Esoteric Astrology: The Journey of the Soul

By Candy Hillenbrand

Esoteric astrology is the astrology of the soul. The delineation of a natal chart from the soulcentred perspective focuses on the purpose of the soul, why we are here, where we have come from, and where we are heading. Traditional or exoteric astrology is the astrology of the personality. Its focus is on the problems and potentials of the personality. The body of knowledge known as Esoteric Astrology is drawn from the Theosophical tradition and the teachings of the Tibetan teacher Djwhal Khul, as dictated to Alice A. Bailey. It is contained in a voluminous set of books which form a large part of what is referred to as the Ancient or Ageless Wisdom teachings. Soul-centred astrology is based on the understanding that there is a spark of divinity, or 'soul' within each of us. According to this cosmology, reincarnation and the reality of the soul are accepted as fact. Many sense this divinity. The moments of deep insight, peace, awe, wonder, grace and love that we have all experienced at some time are voices from the Soul. Some call this divinity God/Goddess, the Higher Self, the Core Self, the Transpersonal Self, the inner voice, the Buddha or Christ. It manifests as the religious urge in man/woman. Indeed, Carl Jung, in his book Modern Man in Search of a Soul , makes the astounding assertion that in thirty years of treating patients in the second half of life, their illness or neurosis was invariably the result of a lack of spiritual or religious meaning: "....there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life. It is safe to say that every one of them fell ill because he had lost that which the living religions of every age have given to their followers, and none of them has been really healed who did not regain his religious outlook." [1] This soul, or divine spark, strives towards unity and perfection, and according to the Ancient Wisdom teachings, its motivation is selfless and its purpose is service to humanity or contribution to the greater whole. It is essentially a humanitarian philosophy and is therefore highly appropriate for our incoming Age of Aquarius. According to the Ancient Wisdom teachings, the structure of man/woman can be symbolically represented as a downward-pointing triangle (the personality) linked by the Antahkarana or Rainbow Bridge to an upward-pointing triangle (the soul). See Figure 1. FIGURE 1

The highest goal of traditional or personality-centred astrology is the integration of the personality. This is achieved by recognising and striving to overcome the limitations and problems of the personality, such as physical excesses, emotional instability and negative thinking. The goal of personality integration is to bring the body, emotions and mind into a state of harmony. The orientation of many of the personal growth techniques and healing modalities is towards this end. For example, hatha yoga, nutrition and herbal medicine work on healing the physical body. The Bach Flower Remedies and counselling work on healing the emotional nature. Positive affirmations, Christian Science and prayer work on healing the mental nature. The integration of the personality is an on-going process. Once this has been achieved to some degree, the goal becomes one of infusing the personality with the qualities of the soul, or to make the connection with the Higher Self. There are various techniques which can assist us to connect with the Soul or Higher Self. These include meditation, some forms of creative visualisation, dreamwork, psychosynthesis, artistic and musical expression, communing with nature, compassionate service, study of the Holy Scriptures and Ancient Wisdom classics, and so on. The soul-infused personality is symbolically represented by the six-pointed star. See Figure 2. [3] FIGURE 2

You will notice that the triangle of the Soul has a threefold nature corresponding to a higher octave of the personality vehicles. The physical body has its higher counterpart in Spiritual Will or Purpose. The emotional body has its higher counterpart in Universal Love, while the mental body or rational mind has its higher counterpart in Higher Mind. There are several approaches to esoteric astrology, and it is indeed a complex body of knowledge. Therefore, I would like to keep it as simple as possible. One of the fundamental differences between esoteric and exoteric astrology is that both are based on a completely different set of planetary rulerships. Some esoteric astrologers, such as Dr Douglas Baker, dismiss traditional astrology altogether and work only with the esoteric rulerships. Other esoteric astrologers, such as Alan Oken, recommend the interfacing or juxtaposing of the personality-centred chart with the soul-centred chart. Another important point is that esoteric astrology has its foundation in an understanding of the Science of the Seven Rays . [4] This is a system of soul/personality typology and is referred to by Bailey as Esoteric Psychology. For the purposes of this article however, I am not going to deal with the Seven Rays, although their meanings are implicit within each of the astrological factors. What I am presenting here is a somewhat eclectic approach which can only scratch the surface of this vast body of knowledge. There are a few basic principles which we can begin to work with straight away, and which will help us to shift the focus from personality problems and potential to spiritual purpose. I am not recommending that we forget the personality. I feel that it is still important to delineate the natal chart in the traditional way. But what we can do is add a soulcentred perspective to our traditional delineations.

