore and language of the Egyptians\u201d\nand who, as the adopted son of the Egyptian Princess, would be initiated\nby the Priests of Isis into all the mysteries of the cosmos to which at\nthat time they had access. When, therefore, the Israelites were found to\nbe perpetuating the worship of the Golden Calf which they had witnessed\nin Egypt, the great Lawgiver admonished them, reduced their idol into an\n_aurum potabile_ by his alchemical skill and gave it them to drink.\nThereafter the symbol of the Ram became paramount in Israelitish\nworship. The Pasach or transit was none other than that of the Vernal\nEquinox from the constellation Taurus into Aries. Occultists have\nidentified the sign Taurus with the age of the Patriarchs, the age of\nhusbandry and the ascendancy in Egypt of the Hyksoi or Shepherd Kings.\nThe age of Aries marks the cycle of militarism, extending to Assyria,\nPersia, Egypt and Greece, and culminating in the Roman Empire. Pisces\nmarks the age of Combination, culminating in the federation of the\nAnglo-Saxon peoples. The present-day transit into the constellation\nAquarius is held to inaugurate the dawn of the age of Baptism, the\npouring out of the Spirit of Truth upon all flesh, and the age will\ntherefore be one of spiritual regeneration.\n\nWhat are called the Four Fixed Signs of the zodiac, those which enter\ninto the composition of the Sphinx, are found to be in the forefront of\nnational symbolism among the ancient Chinese. The four cardinal\nconstellations are associated with the four colours, black, red, white\nand blue. The constellation of the Lion was called by them \u201cthe Black\nWarrior,\u201d Taurus was called \u201cthe Azure Dragon,\u201d Scorpio the \u201cWhite\nTiger\u201d and Aquarius \u201cthe Red Bird.\u201d In the time of Wan Wang there was\nbuilt a palace whose four walls were of these colours, and we find them\nrepresented in the heraldry of the Yellow Empire.\n\nIn both Egypt and Assyria we find the Bull used as a sacred symbol, even\nas it is to this day in India. There is a connection of a subtle nature\nbetween the Bull and the Bee\u2014Apis. In the most ancient Mithraic monument\nof Assyria there is shown in bas-relief the figure of a lion out of\nwhose mouth a bee is coming forth. This at once brings to mind the\nriddle of Samson, himself associated with the Solar myth. He is made to\nsay: \u201cOut of the eater came forth meat, out of the strong came forth\nsweetness.\u201d And when they gave him the answer: \u201cWhat is stronger than a\nlion, what is sweeter than honey?\u201d the key to the symbology is supplied\nin his answering words: \u201cIf you had not ploughed with my oxen (Taurus),\nyou had not found out my riddle.\u201d Here there is an obvious association\nof the symbol of the Bull with that of the Bee, and it is here that we\nget the affiliation of the two signs Taurus and Leo. A lion trampling on\na snake and a bull in the folds of a snake are to be found among the\nsymbolical monuments of the past. The lion-headed man, Abraxas, is a\nsymbol which links the sign Aquarius to that of Leo, and is of great\nantiquity: among the Persians we find this word Abraxas or Abracax\nengraved on magical stones. It stands for the 365 days of the year and\nthe virtues corresponding to them.\n\nBut this Taurean key to the riddle of Samson is not merely a cosmical\nsymbolism. It is also a spiritual one. For the four Fixed Signs of the\nzodiac stand for the basic elements or what are known as the Four\nStates, and these in their turn have analogy with human principles.\nThus\u2014\n\n            Leo       represents Fire, which stands for SPIRIT.\n\n            Aquarius       \u201d     Air      \u201d       \u201d     MIND.\n\n            Scorpio        \u201d     Water    \u201d       \u201d     SOUL.\n\n            Taurus         \u201d     Earth    \u201d       \u201d     BODY.\n\nIn this paradigm we have Spirit above and Matter beneath, linked\ntogether by the Human Soul or Mind in relations with Spirit, and the\nAnimal Soul in relations with Matter. The riddle of Samson therefore may\nbe read kabalistically thus: Out of Spirit proceeded Matter, as from\nFire the element of Earth was evolved. To which we may add the rider in\ncorresponding terms: Save by incarnation you could not attain to\nspiritual liberation, which is equivalent to the saying: If you had not\nploughed with my oxen, you had not found out my riddle. Here we have the\nprocess of differentiation covertly referred to by the propounder of the\nriddle, showing that Matter is the ultimate expression of Spirit, its\nnegative pole. It stands for the female principle in Nature, and hence\nthe tradition involves the woman who betrayed Samson\u2019s secret. Thus in\ncosmical symbology some of the great secrets of cosmogenesis and\nanthropogenesis lie concealed. The ancient wisdom conceived the two\nschemes as involved in the complete arc of life, which holds good for\nany planet, and for the system to which it belongs.\n\nThe Four states of matter and their corresponding evolutes may be thus\nfigured\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 3.]\n\nIn a subsequent section we may profitably consider the analogy existing\nbetween the cosmical and anthropological evolutions, and the consequent\nrelations of the human soul with the planet to which it is related in\nthe scheme of things.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER VII\n                          READING THE SYMBOLS\n\n\nThe possibility of a scientific foreknowledge of events has long engaged\nthe minds of speculative thinkers. In properly informed minds it has\nassumed an actuality. The learned writer of _The Story of the Heavens_\nhas given us a most interesting account of the manner in which the law\nof the Tides gradually came to be connected with the Moon, and how at\nlength some astute observer formulated a scheme based on the Moon\u2019s age,\nby which the time of high or low tide could be predicted. That was a\ncase of scientific foreknowledge. When to the laws of Kepler, which gave\na mathematical construction to the whole system of astronomy, Sir Isaac\nNewton contributed his great law of Gravitation, the coherence of the\nwhole cosmical scheme was manifest. Kepler showed that planetary motions\nanswered to the functions of the ellipse. Newton demonstrated the\nnecessity of this cosmical fact. Herschel discovered the proper motion\nof the Sun in space and upset the whole scheme. Although answering to\nthe functions of an ellipse, of which the stationary Sun occupied one of\nthe foci, the necessary fact immediately assumed the less rigid form of\nrelative fact, and the ellipse gave place to the cycloidal curve. A\ncycloidal curve is that described by any point on the tyre of a\nrevolving wheel whose axle is progressing at the same time in a straight\nline. Let the Sun occupy the position of the axle, and let a planet be\nsituate at the end of one of the spokes of the wheel upon the tyre. If\nthe wheel be now moved forward it will be found that the Sun-point is\nmoving in a straight line parallel to the ground on which the wheel\nrests, while the planet-point describes a series of arches. It never\ngets farther away from the centre to which it is united. The planet\npoint, in fact, describes a segment of a circle the chord of which is\nequal to the circumference of the wheel. We are under no necessity of\nsupposing that the Sun\u2019s path in space is rectilinear. On the contrary,\nwe have presumptive evidence that it is itself answering to the\ngravitational pull of some body in the remote confines of space and\npursuing an orbital path.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 4. Diagram showing the Cycloidal curve of a planet\non a vector S\u00b4-C, where A, C, B are the tropics. Then the straight line\nS-S\u00b4\u00b4 is equal to 2(S\u00b4C) \u00d7 3\u00b714159.]\n\nWe are here dealing with a rigid vector, which is not the case as\nregards the planetary bodies. There is a difference in nature between\nthe spoke of a wheel that holds the tyre to the hub and the force of\ngravity that holds a planet to the Sun.\n\nThen our cycloidal curve falls of itself into the region of relativity.\nIt would only be true if the Sun\u2019s path in space were rectilinear, not\notherwise.\n\nNow we have got to our point where the elements of our system assume\ncoherence only by their relativity. This fact is so well established\nthat scientific prediction is a thing assured. Every year there is\nissued a volume of astronomical facts which antedate our calendar by\nsome three or four years. I refer to the _Nautical Almanac_. In this\nvolume we shall eventually find not only that the tides have been\ncorrectly predicted, but that every phase of the Moon is accurately\nstated, its orbit among the stars clearly defined; the times of its\nocculting or hiding the various stars that happen to lie in its course;\nthe time, place and magnitudes of the various eclipses, and a host of\nother phenomena, are seen to have been foretold. This knowledge could\nnot be otherwise derived than from an intelligent study of an\nintelligible cosmos, and a clear definition of the laws governing\ncosmical relations. Keep that in mind. We live in a world of relativity.\nWhat we call cosmic laws have only a relative value. The Ptolemaic\nsystem of epicycles was relatively true to the view of the universe\nwhich regarded the Earth as the centre of the system. It answered to all\nthe phenomena. It had an integrity of its own. When the view-point was\nshifted so that the Sun came to be regarded as the centre of the system,\nthen the epicycle no longer held good. But the elliptical theory of\nKepler was only a relative truth. The planets do not really move in\nelliptical orbits. They only appear to do so from the point of view of a\n_fixed_ central Sun. The theory, like that of Ptolemy, answers to the\nphenomena. The same can be shown in regard to the cycloidal system. In\nthe astronomical text books it will be found that the Precession of the\nEquinoxes is ascribed to the change in the inclination of the earth\u2019s\naxis caused by the attraction of the Moon and Sun, but principally of\nthe Moon, on the equatorial bulge of the earth. The same text books will\ntell you that the Precession is found to be increasing, that the Moon is\nreceding from the earth, and that the attraction of gravitation\ndecreases as the square of the distance! All of which is a contradiction\nin terms.\n\nBut since we have arrived at the fact of relativity in regard to what we\nare used to calling astronomical \u201cfacts,\u201d we may as well face the\nsituation and accept the universe as symbol. Then all facts concerning\nit come to be regarded as merely symbolical, and it is our business to\nrelate this universal symbology to the things of our consciousness and\nthe facts of daily life.\n\nSuch a system was evolved ages ago by the philosophers of the East, in\nChina, in India and in Chaldea. They called this system by the name of\nAstrology, that is, what we reason or discourse concerning the stars.\nThey regarded the stars, not as bodies having a fixed quantitative\nrelationship to the cosmos, but as symbols having a significance in our\nconsciousness and a value in terms of experience. These values were\ndoubtless assigned from observation. Human nature remaining very much\nthe same throughout long ages, the symbolism thus instituted would have\na more or less constant value. That is how we find it. What Saturn\nsignified two thousand years ago it signifies to-day. It is an open\nquestion whether the planets have a causative relationship in regard to\nthe affairs of human life. Before we can decide this point we have to\nprove our theory of gravitation, making of it an absolute instead of\nmerely a relative fact. Then, if the planets interact one upon another,\nas what is called the \u201csolidarity\u201d of the system seems to require, we\ncannot very well escape from the logical consequences of our reasoning,\nand planetary action in human life must be a fact beyond controversy.\nBut the planets may very well have a symbolical value as being part of\nthe universal inscription, a feature in the great physiognomy. We may\nargue from this point of view with perfect safety. It is our business to\nstudy this physiognomy of Nature, to read the symbolism of the heavens\nin the same intelligent manner as we read the symbolism of the Earth. It\nmay be said that the whole art of living consists in what the ancients\ncalled the \u201cend-viewing perception,\u201d seeing the end from the beginning,\nwhich is our modern \u201cintelligent anticipation.\u201d The Genesis account\ngives a symbolical value to the Sun, Moon and planets, when it says: Let\nthem be for signs (Othoth), and this othic value was early discovered by\nthe ancients and has held to this day.\n\nThere are various means of foreknowledge, but all cannot be called\nscientific, although they may be the subject of scientific scrutiny.\nInspiration or revelation escape our apprehension. What we know as the\ngift of the Spirit does not lend itself to scientific empiricism. Direct\nperception, as in clairvoyance or seership, is allied to certain\ntemperamental peculiarities which can be noted but barely accounted for.\nMediumism and obsession may sometimes be the source of foreknowledge of\nevents, and these are the legitimate subjects of study by psychologists.\nTo these we may add the various forms of Automatism when applied to\ndivination, and Numerology or Kabalism. The latter, while depending on\nan universal symbolism and the geometrical relations of thought, is\nsomewhat distinct in that it lends itself to empirical test. Indeed, it\nmay be said that all the foregoing methods of foreknowledge, except\ndirect revelation, may be rendered scientific. That they are not yet so\nis due to our defect of knowledge concerning the nature and constitution\nof man.\n\nIn effect we make final reference to Astrology as the only means of\nscientific foreknowledge known to man, and in this we must include the\nphysical phenomena which have direct relation to astronomical facts as\nwell as anything we may argue concerning the action of the planets upon\nthe minds of men and the disposition of human affairs. Astrology lends\nitself readily to experimental test. It does not necessarily assume a\ncausative relationship between man and the various bodies of the solar\nsystem, but it is open to show that there is an actual relationship\nbetween the state of the heavens at the moment of a person\u2019s birth into\nthe world and the character and experience of that person through life.\nThere is no need in this place to elaborate the argument. The facts are\nsufficiently well attested in the experience of all who have taken the\ntrouble to apply the ordinary tests. As to character, Ptolemy affirms\nthat Mercury is the indicator of the rational powers, the Moon of the\nnatural powers. By the rational he means those that are peculiar to man,\nby the natural, those that are common to man and the lower animals. The\ndistribution of the faculties and powers are thus symbolically located\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 5.]\n\nThere is an obvious consent here to the principles of modern Phrenology\nas enunciated by Dr. Bernard Hollander. It is seen that all the\nintellectual faculties, the perceptives, memories, the comparative and\nrational faculty, are under the sway of the planet Mercury. Jupiter\ngoverns the sympathetic faculties, intuitive perception, mirthfulness,\nwit, benevolence; Saturn the devotional faculties, wonder, sublimity,\nveneration; the Sun has rule over the governing group of\nfaculties\u2014firmness, conscientiousness, love of approbation, stability;\nVenus over the social group\u2014friendship, inhabitiveness, constancy, etc.;\nthe Moon over the natural faculties\u2014vitativeness, amativeness, love of\noffspring, etc.; Mars over the faculties of defence and destruction;\nUranus over the psychic faculties, and Neptune over the spiritual.\n\nIn Astrology the Sun is considered as the radiating centre of vital\nenergy, and has relations with the heart and the solar plexus. The Moon\nis the distributor of this energy, and represents the element of\nvariability, being allied to the sympathetic ganglion, and having\nrelations with the fluidic body; it also is related to the spleen. The\nSun and Moon acting together, as in the production of the tides, may be\nregarded as the generator and distributor of all astral influences.\nAccording to the positions of the planets at the moment of birth in\nregard to the luminaries, astrologers draw their conclusions regarding\nthe constitution and functional powers of the individual. But there is\nalso another most important local factor which plays a very significant\npart in the determination of personal powers.\n\nIf we take the vertical circle in the centre of which a birth takes\nplace, we shall find that this prime vertical is divided into two parts\nby the meridian which cuts it at right angles, and again by the horizon\nat right angles to the meridian circle. These two great circles\nrepresent sensitive planes which are capable of responding to the astral\nvibrations in force at any time, the intensity of such vibrations being\nin direct proportion to the nearness of the planets to such planes.\nHence it is found that planets which are exactly rising or setting,\nculminating or passing the lower meridian, have a very marked effect\nupon the character and destiny of the person so born. These are\nempirical observations. They can be tested, but, if tested, they must be\nso in strict accord with the canons of Astrology, which ascribe certain\ninfluences to each of the planets.\n\nThese great circles again constitute planes of direct and transverse\npolarity, and they are found to follow the principle of the segmentation\nof the cell. They serve a most important part in the determination of\nsex. But this is a long and intricate matter, and cannot be fully\ndiscussed in these pages.\n\nNow, by tracing the effects upon health, character and fortunes produced\n(or indicated) by the transits of the planets over these sensitive\nplanes, astrologers have been able to determine exactly what effects are\ndue to each, that is to say, what they signify in the course of events.\nPtolemy, Tycho and Kepler, Newton, and others among the great\nastronomers, have confirmed the ascriptions of the astrologers from\npersonal observation, but without in any way contributing to the\nsolution of the problem of their _modus operandi_, presuming them to\nhave a causative relationship in human affairs, or of their status in a\nscheme of universal symbolism. They have just left the problem where\nthey found it, while confirming the general claim of astrologers that\nthere is a possible means of a scientific method of prediction.\nAstrologers make no claim to any degree of special inspiration. They\nmerely argue from like causes to like effects, finding illustration of\nthe law of periodicity in lunations, transits, eclipses and revolutional\ningresses, which, being connected in experience with a certain\nsuccession of events, are found to produce events of a similar nature\nwhenever they recur. Astronomy gives us the periodic values of these\nseveral factors, while Astrology supplies an interpretation from\nexperience. Nothing could be more scientific or more satisfactory. I may\nnow pass to the citation of some remarkable instances of scientific\nprediction.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER VIII\n                      ANCIENT AND MODERN EXAMPLES\n\n\nAmong the earliest of the great readers of the Symbolism of the universe\nwas Thales of Miletus, who during the sixth century B.C. formulated a\ntrue theory of the cause of eclipses, and proved his theory by\npredicting the eclipse of May 28, 585 B.C. He founded the Ionic sect of\nphilosophers, which was distinguished for the profundity of its\nspeculations, to which his successors and pupils, Anaxagoras,\nAnaximander, Anaximenes and Archelaus so largely contributed. Archelaus\nbecame the master of Socrates. Anaxagoras proved himself as skilful as\nhis Master in the use of the sphere and in astronomical studies, for he\npredicted the eclipse of the Sun which was seen at Athens in the first\nyear of the Peloponnesian War. From Thucydides we learn that it happened\nafter noon in the summer, and that the Sun assumed a crescent shape and\nthat some of the stars shone out.\n\nSir J. Herschel has spoken of this eclipse as total, but this cannot be,\nas the Moon\u2019s apparent diameter was less than that of the Sun, so that\neven where it was central it would be but annular.\n\nNow of Thales it is recorded that he foresaw by his reading of the\nsymbols that there would be a great dearth of olives in a certain year,\nand he accordingly bought up all the stock of olives that was on the\nmarket and chartered all the stalls, so that when the dearth occurred he\nwas able to sell at his own price, and thereby made a great sum of\nmoney. This was at Alexandria. He then went to Athens and found the\nplague raging there. He at once took the matter in hand and was speedily\nsuccessful in purging the city, so that the people erected a statue in\nhis honour to commemorate the event. Seeing his end approaching and\nknowing that it would be due to the fall of some heavy body, if indeed\nhe himself did not receive a fall, he thought to circumvent the evil by\ntaking necessary precautions. To this end he retired to a field where he\nestablished himself. Being thus far removed from any buildings and\nhimself in no danger of falling from a height, he thought himself to be\nsecure, and looked forward to the time when the evil indications should\nhave passed by. But it happened that an eagle, having secured a\nparticularly fine tortoise as prey, carried it aloft and sought for\nsomewhat whereon to break its shell. Seeing the bald head of the\nphilosopher and mistaking it for a stone, the eagle promptly let the\ntortoise fall. Exit Thales!\n\nThe general truth of the Hebrew records has been abundantly established\nby archaeologists both in regard to the Babylonian and Egyptian\ncaptivities and the sojourn in the wilderness. Their prophets were men\nskilled in the reading of the universal symbolism, and they described\nevents centuries before they happened. Daniel so correctly portrays the\ncareer of Alexander that the early opponents of the Bible sought to\nprove, but without success, that the prophet was describing what was\npast instead of predicting what was in the future. However this may be,\nwe cannot get away from the fact that the ruin and desolation of many\ncities which were in a high state of prosperity in Daniel\u2019s time and for\nsome centuries after, such as Moab, Edom, Amalek, Tyre and Sidon, and\nAmmon, were undoubtedly predicted. These cities were to be blotted out.\nThey were in existence in the first centuries of our era, but now they\nno longer exist. The subjugation of Egypt was clearly foretold and has\naccordingly happened. Nineveh and Babylon were condemned to desolation\nand utter ruin when in the height of their prosperity. They were to be\nplaces of eternal solitude, the haunt of wild beasts, and the palaces a\nhiding-place for jackals. Daniel\u2019s famous prophecy of the coming of the\nMessiah after Seventy Weeks, _i. e._ 490 years from the time of the\ngoing forth of the order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. The prophet\nclearly indicates the source whence he was able to obtain initial light\nupon the basis of prophecy, for he informs us that in the first year of\nthe reign of Darius (521 B.C.) he \u201cunderstood by books the numbers of\nthe years,\u201d etc. Thereafter by prayer and fasting he attained great\nillumination, but in all his prophecies, where he makes use of the\nsymbolism of Nature, he uses the day for a year that is still pursued by\nthe student of Astrology.\n\nComing to more modern times of which we have closer record, we find in\nMichael Nostradamus, Physician to Henry II of France and Catherine de\nMedici, something of the same flame that animated the ancient prophets.\nHe carried his Astrology to a fine art, and among his predictions are\nmany that deserve notice. The death of the King in a duel is well\npourtrayed by him in a stanza\u2014\n\n                 Le lion jeun le vieux surmontera\n                 En champ bellique par singulier duel,\n                 Frappe a cage d\u2019or\n                 Deux plaies d\u2019une, et puis un mort cruel.\n\nHenry II was killed by Montmorency on the 10th July, 1547, while engaged\nin a tourney at the nuptials of his sister with the Duke of Savoy. The\nlance of the Comte de Montmorency struck the gilded vizor of the King\nand penetrated to the eye. A tumour subsequently developed and the King\ndied of it. This is in agreement with the prophecy of Morin, who in his\nhoroscope of the King gave his death from a hurt to the head.\n\nNostradamus is also believed to have foreshadowed the Fire of London in\n1666 in the following lines\u2014\n\n                 Le sang de juste \u00e0 Londres fera faut\n                 Brusler par feu de vingt et trois les six.\n\nThe blood of the just (spilled) in London requires that it be burned by\nfire in Sixty-six.\n\nThis prophecy is in line with that of the famous astrologer, William\nLilly, who was patronized by King Charles I, and whose works were\ncollected by Sir Elias Ashmole. Lilly so clearly predicted the Plague\nand Fire in two hieroglyphics that he was subsequently arraigned before\nParliament concerning his more intimate knowledge of the source whence\nhe drew his inspiration. His statement contained in _Christian\nAstrology_ is that he founded his prediction on the ingress of the\naphelion of Mars into the sign Virgo, which he affirmed was the ruler of\nthe Monarchy then reigning.\n\n         The Aphelion of Mars was on Jan. 1,   5_s_ 2\u00b0 23\u00b4 19\u00b4\u00b4\n         1800\n\n         From this take for 200 years motion        3\u00b0 39\u00b4 40\u00b4\u00b4\n\n                                                _______________\n\n         Position for Jan. 1, A.D. 1600       4_s_ 28\u00b0 43\u00b4 39\u00b4\u00b4\n\n         Add motion for 66 years                    1\u00b0 12\u00b4 29\u00b4\u00b4\n\n                                                 ______________\n\n         Position for Jan. 1, A.D. 1666       4_s_ 29\u00b0 56\u00b4  8\u00b4\u00b4\n\nTherefore in about four years from the time of the Fire the aphelion of\nMars would enter the sign Virgo. Kepler\u2019s Tables, which were current in\nLilly\u2019s time, show the date of entry to be 1654, and a mean of these\nshows the year 1662. Therefore, as the hieroglyphic was published some\nyears before the events to which it refers, I think there can be no\ndoubt that Lilly has given us a true explanation of his reasons for the\nprediction.\n\nKepler, the great Astronomer, not only affirmed his belief in the\nprinciples of Astrology, but gave illustration of them by his prediction\nof the rise and fall of Wallenstein.\n\nOf Jerome Cardan, the astrologer and mathematician, who compiled the\nCentiloquia of Ptolemy, and made important contributions to the study of\nAlgebra, there is a remarkable story on record concerning his prescience\nof his own death and the manner of it.\n\nIt appears that from a study of his own horoscope he came to the\nconclusion that at a certain time he would be in danger of death by\nhuman violence. He therefore took precautions, and, having stored his\nlarder with sufficient material to see him through the evil period, he\nsecurely bolted and barred all the doors and windows of the house, and\nthus thought himself to be in great security. But it happened that a\nband of robbers passing that way saw the house closed up, and, finding\nit to be very securely protected, they fancied that some great treasure\nmight lay hidden away in it. They were not long in breaking into the\nplace, and, meeting Jerome at the foot of the stairway, brutally\nmurdered him.\n\nJohn Dryden, the poet, studied Astrology very carefully, and the\nexcellence of his faculty may be judged from the precision with which he\npredicted the career of his own son Charles. Congreve gives us the\naccount very circumstantially. It is said that when his lady was about\nto give birth to this child, Dryden left his watch upon the table,\ninstructing the attendants to be very careful in noting the time of the\nchild\u2019s birth. The event having been carefully timed, Dryden computed\nthe horoscope and made the usual calculations. He was thus able shortly\nto inform his lady that at eight years of age the boy would be in danger\nof death by a fall. If he survived this he would be again in danger from\na similar accident at twenty-three years of age, but that should he yet\nsurvive then at thirty-three or thirty-four he would certainly succumb\nto the malefic influences which then had indication in the horoscope.\n\nIn effect it was seen that when the boy arrived at the age of eight\nyears he nearly met his death. His father, being intent on going to a\nhunt, left the lad at home with a Latin exercise, enjoining him strictly\nnot to leave the house until his return. As fate would have it, however,\nthe stag in breaking away from the hounds jumped the wall of Dryden\u2019s\ngarden, and the boy running out to see what the noise was all about,\ncame by the wall just as the hounds were scaling it. The wall gave way\nunder the pressure of the pack, and Charles was buried beneath it. After\na long illness he was restored to comparative health. At twenty-three\nyears of age, when descending the steps of the Vatican, he fell and\nreceived such a severe blow upon the head as to render him unconscious.\nFrom this, however, he recovered, and might have lived to defeat the\nsinister predictions of his father, but that at the age of thirty-three\nhe was tempted one day to indulge in a swimming feat in the Thames.\nHaving crossed the river twice in succession he essayed to perform the\nfeat a third time, but being caught with cramp or heart failure he was\nsoon seen to be in difficulties; and before assistance could be rendered\nhe sank and was drowned.\n\nThus we see that among the readers of the Symbols some were able to\nadmonish others and to give timely warning of the evils which beset\nthem, while themselves unable to provide against those troubles of which\nthey had equal prescience. One is indeed tempted to say with Philip\nBailey, \u201cFree will in man is necessity in play.\u201d But we know that the\nreading of the symbols is not the same as the understanding of the law,\nand it is quite reasonable to affirm that the ability to foresee and\npredict a danger does not carry with it the ability to avert it. That\nsuch power lies to the hand of man we may assume from the fact that\nsuccessive rulers of ancient China were able to continue in vigorous\nlife long past the age at which astrological indications extend. Thus\nFuh Hi reigned 115 years, Shin Nung 140 years, while Hwang Ti lived 110\nyears and reigned 100. Show Hao lived 100 and reigned for 84, and\nseveral others lived over 100 years each, and according to astrological\nprinciples all the \u201carcs of direction\u201d would be completed in 112 years.\nThus Fuh Hi began the Patriarchal Dynasty in 2943 B.C., and the\nobliquity of the Ecliptic was then 24\u00b0 7\u00b4, and taking the capital of the\nYellow Empire as in latitude 39\u00b0 54\u00b4 the product of their tangents will\namount to about 22\u00b0, which added to 90\u00b0 will give 112\u00b0 or about the same\nnumber of years.\n\nBut we are also told that these men understood the Tao-tien, or\nuniversal laws, and were in possession of the efficacious Word, so that\nby their knowledge, allied to their great virtues and simplicity of\nlife, they were enabled to withstand the assaults of cosmical forces and\nextend their years beyond the low average to which modern civilization\nhas brought us. It has been suggested by some controversialists that the\nage of Methuselah, which is given as 969 years, should be reckoned as\nlunar years, that is to say, as nine hundred and sixty-nine lunations.\nBut this would yield a period of about 78 years and 120 days merely, and\nby the same computation he would be just over 15 years of age when he\nbegat Lamech, for it is said that he was then 187 years of age, and 187\nlunations equal 15 years and 47 days. But this would falsify the whole\nof the chronology, which, although not established, is found to be\nconsistent in itself. Thus both the Chinese and the Hebrews agree as to\nthe date of the Flood, 2348 B.C. At that time Noah was the Patriarchal\nruler in Chaldea and Yaou and Shun were joint riders in the Yellow\nEmpire. The curious agreement of the Hebrew and Chinese records is\npresumptive evidence of something in the nature of a vast and probably\nuniversal cataclysm. The following is the computation from Genesis\u2014\n\n         Age of Adam         at the birth of Seth,       130 years.\n            \u201d   Seth           \u201d         \u201d   Enos,       105   \u201d\n            \u201d   Enos           \u201d         \u201d   Cainan,      90   \u201d\n            \u201d   Cainan         \u201d         \u201d   Mahalaleel,  70   \u201d\n            \u201d   Mahalaleel     \u201d         \u201d   Jared,       65   \u201d\n            \u201d   Jared          \u201d         \u201d   Enoch,      162   \u201d\n            \u201d   Enoch          \u201d         \u201d   Methuselah,  65   \u201d\n            \u201d   Methuselah     \u201d         \u201d   Lamech,     187   \u201d\n            \u201d   Lamech         \u201d         \u201d   Noah,       182   \u201d\n            \u201d   Noah at the time of Flood,               600   \u201d\n                                                        \u2014\u2014\n         Total of years from Epoch                      1656   \u201d\n         Beginning of the record, B.C.                  4004   \u201d\n                                                        \u2014\u2014\n         Date of the Flood, B.C.                        2348   \u201d\n\nIt is quite clear, therefore, that if we reduce the natural years of\nMethuselah to lunar years the result would be to vitiate the whole of\nthe chronology, and, moreover, if we did so in regard to the years of\nMethuselah we must also do so in regard to others of the Patriarchs.\nThis would mean that Mahalaleel was born to Cainan when the latter was\njust over seven year of age; or that Methuselah was born to Enoch in the\nsixth year of his age! If there is any improbability in the record at\nall, it is rather in the idea of these patriarchal infants than in that\nof the extreme longevity of Methuselah. If a mere tortoise can live for\n500 years, why not a human? What the simple life is capable of, we of\nthis age have no knowledge from experience, but I see no reason why\ncertain souls, fitted by spiritual selection for the performance of some\ngreat work or the up-holding of a holy tradition, should not incarnate\nunder cosmical conditions which are also so select as to withstand the\nconcatenation of natural forces which make for dissolution. At all\nevents we have here a rather interesting problem for the Eugenists, who,\nbasing their principles on purely physiological grounds, are confronted\nand disarmed on every side by these occult forces in Nature which they\nhave failed to take into account. While they base all their calculations\non physical heredity, the occultist points silently but impressively to\nthe fact of psychic tradition, and in support of the occult position we\nare able to point to a hundred cases of insanity which can be\nspecifically predicted from the moment of birth and years before the\nsymptoms of mental disorder begin to manifest. A theory to have a\nworking value must include all the facts, and so far as human genetics\nare concerned not the least among these facts is that of the cyclic\nrebirth of souls and the continual importation of new psychic forces\ninto the line of physical heredity. The study of Eugenics should begin\nin the study of psychology. We know, for instance, that progeny\ngenerated during intoxication will probably turn out epileptic, but that\ndoes not answer the question as to why one soul rather than another\nshould animate that body. Yet out of a dozen horoscopes an astrologer\nwill unhesitatingly pick out any one that may happen to belong to a body\nthus afflicted. This fact should give us pause to re-examine the\nfoundations of our system of genetics. The secret of health and\nlongevity is not to be found on this side of the spiritual equator.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER IX\n                             A TYPICAL CASE\n\n\nThe ancient secret records embody a tradition of the going down of\nAtlantis into the depths of the sea after the perversion of a race of\nhumanity whose physical culture, civilization and scientific attainments\neclipsed anything of which we have modern example.\n\nThe Hebrew records give us the familiar case of Babel, that achievement\nof human arrogance which reached to the gates of the Sun. The great\ncivilizations of Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Greece and Rome have gone the\nway of all things temporal. In the modern endeavour to \u201cbeat the record\u201d\nthere is an element of danger which is too lightly regarded by those who\nhave no knowledge whatsoever of the forces with which they are playing.\nThese are not of the air and wave alone but of the whole universe, as\nwell spiritual as physical. Let us look at the matter in the light of a\nmodern example.\n\nI have no record as to when the _Titanic_ was keeled, but there is\ncertain knowledge that it was launched on the 31st of May, 1911 at\nBelfast, the time being Greenwich Mean Time, 12.42 p.m. The ship was\nwell-named, not only because it was the greatest embodiment of human\nengineering and ship-building skill, a veritable monster of a modern\nFrankenstein, but also because it was the embodiment of human pride and\ndaring. The Titans, it will be remembered, were a race of giants, sons\nof Heaven and Earth, who were hurled into the abyss for daring to make\nwar against Zeus. It is the Greek story of the submersion of Atlantis.\n\nAmbitious in design, colossal in form, and inclusive of the very latest\nof modern luxury, this floating city took the water for the first time\nat a moment when the whole amphitheatre of heaven was witness of\nindications of impending disaster. I do not pretend to know what\nparticular Master of Wisdom it was who set Argo Navis in the heavens as\na symbol of all that maritime prowess with which the world has grown\nwonderful. I only know that in whatsoever horoscope a malefic planet\noccupies that particular part of the heavens it stands for a symbol of\ndisaster by navigation. It is associated with Cancer. Neither do I know\nwho it was gave to Neptune the traditional rule of the ocean, but yet I\nfind it a prominent and malefic factor in all significations of\nshipwreck.\n\nNow we have said that the time of the launching of the _Titanic_ was\neffected under portents of disaster. Let us go more closely into the\nparticulars. At the moment of launching the 19th degree of the sign\nVirgo was rising at Belfast with the planet Mars just below the eastern\nhorizon. The ruler of the horoscope was Mercury, and we find it in the\n9th division of the heavens, that part which has significance of\nvoyages, and in conjunction with Saturn, the significator of delays,\nobstacles, obstructions and collapse. Both Saturn and Mercury were\nopposed by Jupiter. The Moon was in the \u201cocean\u201d sign, Cancer going to\nthe opposition of Uranus, the symbol of sudden catastrophe.\n\nThe most striking point is the ruler of the horoscope, Mercury, in the\nHouse of Voyages conjoined with the malefic planet Saturn.\n\nThe _Titanic_ set out for Southampton to take up its first commission on\nthe 2nd of April, 1912, at 9.20 a.m.\n\nAt this time Cancer was rising, and the Moon was therefore ruler of the\nhoroscope. It is found in opposition to the Sun and in square aspect to\nNeptune in Cancer just below the horizon. Here again we have the ruler\nof the horoscope just separating from eclipse and applying to an evil\naspect with Neptune, the traditional ruler of the ocean.\n\nThe leviathan left Southampton on its maiden voyage at noon of the 10th\nof April, 1912. At this time we find the sign Leo rising, and the Sun,\nruler of the horoscope, in quadrature to Neptune in the 12th House, an\nindication of hidden dangers.\n\nThus in every case we find the ruler of the horoscope to be\nsignificantly and severely afflicted. But that which was specifically\nindicated as regards the _Titanic_ was generally indicated by the\nposition of Neptune in the 8th House (death) of the Vernal Ingress\npreceding the event, whereat the Sun was in quadrature to Neptune, and\nthis indication was repeated in the horoscope for the sailing from\nSouthampton on the 10th of April.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 6.]\n\nAmong many notable passengers on board the fated vessel, none was better\nknown or more generally respected than Mr. W. T. Stead. He was born,\naccording to his own statement, on the 5th of July, 1849, \u201cbefore\nbreakfast.\u201d The horoscope which fits the events of his life is one set\nfor that date at 7 a.m., and the above is the figure of the heavens at\nthat time.\n\nHere again we find the Sun, ruler of the horoscope, in the significant\nsign Cancer afflicted by the opposition of the Moon and the quadrature\nof Saturn, the latter malefic being in the 9th House, which has already\nbeen defined as that of \u201cvoyages.\u201d The fateful planet Neptune holds the\n8th House in the watery sign Pisces.\n\nThe indications of a violent and unnatural death are clearly defined by\nPtolemy, who informs us that when both the luminaries are afflicted by\nthe same malefic, or when each luminary is separately afflicted, there\nbeing no assistance from the benefic planets (Venus and Jupiter) the\nnative will die an unnatural death. Here we find both the Sun and Moon\nin quadrature to Saturn in the 9th House, showing as clearly as anything\ncan be, that there would be danger of death in a foreign land or while\non a voyage, and that by violence. I have no doubt at all that Mr. Stead\nmet his death through a blow upon the head, as there are evident signs\nof collision, but none of suffocation.