| Vulcan
Esoteric Astrology Let me reiterate: The Moon is a dead form; it has no emanation at all. That is why the Moon is spoken of in the ancient teaching as "veiling either Vulcan or Uranus." This hint or inference has always been here and astrologers would do well to experiment with this suggestion I have made anent the Moon and (instead of working with the Moon) let them work with Vulcan when dealing with the undeveloped or average man and with Uranus when considering the highly developed man. They would find some interesting and convincing results eventuate. p. 13 The Cardinal Cross 2. The Great | Aries Bear.............. | ........ Sun, veiling Vulcan................... Second Creative Hierarchy | Libra (the 11th) Unknown p. 50 The relation between the other constellations through the planets, as expressing the rays, is as follows: 1. Taurus and Pisces, through Vulcan and Pluto, are related to Ray 1. Transmutation of desire into sacrifice and of the individual will into the divine will. The World Saviour p. 67 2. At the various initiations, the influence of the planets affects the candidate in a totally different manner than earlier. Cyclically the energies from the constellations pour through the planetary centers. a. At the first initiation, the disciple has to contend with the crystallizing and destroying forces of Vulcan and Pluto. The influence of Vulcan reaches to the very depths of his nature whilst Pluto drags to the surface and destroys all that hinders in these lower regions. p. 70 3. The Sun (standing here for Vulcan, which is a sacred planet) governs a center in the front of the throat which is related to the para-thyroids and not to the thyroid gland, which is related to the throat center. This center in the front of the throat falls into disuse as the creative period of throat activity begins. It acts as a "mediator" between the higher and lower creative organs (between the sacral and the throat centers) and leads eventually to that creative activity which is consciously that of the functioning soul. Vulcan was one of the first creative workers among men. He was related to "Cain who killed his brother." The symbolism underlying these ancient myths will be easily interpreted by the intuitive student. pp. 78-9 I would remind you here that frequently when the ruler of a sign is given as the Sun or the Moon I shall speak of one of the hidden planets, Uranus or Vulcan. These are interchangeable in their use and it is difficult to tell which the esoteric planet refers unless you have been told. Hence my above reference to Uranus. p. 99 Two other points might be touched upon, and for their understanding you will have to accept my statements as temporary hypotheses at least, for you are in no position to know them as truth for yourselves. Exoteric astrology has said and it is widely accepted that Vulcan, Uranus, Pluto and Neptune do not govern signs but only have affinity with them. p. 114 Eventually there has to be the complete fusion of love and mind before a world saviour can manifest and function efficiently, and this is pre-eminently the final result of the forces of the Mutable Cross, as they work out the qualities released by the planets active in Pisces, Sagittarius, Virgo and Gemini. These planets are: Orthodox - Jupiter and Mercury. Esoteric - Pluto. The Earth. The Moon (hiding Vulcan) and Venus. As you know, Pluto stands for the death or the region of death; the Earth stands for the sphere of experience; the Moon or Vulcan stands for the glorification, through purification and detachment, of matter, and Venus stands for the emergence of the love principle through the directing power of the mind. Students will find it interesting to work out the implications for themselves. p. 126 2. Through the Moon - under the bondage of form in order through form experience to achieve release and the "uplift of matter" in Vulcan. p. 127 Leo gives us Jupiter, the Moon and Mars. He indicates, therefore, the success which is incident to proved discipleship and consequent readiness for initiation, the seeing of the vision with which Jupiter rewards the disciple, and the experience which Vulcan confers. Vulcan has been hitherto hidden, but its influence has steadily superseded all lunar control, for the personality or form side of life is lost to sight in the radiance of the Sun, the soul. The light of Vulcan and the light of the Sun are one light and these three, Mercury, Vulcan and the Sun - stand for a synthesis and a radiance which eventually dims the light of Mercury and it "falls" into the background and Vulcan too becomes invisible and only the Sun remains. We have consequently a vision of the Sun, the experience of the personality and effort, which is the mode of attainment governed by Mars. pp. 132-133 In Taurus, Vulcan has both an esoteric and hierarchical effect. p. 141
p.166 Fourth, on the Path of Initiation the activity of all three Crosses is felt simultaneously through the medium of the "released powers" of Taurus, Libra and Pisces. You will note the first ray influence, expressing through Pluto and Vulcan, is only felt in a positive manner upon the Path of Discipleship. This first ray potency has only lately been experienced by humanity as a whole as it neared the stage of being the world disciple, and vast numbers relatively stood upon the Path of Discipleship. Hence the recent discovery of Pluto and the sensed power of Vulcan, veiled by the potency of Mercury and hidden behind that planet. p. 166 Within our solar system Vulcan and Pluto are expressions or custodians of this first ray energy and are, as I have told you, esoteric planets. The fist indication of the true spiritual will only begins to manifest upon the Path of Discipleship - hence the late discovery of these two planets (late in point of time and from the angle of human knowledge) for it is only in this Aryan race period that humanity is to any large extent beginning to manifest evidence (and as yet it is no more) of a reaction or a response to the spiritual will of deity as it comes to our planet and hence to us via Aries, Vulcan and Pluto. You have therefore, the following direct line of will energy: 1. The Pointer furthest from the Pole Star in the constellation of the Great Bear. This is, esoterically speaking, a great reservoir or focal point for divine energy, carrying out God's purpose. The Pointer nearest to the Pole Star is expressive of a lower aspect of will, which - in speaking of humanity - we call self-will. 2. Aries, in which the will to create or manifest makes its appearance and the great divine experiment is initiated. 