[PAGE 55] WERE YOU BORN UNDER A LUCKY STAR?

 

CHAPTER III

 

WERE YOU BORN UNDER A LUCKY STAR?

 

Have you ever looked through a kaleidoscope at the patterns formed there

by the many little pieces of varicolored glass, and noticed how the slight-

est disturbance of the position changes the pattern? Also, do you realize

that it would be impossible, or almost so, to duplicate any pattern, no mat-

ter how much you were to turn; there is such a variety of effect. Similarly

when you look into the heavens night after night you will notice changes

among the planets, in fact such is the variety of changes that occur among

them that it would be impossible to duplicate the position which they hold

relatively to one another while you are reading this, for almost twenty-six

thousand years. Thus in the planetary kaleidoscope there is, we might say,

an infinity of patterns. When we realize that human beings are entering the

world constantly and that each being is stamped at the first complete breath

with the planetary pattern then in the sky, everyone must necessarily be

different from everyone else. Nor should this statement about stellar in-

fluence create doubt when we consider that wireless saves of different

lengths and different pitch sent out from a tiny man-made contrivance can

 

 

[PAGE 56] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

make themselves felt and can register by mechanical operations involving ex-

penditure of energy thousands of miles from their source. The planetary vi-

brations from those great orbs in the heavens make themselves felt millions

of miles away as surely, as easily, and with equal uncertainty. We know

that the angle of the solar ray determines whether it is winter or summer.

We also know the effect of the Moon upon the waters, and it is within the

experience of all that we feel more buoyant when the atmosphere is clear and

dry than when it is moist and murky. And what determines these atmospheric

conditions but the planets, the circling stars?

 

When we look up at this planetary kaleidoscope from time to time we see

in the heavens various configurations which are pronounced lucky or unlucky

according to whether they are formed between so-called benefices alone, such

as Venus, Jupiter and the Sun, or planets said to be malefic such as Saturn,

Mars or Uranus. When Jupiter and Venus are in close conjunction near the

mid-heaven, it is a foregone conclusion that those who come into the world

under this configuration will enjoy a measure of good fortune far above the

average, and such persons would therefore me considered "lucky" in the ex-

treme. On the other hand there are times when Saturn and Mars occupy the

zenith position for souls that are born to suffer.

 

But why should one suffer and another be born under a lucky star? Why do

the stars give good fortune to one and misfortune to others, and if we are

 

 

[PAGE 57] WERE YOU BORN UNDER A LUCKY STAR?

 

born to "luck": whether good or bad, what is the use or where is the incen-

tive to individual effort? If there is a law of nature which is established

beyond doubt it is surely the law of Cause and Effect. Every cause must

produce an adequate effect and nothing which we see as an effect can be

without a pre-existence cause. Moreover, if this is a universal law it must

apply to the conditions of birth as well as to subsequent life. Following

up this idea the next question is: If our birth under a lucky or unlucky

star. Thus by induction of belief in Astrology requires also a belief in a

previous existence as well as in future lives, for while we are now reaping

in our horoscopes the effects of our past lives we are also by out acts lay-

ing the foundations for a new horoscope which can only be worked out in a

future life.

 

"How closely luck is linked to merit

Does never to the fool occur;

Had he the wise man's stone, I swear it,

The stone had no philospher,"

 

said MEPHISTO sarcastically in "FAUST" and it is true. If we are born under

a lucky star it shows that we have earned good fortune thereby indicated, by

 

 

[PAGE 58] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

forethought, kindness, and our other virtues expressed in previous lives,

for we cannot have friends unless we are friendly ourselves. If we happen

to have Saturn and Mars instead of Venus and Jupiter near zenith, it shows

that in the past we ourselves have not been kindly and friendly or we could

not now express the opposite traits. But this is just the point where the

study of Astrology should help us. It shows our limitations for the present

and it points out the obvious remedies and HOW TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE. Can

the leopard change its skin? No. Can the lion cease to prey? Absolutely

impossible. Can the flower cease to bloom or the mineral to crystallize?

Certainly not; because they are under laws which are as unchangeable as the

laws of the Medes and Persians. THEY HAVE NEITHER CHOICE NOR PREROGATIVE

but must obey the dictates of the group spirit which guides them along their

path of evolution. But in this respect we differ radically from those lower

kingdoms, we have both choice and prerogative. WE MAY DO WHATSOEVER WE WILL

and that is a factor which is never shown in the horoscope, a factor that

may be made to play an all important role in every life. It is not enough

to be born under a lucky star to have a lucky life, for the horoscope shows

only the tendencies and the person who is so well endowed will without ques-

tions have an abundance of opportunities to make his life fortunate in the

very highest degree. BUT ONLY IN SO FAR AS HE EXERTS HIMSELF TO GRASP

 

 

[PAGE 59] WERE YOU BORN UNDER A LUCKY STAR?

