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In opening a discussion of the interpretation of planetary aspects, it is necessary to introduce the planetary nodes. The majority of the astrologers of the early part of the twentieth century have ignored these nodes, although they were very important to the ancients, as is indicated by the terms "Dragon's Head and Dragon's Tail applied to the north or ascending node and the south or descending node of the Moon. Today we call them the lunar nodes.
It is quite easy to understand why they are ignored when we realize that these astrologers were trying to bridge the gap to what was fashionable in the world of so-called science. They were trying to adjust to the environment They were trying to fit their subject into the errors of scientific style. Like so many other things, scientific theories and hypotheses come and go, live for a day and die. At that time, it was popular to think in terms of the ether of Sir Oliver Lodge, in terms of vibrations and waves. So astrologers had to explain their subject in terms of ether, vibrations and waves. It was pointed out that when light reached the place or point of a planetary node, there was nothing there for light to bounce against, and so light went right on. How could a mathematical point have an effect? And so the nodes were forgotten and ignored.
Grant Lewi placed great emphasis on the nodes. Statistics of RCA Communications, Inc., in connection with their research dealing with the correspondence that exists between planetary motion and magnetic disturbances that interfere with shortwave radio reception, placed emphasis on the nodes. Letters from two astrologers unknown to each other asked us the same question. Did we know why people born with the Sun near 13-Gemini or 13-Sagittarius seemed to have so much difficulty in making marriage a success? Of course, this meant success according to orthodox standards which are quite inadequate, but it was interesting to note that each astrologer had unconsciously called the exact position of the nodes of the planet Uranus (Individual Reform Guide and Seventh House principle). Marriage is difficult where this principle is concerned because marriage is a Man-made inst;itution that was molded in ignorance of this principle. When he wrote the Ten Commandments General Moses had his intellectual limitations.
Our own statistical investigations gradually led to indications that mere mathematical points (we will supplement this term later), the planetary nodes, are more important than the planets themselves, and this was the beginning of our realization that an entirely new conception of astrology was essential, an astrology unlimited and unhampered by the dogma of modern scientific hypotheses. When you deal with mathematical points, mathematical lines and mathematical planes which can have no material counterpart, you are in the realms of mathematics and abstraction. A mathematical point has no dimensions. A mathematical line has but one dimension. A mathematical plane has but two dimensions. There is no material counterpart until you reach three dimensions, and when you go on to a fourth dimension, you again have no material counterpart. You have again entered the world of abstraction.
You can use a pencil to illustrate a mathematical line, but it is inaccurate, because a pencil line has width and therefore two dimensions. You can use a sheet of paper to illustrate a plane, but it is inaccurate because the paper has thickness and is three dimensional.
We were approachIng our later view that astrology could not be a causal phenomenon; but must be considered as a matter of mathematical expression. We cannot exp1ain why snowflakes and crystals follow the same pattern that bees follow when building the cells of their hives (the hexagon) except to say that the whole thing is a matter of abstract mathematical expression. Although the hexagon is the most economical means of building these cells, we can hardly visualize each hive of bees employing intellectual bees who labor over a drawing board computing the mathematics of what shaped room would require the least wall space to house the greatest content. Neither can we say that snowflakes cause bees to build six-sided cells. Nor can we say that snowflakes freeze in six-sided fashion because they are copying the bees. Yet a hexagon room enclosed by 60 feet of wall will contain over 259 square feet of floor area, while a square room enclosed by the same amount of wall will contain but 225 square feet of floor space. A room shaped as an equilateral triangle with 60 feet of wall will contain only 141 square feet of area. Of course, a circular room would contain a greater ratio of area to enclosure, but you can't fit circular rooms together. The more equal sides a room has, the greater the floor area, but if a room has more than six sides, you can't fit the rooms together. Among polygons of equal sides you can fit together only hexagons, squares and triangles.