\n\nThe horoscope is in other ways significant of the main facts of the life\nof the great journalist. Five planets in cardinal signs with Mars in the\nMid-heaven testify to the tireless energy, executive ability, courage\nand daring for which he was remarkable. This elevated position of the\nplanet Mars always denotes impulse and impetuosity, and it is similarly\nplaced in the horoscope of Kaiser Wilhelm, in whom Mr. Stead would\ndoubtless have found a congenial spirit. It gives that \u201cscorn of\nconsequence\u201d which attaches to the enthusiast in every phase of life,\nand tends greatly to produce the pioneer spirit. With Gladstone, Mr.\nStead shared the view that \u201cpsychical research is by far the most\nimportant work that is being done in the world,\u201d but no astrologer would\nhave recommended him to undertake it, for with Saturn in the 9th\ndivision of the heavens afflicting the luminaries he could hardly hope\nfor success in that direction, and there is little doubt that he was\nvery grossly deceived by some in whom he placed great reliance in this\nmatter. The trine of Neptune to Mercury would, however, impel him to\nsuch subjects. _Borderland_ was not a financial success, nor was it much\nmore than a ragbag of fragmentary and ill-assorted evidence. Julia\u2019s\nBureau was not a success either from a financial or evidential point of\nview. No message of warning came through from \u201cJulia\u201d to save him from\nhis death voyage. Let us accept the suggestion that has been offered,\nnamely, that he was wanted elsewhere. It was still open to those who\nwere aware of the fact to say so, and thus contribute one of the most\nstriking pieces of evidence for the operation in mundane life of\nextraneous intelligences, which would have gone further to uphold the\nclaims of those who believe in spirit-guidance than all the literature\nMr. Stead lavished on the subject.\n\nAt the time of the disaster we find the following arcs of direction\nmeasured in the prime vertical to be in operation\u2014\n\n                          Moon opposition Uranus,\n                          Sun conjunction Uranus,\n                          Moon parallel Mars,\n\nwhile the Moon by secondary direction, that is, accounting one day after\nbirth for each year of life and two hours for every month, was in 26\u00b0 of\nAries, exactly the longitude of the catastrophic planet Uranus at the\ntime of birth!\n\nCompare this horoscope with that of the ill-fated Captain of the\n_Titanic_. According to the local record Captain Smith was born at\nHandley, Staffs., on the 27th of January, 1850. Here again we find the\nluminaries in opposition to one another as in the horoscope of Mr.\nStead, and both are afflicted by the aspect of Mars. The time of birth\nwas probably at about five o\u2019clock in the afternoon, when the planet\nNeptune would be in the 8th House and Saturn and Uranus in the 9th\ndivision of the heavens. Sixty-two days after birth the planet Uranus\nhad reached the Mid-heaven of the horoscope, and on the day of the\ndisaster Mercury was in transit over the same point, while the great\nsymbol of death and destruction, an eclipse of the Sun, fell in 27\u00b0 of\nAries on the 17th of April, close to the Mid-heaven of this horoscope\nand on that of Mr. Stead\u2019s horoscope. Further, the Moon at the birth of\nCaptain Smith was in the 4th degree of Leo and on the day of the\ndisaster Uranus was transiting the exact opposition in Aquarius 4.\nMoreover, at the time of the sailing of the _Titanic_ from Belfast to\nundertake her ill-fated maiden voyage, the 5th degree of Cancer was\nrising, and on the day of the disaster Mars had reached this exact\ndegree of the zodiac, being in 4\u00b0 56\u00b4 of Cancer at Noon.\n\nNo case that could be submitted more fully and completely illustrates\nthe folly of disregarding the symbolism of the heavens, or more forcibly\naccentuates the need of human conspiracy in regard to cosmical agencies.\nMan has harnessed some of the most potent forces of Nature and has\nconstrained them to his service, but for some as yet undiscovered reason\nhe prefers to remain in ignorance of the laws which relate him to his\ngreater cosmical environment. We have imagined that by controlling these\nnatural forces we have asserted our mastery over destiny. The heavens\nfrom out the immeasurable depths of space are the silent witnesses of\nour folly and arrogance. The same stars that fought against Sisera fight\never against the man who is ignorant of the laws of the universe which\ncondition him. We are fated to the extent that we are ignorant of those\nlaws, and culpable to the degree that we disregard those that we know.\nThe sea, the vessels that are afloat upon it and all their human\nfreight, are as nearly touched and as surely disposed by interplanetary\naction and cosmical forces as are the molecules of air and water that\nconstitute the winds and waves. Never a ship was keeled or launched but\ninto it were compounded the elements that respond to the great\nheart-beat of Nature. That man should use all his faculties to the\ngreatest possible advantage to himself and through himself to the race\nat large, that he should put forth all his powers in the effort to\nmaster the forces which appear to be in conflict with him, would appear\nto be his supreme duty and his highest guerdon. But there is a more\nconvenient and less dangerous way. Instead of defying the forces of\nNature he can make use of them, instead, of ignoring the laws of Nature\nhe can adapt himself to them. This is called the covert agreement. It is\nthe ancient wisdom, the simple way, and those who anciently observed it\nfound it to be effectual for good. Those ancient Britains who thought\nCanute to be so great that he could set back the ocean tides were of\nthat order of Titans who would measure their strength with the Almighty.\nWe, who have understood the laws governing the tides, have gained a\nmastery over them by the simple means of adaptation. In this instance we\nhave adapted ourselves to Nature. It is possible to extend the process\nto include the election of times and seasons for any purpose whatsoever.\nSolomon, who is regarded by the average man as an inconsequent babbler\nof effete doctrine, affirmed that there is a time for every purpose\nunder the heavens. A closer study of this doctrine of elections\u2014as the\nproper choice of time for specific purposes is called in Astrology\u2014would\nlead men to take a conscious part in the conspiracy of well-doing, by\nthe adjustment of action to purpose and of both to astral and cosmical\nconditions. This would be infinitely better than \u201ctaking one\u2019s chance,\u201d\nand certainly more in conformity with the spirit of true religion. But\nbefore we can do this we shall have to instruct ourselves more generally\nin the symbolism of the universe and the reading of those symbols which\nfrom the beginning were set and appointed to us for \u201csigns and for\nseasons, for days and for years.\u201d\n\nA knowledge of cosmical symbolism and of the facts of planetary\ninteraction is that to which science will inevitably be compelled, and\nwhich sooner or later it will recognize as essential to a true concept\nof the relations of man to his greater environment. And when this system\nof Anthrocosmology shall have been established, as assuredly it will be,\nthen will humanity perceive in all humility that God, and not Britannia,\nrules the waves, and that the planets are his agents.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER X\n                           THE LAW OF CYCLES\n\n\nIt has already been shown that from most ancient times the Law of\nPeriodicity was known and expounded. We find reference to it in the\nVishnu Pur\u00e0na which deals with the great periods of cosmic manifestation\nand activity, called Manvantaras, and the corresponding periods of\nobscuration and quiescence known as Pralayas. These are shown to have an\nastronomical basis and to have been directly related (_a_) to the period\nof Precession known as the Great Year of Plato, and (_b_) to the\ninclination of the Earth\u2019s axis to the plane of the Ecliptic. For\nwhereas the Precession, from whatever source arising, is found to be\napproximately 50\u00b4\u00b4 per year, the diminution of the Earth\u2019s axial\ninclination is found to be 50\u00b4\u00b4 per century. Thus the Precessional Year\nis 25,920 years, and the other 2,592,000 years in extent.\n\nNow if we multiply this latter period by ten and divide the product by\nsix, we shall have the dividend 4,320,000, which we have already\nidentified as the value in years of the Maha-yuga or Great Age. This\nmeans that the entire revolution of the Earth\u2019s axis occupies a period\nwhich is ten-sixths of the whole period of cosmic activity known as the\nManvantara. Hence we have the series 1, 2, 3, 4 equals 10, and the\nseries 6, 12, 18, 24 equals 60, which we have already shown to be the\nbasis of the Yugas composing the Maha-yuga. This value of 60 has\ntherefore a cosmical significance.[1] It is geometrically derived from\nthe interlacing of two equilateral triangles, commonly known as the Seal\nof Solomon, and esoterically invested with the symbolical value of the\nuniverse in manifestation of Spirit (male, positive) and Matter (female,\nnegative), and also the Out-breathing and In-breathing of the Great\nBreath of Life. Water crystallizes at an angle of 60\u00b0, and the ancient\nteaching of Pythagoras, Plato, Thales and other Initiates, was that\nWater was the basic element of Nature. By the elements they did not\nunderstand the chemical elements known to modern Chemistry, but the Four\nstates of Matter, the Igneous, Gaseous, Fluidic and Mineral, which have\ntheir correspondences in the Four Principles of the human constitution,\nSpirit, Mind, Soul and Body, of which the first two are formless or\nimmaterial, and the last two formative or material. Thus we have the\nhigher trial of Intelligence, Life and Substance, with their multiplex\nmanifestations in the lower triad of Consciousness, Force and Matter.\n\nFor there is only One Intelligence, One Life and One Substance, and it\nis with the manifestations of these in the lower world that Science is\nconcerned. Wisdom has no other concern than to discern the Unity in\nDiversity and to cognize all in terms of the One Being.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 7.]\n\nAnother very interesting cosmical cycle is that of the Eclipse Period.\nThe initial value of this is 18 years 11 days 7 hours 42 mins. 35 secs.,\nbeing the mean interval between an eclipse and its recurrence. In three\ncycles the eclipse will have moved through one sign of the zodiac, and\nin twelve times three or thirty-six cycles it will have moved through\nthe entire zodiac and come again to the place of the first occurrence.\nThen 18 \u00d7 3 \u00d7 12 or 648 years, to which add one for the precessional\nincrement and obtain 649 years as the Eclipse Cycle, after which the\nphenomena recur in the same part of the zodiac.\n\nThus I find an eclipse of the Sun in June, A.D. 1277, and the same\neclipse in June, A.D. 1926, another in June 1295, which recurs in June\n1944.\n\nWe can hardly escape the inevitable harmony of celestial motions when we\nnote that the eclipse which recurs every eighteen years, makes\nseventy-two appearances during the entire period that it takes to work\nacross the Earth\u2019s disc from its first appearance in the Arctic Circle\nto its disappearance in the Antarctic. Here we have four times 18 equals\n72, and 72 times 18 are 1296 years. Thus, again, we have the cyclic\nperiod of 1296 years, which we have already noted in connection with\ncosmical symbolism. It is twice the eclipse cycle of 648 years, after\nwhich the eclipses return to the same part of the zodiac. It has not yet\nbeen shown that there is any necessary connection between these two\nperiods, and it is therefore the more remarkable. The average of\nPrecession being 1\u00b0 in seventy-two years, it is, of course, quite easy\nto link the eclipse period with the Great Year.\n\nHere, then, we have a veritable Ph\u0153nix which renews itself after\nincineration in Heliopolis (the City of the Sun), and although Eclipses\nmay have no cosmical significance, they may very well have a terrestrial\none, both causative and symbolical. Take, for instance, the abscission\nof the Sun\u2019s rays which takes place at the time of a solar eclipse. This\naffects only a small area of the Earth\u2019s surface, but quite sufficient\nto produce very remarkable results when, to the known tidal influence of\nthe luminaries we add the violent and sudden change in the electrostatic\ncondition of the atmosphere. Thus at the solar eclipse of 17th April,\n1912, I registered a fall of 27\u00b0 of temperature in the space of one hour\nin London. Here the eclipse was not at its maximum, and in no place was\nit total but merely annular. If the effects are due to the combined\naction of the Sun and Moon, the ratio of influence being in regard to\nthe Sun 30 per cent., and to the Moon 70 per cent. roughly, then it may\nreasonably be supposed that when the Moon is simultaneously in perigee,\nthat is, nearest to the Earth in its orbit, at the time of an eclipse,\nthe effects should be proportionately greater, and also that they should\nbe experienced in that locality which coincides with the zenith position\nof the luminaries at conjunction.\n\nSuch effects can be traced in the occurrence of great earthquake\ndisturbances, due, no doubt, to an effort of nature to restore the\nbalance of magnetic action, the local fall of temperature being met by\nan uprush of electrical energy from the interior of the globe. Similar\neffects are registered in the human body by the local application of\nice, the blood being finally determined to the affected part. And if the\nwhole Earth can thus be disturbed by eclipse influence, so also must men\nbe, since they are compounded of elements which are drawn from the\nEarth. Not only the waters, but also all plant- and animal-life, as well\nas the solid mass of the Earth itself, respond to this influence of the\nluminaries acting in combination, and there is little doubt that there\nis a tidal effect in the atmosphere which proceeds from the same cause,\nand which affects the course of the weather.\n\nThe fact that volcanic eruptions and earthquakes do not follow all\neclipses, merely informs us that they do not always coincide with a\nvolcanic area, but whenever they do so there are marked disturbances\ndirectly attributable to the action of the luminaries, and similarly the\neffects upon the weather will vary in accordance with local conditions,\nsuch as latitude, elevation, mean saturation point of the air, etc.\nThose who have failed to trace the connection between lunations and the\nweather, have left out of consideration the effects due to (_a_) the\ntime of the conjunction, and (_b_) the Moon\u2019s position in its orbit at\nthe time. The Metonic Cycle of 6940 days or nineteen years, is another\ncycle of considerable value, which informs us what effects are due to\nthe combined influence of the Sun and Moon irrespective of their\necliptic conjunction. The lunations occur in the same degree of the\nzodiac every nineteen years. Any effects that may be due to their\ninfluence can best be traced by observing how they fall in regard to the\npositions of the planets at an epoch such as the moment of a person\u2019s\nbirth. For if it is found that the New Moon falling on the place of\nSaturn in a horoscope of birth is followed by certain privations in\nagreement with the nature of the planet Saturn, and that similar effects\nare found to occur nineteen years afterwards, then the influence of the\nlunation as a factor in human life is presumably established. And if to\nSaturn we add the other planets, and also if we add the other aspects,\nsuch as the opposition, trine, quadrature and sextile, we shall be able\nto institute a series of observations which depend for their\nsignificance on the assumed value (causative or symbolic) of the\nluminaries. Such effects are easily traceable, and serve to establish\nthe significance of this cycle.\n\nThe cycle of Jupiter which is taken at sixty years, assumes a\nsignificance only when we have proved the fact of interplanetary action.\nThis fact has been established both astronomically and astrologically.\nThe planet Jupiter takes twelve years to perform a revolution in the\nzodiac, and five times twelve is sixty years. But Saturn has a period of\nthirty years, and twice this is also sixty years. Consequently, if the\nplanets Saturn and Jupiter are acting together from the same part of the\nheavens at a given date, they will be together again in the same part of\nthe heavens at the end of sixty years, with a small variation due to the\nactual difference of their periods. This fact has proved of astronomical\nvalue, inasmuch as it has enabled us to estimate the disturbance due to\ntheir mutual action in the orbits of both planets. The period at which\nthese perturbations would recur has been estimated at 920 years by\nLaplace, who discovered it. These perturbations form what are called the\nGreat Equations of the planets Saturn and Jupiter, when calculation is\nmade of their longitudes in orbit. It may be useful to note that at the\nmaximum the disturbance of Saturn due to Jupiter\u2019s action is 49\u00b4, and\nthat of Jupiter due to Saturn\u2019s action is 21\u00b4. As the discovery was not\nmade until 1786, it will naturally follow that all calculations made\nfrom Saturn\u2019s position prior to the eighteenth century, when it was\nincorporated as a factor in the _Nautical Almanac_, must be to some\nextent at fault. As cosmic symbols these planets, Saturn and Jupiter,\nhave great significance, and they were highly esteemed in the\nastrological thought of the ancients.\n\nJupiter, as the most bulky of all the planets in the system, early\nclaimed attention and took a foremost place in the pantheon. We find him\nas Jupiter-Ammon, as the Deva-pitar, Deo-pitar, and Jupiter of the\nIndian and Roman theogonies. He is found in the Sanskrit writings as\nGuru, the spiritual father or God-father, as the name Deo-pitar\nsignifies, and also as Brihaspati, _i. e._ the Lord of Increase or\nExpansion. Similarly, Saturn was S\u2019iva, the Destroyer, whose reputation\nfor devouring his own offspring is referred to in the classical\nmythology of the Greeks. Thus Jupiter is Brahma, the Creator, and Saturn\nis S\u2019iva, the Destroyer. Such a significance they are found to hold in\nthe concept of modern astrologers. When, therefore, Jupiter is found in\nthat part of the heavens which is empirically determined to have rule\nover the destinies of a country or people, there is found to be a period\nof expansion and prosperity; but when Saturn is thus placed the country\nsuffers privations and losses. Let us look at some of these instances,\nas they have a direct bearing on the practical side of our occult\nstudies, and give to the Law of Cycles an economic value.\n\nI have before me an Investment Handbook, giving the dates of the highest\nand lowest records of the various prices of Stocks during the last\nfifteen years. The figures that I shall quote are taken directly from\nthis book, and I need hardly assure the reader that the editors have no\nassociations with Astrology.\n\nFrom any astrological book dealing with the influence of the zodiac\npublished prior to the year at which our observations commence, the\nreader may extract the following information: Scorpio rules Brazil,\nSagittarius rules Spain, Capricornus rules India, Aquarius rules Russia,\nPisces rules Portugal, Aries rules England, Taurus rules Ireland, etc.\nIn 1895-6-7 the planet Saturn was in the sign Scorpio, and in 1898\nBrazilian Stocks were at the lowest price between 1895 and 1910. In 1898\nSaturn was in Sagittarius, and Spanish Fours were then at the lowest\nbetween 1895 and 1910, a period of fifteen years. In 1901 Saturn was in\nthe sign Capricornus, but Jupiter also was there, and in effect, we do\nnot find any depreciation of Stocks, but the reverse so far as India was\nconcerned. In 1903-4-5 Saturn was in Aquarius, and in 1906 Russian 4%\nand 5% Stocks were at their lowest during the period under\nconsideration. During 1906-7-8 Saturn was in Pisces, and in the\nfollowing year Portuguese Stocks touched the lowest during a period of\nfifteen years.\n\nDuring 1909-10 Saturn was in the sign Aries, and in 1910 Consols as well\nas Annuities were at their lowest for a period of fifteen years. During\n1911-12 Saturn was in the sign Taurus, and Irish Land Stock is now\n(1912) lower than it has been for the past seventeen years.\n\nThese facts speak for themselves, and they show that Saturn is the cause\nof depression, destruction of credit and national prosperity, and loss.\n\nThe cyclic law and that of periodicity are practically identical. For\nwhat we trace as the periodicity of phenomena, can be shown to bear a\ndirect relation to planetary cycles. Take, for instance, the periodicity\nof Sun-spots. The years of maximum frequency noted have led to the\ndiscovery of a period of 11 years and 40 days. Many years ago I\npublished a statement to the effect that the rents in the luminous\nenvelope or photosphere of the Sun would be found to coincide with the\noccursions of the planets Mars and Jupiter. Since then I have made\nfurther research, and I find that the mean of the two periods of these\nplanets is 11 years and 203 days, which is in excess of the observed\nperiod of maximum solar activity by 163 days; but by taking the periods\nof Mars, Venus and the Earth into account, we have a period of 11 years\n40\u00bd days, which is exactly what we want. The Sun-spot period of 11\u00b711\nyears is, therefore, attributable to the combined action of the planets\nVenus, the Earth and Mars, the mean of whose cycles yields a period so\nexactly in conformity with it. Probably the introduction of Jupiter and\nSaturn to the equation would yield a climacteric every fifth period. It\nis, however, of extreme interest to note that the years of the maximum\nSun-spot appearance, 1871, 1882, 1904, 1916, 1927, are found to be\nassociated with important configurations of the major planets: 1871,\nSaturn opposition Jupiter; 1882, Saturn conjunct Neptune; 1904, Jupiter\nopposition Uranus; 1916, Saturn conjunct Neptune; 1927, Jupiter conjunct\nUranus. From this we might conclude that the luminous envelope of the\nSun is acted upon by the planetary bodies when they are on the same\nsolar meridian. An ingenious student of planetary influence, Prof.\nCorrigan, has suggested that by regarding the solar disc as a plane, and\nsetting off the orbits of the planets from the centre, the parallels of\nsolar latitude tangent to the orbits of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, are\nthose along which the greatest Sun-spot activity is shown. Thus he shows\nthat at the latitude of 5\u00b0 North and South of the Sun\u2019s equator, spots\nare produced by the action of the planet Mercury on the Sun: at latitude\n6\u00b0 those produced by Venus\u2019s action are seen; at 7\u00b0 those due to the\naction of the Earth and its satellite; at 13\u00b0 those frequent spots due\nto Mars; and at 48\u00b0 those due to Saturn; while the band corresponding to\nthe orbit of Jupiter is attended by the largest and most frequent\ndisplay of Sunspots. Hence the Professor is quite in agreement with my\noriginal statement that Sun-spots are principally caused by Mars and\nJupiter. This certainly upholds the original observation that Sunspots\nare connected with the occursions of the planets Jupiter and Mars, but\nit would extend the period to 11 years and 203 days. The whole subject\nis, however, in its infancy.\n\nThe cycle of 265 years arising out of the periodic conjunctions of\nSaturn and Mars, and marking epochs of great political disturbance in\nthose areas of the world associated with the signs of the zodiac wherein\nthe conjunctions occur, has already received treatment in my former\nworks, so that nothing need be added in this place. For the benefit of\nthose who have not hitherto touched the subject, however, I may give a\nsingle instance. Saturn and Mars form their conjunction every two years,\nduring which period they move forward one sign, the whole circle\nembracing about 29\u00bd years, so that they complete nine cycles and come to\na conjunction in the same part of the zodiac about the same time of the\nyear after a period of 265 years. The last conjunction of Saturn in\nAries was in 1910, and 265 years before this date takes us back to the\nyear 1645, when the insurrection under Cromwell took place, and 265\nyears earlier, in 1380, we have the insurrection under Wat Tyler.\nSimilar effects can be traced in the history of other countries from the\nsame cause.\n\nThe old astrologers gave certain periods as the Least Years of the\nplanets, the Sun and Moon. In the scheme of Ptolemy, which differs in\nsome respects from this enumeration, most of these periods are\nrepresented and evidently have reference to the orbital periods of the\nbodies referred to. Thus the Moon has a period of 4 years, Mercury 10\nyears, Venus 8 years, Mars 15 years, Sun 19 years, Jupiter 12 years,\nSaturn 30 years, following upon which modern astrologers have added\nUranus 84 years, and Neptune 164 years. But by taking the periods of the\nancient planets only it is found that they are all contained in a period\nof 120 years, and that the periods of those planets which rule opposite\nsigns, as Moon and Saturn, Mars and Venus, Jupiter and Mercury, when\nmultiplied together produce 120, which is one-third of the degrees in a\ncircle, and is the basis of the Vims\u2019ottaradasa periods of the Hindu\nsystem, about which something may be said in a subsequent section of\nthis work.\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n  The value 10 \u00d7 60 as here derived = 600, which is the Messianic or\n  Naronic cycle, called Naros.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER XI\n                      THE TIME FACTOR IN KABALISM\n\n\nEvery system of Kabalism employs numbers in a symbolical sense, and\nattributes to them a significance as if they were causative factors.\nThis is legitimate from the point of view of a philosophy that regards\nthe Universe as Symbol. In such a scheme every cosmical factor assumes a\nsymbolical value, according to its ratio in the sum of things, and each\nof the planets may thus be symbolized either as deities invested with\nattributes and virtues of a distinctly human nature, or yet may be\nexpressed in terms of numerical values, quantities, colours, forms, and\nsounds.\n\nBut in all such systems the symbolism employed must finally submit to a\nmathematical expression, which, indeed, is the test of its truth, for as\nhas been very wisely said, we have reason to suspect all statements of\nfact which are not capable of a mathematical expression. In this\nconnection the Time factor becomes of the highest importance in\nKabalism, and since the matter lies in the region of debate, something\nmay be said in this place that may prove of value.\n\nIn my Kabala of Numbers and elsewhere I have repeatedly pointed out the\nfallacy of those systems which ignore the cosmic factors, which alone\ngive symbolism its coherence. Nobody can reasonably ascribe any specific\nsound or numerical value to a planet, or any influence to any part of\nthe heavens or to any period of time without having regard to some\ncosmical factor as the basis of the system to which these planetary or\ntime significations belong.\n\nYet I find that such systems are all too prevalent, and that in some\nglaring instances they assume a factor as the basis of the system, and\nstraightway set about to argue it out of existence. Thus it is stated in\none small manual intended for the use of those studying the mysteries of\nsound and number, that it is \u201cessential to have _an accurate knowledge\nof the time of the rising of the sun_ at places on particular days,\u201d and\nthe \u201csimple method\u201d of doing this, according to its author, is to \u201ctake\nthe sunrise from any reliable almanac ... and add to it for western\nlongitude at the rate of four minutes per degree, and subtract for\neastern longitude at the same rate, and _you have the mean local time of\nsunrise_.\u201d\n\nHow far this is from the truth any tyro in astronomy will readily\nperceive. Yet when the error was pointed out to this would-be exponent\nof the \u201cMysteries,\u201d instead of being gratefully accepted as a piece of\ngood information which could be utilized in future publications, the\nunlucky critic was most thoroughly abused, and the matter being finally\nreferred to the authorities at the Greenwich Observatory, it was clearly\nshown that the critic was right and the author of the \u201csimple method\u201d\nwrong in every case. The repetition of these errors in subsequent\npublications leaves one with no alternative but to conclude that either\nthe intricacies of apparent local sunrise are beyond him, or that their\nintroduction into his simple method of expounding the mysteries would\nundermine his market by rendering the truth too difficult for popular\nconsumption.\n\nHaving already given the correct method of finding the local sunrise by\nreference to ascensional differences, a process which involves nothing\nmore complex than adding two logarithms together, (tang. of Sun\u2019s\ndeclination, \u00d7 tang. of the latitude of place), from which we derive the\nascensional difference (sine log.), and comparing the result with that\ndue to the latitude of Greenwich. I need not waste space on the matter\nin these pages. But it may be pointed out for the benefit of those who\nwish to base their calculations of the planetary periods and sub-periods\non the correct value of apparent sunrise, that the equation of time at\nthe rate of four minutes for every degree applies only to meridian\ntransit in Right Ascension, and has no connection with the equation by\nascensional difference due to the latitude of the place. In fact, to\nfind local sunrise it is absolutely necessary to take notice of \u201cseasons\nand latitudes of places,\u201d and so long as these are ignored so long will\nthe mysteries of sound and number which depend on calculations made from\ntime of sunrise remain \u201chidden mysteries\u201d in fact as well as name.\n\nBy way of illustrating the inaccuracy and futility of the \u201csimple\nmethod\u201d of finding sunrise, I may take an illustration that is actually\ngiven by its inventor.\n\n\u201cFor instance, the sun rises at Greenwich at 4.50 on the 23rd April,\n1912, and we want to know the local sunrise at Epsom. All we have to do\nis to add the equivalent of 0\u00b0 17\u00b4 (which is nearly one fourth of a\ndegree), 1 minute to that amount. The local sunrise at Epsom is,\ntherefore, 4.51,\u201d which for all practical purposes it is, since Epsom is\non the same, or approximate, latitude as Greenwich. But when it is\nfurther said that the local time of sunrise is 4.48 at Newmarket on the\nsame day, in the name of holy Science we must demur.\n\nThe sun\u2019s declination at 4.50 on April 23rd is 12\u00b0 24\u00b4, which, referred\nto the latitude of Greenwich, gives an ascensional difference of 1 hr. 4\nmin. 12 sec., and to the latitude of Newmarket 1 hr. 6 min. 0 sec., the\ndifference of these being 1 min. 48 sec., so that if the two places were\non the same meridian the sun would rise on Newmarket at this time of the\nyear nearly two minutes before it rises on Greenwich. But Newmarket is\n0\u00b0 24\u00b4 east of Greenwich, and therefore it would further advance the\ntime by 1 min. 36 sec., and taking the two factors into account we have\nfor latitude and longitude combined 3 min. 24 sec. by which the sun\nrises on April 23rd sooner than at Greenwich, the mean time being some\nseconds before 4.47 a.m. Had a more northerly place been taken it could\nbe shown that the discrepancy is proportionately greater, and in fact at\nthe summer solstice the sun rises on Liverpool only 1 minute after it\nrises on Greenwich, although the former place is 11 min. 52 sec. west\nlongitude, or 2\u00b0 58\u00b4, while at York it actually rises before it does at\nGreenwich.\n\nTherefore I would urge that a kabalism that has reference to the cosmic\nfactor of the sun\u2019s rising would be more effectually serviceable than it\nis known to be if regard were had to the truth. A system that is based\non error cannot be true in its structure, and this fact will account for\nthe constant falling of bricks upon the hapless heads of those who enter\nthe portals of this pseudo-scientific structure, where everything is at\nsixes and sevens, making unlucky thirteens, and where you have\ndifficulty in distinguishing Hermes from Aphrodite, on account of their\nexchange of clothes.\n\nSimilarly, it is no use instituting a system of Kabalism that depends on\nthe position of the sun at the birth of a person, and forthwith giving\nillustration of the system by means of births that are recorded in Old\nStyle, which involves a difference of ten degrees in the sun\u2019s\nlongitude. Yet I have seen this done by sober-minded Kabalists, and\nillustrations of it exist in current works on the subject of Numerology.\nA system, of whatever nature, must be consistent in itself and must\ndepend for its integrity upon a cosmical factor, otherwise it can only\nbe described as a conglomerate of detached observations, which, being\nbrought together cannot by any chance lay claim to the title of a\nsystem. In another section of this work I shall be able to show what was\nthe origin of the various sounds attributed to the planets, and how the\nMantravidya of the Brahmins of India has passed into the hands of\nMohammedans and others, who have exploited it for their own purposes\nwithout reference to its origin. I shall also be able to show the\nastronomical basis of the various periods and sub-periods of the\nplanets, including the famous trims\u2019amsha, or \u201cfour minute period\u201d which\nhas played such an egregious part in the furtherance of a popular\ndelusion.\n\nLet me here say that a Kabalism is not a mere play upon figures, nor is\nit a system which arises by necessity from our system of enumeration as\nsome have sought to prove. It is fundamentally an expression of some\ncosmical law, whether it be that of planetary periods, or other\ndivisions of time instituted by us from observation of certain cosmic\nfactors, or yet the laws of crystallization, which involve the fact of\nform in relation to sound vibrations. Thus we may have a lunar kabalism\ndepending on the numbers 4, 7 and 28, another of the same nature\ndepending on the numbers 3, 9, and 27: another solar kabala which arises\nfrom the numbers 18, 54, and 72. If those who seek to show that the\ndecimal system was originated by the use of the ten fingers, called\n\u201cdigits,\u201d would only have the patience to examine their theory, they\nwould find that the facts are entirely against them. For if counting on\nthe fingers reduced men to the decimal system, this system should be\nprevalent among the aboriginal peoples. It is, however, an ugly fact for\nthe theorists that the very first system of enumeration that we come\nacross is the duodecimal system of the Chinese and the Hebrews.\n\nIn the first place we find that the Chinese had twelve signs or months,\neach of thirty days, which was the antediluvian value of the year,\nafterwards rectified (2355 B.C.) by the intercalation of seven months in\nthe course of nineteen years. The cycle of years was twice 60, or 120,\narising out of the employment of ten roots and twelve branches. They\nappointed four chiefs to command the four gates or cardinal points and\nelected Twelve Patriarchs to govern local affairs. The duodecimal\nstandard was instituted very early in the civilization of the Yellow\nEmpire, as is evident from the Canon of Shun, wherein weights and\nmeasures were regulated by the Yellow Tube standard. This yellow tube\nwas nine-tenths of a Chinese inch in bore circumference, and nine inches\nin length. It contained twelve hundred grains of millet which weighed\ntwelve pennyweights, two pennyweights going to the ounce, sixteen ounces\nto the pound, thirty pounds to the quarter, and four quarters to the\nhundredweight. Thus the basis of the whole system of weights was\nregulated by sound, for there were twelve tubes, each of the same\ncircumference but of different lengths, and these being struck gave the\ntwelve notes of the Chinese musical gamut. The measures of length and\ncapacity were also regulated by these tubes, and thus sound was at the\nroot of all the Chinese mensuration. The fact that there were twelve\nsounds in the scale shows that the whole system was duodecimal.\n\nThe Hebrew system was also duodecimal, for we find that they had twelve\nmonths in the year answering to the twelve Gates of the Sun, such as\nthose of Gaza (Capricorn) and Hebron (Cancer), which are mentioned in\nconnection with the feats of Samson, the original of the Greek Hercules\nand obviously a Sun-god. The twelve tribes were formed upon the basis of\nthe zodiacal circle, and are so referred to in Jacob\u2019s last prophetic\nblessing, where the sons of the Patriarch are distinctly associated with\nthe astrological portents of the twelve Signs.\n\nReuben\u2014Taurus, the first sign of the Hebrew zodiac, connected with the\nconstellation Orion and the letter Aleph (Bull). This tribe has often\nbeen associated with Aquarius, despite the fact that astrologically\nspeaking it is not a watery sign, but belongs to the airy trigon.\n\u201cUnstable as water,\u201d is a figure of speech that has no reference to the\nastrological functions of the sign Aquarius.\n\nSimeon and Levi\u2014Gemini and Cancer. The Levitical sign Cancer.\n\nJudah\u2014Leo, \u201cthe old lion,\u201d couchant. The regal sign Leo.\n\nZebulon\u2014Virgo associated with Argos, the ship.\n\nIssachar\u2014Libra, \u201cservant of tribute.\u201d\n\nDan\u2014Scorpio, associated with Serpentarius, \u201can adder in the path.\u201d\n\nGad\u2014Sagittarius, the trooper. The sign of Jupiter or \u201cGad.\u201d\n\nAsher\u2014Capricornus.\n\nNapthali\u2014Aquarius, associated with the Tree, \u201cwho yieldeth goodly\nbranches.\u201d Here the \u201chind let loose\u201d should be \u201cthe spreading oak.\u201d\n\nJoseph\u2014Pisces, \u201cthe fruitful vine by the well.\u201d\n\nBenjamin\u2014Aries, \u201cthe wolf,\u201d connected with Anubis of the Egyptian\nsymbology.\n\nThus the Hebraic system is found to be duodecimal also, and we follow\nsuit in keeping our standards on this basis, counting twelve inches to\nthe foot, and twelve pence to the shilling. Indeed, there can be little\ndoubt that the ancients modelled their conceptions and established their\nstandards \u201cafter the pattern of things in the heavens.\u201d By common\nconsent they instituted the Four Quarters arising out of the apparent\nmotion of the Sun, in its daily rising, culminating, setting and\ndecumbiture, and its apparent transit of the equinoxes and solstices. By\ncommon consent also they had regard to the twelve signs of the zodiac,\nand their corresponding months, the lunar asterisms or stations arising\nout of the mean diurnal motion of the moon, and other points and\ndivisions of time, such as the syzyges and quadratures of the moon. All\nthese became standards from which all calculations were made, and hence\nall kabalism, as derived from these cosmic phenomena, has a basis in\nfact which can only be appreciated when the cosmical factors employed\nare fully understood and appreciated. Hence I say that the time factor,\nin Kabalism is of the utmost importance.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XII\n                        INVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION\n\n\nThe symbolism of astronomy lends itself in a most interesting manner to\nthe great problem of human evolution. In my opening chapter it was shown\nthat evolution is the natural reaction to the process of involution.\nLogically we cannot speak of evolution without taking into consideration\nthe fact of a preceding involution. _Ex nihilo nihil fit._ The potential\nof matter is measured by its latent energy, and this latency is static\nSpirit Force. Matter is the ultimate expression of Spirit, as form is\nthat of force. The material forms of the visible universe are therefore\nnothing but concrete spiritual forces.\n\nBut it would appear that there are two processes going on simultaneously\nin any cycle of cosmic life, and these are a downward spiritual\ninvolution and an upward physical evolution. The two processes are\ncomplementary, and possibly may be regarded as taking place\nsimultaneously, although in the Chaldean account they are spoken of as\ndistinct in point of time. Jacob\u2019s vision of the Ladder of Life depicted\nangels ascending and descending simultaneously, and these are the\nspiritual forces that are in continual play between pure spirit and\ngross matter. The great tidal influx of spirit towards the plane of\nmateriality admits of a constant ebb and flow of the life-wave, so that,\nalthough at the present stage of the Great Cycle the tide has set back\nand is at its ebb, carrying its burden of detached souls along with it\ntowards the region of spirituality, may yet mark periodic incursions of\nthe spirit towards the material plane, such incursions being in the\nnature of abnormal phenomena.\n\nThus we have from the beginning of the Great Cycle a double influx\ninvolving an interplay of Spirit and Matter. In the process of\nmanifestation by means of differentiation, Spirit (the positive or male\npotency) may be regarded as taking a downward plunge on the left-hand\nside, while Substance (the negative or female potency) will in the same\nscheme take the right-hand side in its progress towards manifestation on\nthe material plane. The Paramatma or Universal Spirit first appears as\nPurusha, while Mulaprakriti or Root Substance manifests as Prakriti. The\nultimate expression of Purusha is Prana (Life force) while that of\nPrakriti is Prithivi (Matter). We thus have the Father Spirit on the one\nhand, and the Mother Substance on the other, manifesting eventually in\nthe multitude of forms of Living Matter. Spirit Substance thus invests\nand is at the root of all physical life, Force and Matter standing\nalways in the same undivided relations as do Spirit and Substance in the\nArchetypal World.