 

OPPORTUNITY on the wing, will that which is foreshadowed in his horoscope

come to pass. And similarly with the person who is afflicted by the con-

junction of two malefics in the mid-heaven or anywhere else in the horo-

scope. By his will, and the exercise of choice, which are his divine birth-

rights, HE MAY RULE HIS STARS and make of the unlucky horoscope a fruitful

life from a far higher standpoint than the other. The bark that has been

tossed by the tempest harbors a job when the haven of safety is reached that

is not equaled on the ship that has always said on smiling seas.

 

"Who never ate his bread in sorrow,

Who never passed the midnight hours

Weeping, waiting for the morrow,

He knows not yet ye heavenly powers."

 

From the higher standpoint those who are living in the lap of luxury are

to be pitied when their lucky stars give them all the good things of this

world and cause them to forget that they are stewards and that the day is

coming when their souls shall be required of them with an accounts of their

stewardship. They shall then be forced to confess that they have failed to

use the substance entrusted to them in the proper manner; while others under

the strain and stress of live, expressed by the horoscopical squares and op-

positions, have wrung from their unlucky stars a measure of victory. What

wonder then if the king's messengers, the circling stars, take from the

 

 

[PAGE 60] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

unfaithful steward that which he had and give to the other, changing the

latter's adversity to prosperity in later lives. Thus the pendulum of luck

and loss, success and failure swings through many lives till we learn to

make our own "luck" by ruling our stars.

 

"A god can love without cessation,

But under laws of alteration

We mortals need, in changing measure,

Our share of pain as well as pleasure."

 

And it is this necessity for change that is ministered unto us by the cir-

cling stars which form configurations that we call good or evil, though they

are neither from a higher standpoint; for no matter how good the horoscope,

by progression of the stars evil configurations are sure to come and no mat-

ter how evil, there are always new opportunities for good given by aspects

of the Sun, Venus, and Jupiter to our planets at birth. ALL THAT WE HAVE TO

DO IS TO GRASP THE OPPORTUNITY, AND HELP OUR STARS, THAT OUR STARS MAY HELP

US.

 

AMULETS, BIRTH-STONES AND PLANETARY COLORS

 

In the windows of jeweler's shops and in cheap, ready made horoscopes one

may often read that it is "LUCKY" for people born in a certain month to wear

a particular stone or color. It means business to the jeweler and the as-

trological prestidigitator who produced "your horoscope" by a turn of the

 

 

[PAGE 61] AMULETS, BIRTHSTONES, ETC.

 

wrist from a box when you tell him in what month you were born. Both buy

their instructive (?) literature at a nominal price per thousand, the prin-

cipal cost being paper and printers' ink; there are no furrows in their

foreheads from deep and earnest study of the problem.

 

But as the counterfeit coin argues the existence of the genuine, so also

the fallacious information flippantly dispensed by people who cater to the

sense of mystery and wonder which is deeply imbedded in human nature argues

the existence of a genuine science of mineralogical correspondences with the

stellar rays impinging upon all who inhabit our sub-lunar sphere; and when

this is rightly understood by the majority of people, for then it is THE

RESULT OF ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE SCIENTIFICALLY USED, and therefore the outcome

is as inevitable as that water runs down hill.

 

The philosophy of planetary colors and mineralogy is that each of the

Creative Hierarchies which is active in evolution works with the various

classes of beings from mineral to man, and is responsible for the progress

made by them. In the course of this work each Hierarchy naturally imparts

to the beings with whom it labors some of its own nature and vibration.

Thus each group of minerals, each species of plant and animal, vibrates to a

certain keynote which blends with the vibration of the Group Spirit, and the

 

 

[PAGE 62] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

particular sign and planet with which he is most nearly attuned.

 

It has been taught by the Elder Brothers in the Rosicrucian

Cosmo-Conception, that:

 

The Archangels, who were humans in the Sun Period when the present

animals started their evolution with a mineral-like existence, are now the

Group Spirits of the animals.