3. Vulcan and Pluto are related to the two Pointers and are only now beginning, in any definite and clear manner, to affect human response. Their effect had been planetary in its nature up to date and has not hitherto been at all effective in either the fourth or the second kingdoms in nature. 4. Shamballa, the Custodian of the Plan for our planet. pp. 195-196 In this connection the Moon is given as the orthodox ruler [of Scorpio] and the hierarchical ruler of Aquarius. I would here remind you that the Moon is usually regarded as "veiling" or "hiding" some planet of these there are three which the Moon may be veiling. Here the intuition of the astrologer and of the esoteric student must be called out. These planets are Vulcan, Neptune or Uranus. These three create and influence certain aspects of the Mother principle, which nourish and feed the life of the inner divine reality until the time comes when the Christ child is brought to the birth. They determine or condition the physical, astral and mental natures, thus creating the personality. They form a triangle of immense creative potency, upon which I will later enlarge when dealing with the Science of triangles. p. 219 I would like to touch upon another interesting point which will serve to demonstrate the potency of Scorpio and its energies in the life of the disciple. Scorpio is one of the four arms of the Fixed Cross of the heavens, as you well know. Upon that Cross, the correctly poised man stands right at the center where the four arms meet and, therefore, at the point where the energy of all four signs and of their ruling planets can pour through him and evoke the needed reactions, produce the conditions wherein test is possible and so bring about the necessary reversal of the life currents in the man's nature and place him upon the reversed wheel. The planets which rule him and condition him in some aspect or other of his nature are:
p. 221 Uranus is the planet whose characteristics are the scientific mind, which, at this stage of the disciple's career, means that he can begin to live the occult life and the way of divine knowledge can take the place of the mystic way of feeling. It also means that knowledge can be transmuted into the way of wisdom and of light. This necessarily brings in the will aspects or the influence of the first ray (Vulcan) blended with the seventh ray (Uranus) producing the desired manifestation on the physical plane. p. 224 2. The Moon (Vulcan). This is the esoteric ruler [of Virgo]. The significance of this is similar to that of the orthodox ruler. The Moon (or fourth ray energy) is here seen as an expression of first ray energy, manifesting through Vulcan. The Moon rules the form and it is the will of God to manifest through the medium of form. p. 263 It will be obvious to you that the task of Mercury in connection with humanity has gone forward most satisfactorily and has brought humanity to its present point of evolution upon the probationary path; that the energy of Vulcan is potently making its presence felt, and hence the struggles going on upon the planet between the men of will - selfish and ambitious - and men of good will who are desirous of the good of the whole. p. 264 The other point upon which I might here touch is that certain of the rays express themselves through two planets. For instance, the fourth Ray of Harmony through Conflict reaches us both through the Moon and through Mercury, whilst the first Ray of Will or Power reaches us through Vulcan and through Pluto. The real reason for this is one of the secrets of initiation and is hidden in the destiny of the fourth Creative Hierarchy and in the will-to-manifest of the Lord of our Earth, Who is Himself upon the third Ray of Active Intelligence; of Him it is said "when the third great energy is related to the fourth Creative Hierarchy, the mystery of the perfected Seven will be understood." p. 269 It is in this sign [Virgo] also that the Moon in its own right of antiquity and of ancient thoughtform control, and also as veiling Vulcan and Neptune, connects the force of Virgo with the energies of Taurus, of Cancer and of Aquarius. This is of peculiar importance for it relates the form building aspect with the consciousness aspects which, at a high stage of development, produces the manifestation of the Christ principle or the Christ-child. p. 273 Virgo is also related to Taurus through Vulcan which brings in what might be called the endurance aspect of the will-to-be which carries the incarnated Son of God through the experiences of the dark time wherein the personality becomes the Mother in the stage of gestation, through the period of infancy upon the physical plane and through the stage of adolescence until the initiate attains full maturity. This necessitates persistence, endurance and continuity of effort and is one of the characteristics imparted or stimulated by energies pouring from Vulcan. You can realize that these are first ray attributes and are the reverse side of