Modality & Trines

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~ The Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable Designations of the Signs and Decans

Modality Modality is a ver y useful way of conceptualizing conceptualizing the 4 seasons of our our y ear, each of which contain contain 3 distinct distinct months giving us the 1 2 delineated delineated Signs Signs of the Zodiac. Zodiac. Three Thr ee essential things to know right at the beginning beginning are:

Our Y ear begin be ginss on the Winter Solstice, the first day of Capricorn Capricorn which also also happens to be the first day of Winter Winter (in the Northerm Hemisphere). Hemisphere). We then move mov e counter clockwise clockwise into Aquarius and Pisces before t he Spring Equinox, Equinox, being the first day of Aries. The seasons themselves always begin at the Solstice or Equinox and they always end at the Solstice or Equinox. The first month of a Season after t he Solstice or Equinox Equinox point point is always Cardinal, Cardinal, the second month month is always Fixed, and the third is always Mutable. Mut able. In other w ords, Cardinal Cardinal is the beginning beginning of a process, Fixed is the middle middle of a process, and Mutable is the end of a process

These three most fundamental points of reference when studying Astrology are rarely dealt with. The problem is that for too long long Astro logers have taken for for granted this this idea that the Signs Signs of the Zodiac Zodiac relate directly directly to constella constellations tions in the belt of our ecliptic, ecliptic, and that stars arranged arbitrarily are chiefly "where our signs and their symbols/meanings come from." Over time this has lead to a gradual misunderstandin misunderstanding g of the seasonal process as it's relate d to Ast rology. rology. The origin origin of the Signs likely st emmed from fr om understanding understanding our movement through the se asons, first first and foremost. T he ancients then projected our seasonal cycles onto the star s for navigation and and astro-theologi astro- theological cal purposes, drawing drawing constellations constellations and and naming naming them after afte r t he seasonal times they were in. Over t housands housands of years, ye ars, though, the stars have slowly slowly shifted, shifted, and this has lead some astrologers to conclude conclude that "all our signs signs are off." off." T his move move ment has evolved ev olved into what's called called sidereal astrology of which many books have been written writte n claimin claiming g that, again, again, "all our signs signs are off" by about 27 or so degrees. But the critical critical point point that's constantly constantly missed here is that our signs signs are not off at all; all; the stars are off. off. Our seasons seasons still come and go like like clockwork, clockwork, and we still know know ex actly w hen the Solstices and Equinoxes Equinoxes of each year y ear are ar e bound to occur. occur. Many books and websites, ev en those using tropical tropical (seasonal) (seasonal) astrology, might talk about a Sign or or what it's modality modality is, but they rarely explain what modality actually means within the context of our Year, the point being that anyone using tropical astrology needs t o get out of  astro- centric ideas ideas and and more more into season- centric understandin understanding g of of what they 're actually actually working with. with. Basic keynotes to remember about the Modalities are: Beginning of a Season/process. Se ason/process. Idealism. Freshness. Bre aking new ground. Grappling with new energy . Kinetic action. action. Cardinal: Beginning Confidently bringing an element "out of hibernation." Optimistic. Forward  Forw ard moving. moving.

Fixed: Middle of a Season/process. Fixity. Centerdness. Stillness. Individuality. Perspective. "Stand alone." Archetype of "the process" itself, being neither neither at t he beginning beginning nor the e nd. Grounding. Preparin Prepar ing g for great change. Changeable, Changeable, malleable, mutable. Sensing the highly  Mutable: End of a Season/process. Grounding. energetic energet ic Cardinal Cardinal "twin" on the other side of t he Solstice or Equinox. Equinox. Worldly. Worldly. Experienced. Wise. Natural. Deeply grounding grounding a particular element for "hibernation" "hibernation" as it will not not be expr essed during the followin following g season. None of this is to say that Fixed individuals cannot have the energetic thrust of Cardinal individuals, that Cardinal individuals cannot have the grounding grounding of of Mutable individuals, individuals, or that Mutable individuals individuals cannot cannot have hav e t he balanced perspectiv e of Fixed Fix ed individuals. individuals. It is  just about about overall ov erall consistency. consistency.