Mathematically, the bee would appear further advanced than Man. He builds warehouses out of hexagonal shaped rooms while Man builds warehouses out of square or rectangular rooms. We find a strange parallel in the fact that the ancient astrologers regarded planetary aspects based on parts of hexagons as harmonious and aspects based on parts of squares as discordant. The sextile aspect is merely one side of a hexagon, while a trine aspect is one side of an equilateral triangle or two sides of a hexagon. An opposition aspect can be considered as either two squares or three sides of a hexagon, and oddly, astrologers have disagreed as to whether the opposition aspect is harmonious or discordant. It has been our experience that the aspect brings tension, problems and worries while forming, but produces CHANGE that solves the problems and gives re-lief while separating. If there is any astrological symbolism behind the six-pointed star of the Jewish church and the four-point cross of the Christian church, then one would appear to Indicate harmony and the other discord. Yet, the advanced astrologer realizes that the l, 10, 7, 4 House Cross (Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, Taurus) is something that can be transcended through understanding and higher knowledge or wisdom, while those astrologers who look upon the story of Christ as symbolism see Christ, not as a man but as an abstract principle. To them, it is the rise of the individual above materialism and into the abstract realms. Whether Christ ever lived as a man is beside the point. The principle is the same.
Just as astrology is concerned with geometrical and therefore mathmatical figures, we find these figures throughout the mineral world. Different minerals are made up of crystals of different geometrical patterns. Not all minerals follow the hexagonal pattern. Salt crystals form the square or 90-degree angle. This is true of other minerals, but the hexagonal pattern is quite common. The crystal mines of Arkansas seem to show everything in accord with the hexagonal prinqiple. Where erosion had washed away a patch of a lava bed at the floor of the Grand Canyon, we found petrifted wood covered by hexagonal crystals. At the Spring Creek Ranch in the Texas Panhandle are found strange objects composed of calcite an inch thick and two inches in diameter that are in the form of a perfect hexagon. They are said to be a hang over from the Triassic Age, which was the earliest period of the Mesozoic Era. By careful selection,you could pave a bathroom floor with these strange objects, but most of them have other hexagons growing out of them at various angles. A geode is a strange object of nature that looks like an egg and is shaped like an egg. Their is a location near Mammouth Arizona, where these eggs lying on top of the ground in quantity over an area of ten or more square miles. These are agate geodes. They are white on the outside like an egg. Originally, they appear to have been mere shells, but from the inner surface grow crystals until the object finally becomes a solid. A hollow ultimately becomes a solid. Where does the material come from? Or does material need to come from some place? When it is ready to appear it seems to appear. Astronomers are trying to learn how matter appears or forms in space. How does it appear or form in the hollow of these geodes?
An astrological aspect is merely an abstract geometrical measurement. True, it is sometimes a measurement between two material objects, but this need not be true. It can be a measurement between a planet and a mathematical point, or a measurement between two mathematical points where there is nothing whatsoever of a material nature. It can still have its counterpart in human affairs.
Because the planetary nodes are even more important than the planets tnemselves, it is important that you understand what a planetary node is. Remember that we used imaginary embroidery hoops to illustrate two planes of space. Put one hoop inside the other, twist one so that one hoop crosses the other at two points. Look at the hoops from above that point where they cross and you see an X. The point where the two hoops cross is the node. The other point where they cross is also a node. It is customary to call one point the north node, the other point the south node.
What we call the north node of a planet is that point where the orbit of a planet crosses the plane of the earth's orbit as the planet goes north. The south node is the other point, and when the planet crosses the south node, it is traveling southerly.
Actually, no planet ever crosses the earth's orbit. It crosses the plane of the earth's orbit, Therefore it is not strictly true to consider these factors as mathematical points. When referring to a node, an astronomer means that mathematical point where the plane of a planet cuts the earth's orbit, but we could as well consIder the node that mathematical point where the plane of the earth's orbit cuts the planetary orbit. These two points would not be the same in space. One would be at the orbit of the earth while the other would be at the orbit of the planet. However, if we draw a straight line from the Sun to the mathematical point that is furthest away from the Sun, it would of necessity have to pass through the other mathematical point. Thus, the important factor with which we deal becomes not a mathematical point, but a mathematical line drawn from the Sun in opposite directions to infinity. The plane of the earth's orbit and the plane of the planetary orbit join all the way along the line.