\n\nSuch mysteries concerning the origin of things can be read in the\nastronomical disposition of the signs of the zodiac, where Leo is the\nsymbol of the Father Spirit and Cancer that of the Mother Substance.\nThese descend along their own arcs of involution through the planes of\nBuddhi and Manas, which are the higher and lower aspects of Mind, and in\ncombination represent the potential and evolved Hermaphrodites, denoted\nby the planets Mercury and Venus, which are set over these signs in the\nastrological scheme, and have relation to the signs Virgo and Libra on\nthe one hand and Gemini and Taurus on the other. Thence the Great Breath\ndescends to the Kamic plane, manifesting in the Body of Desire. This is\nrepresented on either hand by the signs Scorpio and Aries. Next the\nSpirit-Substance manifests on the Astral or Psycho-Physical plane, which\nis symbolized by the planet Jupiter with its signs Sagittarius and\nPisces, and finally precipitates in the material world denoted by the\nplanet Saturn and its corresponding signs Capricornus and Aquarius, the\nsymbols of matter in the concrete and in a state of flux.\n\nThe scheme may be reduced to a diagram as on page 121.\n\nIn view of this statement of the occult doctrine of the origin of the\nphenomenal world, we are led to expect in the course of physical\nevolution, which is another name for the process of spiritual\nunfoldment, that matter will yield continually new characteristics,\nwhich now lie _in obscuro_ or latency. For spirit is now shaking itself\nfree of the trammels of matter, organisms are becoming more and more\nsubject and responsive to the impulses of the mind, and matter is\neverywhere giving way to the effort of a spiritual expression. The world\nhas passed the zero point of greatest materiality and darkness, and\nthough the mass of mankind are as yet only on the plane of Kama,\nactuated solely by the force of their desires and material appetites,\nyet quite a large section of the world\u2019s population is coming under the\ndirect influence of the Manasic forces, and the demand for knowledge is\nbeing met upon every side. Some few of the more advanced pioneers of the\nrace are functioning in the light of the Buddhic plane and are\novershadowed by the spirit. At the head of all this Earth\u2019s humanity is\nthe supreme Arhat, the Adam Kadmon of the Kabalists, the Iswara of the\nHindus, the Jehovah of the Hebrews.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 8.]\n\nWhat is going on in this world is happening also in others of the solar\nsystem, and over all is the Supreme Logos, Brahma-Vach, the Ancient of\nDays, whom we call the Lord. These are co-ordinating Centres of\nIntelligence and Power functioning in their respective spheres and on\ntheir several planes as the various nervous ganglia in the body of man,\nall being finally linked up to one Centre in whom resides the\nconsciousness of the I AM, as planets are united to their central Sun.\n\nAnd what we argue in regard to the constitution of the Universe we also\naffirm to be true regarding man, the Microcosm and epitome of the\nUniverse. He is one of those angels \u201cascending and descending\u201d on the\nLadder of Life. For the purposes of illustration we may borrow a symbol\nfrom the astronomer, that of the elliptical orbit of the Earth. Let the\nEarth represent the spiritual monad which in process of involution has\nbecome associated with material conditions of life, and is now an\nimprisoned soul.\n\nIt answers to the gravitational pull of the material sun and revolves\naround it, chained by its material desires, yet enlarging its orbit as\nit advances in its evolution. The point where the planet passes its\nquadrature, corresponds to the event of incarnation, its lower apsis\nbeing the point of greatest physical vitality. It passes out of the\nphysical at the next quadrature and for the remainder of its orbit\ncontinues in the psychic or intermediate state between the higher and\nlower worlds. At its higher apsis the soul is in its supreme state of\nelevation, mingling freely with other discarnate souls and those radiant\ndenizens of the higher spiritual world who are there to minister to\ntheir spiritual needs. But when the reaction follows and the desire for\nearth-life again asserts itself, the soul responds to the gravitational\npull of the material sun and falls again into incarnation.\n\nThere comes a time, however, when by its peregrinations in the sphere of\nthe lower world, the soul gains knowledge of real values, and the\nawakening spirit, shaking free from the bonds of the flesh, answers to\nthe gravitational pull of a higher or more interior Spiritual Sun which\noccupies the kenofocus of the great ellipse. Such a soul passes directly\nthrough the intermediate world into the World of Spirit, and thereafter\nrevolves around the Spiritual Sun, descending only at the lowest point\nof its orbit into the intermediate world for the purpose of spiritual\nministration, its only intercourse with the material world being\nnormally through the world of discarnate souls who are subject to\nincarnation. The diagram presented on page 124, may assist the reader in\nfollowing out the scheme.\n\nI am not here laying down any final teaching or creed regarding the\nperegrinations of the Soul, though during a life of inward experience\none gets some definite idea of the general plan of these things, but I\nam taking the position of a symbologist who employs cosmical facts to\nconvey spiritual ideas, as one may use a figure of speech to suggest an\nanalogy or convey an idea pertinent to the theme of conversation.\nEverything is symbolical, and things have no other meaning than that\nwhich we confer upon them, as letters or figures which are used to\nsignal a meaning from one mind to another as by a code agreed upon\nbeforehand, although in themselves these symbols bear no such\nsignificance.\n\nSo in the Dhammapada it is said: \u201cMind it is which gives to things their\nquality, their foundation and their being,\u201d to which Epictetus\nsubscribes when he says: \u201cMen are disturbed by their view of things and\nnot by the things themselves,\u201d and these two views are at the base of\nIdealism and Quietism, as we may learn from Plato and Laotze.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 9.]\n\nIt would therefore have been equally true in a symbolical sense had the\nHigher, Middle and Lower Worlds been called the Sun, Moon and Earth\nWorlds, for these answer to the Spirit, Soul and Body of man, and\ntherefore to the worlds or states of being in which they function. Also\nby the same symbolism they may be called the worlds of Light, Twilight\nand Darkness, answering to the three Gunas or qualities of the Soul in\nthe Hindu philosophy, namely, Sattva, Rajasa, and Tamas. But the\nemployment of a purely cosmical symbolism gains point from the fact that\nwhatever may be our views regarding these ultimate problems of life,\nthey must necessarily take form from the things of our experience and\nfind expression in terms of natural phenomena, or so much of the Great\nHandwriting as we may have mastered and can employ as symbols.\n\nThe argument from analogy is indeed strongly in favour of the view that\nall spiritual truths have their counterpart and illustration in the\nphenomenal world, that there is a natural law in the spiritual world,\nand that this law can only be interpreted in terms of natural phenomena.\nBut it is also permissible to take the opposite view and to affirm that\nthere is a spiritual law in the natural world and that this can only be\nunderstood and interpreted in the light of the Spirit. Indeed philosophy\ntends ultimately to the view that the mind of man is but a centre of\nconsciousness in the Universal Mind, that it reflects the Ideas of that\nMind, and that things have no real existence except as products of mind.\nWe all recognize the fact that the idea precedes and outlasts the form\nthat embodies it, and that there is no constant relation between the\nthing and the thought of which it is an expression.\n\nThis idea, applied to the subject of Involution and Evolution, gives\nrise to the momentous thought that the Archetypal Mind that holds the\nidea of this universe and is its Creator, is under no contract to\ncomplete the scheme of things. God is under no necessity to finish His\nwork. The Great Artificer may at any time destroy his moulds! But\nlong-suffering Nature comforts us with the idea of an infinite patience,\nand the human mind suggests something indefinitely more steadfast than\nits own caprice.\n\nMeanwhile by the dim light of our minds we grope our way among the\nscattered symbols, seeking in them for some intelligible answer to our\nquestionings, hoping to find in them, when all are understood, a\nsolution of the problem of the human soul. Science, philosophy and\nreligion all assure us that we have reasonable hope, if not indeed the\ndefinite promise of eventual success.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XIII\n                           PLANETARY NUMBERS\n\n\nIn a section of my work on the Kabala of Numbers I gave the planetary\nnumbers as they have been handed down to us, and my authority in that\ncase was John Heydon, who in his _Holy Guide_ has delivered the\ntraditional values of the planets, showing their correspondence with\ncertain numbers.\n\nI am now able to cite another authority in the person of Godfridus, who\nin the year 1650 published a book called _Things Unknown_. Those who\nread the book, should they be fortunate enough to obtain a copy of this\nscarce old volume, will probably agree with me that most of the\ninformation he has collected is really not worth knowing, being in many\ninstances fanciful and misleading.\n\nBut among other things he quotes the Numbers of the planets and the\nsigns of the zodiac. The numbers as given by him are the same as those\ngiven by Heydon, and for convenience may be repeated here\u2014\n\nSun, 1 or 4; Moon, 7 or 2; Saturn, 8; Jupiter, 3; Mars, 9; Venus, 6;\nMercury, 5.\n\nGodfridus does not distinguish between the numbers 1 and 4 attributed to\nthe Sun, or those of the Moon 7 and 2. It is important to know that 1 is\nthe positive number of the Sun, and 7 that of the Moon, while 4 is the\nnegative number of the Sun as 2 is that of the Moon. That is to say, if\nthe Sun is in an even sign at any epoch, or enumeration is made\nconcerning a male entity, whether man or animal, the number 1 must be\nused, while if the Sun be in a female sign, or enumeration has respect\nto a female, then the number 4 is used. Similarly in regard to the\nnumbers of the Moon.\n\nThese numbers have been exploited in several books recently as if\noriginal with the author, who indeed has gone so far as to claim for\nthem the authority of a Guru from whom he professes to have received\nthem. It is a fact, however, that they have no representation in the\nEast, neither among the Shemitic people nor the Aryans, and they are, as\nI have plainly stated elsewhere, traditional among the Kabalists. The\nfact that Heydon printed them and Godfridus also, and that these books\nare to be found in the British Museum Library, clearly indicates the\nsource of inspiration, and locates the Guru in this case as residing\nsolely in the fertile imagination of the author of _The Mysteries_.\n\nGodfridus gives also the numbers attaching to the signs of the zodiac as\nfollows\u2014\n\nAries, 7; Taurus, 6; Gemini, 12; Cancer, 5; Leo, 1; Virgo, 10; Libra, 8;\nScorpio, 9; Sagittarius, 4; Capricornus, 3; Aquarius, 2; Pisces, 11.\n\nThere is a special significance attaching to the order in which, these\nnumbers are given, and it will repay the astute reader to give the\nmatter a little study. I may here say that they were originally attached\nto the Twelve Houses, and became associated with the signs of the zodiac\ncorresponding with these Houses at a later date. They should be studied\nin their prime significance.\n\nLeaving this point for the time being, I would point out here that these\nnumbers have been used in connection with the Signs by the author of\n_Natural Law Versus Chance_, who shows considerable faculty for\npainstaking research. Without referring to the source of his\ninformation, he clearly shows that the names of competitors may be\nenumerated by means of this zodiacal gamut, and brought under the unit\nvalue of one or other of the planets, which, if ruling at the time, is\ncapable of conferring success.\n\nThat which appears to vitiate the scheme presented by him is the fact of\nhis using the artificial instead of the natural Hours, for if it be\nallowed that the planets are associated with the days of the week and\nthat the quadrants mark the natural divisions of the day, as from\nsunrise to noon, noon to sunset, sunset to midnight, and midnight to\nsunrise, then the Planetary Hours must be in terms of these natural\ndivisions, and, irrespective of the season of the year and the\nconsequent variation of the diurnal and nocturnal arcs, there will be\nsix such \u201chours\u201d from sunrise to noon, six from noon to sunset, and six\nin each of the other quarters of the circle. In fact, if \u201cnatural law\u201d\nis to rule in the matter at all, it must be consistently carried out,\nand artificial divisions of the day will continue to befog the student\nof these arcana and prevent him from getting at the truth of the matter\nso long as they are employed. This putting of \u201cnew wine into old\nbottles\u201d has effectually vitiated both the _Natural Law_ system and that\npropounded in _The Mysteries_. If any student cares to work out the\npercentages of results derived from a strict following of the rules as\ngiven in either of those works, there will remain no shadow of doubt\nthat a good thing has just been missed, for lack of a little regard to\ntraditional usage.\n\nBut the climax of inconsistency is reached in the suggestion contained\nin _The Mysteries_, where it is said that the planets Mercury and Venus\nare misnamed, that Mercury is the antithesis of Mars and Venus that of\nJupiter, and that their numbers are interchangeable! It is, in fact,\ncalmly suggested that at some remote period of history not named by the\nauthor, the name-plates of Venus and Mercury became detached, and as a\nresult the one planet was thereafter mistaken for the other! I can\nimagine sober astrologers directing the planet Mercury to a conjunction\nwith the Sun for the event of marriage, or predicting travels from the\nconjunction of the Ascendant with Venus. In effect we are asked to\nregard the signs Libra and Taurus as the signs of Mercury, while Venus\nin exchange takes Gemini and Virgo. This may not appear so terribly\ninconsistent to such as are ignorant of the disposition of the signs and\nplanets as to others, but I think that any one would jib at the idea of\nVenus as the significatrix of travel and trade. And when I speak of\nVenus in this connection I mean Venus and not Mercury in disguise. Yet\none would have supposed that the very order of the days of the week and\nthe planetary sequence from which it is derived would have given the\nauthor pause to think. So far from that, however, it seems to be set up\nas an unique discovery of the utmost importance. It is time, therefore,\nthat the matter should be set straight, and the need for this seems the\nmore urgent since I have actually known persons, intelligent and\nconservative of the truth in these matters, but keen to follow up any\nnew clue, actually transposing the planets Mercury and Venus in their\nhoroscopes and willing to believe, on the authority of an Occultist of\nsome distinction who in a weak moment was induced to write a preface to\nthe book, that the astronomers have all been wrong for many ages, and\nthat in following the course of the planet Venus they were unwittingly\npursuing that of Mercury! The position would be incredible were it not a\nfact in cold print.\n\nLet us proceed with the justification of the old tradition. I have\nelsewhere shown that the planetary periods bear a direct relationship to\ntheir sign rulerships as determined by the ancients. It is seen that six\nbodies, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury and the Moon, embrace\nbetween them the circle of 360, each pair being divisors of one-third,\nor 120\u00b0 or years.\n\nThe pairs are as follows\u2014\n\nMoon rules for 4 years, which divided into 120 equals 30. Saturn rules\nfor 30 years, which divided into 120 equals 4. These two are opposites,\nSaturn ruling Capricorn and the Moon ruling Cancer.\n\nJupiter rules for 12 years, which divided into 120 gives 10. Mercury\nrules for 10 years, which divided into 120 gives 12. These two are\nopposites, for whereas Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces, Mercury\nrules Gemini and Virgo, which are the opposite signs.\n\nVenus rules for 8 years, which divided into 120 gives 15. Mars rules for\n15 years, which divided into 120 gives 8. Venus rules the signs Taurus\nand Libra, whereas Mars rules the opposite signs Scorpio and Aries.\n\nThis may be allowed as a basis for what follows. The values and\ndominions are those traditionally received through Ptolemy. The periodic\nvalues of all the bodies of the ancient system are twice the square of\nseven. The square of seven is 49, and twice this is the value of the\nperiods, namely 98 years. Students of numerology may pursue the subject\nto its legitimate conclusion. I may now proceed to establish this scheme\nby a series of numerical tests which have been communicated to me from\nIndia, and which I have remodelled for the purpose of this\ndemonstration.\n\nThe harmony of the allotment of the numbers to the planets and signs is\nshown in the following scale, which, as will be seen, bear the numbers\nalready ascribed to them by Godfridus and others.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 10.]\n\nThis arrangement is traditional among astrologers, and in very old works\non the subject of planetary dominions we find the following suggestive\nglyph, which indicates that the mystery of the Pyramid may be solved by\nreference to the elements of the solar system.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 11.]\n\nIt is stated that the perpendicular of the Pyramid is the radius of a\ncircle whose area exactly equals the area of the square base. If this be\nthe fact, then we may conclude that the ancients successfully negotiated\nthe problem of \u201csquaring the circle.\u201d\n\nThe cyclic order of the planets according to the ancients was thus:\nSaturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon. This order is not\nhaphazard, as one might suppose who only knew the order of the days of\nthe week bearing the Planets\u2019 names, or the apparent order of the\nplanetary orbits as seen from the Earth. There is nevertheless a very\ngood reason for this order, and it consists in the orbital periods of\nthe several bodies, that is, the times in which they appear to traverse\nthe zodiac. Thus Saturn\u2019s apparent period is about 30 years, Jupiter 12,\nMars 2 years save forty-three days, the Sun one year, Venus about 7\u00bd\nmonths, Mercury about 3 months, and the Moon one month. Applying the\nnumerical test to this order, and retaining as before the same numbers\nfor each of the planets, we have\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 12.]\n\nIf we begin the cycle with the Sun and follow with Venus, Mercury, etc.,\nwe shall have a resolution in terms of the Moon, thus\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 13.]\n\nAgain, if we take the positive Sun number and the negative Moon number,\nwe have Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, 1295, equals 17 or 8, Jupiter, Venus,\nSaturn 368, equals 17 or 8, and 8 plus 8 equals 16, which is of unit\nvalue 7.\n\nBut the Kabalism of the numbers attaching to signs of the zodiac clearly\nshows that the planets Mars and Venus are natural opposites, and not\nMercury and Mars, as erroneously stated. The following scheme will show\nthat this is so.\n\n                Scorpio   9   opposed to Taurus     6\n                Libra     8     \u201d        Aries      7\n                Virgo  10 1     \u201d        Pisces 11  2\n                Leo       1     \u201d        Aquarius   2\n                Cancer    5     \u201d        Capricorn  3\n                Gemini 12 3     \u201d        Sagittary  4\n                           \u2014                      \u2014\n                           27                      24\n                     Equals 9 Mars           Equals 6 Venus.\n\nThe series begins with the signs of Mars and Venus and concludes under\nthose of Mercury and Jupiter, the numbers attached to the various signs\nbeing reduced to their unit values and added together, thus yielding the\nsum of 27 for Mars and 24 for Venus, which again are reduced to the unit\nvalues of 9 and 6, the numbers of the planets under consideration.\n\nExactly the same result is produced if we begin the series with the\nother signs of Mars and Venus, namely, Aries and Libra.\n\n                  Libra   8  opposed to  Aries     7\n                  Virgo   1     \u201d        Pisces    2\n                  Leo     1     \u201d        Aquarius  2\n                  Cancer  5     \u201d        Capricorn 3\n                  Gemini  3     \u201d        Sagittary 4\n                  Taurus  6     \u201d        Scorpio   9\n                         \u2014                       \u2014\n                         24                       27\n                   Equals 6 Venus           Equals 9 Mars.\n\nBy making a sum of the values of the signs according to their mutual\noppositions, we have for\u2014\n\n       Aries and Scorpio, the signs of Mars, values 7 and 9 equals 16\n       Sagittarius and Pisces, signs of Jupiter,    4 and 11  \u201d    15\n       Capricornus and Aquarius, signs of Saturn,   3 and 2   \u201d     5\n                                                                   \u2014\n                                                            Total  36\n\nThese are opposed to the signs\u2014\n\n         Libra and Taurus, signs of Venus, values 6 and  8 equal 14\n         Gemini and Virgo, signs of Mercury  \u201d   12 and 10    \u201d  22\n         Cancer and Leo, signs of Moon and Sun values 5 and 1 \u201d   6\n                                                                 \u2014\n                                                           Total 42\n\nThus we have again 36, unit value 9, for Mars; and 42, unit value 6, for\nVenus. This scheme may be reduced to a diagram, as on the following\npage.\n\nThus we see that 9, the number of Mars, is opposed to 6, the number of\nVenus, in whatever direction we look, and the old legends of Venus and\nAdonis, of Vulcan and Aphrodite, of Vishnu and Lakshmi, most clearly\npoint to this association of the planets Venus and Mars in the minds of\nthe writers of the mythology. As myths or veils they were intended\ndoubtless to hide something from the popular mind, and initiation into\nthe Mysteries consisted in the interpretation of these myths in terms of\ncosmical laws.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 14.]\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XIV\n                          SOME FURTHER KABALAS\n\n\nAlthough it will be evident from the foregoing illustrations that a very\ndefinite design lies at the root of the allotment of numbers to the\nplanets and the signs of the zodiac, yet the study of the subject would\nhardly be complete without some reference to some other methods that I\nhave evolved or that are to be found hinted at but not expounded in the\nwritings of others. If, for instance, I were required to demonstrate the\nfact that a certain method underlies the planetary numbers, I could do\nso by reference to the Kabala of the number 9, and although in the\nprocess I might have to concede the point that Jupiter and Venus are\ninterchangeable, I should still be warranted by my Kabala in affirming\nthat Mercury is not interchangeable with Mars, but that it is polarized\nby the Sun, and that Mars is the alternative or opposite of the Moon.\n\nNow this little Kabala, while itself very suggestive and capable of many\napplications, has no cosmical basis, and therefore may be the occasion\nof much disturbance, if carried beyond its legitimate domain.\n\nIt is only necessary to take the numerical sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,\n8, 9, and centralize that number which answers to the planet whose\nopposite you require.\n\nThus for Saturn, whose number is 8, we have the sequence\u2014\n\n                                   Saturn\n\n                              4567   8   9123\n                               22      15\n                                4   10    6\n                                   or 1\n                                  Sun (+)\n\nFor Jupiter the resolution is as follows\u2014\n\n                                  Jupiter\n                              8912   3   4567\n                               20      22\n                                2      4\n                                     6\n                                   Venus\n\nFor the Sun, whose positive number is 1, we have\u2014\n\n                                    Sun\n                              6789   1   2345\n                               30      14\n                                3      5\n                                     8\n                                  Saturn\n\nFor Venus, whose number is 6, the resolution is\u2014\n\n                                   Venus\n\n                              2345   6   7891\n                               14      25\n                                5      7\n                                    12\n                                   or 3\n                                   Jupiter\n\nFor the Moon, whose number is 7 positive, we get\u2014\n\n                                   Moon\n                              3456   7   8912\n                               18      20\n                                9      2\n                                    11\n                                  or 2\n                                  Moon\n\nSo that having found the alternate of Saturn 8 to be Sun 1, and that of\nVenus 6 to be Jupiter 3, of the Moon 7 to be 2, it is quite easy to jump\nto the conclusion that the alternate of Mars 9 must be Mercury 5, and\nyet to get side-tracked on the very first trip. For observe what happens\nin the resolution of Mars, number 9,\n\n                                   Mars\n                              5678   9   1234\n                               26      10\n                                8   1\n                                     9\n                                   Mars\n\nwhich, seems to inform us that, whereas all things may be reduced and\nconverted by Fire or the Will, neither consents to be converted. Herein\nis the spirit of freedom that characterizes the fiery planet and those\nthat are born under its sway. We may now try Mercury, the universal\nresolvent.\n\n                                  Mercury\n\n                              1234   5   6789\n                               10      30\n                                1      3\n                                     4\n                                  Sun (-)\n\nIn antithesis we may set the number of the Sun negative 4.\n\n                                    Sun\n                              9123   4   5678\n                               15      26\n                                6      8\n                                    14\n                                  or 5\n                                  Mercury\n\nHere, by a curious refractoriness of disposition, Mercury is seen to be\nresolvable only in terms of a negative Sun, the number 5 being set in\napposition to 4. The obvious suggestion to those who are engaged in the\nhermetic art, should they happen upon this little kabalism, is that\nMercury is the one thing that we are able to convert into gold.\n\nNow if we collect these resolutions we shall find that they are all in\nterms of Mars or the number 9, whose position at the head of the scheme\nindicates, as clearly as figures can tell us, that the Will is the\ndominant factor in all human affairs.\n\n                                    Mars\n                                      9\n                               Sun 4    5 Mercury\n                           Jupiter 3    6 Venus\n                            Saturn 8    1 Sun\n                                      2\n                                    Moon\n                                      7\n\nHere we have Mars 9, Sun and Mercury 9, Jupiter and Venus 9, Saturn and\nSun 9, Moon (positive and negative) 9. Moreover, it is seen that the sum\nof Sun, Jupiter and Saturn, 4 plus 3 plus 8, is 15, and that of Mercury,\nVenus and Sun, 5 plus 6 plus 1, is 12. Then 15 plus 12 are 27, and the\nunit value of this is again 9. It is further of interest to observe that\nthe only planets that are not convertible are Mars and the Moon, and\nthat at the head and foot of the scheme represent Fire and Water,\nsymbols of Spirit and Matter, the Will and the element of Variability,\none fixed and the other mutable. The numbers of the Moon are 2 and 7,\nand these are equal in sum to 9.\n\nTo argue thence that we are justified in transposing Mercury with Mars\nor Jupiter with Venus in any system that has a cosmical factor for its\nbasis is to argue from cosmos into chaos. The planetary numbers and\nthose of the zodiac were affixed by those who instituted the scheme, not\nfrom any considerations of a fanciful nature, but on certain cosmical\nprinciples which those who have thoroughly mastered the subject of\nNumerology will find working out in all astrological practice. It is, of\ncourse, allowable to use numbers in a symbolical manner after any order\nthat may suit our purpose, but to proceed from the time of sunrise by\nprogression through the planetary hours, and to violate the established\norder of those hours by the introduction of a fictitious interchange of\nfactors, is an affront to the intelligence of every astrological student\nand a violation of the principles of cosmic symbology that can only find\nits karmic effects in a condition of mental chaos.\n\nAnother kabalism which employs the planetary factors has been in use for\nsome time by certain well-known students of interpretation, and is\nprincipally applied to the predictive art. In this system the planets\nhold the same numbers as those traditionally allotted to them.\n\nThe signs of the zodiac, however, do not follow the same rule, but take\nthe values that belong to their planetary rulers, as follows\u2014\n\nAries 9, Taurus 6, Gemini 5, Cancer 7 or 2, Leo 1 or 4, Virgo 5, Libra\n6, Scorpio 9, Sagittarius 3, Capricornus 8, Aquarius 8, Pisces 3.\n\nThese numbers are combined with those of the days of the week ruled by\nthe planets. Thus in the case of a person born on a Tuesday in the month\nof November, the numbers are both 9, for Tuesday is ruled by Mars, whose\nnumber is 9, and in November the Sun is in Scorpio, which again gives\nthe number 9. Hence those years in which the number 9 figures are\nregarded as important in the production of great events.\n\nThe months and signs corresponding are thus valued:\u2014January 8, February\n8, March 3, April 9, May 6, June 5, July 7 and 2, August 1 and 4,\nSeptember 5, October 6, November 9 and December 3. But it should be\nobserved that, in order to keep in touch with the cosmical order, these\nnumbers are only to attach to the first 21 days of each month, the\nnumber for the succeeding month being used for the last 10 or 11 days.\nSimilarly, the day counts from sunrise to sunrise according to some\nauthors, but cosmically it counts from noon to noon, that period from\nnoon to midnight being \u201cthe evening\u201d and from midnight to noon \u201cthe\nmorning,\u201d as it is said in Genesis, _Veyahi oreb veyahi beqer yom\nechad_\u2014\u201cAnd the evening and the morning were the first day.\u201d\n\nPerhaps one of the most interesting Kabalas is that which has reference\nto the values of the signs and planets when taken in combination. Each\nof the months in the annual circle has a number attaching to it\naccording to the planet ruling the sign in which the Sun is, as already\nshown above. This is multiplied into the number allotted to the sign\nitself apart from its ruler. Thus\u2014\n\n           Month     Sign      No. Ruler   No. Product  Unit\n\n           January   Capricorn   3 Saturn    8      24     6\n           February  Aquarius    2 Saturn    8      16     7\n           March     Pisces     11 Jupiter   3      33     6\n           April     Aries       7 Mars      9      63     9\n           May       Taurus      6 Venus     6      36     9\n           June      Gemini     12 Mercury   5      60     6\n           July      Cancer      3 Moon      2      10     1\n           August    Leo         1 Sun       1       1     1\n           September Virgo      10 Mercury   5      50     5\n           October   Libra       8 Venus     6      48     3\n           November  Scorpio     9 Mars      9      81     9\n           December  Sagittary   4 Jupiter   3      12     3\n\nIt is then seen that the total value of the planets\u2019 numbers is 65,\nwhile the total of the unit values of the products is also 65. It is\nsatisfactory to find that wherever we are consistent and hold to the\ntraditional values and positions of the several factors, we obtain\nresults that are wonderfully harmonious and suggestive.\n\nThere is an ancient symbol known as the \u201cGolden Candlestick\u201d which is in\nthe nature of a candelabrum with seven arms. Each of the seven lights\nanswers to one of the seven celestial bodies known to the ancients, and\nthe order of them is that known as the Chaldean, in use among\nastrologers. Here is the symbol\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 15.]\n\nIt will be seen at once that the interchange of the planets is\nconfirmatory of the astrological method derived from the sign\nrulerships. Saturn interchanges with the Moon, Jupiter with Mercury,\nMars with Venus, while the Sun stands in the centre of the system giving\nlight to all. These lights answer to the seven Rays, the seven Spirits\nbefore the Throne, the seven Archangels, Cassiel, the keeper of\nsecrets\u2014Saturn; Zadkiel, the spirit of Justice\u2014Jupiter; Madimial, the\nspirit of those who make Red\u2014Mars; Michael, who is \u201clike unto God\u201d\u2014Sun;\nHaniel, the spirit of Splendour\u2014Venus; Raphael, the spirit of\nHealing\u2014Mercury; and Gabriel, the spirit of Strength\u2014Moon.\n\nIn connection with this symbol there is another which affords several\nglyphs in combination. It is called the Seven-pointed Star and Star of\nthe Universe. A star of seven points being drawn, the planetary bodies,\nthe Sun and Moon, are placed round it in the Chaldean order, the Sun\nbeing at the highest point, thus\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 16.]\n\nIt is then found that the Sun holds the unique position of supreme\nelevation, while the \u201cpairs of opposites,\u201d Venus and Mars, Mercury and\nJupiter, Moon and Saturn, are functioning on successively lower planes.\n\nBy starting with the first day of the week, Sunday, at the point of the\nSun and following the lines of the Star, we shall derive the days of the\nweek in their order, namely, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus\nand Saturn. By reading from Mars and taking every alternate planet, we\nget the order of the atomic weights of the metals to which the ancients\nascribed these planets; namely, Iron, Copper, Silver, Tin, Gold, Mercury\nand Lead. This fact seems strongly to support the view that there is a\nvery real connection between the planets and the metals referred to them\nby the ancients, for while it is fairly certain that they did not know\nanything about atomic weights, they very clearly associated the\ncelestial bodies with the primary metals, and the fact that they are\nbrought into line through the apparent velocities of the several bodies\nof the solar system seems to afford a suggestive basis for further\ninquiry. We all are used to speaking of the \u201cgolden\u201d sun and the\n\u201csilver\u201d moon, and we also speak in terms of cosmic symbolism when we\nrefer to an \u201ciron\u201d will, or of \u201csteeling\u201d oneself against a danger, for\nMars is the astrological index of the Will, and the uses of steel and\niron are for defence and offence. In the name of Mercury we have\nactually retained the ancient name associated with the metal, although\nthe root of it is _merx_, trade, and has no direct associations with\nquicksilver. But we pick up the link of connection through the known\nassociation of Mercury with trade and shipping, and when we see the\nwinged messengers or trading vessels carrying their burden of foreign\ngoods from one country to another, we understand why Mercury was called\nthe Interpreter, for in astrology the planet Mercury is the symbol of\ncommerce, and it \u201cconfers the gift of tongues.\u201d Pliny says that copper\nwas first discovered in Cyprus, from which it gets its name, and,\naccording to astrologers from the time of Ptolemy until now, the sign\nTaurus, one of the signs of Venus, rules Cyprus. This sidelight is of\ninterest, displaying as it does the universality of planetary dominions.\nCopper, of course, was in use before Cyprus had been named or exploited,\nbut it is of interest to observe that a copper-bearing territory, which\nhas given the metal a name in the West, should be found both\ntraditionally and experimentally to be under the dominion of the planet\nVenus, which the ancients associated with that metal. Lead, which is\nnamed in connection with Saturn, the Lunar alternative, has been spoken\nof by some of the old Hermetists as a disease of the Moon, and it is\nsuggested that the \u201csick Lady\u201d took a bad turn at a certain point in her\ncareer, and instead of appearing in shining silver robes, put on those\nof leaden grey. It is worthy of note that silver ore is frequently found\nin lead, and silver has been successfully extracted from lead since\n1829, when Pattinson developed his useful process.\n\nBefore leaving this subject of Kabalas connected with planetary numbers,\nit may be well to point out that the Kabala displayed in the beginning\nof this chapter may also be applied to the Chaldean order of the planets\nand their numbers, yielding the same results.\n\n\n              Chaldean Order of Planets and their Numbers\n\n\nSaturn 8, Jupiter 3, Mars 9, Sun 1-4, Venus 6, Mercury 5, Moon 7-2. From\nthese we get the following resolutions\u2014\n\n                                 Sun\n                          839     1    6572\n                           20           20  \u2609\n                           2            2\n                                  4\n                                 Sun\n\n                               Saturn\n                          6572    8    3914\n                           20           17  \u2644\n                           2            8\n                                 10\n                                  1\n                                 Sun\n\n                               Jupiter\n                          5728    3    9146\n                           22           20  \u2643\n                           4            2\n                                  8\n                                Venus\n\n                                Mars\n                          7283    9    1465\n                           20           16  \u2642\n                           2            7\n                                  9\n                                Mars\n\n                                Venus\n                          3914    6    5728\n                           17           22  \u2640\n                           8            4\n                                 12\n                                  3\n                               Jupiter\n\n                               Mercury\n                          9146    5    7283\n                           20           20  \u263f\n                           2            2\n                                  4\n                                 Sun\n\n                                Moon\n                          1465   7-2   839\n                           16           20  \u263d\n                           7            2\n                                  9\n                                Mars\n\nIn the above resolutions we have, as before, Mercury in apposition to\nthe Sun (negative), and the Moon in apposition to Mars. Now, to find a\ncosmical basis for this order of things, we shall have to refer to the\n\u201cexaltations\u201d of the planets as defined by astrology. Thus, beside the\nparticular Signs ruled by the planets, there are others in which the\nplanets are said to be exalted.\n\nThe exaltation of the Sun is in Aries, while that of Saturn is in Libra.\nThese two bodies are seen to be interchangeable. The exaltation of Venus\nis in Pisces, which is the Sign of Jupiter. But Jupiter\u2019s exaltation is\nin Cancer, which is the Sign of the Moon, and the Moon has its\nexaltation in Taurus, which is the Sign of Venus. Thus Jupiter and Venus\nare rendered interchangeable through, and in the period of, the Moon.\nThe three planets, Moon, Jupiter and Venus, have their exaltations in\nTaurus, Cancer and Pisces, and these are ruled by Venus, Jupiter and the\nMoon respectively. Mercury, whose exaltation is Aquarius, a Sign of\nSaturn, is thereby linked up with the Sun through the opposite Sign Leo,\nwhich the Sun rules. A short study of the following Table of Exaltations\nwill make these interchanges plain.\n\n\n                         Planetary Exaltations\n\n\n               Saturn exalted in Aries, a sign ruled by Mars.