 

The Angels, who were human in the Moon Period when the present plants

commenced their evolution with a similar mineral constitution are now the

Group Spirits of the planets. Man, who reached the human stage in the Earth

Period, is now working with the new life-wave which started its evolution on

the Earth as minerals. He is not far enough advanced to assume the role of

Group Spirit, that being reserved for the future. In the Jupiter Period he

will give them life as plants have, in the Venus Period he will bring out

their desires and emotions as animals, and in the Vulcan Period he will give

them a mind and make then human. That, however, is all in the future. At

present he is working with them to the best of his ability, smelting them

into iron bridges, ships and skeleton skyscrapers; he is pulling them into

wires which wind around the world; he is grinding from them gems that glit-

ter and grace the great in our social structure, and thus he is gradually

establishing an intimate relationship with them and preparing to take charge

 

 

[PAGE 63] AMULETS, BIRTHSTONES, ETC.

 

of their evolution as a Group Spirit at some future time.

 

It is well known to students of Astrology that an astrological reading

based upon the month in which an individual is born is worth little, for all

the people born in the same month do not have the same experiences by any

means, but if we consider the DAY, the YEAR and the PLACE we get a horoscope

that is absolutely individual and totally different in detail from the horo-

scope of anyone else--and this is the point which concerns us for the

present argument--the ruler is not the lord of the sign of the Sun is in,

except for children born at Sunrise, when the Sun is on the Ascendant. IT

IS THE RULER OF THE RISING SIGN, THAT IS THE DETERMINATOR WITH REGARD TO OUR

MINERALOGICAL AFFINITY, because at the moment of conception when the

seed-atom of our present mineral body was deposited the Moon was in that

particular sign and degree, (or its opposite), and acted then as a focus of

forces which have since crystallized into the vehicle we now wear.

 

The following table shows the affinity of each of the twelve signs with

certain gems, metals and colors, and in that chart there are the elements

for making an effective talisman by any individual who has the knowledge of

how to cast a horoscope and blend the ingredients according to the require-

ments of the case. We have no scruples about telling how this is done, for

it may help some to help themselves and others. The only harm it can do is

 

 

[PAGE 64] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

that it might induce some unscrupulous person to make tailsman for money and

even then, if he is conscientious about the work, whoever obtains them will

not be cheated, the re-action being upon the one who prostitutes the

spiritual science for material gain.

 

CHART OF BIRTH-STONES AND COLORS

 

SIGNS GEMS RULED BY THE SIGNS SIGN RULER METALS COLORS

 

ARIES Amethyst, Diamond Mars Iron Red

TUARUS Moss Agate, Emerald Venus Copper Yellow

GEMINI Crystal, Aqua Marine Mercury Mercury Violet

CANCER Emerald, Black Onyx Moon Silver Green

LEO Ruby, Diamond Sun Gold Orange

VIRGO Pink Jasper, Hyacinth Mercury Mercury Violet

LIBRA Diamond, Opal Venus Copper Yellow

SCORPIO Topaz, Malachite Mars Iron Red

SAGITTARIUS Carbuncle, Turquoise Jupiter Tin Blue

CAPRICORN White Onyx, Moonstone Saturn Lead Indigo

AQUARIUS Sapphire, Opal Saturn Lead Indigo

PISCES Chrysolite, Moonstone Jupiter Tin Blue

 

To forestall a question we may say that ancient astrologers who have

studied this aspect of the science have tabulated several hundred minerals

of which the planetary affinities had been noted, but these works have been

 

 

[PAGE 65] AMULETS, BIRTHSTONES, ETC..

 

mutilated in the course of time, and are now not available. Paracelsus and

also Agrippa, made considerable study of this subject, and with very impor-

tant results; but its extensive consideration is outside the scope of this

work, so the authors will confine their remarks to the essentials,

indicating the way which others may pursue if they feel so inclined.

 

To illustrate how the mineral elements may be used to advantage let us

take the following example: Suppose that in a certain horoscope we find

Sagittarius rising with its lord Jupiter on the Ascendant. Jupiter is then

the ruling planet and so, according to our chart turquoise is the person's

birthstone, tin, the metal with which he has affinity, and blue, his color.

That means that it will help him express himself if he wears turquoise, an

amulet of tin, and dresses in blue whenever consistent with custom. That is

true of a certain extent, but it is only a small part of the truth, and it

is by no means the best use that may be made of this knowledge.

 

To indicate the better way, let us suppose that this person's figure

shows severe afflictions by Mars and Saturn.

 

Mars afflicts three planets; his metal is iron, Venus is the opposite of

Mars; her metal is copper, and consequently copper is an antidote for the

martial vibrations.

 

Saturn afflicts one planet; his metal is lead. Jupiter is his opposite

 

 

[PAGE 66] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

and therefore the Jupiter metal, tin, is an antidote for the Saturian vibra-

tions.