 Within the Signs also exists a "microcosm" of these three Modalities. These are shown by the Decans as discussed on the Minor Arcana page. The Decans indicate certain harmonic "resonators" (T rines) between different modalities and elements. Trines are re presented by  about 120 degrees of arch, landing one in the same element though expressed in a different modality within a season. As y ou can see in the image at the top of the page, the last 10 degree of Aquarius, an Air sign, is related also to the last 10 degrees of the other two Air signs, Libra and Gemini. In other words, the 7 of Swords, the 1 0 of Swords and the 4 of Swords are Resonators. To recap from the Minor Arcana page: 0 to 10 Degrees of a Sign = First Card/Decan of that Sign 10 to 20 Degrees of a Sign = Second Card/Decan of that Sign 20 to 30 Degrees of a Sign = Third Card/Decan of that Sign If we take a Sun placement that is in 15 Degrees Scorpio, that means that this individual is attuned to the Second Card of that sign, the 6 of Cups. Just as there are the 3 Modalities of Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable Signs (the beginning, middle and end of the seasons giving us three expressions (modalities) for each of the four elements - 3 modalities x 4 elements = 12 signs) there are also Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable areas within those Signs which are the Decanates, symbolized by the Minor Arcana. Cardinal Signs = Aries - Cancer - Libra - Capricorn Fixed Signs = Leo - Scorpio - Aquarius - Taurus Mutable Signs = Sagittarius - Pisces - Gemini - Virgo

Rule Decans 2, 3, 4 Rule Decans 5, 6, 7 Rule Decans 8, 9 10

 As you can see, each season begins with 2 and ends with 10; 2- 3-4- 5- 6-7- 8-9- 10, before starting all over again in the next season. This maps to the Kabbalistic Tree of Life schemata as discussed elsewhere on this site where the 1st sephiroth of the Tree, Kether the Crown, is not factored in to the Zodiac. Kether is composed of the Aces of Tarot, the "puritanical representatives" of the elements themselves as discussed on the Cross of Elements page. The 2 through 10 cycle shows the linear processes of Modality as we move through the seasons, but the Decanate "Modalities within the Modalties" hav e a specific resonances with one another as well: First Card (0 to 10 degrees) = Cardinal area of the sign - 2, 5, 8 Second Card (10 to 20 degrees) = Fixed area of the sign - 3, 6, 9 Third Card (20 to 30 degrees) = Mutable area of the sign - 4, 7, 10 So if we take a sun placement in Scorpio, the Fixed Water sign, also in 15 degrees of that Sign, indicating the 6 of Cups decan, this means the individual is a Double Scorpio or Double Fixed Scorpio, which itself also has a resonance to the two other Fixed areas of t he two other  Water signs of Cancer and Pisces, the 3 of Cups and the 9 of Cups decans. The 3, 6 and 9 of Cups are approximately 120 degrees apart from one another. 120 x 3 = 360 degrees of the entire Zodiac. These three "resonanator" decans are called Trines in traditional astrology  and they bring a kind of harmony to planetary configurations within them, or rather bring a greater perspective in seeing up and down the fractal of a particular element. If a person were born, for example, between 20 and 30 degrees of Scorpio, represented by the 7 of  Cups decan, we would call this a Mutable Scorpio, or Pisces of Scorpio, which has resonance with the two other Mutable areas of the two other Water signs of Cancer and Pisces, the 4 of Cups and the 10 of Cups decans. If you take someone who was born in the last 10 degrees of Virgo, he or she would be a Double Virgo, or Double Mutable Virgo, resonating with the Mutable areas of the other two Earth signs Capricorn and Taurus, the 4 of Disks and the 7 of Disks decans. But, if they were born anywhere from 0 to 10 degrees of Virgo, they would be a Cardinal Virgo, or Capricorn of Virgo, resonating with the Cardinal  areas of the other two Earth signs, the 2 of Disks and the 5 of Disks. This may seem difficult if you are new t o this subject, but it is actually quite simple if you just stick with it. Below is a useful way of understanding the Decanate Numbers as arranged in three ve rtical "Resonator" columns indicating astrological Trines, and three horizontal rows showing the rulership of the signs themselve s.