\n               Jupiter exalted in Cancer, ruled by the Moon.\n               Mars exalted in Capricorn, ruled by Saturn.\n               Sun, exalted in Aries, ruled by Mars.\n               Venus exalted in Pisces, ruled by Jupiter.\n               Mercury, exalted in Aquarius, ruled by Saturn.\n\nThe planet Mars, therefore, is linked up with the Moon through Saturn,\nwhich rules the sign in which Mars is exalted. Much else might be said\nregarding planetary numbers and Kabalas depending thereon, but it is,\nperhaps, advisable that some margin should be left for the exercise of\nthe reader\u2019s ingenuity, should he wish to pursue the subject further. I\nwill therefore turn to the consideration of another aspect of the same\nsubject.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER XV\n                            PLANETARY SOUNDS\n\n\nHaving dealt with the subject of planetary numbers we may now consider\nthat of Planetary Sounds, these being an obvious connection between\nNumber, Form, Sound and Colour. Number underlies all forms, all sounds\nand all colours, for modes of vibration in the same universal medium\ngive rise to all of these. Thus it is said that the Logos or Word gave\nexistence to all living forms. Those who have constructed Sound-forms by\nmeans of the Eidophone will readily understand how all forms may be\nderived from simple or complex sounds. Sound is also related to colour,\nand there are those who are sensitive enough to see sounds and to hear\ncolours.\n\nThe seven notes of the gamut are related to the seven celestial bodies,\nthus\u2014\n\n         C       D          E         F       G       A         B\n        Sun    Saturn    Mercury    Moon    Mars    Venus    Jupiter\n\nThe colours answering to these are\u2014\n\n        Orange    Indigo    Blue    Green    Red    Yellow    Violet\n\nThe numbers following the order of the gamut bring us once more into\ntouch with the inevitable apposition of the fire and water elements,\nrepresented by Mars and the Moon, to which reference has already been\nmade in the preceding chapter. The numbers thus arranged are\u2014\n\n               Sun Saturn Mercury Moon Mars Venus Jupiter\n               1-4   8       5    7-2   9     6      3\n                     18                      18\n                     9             9          9\n                                  Mars\n\nIf we multiply this number 9 into the number of the signs of the zodiac\nwe shall obtain 108, which gives us the key to the Ashtottarav\u00e0k or 108\nsounds of the Mantrasara. Let us look at the origin of these, 108\nsounds, since they have been much exploited without any specific\nexplanation of their origin.\n\nIn Indian Astrology there are 27 lunar asterisms or Moon-stations which\nare each of 13\u00b0 20\u00b4 in extent. It has already been said that the whole\nperiod of man\u2019s life is taken at 120 years, or an arc of 120\u00b0, which is\none-third of the circle, and by dividing this by 9 we obtain an arc of\n13\u00b0 20\u00b4, which is the extent of a lunar asterism or Moon-station. These\nMoon-stations were in great repute among the Arabian astrologers, who\nattached specific influences to them, but in the West they have been\nentirely neglected. They still continue to form the basis of all Indian\ncalculations, and, as will be shown, are at the root of the planetary\nsounds.\n\nEach asterism of 13\u00b0 20\u00b4 is again divided into four padams or quarters\neach of 3\u00b0 20\u00b4, which is the value of the Navamsha or one-ninth part of\na sign of 30\u00b0. Now since there are four amshas in each asterism and 27\nasterisms in the circle, there are 108 amshas, and these correspond with\nthe 108 sounds.\n\nThere are five primary vowel sounds, and each of these lasts for 24\nminutes, or one Indian hour, which is equal to 6\u00b0 of the zodiac or\none-fifth of a Sign. Therefore the 5 vowels are distributed through the\n5 parts of the Sign. The vowels are\u2014\n\n                             ah ee oo ae oh\n                             \u00e2  \u00ee  \u00fb  \u00e9  \u00f4\n\nThey are all long and pure vowel sounds. The compounds such as _oi_ in\n\u201coil,\u201d _ow_ as in \u201cnow,\u201d etc., are produced from a combination of these.\n\nThese five primary vowels range through the several Signs and are taken\nup by successive consonants attached to each of the Signs. These\nconsonants extend throughout the Signs to which they are attached, as L\nthrough Aries, V through Taurus, etc., so that the five Indian hours or\n120 minutes during which Aries is in evidence, are related to the five\nvowels in connection with the consonant L, as Lah, Lee, Loo, Lae, Loh,\nand these are succeeded by Taurus with the sounds Vah, Vee, Voo, Vae,\nVoh.\n\nBy taking into account the five vowel sounds, the consonants attaching\nto the various Signs, and the relative positions of the planets at any\ngiven time, a mantram may be formed which is in exact harmony with the\nastral vibrations obtaining at that particular time. Mantrams are also\nformed from the positions of the planets at the time of a person\u2019s\nbirth. Some of these mantrams are traditional with Hindu families and\nothers have been adopted. At one time they were delivered with the\nhoroscope immediately after a birth had taken place, but many of these\nancient practices have fallen into disuse among the moderns.\n\nHere follows a complete table of the sounds showing the Signs and parts\nof Signs to which they are attached.\n\n\n                       Table of Planetary Sounds.\n\n\n                   0-6 ah 6-12 ee 12-18 oo 18-24 ae 24-30 oh\n\n           Aries    Lah     Lee     Loo      Lae      Loh\n\n           Taur.    Vah     Vee     Voo      Vae      Voh\n\n           Gemini   Kah     Kee     Koo      Kae      Koh\n\n           Cancer   Hah     Hee     Hoo      Hae      Hoh\n\n           \u201d        \u1e0cah     \u1e0cee     \u1e0coo      \u1e0cae      \u1e0coh\n                                                     (hard\n                                                      Dh)\n\n           Leo      Mah     Mee     Moo      Mae      Moh\n\n           \u201d        \u1e6cah     \u1e6cee     \u1e6coo      \u1e6cae      \u1e6coh\n                                                    (Hard T)\n\n           Virgo    Pah     Pee     Poo      Pae      Poh\n\n           Libra    Rah     Ree     Roo      Rae      Roh\n\n           \u201d        Tah     Tee     Too      Tae      Toh\n                                                     (soft)\n\n           Scorpio  Nah     Nee     Noo      Nae      Noh\n\n           Sagit.   Yah     Yee     Yoo      Yae      Yoh\n\n           \u201d        Bah     Bee     Boo      Bae      Boh\n\n           Capri.   Jah     Jee     Joo      Jae      Joh\n\n           \u201d        Gah     Gee     Goo      Gae      Goh\n\n           Aquar.   Sah     See     Soo      Sae      Soh\n\n           \u201d        Dah     Dee     Doo      Dae      Doh\n                                                     (soft)\n\n           Pisces   Chah   Chee     Choo     Chae    D Choh\n\nFrom this table we are able to extract the Planetary Sounds, and for\nthis reason I have called it a Table of Planetary Sounds, for in the\nthought of all astrologers a Sign infers a planet and a planet infers a\nSign. Hence as Mars rules the signs Aries and Scorpio, we have the\nconsonants L and N and the five vowels, when sounded in conjunction with\nthe initial consonant.\n\nBut it should here be remarked that the five vowels are not all\nattributable to Mars, although they are set at the head of the Table\nunder the sign Aries. They merely characterize the five divisions of the\nSigns, and are seen to range through the whole zodiac from Aries to\nPisces. They are associated with the five disposers, or moderators as\nthey are called, namely, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.\n\nWe are now able to construct a Table employing all the Consonants, which\nwe may call the\n\n\n                        Table of Initial Sounds.\n\n\n              Saturn  Jupiter Mars Sun Venus Mercury Moon\n                 J       Y     L    M   V W    K Q    H\n                                        U O     O\n                 G       B     N   Th    R      P     Dh\n               S Z X    Ch     A         T\n               D Sh      I\n\nIt will be observed that I have eliminated some sounds contained in the\nSanskrit alphabet which have no English equivalents, and also that in\nthe Table of Initial Sounds I have added some that are allied to those\nfound in the original, as for instance Q and C (hard) under K, Z and X\nunder S, etc.\n\nAn attempt has been made to fix the vowels under the planets, but they\nare not found to be consistent, and indeed it is not to be expected that\nthey should be, since the swara, which is constantly changing,\ndetermines the vowel sound in force.\n\nAs initial sounds the vowels U and O, having affinity with the consonant\nW, may be classed under Venus, A under Mars, since both are initial\nfactors in the scheme, and long I or Ee under Jupiter as related to Y.\nBut as I have said, when in combination with the consonants, that is to\nsay, when not initial, they are in a constant state of flux owing to the\nchange of swara. Subject to this consideration they may be added to the\nTable of Initial Sounds, where they will be seen in the above scheme.\n\nThe application of this scheme of Planetary Sounds would appear\noriginally to have been in the direction of determining what sounds\nshould be employed at specific times in the construction of mantras\nappropriate to the nature of the planet then ruling. They were not\noriginally associated with the signs of the zodiac, nor yet with the\nplanets ruling those signs, but solely and specifically with the\nnavamshas, of which there are 108 in the entire circle, and as these are\nconnected with the asterisms through the Moon\u2019s motion, there can be no\ndoubt that they had originally a lunar basis.\n\nEach of the signs is divided into 9 parts of 3\u00b0 20\u00b4 each, the order\nbeing as follows\u2014\n\nAries 0\u00b0-3\u00b0 20\u00b4 is under the influence of Aries navamsha, 3\u00b0 20\u00b4-6\u00b0 40\u00b4\nunder the influence of Taurus navamsha, 6\u00b0 40\u00b4-10\u00b0 under Gemini\nnavamsha, and so on, the last 3\u00b0 20\u2019 of this sign Aries being under\nSagittarius navamsha. The sign Taurus then commences with Capricorn\nnavamsha, and continues on to Virgo navamsha, when Gemini sign commences\nwith Libra and ends with Gemini navamsha, and is followed by Cancer sign\nwhich begins with Cancer navamsha and ends with Pisces navamsha. Leo\nthen commences again with Aries navamsha and follows the same course as\nthe sign Aries. Thus nine successive signs are used to designate the\nnavamshas of each 30 degrees of the zodiac, and so we obtain the 108\nnavamshas, thus\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 17.]\n\nBut we have already seen that the lunar asterisms, each of 13\u00b0 20\u00b4, are\ndivided into four padams or quarters each of 3\u00b0 20\u00b4, and as there are 27\nasterisms we have again the 108 amshas or subdivisions of the ecliptic,\nwhich undoubtedly were originally associated with the 108 sounds. The\nfact that these sounds have come to be connected with the signs of the\nzodiac is due to the affinity which exists between the asterisms and the\nsigns through their respective planetary rulers. For it will be shown\nthat the Ashtottaradasha system of Planetary Periods (which see)\nrecognizes the procession of planetary influence through the 108 padams\nin the course of 108 years, so that each year comes under the influence\nof one of these sections of the ecliptic, and the count in each case is\nmade from the position held by the Moon at the time of birth.\n\nThis subject of Planetary Sounds is of immense interest, but inasmuch as\nit has been developed solely along Oriental lines and has its basis in a\nsystem which did not recognize the Vernal Equinox as a starting-point,\nbut found its yogatara in the first point of As\u2019wini (_Zeta Piscium_), I\nadvise my readers to accept with extreme caution the statement that\nspecific sounds are identified with particular planets or signs of the\nzodiac, and more particularly would I caution the reader not to rely\nupon the application of these Initial Sounds to the problems of\nspeculation. I have merely shown in this place how they are derived, and\nthus have no doubt satisfied the curiosity of those who have seen them\nin other books where they are given without explanation, authority or\nwarning, and stated as if they had been experimentally proved.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XVI\n                            PLANETARY HOURS\n\n\nNo records that are available to us serve to determine at what period in\nthe course of social evolution the need for a week of seven days first\nmade itself felt, nor can we discover who it was first invented it.\n\nNewton believed that Chiron was the first to define the constellations\nof the heavens, and this also was the opinion of the Greeks. But that is\nto give to the mythical centaur a personal reality. It is true that we\nmay find him, along with his contemporary Hercules, by whose arrow he\nmet his death, among the constellations, and if it be the fact that the\nGreeks exalted their heroes to the stars and shaped the constellations\nso as to record their fame for ever, then we can only conclude that\nChiron did not define the constellations of either Sagittarius or\nHercules, whatever may have been his part in the matter so far as the\nrest are concerned.\n\nIt is further to be observed that long before the period ascribed to the\nfamous centaur we have mention of the constellations in the Book of Job,\nwhere Arcturus, the Pleiades, Orion and the Mazzaroth are mentioned.\nBoth Homer and Hesiod mention some of the constellations, but it is\nknown that Hipparchus, about 150 B.C., defined the limits of forty-eight\nof the asterisms, while Ptolemy gave us a complete catalogue. Some\nconstellations have since been added by Tycho, Helvetius and others. But\nfrom what has already been said on this subject it will be evident that\nthe mythology and astronomy of the Greeks was closely connected, but\nthis does not of necessity prove a Greek origin, for we have yet to\ndetermine the origin of the myths. That many of these are shared by the\nAssyfians, Aryans, Persians and Egyptians, seems to show that they had a\nChaldean origin. The Chinese have an astronomy which appears to be\nunique and without parallel among other nations.\n\nIf we go back to the earliest record, the Chinese, we shall find that\nthey had no week of days, but a cycle of sixty days, and also one of\nsixty years. But the days of the month were reckoned from the Moon\u2019s\nage, the day of the New Moon being called the first day. Thus we find in\nthe earliest record such expressions as \u201cthe first day of the first moon\nhe brought things to a conclusion in the temple of his ancestors,\u201d and\n\u201con the first day of the twelfth moon,\u201d etc. Even the great Confucius\ngives no hint of any week of seven days. In his Chun-Tsiu he makes such\nentries as the following: \u201cIn the fifty-eighth year of the cycle and the\nthird year of the reign of Prince Yiu Kung, in the Spring, on the first\nday of the Second Moon, the day being the sixth of the cycle (of sixty\ndays), the sun was eclipsed.\u201d All his entries are of the same careful\nand explicit nature, and expressed in the same terms, that is to say, in\nreference to the Cyclic year, the number of the month, the year of the\nreigning Prince of Lu, and the day of the cycle of sixty days.\n\nThe earliest divisions of time among the Aryans also follow the\nSixty-year period, and the use of the Tithi or Moon day is also to be\nfound in the earliest astronomical records. Nothing more, indeed, is\nneeded for an accurate record of time than an Epoch, a cycle of years\ncounted from that epoch, the number of the last lunation, and the day of\nthe month counted from that lunation. The introduction of a week of days\nis an adjunct that has no special value in a time sense, and could only\nhave been the invention of a state of civilization in which ceremonies\nand institutions of a weekly recurrence were required to be indicated\nand fixed. We find mention of the week, however, in Sanskrit writings,\nas Somavar (Monday), Kujavar (Tuesday), Buddhavar (Wednesday),\nBrihaspativar (Thursday), Sukravar (Friday), Sanivar (Saturday) and\nSuryavar (Sunday), but there do not appear to be sufficient grounds for\nfixing an epoch at which they came into use.\n\nThe days of the week as we have them appear to be of Hebrew origin, and\nprobably were derived from the Chaldeans, for in the first place the\nappointment of specific duties for the several days of the week,\nculminating in the day of divine worship on the seventh or Sabbath day,\nrequires such a division of time, and in the second place it can be\nshown that the order of the days of the week can only be accounted for\nby reference to the Chaldean order of the planets, which, as has been\nshown, has reference to their apparent velocities.\n\nThe Septenary division of days, etc., is distinctly Shemitic in its\norigin, and we find accordingly that the system was extended by the\nHebrews to a period of seven years, and to a further period of seven\ntimes seven years which was celebrated as the Jubilee. The cycle of\nseven is not elsewhere found. Western nations have done what they can to\nbreak down this old institution by associating the Sabbath with Sunday\ninstead of Saturday, and by celebrating the Jubilee at the end of fifty\nyears instead of at the end of forty-nine. But the teachings of the\nastrologers and tenacity of the Jewish faith have served to keep the\nastronomical and religious aspects of this institution intact.\n\nBut whereas we find difficulty in tracing the origin of the week-days\nthrough any authentic records, we have still more difficulty in\nascertaining the principles by which the first day was allotted to the\nSun, the second to the Moon, and so forth. One cannot tell the day of\nthe week by looking at the sky or by taking into account any known\nastronomical factor. But whatever may have been the reason for fixing on\na particular day as the Sun-day and beginning the week with it, it has\nbeen adhered to ever since, and, so far as we astrologers and Kabalists\nare concerned, it is satisfactory to know that it works out on empirical\ntest.\n\nWhat are known as the Planetary Hours are derived from the succession of\nthe days of the week, commencing with the planet ruling and giving its\nname to the day, and following the Chaldean cyclic order. Thus on a\nSunday the first hour is governed by the Sun, to which follow in\nsuccession, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. On a\nSaturday the first hour is ruled by Saturn, to which succeed in order,\nJupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon. Then as there are twenty-four\nhours in the day and seven hours in the planetary cycle, the latter will\nbe contained three times, making twenty-one hours, and there will be\nthree hours still to run. So if we begin with Sun on Sunday and follow\nwith the cycle through the day, we shall complete the third cycle with\nMars, and the twenty-second hour will be the beginning of the next cycle\nunder the rule of the Sun, to which succeeds twenty-third Venus,\ntwenty-fourth Mercury, and the first hour of the next day will be under\nthe rule of the Moon, which will accordingly be Monday, as shown in the\nfollowing tabular form, which may be extended at pleasure. The planetary\nhours differ from the statute hours inasmuch as they are divisions of\nthe natural day and night. The day is counted from sunrise to sunset,\nand the night from sunset to the next sunrise. From sunrise to noon is\nthe space of six planetary hours, and from noon to sunset six. Hence if\nthe day is fourteen hours long, each planetary hour will be equal to one\nstatute hour of sixty minutes and twenty minutes beside, making 1 hr. 20\nmin. of civil time.\n\nThe seventh hour will commence at noon and will last for eighty minutes,\nand the eighth hour will begin at 1.20 and will also last for eighty\nminutes. The foregoing table shows the afternoon or second quadrant of\nsix planetary hours on the 5th of July, when the day is found to be 16\nhrs. 28 min. in duration, one-half of which is 8 hrs. 14 min. One-sixth\nof this is 1 hr. 22 min. 20 sec., which is successively added to Noon to\nfind the beginnings of the eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth\nhours. The last hour thus begins at 6.52 and ends at 8.14. The\nsubdivisions of the hour are one-seventh of 1 hr. 22 min. 20 sec., which\namounts to about 11 min. 46 sec., say 12 min. This being continually\nadded, from noon onwards, gives the beginnings of the subdivisions of\nthe Hour, as shown in the table. In my _Kabala_ I have shown the\npractical working of these hours and Periods of the day so that there is\nno need to repeat the process in this place.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 18. Planetary Hours.]\n\nThe Kabalists and Thaumaturgists have always had recourse to the\nPlanetary Hours for the purpose of performing their operations under\nspecific influences, and anybody who will take the trouble to note the\ntime of an event happening and compare it with the nature of the planet\nruling in that hour will find ample reason for confirming the scheme as\nwe have it from the ancient Hebrews. But this, perhaps, involves a more\nintimate knowledge of astrology than is professed by the average man.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 19.]\n\nIt may, therefore, be of use to the student if the general\nsignifications of the planets are here given.\n\nThe SUN signifies the father, ruler, or person in authority, gold,\nhealth, life, matters relating to government, preferment, honours,\ninaugurations and constitutions, male life generally, the daytime.\n\nThe MOON relates to the mother, public bodies, silver, white fabrics\nsuch as linen; changes, matters relating to public affairs, women, the\nnight, and female life generally.\n\nMARS refers to all youths and marriageable men, fire, iron and steel,\nanger, strife, muscular force, cuts, burns and wounds, blood, death,\nthings that are scarlet or red, fevers, enterprises, operations,\nincisions, soldiers and pioneers.\n\nMERCURY has reference to boys and scholars, writings, papers, short\njourneys, buying and selling, deeds of writing, food, clothing,\nfurniture and personal equipment, trade, profession, speech, quotations.\n\nJUPITER has relation to affairs of justice, gain, increase, expansion;\nto lawyers, insurance, religion, philosophy; affairs of grandeur and\ndisplay; hopes and fears, wishes, expectations, money and success.\n\nVENUS refers to young women of a marriageable age, to engagements,\nbirths, weddings, social functions, pleasures, theatres, music, art,\npeace, rest and happiness.\n\nSATURN is related to privation, darkness, solitude, coldness, hatred,\njealousy, heavy weights, gravity, soberness, gloom, doubts,\ndifficulties, falling, loss, sickness, aged people, old associations,\nmemories, black and sombre colours, mourning, death.\n\nIn a word, the characteristics of a letter or event will be: In the hour\nof the Sun\u2014Honours; that of the Moon\u2014Changes; that of Mars\u2014Strife; that\nof Mercury\u2014Business; that of Jupiter\u2014Gain; that of Venus\u2014Pleasure; that\nof Saturn\u2014Loss.\n\nIt is to be observed that the use of the statute hour in connection with\nplanetary action has arisen from the consideration of their\nuniversality, and an equatorial scheme in which the Sun rises at six\no\u2019clock approximately would thus yield a day of twelve hours, and each\nquadrant would embrace six hours of little more or less than sixty\nminutes each in duration. But the application of the statute hour to\nsunrise in high northern latitudes would appear to be without adequate\nfoundation, and in effect we find that the results depending thereon are\nnot consistent. It is these inconsistencies, arising from the\nintroduction of new elements into the ancient scheme, and the general\nneglect into which the whole subject has fallen, that has given the\nimpression that the ascriptions are fanciful and the matter not worth\ninvestigation. I know enough of the matter, however, to warrant my\ncalling attention to these Planetary Hours as most worthy of close study\nby students of celestial influence.\n\nA considerable field of research lies open to the diligent student. It\nhas to be finally determined, for instance, whether apparent sunrise is\nto be taken as the basis of the calculations or the true Sun\u2019s centre\nrising. The latter is not subject to corrections for parallax, nutation,\nand aberration, but depends on the rising of the Sun\u2019s longitude on the\ncelestial horizon, the false horizon being ignored. The celestial\nhorizon, it should be observed, is always 90\u00b0 from the Zenith. The\nformula for this calculation is: Log. tang. latitude of place + log.\ntang. Sun\u2019s declination = log. sine of Sun\u2019s ascensional difference. For\nNorth declination add to 90\u00b0 and for South declination subtract from\n90\u00b0. The result is the semiarc diurnal of the Sun, and twice this is the\ndiurnal arc or the time the Sun remains above the horizon. Convert to\ntime at the rate of four minutes for every degree and four seconds for\nevery minute of arc.\n\nWe have then to determine whether sunrise is the correct starting point,\nor whether it should not be noon, as in agreement with the original\nChaldean conception of the division of the circle into \u201cevening\u201d and\n\u201cmorning.\u201d\n\nI may say that in my experience the count should be made from sunrise,\nthat the true Sun\u2019s centre rising should be taken, and that the Chaldean\norder of the Hours should be preserved. I have also found that the\nsubdivisions play quite a minor part in the determination of results,\nand that all events falling within the limits of the Planetary Hour\nshould be found subject to the ruler of that Hour, and only in a\nsubsidiary degree to the ruler of the subdivision of the Hour. I may now\npass to a consideration of another aspect of this interesting subject.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XVII\n                     CELESTIAL MAGNETIC POLARITIES\n\n\nIt has already been shown by one of our Kabalas that there is a certain\npolarity existing between the planets of the system by which they become\nnatural antitheses and thus stand in certain relations of polarity.\nHence it is that the numbers attaching to them are interchangeable. Thus\nit was shown that Mars and the Moon, the one having its exaltation sign\nin Capricorn and the other its rulership in Cancer, the opposite sign,\nwere numerical resolvants. Also that Mercury, having its exaltation sign\nin Aquarius, was resolved into terms of the Sun, whose rulership is\nvested in the opposite sign Leo. Further, that the Moon, having its\nexaltation in the sign Taurus, was interchangeable with Mars, whose sign\nis Scorpio, in opposition to Taurus.\n\nThe scheme of Planetary Hours involved the whole of this question of\nPlanetary Numbers, and it was shown that the matter was open to\nconsiderable controversy, necessitating prolonged observation and\nresearch.\n\nThere is another point in connection with the interchange of Planetary\nNumbers which requires consideration. It is that of polarity.\nAstrologers everywhere recognize the fact that the signs of the zodiac\nare alternately active and passive, or positive and negative, male and\nfemale, and the Houses or twelve divisions of the visible heavens are\nsaid to have the same polarity as the signs with which they are\nassociated, as Aries with the 1st House, Taurus with the 2nd House, and\nso on.\n\nNow, at a mean rate of motion, which is attained at the equinoxes, the\napparent transit of the Sun through the Houses or divisions of the Prime\nVertical is at the rate of 30\u00b0, or the space of one House in two hours.\nTherefore, if the Houses are to be regarded as having the same polarity\nas the signs they are associated with, then the first 30\u00b0 of the Sun\u2019s\ndiurnal arc will be negative in action and the next positive, and so on\nalternately. But it has already been empirically proved that the\nquadrant from sunrise to noon is positive, that from noon to sunset\nnegative, from sunset to midnight positive, and from midnight to sunrise\nnegative.\n\nFor a demonstration of this principle I refer my readers to \u201cThe Law of\nSex\u201d developed in my _Manual of Astrology_. This law requires that the\nmajority of influence exerted from the S.E. quarter of the heavens,\nwhich extends from the Sun\u2019s rising to its culmination, shall be\npositive and tending to male generation, while that from the S.W.\nquarter shall be negative and tending to female generation.\n\nBut it can also be shown that the Planetary Hours, each of which\noccupies the time of the Sun\u2019s passage through one-half of a House, or\n15\u00b0, are alternately positive and negative. We then derive the following\nuseful diagram of the\n\n[Illustration: Figure 20. Polarity of the Houses.]\n\nIn this diagram the inner circle shows the polarity of the Houses,\nwhether positive or negative, the next circle outward shows the polarity\nof the Hours, and the outside circle shows that of the Quadrants, which\nis summative of the Houses and Hours.\n\nApplying this to the subject of planetary action, it will be seen that a\nplanet occupying the S.E. quadrant of the heavens will exert a positive\ninfluence, but that its influence will be largely negatived when it\noccupies the second half of the 11th House in the course of its rising,\nand similarly, that a planet in the S.W. quadrant will exercise a\nnegative influence, which will be rendered more positive when the planet\ncomes to the first half of the 8th House in the course of its setting.\nThe fact that male horoscopes are generated from the S.E. and N.W.\nquadrants and female from the S.W. and N.E., goes to show that these\nascriptions are valid, and when we further consider that human vitality\nis lowest at the two points that are occupied by the negative influence,\nand highest at those that are here shown to be positive, should, in my\nopinion, go a long way towards establishing this order in our\nastrological scheme of things.\n\nNow, if we consider the whole earth to be surrounded with etheric\nvibrations and interpenetrated by them, we may also legitimately refer\nthese vibrations to colours and sounds since all the forces of Nature\nare interchangeable and convertible. Such a conception lends itself at\nonce to experimental proof, and, as the result of researches carried on\nduring successive years by Carl von Reichenbach, we have a definite\nscheme of colour attributable to the different sections of the heavens.\nIt is shown that there is a form of electricity visible to persons of a\nhighly sensitive nature when placed in the dark. In _The Sensitive Man_\nReichenbach has given a mass of experiments which show that the Od fluid\nundergoes a variety of changes according to the magnetic relations of\nthe subject or object from which they proceed. In the second volume\nthere is a description of the Earth-Aura. This is not, as one might\nsuppose, a composite of the various auras of its geological\nconstituents, but a thing apart and independent of human, animal,\nvegetable and other emanations. Every body has its own aura, and these\nblend upon contact or within auric distance, producing changes in the\nmagnetic relations of the bodies concerned. The human aura is like that\nof the crystal and has an obvious polarity. Thus the auric colour at the\nhead is blue while that at the feet is dark red; the right side is\ngrey-blue and the left side yellow. Now this answers exactly to the\npolarity of the visible heavens, for it is observed that Blue, the most\nmagnetic colour, is associated with the North or midnight point; Red,\nthe most electric, with the South and mid-day; the neutral to the East\nand the dawn; and the Yellow to the West and sunset.\n\nWhen the body is laid horizontally, with the head to the North, the\ncolours were seen at their greatest brilliancy, passing from blue at the\nhead through blue green to dark green, light green and yellow, golden\nyellow, and orange to deep red at the feet. But the most remarkable\neffect is that if the body be gradually revolved so as to pass through\nthe successive points of the compass, a series of remarkable changes\ntake place in the colours of the aura, and the original colours are no\nlonger seen, but the blue at the head undergoes successive changes by\nthe admixture of other colours according to the angle of deflection, and\nin effect we have the\u2014\n\n    COLOURS OF THE TWELVE HOUSES.\n\n    1st, Grey; 2nd, Blue-grey; 3rd, Blue with red rays, Violet; 4th,\n    Blue; 5th, Dark Green; 6th, Light Green; 7th, Yellow; 8th, Golden;\n    9th, Orange; 10th, Red; 11th, Violet-red, Purple; 12th, Grey-red or\n    dull Red.\n\nNow the presence of a planet or of a group of stars, such as enter into\nthe composition of a constellation, may reasonably be held to effect\nsome magnetic change in the radical nature of the vibrations emanating\nfrom that quarter. The planets are found to exert an influence on the\nmagnetic needle, and both Venus and Jupiter, as affecting the earth in\nits orbit, may be regarded as instances of the interplay of cosmical\nfactors. The medium by which the magnetic needle is affected by these\nplanets is doubtless the magnetic aura of the earth.\n\nThe planets could, indeed, affect us through their light rays if by no\nother means, for experiments have shown that by directing the rays of\nJupiter and some of the fixed stars through a telescope on to a selenium\nscreen at a distance of ten feet, the comparative effect was, of a\ncandle light 1, of Procyon 0\u00b7261, of Cygnus O\u00b7262, of Aldebaran O\u00b7279,\nof Orion O\u00b7685 and of Jupiter 3\u00b7272!\n\nAstrologically we are able to distinguish the psychically gifted by the\npresence of the planets in the lower meridian, but especially Sun and\nMercury, Saturn and the Moon. This answers to the point of magnetic\nintensity at the maximum which is registered about midnight, and this\nobservation leads to the conclusion that the planets do not of necessity\ninfluence us by their direct rays, but by the changes that they cause in\nthe earth\u2019s magnetic aura at various points in the circle of the visible\nheavens. Primarily the Sun must be the cause of the normal magnetic aura\nof the earth, and the planets would in this sense be moderators, which\nis the old name applied to them by Ptolemy. Thus the presence of several\nplanets or the luminaries in the lower meridian at the time of a\nperson\u2019s birth will render that person particularly negative or\nsensitive to the changes taking place in the auric consensus of\nenvironment, and those who are in the habit of classifying and collating\nhoroscopes will have abundant proof at hand that this is the case. On\nthe other hand, we find extremely positive people to be produced by the\npresence of planets in the 10th House, near the South Meridian, and\nespecially such as have Mars (colour, red) reinforcing the natural auric\ncolour of that part of the heavens. Two examples come readily to my\nmind, that of Kaiser Wilhelm, in whose horoscope both Neptune and Mars\nare in the Mid-heaven, and that of the late William T. Stead, in whose\nhoroscope Mars and Uranus are close to the Mid-heaven.\n\nIn effect we have the earth as the centre of a vast kaleidoscope,\nundergoing changes of colour from hour to hour by reason of the Sun\u2019s\npassage from one rising to the next. Obviously there can be no universal\nred or blue since the Mid-heaven of one place is the horizon of another\nthat is 90\u00b0 East or West of it. Consequently there must be some factor\nthat produces local colouring, which at the zenith produces vibrations\nwhich manifest as red and at the nadir as blue. This factor must be the\nSun, since it is the only cosmic factor that has a constant relation to\nany part of the earth at the same hour each day. The planets in their\ncourses will then intervene to bring about modifications of the colours\nor vibrations instituted by the Sun, and of these the Moon, as the\nquickest moving in its orbit, will be the chief. Mercury will come next,\nand then Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, so that in effect we have the\nChaldean order of interpretation once more.\n\nThe question then arises as to whether that part of the earth\u2019s aura\nwhere the Sun is at any moment should not always be taken as the\npositive maximum answering to noon and the colour red. If so, then it\nfollows that the time of birth becomes a very important factor in the\nconstitution of what may be called the magnetic constitution of a\nperson. The whole subject is full of suggestions of the utmost\nsignificance, but hardly at this date in a condition to admit of\ndogmatic statement. The subject is therefore better left for future\nconsideration.\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER XVIII\n                         VULCAN THE CHAIN MAKER\n\n\nThere is an aspect of Mars which has an interest for us as prisoners in\nthis house of flesh. Vulcan or Heph\u00e6stus, son of Jupiter and Juno, is\nthe artificer of human bonds. By some he is thought to be allied to\nPluto, the god of the Infernos, and in the Kabalistic conception,\nMalcuth, or the Earth, is the lowest of the heavens and the highest of\nthe hells, being in fact in a state of equilibrium between the Superior\nand Inferior worlds and therefore, as Swedenborg suggests, it is in a\nstate of freedom from that circumstance. But can so much be said of\nthose that dwell therein? I doubt it. The Oriental doctrine of Samsara\npictures man as a mere \u201cButterfly on the Wheel,\u201d bound by the chains of\nhis own desires to the wheel of cyclic rebirth into a world of\nsuffering.\n\n               \u201cYe suffer from yourselves, none else compels,\n               None other holds you that ye lag and stay,\n               And whirl upon the wheel, and hug and kiss\n               Its spokes of agony, its tyre of tears,\n               Its nave of nothingness!\u201d\n\nThe law of moral causation, as well as that of affinity, impels man to\nrebirth while there are any unexhausted desires in him. These\nunexhausted tendencies are called _skandhas_. It does not matter what we\ncall them, we are all conscious of their existence and of the terrible\nstrife they cause in us. These desires are in the Adamic nature, they\nare in the human blood, and Mars is their cosmic symbol. They are the\nchains of Vulcan.\n\nThe number of Mars is nine and the magic of the number nine haunts us\nfrom our birth to the very last day of our existence in this world. In\nthe Kabala of Numbers I have shown the connection between the Adamic\nrace and the number nine. This is the Iron Age, the Kali Yuga, and the\nhoroscope of the world shows the sign Aries, ruled by Mars, in the\nascendant. In the age of Saturn men sought virtue and distinction in\nobscurity. Now there is but one way to recognition and success, Force\nand Self-assertion. Let those take it who will. What is said of those\nwho willingly take to the sword may be applied to the slaves of every\nother form of human passion. Mars will lay them by the heel and bring\nthem back to retribution.\n\nThe cycle of nine is at the root of almost all the mysteries of human\nlife. It crops up in all the astronomical cycles as if it were at the\nroot of them, and as representing cosmic energy (Fohat) and the human\nwill (Ichcha) it manifests in all purpose and all action, cosmical and\nhuman. For Mars (nine) is desire (kama) and desire is that which\nunderlies both will and action.\n\nThere is a period of cosmic activity which runs in a nine-year cycle. It\nhas even been shown that meteorology cannot shake free of it. The year\n1893 was a year of drought, rain being unknown from April to October of\nthat year, and the summer was exceptionally hot. The same may be said of\n1902 and 1911, which are years falling in the nine-year cycle. But 1894,\n1903 and 1912 were wet summers, and the temperature also abnormally low.\nDr. Goad, who studied meteorology from the same standpoint of cosmic\ninterplay, considered that Mars was of chief importance in weather\npredictions. Some people appear to think that the icebergs on which the\n_Titanic_ foundered are responsible for the wet summer of 1912. I dare\nventure the opinion that it was something many degrees warmer than an\niceberg. That icebergs in the temperate zone have a tendency to condense\nthe air and so to produce rain seems reasonable, but who loosed the\nchains that bind the icebergs to the poles. Undoubtedly it was our\nVulcan.\n\nIn a scheme of thought that regards the whole world as a symbol, and\nthat is the standpoint we are taking in this study of the cosmos,\nplanets are not necessarily causative but they are necessarily symbolic.\nThe symbol of humanity is the number Nine, and this is the number of the\nplanet Mars. Hence we may say that for the present and during the whole\ncourse of this age of the world\u2019s evolution or unfoldment, we are under\nthe dominion of Mars. The sooner we get into wireless communication with\nhim and understand some of his ways the better it will be for us. For he\nis not only the maker of chains but the breaker of them, inasmuch as he\nrepresents both the Desire that fashions them and the Will that looses\nthem.\n\nNine is also the cosmic factor. We have already seen that the precession\nof the equinoxes is at the rate of 1\u00b0 in seventy-two years, and 30\u00b0 or\none sign in 2,160 years, the whole circle being completed in 25,920\nyears. All these numbers are multiples of nine. Twice nine gives us the\nsolar cycle, three times nine the number of the asterisms, in six times\nnine years the eclipses move through one sign of the zodiac, and in 648\nthrough the entire circle. But this is nine times seventy-two, and so we\nfind ourselves again and again enmeshed by the network of a nonal\nnecessity. As the Old Philosopher truly says: \u201cHeaven\u2019s net has large\nmeshes, yet nothing escapes it!