 

With this in mind an amulet may be compounded of tin and copper not ex-

actly in the ratio of three to one, but with a mind on the bulk of the

various planets, their destiny and the strength of the aspects it is desired

to overcome, a matter which involves further study. The work itself should

be done under auspicious planetary conditions. A Mars amulet, designed to

give energy to one with a weak figure would be most successful if made in a

Mars-hour on a Tuesday when both the Sun and Moon are in martial signs as

happened in April and November. The same with amulets made for other plan-

ets. (See the Tables of Planetary Hours, in our SIMPLIFIED SCIENTIFIC AS-

TROLOGY.)

 

A gem or an amulet made on these principles is a focus of the stellar

rays of the planets it represents and infuses vibrations of their nature

into our auras all the while we are wearing it, just as surely as the wire-

less receiver attuned to a certain pitch catches the waves within its range;

and we may blend the colors in the same manner to obtain help from them. As

a matter of fact, it is the complementary color which is seen in the desire

world that produces the effect of the physical colors. If it is desired to

restrain one whose Mars is too prominent, the gems, colors and metals of

Saturn will help, and such a person should have as little to do with iron

(tools, machinery, etc..) as possible, but if we want to help someone who is

 

 

[PAGE 67] BEST TIME TO BE BORN

 

moody and taciturn, we may use the gems, colors and metals of Mars to advan-

tage. In the final analysis the matter resolves itself into a question of

judgment and common sense. With these, the knowledge concerning the essen-

tials here given may be used by anyone to advantage.

 

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO BE BORN?

 

In the light of occult investigation of the subject it appears that birth

is an advent we are powerless to control; therefore when we seem to control

it in a slight degree we are really the agents of Destiny to precipitate or

delay it till the proper moment has arrived. This view is also justified by

the author's experience in Horary Astrology. The philosophy of Horary As-

trology is that at the time one is impelled to ask a question concerning an

important matter the heavens contain also the answer and a figure set is

when the inquirer asks the question of the astrologer, if this is done in

person; when it is done by mail the astrologer sets the figure for the time

he reads the question in the letter.

 

On a number of occasions we have received letters containing questions

which bore marks of having been delayed by flood or fire, but the figure

cast for the moment of reading gave the answer, showing that the delay had

 

 

[PAGE 68] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

a part in the plan, nor should it surprise us that the great Intelligences

which are the ministers of Destiny foresee and make allowance for contingen-

cies beyond the grasp of the human mind. When the Infinite Mind bestows

equal care upon the design of the anatomy of a fly, a mouse and a lion, may

we not conclude that a similar attention to the minutiae prevails in all de-

partments of life and that when we seem to delay or precipitate birth we are

really aiding nature to takes its predetermined course as said in the open-

ing sentence of this article.

 

Nevertheless people often ask the astrologer when is the best time to be

born; young astrologers also frequently want to know this, not that they

have any idea of controlling birth but so that on seeing a horoscope or be-

ing told a person's time of birth they may make a quick mental calculation

as to whether the horoscope is good or bad. Such a judgment would of

course, be founded only on the position of the sun by sign and approximate

house, hence general in the extreme. It may be said however that other

planetary positions being equal, it is better to be born when the Moon is

increasing in light from the new to the full than when she is decreasing

from the full to the new for the growing Moon always increases vitality and

furthers our affairs.

 

It is best to be born in April or August when the life-giving Sun is in

its exaltation sign Aries or Leo, its home, for then we enter the sea of

life on the crest-save and are backed in the battle of existence by an

 

 

[PAGE 69] BEST TIME TO BE BORN

 

abundant fund of vim and energy.

 

It is also good to be born in May or July when the life-light of the Sun

is focused thought the exaltation sign or home of the Moon, Taurus or Can-

cer, especially, as said, when the lesser light is increasing for those con-

ditions, also furnish an abundance of vitality which is such a great asset

in physical life.

 

With respect to the time of day most favorable for birth it may be said

that children born about sunrise, or during the forenoon from 8 to 12 while

the Sun is tranversing the houses of friends and social prestige are the

"luckiest" for they are helped on every hand. Children born between noon

and midnight are less "lucky" the nearer the Sun comes to the Nadir, and

them the "luck" turns again in favor of those born in the early morning

while the Daystar is ascending towards the eastern horizon. They will have

to carve their own way in the world, but opportunities will be given them in

abundance.

 

We may therefore sum up our conclusions by saying that it is best to be

born at Sunrise or in the forenoon, preferably in April or August when the

Moon is increasing in light.

 

Finally it should always be borne in mind that there is no "luck," in the

commonly accepted sense, for that which we have or lack in any respect is

due to our own actions in the past, and in the future we may by proper ap-

plication have what we now lack.