So, 2-5-8 is a resonating trine, and 3-6-9 and 4-7-10 have a resonating relationship as well. From looking at how these numbers relate to one another, we can get a good grasp on exactly how meanings and interpretations overlap in Tarot and in Astrology. There are numerical relations moving across from left t o right giving a signs full "reign" as it were. Then t here are the resonating numbers moving from top to bottom showing the modal relationships betw een the signs; the Trines. These are refered to as Modality Columns or  Resonator Columns throughout this site. For ex ample, moving from left to right, the 2s, 3s and 4s in Tarot are all Cardinal Decans and possess Cardinal attributes. They begin the seasons. But, the Cardinal "prerogative" is mirrored 120 degrees away in the other Modalities as well if we move from top to bottom in the 2-5-8 column. You will notice from the Tarot & The Tree of Life page (http://astrotarot.weebly.com/tarot--the-tree-of-life.html) that the 4s, 7s and 10s, for example, have many of the same general meanings, only  expr essed in different modes (modalities). These are the Mutable areas (Decans) of the Signs. The Fixed areas, those of the 3s, 6s and 9s, also have many of the same general meanings, though expre ssed in different ways, and so it goes for t he 2s, 5s and 8s. So, if someone is born in a 5 Decan, whether it be t he 5 of Disks, 5 of Swords, 5 of Wands or 5 of Cups, he or she will be harmonically aligned with the 2s and 8s as well. We narrow t his down ev en further by looking at which element the Sun placement is actually in. This gives the individual his or her pe rsonal resonating trine. For example if an individual's Sun placement is in the 5 of Disks, then it follows t hey will have an harmonic resonance with the 2 of Disks and the 8 of Disks as well. It is highly useful to be aware of and contemplate the psychological import of the 3 interrelated cards of one's personal trine, to see how the specific Decan of their original Sun (or any other planet) placement is mirrored 120 degrees away in the other two modalities of the same element and how one might harness those other expr essions to bring greater harmony and awareness to one's life. T his especially is useful if an individual feels that the Minor Arcana card representing a Decan is too "negative " on the surface, like t he 5 of Disks for example which is entitled "Worry ." T his card and Decan has many positive interpretations, but if one doesn't like it on face value they may look to its resonating Trine for greater clarity, the 2 of  Disks, Harmonious Change, or the 8 of Disks, Prudence. The numerical relations of the Major Ar cana operate generally in the same way with a graph similar to this in the numerology section of  the Major Arcana page  (http://astrotarot.weebly.com/the-major-arcana.html) .

Decan Keynotes

These Decan keynotes are of course very general. There are all kinds of people, obviously, but overall the 7 words for each Decanate number above are accurate. Delineating exactly to what degree a 6 is a "harmonizer," or what degree a 9 might be "elitist," must be gathered from looking at the individual's Natal Chart itself to see what the other elements are up to, especially with things like t he Houses and one's Rising Sign. A 9 may be "elitist," but there are both positive and negative sides to this, just as t here ar e positive and negative sides t o the "intellect" and generalizations of the 6. The double points of this graph are shown diagonally in the 2-6- 10 Decans, which are also illustrated in the colored Zodiac chart at the top of the page. T hese Decans are Double Cardinal, Double Fixed and Double Mutable respectively and represent the very beginning, the  very middle and very end of the seasons. They may be considered quintessential expressions of the Modality they find themselves in  where t he "lesser mirrors the greater ." These 2- 6-1 0 "double points" are shown in the Zodiac wheel at the top of the page as having the same color as t heir parent sign, in case anyone were still wondering why some decans are connected to t heir parent sign like that through having the same color. The reasoning behind this becomes apparent the more you look at the design. 2 is the v ery beginning (very Cardinal), 6 is the v ery middle (ver y Fixed), and 10 is the ve ry end (very Mutable). "Pure Tr ines" are indicated by decans of the exact same color though in different modalities, for ex ample the 4 of Wands, 7 of Wands and 10 of Wands, or the 3 of Cups, 6 of Cups and 9 of Cups. If one has planets occupying these decans, there is a harmonizing influence or resonance traditionally seen as auspicious. "Loose Trines" are indicated by decans close to the same color but not ex actly, for example if   you have a planet in the 5 of Disks and also a planet in the 3 of Disks. The harmony is still there since it is of the same element, but it is not coming through the same Trine or Resonator Column. (Trines may also be much more narrowed down and precise when using the Human Design Syst em as I discuss here (http://youtu.be/RiQf7NgQZPs)). The relationship between these Decanate numbers as situated within the T rine/Resonator/Modality columns, and on the wheel of the Zodiac itself, is found not only in Astrology and Kabbalah but also within vort ex based mathematics and the discoveries of Mark o Rodin and what he calls the "mathematical fingerprint of god." This is a truly fascinating correlation in that just as the Decans 2-5 -8, 3- 6-9, and 4-7-10(1) have a very special relationship to one another astrologically, they also serve an important function in the mathematical flow 