\u201d\n\nApplying this magic of the number nine to some of the deeper problems of\nhuman experience, we may profitably examine the symbolism of the\nasterisms, which are twenty-seven in number, or three nines. The Hindus\nhave a period which they regard as the sum of life, extending to 108\nyears, which is twelve times nine. From this we may draw the conclusion\nthat the Moon remains in one sign for nine years and that this sign\nreflects nine others. The system is connected with the Ashtottaradasha\nsystem to which reference has already been made, and of course, with the\nnavamshas or ninefold divisions of the signs of the zodiac.\n\nWe have already seen that the ninth part of a sign of 30\u00b0 is 3\u00b0 20\u00b4, and\nthat each such part corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac. This\nmay be seen in the Navamsha Table already given.\n\nLet us suppose, for instance, that the Moon was in the sign Leo 22\u00b0 43\u00b4\nat the birth of a person. By our Table it is seen that this corresponds\nwith the sign Libra, which navamsha extends from 20\u00b0 0\u00b4 to 23\u00b0 20\u00b4 of\nthe sign Leo. Then in order to find at what age Libra navamsha expires\nwe say\u2014\n\nAs 3\u00b0 20\u00b4 is to twelve months so is (23\u00b0 20\u00b4-22\u00b0 43\u00b4) 37\u00b4 to the answer.\nNow 3\u00b0 20\u00b4 is equal to 200\u00b4, so that if we multiply 37\u00b4 by twelve and\ndivide by 200, we shall have the months required, namely, 2\u00b722 months or\ntwo months seven days nearly. Therefore we know that the Moon is under\nthe influence of Venus during the first two months of the life, and from\nLibra it passes to Scorpio, when it comes under the influence of Mars,\nand then to Sagittarius navamsha, where it is under the influence of\nJupiter. With this navamsha the limits of the sign are reached, and the\nMoon in passing into the sign Virgo comes first under the navamsha of\nCapricorn which is ruled by Saturn, and from Capricorn it goes into\nAquarius navamsha and is still under the influence of Saturn. And each\nnavamsha is one year, so that we know that the period from two years and\ntwo months to four years two months is evil, for Saturn is privation,\nloss, darkness and death, and by the cyclic order of things this will\nrecur every twelve years, since nine goes into 108 twelve times. Now it\nis a fact that in the case cited the cyclic recurrence of this influence\nof Saturn brought about at four years the death of the father, at\nfifteen the death of the grandfather, at twenty-seven the death of the\nmother, at thirty-nine the loss of all property. Similarly by this\nsystem of the cycle of nine twelves, at the Moon\u2019s occursion into the\nnavamsha of Cancer, which is the lunar influence disposing to changes,\nand which occurred at 8, 20, 32, and 44, there were radical changes in\nlife and surroundings.\n\nAny case can be worked out with perfect ease from the Table of\nNavamshas, and will serve to show that there is a veritable law of\nperiodicity at work in the lives of men. Not that all events or periods\nrecur at the end of twelve years as might be thought by the impatient\nstudent from the examples here given. On the contrary, it will be seen\nupon closer study that Jupiter has a period of three years, followed by\none of nine years; Mars, one of five years, followed by one of seven;\nVenus one of seven, followed by one of five; Mercury one of nine years,\nfollowed by one of three; and so on. But all the planets recur eighteen\ntimes in the course of the cycle of 108 years, and the Sun and Moon nine\ntimes each. Then as there are five planets, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus\nand Mercury, they will amount in all their periods to ninety years, and\nthe Sun and Moon will amount together to eighteen years, thus making the\ncomplete cycle.\n\nIn the Brihat-Paras\u2019arahora there are many systems of planetary cycles,\nemploying the same factors variously, and all of them symbolically,\nsince they do not depend on the true motions of the planets in their\norbits. Indeed, the ancient writers appear to have devoted themselves\nvery closely to the interpretation of cosmic symbology, and there are\ngrounds which lead me to think that some of their famous Nadigranthams\nor Books of Destiny are built up entirely on a symbolical basis.\n\nOne of the most famous of these is the S\u2019ukranadi in which the\nhoroscopes are written out for every 6\u00b4 of the ecliptic rising, making\nsome 21,600 different delineations. But in addition to this there are\npurva and uttara, or first half and latter half, subdivisions of each of\nthe periods dealt with. The planets are distributed after a certain\norder beginning with the ruler of the rising sign, and this order\ndiffers according to the consideration whether the sign is cardinal,\nfixed or mutable.\n\nBy this means a complete interpretation of the permutations of the\ncosmical kaleidoscope is effected, and from various of the readings that\nhave been submitted to me I am persuaded that there is without doubt a\ngreat deal of truth in them. One such grantham applies to all those who,\nwhether European or Hindu, were born between the Vindhyas and the\nHimavats, but unfortunately, having other engagements of a karmic\nnature, I find myself among the large number whose horoscopes are not\ncontained in the kadjan. These monumental works have hardly received the\nattention they deserve and I am therefore collecting information with a\nview to their analysis and study.\n\nAnother very important subdivision of the ecliptic circle is that of the\nDas\u2019amsha or tenfold division of the sign into amshas of 3\u00b0 each.\nApplied to the twelve signs we have as a result 120 divisions in the\ncircle, answering to the Vimshottaradasha system of Planetary periods,\nnotice of which has already been made. In this system the amshas do not\nrun consecutively in the order of the signs of the zodiac through the\nvarious signs, but follow the order of the triplicities, known as the\nfour \u201cElements,\u201d Fire, Earth, Air, Water.\n\nThus the Fiery Triplicity comprises Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. The\nDas\u2019amshas begin with Aries, and the first 3\u00b0 or amsha of Aries is ruled\nby Aries, the first of Taurus by Leo, and the first of Gemini by\nSagittarius. The first amsha of Cancer is ruled by Taurus, the first of\nLeo by Virgo, and the first of Virgo by Capricorn, these being the\nEarthy Triplicity. The first amshas of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius\nare ruled by Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, these being of the Airy\nTriplicity, and the first amshas of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces are\nruled by the Watery Triplicity comprising the signs Cancer, Scorpio and\nPisces. The second amshas of Aries, Taurus and Gemini are ruled by the\nEarthy Triplicity, the third by the Airy and the fourth by the Watery,\nthe triplicities then recurring again in their order. A study of the\nfollowing Table of Das\u2019amshas will make the arrangement quite clear.\n\nThe twelve signs of the zodiac which occupy the first column are seen to\nbe divided into four groups answering to the four \u201cElements,\u201d and the\nfirst divisions of these groups are occupied by the four Triplicities.\nThese serve as entries or indices, and from them the signs run on in\ntheir natural order.\n\nThose who uphold the Vimshottaradasha system, in which the circle is\ndivided into 120 parts answering to 120 years of life, will find their\ninterpretations from the occursions of the Moon into these amshas, each\nof which answers to one year of life. Thus the Moon remains in one sign\nfor ten years, during which it successively passes through ten sub-signs\nor amshas, reflecting the nature of the planets governing those amshas.\nIt then passes into the next sign and takes up ten influences\nsuccessively, and so passes to the next sign. Thus in one complete\ncircle of the zodiac it will take up 120 different influences exerted by\nthe several planets in the various signs.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 21. Table of Das\u2019amshas.]\n\nBut each das\u2019amsha or division of 3\u00b0 is reflected in an entire sign.\nTherefore each degree embraces 10\u00b0 of the reflected sign. Thus the first\n3\u00b0 of the sign Aries correspond with the whole of the asterism Aries,\nusing that term for purposes of distinction only, and each of these 3\u00b0\nwill therefore correspond with 10\u00b0 of the asterism, and every 6\u00b4 will\ncorrespond with 1\u00b0. Thus, if we take the first 3\u00b0 of the sign Aries, we\nshall find that they correspond with the 30\u00b0 of the asterism Aries, and\nthe next 3\u00b0 of the sign with the whole of the asterism Taurus, and so\non. Here are the first 3\u00b0 of the sign Aries reflected in the asterism\nAries\u2014\n\n                                Sign    Aster\n\n                             0\u00b0 \u2648 6\u00b4       1\u00b0\n\n                                   0        2\n                                  12\n\n                                   0        3\n                                  18\n\n                                   0        4\n                                  24\n\n                                   0        5\n                                  30\n\n                                   0        6\n                                  36\n\n                                   0        7\n                                  42\n\n                                   0        8\n                                  48\n\n                                   0        9\n                                  54\n\n                                   1       10\n                                   0\n\n                                   1       11\n                                   6\n\n                                   1       12\n                                  12\n\n                                   1       13\n                                  18\n\n                                   1       14\n                                  24\n\n                                   1       15\n                                  30\n\n                                   1       16\n                                  36\n\n                                   1       17\n                                  42\n\n                                   1       18\n                                  48\n\n                                   1       19\n                                  54\n\n                                   2       20\n                                   0\n\n                                   2       21\n                                   6\n\n                                   2       22\n                                  12\n\n                                   2       23\n                                  18\n\n                                   2       24\n                                  24\n\n                                   2       25\n                                  30\n\n                                   2       26\n                                  36\n\n                                   2       27\n                                  42\n\n                                   2       28\n                                  48\n\n                                   2       29\n                                  54\n\n                                   3       30\n                                   0\n\nIt is to be observed that in all these systems the Moon\u2019s place at the\nmoment of birth or other epoch is the basis of the calculation. The\nfirst of these I have been expounding bears the sign manual of Mars,\ninasmuch as it is a ninefold division of the sign, and the latter system\nis accordingly one that belongs to the Sun. The Hindus, who have many\nmethods of subdividing the signs, from two to thirty divisions for each\nsign, have various uses also for the different methods, but the object\nof them all is towards an intelligent anticipation of the course of\nmundane events. In this direction the West has also developed some\nmethods, which, on account of their simplicity, have found a certain\nvogue among the Arabs, and are even at this day exercising the ingenuity\nof reputable exponents of the predictive art. They are called by the\nArabs, Alfridaries, and some examples of them are to be found in _The\nManual of Occultism_. Let us look at some of the later evolved examples\nof the Alfridary.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XIX\n                              ALFRIDARIES\n\n\nPerhaps the simplest example of the Alfridary that we have received is\nthat in which the Sun takes precedence in all Day births and the Moon in\nall Night births, the planets following the Sun in, the usual Chaldean\norder, and the Moon in the reversed order.\n\nThe oldest that is known to us in the West is that invented by Claudius\nPtolemy in the second century. It is developed in the _Tetrabiblos_ or\nFour Books on the Influence of the Stars, translations of which are\neasily obtained, the best being that by Ashmand. Under the head of\nChronocrators, the Seven Ages of Man, so graphically described by the\nbard in _As You Like It_, are for the first time mentioned and placed\nunder the dominion of the seven planets of the ancient solar system.\nPtolemy\u2019s invention consists in ascribing to these ages the number of\nyears they extend, and applying to them certain periods of the planets\nand luminaries. Thus he makes the Moon to rule the first four years of\nlife, the infant \u201cmewling and puking in the nurse\u2019s arms\u201d; the next ten\nyears are under Mercury, and denote the \u201cschoolboy, with ... shining\nmorning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school.\u201d The next eight\nyears are under Venus, and represent \u201cthe lover, sighing like furnace,\nwith a woeful ballad made to his mistress\u2019 eyebrow.\u201d The next nineteen\nare under the influence of the Sun, according to Ptolemy. The next\nfifteen under that of Mars, denoting the \u201csoldier ... bearded like a\npard ... sudden and quick in quarrel.\u201d Jupiter rules the next twelve\nyears and represents \u201cthe justice ... full of wise saws and modern\ninstances.\u201d Saturn, ruling the next thirty years, figures \u201cthe lean and\nslippered pantaloon.\u201d Here the system of Ptolemy ends, and to this the\npoet, with that prophetic apprehension of ulterior need, adds a truly\nUranian picture of that \u201csecond childishness and mere oblivion\u201d which\ncharacterizes paralytic dotage. Astrologers have sought to apply this\nsystem of Chronocrators to the horoscopes of persons by taking into\nconsideration the aspects held by these planets at the time of birth and\njudging of the period under consideration accordingly. Thus a person at\nwhose birth Mars is an afflicting planet, as may be seen by its aspects\nto the Sun, Moon and other significant points of the horoscope, would\nsuffer many troubles and misfortunes during the period from forty-one to\nfifty-six years of his age. One in whose horoscope Jupiter is a\nbeneficent planet, as judged by its aspects, would similarly have good\nfortune and experience many benefits during the period of Jupiter from\nfifty-six to sixty-eight years of age. So in regard to the other\nChronocrators. The scheme is set out in the following table\u2014\n\n\n    Table of Chronocrators\n\n    _By Ptolemy._\n\n                 Moon     4 years.       From  1 to   4\n                                             inclusive.\n\n                 Mercury    10   \u201d   \u201d   5  \u201d  14     \u201d\n\n                 Venus       8   \u201d   \u201d  15  \u201d  22     \u201d\n\n                 Sun        19   \u201d   \u201d  23  \u201d  41     \u201d\n\n                 Mars       15   \u201d   \u201d  42  \u201d  56     \u201d\n\n                 Jupiter    12   \u201d   \u201d  57  \u201d  68     \u201d\n\n                 Saturn     30   \u201d   \u201d  69  \u201d  98     \u201d\n\nThis may be taken as the foundation of a number of ambitious attempts to\nread light into the somewhat misty generalizations of the Alfridary. One\nof these has regard to the Moon\u2019s position at birth, and employs the\ntwenty-seven lunar mansions, so much in repute among the Orientals, the\nperiods ascribed to the planets in this scheme being: Sun 10 years, Moon\n9 years, Mars 7 years, Mercury 13 years, Jupiter 12 years, Venus 8\nyears, Saturn 11 years, making 70 in all, the planets following the\norder of the days of the week.\n\nAn extension of Ptolemy\u2019s system of Chronocrators seems to be a very\nfeasible scheme, but to give it more particular application to the needs\nof the practical astrologer it is found necessary to subdivide the\nperiods allotted to each of the planets.\n\nFor various reasons I should be disposed to adhere to the period of 108\nyears, as being so uniformly reflected in the cosmical order of things,\nand there appears no reason why one planet should have a longer period\nthan another, seeing that in some horoscopes the Moon may have the major\ninfluence and in others Saturn or another planet, and hence would\ndominate the life more particularly. While it rules its influence is\nparamount, and that is all that we can logically say of it. The attempt\nto ascribe periods which are partly astronomical and partly symbolical\nis at all events inconsistent, and only invariable experience of their\nvalidity would warrant us in accepting them.\n\nI propose, therefore, to employ all the known operative factors of the\ncosmos, and to give to each of them a period of twelve years, and since\nthere are nine factors, there will be 108 years in the circle of life\nrepresented by this scheme. The Chaldean order is adhered to, and the\nPeriod is ruled first of all by the planet which heads it, and is\nfollowed by the others in succession, or rather in rotation, for that\nwhich rules the first subdivision of one Period will be last in the\nsub-periods of the next Period, as the following table will show.\n\nThe Moon is seen to rule from 0 to 12, Mercury from 12 to 24, Venus from\n24 to 36, Sun from 36 to 48, Mars from 48 to 60, Jupiter from 60 to 72,\nSaturn from 72 to 84, Uranus from 84 to 96, and Neptune from 96 to 108.\nTaking into consideration the known characteristics of the several\nplanets (all the bodies are regarded as planets from the point of view\nof a stationary earth), these periods will, I venture to think, appear\nas satisfactory as those of the Ptolemaic method, while the inclusion of\nUranus and Neptune should render the system complete.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 22-a. Planetary Periods by Sepharial.]\n[Illustration: Figure 22-b. Planetary Periods by Sepharial.]\n[Illustration: Figure 22-c. Planetary Periods by Sepharial.]\n\nAn objection which has been raised against the Ptolemaic system of\nPlanetary Periods, and which on the same grounds may be raised against\nthis one, deserves consideration. It is said that it is extremely\nunlikely that all persons are under the same planetary influence at the\nsame age. In this I should concur were it intended that a single planet\nentered into the equation. Such, however, is not the case. For although\nall persons are under the influence of the Moon at a certain period of\ntheir life, and all of the same age are under the same periodic\ninfluence at the same time, yet it must be remembered that in the large\nvariety of horoscopes which arise out of astronomical changes during\neven a single month, it is extremely unlikely that any number of persons\nof the same age were born under the same conditions, and in one\nhoroscope we shall find the Moon afflicted, in another well aspected,\nand so on.\n\nConsequently, the Moon Period in these horoscopes will be variously\ninterpreted. For if the planet governing the Period in force at any age\nis well placed and aspected at birth, then the period will be a\nfortunate one, and _vice versa_. Moreover, the sub-periods involving the\nintroduction of a subsidiary influence into the Period will be\ninterpreted in terms of the aspect the sub-period planet bears to the\nPeriod planet at the moment of birth, and thus an infinite variety of\ninterpretations are afforded by the consideration of the various houses,\nsigns and aspects held by the planets in the radical or birth horoscope.\n\nEach planet then will rule in succession for a Period of twelve years,\nduring which it will bring into play the conditions indicated by its\nposition and aspects at birth. The same planet will rule for the first\nsub-period of that Period, and will be followed by the other planets in\nChaldean order. Each sub-period will extend over one year and four\nmonths, and will import an influence agreeable to the nature of the\nplanet ruling it, as well as an influence in terms of its radical\nrelations to the Ruler of the Period.\n\nThus if at birth the Moon were badly aspected, then during the first\ntwelve years of life there would be poor fortunes and changes adverse to\nthe interests of the subject. If Venus were in bad aspect there would be\nsickness and family trouble at from two years eight months to four years\nof age, which is the Venusian sub-period of the Moon Period. Any planet\nin the eighth sign from the Moon would import danger of death in the\nfamily, and would threaten the life of the subject himself during the\nsub-period of such planet. Similarly a planet in the second from the\nPeriod planet shows gain; in the third journeys; in the fourth change of\nresidence, adversity to the parents; in the fifth benefits; in the sixth\nsickness of the nature of the sub-period planet; in the seventh\nadversity, rivalries, hurts; in the eighth loss and death; in the ninth\nvoyages and foreign affairs; in the tenth honours; in the eleventh new\nassociations and allies; in the twelfth bondage, restraint, anxieties,\netc.\n\nIt would appear that all the Alfridaries in existence are modelled upon\nthe das\u2019a systems of the Hindus. In some of these the order of the\nperiods and sub-periods is regulated by considerations of precedence\nestablished in the horoscope of birth, but I have been unable to obtain\nany definite information which will guide one surely to a correct\ndisposition of the various factors, and I have therefore abandoned them\nin favour of one that appears to me to have regard to cosmical\nsymbolism, and at the same time to include the application of\nconsiderations of an individual and radical nature, such as those\nobtaining in the horoscope of birth.\n\nThus every person born into the world is regarded as a variant of the\ncosmical elements, a concrete symbol in himself, born under horoscopical\nconditions which are part of his greater environment and related to a\nworld of life in which, for good or ill, he is required to function in\nterms of his own nature. Hence the statement, which I hold to be\ninviolable, that the planets affect us only in terms of ourselves. The\nsuperman will have to be content to take incarnation as he finds it.\nWithout lying idle on the shelf for some ages he cannot wait for the\nstars in their courses to wheel into position for the striking of the\nperfect die. In all ages and nations there are such things as\nhoroscopical misfits, where the individual finds insuperable difficulty\nin the way of perfect expression of character. But if we all try to do\nour best in the circumstances allotted to us, we shall give to the\npersonal symbol a new and a better value than it has hitherto possessed.\nIt is this fact of human perfectibility that gives to astrological\ninterpretations an ever increasing interest. We see how the anciently\ndestructive forces of the planet Mars are converted by human evolution\ninto the executive ability of the man of action. How the ostentation of\nthe Jovian plutocrat is changed to the benevolence of the true\nphilanthropist, and how even the mean sordidness of the ancient Saturn\nbecomes the constructive carefulness of the social economist. And from\nthe remnants of this old universe of ours, maintaining its cosmic\nintegrity for ever, there shall at length be evolved \u201ca new heaven and a\nnew earth.\u201d For as the expression of divine Ideation, the universe is\nthe revelation of God to man, and this His handwriting in the heavens\nmeans more than all the wisdom of all the ages has yet deciphered.\nCosmic Symbolism, of which here we are only dealing with the crudest\nelements, will hereafter come to be regarded as the subject of man\u2019s\nhighest intuitions, the embodiment of a perfected wisdom. Only when the\nlast word of the last chapter of the Gospel of Nature has been read and\nunderstood will the heavens be rolled away as a scroll and the Word be\nfulfilled which said: \u201cBehold I make all things new!\u201d For our God is in\nthe making.\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER XX\n                           IN THE LUMBER ROOM\n\n\nAlmost every home has a lumber-room, a place where all the out-of-date\narticles, derelict furniture, oddments of all sorts, are stored. Nobody\never goes there except the man who wants a bit of stuff to fit\nsomething, one of those quaint little notions that inventive men with\ntime on their hands are always at work upon. And almost every mind has\nits lumber-room. The world has a huge depository of this sort. Into this\nlumber-room of forgotten things I would have you come with me, you who\nare interested in odd ideas.\n\nTime was when the world believed that there was an inherent relativity\nin things, and that nothing existed for itself alone. That is one of the\nnotions that we have thrown into the lumber-room. But as it fits my\nneeds I will bring it out into the daylight and have a look at it. The\nbelief that is now current in the world regarding the universe is that\nit is a congeries of detached bodies, each existing for itself alone,\ninhabited, maybe, or not inhabited, but capable of sustaining life of\nsome sort. There they are, out yonder, but what has that to do with us?\nWell, the old-world notion was that by taking a dozen or so of pieces of\nwood of various shapes and sizes and fitting them together you could\nmake what they called a chair. But nobody ever thought either that the\nchair could make itself, or that the shapes, as they called them,\nconstituted a chair without being fitted together. The fitting was the\nmost important part of the business. A man picking up a shape would call\nit a chair leg or whatever it might be, a back, thwart, side or seat.\nNone of them could be called a chair, but each of them suggested it.\nTheir use was in their relativity, their interdependence, their\nconnectedness. So it is with the throne of God, which is the universe.\nThat ancient notion of relativity\u2014you will find it in the Mahabharata or\nthat section of it which they call the Sacred Song\u2014was a good one.\n\nThis earth of ours is a comparatively small planet in a system of\nworlds. It does not exist for itself alone, nor do those others which\nsurround it. Crude thinkers, without perspective, believed the earth to\nbe very big because it filled the eye. A threepenny-piece will cover the\nMoon at arm\u2019s length. It is all a matter of proportion. But the deeper\nthinkers knew better, and if they were foolish enough to suppose that\nthe planets existed for this earth they also believed that the earth\nexisted for the planets, and they for one another. Interplanetary action\nwas believed in before Ptolemy wrote his book on the Influence of the\nStars, or Kepler had framed his cosmic laws, or Newton had found the\nglue to hold the pieces together. The Carpenter had been at work before\never man opened his blinking eyes to the morning sun, and what I have\ncalled the Throne of God was made by Him for His own use. It is ours to\nlook and marvel.\n\nThis notion of planetary interaction, the idea that planets act and\nreact upon one another, involves that other which Science has not yet\ncondescended to observe, namely, planetary action in human life. Tycho\nand Kepler, who argued things to their logical conclusion, believed in\nit. Well, there are books enough on the subject already for those who\nwould learn about it, and I do not intend to add another to the number.\nBut I would like to revive an odd notion or two which even the dealers\nin antiques, I mean the astrologers, especially the modern ones, have\nrelegated to the lumber-room.\n\nOne may even be excused for believing that planets, so nearly linked up\nwith the destinies of our earth, may have a direct action of a subtle\nkind upon our lives and thought. But the idea that the Moon\u2019s Nodes may\nhave such an influence is beyond all saving, at least so think our\nmodern astrologers. Yet this was an ancient belief, and it survives at\nthis day in India and other parts of the world. But then, you will\nargue, they are not bodies at all but mere points. So is the actual\ncentre of the Sun on which the universe revolves. Your point is\nnothing\u2014or everything, as you will. I am not looking at the bodies\nthemselves but what they signify to us. I am looking at the Universe as\nSymbol, I am trying to get at its meaning. If the planets may be\nregarded as symbols, so may the Moon\u2019s Nodes. They tried to give them a\nreal existence as the head and tail of the Dragon, the devourer of the\nSun and Moon. But this was for the popular fancy, as one might put off a\nchild with a fairy tale rather than afflict him with a lecture on\nastronomy. They who calculated the positions of the Sun and Moon and\npredicted eclipses, knew how to bring the Dragon to heel, and they knew\nhis feeding times. They used that knowledge to enslave a whole people,\nand haply the same knowledge may help to set them free. Nevertheless,\nthey ascribed to the Moon\u2019s Nodes a specific influence in human life, or\nmore correctly a special signification. One could have affirmed from a\nmere knowledge of this significance that astronomy was first studied in\nnorthern latitudes, for we see that the ascending node, that point at\nwhich the Moon crosses the ecliptic in its upward course, was regarded\nas fortunate, while the descending node was unfortunate. And what they\nknew of the southern climes was evidently not much, for they called them\nPatala and Avitchi, and figured the descent of the soul into the depths\nof a great despair from the circumstance of the Moon\u2019s southern course.\nBut all this was a symbolism not invented by man, for he regulates\nneither the Moon\u2019s orbit nor its Nodes, and had no hand in the making of\neclipses. It was there for him to read, and that is how he read it. Some\nastrologers say that they were wrong. Others are more cautious. They\nseem to have observed that certain periods in their lives coincided with\nthe transits of these Nodes over the places of the luminaries, the\nMid-heaven and the Ascendant of their horoscopes, and they have made due\nnote of the fact, leaving the uninitiated to decide for themselves by\nexperience as to which is the right way to hang up a horse-shoe for\nluck. Yet among those who say it should be one way and those who say the\nother, there are few indeed who are aware of the fact that they are\nusing the ancient symbol of the Moon\u2019s Nodes \u260a and \u260b.\n\nBut if the Moon\u2019s Nodes have any symbolical meaning and can be used for\npurposes of prediction, so surely should the Nodes of the other planets,\nwhose influence, gravitation excepted, is quite as great as hers. It is\nat all events just as well that we should have them under observation,\nand so I give them here.\n\n\n    NODES OF THE PLANETS FOR 1900, WITH THEIR MEAN MOTIONS FOR ONE\n    CENTURY.\n\n                  Ascending          Descending          Motion\n        Neptune   Leo         9\u00b0 43\u00b4 Aquarius    9\u00b0 43\u00b4  1\u00b0  6\u00b4\n        Uranus    Gemini      13  17 Sagittary   13  17      26\n        Saturn    Cancer      22   5 Capricorn   22   5      53\n        Jupiter   Cancer       9  24 Capricorn    9  24   1   0\n        Mars      Taurus      18   2 Scorpio     18   2      46\n        Venus     Gemini      15  44 Sagittary   15  44      52\n        Mercury   Taurus      17   9 Scorpio     17   9   1  12\n\n\nThe Moon\u2019s Node retrogresses through the entire zodiac in 18 years 225\ndays, which is at the rate of 19\u00b0 20\u00b4 per annum, and about 3\u00b4 per day.\nThe Nodes of all the other bodies are direct in motion.\n\nOut of this same lumber-room I can bring another piece of neglected\nfurniture, which possibly may suit somebody\u2019s convenience, for some men\nbuild shanties out of old timber and others build theories out of\nanything. Mr. William Lilly, whose patrons were King Charles and the\nGreat Reformer, Sir Elias Ashmole, and others of great fame, gave us the\nsecret of one of his most alarming and successful predictions. Not that\nthese latter are intended to alarm, but to forewarn and admonish. He\nsays that his prophecy of the Great Plague and the Fire of London,\n1665-6, was effected by means of the Aphelion of the planet Mars, which\nhe noticed was due to ingress to the sign Virgo, that ruling the\nmonarchy of England in his day, about that time. Astronomy was not a\nneat science in the time of Lilly, and he wisely refrained from giving a\ndate for the fulfilling of his Prophetic Hieroglyphs, but he published\nthem so well in advance of the double event as to secure himself against\na possible margin of error in the calculations. In a preceding chapter\nthe reader will find the calculation referred to. In effect Master Lilly\nwas called before the Committee of the House of Parliament and there\ninterrogated as to the founding of his prediction, and what light he\ncould throw upon the matter. It is reported that he acquitted himself\ncreditably and was thanked for his services. But mark you, Lilly said\nnothing about the Horoscope of the Monarchy nor the Aphelion of Mars,\nbecause doubtless he knew himself to be in the presence of learned men\nwho made laws and not horoscopes, and whose business it was to prevent\nplagues and fires, not to predict them. But to the student of astrology\nhe has very candidly delivered his whole mind on the matter.\n\nNow I have thought that if one man finds the Aphelion of a planet to be\neffectual in producing or indicating certain events in agreement with\nthe nature of the planet concerned, others may be able to do the same\nwith other planets, regard being had to their Aphelia. Of course the\nwhole thing may be a bogey, and Lilly may be hiding his light in a\nbushel. Commander Morrison, who was a clever man and a good astronomer,\nsought to prove that the Fire was due to the precession of the Bull\u2019s\nNorth Horn to the ascendant of the City of London. The reader knows that\nsince this entry of the Bull into the City the herd has greatly\nincreased, and there are so many of them as to constitute another\nPlague, were it not that they have let loose a host of Bears to demolish\nthem. Morrison\u2019s idea is ingenious, and works out to a fraction, but\nunfortunately he did not predict the Fire and the Plague, while Lilly\ndid. Therefore I am bound to accept Lilly\u2019s explanation of his\nperformance; and his reason appears a good one, is in agreement with the\nfacts, and employs the astrology of the planet Mars in a consistent and\nsatisfactory manner. Further, I am bound by that performance and that\nreasoning to examine the effects likely to be produced by the Aphelia of\nthe other planets. Here is a statement of their positions.\n\n\n    APHELIA OF PLANETS FOR 1900, WITH MOTIONS FOR 100 YEARS.\n\n             Neptune  Scorpio 13\u00b0 47\u00b4 1\u00b0 25\u00b4 per century.\n             Uranus   Pisces   18  49 1  28       \u201d\n             Saturn   Capric.   0  54 1  50       \u201d\n             Jupiter  Libra    12  43 1  35       \u201d\n             Mars     Virgo     4  15 1  52       \u201d\n             Venus    Aquar.    9  57 1  21       \u201d\n             Mercury  Sagit.   15  55 1  34       \u201d\n\nLooking over these positions of the Nodes I find one from which I can\nstrike an Epoch at once. It is that of Saturn\u2019s Aphelion ingress to the\nsign Capricornus, which is found to have taken place in the year 1850.\nThere are four countries which are ruled by the sign Capricornus in\nwhich at this time there were great upheavals, namely, India, Greece,\nMexico and New Zealand. India was engaged in the Sikh War against the\nforces of the Moolraj, a whole Bengali regiment was disbanded for\nmutiny, and Sir Charles Napier shortly resigned the command. Eight years\nof unrest followed, culminating in the great Mutiny, and the rule of the\nEast India Company came to an end. Meanwhile Mexico was engaged in a\nfierce war with the United States, and the political convulsions ended\nin the resignation of President Arista. Four Presidents succeeded one\nanother in the space of three years, and the country eventually\nestablished a new Constitution under General Comonfort in 1857. Greece\nat this time came into conflict with the British and other European\ngovernments because of its oppressions and its non-payment of debts to\nforeign subjects. Insurrections and blockades continued for some years\nand a change of the Ministry eventually brought about an agreement of\nneutrality under the royal seal. New Zealand at the same time was acting\nunder the Charter granted to Sir George Grey and founding new townships.\nIn 1850, the year of Saturn\u2019s Aphelion ingress, the New Zealand Company\nrelinquished its Charter and a new Constitution was formed, which was in\nforce from 1852 to 1857, when it was modified.\n\nIn every case the effects of such changes as took place in these several\nConstitutions at this period were, I think, exceedingly beneficial, and\nthis is what might be expected from the circumstance of Saturn coming\ninto his own territory, for Capricornus is one of the cardinal or\npolitical signs, and is ruled by Saturn.\n\nBut the motions of the Aphelia are so slow that many centuries have to\nelapse before a new ingress is made, and this is hardly the way in which\none would seek to prove or disprove the symbolism of such phenomena. One\nwould rather consider that the influence of the several planets is\nvested in their Aphelia, and then observe what effects follow the\ntransits of other planets over those places, and what effects are due to\nthe direction of the Significators, Sun, Moon, Mid-heaven and Ascendant,\nto the places of these Aphelia in the prime vertical. But I find myself\ntalking the jargon of the astrologers, as Lytton would say, whereas I am\nsupposed to be talking about Cosmic Symbolism.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 23.]\n\nWhat are these Aphelia of the planets, and how does their symbolism\nattach to us as humans? The Aphelion of a planet is that point in its\norbit, or imaginary orbit\u2014for we have already disposed of the elliptical\ntheory\u2014where it is at its greatest distance from the Sun. And if these\nplanets severally correspond with certain principles of our human\nconstitution, they may be said to have greater play and to be in a\ncondition to exert more of their own natures at such times than at\nothers, and proportionately less at other points in their orbits, and\nleast when in perihelion. For then those principles and planets are\nenslaved to the Sun and answer most fully to his all-embracing and\ncompelling influence. A soul that is in its most perfect condition of\nphysical manifestation may be said to be in its perihelion, whereas one\nthat has shaken free to some extent from the gravitational pull of the\nsun of this nether world, and has winged its way into the outer regions\nof space, is to that extent in a condition of temporary liberation. One\nis almost tempted by this analogy to revert to the symbolism of the\nelliptical orbit, and to place in its empty focus another luminary or\nSpiritual Sun, such as that conceived by Swedenborg, and to say that\nthese liberated souls are answering to the gravitational pull of that\nluminary. The idea is fascinating, both astronomically and symbolically,\nand since the kenofocus of the ellipse is not under lease to any of our\nscientific theorists, I will place my Spiritual Sun in that centre of\nthe empyrean and complete my figure, as already exhibited in a preceding\nchapter.\n\nNow we see what comes of rummaging in a lumber-room. All sorts of\nsuggestions and possibilities, yet nothing perhaps that anybody would be\nwilling to bring back into daily use. These musty, time-worn and\nout-of-date notions that nobody takes much note of may some day claim\nthe attention of a Ben Hassam or somebody with a nose for things of\nvalue, and a scramble for priority will be the result. But alas! they\nhave no market value. Planets, principles, orbits, aphelia, and nodes,\nthey are all merely symbols in the everlasting Book of Life.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXI\n                         THE LAW OF VIBRATIONS\n\n\nIn my _Kabala_ I have shown that in the contest between Chance of the\nhaphazard sort which is merely speculative, and that because it is\ngrounded in ignorance, and Law which proceeds by method because it is\nbased on cosmic principles, the latter wins an easy victory, not once\nbut always. I showed that the divisions of the day and night that we\ncall Planetary Hours, whether they be artificial or not, have a certain\nsecurity from the fact that they are founded on the cosmic order of\nplanetary velocities. It was also shown that certain numbers answered to\nthe several planets, and that these numbers bore a definite relationship\nto sound vibrations.\n\nI have received such a lot of correspondence asking for further\ninstruction along those lines that I feel constrained, if only to gain\nsome little respite from my tormentors, to add a few pages here on the\nsubject of Chance reduced to Law.