As computed today, the planetary nodes are considered as heliocentric, those points where the above described line crosses the earth's orbit. However, if we use these points as if they were geocentric, they appear to work. This is easy to understand if we consicer that we are dealing with mathematical lines instead of mathematical points. Now, we can draw a new set of lines with the earth as the center to those points where the line above described reaches infinity and their direction must be exactly the same as the direction from the Sun. Such a conception justifies us in using the planetary nodes in our zodiac just as they are given in heliocentric longitude.
This view might also completely justify Hugh MacCraig and others who are employing heliocentric positions in the earth zodiac.
We know from experience that when the nodes are employed in this fashion they function. We do not know whether they will also function when located by Iines from the earth as a center to those points where the nodal line crosses the earth's orbit, for these points have never been calculated and published. A student well schooled in mathematics is now calculating these positions, however, and we hope it will ultimately be possible to publish them for experimental purposes.
It becomes vital to know the zodiacal position of the planetary nodes. The position of the north lunar node is given in the ephemeris. The south lunar node will be at the opposite zodiacal point. The Sun is not involved in this calculation, because the Moon goes around the earth. The point where the two orbits cross is itself in motion, and it circumvents the entire circle of the zodiac in 19 years.
The planetary nodes have a similar motion, but it is too slow to be significant within a lifetime. The nodes of Mercury circle the zodiac once in something over 171,000 years, while the nodes of Uranus make the trip in about 40,000 years. Oddly, the nodes of some of the outer planets appear to move more rapidly than those of the inner planets. In any event, however, no planetary node moves a degree within 100 years, so you can use the present nodal positions as close enough for any living being. Present north nodal positions are as follows:
MERCURY 17 TAURUS
VENUS 16 GEMINI
MARS 19 TAURUS
JUPITER 9 CANCER
SATURN 23 CANCER
URANUS 13 GEMINI
NEPTUNE 11 LEO
PLUTO 19 CANCER
Planets aspecting these points, or even the lunar nodes aspecting these points, have significance. To have a body conjunct or square the node of a planet appears to be more important than to have it conjunct the planet itself. The node of Mars will show up strongly where violence and surgery is involved. In fact, we have found but one case of a hysterectomy to date where the woman did not have a planet (any planet) conjunct or square to Mars' nodes That one case had Mars conjunct the node of Saturn. During a class, a protest against this statement was introduced by the wife of a physician. As a result, all the students were requested to accumulate all the cases of hysterectomies they could find, and try and locate a case where this was not true. Many birth dates involving hyster- ectomies were produced. There was no case among them where some natal planet was not conjunct or square the nodes of Mars. That does not mean there are no such cases, and you might find one, but when you do, please send it to us. In fact, it will be very helpful to our research department if you will send in the birth dates ofall the people you know who have found hysterectomies necessary. The data will be very welcome.
Planets conjunct or square the nodes of Saturn have a depressive correspondence, while planets conjunct or square the nodes of Uranus have a very restless and rebellious spirit. The functioning seems to be similar to aspects of the planets themselves but more pronounced.
The north node of a planet is also called the ascending node, while the south node is called the descending node. No one has yet prepared symbols for the planetary nodes, and if we invented symbols and placed them in each horoscope, the charts would become rather crowded, but you can compare them with each chart you draw. You don't have to worry or be concerned about their motion, except for the lunar nodes which are given in your ephemeris. Another experience was important in our dropping any conception of astrology as a causal phenomenon. The ancients placed great emphasis on the occurrence of mportant events at the time of an eclipse of the Sun or Moon, and having observed many world shaking events that occurred near the time of an eclipse, we set out to investigate this statistically. We found many events that occurred near the time of an eclipse, but we also found many important events that occurred at other times. Eclipses can occur only when the Sun is conjunct or within about 15 degrees of a lunar node.
Our statistical investigations showed that most of the important world events which occurred when there was no eclipse took place when the Sun was square the lunar nodes. Thus, it would appear to have nothing to do with the eclipses, because there can be no eclipse when the Sun is squre the lunar nodes, but the results are the same.