The Ascendant
Perhaps you have felt that there is a deeper meaning to the Rising Sign than a mere description of the physical appearance, the persona or the manner in which we project ourselves? In esoteric astrology, the Ascendant is the key indicator of the Soul's Purpose. This does not mean that the empirical evidence of traditional astrology is invalid. What we can say is that the soul's purpose is projected through the persona at the Ascendant. It is a tenet of traditional astrology that the Ascendant is symbolic of the birth or point of incarnation, of the entry of the soul onto the physical plane or the cross of matter. Esoteric astrology merely takes this a step further. If we look to the qualities of the sign on the Ascendant, we can glean valuable information about the nature of spiritual purpose and service. The qualities of the Ascendant sign describe the future direction of the soul, what we are growing towards, or new qualities that we are developing. In this respect, we can see its meaning as similar in flavour to the North Node, although I would suggest that the qualities of the houses and signs of the nodal axis tell us how we can achieve personality integration, or integration of the yin and yang within the personality. The quest of the hero as symbolised by the North Node is the quest of the personality. The sign on the Ascendant indicates how we can best express our personality gifts to extend beyond ourselves to help others, or to help the planet as a whole. The house position of the

esoteric ruling planet of the Ascendant indicates where these gifts and qualities are best expressed. It points to the field of service of the soul.

The Esoteric Rulerships of the Signs

These rulerships may seem odd at first, but a deeper study will reveal their significance. Aries - Mercury Taurus - Vulcan Gemini - Venus Cancer - Neptune Leo - Sun Virgo - Moon Libra - Uranus Scorpio - Mars Sagittarius - Earth Capricorn - Saturn Aquarius - Jupiter Pisces - Pluto Vulcan is an undiscovered or hypothetical planet, and esoteric astrologers believe that it is located near the Sun. To date, there is no officially accepted ephemeris to calculate its position, and there are varying opinions as to Vulcan's actual distance from the Sun. The astrological software package Solar Fire, developed by Esoteric Technologies, offers two options for the calculation of Vulcan's position: the method of L.H. Weston or that of Dr Douglas Baker. [5] Note also that the position of the Earth is located directly opposite the Sun. For example, if the Sun is found at 9 degrees of Sagittarius, then the Earth will be found at 9 degrees of Gemini.

Some Ideas for Delineation

While there are 'esoteric' meanings for all the signs, planets and houses, the traditional meanings can still be applied in a simplified approach to a soul-oriented natal interpretation. We are not looking at 'negative' manifestations here. That is the realm of the personality-centred delineation. Of course, any personality problems or dilemmas are relevant in the soul-centred delineation, because they offer us an idea as to what is hindering or impeding the progress of the soul. The following are some suggestions for delineating the Ascendant from a soul-centred perspective: If the Ascendant is in Leo, then the soul's purpose is to shine, to express one's creative gifts and facilitate leadership for the benefit of others. If the esoteric ruler, the Sun, is located in the 11th house, then the field of expression for the creative and leadership qualities is through group activity. If the Ascendant is in Aries and the ruler, Mercury, is in the 6th house, then the soul's purpose is to inspire others with ideas, through one's work, through healing, or through developing techniques for self-improvement. This person may be an inspiring writer, counsellor, healer or teacher. With the Aries emphasis, the focus would be towards empowering and enabling others through their mental and communication gifts. If the Ascendant is in Aquarius and the ruler, Jupiter, is in the 2nd house, then the soul's purpose of pouring forth the waters of knowledge for humanity, is expressed through a spiritual approach to gathering and distributing resources. There is a facility for manifesting on the physical plane, but the purpose is to gather resources for a higher or collective purpose. For

example, this person could accumulate and distribute resources in order to fund some sort of group venture. The esoteric rulerships do not cancel the value of the traditional rulerships. For the Aries Ascendant, the position of Mars points to personality problems, tendencies, talents and gifts, while the position of Mercury points to the area of service of the soul.