\n\nWithout at all departing from the phonetic evaluation of sounds as given\nin the Universal Alphabet (_Kabala_, p. 30), it is possible to evolve a\nnumber of methods by which the same results may be reached, but I find\nnone more satisfactory than that of the Law of Number and Vibration as\nrelated to Planetary Hours.\n\nIt has already been explained that Planetary Hours depend on the length\nof the day, or the time that the Sun is above the horizon, in any\nlocality. Take, for instance, the 18th October, when the Sun is above\nthe horizon for some 10\u00bd hours. On that day the Sun sets in these\nlatitudes at five o\u2019clock, and these five hours are divided into six\nPlanetary Hours, each of fifty minutes\u2019 duration.\n\nThese Hours, again, are divided into seven Periods, each of which is\ngoverned by or related to a planet, and these Periods will therefore be\nabout seven minutes in duration, since fifty divided by seven yields\nseven and a fraction. Then for this day we have the Planetary Hour equal\nto fifty minutes and the Planetary Period to seven minutes.\n\nThe usual mistake of those who have dealt with the use of the Planetary\nHour is that they divide the whole time of the Sun\u2019s diurnal arc by\ntwelve, and apply these Hours to the time of sunrise. This must not be\ndone. The quarters of the day must be dealt with separately, the quarter\nfrom sunrise to noon by itself, and that from noon to sunset by itself.\nSix Planetary Hours are always completed at noon. Thus on the 18th\nOctober aforesaid, the Sun rises at about 6.25, and consequently the\ntime from sunrise to noon will be 5 hrs. 35 min. and this is equal to\n335 minutes, which being divided by six yields the Planetary Hour for\nthe first quarter of the day, namely, fifty-six minutes. Then, again, we\nfind that the time of sunset is 5 p.m. and this is equal to 300 minutes,\nwhich, divided by six gives the Planetary Hour for the second quarter of\nthe day as equal to fifty minutes.\n\nThis is very different to taking an average of fifty-three minutes for\nthe Hour and applying it to sunrise, as the following comparative table\nwill show.\n\n                    False Hours,    True Hours,\n                    begin           begin\n\n                    6.25 sunrise.   6.25 sunrise.\n\n                    7.18 a.m.       7.21 a.m.\n\n                    8.11  \u201d         8.17  \u201d\n\n                    9.4   \u201d         9.13  \u201d\n\n                    9.57  \u201d         10.9   \u201d\n\n                    10.50  \u201d        11.5   \u201d\n\n                    11.43  \u201d        12.0  noon.\n\nHaving found that the afternoon Hours are each equal to fifty minutes in\nduration, we have to add this amount successively to noon to get the\nbeginnings of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Hours. These may be\nset out in a single line\u2014\n\n                   7th   8th   9th  10th  11th  12th\n                  12.0  12.50 1.40  2.30  3.20  4.10\n\nAnd if to these beginnings of Hours we add successively seven minutes,\nbeing one-seventh of the Hour of fifty minutes, we shall have the times\nat which the various sub-periods begin. But it is also necessary to\naffix the signature of the Planet ruling the Hours and Periods, and for\nthis purpose we may note that the 8th Hour is _always_ ruled by the\nplanet that gives the day its name, as Mercury on a Wednesday, etc. The\n18th October, 1911, was a Wednesday. Also note that the first Period of\neach Hour is ruled by the planet that gives its name to the Hour, the\nrest following in the usual Chaldean order.\n\nThe table when fully set out will therefore present the following\nappearance:\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 24. Wednesday 18th October, 1911. Afternoon.\nPlanetary Hours.]\n\nThe reader will observe that in the periodic succession the 8th planet\nsyncopates, and the next Hour commences with the succeeding planet. This\nis not so exceptional as at first it may appear, for we have analogies\nthroughout nature of the syncopation of the octave. If you take a wire\nand stretch it across a bridge, as is done in the construction of a\nstringed musical instrument, you will find that it answers to a certain\nnote when vibrated. At first sight you may be disposed to think that the\nvibration extends over the whole length of the wire. This, however, is\nnot the case, for on closer observation you will find that at certain\npoints along its length the wire is quite stationary, while the rest of\nit is vibrating. By placing the finger upon these neutral points or\nnodes and again vibrating the wire, you will find that they are the\noctaves of the open note produced by the wire when in free vibration.\nThe following sketch shows the principle of these neutral points or\nnodes. They correspond to the 8th planet in the series.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 25.]\n\nThe vibration being the cause of what we sense as sound, non-vibration\nmust correspond with silence, and so we know that the sound falls into\nsilence and re-emerges again in the higher octave of vibration. This\nfact has an interesting application, which I cannot develop in this\nplace, but which the student will take due note of.\n\nHaving now got our Planetary Hours into array, we are at once able to\nprove one or two of the occult axioms, the first being that composites\nof sound are reducible to numbers, and the second is that these numbers\nwhen reduced to their unit values correspond to one or other of the\nplanets.\n\nBy the use of the universal alphabet of sound, known as the Phonetic\nValues, and which apply to all languages the world over, we may take the\nname of any person, animal or thing which is in evidence at a particular\ntime and prove that its name value corresponds with the planet ruling\nthe Period in force at the time. Let us put it to the test once more.\n\nI do not know and should have difficulty in finding the names of persons\nwho met with some distinction on the 18th October in the year 1911, but\nI do know that certain animals bearing distinctive names gained\ndistinction by winning races at Gatwick on that particular day, and\n_faute de mieux_ I will make use of them.\n\nThe first race was at 1.49. This was the Hour of the Moon and the Period\nof Saturn. Therefore we must look for the numbers 1 or 8. It was won by\nTucker\u20144222-10-1.\n\nThe second event took place at 2.18, which is the same Hour of the Moon\nand the Period of Venus. We must therefore look for 3 or 6. The race was\nwon by Acsu\u20141266-15-6.\n\nThe third event was at 2.48, in the Hour of Saturn and the Period of\nMars. We look, therefore, for 5 or 9. The event was won by\nLespedesa\u2014316814171-32-5.\n\nThe fourth event took place at 3.15, which is the Hour of Saturn and the\nPeriod of Moon. We must look for a 2 or 7. It was won by\nPeristyle\u20148126413-25-7.\n\nThe fifth event was at 3.46, which is the Hour of Jupiter and the Period\nof Venus. We must therefore look for 3 or 6. The event was won by\nWilfrid\u201463824\u201423\u20145. This does not harmonize, but we may note that Venus\nwas in the sign Virgo, ruled by Mercury\u20145.\n\nThe last event was at 4.16, in the Hour of Mars and the end of the\nPeriod of Mars or the beginning of that of Sun. The latter gives us the\nnumber 4 or 1. The event was won by Gadfly\u2014214831\u201419\u201410\u20141.\n\nHere we see that without the slightest equivocation or deviation from\nthe principle of evaluation of sounds already laid down, we obtain five\ndirect responses out of six tests.\n\nLet us go on to the next day at Sandown, when the day being Thursday,\nand the sunset about the same time, the 8th Hour will be ruled by\nJupiter and the beginnings of the Hours will be\u2014\n\n                Jupiter  Mars     Sun    Venus  Mercury\n                 12.50   1.40    2.30    3.20    4.10\n\nThe Periods can be filled in as occasion requires.\n\nThe first event was at 1.30, and in the Hour of Jupiter and Period of\nSaturn. We therefore look for distinction to fall to one whose name is\nof value 1 or 8. The winner was Wild Duck\u201463422-17\u20148.\n\nThe second event, at 2.5, was in the Hour of Mars and the Period of\nMercury. The number will therefore be 9 or 5. The winner was\nMyriad\u201441214-12\u20143. This is irregular, but it is seen that Mercury was\nthen in the sign Libra, ruled by Venus, negative 3.\n\nThe third event was at 2.30, in the Hour of Sun and Period of Sun. We\nmust expect 4 or 1 to win. The event was won by Runnymede\u20142251414-19-1.\n\nThe fourth event was at 3.7, in the Hour of Sun and the Period of\nJupiter. We look therefore, for 6 or 3. The event was won by\nSobieski\u20146621621-24-6.\n\nThe fifth event was at 3.38, and fell in the Hour of Jupiter and the\nPeriod of Moon, but verging on that of Saturn. The numbers of Moon are 2\nand 7. The event was won by Jessica\u201431621-13-4. This may be regarded as\nan exception.\n\nThe last event was at 4.2, in the Hour of Venus and the Period of Sun.\nThe event should fall to 4 or 1. It was won by Pretiva\u2014821461-22-4.\n\nHere again we have four out of six results in strict conformity with the\nrules of the Kabala of Numbers. It is not necessary to go further in\nthis demonstration. Taking all the factors into account, the odds\nagainst nine out of twelve events coinciding with the requirements of\nthe Law of Vibrations are enormous.\n\nThe practical use to which we could put such information as this law\naffords, is in the regulation of our efforts by the time factor. A\nperson whose name is of value 8 must not look for success in the hour\nthat is governed by Mars. He is sure to be cut out by one whose number\nis 9 if it is between sunrise and noon, or by one whose number is 5 if\nit is between noon and sunset. Similarly at other times. The putting\nforth of our highest powers is of little effect in this sublunary world\nunless we do so intelligently and in agreement with the Law of Astral\nVibration. Moreover, a Mars man should not concern himself with things\nthat belong to Jupiter, nor one under Saturn with those that are\ngoverned by Mars. An aviator or motorist who puts a number on his\nmachine and sets it going in a Planetary Period that is at variance with\nthe vibrations of that number, is asking for trouble. Where there is\ndanger of accident the Periods of Mars and Saturn should be avoided,\nwhile those of Venus, Jupiter, and either the Sun or Moon when well\naspected, should be chosen. By bringing ourselves into accord with\nnatural operations we share in Nature\u2019s power and efficiency. It is what\nthe ancients called the \u201cCovert Agreement.\u201d The fact of your having\npenetrated the secret of the gods enables you to claim their protection.\nThe Masters of Wisdom are in league with Nature for the protection and\nbenefit of mankind. This is what I have elsewhere referred to as the\nDivine Conspiracy.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXII\n                       THE EQUALIZATION OF EPOCHS\n\n\nA considerable importance attaches to the proper understanding of\nEpochs, so that when a statement is made in terms of one Epoch we should\nbe able to refer it at once to another with which we are familiar. There\nare several astronomical Epochs of this nature which are frequently used\nand ought to be known. Those who are interested in tracing the astral\ncause of events often find themselves debarred from research through\nignorance regarding the data employed. Much of this trouble can be\novercome by the determination and equalization of Epochs.\n\nPtolemy, to whom we are indebted for a great number of scientific\nstatements in addition to his astronomical observations and those of\nHipparchus which he has preserved to us, makes use of two important\nEpochs. The first is that of Nabonasser. The first year of his reign was\nin the year 747 B.C., and the month Thoth began on the 26th February in\nthat year. Hence Nab. 1, Thoth 1 constitutes an Epoch equivalent to Feb.\n26, 747 B.C. But this latter is the secular date and the astronomical is\none less, namely, 746 B.C. The reason for this is that the secular date\nA.D. 1 passes directly to the year 1 B.C., when counting backwards,\nwhereas the astronomical account makes A.D. 1 refer back to A.D. 0, and\nthen to 1 B.C. Hence all dates _before_ the Christian Era are given in\nsecular accounts as one year more than the astronomical. Now as to the\nEgyptian months used by Ptolemy. These were\u2014\n\n                        1. Thoth      February.\n                        2. Paophi     March.\n                        3. Athyr      April.\n                        4. Choiac     May.\n                        5. Tybi       June.\n                        6. Mechir     July.\n                        7. Phamenoth  August.\n                        8. Pharmuthi  September.\n                        9. Pachon     October.\n                       10. Payni      November.\n                       11. Epiphi     December.\n                       12. Mesori     January.\n\nEach month contained thirty days, and there were five days at the end of\nthe year which they called the Epagomene. The year began at noon on the\nfirst of Thoth.\n\nAnother Epoch used by Ptolemy, and frequently referred to by the Greeks,\nis that of Calippus. The Calippic Period was invented by the man whose\nname it bears and dates to the year 330 B.C. It is a period of 76 years,\nwhich is four times 19, and was designed to bring the new and full moons\nto the same date of the solar year.\n\nThe Olympiads were in use among the Greeks, and began in the year 776\nB.C., on the 1st July (O.S.). Each Olympiad consists of four years, and\nin marking a date the number of the Olympiad and the year of that\nOlympiad are given. Thus the first of Calippus would fall in the third\nyear of the 112th Olympiad. The astronomical years equivalent to these\nare, for the Olympiads 775 B.C., and for the Calippic Period 329 B.C.\n\nThe Kali Yuga is an Indian Epoch which began at the New Moon of February\n3102 B.C.\u2014Feb. 5th. The Epoch of Salivahana in use among the Dravidians\nof India is the year A.D. 78.\n\nThe Chinese Cycle of years began in the year 2696 B.C. (astronomical),\nat the New Moon of February, the Sun being then half-way between the\nSolstice and the Equinox.\n\nBut even when we have the Epochs equalized there are difficulties\ndepending from this determination of Epoch. This is particularly the\ncase with the Indian calendarics. They have in India a solar year\ndivided into solar months, and a lunar year which is divided into lunar\nmonths. Thus the first of Mesham is that point of time when the Sun\nenters the first point of the constellation Mesham. This is about the\n12th April. But the first of As\u2019wini is the day of New Moon in the\nconstellation As\u2019wini, and this, of course, is a variable date,\ndepending on the position of the New Moon in relation to the first point\nof Mesham.\n\nBut whatever may be the date given in terms of the Indian Calendar,\nbefore we can apply it we have to know in what relations our zodiac\nstand to theirs. They have a fixed point from which they make their\ncalculations. This is _Zeta Piscium_, which marks the beginning of the\nconstellations, and it corresponds with the first of Mesham, or the\nSun\u2019s ingress to the constellation Aries. We, on the other hand, count\nfrom the Vernal Equinox, the point at which the Sun crosses the Equator\nin the spring. This point, in relation to the fixed constellations, is\ncontinually shifting westward at the rate of about 50\u00b4\u00b4 per year, and\nthis is what is known as the precession of the Equinoxes.\n\nThe point we have to make is the relation of the Equinox to the first\npoint of Mesham. The difference is what is called Ayan\u00e1msha. The\ndifficulty in the matter of calculation has been\u2014(_a_) the exact rate of\nprecession during past centuries, which has only been determined in\ncomparatively recent years, and (_b_) the unsatisfactory condition of\nIndian astronomical data. But these latter, with the advance of more\nexact methods in modern centres of Indian learning, have been\nconsiderably improved, and it is now justifiably possible to attempt an\nequalization of the two astronomical Epochs.\n\nVery much depends on this, for it is quite impossible to study the\nIndian astrological literature without being able to refer their\nquantities to terms of our modern Western ephemerides or astronomical\ntables. When, for instance, the Indian books say that a certain yoga or\nconjunctions of planets in Kumbha means a particular thing, or has a\nparticular signification, they mean the constellation Aquarius, and it\nwill depend on the relations of this constellation to our corresponding\nsign Aquarius, as to what we are to understand. Also in the\ndetermination of the various periods depending on the Moon\u2019s longitude\nat an Epoch, such as that of birth, we have to convert the Moon\u2019s\nlongitude into terms of our zodiac before we can apply their\ninterpretations, or synchronize the periods with our own calendar. I\nhave therefore agitated for a long time past for a thorough examination\nof the matter, and in despair of collaboration in other directions I\napplied to Dr. V. V. Ramanan of Madras, one of the most distinguished\npandits of Southern India, and found in him a most useful and able\nexponent of ancient Indian learning.\n\nThe first attempt at a determination of the Epoch or point of time when\nthe Equinox coincided with the first point of Mesham was from a\ncomparison of the length of the solar year as given in the\n_Suryasiddhanta_ and the value given in the best European works. It is\nseen that the Indian year is longer than the European estimate by 3 min.\n20\u00b74 sec.\n\nNow it is said that the Sun entered the sign Mesham in the year 1900 at\n30 ghatikas 50 vighatikas after sunrise at Ujjain, on the 12th April.\nThis equals 12th April, at 1 hr. 31 min. 28 sec. p.m., Greenwich mean\ntime. The Sun\u2019s longitude was then 22\u00b0 11\u00b4 4\u00b4\u00b4 from the Vernal Equinox,\nand this divided by the mean rate of precession yields 1594 years, which\ntaken from 1900 gives A.D. 306 as the Epoch. Let us check this result.\n\nWe have seen that the Indian year is estimated at 3 min. 20\u00b74 sec. more\nthan the European. If then we multiply this amount by 1594, the number\nof years since the Epoch, we shall have 3 days 16 hrs. 45 min. 37\u00b76 sec.\nas the total increment. The Sun in this time moves at a mean rate 3\u00b0 38\u00b4\n43\u00b4\u00b4, and as this amount represents the excess of the Indian solar year\nover the European during 1594 years, we should take it from 22\u00b0 11\u00b4 4\u00b4\u00b4\nin order to obtain the true difference in longitude between the Vernal\nEquinox and Mesham 0\u00b0 in the year 1900. This leaves 18\u00b0 33\u00b4 21\u00b4\u00b4, which,\nbeing divided by the mean rate of precession 50\u00b71\u00b4\u00b4, gives 1335 years.\nAllowing for the difference of the Sun\u2019s anomaly and the consequent\nincrease of longitude, we should make the longitude 19\u00b0 4\u00b4 7\u00b4\u00b4 and the\nEpoch 1372 years, which would give the year A.D. 528, as compared with\nA.D. 306 by the former calculation.\n\nThis clearly shows that there is some miscalculation in the Ujjain\nestimate of the Sun\u2019s ingress, and I am confirmed in this by a note from\nDr. Ramanan in which he says that \u201cAccording to Bhaskaracharya in his\n_Graha-ganit\u00e1dhy\u00e1ya_, the Vernal Equinox of Kali Yuga 3628 (A.D. 527),\ncoincided with the starting-point of the Hindu ecliptic.\u201d He adds that\n\u201cthe so-called fixed Indian Zodiac is not thought to be really fixed,\nbut is subject to a slow motion of about 8\u00b4\u00b4 per year eastwards. The\nzero point of Indian longitude is thus subject to a slight annual\ndisplacement, and this motion is a practical postulate of Hindu\nSiddh\u00e1ntas.\u201d\n\nBut so far we have based all our calculations on estimates made from the\nHindu Siddh\u00e1nta and not from modern observations. Necessarily correct\nevaluations made from the same source would work out to the same\nfigures, and it is therefore important that we should again check the\nresults by reference to modern sources.\n\nIn the Panch\u00e1ngam for Kumbakonam 1912 it is stated that the Sun enters\nVrishabham (constellation Taurus) on 13th May at 36 gh. 5 vigh. after\nsunrise.\n\n      Sunrise at Kumbakonam, Lat. 11\u00b0 North, on this date\u2014\n      Tan. log. of 11 degs.      9\u00b728865  For lat. 51\u00b0 30\u00b4    0\u00b709939\n      Sun\u2019s decl. 6 a.m., 18.18  9\u00b751946                      9\u00b751946\n                                \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014                     \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n      Sine log., 3\u00b0 41\u00b4         18\u00b780811  Sine log., 24\u00b0 34\u00b4  9\u00b761885\n                                                less  3\u00b0 41\u00b4\n                                                     \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n                                                     20\u00b0 53\u00b4\n                                                          4\n                                                  \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n                                             83m. 32s.\u20141h. 23m. 32s.\n\nThis represents the difference of sunrise due to latitude. That is to\nsay, a place in 11\u00b0 North latitude, and on the same meridian as\nGreenwich, would have its sunrise 1 hr. 24 min. later than Greenwich on\nthe 13th May, 1912. Now the sunrise on this date at Greenwich was at 4\nhrs. 13 min. a.m., and therefore at Kumbakonam the sunrise would be at 5\nhrs. 37 min. a.m.\n\nThe longitude of Kumbakonam is 5 hrs. 18 min. east of Greenwich, and the\nequivalent Greenwich time of sunrise at Kumbakonam will be G.M.T., 0 hr.\n19 min. a.m.\n\nThe Sun\u2019s longitude at this time according to the Greenwich ephemeris is\n1s. 21\u00b0 51\u00b4 57\u00b4\u00b4, which we may call Taurus 21\u00b0 52\u00b4. This, therefore,\nrepresents the Indian estimate of the present value of Ayan\u00e1msha.\n\nThe mean rate of Equinoctial Precession for the past eighteen centuries\nbeing 50\u00b71\u00b4\u00b4 per year, we must divide 21\u00b0 52\u00b4 by this amount of\nprecession to obtain the year of coincidence. The result is 1571 years,\nwhich, being taken from the present year 1912, gives the year A.D. 341\nas that in which the two zodiacs coincided. But by taking the actual\nprecession for 1912 and the increment for _t_ years where _t_ equals\n1571 - 62, or 1509 years, we have the actual precession as equal to 50\u00b4\u00b4\nper year nearly, and 21\u00b0 52\u00b4 divided by 50\u00b4\u00b4 is 1574, the years to be\ntaken from 1912, which gives the year A.D. 338. According to our\nestimate of the rate of precession, therefore, the Epoch will vary\nbetween A.D. 338 and 341. In round numbers, therefore, we may regard the\nyear A.D. 340 as that of the coincidence of the zodiacs, and the number\nof years since elapsed multiplied by the mean rate of 50\u00b71\u00b4\u00b4 will give\nthe increment known as Ayan\u00e1msha for any date since the Epoch.\n\nBut I find an entry in the Ephemeris of Kumbakonam to this effect.\n\n\u201cMean amount of precession at commencement of K.Y. 5014 (A.D. 1912), 22\u00b0\n27\u00b4 20\u00b4\u00b4. Rate of precession, 50\u00b726\u00b4\u00b4.\u201d\n\nNow if we divide the above amount of precession by the rate we shall get\n1612 years, which would give the Epoch A.D. 300, whereas, as we have\nseen, other data in the Ephemeris lead us to the year A.D. 340. Now I\nhave checked the Kumbakonam Ephemeris, and find that so far as the Solar\ningresses are concerned they agree with the Nautical Almanac, and there\nwould therefore appear to be no reasonable doubt that if the true amount\nof precession is here given, the true Epoch for the coincidence of the\nzodiacs has been found. But I am advised by Dr. V. V. Ramanan that there\nis an increment not generally recognized by either the Indian or\nEuropean astronomers, but which is nevertheless an essential part of the\ncalculation. It is that of the progression of the asterisms or\nconstellations from west to east, along the order of the signs at the\nrate of 8\u00b4\u00b4 per year, to which I have already referred in an extract\nfrom one of his valuable letters. If, therefore, we add this 8\u00b4\u00b4 to the\nannual precession 50\u00b71\u00b4\u00b4, we shall have 58\u00b71\u00b4\u00b4 as the total precession\nof the Equinoxes on the first point of As\u2019wini, and then if we further\ndivide the amount of precession for the year 1912 as given in the\nPanch\u00e1ngam, namely, 22\u00b0 27\u00b4 20\u00b4\u00b4 by 58\u00b71\u00b4\u00b4, we shall get 1390 years,\nwhich taken from 1912 yields the year of coincidence A.D. 521.\n\nFrom various sources, therefore, we have the years A.D. 300, 306, 338,\n527, 528 and 521. The former dates take account only of the precession\nof the Equinoxes on a fixed zodiac, whereas the latter take into account\nalso a direct motion of this so-called \u201cfixed\u201d zodiac which amounts to\n8\u00b4\u00b4 per year, and which has to be applied to the precession. It is\nfurther to be observed that the Epochs 338 and 306, variously derived\nabove, are unified by the adoption of 58\u00b71\u00b4\u00b4 as the total annual\nprecession of the Equinoxes on the first point of As\u2019wini. It needs but\nquotation of authority for this increment of 8\u00b4\u00b4 in order to establish\nthe date of zodiacal coincidence beyond disputation, at all events\nwithin the limits of a very few years.\n\nThe above questions have an historical interest. Varahamihira, who\nmentions the coincidence of the solstices with the cardinal\nconstellations Makaram and Katakam as having taken place in his day, has\nnot been finally placed by the chronologists. Astronomical notes made by\nhim have chiefly been used for this purpose, and the writing of his book\nthe _Brihat-samhita_, in which the above note occurs, is on these\ngrounds fixed at A.D. 505.\n\nBut then we have to remember that Mihira speaks only in general terms\nwhen he refers to the coincidence of the zodiacs. He had no instruments\nwhich would have enabled him to make a close observation, but he could\nmake certain approximations from the meridian transit of some of the\nchief stars in the constellations. We have no reason, therefore, to\nexpect more than an approximate agreement of the date of Mihira with\nthat of the true coincidence of the zodiacs. The _Graha Laghava_, which\nis in general use in India, gives this latter as A.D. 522 or 444 Shaka.\n\nThe Shaka Epoch is known to be A.D. 78. Dr. V. V. Ramanan gives reasons\nfor accepting the year A.D. 525. In the present state of the controversy\nI see no reason against this Epoch.\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER XXIII\n                            LUNAR INFLUENCE\n\n\nThe average notion of the Moon\u2019s action is that it affects the tides and\nlunatics. Beyond this the popular encyclopedia does not go, and the\naverage man himself is not observant of anything in Nature except the\nway of his fellow-man.\n\nA little study, however, will show that the Moon, while influencing the\ntides, affects also all fluidic life on the globe. It appreciably\naffects the sap-cells of plants and trees. It exerts a direct influence\non blood pressure in the animal body, and consequently affects the brain\nand nervous system of human beings, and excites a variety of passions\nand impulses which are but remotely connected with the lunar orb itself.\n\nIt may even be a fact that on account of the observed influence of the\nMoon upon the physical system of man, the ancients said that it ruled\n\u201cthe populace,\u201d and made of it a common significator of public affairs.\nFor it must be remembered that the belief in lunar influence in mundane\naffairs, ordinarily presumed to be of human origination and under human\ncontrol, was prevalent before the days of printing and encyclop\u00e6dic\nknowledge, possibly before the art of writing was invented, and men then\ndepended entirely on their powers of observation for whatever knowledge\nthey had. As many of the ancient astronomical statements will show,\ntheir powers of observation were almost the equal of our scientific\ninstruments. Thus Dr. Pouchet rightly says: \u201cHipparchus and Ptolemy had\nno instruments to scrutinize the heavens with. The astronomers of the\nRenaissance, such as Regiomontanus, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, and Kepler,\nwere scarcely more favoured, and yet how many immortal discoveries do we\nowe to them! They seem with their lynx eyes to have seen or divined\neverything!\u201d\n\nThey observed not only the courses of the stars and planets as well as\nthose of the luminaries, but what is of more human interest, they\nwatched the effects that these bodies had upon the course of human\nevents and upon nations and persons. That the Moon influenced the\nweather was the logical deduction from the fact of its influence upon\nthe waters of the earth. For obviously the Moon must not only be\nwater-lifter, but also a cloud-lifter, and its effects upon the\natmosphere itself must be in proportion to the saturation point of the\nair from hour to hour according to the incidence of its rays. Only when\nall meteorological methods have failed to indicate the kind of weather\nwe are likely to have, to predict the kind of summer we shall have, or\neven to explain such as we have, then men throw about for new ideas, and\nfrequently manage to seize upon old ones. This of the Moon\u2019s influence\non the weather is one such.\n\nI have this following note of intelligence from the _Daily Mail_ of the\n14th August last: \u201cThe tides follow the Moon; local weather conditions\nare indisputably affected by the tides. Scientific meteorologists no\ndoubt laugh the belief to scorn, but observers who are not scientific\ncan produce sufficient data to prove that a change of weather coinciding\nwith a change of the Moon is usually lasting.\u201d The _Daily Mail_ is\nright. But unfortunately the theory of the Moon\u2019s influence on the\nweather has been badly distorted since the learned and observant Dr.\nClark took the matter in hand and formulated a theory based on\nobservations conducted over a very long period.\n\nHis theory goes to show that the Moon does not act directly upon the\nweather, but by a tidal action upon the Earth\u2019s atmospheric envelope,\nwhich accordingly depends upon the time of the Moon\u2019s syzygies and\nquadratures. It is this time-factor that has been overlooked and\nneglected. Reduced to a single sentence, the lunar theory may be stated\nas follows:\u2014The nearer to midnight any phase of the Moon may occur, the\nfiner will be the weather during the ensuing week, and consequently the\nnearer to midday it may occur, the more humid will be the weather. The\nbarometer which shows the atmospheric pressure at a mean altitude will\nconsequently be affected in terms of the above statements, and as it\nranges from 28\u00b0 to 30\u00b0 over these islands, we may also indicate the\nstate of the barometer from the Moon\u2019s phases. For it will be seen that,\nso long as there is but moderate wind, the barometer will answer to the\nMoon\u2019s phases in harmony with the weather. Very strong winds without\nrainfall will affect the barometer and register a fall. I have\nendeavoured to embody the whole of this theory of the Moon\u2019s action on\nthe weather in a single diagram.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 26.]\n\nIn attempting to account for a very wet summer in the year 1912, and a\nrecord downfall of rain in the month of August, I shall have to refer to\nthe times of the phases of the Moon since the solstice. Here are the\ndates and times, taken from the Ephemeris of Greenwich.\n\n           June 21. First Quarter  8.39 p.m.  Fair.\n           \u201d   29.  Full Moon      1.34 p.m.  Wet. Stormy.\n           July  7. Last Quarter   4.47 p.m.  Unsettled.\n           \u201d   14.  New Moon       1.13 p.m.  Wet. Stormy.\n           \u201d   21.  First Quarter  5.18 a.m.  Change.\n           \u201d   29.  Full Moon      4.28 a.m.  Change.\n           Aug.  6. Last Quarter   4.18 a.m.  Change.\n           \u201d   12.  New Moon       7.58 p.m.  Change to Fair.\n           \u201d   19.  First Quarter  4.57 p.m.  Unsettled.\n           \u201d   29.  Full Moon      7.59 p.m.  Change to Fair.\n\nHere there are indications of plenty of variable and changeable weather,\nwith splashes of very wet and stormy weather, and just a suspicion of\nfair in the whole period.\n\nBut this class of observation does not help us much, for there are other\nfactors in the cosmos beside the Moon, which, although nearest the earth\nand exerting much influence of its own kind upon mundane things, is not\na very considerable factor when regarded in its cosmic relations to\nother great bodies in the system. The idea that the Moon is the only\nbody capable of affecting the weather is hardly to be sustained by\nreference to the facts. It is thoroughly well established that the\nphases of any of the planets, that is to say, their conjunctions,\noppositions and quadratures with the Sun, as seen from the Earth, are\naccompanied by marked effects upon the weather. Dr. Clark\u2019s theory seems\nto suggest that fine weather follows the Moon, or at all events that the\nweather will be finest in those places whereat the Moon is nearest the\nmeridian at the time of one of its phases. There is a great deal to be\nsaid for this theory if we distinguish between the syzygies and\nquadratures.\n\nBut if the Moon has any action on the Earth\u2019s atmosphere, the planets\nalso must exert an appreciable effect, and it may lead to some\nwell-established theory if we include the positions of certain of the\nplanets at the quadratures and syzygies. In such case it is reasonable\nto presume that those planets which are near the meridian and horizon at\nthe times of the equinoxes and solstices are likely to give us some\nindication of the probable weather during the following season, and\nsimilarly, such as are near these angles at the syzygy may show the\nmodifications likely to occur during the ensuing month. A series of\nobservations such as these would probably lead to the association of\ncertain features of the weather with the various planets. Astrologers\nhave already completed their observations, but that should not prevent\nan independent series of observations being made by those who wish to\ncome to independent conclusions in the matter, and the subject is one\nthat deserves attention at the hands of scientific men.\n\nBut lunar action does not begin and end with its effects on the weather.\nThere are other and even more important effects to be noted, and\nalthough they are more recondite in their nature, and not so well\ngrounded in reasons which would appeal to any but Occultists, they\nnevertheless deserve attention. One of these is the effect of the Moon\nin human affairs. We can all appreciate the effects that the Moon has on\nthe waters, for we can see the rise and fall of the tides, but that more\nsubtle influence that the luminary has upon the finer states of matter\nin and about the earth is not so readily appreciated. But it will be\nfound none the less a fact if put to the test.\n\nWhat we may call the tidal point is that point midway between the Sun\nand Moon at any time. Suppose it to be a new moon to-day, at the hour of\nnoon. The Sun and Moon will then come to the meridian at the same time\nthat they are conjoined in the same longitude. To-morrow they will be\nabout 12\u00b0 apart when they come to the meridian, and the next day they\nwill be 24\u00b0 apart. Now as one degree passes the meridian every four\nminutes, the daily difference of Tide-time will be (12 \u00d7 4)/2, or 24\nminutes. Local conditions affect the time at which high tide occurs, and\nalso the effect of the joint action of the Sun and Moon will take time\nto produce. Consequently we do not see that the tides exactly\nsynchronize with the transit of the Tide-point.\n\nBut there is a great difference between ether and water, and between\nmind and matter. What we know as the Astral Tide occurs exactly at the\ntime of the transit of the Tide-point, and this fact is of the highest\nimportance to those who would avail themselves of celestial influences\nand take that tide at the flood which \u201cleads to fortune.\u201d There is an\nold adage which says: Who takes the Tide takes all. If, therefore, we\ntake the difference in longitude between the Sun and Moon at any time,\nwhich distance is called the Moon\u2019s elongation, and divide this by two,\nwe shall obtain a point which passes the meridian at a time represented\nby this quantity multiplied by four minutes, before or after the Sun\u2019s\ntransit of the meridian, according as the Moon is increasing or\ndecreasing in light. Thus, I would find the time of the Astral Tide on\nthe 21st August, 1912.\n\n            Moon increasing in light, _i. e._ going to the Full.\n            Sun\u2019s longitude at noon, Leo 28\u00b0 2\u00b4.\n            Moon\u2019s longitude at noon, Sagittarius, 18\u00b0 33\u00b4.\n            Distance between them, 110\u00b0 33\u00b4.\n            Half this equals 55\u00b0 15\u00bd\u00b4.\n            Multiply by four\u2014221m. 2s., or 2h. 41m. 2s.\n            Diurnal elongation of Moon, 11\u00b0 8\u00b4, or 28\u00b4 per hour.\n\nThis for 3 hrs. 41 min. 2 sec. amounts to about 1\u00b0 42\u00b4, which multiplied\nby four gives 6 min. 48 sec., and this added to the above first time of\nTide, brings us to 3 hrs. 47 min. 50 sec., which is the time after the\nmeridian transit of the Sun at which the Astral Tide will occur.\n\nReference to the almanac will show that on the 21st August the Sun\npasses the meridian at about four minutes after noon, and therefore the\nGreenwich mean time of the Astral Tide will be 3.52 p.m.\n\nNow if you would float an idea, of whatever nature, let it go out upon\nthe full tide, not when the tide is flowing in, and not when it is going\nout, but at the point of time when the tide is at the full and about to\nturn. But reflect that what you send out will come back to you laden\nwith its burden of consequence. It is important, therefore, that the\nnature of your flotation should be scrutinized.\n\nAstrologers the world over have always considered that the Moon exerts a\ngreat influence over human generation. We know that it plays a most\nimportant part in the normal functions of the human body, more\nespecially as affecting the blood pressure. This may be the reason for\nits marked influence upon persons in certain forms of insanity. In my\n_Manual of Astrology_ I have shown beyond all doubt that it exerts a\npowerful influence in the matter of sex, and also that there is an\nastronomical relation between the Moon\u2019s motion and the process of\ngeneration culminating in birth. The ancients have said that the various\nmonths of parturition are under the successive influence of the planets,\nSaturn, Jupiter, etc., thus\u2014\n\n             1st month under Saturn:      Plasmic basis.\n             2nd month under Jupiter:     Amnionic development.\n             3rd month under Mars:        Limbal growth.\n             4th month under Sun:         Quickening.\n             5th month under Venus:       Sex distinction.\n             6th month under Mercury:     Brain development.\n             7th month under Moon:        Precocious birth.\n             8th month under Saturn:      Abortive birth.\n             9th month under Jupiter:     Normal birth.\n\nSwedenborg has said that all children come from the Moon. There is a\nGreek legend which associates Selene and Selinon, confounding the Moon\nwith the parsley plant, and old women to-day tell their inquisitive\ngrandchildren that they were brought from the parsley bed. In the Greek\nMysteries the soul passes through the sphere of the Moon in its descent\nto the Earth, taking upon itself a silver vestment, which is the astral\nor lunar body, as distinguished from the imperishable solar body proper\nto the incarnating ego.\n\nThe Hindus, as has been shown elsewhere, make all their astrological\ncalculations from the place of the Moon, and the horoscope of birth is\nconverted into terms of the Moon\u2019s position at the moment of that event.\nAlso they reckon the periodic effects from the same position. It is\ntherefore obvious that the astrologer at all events has not overlooked\nthe enormous influence that this orb is believed to exert upon mundane\naffairs and human life. As we have seen, the ancients, with whom these\nbeliefs arose, were keen observers of natural operations, and depended\nentirely on their unaided and unprejudiced observations for whatever\nknowledge they possessed. They regarded the Moon as the purveyor or\ncarrier of astral influence. Life and energy were generated from the\nSun, the vital centre of our system. This life was modified by\nreflection of rays from the various planets, which transmitted the Sun\u2019s\nrays to this Earth in altered electrical and magnetic conditions, and\nthe Moon, circling round the Earth at great velocity, collected and\ndistributed these influences upon our nether sphere. The notion is at\nleast cosmical and coherent. If it also be true it is of the utmost\nimportance to us as terrestrials.\n\nThe Moon, then, in Cosmic Symbolism represents the element of functional\nvariability, and is the symbol of Change, of ebb and flow, of increase\nand decrease, of rise and fall. It is associated with the human soul\nsubject to _samsara_, or the law of cyclic rebirth. It is the Mercabah\nor vehicle by which the light and heat of the Sun is distributed, the\nGreat Conveyancer and the Universal Purveyor of celestial influences.\nLike the human soul it is subject to phases, now waxing and now waning,\nand sometimes suffering eclipse, having no light of its own but deriving\nall from the Universal Sun.\n\nIt has two aspects, a nether and a higher. That which is above\nrepresents the side that, at the time of conjunction, is turned towards\nthe Sun, and the lower is that which is always towards the Earth. When\nthe Moon-Soul is between the Sun and Earth it is in correct cosmic\nrelations, but when the Earth interposes its dark orb, there is an\nascendancy of the material over the human, and the spiritual light is in\ndanger of being shut out. The Moon-body suffers death, like the physical\nbody, but it persists after the death of the physical, and may endure\nfor upwards of one hundred and twenty years, according to its inherent\nvitality.