those usually emphasized, namely, death or the activity of the Destroyer aspect. Taurus is an expression of the third unmanifested Hierarchy and of this Hierarchy we know nothing beyond the fact it is concerned with the light which liberates from death. Therefore, you have: Taurus - Illumination. Vulcan - First ray or endurance. Third Creative Hierarchy - Liberating Light. Virgo - The Christ-life, latent and unexpressed (as in the 3rd Creative Hierarchy). The Moon - The form nature, the substance of the flame which lights the way. p. 274 The Moon and Mercury together indicate the activity of the higher and lower mind and are, therefore, related to the third Ray of Active Intelligence which controlled the first solar system. There is consequently only one planet, Vulcan, which is distinctly and purely first ray energy. p. 280 This is the situation which confront the Knowers of the race in their various grades of knowledge and illumination at this time. Neither of these influences, the Taurian or the Aquarian - can be avoided. As you will see when we study the analysis of its rulers, Taurus forges the instruments of constructive living or of destruction; it forges the chains which bind or creates the key which unlocks the mystery of life; it is this forging process, with its consequent clamor, which is going on at this time in a most potent manner. Vulcan controls the anvil-like processes of time and strikes the blow which shapes the metal into that which is desired, and this is true today as never before. pp. 374-375 We come now to a brief study of the Rulers of this sign. As Taurus is so close, esoterically speaking, to the sign Aires - which - in this world cycle - is the sign of beginning, it constitutes, relatively speaking, a very complex aggregation of forces, being related not only to Aries with its cosmic contacts, but also to the Pleiades and the Great Bear. Yet at the same time, it is very simple in expression for it is governed by only two planets. Venus is its exoteric ruler and Vulcan its esoteric and hierarchical ruler. p.382 The esoteric ruler of Taurus is Vulcan, the forger of metals, the one who works in the densest, most concrete expression of the natural world (from the human angle). He is the one who goes down into the depths to find the material upon which to expend his innate art and to fashion that which is beautiful and useful. Vulcan is, therefore, that which stands for the soul, the individual, inner, spiritual man; in his activity we find the key to the soul's task upon the eternal round of the wheel of life. You will remember how Hercules upon the Fixed Cross had to fashion his own weapons before he succeeded in his struggle. This is in reality a reference to the art of Vulcan who rules the inner man and guides his fashioning. Vulcan also rules nations at a certain stage of embryonic soul expression, such as the present, and governs their activities, fashioning the instruments of war when war and conflict are the only means whereby liberation can come, though woe betide those through whom wars come. Vulcan then takes hold and - since the Middle Ages - has brought the mineral kingdom, "the depths from which supply must come," under human control. In the present war [World War II], Vulcan is concerned along with Venus in the relation of man to man, and of man to the mineral kingdom. Venus, the mental energy of humanity, establishes the relation between man and man, between nation and nation whilst Vulcan establishes relation between the fourth kingdom in nature and the first. Vulcan, as we shall see later, us governed by the first ray and the first kingdom are definitely bound together. This, therefore, brings in the Shamballa force and you consequently have an esoteric triangle of energy - will, humanity and the mineral kingdom. They have a very close rapport with each other, both from the angle of the Plan and from the expression of material selfishness. Hence the great use of minerals (iron, copper, etc) in World War II. It is literally a war in which the mineral kingdom is used against the human. Humanity had gone down into the caves and the depths of concretion and is ready now for an upward shift or move, this time consciously taken and taken all together. This is a most difficult situation for the average man to comprehend but the entire problem of the conscious use of that which exists upon the planet and also its destructive usage is tied together into one most critical situation. Part of the solution will come along similar lines and of the prophecy now coming into the racial awareness that there are those "who sleep in the caves of the Earth who will arise and bring liberation" has reference. But be not too literal in interpretation for "that which is of the Earth can also be found in the sky." Hierarchically also the ruler is Vulcan, conditioning the planet and determining the fact that man is the macrocosm of the microcosm and that the fourth kingdom fashions or conditions all the subhuman kingdoms. pp. 386-387 When we come to a consideration of the esoteric ruler of Taurus, we find ourselves confronted by Vulcan, one of the veiled and hidden planets one which is, therefore, little known or understood. I have earlier referred to Vulcan as the Fashioner of divine expression. In a peculiar sense, the energy which streams from Vulcan is fundamentally the strength and potency which sets the world evolutionary process in motion; it embodies also the energy of the first ray, that force which initiates or begins and that which also destroys, bringing about the death of the form in order that the soul may be set free. Vulcan is the ray or planet of isolation for, in a peculiar sense, it governs the fourth initiation wherein the depths of aloneness are plumbed and the man stands completely