第13章

We read that the sign Leo is the "solar Lion of the mysteries, that, ripens with his own internal heat the fruits brought forth from the Earth by the moisture of Isis (the soul)." Just so, the Divine Ego, by its eternal energy and strength, the pure fire of intelligence, externalizes through material forms the principles involved in the downward portion of the arc, as qualities and attributes of the soul (reflected in the physical man as traits and qualities).Again we are told, "this sign reveals to us the ancient sacrifice and the laws of its compensation." In the imperiousness of a deathless courage, the soul defies all consequences and responsibilities.Surely, this is the supreme sacrifice, to leave its pure, Edenic state to gainknowledge, to evolve its latent forces.And from this lion of the Tribe of Judah, is born that Divine love and sympathy which ultimately redeems and purifies the soul and saves it from death in matter.The laws of its compensation are fulfilled in the prefected man.

In its intellectual aspect, we learn that the mental forces of those dominated by this sign are ever striving to attain unto some higher state.Their ideas are grand, compared with the nature of the constellation, and all that it implies.The reflection is clear, natural and beautiful.When we reflect upon this awful period in the involution of the dual souls of the Divine Ego, as symbolized by the constellation, and the grand truths represented by the astrological sign when refracted through the human organism, the reason for Leo being named the Royal Sign becomes quite plain.

VI.Virgo

"And following Virgo calms his rage again."Beautifully expressive are these lines to those who read their mystic import aright.Virgo is the reaction of the leonine force, and is, consequently, a feminine symbol.

Action and reaction are the eternal laws upon which the cosmos is founded.They constitute the inseparable affinities, attraction and repulsion, of everything within the realm of manifested being.In this mystic constellation, we see the first ideas of maternal instinct arise.This is a necessary result of the impulsive action of the heart in Leo--the reaction from a state of imperious, defiance.The heat of rage or energy and deathless courage results in the IDEAS of something to be encountered, overcome, and of self-preservation.The dual soul descends still another volve in the spiral of its celestial journey toward crystallized forms.

Virgo, the Virgin of the skies, and eternal symbol of that Divine, immaculate conception, shows wherein these forces lie.Here is conceived, in a pure, holy sense, the first instinct of love within the dual soul.It represents that awful period in the Biblical Garden of Eden, wherein the VIRGIN WIFE stands before the tree of knowledge, of good and evil, where she is fascinated by the allurements of matter and is unconsciously becoming enveloped in the coils of the serpent.In other words, after thecosmic force had SHAKEN ITS MANE in defiance of material forces, it is the reaction of his subjective half which sees HOW GOOD material things are; or, in other words, "and following Virgo calms his rage again." The masculine half, or positive force of the soul, yields to temptation and is soothed by the alluring prospects.

It will be noticed in this connection that pity, reflection, and compassion, are the peculiar actions of the sign Virgo in the Zodiac (not the constellation), and that astrologically it governs the bowels.This symbolism is really very beautiful when closely compared and studied.That immaculate conception of pure love of the soul for its other half, upon the astrological plane, becomes refracted and reacts as compassion and pity.Again, the soul, within subjective realms, sees how good material things are, and its refraction represents the assimilating functions of the human organism.It also reveals to us the significance of the Lord's Supper.At this stage of its journey, the Divine Ego knows for the last time that close communion with the twin soul before the crucifixion, the wine typical of the sacrifice, the bread, and the sustaining forces, of its own immortal being.

The intellectual aspect of the sign Virgo forms a perfect analogy to the constellation, and is too evident for further remarks.

VII.Libra

"Then day and night are weighed in Libra's scales; Equal awhile, at last the night prevails."Another volve in the spiral, and we reach the grand climax of the soul's journey, within the spiritual world.

The nature of this constellation was, for ages, concealed from all but Initiates; for the reason that, it contains the most important mysteries connected with the human soul.It is the grand transition are between the spiritual world and the astral world; in other words, between ideal conceptions and elemental forms, between the world of design and the realms of force.

One of the chief mysteries of Libra is, that, it is androgyne, or bisexual, in nature.So far the dual soul has evolved within the realms of spirituality; here it stands, in the celestial balance, between the two, giving way totemptation, takes the forbidden fruit and instantly awakes from its purely spiritual state to become surrounded by the illusions of matter.The struggle of the soul with the attracting forces of matter is very clearly expressed in the line:--"Equal awhile, at last the night prevails."In other words, astral and physical darkness bedim the soul's spiritual sight, and, leaving the realms of innocence and bliss, they sink into the vortex of the great astral world.