Aspects between the Rulers of the Ascendant

It is important to look at any aspect formed between the exoteric and esoteric rulers of the Ascendant. The ease or stress of this aspect indicates the ease, or lack of ease, with which the soul's purpose can be expressed. Using the example of Aries Rising, a natal square between Mars and Mercury suggests that this person may experience some difficulty in manifesting the soul's purpose. On a practical level, this may be because s/he has a tendency to communicate in a sarcastic way, or is bad-tempered. A trine or sextile between Mars and Mercury suggests that there is a harmony between the personality expression and the expression of the spiritual purpose. S/he may be an inspiring and enthusiastic communicator.

The Esoteric Meanings of the Signs and Ruling Planets

The following esoteric meanings are synthesised from the available literature on the subject. [6] The traditional meanings of the signs, planets and houses may also be utilised in a soul-centred delineation.

ARIES - to inspire others with ideas

Mercury - mind, communication; the 'Messenger of the Gods' Keynote - I come forth and from the plane of mind, I rule. [7]

TAURUS - to release personal desires and attachments

Vulcan - growth through change; illumination and enlightenment; the 'Blacksmith of the Gods' Keynote - I see and when the Eye is opened, all is light.

GEMINI - to teach Right Human Relations, between self and others, personality and soul,
anima and animus, higher mind and lower mind Venus - intelligent love; relatedness; resolution of polarity; turning knowledge into wisdom Keynote - I recognise my other self and in the waning of that self, I grow and glow.

CANCER - to build a spiritual home and selflessly nourish others

Neptune - unconditional love and forgiveness; devotion and self-sacrifice Keynote - I build a lighted house and therein dwell.

LEO - to express Divine Will through the qualities of open-heartedness, warmth, creativity,
leadership and love Sun - the self-conscious I; the integrated personality; creative equipment Keynote - I am That and That am I.

VIRGO - to heal and serve others

Moon - the past (karma); the 'Mother of all Forms'; matter; nurturing Keynote - I am the Mother and the child. I, God, I, matter am.

LIBRA - to harmonise the opposites and choose the middle path; Transpersonal relations;
perfected love Uranus - collective inter-relatedness; intuition; urge to better the human condition Keynote - I choose the way which leads between the two great lines of force.

SCORPIO - to transform darkness into light; the battle between Soul and Personality
Mars - the desire nature; spiritual drive and idealism; the spiritual warrior Keynote - Warrior I am and from the battle I emerge triumphant.

SAGITTARIUS - to uplift humanity through the revelation of Truth and Wisdom; fiery
aspiration and one-pointedness Earth - the physical location of a person's path; dharma; where we materialis e our solar potential Keynote - I see the goal. I reach that goal and then I see another.

CAPRICORN - to express one's true spiritual vocation and purpose for the greater good
Saturn - the Lord of Karma; the 'Dweller on the Threshold'; opportunity through crisis and pain Keynote - Lost am I in light supernal, yet on that light I turn my back.

AQUARIUS - to serve humanity through the dedication of personal energies to the collective
Jupiter - intuitive understanding blended with impersonal love; abundance Keynote - Water of life am I, poured forth for thirsty humanity.

PISCES - to sacrifice the self through compassionate service to others

Pluto - the destruction of negativity and separateness; surrender of the personality to the soul Keynote - I leave the Father's home and turning back, I save.

The Esoteric Meanings of the Houses

1st house - emergence of soul purpose, activities of the soul, the aura. 2nd house - spiritual values, use of life energies. 3rd house - mental energy, relating of higher and lower selves. 4th house - the foundation of the soul. 5th house - expression of spiritual will, actualization of Higher Self. 6th house - personality integration, service through healing and nurturing. 7th house - the path of inner union between the soul and personality. 8th house - the path of the awakening of soul consciousness. 9th house - knowledge of Cosmic Law and Ancient Wisdom. 10th house - spiritual purpose and responsibility. 11th house - spiritual visions, aspirations, spiritual groups. 12th house - unredeemed past karma, bondage to personality, selfless service to humanity.