\n\nIt may be regarded as the Purgatorial vestment in which the Human Soul\nmanifests until its liberation to the Spiritual world. One of the\ninitiations teaches that this same Moon-Body may, without suffering\ndissolution, be again carried to earth and incarnated. But this is not\nthe normal case, as those who have witnessed the dissolution of the\nMoon-Body well know. As a cosmic symbol the Moon is replete with the\ndeepest mysteries concerning the birth, evolution, and dissolution of\nall that is commonly called human. Its influence in mundane affairs\ngains an additional signification from this fact.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXIV\n                            SOLAR INFLUENCE\n\n\nThe Sun as the centre of the universe is the gravitational focus of all\nthe forces of the cosmos. It stands to us as the symbol of Deity, or of\nthat Logos which is the manifestation to us of the Inscrutable and\nOmnipresent. So far as we are concerned it is the source of Light and\nHeat to the world, and these two properties are the ultimate expressions\nof the Wisdom and Love of the Creator. When we speak of light and heat\nwe mean those forces which, when they impinge on the Earth\u2019s atmosphere\nand are sensed by us, produce the sensations of light and heat. The Sun\nis thus rather the source of the cause of heat and light than of heat\nand light themselves. It is we who are the interpreters. Even so is it\nwith regard to the Divine principles of Wisdom and Love. These in\nexpression are manifest as Truth and Charity, as Knowledge and\nAffection, as Thought and Feeling, as Speech and Action. This gives us\nthe following gradient of differentiation\u2014\n\n                 Wisdom        Divine        Love\n                 Truth         Spiritual     Charity\n                 Knowledge     Intellectual  Affection\n                 Thought       Psychic       Feeling\n                 Speech        Physical      Action\n\nThus we see how through the various planes of life the Divine principles\nfiltrate, as do the forces we know as Light and Heat through the various\nethers, until they manifest in our physical life. For the Spirit of\nTruth is the manifestation of the Hidden Wisdom of the Father, and its\nBride is the Spirit of Charity. Manifesting in the human they are seen\nas Knowledge and Affection on the Intellectual plane, and on the Psychic\nor emotional plane as Thought and Feeling, these being derived from the\nformer, and ultimately finding expression as Speech and Action. Thus all\nthe life of man is linked up with the Divine, as all the universe is\nwith its cosmic centre the Sun.\n\nThe Sun shines upon all and illumines all when there are no clouds of\ndoubt interposing themselves between us and the open canopy of heaven.\nThese clouds arise by evaporation from the ferment of the lower nature.\n\nAs the cosmic centre, the Sun represents the Heart or seat of vitality\nin the Microcosm. Astrologically it has its seat in the sign Leo which\ncorresponds with the Cardiac zone, including the heart and solar plexus.\nIt is thus related to the vital principle in man. Its position and\naspects in a horoscope will determine the stability of the Constitution\nand hence the natural duration of life. Its sign, position and aspects\nin the world are the chief cause of the variations of season and the\nnature of the weather. These season changes are, of course, related to\nthe climate in different zones. The effects that are due in the British\nIsles to solar aspects with the various planets have already been\nscheduled. Saturn and Uranus are found to be magnetic and cold\nproducing, while Jupiter and Mars are electric and heat producing. Venus\nacts to produce condensation resulting in drizzle or fine rain. Mercury\nbrings fresh winds; Neptune fine weather. Saturn in the same way brings\nnortherly and easterly winds, Venus westerly winds, Jupiter\nsouth-westerly and Mars south-easterly winds. Uranus brings winds from\nthe north-west, and generally frequent showers with intermittent spells\nof sunshine.\n\nThus we may set the compass as follows\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 27.]\n\nThese observations apply only to the British Isles, and more\nparticularly to England, where the observations were made. Everybody\nwill recollect that the Coronation Day of King George V was a wet day.\nAt that time the Sun was in semisquare aspect to both Venus and Saturn.\nThose resident in England will also recall the exceptionally hot days\nduring the end of July and the beginning of August. The Sun was then\npassing from the quartile of Jupiter to the quartile of Mars, both\nheat-producing planets. The positions are necessarily geocentric, as we\nare considering the effects of the planetary modifications of solar\nenergy so far as this Earth is concerned.\n\nIn just similar manner as the solar conditions act upon the Earth so\nthey act upon the physical constitution of man. For if at his birth the\nSun is affected by the rays of negative planets there will be less\nvitality and force, while positive heat-producing planets, such as\nJupiter and Mars, will give great vitality, strong muscular development,\na great fund of energy and a sound constitution.\n\nThe Sun represents the organic constitution in the same way that the\nMoon represents the functional powers. Hence it is that the Sun, when\nafflicted by malefic aspects of the planets at a birth, gives warning of\norganic disorders of an inherent or hereditary nature, while the Moon\nsimilarly afflicted denotes functional disorders of an acquired nature.\nFor many reasons we may regard man as in the same relations with his\ncosmic environment as is the Earth itself. Compounded as he is of cosmic\nelements, he responds at all points to changes that are continually\ntaking place in the system. But he does so in terms of his radical\nconstitution or root nature, which, of course, varies as the individual\nconcerned. For all sidereal and planetary forces, while possessing their\nrespective properties and expressing their own several natures, are\ndifferently received and transmuted according to the constitution of the\nrecipient body. Hence the planets only affect us in terms of ourselves.\nThe same white solar ray falling upon an emerald and a ruby will be\ndifferently reflected by each of them, appearing as green in the one\ncase and red in the other. So it is with men. They each reflect the\nWisdom and Love of the Universal Being in a variety of forms of\nknowledge and affection, expressed in speech and action, which is the\ncommon life. This fact should save us all from the error of bigotry and\ndogmatism. It is only the Diamond Heart that can reflect the pure ray of\nthe Divine. It is comforting to know that the diamond is the mature\ncarbo-hydrate. Given the conditions and the time, the soul that is as\nblack as coal can become, by evolutional processes, as clear and\npellucid as the diamond. We begin as fragments of gross earth and end as\nsuns in the galaxy of heaven.\n\nIt is customary for astrologers to refer to the various planets as good,\nevil and neutral. Thus Saturn, Uranus and Mars are regarded as malefic,\nwhile Jupiter and Venus are called Benefics. This is not the truth,\nhowever convenient it may be to retain these ascriptions for purposes of\ndelineation. Every planet has two aspects, and these aspects are\nreferred to the higher and lower natures of our being. Mars, for\ninstance, is merely Energy, the focussed or specialized vitality of the\nSun. It answers to the red ray. Operating in a person of low mental and\nmoral calibre, it will produce a Free-thinker, a Firebrand and\nAnarchist, and a man of violence and lawlessness. The same planet, when\nexpressing itself through a highly evolved nature, will manifest as\nzeal, fervour, intensity, enthusiasm, enterprise, ambition and moral\ncourage. Venus in the same way may indicate self-indulgence, idleness,\npleasure-seeking, vanity, frailty and licence in a person of low nature,\nwhile in one of greater moral fibre and higher standard of life, the\nsame planet will manifest as gentleness, kindness, charity, pure\naffection, orderliness and refinement. There is a whole cycle of\nevolution between the sordid, money-grubbing propensities of \u201cthe man\nwith the muck-rake\u201d and the provident carefulness and circumspection of\nthe man who is under the influence of the higher Saturnine ray. It is\nall a question of personal colouring. It is not that the planets rule us\nand compel us to be that which we are, but that we transmute and corrupt\nthe natures of the planets and abuse the energies and powers which they\nconfer on us. We can never hope to be lords of the Universe, but we can\nbe rulers of ourselves. Self-government is at the root of the matter. We\nattain to it through experience and suffering. It is not born with any\nman, but there are those among us who remember their lessons well and\nspeedily get themselves into touch with their environment, and their\nfaculties and powers under control. It is not altogether a truth that\n\u201cThe wise man rules his stars and the fool obeys them.\u201d It is rather the\nfact that the wise man rules _himself_, all else the stars compel. True,\na number of oppositions and squares in a horoscope of birth will\ncertainly give a man a full share of experience, but the uses of\nadversity are sweet. Evolution does not wholly consist in getting all we\ncan out of life, but also of reading into it as much as we can. We all\nknow how much we are affected by our environment. Our business is to\nfind out how much our environment can be affected by us. And by\nenvironment we have to include that which presses us most nearly in the\nform of our own personality. To get this under our control is very\nlargely to annihilate the adverse aspects of the planets.\n\nAll this is possible, because all planetary influences are modes of the\nOne life, and that which animates the physical body is the solar ray,\nwhile that which animates the mind of man is the Spiritual Sun.\n\nLife has no qualities of its own, it gets them by use or function. The\nsame energy that is expended in rioting and bloodshed could as readily\nbe used for purposes of constructive enterprise. Extravagance is only a\nmorbid generosity, a philanthropy gone astray. The Sun that shines alike\non the just and the unjust cannot be credited with all the abuses to\nwhich we submit our vital powers. Why, then, should we ascribe to the\nplanets all those evil influences which in truth have no existence\nexcept in ourselves, who are both receivers and transmitters of their\ninfluence? This truth has been finally stated by the great Interpreter,\nwho said: The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth\nforth that which is good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure\nbrings forth that which is evil.\n\nSo far as their cosmic functions are concerned the planets are organic\ninterpreters, the Sun being the source of Vitality or Life. The Sun,\ntherefore, holds chief place in the consideration of astrologers and is\nthe foundation principle of the horoscope, all calculations and all\nmeasures of time having regard to the Sun\u2019s position and to its\npostnatal motion.\n\nNo wonder that the ancients gave to the Sun a place in Cosmic Symbolism\nwhich embraced a whole mythology and gave rise to the use of its symbol\nin all religious services, seeing that it is the source of all physical\nlife and illumination. The ancient Aryans and the Persians regarded it\nas the physical presentation of the Supreme Being, and even at this day\nit is retained as a divine symbol in the ordinances of the Catholic\nChurch. Some idea of the divine attributes ascribed to the Day-star may\nbe gathered from the Vedic Hymns, one of which I have endeavoured to\nrepresent in the following lines\u2014\n\n           INVOCATION TO THE VERNAL SUN.\n\n                   O quickening Fount of life,\n                   Sun-soul supernal;\n                   Impenetrating stream\n                   Of light, whose every beam\n                   Instinctive is and rife\n                   With Love eternal:\n                   Lord of the Stars and Skies,\n                   King of the Earth and Sea,\n                   List while our anthems rise\n                   In praise of Thee!\n           Greatest of all great gods in all seven spheres,\n           Regent of Space and Lord of countless years,\n           Who first did spring from out eternal night,\n           Piercing its ebon veil with thy swift light;\n           Thou who didst live when Time was yet unborn,\n           The spirit, soul and substance of primeval morn,\n           That roused the gods from out their lengthen\u2019d sleep,\n           What time thy Spirit self had brooded o\u2019er the deep:\n           Then, from thy heart, ethereal, unalloyed,\n           The seven great worlds sevenfold refulgent sprang,\n           The gods did shout, the heavens were overjoyed,\n           And all the stars of heaven together sang!\n           Thy living beams, infilling all the scene,\n           Burned in each orb and knit the space between\n           To ether vault and circumambient air,\n           That breathed thy life and shed it everywhere;\n           Whose power, pervading all, attracts, unites,\n           Binds with a lasting link, sustains, enhances,\n           And adds to all a beauty that invites\n           The liquid light of thy love-lingering glances!\n           Come! glorious Power! and from thy golden tresses\n           Shake down on us the blossoms of the Spring;\n           Lo! how the earth responds to thy caresses,\n           And how in praise of thee the wild birds sing!\n           Look down on us from thy so lofty sphere,\n           Wrap and enfold us in thine ardent rays:\n           Yea, glorious God, we hail thy presence here,\n           Soul of the Sun, we yield thee thanks and praise!\n                   Lord of the Stars and Skies,\n                   King of the Earth and Sea,\n                   List while our anthems rise,\n                   In praise of Thee!\n\nThe Sun and Moon are universally regarded as the symbols of the\nMale-female unity of Nature. The Sun is the father, the Moon the mother,\nof all mundane events. Astrologers refer these orbs to the organs of\nsight, giving the Sun dominion over the right eye and the Moon over the\nleft. When the Sun and Moon are afflicted, especially in certain parts\nof the zodiac, they indicate blindness or defective vision. It has been\nstated by Dr. Fearon that there is an affinity between the right eye and\nthe male line of heredity, and between the left eye and the female line,\nand that defects inherited from one line or the other are incidental to\nthe corresponding organ. That there is a great connection with the state\nof the eye and the general health is a proved fact of which medical men\nfrequently avail themselves in their diagnosis. We have already\nconsidered the Sun and Moon as the luminaries of the day and night, and\nwe find this idea associated with the visual power in the _Sayings of\nJesus_: \u201cIf thine eye be good thy whole body shall be full of light, but\nif thine eye be evil thy whole body shall be full of darkness.\u201d In\neffect we find that when the iris of the eye is firm and clear and of a\nsingle unbroken colour, the health is good. But when it is split up and\ndiscoloured by green streaks the health is imperfect, while red spots in\nthe iris, giving a patchy appearance, are a sure sign of some organic\ndisease, and most likely of a growth. It is only when we come to admit\nthe psychic origin of disease that we can fully apprehend the value of\nthe Scripture statement. It is an inductive argument which regards the\neye as the index of the general health of the body, itself standing as a\nsymbol of intelligence. Conformity with the spiritual law of being would\nundoubtedly result in perfect integrity of soul and body. The natural\nhas no life apart from the spiritual. The basis of all things is Spirit,\nand matter as we know it is its ultimate expression. The Sun, which is\nthe most active form of matter, is thus the concrete symbol of Spirit.\nAmong all symbolical forms of worship, that of the Sun-worshippers is\nthe most rational. Human science may avail much to institute artificial\nconditions of life, but it will never succeed in dethroning the Sun.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXV\n                               ASTROLOGY\n\n\nIt could hardly be expected that one in my position, having the\nreputation of being one of those modern fools who go searching after\nancient wisdom, could write a book on Cosmic Symbolism and successfully\navoid the subject of Astrology. I admit to have trespassed on its\npreserves more or less in every chapter of this book. Now I may as well\ntake a gun and make a day of it.\n\nIt is safe to say that no considerable argument has ever been\nsuccessfully raised against the claims of Astrology to a place among the\nsciences. No valid reason can be given for disputing its principles, and\nits facts have never been overset. It is true that Pico della Mirandola,\ncalled Flagellum Astrologi\u00e6 because of his avowed hatred of the subject,\nattempted to expel it from among the Latins and was an ardent\npamphleteer in the cause of its suppression. But he justified its claims\nand practically unsaid all that he had written by dying at the time\npredicted by the astrologers. Dr. John Butler, Chaplain to James Duke of\nOrmonde, had a mind to inveigh against its teachings, which by some\nmisconception he fancied to be pagan and subversive of Christianity. He\nstudied the subject the more effectively to assail the assertions of the\nastrologers, and ended his campaign by writing a book in support of its\nteachings. It is a book rather well known to students of the subject and\ncan be seen at the British Museum.\n\nBut perhaps the most sounding rebuke that was ever given to such as\nfoolishly repudiate the whole thing without taking the trouble to\nexamine its principles and methods, was given by Sir Isaac Newton to Mr.\nHalley of comet fame when he ventured to dispute the subject with the\ngreat philosopher. The latter heard him to a finish and then quietly\nremarked: \u201cI have studied the subject, Mr. Halley, you have not.\u201d I do\nnot know what was Halley\u2019s perspective and therefore I cannot say in\nwhat regard he held the author of the _Principia_, but personally I\nwould rather be swallowed by an earthquake than have such a rebuke from\nthe same source. There was always that about Newton which inspired\nconfidence in his utterances, for a more fearless and at the same time\nhumble-minded investigator of Nature never breathed God\u2019s air. He spoke\nof what he knew.\n\nIn the presentation of astrological evidence we are not called upon to\ndisplay the _modus operandi_ of planetary action in human life. We can\nobserve facts without references to their causes. We may legitimately\ntheorize as to the means whereby a universe is brought into existence,\nbut none can say why. One is relieved of the necessity from the fact\nthat he is not the Creator of it.\n\nBut there are many suggestions afforded by modern scientific discoveries\nwhich lead us to the idea that planetary influence, apart from the\nattraction of gravitation, may be due to the functions of subtle states\nof matter such as we posit as properties of spatial ether. And since we\nknow nothing of force apart from matter it is reasonable to presume that\nwhatever forces are at play in the cosmos have their appropriate\nmaterial vehicles. Spectrum analysis does not lead us to suppose that\nthere is any material difference in the chemical constituents of the\nvarious bodies of the system, and what you find in the planets you find\nalso in the Sun.\n\nCertain considerations regarding the nature of matter lead us, however,\nto the conclusion that, apart from its properties, it has\ncharacteristics which depend not so much upon its atomic constituents as\nupon their arrangement. From this we may argue that inasmuch as we are\nall compounded of the same cosmic elements, differences of character and\ntemperament are due to the ascendancy of one over other of those\nelements in individuals. This, so far as the personality is concerned,\nmay well be true, but because material atoms have no emotions,\naspirations, hopes and fears, and no moral sense, they cannot be said to\nacquire such by mere conglomeration. To carry the argument further,\ntherefore, we should have to derive our atoms from something rather more\nspiritual than the hydrogen base, the \u201chappy hunting-ground\u201d of the\nphysicists.\n\nSo far as the planets\u2019 action on our organisms is concerned, it may be\nthat the brain cells, infilled as they are with a nervous pabulum, are\ncapable of responding to the more subtle vibrations of the ether. But\nthe immaterial parts of us must respond to immaterial stimuli, and we\nknow that there are other than merely physical effects due to planetary\ninfluence. And whereas matter is continuous of matter throughout the\nentire universe, mind is continuous of mind, and spirit of spirit. Thus\nit is that \u201cSoul to soul strikes through a finer element of its own.\u201d\n\nWe must therefore recognize that there may be a supra-cosmical as well\nas an intra-cosmical planetary action, and this follows from the\nargument that, matter being the ultimate expression of Spirit, the\nmaterial planets have their spiritual counterparts.\n\nHowever, to come to the practical side of the argument for and against\nthe subject, I may deal with some of the more weighty objections which\nhave been lodged against it.\n\nFirst, there is the argument of coincidence which is used to explain\naway the fact of successful prediction. This in cool logic is no\nargument at all, for the only coincidence that is shown is that of the\nprediction and the subsequent course of events. Now if there were a\nsingle prediction which in human judgment could not have been otherwise\nforetold but by the application of some commonly-called \u201coccult\u201d\nknowledge, this would suffice to confirm the claim that foreknowledge is\nscientifically possible. But what do we mean by coincidence. If apples\nfalling from a tree pursued different directions, some falling direct to\nthe earth and some in the contrary direction towards the sky, while\nothers went off at a tangent, it may be called a coincidence that one\nshould fall in the direction previously determined upon and named. But\nif all the apples tend in the same direction and fall along the lines of\nthe earth\u2019s radial magnetism direct towards its centre, then we may\nposit a law of attraction.\n\nNow if we can show a definite direction of all planetary influence\u2014that\nis to say, show that the same planet always maintains the same\nsignificance in the astrological scheme, that its effects are always of\nthe same general character, and that these effects synchronize with the\narc by which the planet is separated from the position of any of the\nprescribed Significators, then we may claim to have established the law\nof planetary influence\u2014or, if you will, of cosmic symbolism. We are not\nnow concerned with the question of the causative or symbolic relations\nof our greater environment. This connection between planet and event we\ncan certainly show.\n\nAnother argument is that the discovery of the heliocentric system by\nCopernicus invalidated the conclusions of the astrologers which were\nbased on the geocentric positions of the planets. We cannot allow this\nfor the following reasons. The Suryasiddhanta of India antedates the\nsystem of Copernicus by many hundreds of years and it is heliocentric.\nIndia is nevertheless the schoolhouse if not the nursery of Astrology,\nand planetary influence in human life is practically an article of faith\nwith the Hindus. The conclusions of Copernicus were confirmed and\ndemonstrated by Tycho and Kepler. Tycho practised astrology while Kepler\nconfirmed its principles and added to its credentials by successful\nprediction. In a universe of relativity, every planet is the centre of\nits own system, as every man is the centre of his own world, and the\nAstrologer who studies the action of the planets on this earth and its\ninhabitants, rightly regards the latter as the passive centre of such\naction. As the fortunes of a country centre in its Ruler, so those of\nthe individual centre in himself.\n\nA further argument urged against the Science is that the discovery of\nthe planets Neptune and Uranus must vitiate conclusions drawn from an\nincomplete cosmical system. The argument has really very little value.\nThe discovery of Argon as a constituent of the earth\u2019s atmosphere does\nnot involve any change in our ideas about oxygen, hydrogen, or nitrogen.\nWhat was argued in regard to the nature of Saturn a thousand years ago\nis maintained by all modern Astrologers. It is the same with all the\nother planets. Only we have the added knowledge of the nature and\ninfluence of the two planets Neptune and Uranus to supplement what the\nancients knew about the rest of the solar system. In former days when\nthey could not discover adequate reasons for death, a man was said to\nhave died by \u201cthe visitation of God.\u201d To-day with our extended knowledge\nof the solar system it is found that Uranus or Neptune has been the\nagent of the Lord of Life and Death.\n\nAnother objection raised against the idea of planetary influence is that\nthe bodies are so remote and insignificant as to be incapable of\nproducing any marked effects in mundane affairs. The objection is\ngrounded in ignorance. The distance of the planets bears no relation to\ntheir influence or power to affect us. This will be obvious to those who\nhave reflected on the fact that etheric vibration becomes \u201clight\u201d only\nwhen it impinges on the earth\u2019s atmosphere, and the fact also that the\nattraction of gravitation operates irrespective of distance and\nmaintains the solidarity of the system. Planetary perturbations due to\nthe mutual attraction of the several bodies is an adequate reply to the\nobjection of Cicero. Sir David Brewster argues that if light could reach\nus from the distant stars and planets, other influences may also reach\nus from the same sources. Cicero, on the other hand, while possessed of\nmagnificent ideas of the solar system and fully admitting its\nsolidarity, asks with evident lack of argument, \u201cWhat contagion can\nreach us from the planets whose distances are almost infinite?\u201d We have\ngone beyond the \u201cinfinite\u201d of Cicero since that question was asked, and\nmodern astronomers are able to demonstrate the fact that the Sun, while\nacting as the centre of attraction in its own system, is answering to\nthe gravitational pull of some star in the confines of space, and that\nit has a proper motion of its own in a vast orbit about that centre. I\nhave already expressed the view that Plato knew of this and that it was\nthe basis of his Great Year. What hinders that our Sun may receive\ninfluences from its own lode-star, and that these may be transmitted to\nus in common with the other planets of our system? There is no harm in\nusing the scientific imagination providing that we have some fact from\nwhich to proceed.\n\nIn connection with the teachings of astrology there is the scientific\nfact of natural selection to be considered. What is it that determines\nbirth under particular astral conditions. We say that it is innate\ntendency. Locke, who in his _Human Understanding_ argued for \u201cno innate\nideas\u201d had a faulty perspective. He failed to account for genius through\nsense-impressions, as others have later failed to account for it through\ncumulative heredity. We have instances before us where it is obvious\nthat there was nothing to accumulate so far as special forms of genius\nwere concerned.\n\nIf, on the other hand, we accept the human being as an evolving Monad\npassing through a succession of incarnations for the purposes of\nexperience and ultimate specialization of faculty, we shall at once\nunderstand how it is that certain persons are endowed with precocious\ntendencies of a definite order from infancy, and indeed birth. Given the\ntime necessary to get into touch with the physical instrument and to\n\u201ctune up,\u201d as it were, the appearance of unusual faculty can in no way\nbe hindered, because it is innate. In this connection Astrology affirms\nthat persons are born with particular horoscopes because when the\nheavens are so disposed as to admit of, and indeed to favour, the\nexpression of certain forms of genius and faculty, the Soul requiring\nthose conditions is borne into earth-life. The doctrine involves the\nsuggestion that there is a purpose in human existence and that such\npurpose is neither begun nor fulfilled in any one incarnation. Then, as\nthere is a Spiritual Law in the Natural World, and a supra-cosmic law of\nplanetary action, we can see how the line of least resistance is\ndetermined by innate tendency. In the Wisdom of Solomon it is said: \u201cI\nam not good because I was born into an undefiled body, but being good I\nwas born into a body undefiled.\u201d There is therefore an ancient belief in\nthe determination of birth conditions to innate character.\n\nColourless and purposeless individuals are found to be responsive to\ngeneral or group influences and to be moved by the feelings and thoughts\nthat animate the crowd. They have not yet attained that power of\nself-direction which characterizes the highly evolved Monad. Accentuated\nand purposeful characters, on the other hand, require specific\ninfluences under which to be born, and these influences must be\nconformable to the purpose in view. What that purpose is may be seen\nfrom their life and actions, and indeed it is written all over them for\nthose who understand the physiognomy of Nature. Occasionally we have the\nincarnation of special Messengers who are responsive to the collective\nspirit of the superior world. These are found to voice the needs of the\nsoul rather than of the body of man and their minds answer to a higher\nlaw than that which controls the average individual.\n\nVery many factors conspire to the production of those astral conditions\nwhich favour the expression of individual character of a high order.\nMuch depends on the sphere of life in which the purpose of evolution\nrequires that they shall function. We have such examples of marked men\nin all spheres of life. But wherever they appear they are easily\ndiscernible by their horoscopes. Nature is not so profligate as some\npeople imagine, for in the long run it is seen that her ways and means\nare those which invariably secure the end in view. If she is apparently\ncareless of the mass she is at all events jealously careful in regard to\nsuch as have specialized, and we find by practical experience that she\nadapts environment to purpose with infinite care and foresight.\n\nIf we take the astral conditions obtaining over any particular period of\na year and consider them in relation to the number of births occurring\nin any particular area, we shall find that so far as the cosmic\nrelations of the planets are concerned they will remain practically\nundisturbed for a considerable time. Thus Neptune will be in the same\nsign for about 14 years, Uranus for 7 years, Saturn for 2\u00bd years,\nJupiter for one year, and Mars for nearly two months, Venus and Mercury\nchanging signs within the month. So that, from a cosmical point of view,\nquite a large number of births will take place under similar conditions,\nfor even the Moon, which represents the element of variability, will\ncontinue in the same sign for about 2\u00bd days, and in a thickly populated\narea such as the City of London, where the average birth-rate is 14 per\nhour, we may have as many as 840 births under exactly the same zodiacal\nconditions.\n\nBut it happens that the ancient astrologers thought out this problem\nsomewhat fully, and consequently they directed their attention to the\nconditions obtaining in regard to a given locality. In other words, they\npaid more attention to the rising, culmination and setting of the\nplanets than to their zodiacal positions. Now a simple calculation will\nshow that as 1\u00b0 of the zodiac passes the meridian every four minutes,\nand 15\u00b0 every hour, there is enough and to spare for the fourteen births\nwhich take place on an average in the most densely populated centre of\nthe world, so that each of them may be born under a separate degree. But\nthe fact probably is, and necessarily I am theorizing on the point, that\npeople are born in batches, for where special conditions are not\nrequired the common experiences of life will serve for all the\nevolutional needs of a large majority of those born into the world.\nMoreover, as I have already said, the planets affect us in terms of\nourselves, so that the same planetary conditions will be variously\ninterpreted by individuals born at the same time, according to their\ndegree of evolution. Consequently I do not see any astrological\nobjection to any number of persons being born under the same stellar\nconditions, and it is indeed probable that the horoscopes of all our\nkings and leaders will find duplicates all over the country. All that we\nnote in such circumstances is that the events of their lives have a\ncertain set parallelism from birth until death, while so long as these\nindividual souls are under the sway of those stellar conditions, they\ninterpret them according to their own natures and in terms of their\nsphere of life. A notable case, but by no means the only one that could\nbe cited is that of John Hemmings and King George III. Both were born on\nthe same day and at the same hour in the same parish of St.\nMartins-le-Fields, in London. When George II died John Hemmings\u2019 father\ndied. George III succeeded to the throne and John Hemmings to his\nfather\u2019s business, which was that of an ironmonger. They were married on\nthe same day, had the same number of children of the same sexes, and\ndied on the same day and at nearly the same hour. The Webbs, the Cloughs\nand the Morells are famous cases of twins whose lives were at all points\nsimilar, and this, not because they were born of the same parents but\nbecause they were born under exactly the same astral conditions.\n\nThe mundane factor as distinguished from the zodiacal, that is to say,\nthe positions of the planets in the prime vertical as distinguished from\ntheir positions in the zodiac, is that which makes for individual\nexpression. Three hundred and sixty persons could be born in a single\nday in any one locality and each of these could have a horoscope that is\ndistinct and individual. The highest record does not reach this number.\n\nWith this factor of variation in the expression of human character and\ndestiny, it is possible to understand how the Arch-arbiter of our\ndestinies may, for the ultimate purposes of our spiritual evolution,\ndetermine the application of the individual psychoplasm to the physical\ncentres of life at times when the cosmical and mundane conditions are\nharmonious to the end designed. From an astrological point of view there\nis room and to spare for the expression of every phase of human\ncharacter and development, and that is the same as saying that the One\nLife is capable of an infinite variety of manifestations in the process\nof time. This doubtless was the thought animating Shelley\u2019s oft-quoted\nphrase\u2014\n\n                 Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass,\n                 Stains the white radiance of Eternity.\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXVI\n                       CHARACTER AND ENVIRONMENT\n\n\nSIR FRANCIS GALTON in his _Enquiry into Human Faculty_ has laid it down\nas an axiom for the study of Eugenists that \u201cNature is stronger than\nNurture.\u201d His researches and tabulated statistics undoubtedly point this\nconclusion. We have therefore to regard life in terms of this fact.\n\nIn the making of destiny Character is the prime factor, and the\nmodifying factor is Environment. Reform that has an eye only to\nexternals will never be finally effective. Only that which makes for the\nupbuilding of individual character will secure permanent results.\nWithout doubt character demands for its full expression the most\neffective instrument that can be placed at its disposal, and this is the\nwhole case for Eugenics. How that efficiency of instrument is to be\nsecured for the majority is another matter. Certainly it will never be\nfound along the lines of stock. We have before us hundreds of examples\nof thoroughly fit persons of both sexes whose children are weaklings or\nmentally defective. I have cited two cases of women simultaneously\nbearing children in the same hospital. One child dies and the other\nlives. Why? They were born under the same stellar conditions. They had\nequal care from their births onwards. The reason is that in one instance\nthe mother\u2019s horoscope shows success in progeny from the presence of\nJupiter in the 5th House, and the other shows no success at all from the\npresence of Saturn in that part of the heavens. Both mothers were\nperfectly fit in themselves and in the same station of life. Obviously\nthere is here imported a factor that is of immense importance to those\nwho have a mind for improving the race. Seed, Season and Soil are all\nessential to the production of healthy offspring. Our Eugenists leave\nout of consideration the factor of Season. They imagine that, given\nhealthy parents, you are bound to have healthy children. Nothing is\nfurther from the truth, if we regard children as composite beings and\nnot merely as animals. We may frankly admit that the personality\ndetermines the final _expression_ of character as the coloured glass\nthrough which the ray of intelligence finally strikes upon us, but to\nconfound character with environment\u2014and there is no environment which\npresses a man more nearly than his physical body\u2014would be to negative\nthe whole effort of reform. Character is inherent and is imported to the\nphysical environment. It is not derived from it. It is no by-product,\nbut a thing as essential to Soul as shape is to matter. Beyond the fact\nof physical heredity, which counts for a great deal where bodies are\nconcerned, there is the yet more important factor of psychic tradition.\nThe importation of this factor into the problem is of the utmost\nsignificance, and I venture to say that apart from a thorough sounding\nof modern Psychology and Occultism, and a due consideration of all the\nfactors that go to the making of a man, there will be no satisfactory\nsolution of the problem modern Eugenists have before them.\n\nIn the analysis of personal efficiency we find three factors in\nco-operation: faculty, function and instrument. All faculty is\nstrengthened and increased by use or function. Function it is that\nadapts environment to its needs, as a force pressing towards expression\nin matter. For the expression of faculty, therefore, we need functional\nintegrity, adaptation of environment, and efficiency of instrument. It\nhas been said that, given an instrument that is out of tune there would\nnot be much difference in expression of faculty between an impresario\nand a man entirely ignorant of music. This is true only in time and as\nregards the immediate effort of each. But one can very well see that\nthere are essential differences which will very soon be made manifest.\nThe musician would know that the instrument was defective, while the\nother would not. In a short while the musician would get that instrument\ninto tune so that he could express his faculty. The man ignorant of\nmusic could not attempt the business. Character counts for more than\nenvironment, and faculty than instrument.\n\nNow in our Occultism we distinguish between that which is incidental, as\nfaculty and character; and that which is accidental, as instrument and\nenvironment. It is recognized that the horoscope of birth is accidental\nin this sense, and represents the cosmical and mundane environment in\nwhich the character is required to express itself. It represents a\ncomposite of cosmic forces energizing through two great streams of\nheredity. But it is not essential to the man, as is character. It is not\ngoing to damn him for ever or confer on him the guerdon of a blessed\nimmortality. It is merely an environment, and that but a temporary one.\n\nAstrologers classify characters into three primary groups, representing\nstability, flexibility and incisiveness, or again, originality and\nindependence, adaptability, and executiveness. These answer to the\ngrouping of the planets in the several signs of the zodiac, namely, the\nFixed, Common and Cardinal signs, otherwise known as the grave,\ncircumflex and acute. These may be tabularized in the following manner\u2014\n\n           _Sign._              _Character._  _Faculty._\n\n           Aries, Libra,        Incisive.     Executiveness.\n\n           Capricorn, Cancer.\n\n           Cardinal or Acute.\n\n\n           Taurus, Scorpio,\n\n           Leo, Aquarius.       Stable.       Originality.\n\n           Fixed or Grave.\n\n\n           Gemini, Sagittary,\n\n           Virgo, Pisces.       Flexible.     Adaptability.\n\n           Common or\n           Circumflex.\n\nFrom this grouping we know at once what is the predominant mould of\ncharacter and hence what environment is most suitable for the exercise\nand expression of that character. And as applied to eugenics, we are\nable thereby to make selection of suitable partners in life, setting off\nthe stability of the one by the flexibility of the other, and so on.\nTake, for instance, the man who shows a predominant flexibility of\ncharacter, wide sympathies, versatility, prolixity and diffuseness. He\nis apt to become a dabbler, never thorough, and _aliquid in omnibus_.