Statistics also show that loss-of-life through fire increases when the Sun or Uranus is conjunct or square the lunar nodes. Yet, there is no increase in the number of fires during these periods. Our investigation included all the fires in the U.S. and Canada where the material loss was over $100,000, over an eight year period. The data were furnjshed by the National Fire Protection Association which publishes all such data for insurance companies. Nearly all the "famous" fires took place when the Sun or Uranus was conjunct or square the lunar nodes, but "famous" fires are those where loss-of-life is heavy.
It is our considered view that what is here involved is human instability. Human instability reaches its maximum when the Sun and lunar nodes are 0 and 90 degrees apart, its minimum when they are 45 or 135 degrees apart. At the maximum, people panic more easily. A very great ratio of loss-of-life through fire takes place during the night among people who are sleeping in strange surroundings as in a hotel. If they awaken in strange surroundings during an unstable period to find the building on fire, they seem to know what to do. They think clearly. But if the same thing happens during an unstable period, they are confused and they panic bringmg about their own deaths. Hotel fires which occurred during stable periods have seldom involved loss-of-life, but hotel fires occurring during the unstable intervals have resulted in very heavy loss-of-life.
At other times, people seem able to relax and maintain calmness, not all people, the majority, but during these unstable periods, people feel something has to be done about something right away. The result is that not only most wars have begun at such times, but most peace treaties have been signed at such times. Many men of great genius are born at these times.
Watch Congress! Its members can argue for months, but let one of these periods come along and they pass bills fast and furiously. If an election happens to be held at such a time, the result always seems to be the opposite of what people expect it to be. Any student who is interested in history will find it very interesting to see how world events have always coincided with these intervals of instability. Modern man knows nothing about such cycles, but the ancients were conscious of them. The ancient Chinese executed two astrologers because they were lax in their duty and failed to predict an eclipse. The ancients paid great attention to eclipses, but we have no evidence that they knew about the 90-degree angle of instability as well.
We suggest the possibility that heart attacks are more frequent at those times when we are at the apex of human instability. No statistical work has been accomplished in this direction, but newspapers often carry the news of the death or heart attacks of prominent persons at these times. Both of President Eisenhower's attacks came at such times.
From somewhere has come the tradition that for a planet to be conjunct the north node is favorable while a planet conjunct the south node is unfavorable. Over the years, we have been unable to find one iota of confirmation for this conception. We have been unable to find any evidence that the two nodes differ in any way. The results appear to be exactly the same.
The important turns during war time seem to accompany these points of instability. An inspection of history will verify this.
We must not lose sight of the fact that the zodiacal signs themselves and the astrological houses are based on nothing but mathematcal points. They are purely abstract. They are based on nodes, the crossing of planes. The zodiac is determined by the nodes where the plane of the earth's orbit and that of the earth's equator cross. The astrological houses are based on the nodes where the plane of the earth's orbit and that of the horizon cross. Theso two nodes are the ascendent and the descendent of the horoscope. In our procedure, we place the other house cusps at equal 30-degree intervals in the plane of the earth's orbit.
In interpreting planetary aspects, it is well to first see how the planets are situated in their relation to the nodes. You should check each planet in its relation to each node. After that, you should check each planet in its relation to every other planet. Do not limit your inspection to the 0 and 90 degree aspects to the nodes. Pay attention to the 60 and 120 degree aspects (sextile and trine) also. These appear to be very helpful.
]In Lesson XIII, we advised you to first grasp the principle represented by each planet in each sign. You must do the same with the planetary aspects. You can take a dozen cases of people with Mars square Uranus at birth and you will find certain common characteristics in each of these people, but you will not grasp what is going on, on the unconscious level, unless you consider the principles involved.
Of itself, the square aspect is a 4th-10th House aspect. It involves the Fanilly Survival Dynamic (10th) and the Family Survival Dynamic Reactor (4th) at one and the same time. Mars also represents the Family Survival Dynamic, while Uranus represents the Individual Reform Guide.