of energy within this template/symbol that Marko discovered:

This is a very large subject but the math is actually quite easy to understand once you see Marko demonstrate it a few times. There are many v ideos of Marko discussing how this works on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/results? search_query=marko+rodin&oq=marko+rodin&gs_l=youtube.3...944.2522.0.2931.11.8.0.0.0.0.561.561.5-1.1.0...0.0...1ac.1.D6Rc5Kg7dM). You may watch the short documentary The Cosmic 432 (http://www .youtube.com/w atch?v=jVATlX4XKMk) which draws upon some of Marko's work at one point, or check out t he work of Randy Powell (http://www.theabhakingdom.com/The_Gateway.html) who is continuing Marko's resear ch in vortex based mathematics. There are many ways one can symbolically or mathematically explore this symbol. One way is to see the number 9 at the top of the image as the head of a bird, whereas 6 and 3 are it's two wings. In Crowley's The Book of Lies, the poem entitled The Sw an encapsulates the dy namic of 3-6- 9 both in the Decanate Trines and also in Marko's "fingerprint of God" sy mbol: There is a Swan whose name is Ecstasy: it wingeth from the Deserts of the North; it wingeth through the blue; it wingeth over the fields of rice; at its coming they push forth the green.

 In all the Universe this Sw an alone is motionless; it  seems to move, as the Sun seems to move; such is the we akness of our sight. O fool! criest thou?   Amen. Motion is relative: there is Nothing that is   still.  Against this Sw an I shot an arrow; the w hite breast  poured forth blood. Men smot e me; t hen, perceiving that I was but a Pure Fool, they let me  pass. Thus and not otherwise I came to t he T emple of the Graal.

The Pyramids & the 3/4 dynamic of the Signs and the Signs within the Signs

The Great Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt probably looked as pristine as depicted in this picture above at some point in history. The evidence shows t hat as man began to ev olve (or devolve ) away from the original inception of this civilization's seemingly immaculate and perfect beginnings, different armies, r ulers, and other factors slowly changed the topical landscape. Much of the flat stone that originally  encased the pyramids, giving them this very smooth look, were removed in order to build other temples. It seems that the original manner in which the py ramids were built was lost which lead to progressiv ely lower and lower quality temples being built, obviously to the point of removing stones from the great pyramids themselves to build them.  Ancient civilizations seem t o have had a v ery keen understanding of the connection between the processes of time, the se asons, the properties of phy sical matter and of consciousness itself. The ancient monuments built the world over seem t o represent a k ind of interface betwe en matter and consciousness, or science and spirituality. Within modern physics, mathematics, geology, astronomy  and sacred geometry there are fundamental principles, and these principles are being found to have been already "hammered down" as it were within these structures and even within the myths of the people living around them. Many stone slabs at the worlds pyramids also show definite signs of machining, or at least some adv anced way of cutting stone. When we t hink of t he word " machine" we usually  associate it with gas, oil, wires, outlets, met al and/or plastic accompanied by some sort of buzzing or putt ering. The point here is that just as ther e is ev idence of some highly adv anced machining technique, it follows t here must hav e been a highly advanced consciousness operating it. For evidence of this once global High Civilization one may consult the following sources: The Code (http://youtu.be/s7Te08rDvis) by Carl Munck  Joseph P. Farrell on the Grid of the Gods (http://youtu.be/l1EEn2y2UKE)