 

 

[PAGE 70] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

CHAPTER IV

 

READING THE HOROSCOPE

 

INTRODUCTORY

 

When the student of Astrology has learned to cast the horoscope correctly

by the study of our "Simplified Scientific Astrology," or another reliable

textbook, the next and most important part is to read its message. Astrol-

ogy means "Star Logic" and we must seriously advise the student not to de-

pend too much on authorities but to try to understand the basic nature of

each planet, the influence of signs, houses and aspects: then by a process

of reasoning to combine these and thus develop his own intuition which will

serve him far better than the ability to quote like a poll parrot what some

one else has said.

 

We would also advise the younger astrologer not to bother too much with

the descriptions of physical appearance indicated in the horoscope. It is

foolish to spend hours in studying over a phase of the subject which is of

limited value. We give descriptions of the different physical types, but do

so for the purpose of aiding the student to determine at sight the probable

sign and planet rising when a person comes who does not know his birth hour.

 

 

[PAGE 71] READING THE HOROSCOPE

 

There are people for instance, who have a face perfectly resembling that of

a sheep. If such a one were in doubt about the birth hour, we would at once

look to Aries and experimentally try how Aries rising would fit with the

other characteristics of that person; if we did so we should probably find

our guess to be correct. Thus also the other signs and planets in signs ex-

hibit distinguishing characteristics of valuable aid to the student in the

direction mentioned.

 

The student should also endeavor to cultivate perfect confidence in the

science of Astrology. There is NOTHING EMPIRICAL ABOUT CHARACTER READING

AND DIAGNOSIS. In those respects it is plain as A B C. PREDICTIONS MAY

FAIL because the Astrologer is unable to determine the strength of will of

the person for whom he predicts, but the latent tendencies are always ac-

curately foreshown. The writers have found that where they do not person-

ally know the people who characteristics they read, their delineations are

much deeper and more accurate than otherwise because then personal impres-

sions and bias are absent and the mystic scroll of the heavens is more eas-

ily read.

 

There are three factors which bring to us the mystic message of the

stars; the houses, the signs and the planets.

 

Each house represents a department of life; the signs are divisions of

the heavens which by their placement relative to the houses indicate our

 

 

[PAGE 72] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

basic temperament and attitude towards life; and the planets are the mes-

sengers of God which by their motion through the houses and signs bring to

us the opportunities for soulgrowth which we need for our individual devel-

opment. It is therefore necessary for one who wishes to learn to read a

horoscope to become thoroughly acquainted with these three factors both

separately and in their various combinations. The following descriptions

may help to convey this knowledge:

 

THE HOUSES

 

The houses are called "Mundane Houses," to differentiate between them and

the "Celestial Houses" namely the twelve signs of the Zodiac; but generally

they are designated as "houses" only.

 

It is the angle of the stellar ray which determines its effect in our

lives, planets which are in the East affect our physical constitution, plan-

ets in the South near the zenith are factors for good or ill where our so-

cial position is concerned. If a planet is setting in the West at the time

of our birth its ray strikes us in such a manner as to draw us to a certain

type of marriage partner, and the planets under the earth, in the North,

have an effect upon our condition in the latter part of life. Let us sup-

pose for illustration of the point that someone is born at sunrise on a day

 

 

[PAGE 73] READING THE HOROSCOPE

 

when the Sun and Jupiter are in conjunction. Then they strike him from the

eastern angle and give him splendid vitality. Another born on the same day

at noon when Jupiter and the Sun are in the zenith position may have a very

poor, weak body if other planets in the East are adverse, but the ray of the

Sun and Jupiter falling or his birth figure from the South will certainly

attract to him attention in his social sphere and make him the recipient of

public favor and honor. Another born on the same day, when the Sun and Ju-

piter are setting in the West may be an outcast if planets in the East and

South so decree, but the benefic ray of the Sun and Jupiter from the Western

angle will make him beloved of his mate and successful in partnerships.

These facts have been ascertained by observation and tabulation. Therefore

the twelve sections of the circle of observation as seen from the birthplace

are truly said to rule or govern various departments of life and thus people

born on the same day may have the most diverse experiences.

 

The houses may be variously grouped according to the influence they exer-

cise in our lives; there are "angular," "succeedent" and "cadent" houses,

also personal, spiritual, material, social and mystical houses.

 

Of the ANGLES, the first house governs our personal self, and its oppo-

site the seventh house, rules the one who is nearest and dearest to us,

namely, the marriage partner. The fourth house determines conditions in our

 

 

[PAGE 74] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

home and its opposite angle, the tenth house, shows our social standing in

the community where we live. Thus the angles show collectively the sphere

of our activities in life.