On the unconscious level, the family, the old family, the hereditary factors, are struggling to perpetuate. Also on the unconscious level, the Individual Reform Guide is operating in an effort to point the way for change for the individual himself.
This is a very difficult aspect for marriage or intimate associations. The sex factor (Family Survival Dynamic) is very strong. However, the object of sex attraction is not a constant. Let us say that it is ever changing. Yet, the Family Survival Dynamic Reactor can hold things in check over varying periods of time, but sooner or later there will be an eruption.
The first effect is irritability, impatience and perhaps anger. The individual is happiest in motion or in the middle of constant change. The FSD (Family Survival Dynamic) is trying to bring children into the world. It is the aim of this dynamic to have as high a ratio of the old heredity as possible. Thus, in extreme cases, the aspect can lead to incest, for this would bring heredity survival above the 50% mark. It is quite common for the aspect to lead to adultery, because this will lead to a lower rate of specIfic outside heredity in the overall family. If all children are by the same mate, some other family is influencing the family's heredity by an equal 50%. On the unconscious level there is revolt against this.
With such mixed up motives on the unconscious level, you can understand why so many people fail to understand themselves. The poor conscious being knows nothing about all this, but from the unconscious level are pushed up complex feelings and emotions to motivate the individual in a direction that will satisfy these unconscious objectives.
A very high ratio of people who consult astrologers by mail are those with Mars -Uranus asrects. There may or may not be such aspects in the natal chart but every 21 years, on the average, Uranus by transit will form a 0, 90 or 180-degree aspect to natal Mars. Very stable people survive the aspect but not without some indication of what is going on on the unconscious level. If there is adultery in a marriage, this is when it usually begins.
When people have problems they cannot understand, and Mars-Uranus aspects create suck problems, they seem to want to tell the story to someone who is a complete stranger and who will listen sympathetically. In many cases they do not want to face the person personally. It would be embarrassing. For them to be able to do business with an astrologer by mail is an opportunity, and it is surprising how freely they will write. It is doubtful whether anywhere on earth is as much evidence of the true nature of humanity as in our confidential files. Unfortunately, this data can never be published. However, the Mars-Uranus person is not likely to be reticent about blurting out the truth. If you want details, these people will give them to you, particularly if they can see that some scientific purpose can be achieved. In many cases, however, the person writing to the astrologer may not be the Mars-Uranus individual, but a member of the family, perhaps the mate.
If we take a purely objective view of this variety of aspect, we see that it creates restlessness, rebellion and irritability. It results in accidents, quarrels estrangements, adultery, divorce and sometimes murder. It is something that refuses to be confined indefinitely. The nature is caring and bold. It is explosive. Where a cure of some situation is neccesary this sort of knowledge isn't going to be of much use. To know that a war is being fought is not sufficient knowledge to stop the war. If we are going to remedy the situation, we must look beneath the surface and see what is occurring on the unconscious level. We must examine the motives of nature, not those of the conscious personality. The conscious personality is merely the victim. He does not direct these unconscious processes, nor does he determine what feelings and emotions he is experiencing. We must help him to understand them, because these forces have a way of shutting themselves off when they are detected. Nature seems to crawl into her shell when you keep her under close suveillance. It is certainly a fact that planetary aspects never work the same way when you are watching them.
It is a peculiar fact that Mars-Uranus aspects are very common in the horoscopes of young widows and widowers. That is difficult to explain. Why do these people so often marry someone who is going to die? Is not the act of marriage conditioned by a future event? We often find the aspect in the chart of the mate of someone who is killed in an accident or who dies by violence. Why? It is seldom that we find the chart of a widow or a widower in which there is not some very strong Mars aspect, but quite frequently a Mars-Uranus aspect.
If you have followed our suggestions about notebooks, you will ultimately have the birthdates of many people born under Mars-Uranus aspects, but they will not all have the planets in the same zodiacal signs That will make a difference. If Uranus happens to be in Capricorn, its instability will be curbed in comparison to Uranus in Scorpio or Aquarius. Thus, you cannot completely interpret an aspect between Mars and Uranus without considering the zodiacal signs behind the planets. We dealt with this factor in Lesson XIII. Later, we will have to consider the effects upon the Houses also. Never lose sight of the fact that Mars represents the past while Uranus represents the future. Like many other combinations, the square of these two planets is a conflict between the past and the future If they are square, the sign behind one battles for the past, while the sign behind the other battles for the future, because signs square to each other cannot both represent the past and cannot both represent the future. This was illustrated in the diagram accompanying Lesson IV.