isolated. He stands detached from "that which is above and this which is below." There comes a dramatic moment when all desire is renounced; the will of God or the Plan is seen as the only desirable objective but as yet the man has not proved to himself, to the world of men or his Master whether he has the strength to move forward along the line of service. There is revealed to him (as there was revealed to Christ at the fourth great initiatory crisis in His life) some definite, active undertaking which embodies that aspect of the will of God which it is his peculiar function to appropriate and make possible of expression. This has been called in Christian phraseology, "the Gethsemane experience." The Christ, kneeling beside the rock (symbolic of the depths of the mineral kingdom and of the activity of Vulcan, the fashioner), raises His eyes upward to where the light of revelation breaks forth and knows at that moment what it is He has to do. Such is the test of Vulcan, ruling Taurus, if the soul, ruling desire, of the Son of God, fashioning His instrument of expression in the depths, grasping the divine purpose and so bending the will of the little self to that of the greater Self. The depths have been reached and there is no more to be done. The light from the eye of the Bull which with ever increasing radiance has guided the struggling soul must give place eventually to the light of the Sun, for Vulcan is a substitute for the Sun; it is spoken of sometimes being veiled by the Sun and others it stands for the Sun itself. It stands between the man and the Sun, the soul. Therefore, we have in this connection three symbols of light: 1. Taurus. - The eye of illumination or light. The Bull's eye. Illumination. Exoterically - the physical Sun. 2. Vulcan. - The one who reveals that which is deeply hidden and brings it up into the light. Esoterically - the heart of the Sun. 3. The Sun. - The great Illuminator. Spiritually - the central spiritual Sun. Thus from every angle, illumination remains the theme of this sign. We have somewhat considered the rays and their effect and relationships as they, through Taurus and its rulers, pour their force and energy into individual man, or into humanity as a whole. The two rays which directly affect the sign are, as we have seen, the fifth (through Venus) and the first (through Vulcan). These two when viewed in combination with the Earth (which is an expression of the third ray) demonstrate a most difficult combination of rays, for all are along the line of the first Ray of Energy: Ray 1. - The ray of Will or Power. Ray 5. - The ray of Concrete Knowledge. Ray 3. - The ray of Active Intelligence. This combination tremendously increases the already difficult tasks of the Taurian subject. Only indirectly does the second Ray of Love-Wisdom and its subsidiary line of energies appear and, therefore, love and wisdom are often lacking in the person born in this sign. Such a man will have much self-love. self-esteem, self-respect and a good deal of selfish centralization or personality focus. He will be intelligent but not wise; aspirational but at the same time stubborn and set so that his aspiration does not take him very far very rapidly. He will move spasmodically and in wild rushes; steady measured progress upon the Way is very hard for him. He finds it difficult to apply practically the knowledge gained. It is apt to remain a mental acquisition and not a practical experience. He will be almost painfully conscious of duality but, instead of its producing a struggle for unity, it produces often a set and static depression. He will be destructive because "bull-headed" and because the hammer aspect of Vulcan will be dominant. Because he has a measure of light - his power to be thus destructive will distress him. He needs to grasp the spiritual side of Venus which emphasizes that the Son of God who is the Son of mind is the instrument of God's love; he must learn, therefore, to transmute knowledge into wisdom. He must transcend the destructive side of Vulcan and so of the first ray instead work as a "fashioner of souls," including his own. He must aim at clear seeing, pure joyful will and the death of the personality desire. Such is the goal of the Taurian disciple. pp. 392-394 The Moon is also present but again veils Vulcan, whose influence we have already considered. p. 395 In this sign [Taurus], the Moon is exalted. Symbolically this means that the form side of life is a powerfully controlling factor and one with which the man must ever reckon. The Moon is the Mother of form and in this case veils or hides Vulcan - which might be expected. The Moon, therefore, stands here for the fashioner or molder of the form, bringing in both the feminine and masculine aspects of form-building, the dual functions of Father-Mother. This is a point for astrologers to remember. This process of interplay brings about two phases of the needed fashioning: 1. A process wherein is created a form of great potency in which self interest and personality aims and desires ate the motives bringing about activity. The Moon and Taurus activity. 2. The processes, self-applied by the awakening Taurian, wherein the form nature is fashioned anew and motivated in a different manner and so is "raised up into Heaven" and this irradiated and glorified. The Vulcan and Taurus activity. pp. 399-400 This capacity is indestructible and is itself a divine focus of energy which must and will without fail carry forward the good undertaken under the inspiration of The Great Architect of the Universe. He fashions all things to a divine foreseen end and in this sign [Taurus] - through His agents, Venus and Vulcan, typifying the form and the soul - will lead man from the unreal to the real. p. 404 |
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