 

Of the SUCCEEDENT HOUSES the second shows our financial status with re-

gard to that which we acquire by our own efforts and the opposite succeedent

house, the eight, shows whatever we may receive from others as legacies,

etc. The other succeedent houses, the fifth and eleventh, show how our in-

come may be spent, for the fifth house indicates the children of our body

who have a legitimate claim to a share of our income, and the eleventh house

shows the children of our brains, our hopes, wishes and aspirations which

also draw upon our resources.

 

Of the two pairs of CADENT HOUSES the sixth is the house of voluntary

service which we perform as our share of the world's work for an equivalent

share in the world's wealth, and the twelfth house shows how we may be com-

pelled to labor without remuneration under prison restraint if we do not

work willingly. The sixth house shows also the state of our health and the

twelfth tells if hospital treatment is necessary.

 

The other pair of cadent houses, the third and ninth show whether our

life and work will confine us to one place or require travel and changes of

residence. In this respect the third house shows short journeys and the

ninth house long travels.

 

The PERSONAL HOUSES comprise the first, fifth and ninth. The first house

 

 

[PAGE 75] READING THE HOROSCOPE

 

rules the constitution and peculiarities of the physical body. Planets and

signs in that house put their stamp on it to make or mar according to the

nature of its self-generated destiny. Our fifth house shows the quality of

love-nature of the soul and the line of its expression if it follows the

line of least resistance; and the ninth house shows as much of the spirit as

we can apprehend in our present limited state.

 

The MATERIAL TRINITY OF HOUSES consists of the second, sixth and tenth

and shows the worldly possessions of man, his means of obtaining them and

the enjoyment they bring him. Wealth, or its reverse, is shown by the sec-

ond house, health, without which there can be no joy in any worldly posses-

sion, is shown by the sixth house; and the public prestige which is the

chief source of gratification to the average human being, is shown by the

tenth house.

 

The SOCIAL HOUSES are the third, seventh, and eleventh houses and in them

is shown the nature of our relations and various classes of souls we meet in

life. Brothers and sisters to whom we are bound by the time of blood are

shown by the third house, the companion of our heart with whom our blood

blends in another way, is shown by the seventh house, and the friends, more

precious than pearls to whoever has earned friendship, are designated by the

eleventh house.

 

The fourth and last trinity of houses is composed of the fourth, eighth

and twelfth. If them are hidden mysteries of the ante-natal life of the

 

 

[PAGE 76] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

spirit, and the post mortem experiences immediately to follow the TERMINUS

VITAE. On the material plane the fourth house signifies our condition in

the latter part of life, the twelfth shows the sorrow which impresses us

with the worthlessness of material things and the eighth indicates the na-

ture of our exit from the world's stage.

 

An illustration may further help the student to understand how the heav-

ens influence our life through the twelve houses. Suppose we are out driv-

ing and our road follows the seacoast, but a mile or so inland. A breeze is

blowing from the ocean and as it passes over the country separating us from

the sea, it brings upon invisible wings messages from that land, which evoke

pleasure or aversion according to their nature. In one place, an aroma of

new mown hay fills us with delight; perhaps we are nauseated by the noxious

smell of jasmine on the next stretch of our journey; and later become really

ill from the stench of stagnant marsh-water. But then we enter a forest,

and soon its grateful pine balm restores the normal health and spirits.

 

In our journey from the cradle to the grave we carry the twelve houses

with us in the auric atmosphere surrounding us, as the air envelops the fly-

ing earth. Each house mirrors part of the life; each holds some of our life

lessons; each represents how we have worked or shirked before in a given de-

partment of life's tasks. At the appropriate time of life we reap from each

 

 

[PAGE 77] READING THE HOROSCOPE

 

house what we have sown in past lives, that is, unless we forestall the har-

vest in time. Is our eleventh house afflicted, do friends betray and for-

sake us, do they leave us heartsick, or nauseate us like the scent of jas-

mine and stagnant marsh-water? Then let us examine the horoscope for it

reveals what is hidden in our auric atmosphere. The friends sensed us, and

we then, through the eleventh angle, and something ill-smelling must be

there. It may be, we long to be befriended, more than to befriend others.

Let us cease to be like the sickly, debilitating jasmine, and seek to

manifest the sturdy strength of the invigorating pine tree; then we shall

find friend flocking around, admiring our strength. Not all have such

sturdy natures, but we can attract equally by kindliness, as soothing to

sorrowing hearts as perfume of new mown hay to the sense, and thus we may

rid the house of friends of affliction.