The conjunction or opposition aspect will differ in this respect. Either both planets will be in a sign representing the past or both planets will be in a sign representing the future.
The marriage institution as we know it is an attempt toward stability. It is an attempt to keep human activity within certain limitations, and in that way keep it under control. The institution was designed by Man without taking into consideration all of the factors of nature. Man's own mental and intellectual limitations were concealed and covered up by inventing SIN. Thereafter, Man excused himself for his own imperfect plan by attributing the whole plan to God. In this way, leaders of the people were able to better control the people by presenting themselves as specially appointed representatives of God Himself. This was an authority they began to take unto themselves and to pass on to others. People were taught to FEAR God and in that way to fear the self-appointed representatives of God. If we are to improve the marital institution and if we are to improve our religion, these are facts that we must recognize and not hide away. A good religion should be based on FAITH and not on FEAR. Yet, we must not throw something away because It is not perfect. That is what the man who tries to become an atheist attempts. An imperfect plan still holds the possibility of perfection. Because it may be partly in error is no excuse for discarding the whole. We are far from perfection in any of our accomplishments. When Uranus is over-emphasized in a chart, it is the inclination to throw away the whole when an imperfection is discovered, instead of trying to see just what is right and what is wrong in order to correct what is wrong and preserve what is right.
Please understand that it is not our purpose to try and tell anyone what is right or wrong but only to bring to light knowledge of nature's principles that we may have a better understanding of the factors with which we all must deal. We might shorten thia statement by merely saying that we wish to exclude dogma. We want everyone to keep an open mind.
To come back to nodes, there is a sharp difference between an aspect between two planets and an aspect between a planet and a planetary node. Where an aspect between two planets is involved, each planet seems to retain its own importance, but where an aspect between a planet and a node is concerned (except where the lunar node is involved, and we will touch on that presently), the node seems to completely dominate the planet. You will note that when we discussed hysterectomies, we stated that persons experiencing bysterectontea always seem to have some planet, ANY planet, conjunct or square the nodes of Mars. It didn't seem to make any difference whether the planet was Mercury, Venus, Mars or Saturn, the effect appeared the same. This is completely contrary to what we find where aspects between planets are concerned. When planets are conjunct or square the nodes of a planet, the principles represented by the planetary nodes involved seem to completely dominate the situation.
We are frankly puzzled in this respect where the nodes of the Moon are concerned. When the lunar nodes conjoin or square the Sun, it is the principle of the Sun that is emphasized, not the principle represented by the Moon. Such aspects bring CHANGE and instability, while if the lunar nodes were to predominate, we would expect the opposite effect. Yet, there seems to be no planetary condition that does more to express the principle of non-survival of form than lunar-node-Sun conjunctions and squares.
Never be disappointed when you find that an overall principle does not appear to work in a specific case, because in such instances, if you are alert, you are on the verge of a new discovery. It is the exception to the rule that always leads us to new discoveries. If we adopt a mathematical theorem and discover that it works onl 99% of the time, by assembling the cases that do not work we will find the pattern of imperfection, and then we can adjust and correct the theorem. We will find that the exceptions to the rule themselves all fit together into a pattern.
For example, we stated earlier that we had found one single exception to the rule that women who have hysterectomies performed have some planet conjunct or square the nodes of Mars at birth. That one case had Mars conjunct the node of Saturn, but that may not be the explanation With but one exception, we are in no position to determine the answer. We need many more exceptions to the rule. We have no doubts, however, that if we have enough exceptions we will have the answer to that one exception, and to all others at the same time.