\nObviously his ambitions need pointing, his faculties concentrating, and\nhis natural powers conserving. Bring him into relations with a woman who\nhas a majority of the planets in cardinal signs, and he will find one\nwho can be of the greatest use to him in the shaping of character and\nthe directing of his ambitions and powers.\n\nWe might ring the changes and derive from these three types seven\ndistinct characters, all mutually interdependent and capable of\nfulfilling some special function in the economy of life, but never\nwholly of service when working alone. It is from the interplay of human\ncharacter in the ordinary course of life that the main purpose of human\nevolution is served.\n\nIt has already been shown that the lunar sphere is the last of those\nthrough which the incarnating entity passes when it proceeds towards\nmundane existence. It has been shown also that the Moon exercises a most\nimportant influence in human generation. It is to the Moon, therefore,\nthat we look for the final determination of that personal colouring\nwhich is the prime environment of the Soul. Accordingly we find that the\nMoon\u2019s position in a horoscope of birth is of the greatest importance.\n\nNot only does the Sign occupied by the Moon give to the character a\nspecial colouring, but the decanate and even the degree that is held by\nit play their part in the final determination of the personal colouring.\nBut inasmuch as there is an adaptation of means to end and of character\nto environment, we may go further and infer character as indicated by\nthe lunar position. In this way the whole phenomenal world may be\nregarded as the reflex of the noumenal. The person, as phenomenon,\nassumes a cosmic and spiritual significance. He is one of the divine\nsymbols.\n\nTo take a concrete instance. The Kaiser Wilhelm II was born with the\nMoon in the 28th degree of the sign Scorpio, which is ruled by the Sun,\nthe sign being under the dominion of the planet Mars. The Moon is\nopposed by Uranus, which disposes to a wayward and autocratic\ndisposition, some degree of eccentricity, a nature subject to impulses\nand precipitate actions. The Moon therefore takes the prime colouring of\nthe planet Mars, because it is in the sign of Mars, Scorpio, and we\naccordingly find that Mars is a very prominent planet in the horoscope,\nbeing in the Mid-heaven and near the conjunction with Neptune. It is\nnot, therefore, surprising that the Kaiser Wilhelm has received the name\nof \u201cWar Lord.\u201d He represents the fighting principle which makes for\nconquest and freedom. Zeal, courage, enthusiasm, enterprise and\nfrankness are among the martial attributes. To these attributes, the\nsolar degrees held by the Moon will contribute a degree of pride, love\nof fame, glory and display.\n\nTake another instance. Napoleon I was born with the Moon in the 28th\ndegree of the sign Capricornus. The sign is ruled by Saturn, and we find\nSaturn in the most prominent position in the horoscope, being in the\nMid-heaven in opposition to the Moon. Saturn is in the sign Cancer, and\nhe died from the disease associated with this sign. The degree is ruled\nby the Sun. Here we have the Moon in the cardinal sign Capricorn, ruled\nby Saturn, the most powerful planet in the horoscope. It is altogether\nsuitable to the \u201cMan of Destiny.\u201d The degree held by the Moon is ruled\nby the Sun, and this gives the desire for fame, honour, glory and\nrulership. The decanate of the sign occupied by the Moon is related to\nthe sign Aries ruled by Mars, and here we have the military instinct.\nBut the presiding influence in the horoscope is undoubtedly that of the\nplanet Saturn, in whose sign the Moon is found at the moment of birth.\nSaturn had an ancient reputation of devouring his own children, which\nmeans that those whom he raises in the world he eventually despoils. It\nwas thus in the case of Napoleons I and III, both of whom had the planet\nin the Mid-heaven of their horoscopes. But the tally of its victims is a\nlengthy one, and includes all grades of life. What sphere is likely to\nbe occupied by the subject of this or any other horoscopical influence\ncoming through the Moon, depends most of all upon the position of the\nplanet governing the Moon-sign, that is, the Sign in which the Moon is\nplaced at the birth. Thus I find that Rudyard Kipling has the Moon in\nGemini, and this is ruled by Mercury, who is in the sign Sagittarius in\nconjunction with Venus. Mercury is pre-eminently the representative of\nliterature and Venus that of poesy. But the Moon is also in the degree\nof Gemini that is ruled by Venus, and in that part of the sign which\nreflects the sign Aries, so that we have direct evidence of the military\nassociations of his poetical genius. The poet Shelley was born with the\nMoon in Pisces, which is ruled by Jupiter, a powerful planet in his\nhoroscope, and, conjoined with the planets Mars and Neptune, denoting\nthe fearless and zealous nature allied to mysticism and inspiration. The\nMoon being in a degree that is ruled by itself, denotes that love of\nchange and that restless inconsequence which characterized his life,\nwhile the Moon, being in the decanate which reflects the sign Cancer,\nadds that abiding love of maritime pursuits which eventually brought\nabout his death, and once more accentuated the import of the phrase:\n\u201cthe ruling passion strong in death!\u201d\n\nNelson was born with the Sun in the sign Leo, and the Sun, its ruler, in\nelevation. Shakespeare was born with the Moon in Taurus, with Venus its\nruler in elevation. Thus we see that all those who have distinguished\nthemselves in their sphere of life have the ruler of the Moon-sign in a\nprominent position in their horoscopes, and further that the exact\nposition of the Moon as to decanate and degree gives us the particular\nsetting of the character and the special faculty by which they are\ndistinguished.\n\nYet while the study of character and environment from the point of view\nof Astrology is in every way satisfactory to those who take it seriously\nin hand, it does not in itself afford that degree of evidence that is\nlooked for by people newly acquainted with its claims and teachings. For\nhuman character is a very complex thing, and universally shows the\nadmixture of elements that are common to all in a greater or less\ndegree. It is rather in the specialization of some one characteristic\nthat persons become distinguished. It is sometimes in the suppression of\nsome prevailing characteristic that others attain distinction. Thus we\nsee that the selfless devotion of one man to the needs of others draws\nhim away from the mass of commonly selfish people. Accentuation and\nabnegation may thus both claim their hold upon the public esteem, yet\nalways it is thoroughness that makes its mark in the world, and by that\nI mean the steadfast adherence to a plan of life which wins its way\nthrough in the end. So then, we see that the evolution of the unit from\nthe mass, the specialization of faculty in the individual, is the law of\nNature, and it hardly needed the philosophy of Nietzsche or the cult of\nthe Superman to enforce the fact upon our minds. And yet, after all,\nthere is no individual evolution possible for man apart from the race to\nwhich he belongs, and when all is done that self-effort can accomplish,\nwhen we have specialized and perfected to the highest possible degree,\nwhat remains but that we must perforce acknowledge our indebtedness to\nthe world and find our whole destiny to consist in the service of\nmankind. Thus Bulwer Lytton makes Zanoni to say: After all I perceive\nthat the common lot of mankind is its greatest and its sweetest\nblessing! Astrology at all events has no higher doctrine than this:\nStudy how best to serve.\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER XXVII\n                             THE LAW OF SEX\n\n\nSynthetic Philosophy and Comparative Theology have sought wisely to\nestablish a common basis for human thought and aspiration. From the\ncomplex of life and thought they have argued to fundamental unity. It\nhas been well said that the foolish and superficial look for differences\nin things about them, but the wise seek for the underlying identity. In\nthe last analysis of things animate and inanimate, we are faced by the\ninsoluble fact of sex distinction.\n\nWhen we speak of chemical affinity, of magnetism, of polarity, we are\nreally speaking in terms of sex. However far we push back our\ninvestigations along the lines of evolution we come at length to the\ndistinction which separates one-half of nature from the other, and which\nis seen to be at the root of all natural attractions and to be the\nsource of generation. Sex, as considered by itself and apart from\nfunction and organism, may be the result of a mode of vibration. We\ncannot say. We may go right back to the first principles of our\nconception of Life and we find the active and passive principles of\nForce and Matter, Heat and Moisture, Fire and Water, penetrating through\nthe various philosophies and schools of thought, but always a duality.\nEven in the Theological conception we have the divine principles of\nWisdom and Love in apposition, but united for the purpose of Creation\nand Preservation of the Universe. It is a mystery that cannot be solved.\nWe cannot in fact, determine whether sex distinction is temporary or\neternal. We have reason to regard it as radical and not accidental. For\nwhereas in the process of evolution it appears from time to time to\nmerge in various forms and to become hermaphroditic, we find it\ncontinually emerging again, persistent and irrepressible.\n\nFrom the occult point of view it appears to be impounded in the very\nelements of our being. It has been shown in these pages that the\nMicrocosmic Man is an epitome of the universe, compounded of universal\nelements, and responsive at all points to the laws controlling the\ncosmos. It has also been shown that the Moon, so far as this earth is\nconcerned, is the cosmic factor which represents variability. It has\nalso been shown that it exercises first influence in the process of\ngeneration, and, therefore we may expect to find it intimately connected\nwith the question of sex. It is, in fact, found to be the factor which\ndetermines the astral forces towards the evolution of sex function and\norganism.\n\nBy an empiricism based on an occult law and proved by the application of\nthis law to hundreds of cases of well-authenticated births, it has been\nestablished that the determination of sex follows a definite course from\na certain point of time bearing a mathematical and astronomical\nrelationship to the moment of birth. Thus, given the moment at which a\nbirth took place in any locality, it is possible to at once indicate the\nsex without the fact being communicated. By this I do not mean that sex\nproduction is voluntary in human or animal generation. That is a problem\nwhich the Eugenists should consider in the light of the law of sex I am\nnow concerned with.\n\nThe four cardinal points of the zodiac, Aries 0\u00b0, Libra 0, Capricorn 0\nand Cancer 0, are the generating points of the circle or Wheel of Life.\nThese points are not artificial. They are natural. They mark the stages\nat which the Sun in its apparent course about the earth cross the\nequator, and attain the maximum and minimum degrees of elevation. By\nanalogy they are related to the Dawn, Noon, Sunset and Midnight of the\ndaily circle; to the Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter of the year; and\nto the periods of Childhood, Manhood, Maturity and Senility in the life\nof man. It is this consent of Nature to the universal paradigm that\nenables us to trace the course of mundane events from astral conditions\nin force at these several points of the year, as Kepler allowed from his\nown experience, and as Astrologers find continually to be the case.\n\nTaking these four points of the zodiac, then, as the starting-points for\nthe determination of cosmic forces ultimating as sex, we find that Aries\n0 is female, Capricornus 0 male, Libra 0 male and Cancer 0 female. They\nfollow the lines of the segmentation of the cell in the animal organism.\nThus\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 28.]\n\nFrom each of these points there are six others generated, which are\nalternately male and female in potentiality.\n\nHere it is necessary to introduce the lunar factor, since it is the\nmeans of the distribution of the \u201csex degrees\u201d as we may call them,\nwhich are generated from the four cardinal points. For this purpose we\nhave to regard the moon in relation to the number 7, which is the number\nof days in which it forms its successive phases. From one phase to\nanother is a quadrant of 90\u00b0 and this divided by seven will give the\nmean acceleration of 12-6/7\u00b0. If we divide the circle into seven parts\nwe shall get 51-3/7\u00b0 and further dividing this into four parts, in order\nto get the twenty-eight days of the Moon\u2019s passage, we shall have again\n12-6/7\u00b0.\n\nIt is the septenate division of the circle which enables us to get the\nsex degrees that are generated from the four cardinal points. Thus, from\nAries 0 we arrive at Taurus 21-3/7, Cancer 12-6/7, Virgo 4-2/7, Libra\n25-5/7, Sagittarius 17-1/7, and Aquarius 8-4/7. These are found to be\nmale and female in alternation. From Libra 0 we derive the same degrees\nof the opposite signs, but the sex is reversed in each case. From\nCapricornus we derive Leo 21, Libra 13, Sagittarius 4, Capricorn 26,\nPisces 17, and Taurus 8, the sex of each being the same as the\ncorresponding degrees of the zodiac generated from Libra. From Cancer we\nderive the same degrees of the opposite signs to those derived from\nCapricornus, but the sex is reversed in each case.\n\nThere are thus four sets of degrees alternately male and female in\ntendency which are generated from the four cardinal points, and these\nmay be set out in order as derived, thus\u2014\n\n[Illustration: Figure 29.]\n\nIt will be observed that the fractions are omitted and the nearest\ncomplete degree inserted. Then if we arrange these four sets of degrees\ninto their groups under the radical generator, we shall have a central\ngenerating point with a six-pointed star or interlaced triangle around\nit, the upright triangle being male and the reversed triangle female at\nthe radials. Each of these stars will occupy one of the four cardinal\npoints of the Cosmic Cross.\n\n[Illustration: Figure 30. Diagram of the Cosmic Star. Showing the\ngeneration of the Sex Degrees of the Zodiac from the Four Cardinal\nPoints.]\n\nThe application of the Law of Sex requires some little astronomical\npractice. It is first of all necessary to find the place of the Moon at\nthe time of birth. If the moon is found in a sex degree or within three\ndegrees of one, it will retain the sex of that degree. Otherwise, it is\nnecessary to observe whether the Moon is increasing or decreasing at the\ntime, and if increasing, the Moon\u2019s place must be put on the East\nhorizon, but if decreasing, it will be on the West horizon. This\nposition is found to answer to the Moon\u2019s place at the Prenatal Epoch,\nconcerning which some explanation is necessary.\n\nThe normal period of human gestation is nine solar or ten lunar months.\nIt will be found that the moon makes ten revolutions while the Sun\npasses through nine signs of the zodiac. But this normal period may be\nincreased or decreased, and that quite normally, by the relative\npositions of the luminaries at the time of inception. I use this word to\ndistinguish it from conception, which term connotes certain\nphysiological processes and facts. The astral factor should not be\nidentified in point of time with the physiological processes of coitus\nand impregnation.\n\nNow it is found that when at birth the Moon is increasing in light, that\nis, going towards the full, and above the horizon, or conversely,\ndecreasing in light and below the horizon, the period from birth to\ninception is _less_ than ten lunar months by a quantity determined by\nthe Moon\u2019s distance from the horizon. But when the Moon at birth is\nfound to be decreasing and above the horizon, or increasing and below\nthe horizon, the period of time from birth to inception is found to be\n_more_ than ten lunar months by a quantity determined by the Moon\u2019s\ndistance from the horizon.\n\nThe measure of this plus or minus quantity is thus computed. The Moon\u2019s\ndistance is taken from the horizon East or West, according as it is\nincreasing or decreasing in light. If increasing, it is taken from the\nEast, and if decreasing from the West. The number of zodiacal degrees\nbetween the Moon and the horizon thus indicated has then to be divided\nby the Moon\u2019s mean diurnal motion, which is 13\u00b0 11\u00b4 roughly, and this\nwill be the number of days more or less than ten lunar revolutions by\nwhich the birth is separated from the inception.\n\nThis calculation from the Moon\u2019s position in the zodiac and prime\nvertical enables us certainly to fix the day of the inception. The next\nstep is to find the time of day at which the Moon is in exact\nhoroscopical relations with the moment of birth.\n\nThis is done by a single observation. In all normal cases it is found\nthat if the Moon is increasing in light at the time of birth, that is to\nsay, going from the new to the full, its longitude at the moment of\nbirth will be the ascendant at the inception, and if decreasing at birth\nits longitude will be the descendant at the moment of the inception.\nThen universally it is found that the Moon is, at that moment, in the\nexact longitude which was rising or setting at the birth. Now having the\nmoon\u2019s acceleration as a variable factor, ranging from 11\u00b0 50\u00b4 to 15\u00b0\n17\u00b4 per day, the chances are millions to one against the Moon being in\nthe exact degree and minute that was on the horizon at birth at the same\ntime that the Moon\u2019s place at birth was rising or setting on a local\nhorizon. Yet this is found to be the fact! What other conclusion can we\ncome to, having regard to all the factors employed, and the wonderful\nharmony that is observed to result, than that \u201cGod geometrizes,\u201d as\nPlato wisely said. Things do not happen by chance, but by law. Law is\nthe expression of intelligence inhering in action. The universe is\nrendered intelligible by its laws. Whatever is intelligible expresses\nIntelligence.\n\nBut we have yet to consider the variation of the law that is conformable\nto the Law of Sex. This Law of Lunar Appulsion in the matter of human\ngeneration would work out exactly as stated above in every case were it\nnot for the fact that Sex is the dominant and controlling factor, and\nthat by reason of it a birth may be delayed or advanced by a period\nranging from a fortnight to as much as two months. For, whatever may be\nthe other factors involved in the horoscopical conditions of a birth,\nsex must be satisfied first and foremost. It is the controlling factor.\nObserve, then, that if the birth is male and the Moon occupies a female\ndegree, as indicated above, should the Moon be increasing in light, the\nLaw of Lunar Appulsion already detailed will require that the Moon\u2019s\nplace should rise at the Epoch of inception or, as it is called, the\n\u201cPrenatal Epoch,\u201d and consequently a female degree would be rising at\nsuch Epoch. This would be contrary to the sex, and consequently we know\nthat the Moon\u2019s place at birth must be setting at the Epoch, so that a\nmale degree may be rising. This is the case, _mutatus mutandis_, when\nthe Moon is in a male degree and the sex is female. Then, this\nadjustment being duly made, it is found that the horoscope resulting\nwill find the Moon in the exact degree that was rising at birth. Exactly\nsimilar considerations hold in the case of a Moon that is decreasing at\nbirth. This is the first establishment of the Law of Sex as controlling\nthe time of birth.\n\nThe next is when the Moon does not occupy a sex degree but is more than\nthree degrees removed from either male or female degrees. In such case\nwe have to consider whether the degree on the horizon at the moment of\nbirth pertains to either sex. For if it be so, and the degree is of the\nsex of the child born, then we know that the Moon was in that degree at\nthe Epoch, whether it was increasing or decreasing in light at the\nbirth. This will control the day of birth in the same way that the first\nrule controlled the moment of it. Only when neither the Moon nor the\nhorizon are occupied by sex degrees the Law of Lunar Appulsion operates\nwithout restriction. This clearly shows that the Law of Sex is\nparamount, and that it can and does control the Law of Lunar Appulsion.\nBy appulsion we mean that outbreathing from the moon-sphere towards the\nearth which corresponds to the diastole of respiration, by which the\nvital forces of the cosmos focussed by the Moon are carried towards the\nearth for the production and sustentation of the species.\n\nIf this Law were a matter of chance it will be seen by any one\nacquainted with the astronomical facts, that the chances are dead\nagainst it working out in practice. Yet the facts are in daily test by\nastrologers the world over, and we may hence conclude that the Law of\nSex has absolutely been discovered, or at all events the rules by which\nwe may recognize its cosmic relations.\n\nWith a closer knowledge of the initial stages of generation, it will be\npossible, by a reversal of the factors here employed, to argue from the\ninception to the birth, instead of as now from the birth backwards to\nthe Epoch of inception. In such case we shall have obtained the secret\nof how to determine the sex of offspring at will. That the Prenatal\nEpoch here established answers to some incipient stage of the process of\ngeneration there can be no reasonable doubt whatever, for wherever the\ntime of birth is accurately taken by a medical man it answers exactly to\nthe astronomical considerations required by the Law as formulated.\nElsewhere I have delivered a diagram showing the Moon\u2019s position for\neach month from the inception to the birth, from which we see that there\nis a definite law of pulsation marking a spiral descent of the Monad\nalong the line of energy instituted between the Moon\u2019s place at the\nEpoch and the point of the zodiac on the horizon at the moment of birth.\nThis I have called the Descent of the Monad, and it affords a study of\nthe greatest psychological value. Very many attempts have been made on\nthe part of gynecologists to ascertain the law controlling Sex, and I\nhave introduced this section in the hope that such as may have a\npractical interest in this question will avail themselves of the facts\nso far derived from the study of occultism.\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER XXVIII\n                            A TEST OF VALUE\n\n\nThe Old Philosopher of China has said that the virtue of everything is\nin its use. If Cosmic Symbolism cannot be applied to the practical ends\nof life it will not succeed in appealing to the average intellect, which\nsets for its standard the single test of utility. In these pages I have\nendeavoured to show that the Universe as Symbol is best studied in\nrelation to its bearing on the common needs of humanity. I have also\nshown that Astrology is the only system of thought and practice that\nattempts the application. I propose now to examine the educational value\nof this study and its practical use in daily life, and thus to place it\namong the list of those subjects that have a serious claim to the\nconsideration of enlightened people.\n\nTracing our way through the Encyclop\u00e6dia of knowledge we find that most\nof the deeper studies that engage the powers of men are valuable, not so\nmuch for the ends they lead to, as for the mental training obtained in\ntheir pursuit. It is one of the outstanding features of modern\nscientific methods that we are required to bring our theories into\nagreement with known facts. The facts themselves are often uninteresting\nand of small practical value, but they serve as landmarks by which to\ndirect our course towards conclusions which in themselves are often\nvaluable. It is thus with astronomy. The application of the _Principia_\nor of the Laws of Kepler to the cosmos as we know it is an exercise\nrequiring the greatest possible care, considerable mathematical ability,\nand the patience of a Prometheus. The bare facts of astronomy are not\ngenerally interesting. We are not solicitous of knowing in exactly how\nmany days, hours, minutes and seconds the planet Jupiter completes its\ncourse about the Sun. What is of more practical interest to us as\nterrestrials is to know Jupiter\u2019s relations to this world of ours, what\nit stands for in the economy of life, and what influence, if any, it\nexerts over us.\n\nNow Astrology, while employing all the elements of astronomy that have\nany certain foundation in fact, is calculated as a study to engage all\nthe highest faculties of the human mind, while it brings to the results\nobtained the added virtue of utility.\n\nThe late Professor Max M\u00fcller once paid Astrology a great tribute when\nhe said that many of our most distinguished men of intellect were at\nthis day practiced astrologers, but that \u201cfew cared to let their studies\nbe known, so great was the ignorance which confounded a science\nrequiring the highest education with that of the ordinary gipsy\nfortune-teller.\u201d Possibly he had in mind the late Lord Chief Justice, or\nDr. Richard Garnett, or indeed any one of the host of intelligent\nstudents who have secretly avowed their adherence to the science. That\nwhich held the admiration of Claudius Ptolemy, and received the\nimprimatur of Tycho and Kepler, which attracted Lord Verulam, Francis\nBacon, and was held in the highest esteem by that trained scientific\nobserver and profound thinker, Sir Isaac Newton, and which in all ages\nand nations has included the highest intellects among its votaries, is\naffirmed by the great Orientalist to have a real value in the estimation\nof modern students whose attainments have placed them in a position to\njudge in the matter.\n\nLet us, therefore, look soberly and carefully at this science of\nAstrology and see if its study is likely to be at all profitable from\nthe point of view of education.\n\nAstrology is both a science and a philosophy. As science it is concerned\nwith the facts of astronomy and as philosophy with the application of\nthose facts to the problems of life and mind. The astronomical facts are\nof first interest. Before we can say anything at all about the interplay\nof planetary action in human life we have to be able to set a map of the\nheavens for any time and place at which a person may have birth. For\nthis purpose one can avail himself of the Ephemerides of the _Nautical\nAlmanac_, the _Connaissance des Temps_, or any of those cheaper\npublications which are extracted from them. From various handbooks\nwritten by astrological authors he may then learn how to erect a\nhoroscope or map of the heavens for any time and place. Such practical\nknowledge is not to be found in any exposition of astronomy that I have\nyet come across. It enables the student to observe with perfect accuracy\nin what relations the various heavenly bodies were at the given time and\nexactly where they were situated as seen from a particular locality on\nthe earth\u2019s surface. The student finds considerable satisfaction in this\npiece of practical work. But it is only preliminary to the further study\nof the subject. For it will be seen that whereas the positions of the\nplanets at the moment of birth have a symbolical value as regards the\nwhole tenor and course of the life, the particular times at which events\nprefigured are likely to take place can only be known from a study of\nthe subsequent motions of the heavenly bodies after the date of birth.\nFor it is from the constant changes taking place in the kaleidoscope of\nthe greater world about us that we draw our conclusions as to the time\nand nature of events. The planets are continually altering their\nrelative positions owing to their different velocities and they thus\nform aspects or certain angular distances in regard to the places of the\nplanets in the horoscope of birth and also among themselves in the\nheavens. The process of bringing a planet to the place of another in the\nhoroscope of birth is called \u201cdirecting\u201d and involves a knowledge of\nspherical trigonometry. This brings me to an interesting fact. It is\nthat the whole science of astronomy and the art of making ephemerides of\nthe planets\u2019 positions was kept alive solely by the personal labours and\nspecial knowledge of a handful of practical astrologers.\n\nThe Alphonsine Tables which were composed by the Arabian and Spanish\nastrologers and which were collected under the command of Alphonso X of\nCastile at a cost of four hundred thousand crowns, and published with a\nroyal preface in the year 1252, are among the earliest examples of their\ngreat devotion. The Almagest of Ptolemy was completed about A.D. 148 and\nwas inscribed in the Temple of Serapis. The Rudolphine Tables composed\nby Tycho and completed by Kepler were digested and recomposed by\nMorinus, Mathematical Professor to the King of France, and printed at\nParis in the year 1650. Ptolemy, Tycho, Kepler and Morin were all\npracticed astrologers. The _Nautical Almanac_ was first published in\n1767 by Dr. Neville Maskelyne, and afterwards greatly improved in 1834.\nThe _Connaissance des Temps_ was published in 1699. Whence, think you,\ndid the astrologers obtain their information regarding the positions of\nthe planets prior to these years of authorized publication? They\ncalculated them for themselves. Without astronomy there could be no\nAstrology. They kept astronomy alive.\n\nVery few people understand what labour there is attaching to the\nproduction of the various elements that one finds in the common almanac.\nHow many of my readers are prepared to calculate for themselves the time\nat which the Sun will rise or set upon the horizon of a particular\nlocality? How many could say with any certainty at what time the Moon\nwould south, or cross the upper meridian? What percentage of people\ncould say when and where an eclipse of the Sun or Moon would occur,\nwhere it would be visible, its extent and duration? The modern\nastrologer has a remarkably easy time compared with the labours of his\npredecessors. He can refer to his official guide, or consult the popular\nalmanac for all his elements. But for the working out of a horoscope and\nits subsequent directions, he must certainly have a practical knowledge\nof the use of an astronomical ephemeris.\n\nFrom astronomy his attention is turned at once to Geography. He has to\ndetermine the exact longitude and latitude of a place, the name only of\nwhich is given, for he has to make his map of the heavens as seen from\nthe place of birth. Here he gets a practical knowledge of localities and\nof the orientation of horoscopes. In his pursuit of Astrology the\nstudent will find himself tracking back through the biographies of great\nmen and women in order to find data from which to test the various\nascriptions of the astrologers. He will turn up cases of dementia and\ninsanity in persons of repute and compare the data afforded by their\nhoroscopes with the rules of Ptolemy, Morinus and Cardan. He will\nincidentally acquire a considerable knowledge of men and things which\nelse had been to him an unwritten book.\n\nFurther, testing the theory of eclipse influences he will inevitably\nfind his way back to the ruined cities of Nineveh and Babylon and the\nthree historical eclipses which preceded the downfall of the great\nEmpire, which eclipses we have received from Hipparchus through the\nSyntaxis of Ptolemy. As to the latter there are the Greek, Latin and\nEnglish editions of the work open to his study.\n\nThe student will not proceed far before he comes up against the problem\nof Calendarics. He will find it impossible to understand and follow the\nworks of the ancients without some notion of the equilization of Eras,\nand it will become imperative, if he would check the statements made in\ntheir works, as he should do, that he undertake the task of converting\nancient into modern calendars. He may even find it necessary to know the\nnames of the Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek, Indian and Chinese months. It is\nall involved in the process of his study. He will certainly require to\nknow what are the Eras of the Hegira, the Salivahana, the Olympiads, and\nthe Kali Yuga.\n\nKeen on the track of this ancient lore he may elect to study the\nprimitive Chinese language, and the noble Sanskrit of India, the more\nperfectly to acquaint himself with the traditions of these peoples and\nto study their ancient presentment of the science of Astrology. He may\nconveniently follow up the record through the Greeks and Latins.\n\nAssuredly he will need to acquaint himself, at least superficially, with\nthe anatomy of the human body, its physiology, pathology and hygiene. In\nthe allocation of faculty to environment he will come into touch with\nsociology and will discriminate between the planetary occupations cited\nby Ptolemy and those that enter into the complex of modern life. In\nconnection with the questions of marriage and progeny, the study of\neugenics and gynecology will claim his attention. The study of character\nas revealed by the planetary dispositions at the moment of birth will\nbring him into touch with the profound and as yet only partially\ndeveloped science of Psychology.\n\nCosmogony will inevitably hold his attention while studying the effects\nof planetary action in the world at large, and seismology and\nmeteorology are branches of mundane astrology that cannot be overlooked\nby any thorough student. For the argument comes easily to hand that if\nthe planets do not affect the world at large they cannot affect us as\ndenizens of the world.\n\nFrom this by no means exhaustive category of subjects directly connected\nwith the study of Astrology, it will be seen that it entails a liberal\neducation and one, moreover, that cannot be matched by the curriculum of\nany of our schools or colleges. So that, whether we regard Astrology as\na science, a philosophy or an occult art, it is certain that its\npursuit, if carried out consistently, cannot fail to improve the mind of\nall who engage in it.\n\nBut as Laotze has said, the virtue of everything is in its use. If\nAstrology has no practical advantages to offer us it will at best only\nsecure a place of academical repute. Those who have followed it out into\nthe broad issues of life will, however, be able to affirm that in\ninfancy, youth, adolescence and old age, Astrology is adequate to the\nneeds of all as a source of guidance and information. From the very\noutset of life we are faced by considerations of health, questions\nregarding the continuance of life, matters connected with education, the\ndevelopment of special faculty, and all those problems that vex the\nparental mind. Then later on we have to decide upon the choice of\noccupation, and later still on the all-important question of marriage.\nThen come the host of considerations hedging the welfare of the average\nman, questions regarding business affairs, travelling, partnerships,\nalliances, and the final disposition of one\u2019s affairs. There are also\nthe financial problems to be dealt with, matters of investment and of\nspeculation\u2014for it is never wise to speculate unless you know\u2014and on the\ndomestic side of life we have a multitude of problems which can easily\nbe imagined but are difficult to recite.\n\nIn all these matters Astrology is found to be consistently useful as a\nguide and system of foreknowledge. Let me take some practical\nillustrations of the value of foreknowledge. The Russo-Japanese War and\nits outbreak in the Korea was foreseen and specifically predicted by me\nfrom the Eclipses of 1893. The fact that thousands of persons are\ndirectly or indirectly concerned in the appreciation or depreciation of\nthe commercial interests and Government securities of those countries\nwill point the practical value of this piece of intelligent\nanticipation.\n\nThe Hispano-American War of 1898 was predicted and the corner in wheat\ncoinciding with the outbreak of that event was foreseen. Was this of any\nvalue to those whose business it is to anticipate the price of\ncommodities and to arrange their shipments accordingly? Was the fall in\nConsols in 1899 on the outbreak of the Boer War of no consequence to\ntrustees and financiers? Consols were then at 112 and they fell to 88.\nMy statement to the _Daily Mail_ twelve months before the event was that\nConsols next year would, on account of war, be as much below par as they\nwere then above it. These are not isolated predictions carrying with\nthem a fictitious value as spasmodic evidences, but they form part of a\ncoherent and consistent system of forecast which has been available to\nthe public for many years and of which many have taken advantage.\n\nJudged by the test of fact and utility it will be seen that Cosmic\nSymbolism as developed in the science of Astrology is everywhere and in\nall directions abundantly justified in its claim to a patient and\ndispassionate investigation at the hands of competent critics, and\nuniversally it will be found to answer the common problems of life and\nto throw a flood of light upon some of the more recondite mysteries of\nour being.\n\nIn this work I have sought to be rather suggestional than informing, to\nstimulate rather than to satisfy curiosity, and to entice the reader to\na consideration of some few ideas which arise out of the study of the\nUniverse as Symbol. In this I trust I have been successful.\n\n\n\n\n                         Rider\u2019s Latest Fiction\n\n\n         THE GODS OF THE DEAD\n         BY WINIFRED GRAHAM\n         Author of \u201cMary,\u201d \u201cThe Star Child,\u201d \u201cEzra the Mormon,\u201d &c.\n         Price =6s.=\n\n\n         THE SORCERY CLUB\n         BY ELLIOTT O\u2019DONNELL\n         Author of \u201cByways of Ghostland,\u201d &c., &c.\n         Price =6s.=\n\n\n         THE WEIRD OF THE WANDERER\n         BY PROSPERO AND CALIBAN\n         Price =6s.=\n\n\n         THE RAKE\u2019S PROGRESS\n         BY MARJORIE BOWEN\n         Author of \u201cThe Viper of Milan,\u201d &c.\n         Price =2s.= net.\n\n\n         THE PRIESTESS OF ISIS\n         NEW CHEAP EDITION\n         BY \u00c9DOUARD SCHUR\u00c9\n         Author of \u201cThe Great Initiates,\u201d &c.\n         Price =2s.= net.\n\n\n         DRACULA\n         BY BRAM STOKER\n         420 pp. Cloth. =1s.= net.\n         The most thrilling occult novel ever written.\n\n\n         THE JEWEL OF SEVEN STARS\n         BY BRAM STOKER\n         320 pp. Cloth. =1s.= net. Uniform with \u201cDracula.\u201d\n         An exciting story of the Dracula type.\n\nWILLIAM RIDER & SON, Ltd., Publishers, London, E.C.\n\n\n\n\n                        WILLIAM RIDER & SON, LTD\n                         _LATEST PUBLICATIONS._\n\n\n    =HYPNOTISM AND SUGGESTION.= A Practical Handbook. By EDWIN ASH,\n    M.D., B.Sc. London, M.R.C.S. New and Cheaper Edition. Cr. 8vo. 137\n    pp. and Index. Cloth. =1s.= net.\n\n    =NUMBERS: Their Meaning and Magic.= By ISIDORE KOZMINSKY. Enlarged\n    and Revised Edition, with frontispiece Portrait of Author. Cr. 8vo.\n    100 pp. Ornamental Paper Cover. =1s.= net.\n\n    =HAND READING.= By AN ADEPT. New Edition. With Plates. Cr. 8vo.\n    Cloth. =1s.= net.\n\n    =WHAT IS HEALTH?= By GRACE DAWSON, Author of \u201cHow to Rest and be\n    Rested,\u201d etc. A New Volume of the \u201cMind and Body\u201d Handbooks. Small\n    Cr. 8vo. Cloth. =1s.= net.\n\n    =YOUR FORTUNE IN YOUR NAME; or, Kabalistic Astrology.= Being the\n    Hebraic method of Divination by the power of Sound, Number and\n    Planetary Influence. By \u201cSEPHARIAL,\u201d Author of the \u201cNew Manual of\n    Astrology,\u201d etc. Third and Cheaper Edition. Cr. 8vo. Cloth. =2s.=\n    net.\n\n    =THE BOOK OF DESTINY and the Art of Reading Therein.= By \u201cGRAND\n    ORIENT,\u201d Author of \u201cA Manual of Cartomancy.\u201d Cr. 8vo. Cloth gilt.\n    =2s. 6d.= net.\n\n    CONTENTS: The Great Oracle of the Gods\u2014The Art of Knowing the Good\n    Genii and their Influence upon the Destiny of Men\u2014The Occult Science\n    of Jewels\u2014Destiny in Pleasure and Business\u2014Curiosities of Planetary\n    Lore\u2014The Wheel of Wisdom\u2014Divination by Flowers\u2014The Mystery and\n    Interpretation of Dreams.\n\n    =CHEIRO\u2019S LANGUAGE OF THE HAND.= A complete practical work on the\n    Sciences of Cheirognomy and Cheiromancy, containing the System,\n    Rules and Experience of CHEIRO. Fifty-five full-page Illustrations\n    and over 200 Engravings of lines, mounts and marks. Size 10-1/4 \u00d7 8\u00bd\n    inches. =10s. 6d.= net. 15th Edition.\n\n    =THE OPEN SECRET: Intuitions of Life and Reality.= By CHARLES J.\n    WHITBY, M.D., Author of \u201cThe Wisdom of Plotinus,\u201d \u201cMakers of Men,\u201d\n    etc. Cr. 8vo. Cloth gilt. =2s. 6d.= net. A stimulating volume on the\n    Problems of Life, and the secret of their solution.\n\n    =THE TRANSPARENT JEWEL.= By MABEL COLLINS, Author of \u201cLight on the\n    Path,\u201d etc. Cr. 8vo. Cloth. Gilt top. =2s.= net. Being an Essay upon\n    the Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, to which is added a Translation of\n    the Aphorisms of the Hindu Sage.\n\nWILLIAM RIDER & SON, Ltd., Cathedral House, Paternoster Row, E.C.\n\n\n\n\n \u25cf Transcriber\u2019s Notes:\n    \u25cb Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).\n    \u25cb Footnotes have been moved to follow the chapters in which they are\n      referenced.","title":"Cosmic symbolism : $b Being a discussion and exposition of some recondite and obscure points in the art of the Kabalists, the mysteries of sound, form and number, and the basic principles of cosmic symbolism","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":70427}