 

After the foregoing explanations, the houses may now be said to influence

the affairs of life as follows:

 

FIRST HOUSE rules the physical body and its constitution and appearance; it

determines conditions in the childhood home while the person is under con-

trol of the parents.

 

SECOND HOUSE rules money, the financial fortunes; it shows what the person

acquires by individual effort and to a certain extent what use he will make

of it.

 

 

[PAGE 78] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

THIRD HOUSE rules brothers and sisters, neighbors, the instinctual mind,

writings, short journeys and conveyances of travel.

 

FOURTH HOUSE--That one of the parents who exercises the lesser influence in

the person's life, conditions in the latter part of life, houses, lands,

mines; everything pertaining to the earth.

 

FIFTH HOUSE--Love, courtship and licentiousness, the legitimate and ille-

gitimate attraction and social intercourse between the sexes prior to wed-

lock; children, education institutions, books and newspapers, sports and

amusements, stocks and speculations.

 

SIXTH HOUSE--Health, service to be rendered by the person and also the con-

dition and faithfulness of those who serve him.

 

SEVENTH HOUSE--The marriage partner, the public in general, competitors,

partners, opponents in litigations, rivals.

 

EIGHTH HOUSE--Death, legacies, the marriage partner's finances, occult

abilities and faculties latent but nearly ready for manifestation.

 

NINTH HOUSE--Religion, spiritual experiences and aspirations, dreams and vi-

sions, long travels and law.

 

TENTH HOUSE--The parent who exercises most influence in the person's life,

the honor and social standing of the person, his employer or judge, and the

government.

 

 

[PAGE 79] READING THE HOROSCOPE

 

ELEVENTH HOUSE--Friends, companions and well-wishers, hopes, wishes and as-

pirations, generally of a material nature, also stepchildren.

 

TWELFTH HOUSE--Confinement in hospitals or prison, secret enemies and plots;

sorrow and self undoing.

 

THE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC

 

On either side of the Sun's path there are a number of fixed stars which

are so grouped that they may be conceived as forming twelve constellations,

and as they have certain characteristic influences ancient sages named them

for the animals which express similar traits. These constellations are

called the NATURAL Zodiac and for all practical purposes it may be said that

they occupy permanent positions relative to the other fixed stars of the

firmament. This circle is divided into twelve sections starting at the

first degree of Aries, which is occupied by the Sun at the vernal equinox.

 

On account of the precession of the equinox the Sun does not cross the

equator at the same point each year, but it has been found that the first 30

degrees from the point where the Sun does cross the equator at the equinox

have an effect similar to that ascribed to the constellation Aries; the

next thirty degrees radiate a Taurian influence and so on with the other ten

 

 

[PAGE 80] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

sections of thirty degrees each. Therefore the twelve sections measured

from the vernal equinox are used exclusively in Astrology and called SIGNS

of the Zodiac, to differentiate them from the CONSTELLATIONS. (For a thor-

ough elucidation of the subject see "Simplified Scientific Astrology," under

the caption "Intellectual Zodiac.")

 

These twelve signs of the Zodiac are variously divided according to their

effect on humanity into Cardinal, Fixed and Common signs, also into Fiery,

Earthy, Airy and Watery signs. What their influences are we shall endeavor

to elucidate in the following sections.

 

THE CARDINAL SIGNS

 

Keyword "Activity"

 

The Cardinal Signs are ARIES, CANCER, LIBRA and CAPRICORN. These signs

are called Cardinal because when the Sun is in them he is in one of the four

corners of the heavens; at a turning-point, where he is forced to take an-

other direction. In Aries he is as far EAST as he can go; Cancer is the

tropical point of the NORTH where he gives the PERPENDICULAR RAY at the Sum-

mer Solstice, and consequently the greatest HEAT. Libra is the extreme

WESTERN point of his path, where he turns away from the Northern Hemisphere,

and in midwinter, at Christmas, he is in Capricorn at the farthest point

SOUTH, where his HORIZONTAL RAY leaves the people of the North in winter's

icy grip. The effect of the angels, the first, fourth, seventh and tenth

 

 

[PAGE 81] READING THE HOROSCOPE

 

houses, is similar to the effect of the cardinal signs because these houses

are at the East, North, West and South points of the horoscope. The nature

and effect of cardinal signs and angles may be summed up in the words "Ac-

tion" and "Initiative" (though each acts differently from the others,)

therefore planets placed in cardinal signs and angles give zest to life ac-

cording to the nature of the particular planet, sign and angle.