If you are going to help yourself or help others through the use of astrology, you must constantly determine what is taking place on the unconscious level. People can handle problems on the conscious level themselves. If a man is being chased by a lion he has a problem, but this problem is on the conscious level, and he can recognize it for what it is. He may run, or he may shoot the lion or he might make a friend of the lion, like Daniel. He will not have time to draw up a horoscope.
The chief need for astrology is in handling problems on the uhconscious level. In order to remedy a situation constantly accompanying a certain type of planetary aspect, it is necessary to know and recognize what that aspect represents on the unconscious level. What is nature trying to do with the individual's life? If a man is robbing your home and you discover him in the act, he is quite likely to run away. Nature is often like that. When you discover what she is up to, she often retreats. When nature is up to something which you might consider deviltry, catch her in the act and she is likely to discontinue the act. For this reason, many times the cure of an illness results from the mere discovery of its real cause. An illness always has some purpose it is trying to serve. If you can detect what that purpose is you have gone a long way in effecting a cure.
In interpreting astrological aspects, or in interpreting anything astrological, there are two ways of going about it, and you must apply both of these ways together, because one is a check against the other. Your interpretation can be based on experience, but this type of interpretation can never reach perfection, although it is very valuable. By studying 100 people who have Mars square Uranus, you can learn a great deal about the aspect.
The other method of interpretation is analytical. You employ astrolgocial symbols exactly as you would employ mathematical symbols. They always represent the basic twelve principles of nature as we described them in earlier lessons. You employ them exactly as a chemist employs mathematical symbols. They become mathematical symbols to you. Equations will not be exact as they are in mathematics because we do not know enough to make them exact, although this is not entirely true, because we can say that (glyph for venus in Pisces)= (glyph for neptune) 11th. By this we mean that Venus in Pisces is equal to Neptune in the 11th House. In other words, when we know what it is like to have Venus in Pisces, we know what it means to have Neptune in the 11th House. Thus, when you have learned what every planet in every zodiacal sign means, you have also learned what every planet in every House means.
All you have to do is adjust your knowledge by astrological equation. It should be noted that this analytical phase of astrology was impossible a few years back, and its introduction came first in the writer's A NEW EXPERIMENT IN ASTROLOGY, published in 1938. It was impossible to employ analytical methods because the "house value" of the planets had not been established. A "House value" had been employed, but we maintain that it was an erroneous house value.
In an analytical system, with a knowledge of the nature of the survival Dynamics, the Survival Dymanic Reactor, the Reform Dynamics and the Reform Guides, you can analyze a complex planetary combination even when you have never seen that configuration before, but it will be experience that will help you to discover whatever errors of analysis may exist. A prospective surgeon may learn all he can in medical school, but when he performs his first operation, he is up against reality itself. The same with you. You most learn through analysis but also through experience. You must combine the two.
We have stated earlier in this lesson that planetary aspects never work the same when you are watching then. Experience would indicate that the person who knows the existence of negative aspects fails to experience the negative effects, but what about the favorable aspect? ln this case, we might say that a person fails to get the favorable effects unless he does something about them. Let's put it this way: suppose you have a very favorable set of planetary conditions at a given tine. They might come and go unnoticed in many instances, but suppose you start a new business at such a tIme? ln this case, you may get the favorable results for the rest of your life. The same would apply If you have a child at such a time. In other words, the same broad principle that we have expressed in our overall pattern is visible here. So-called negative aspects have to do with clearing up and re-evaluating the past, while so-called positive aspects involve your relationship with the future. Most aspects will have to involve both past and future, but an opposition or a trine of Venus to Uranus in Fire and/or Air signs from the 1st to 9th Houses would in no way involve the past because all factors involve the future, while if you study the matter, it will become impossible to visualize any planetary combination that by aspect, zodiacal sign and house position will involve only the past. This in itself is a very interesting bit of mathematics and philosophy. Mars and Saturn both involve the past. If they are conjunct, the conjunction aspect involves the future. If they are 30 degrees apart, although the 30-degree aspect represents the past, one planet has to be in a sign that represents the future. The 60-degree sextile aspect represents the future. Although the 90-degree aspect represents the past, one planet has to be in a sign representing the future. The same principle applies for the other aspects.
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