 

"Zodiac" means a circle of animals. The symbols of three of the cardinal

signs are animalistic: ARIES, the Ram; CANCER, the Crab; and CAPRICORN, the

Goat. The fourth , Libra, the Scales, represents the ideal towards which

this class must strive. None need poise so much as those under the impul-

sive influence of the cardinal ray; therefore the Balance was set in the

heavens to direct their aspirations.

 

THE FIXED SIGNS

 

Keyword "Stability"

 

The Fixed Signs are TAURUS, LEO, SCORPIO and AQUARIUS. Three symbols of

the fixed signs are also bestial, violent and virulent; TAURUS, the Bull;

LEO, the Lion; and SCORPIO, the Scorpion. The human figure of AQUARIUS, the

Waterbearer, shows us the ideal towards which this class must strive. In-

stead of fighting, preying upon, or poisoning others in the struggle for ex-

istence they must learn to become humane, to be friends to all instead of

foes.

 

 

[PAGE 82] THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

 

The influence of the fixed signs rouses the DESIRE nature, giving stamina

and persistence in action.

 

When fixed signs are on the angles (the first, fourth, seventh and tenth

houses), they exert a well nigh irresistible force, impelling the individual

along a certain line. He may be slow and plodding, but is sure to be PER-

SISTENT in whatever he undertakes, and whatever talent he may posses in a

certain direction will be exploited to its fullest extent. Setbacks which

would take the courage from a person with cardinal signs do not daunt the

man with fixed signs on the angels, he knows no defeat, and therefore he

usually gains his goal in the end and achieves success by Concentration upon

one point, and Persistence in following his chosen path. On the other hand

such people are conservative to the last degree. They may see and desire

improvements in various lines, but are exceedingly slow to adopt measures to

accomplish the desired end; they never do this until thoroughly satisfied

that a certain method will meet the requirements. In other words, people

with fixed signs on the angels "look before they leap;" they look a long

time and very, very carefully, but on the other hand, when they have once

been won over to a certain cause they are faithful unto death, and no more

ardent advocates can be found; their zeal is almost fanatical. On the

whole, people with fixed signs may be said to be THE MOST RELIABLE PEOPLE in

the world, either for good or bad.

 

 

[PAGE 83] READING THE HOROSCOPE

 

THE COMMON SIGNS

 

Keyword "Flexibility"

 

Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo and Pisces are called common signs, their in-

trinsic nature being best expressed by the keyword, Flexibility.

 

The forces working through the CARDINAL signs impinge upon the DENSE BODY

and stir it to action.

 

The power of the COMMON signs is MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL, giving purpose to

action and incentive to nobility of life.

 

Therefore people influenced by stellar forces focused principally through

CARDINAL signs are the workers of the world, not the toilers, but EX-

ECUTIVES, who accomplish things industrially, and who bring into concrete

existence schemes, great or small, of value in the world's work. THE COMMON

SIGNS ARE ALL DOUBLE; two of them are human: GEMINI, the Twins, and VIRGO,

the Virgin; the third, SAGITTARIUS, the Centaur, is partly human; and only

the fourth symbol, PISCES, the Fishes, is taken from the lower kingdom.

None are violent, however, but intensely moral, intellectual and spiritual

symbols.

 

Unstable as reeds they are swayed hither and thither; nothing appeals to

them permanently, they desire nothing as much as change. No matter how well

placed, they can seldom resist the lure of an opening in another city, the

farther away, the better. Therefore the old maxim: "a rolling stone gath-

ers no moss," applies particularly to this class, for their roving habits

 

 

[PAGE 84] READING THE HOROSCOPE

 

usually keep them poor. They spend as fast as they earn, or faster. Thus

these people drift upon the sea of life propelled by the currents of circum-

stances. Outside conditions dominate them as they lack stamina to assert

their own individuality.

 

The foregoing is true of the great majority who are under the rule and

influence of common signs; they respond to the LOWER PHASE simply because

the higher side is too high for all but a very few at our present stage of

development. Those who make a success in the world because prodded by the

cardinal and fixed influences, call them indolent and good-for-nothing, but

were the former bereft of the cardinal or fixed energy which goads them to

action, and placed under the common ray, they would soon realize its lack of

power and learn compassion for those who must so live all their lives. What

then is the lesson these people have to learn?

 

COMPARATIVE EFFECT OF CARDINAL, FIXED AND COMMON

SIGNS ON THE ANGLES

 

While the nature of the cardinal signs is such that their rays stir our

latent forces into action and promote change, the most prominent quality of

the fixed signs is Stability; but the student must beware of confounding

stability with inertia. The action induced by the rays of cardinal signs

may be changed into other channels with considerable facility, all they want

being expression; the direction in which they express themselves is a