The Giza Power Plant (http://www.amazon.com/Giza-Power-Plant-Technologies-Ancient/dp/1879181509/ref=cm_rdp_product) by  Christopher Dunn The Revelation of the Pyramids (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW0ApDr032I) documentary  I do not agree with all of these theories, but as Dr. Farrell has said, it is the points of agreement that matter. Everyone thinks differently  and conceives differently. Different people hav e different skills, and when properly recognized and cultivat ed none are bet ter or worse than the others. Some writers will look at this subject from the lens of science, and some may speculate more than others, but the  bottom line remains that "officialdom" has constantly been charged with ignoring and even hiding crucial points of study. Deep down academia seems to hold a kind of envious and vindictive att itude toward independent resear chers and their work . Independent researcher Michael Tsarion explains this problem very well here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iakyRAUjwh4).

 Aztec Maltese Cross

The pyramid "flattened" into an octagonal Maltese Cross Maltese Cross w ith the 4 Evangelicals, the 4 Elements and the 4 Seasons

 What we want to do here is look at the psychological or "metaphysical" interpre tations of the Py ramid structure having to do with astrology, number, geomet ry , and their relationship to consciousness. When we take t he py ramid object of 3 dimensions and flatten it into a 2 dimensional shape we get what is called a Maltese Cross.

Different cultures have different names for this octagonal shape. To the left here we see a Chinese rendition called the BaGua which is based on the I Ching. The 64 Hexagrams of the I-Ching are themselves based on the 8 "trigrams" pictured in the BaGua. As y ou can see, the four directions of the central maltese cross have within them seasonal correspondences. The  bottom arm of the cross corresponds to winter, the r ight arm to autumn, the top arm to summer and the left arm to winter. All the other correspondences also match up quite well with western Astrological concepts, and anyone familiar with western Astrology should be able to notice cert ain correlations. The BaGua is also used in Feng Shui to give ideas on how to structure and decorate one's home or work space. The merging between the I-Ching and western Astrology is explored in more depth on the I-Ching page. When looking at the I-Ching itself there are tell tale signs of it having had some connection with Astrological understanding in the past, and we are just now beginning to uncover t he many fascinating and real connections between t hem.

The Maltese Cross and the pyramid symbolizes how we have four elements, but also three expressions of each of the four elements, Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable; the Modalities. This of course gives us the 12 signs of the Zodiac, but there are many other ways one may  conceptualize this basic 3/4 structure. From Alvin Boyd Kuhn's The Ultimate Canon of Knowledge on page 99 we read:  As number is one of the natural categories, the role it plays in ancient semanticism is profoundly significant. One of c ourse represents the primal and ete rnal unity, and two the duality and polarity. The triad has its basic reference t o the first productivity of the primal   parenthood, the tw o parents and their child. But four is the first number that expresse s the c ompleteness of a manifestation. This would seem to say that the stability of organic life is not assured until it rests upon a fourfold base, as a table standing on its four legs.  In Biblical symbolism the struct ure representing this truth is the Altar. It w as the base on which man could burn his sacrificial  offering to deity. And man's life does rest on a fourfold base eve n in consciousness and organization. For of the seve n principles  postulated by the Egyptians as the full complement of t he c ompound of forces constituting the human organism, only the low er four are in function. The evolution and exploitation of the upper three powers lie in the future. Through the implementation of the lower  four man's conscious life functions at the four levels of sensations, emotion, thought and spirituality. It is truly enough seen that the  fires of man's physical and psychic life burn on these four lowe r levels. His range of c onsciousness exte nds only over the area of t hese  four distinct strata. The four is seen in its relevance to the actuality of man's situation in the cosmos if we trace the origin and evolution of manifest life by the simplest symbolic forms. At the beginning of an epoch of manifestation, life emerges from the void, which must be represented by the circle zero, the most apt symbol of empty space. Then the fist appearance of organic existence must be represented by a dot in the center of a circle. Then as God first "moves on the face of the waters," the dot would move across the circle, dividing it into its upper and lowe r "firmaments." Plato describes this as the divine unity bifurcating in space, and it gives the first idea of the c ross. The establishment of the polarity pits the two forces at right angles to each other, giving the four-armed cross. God then squares the circle and life rests on its foursided base. But the trinity of spirit-matter-child operates in each of the four levels of consciousness, so that the ideal structure of human life is w ondrously symbolized by four triangles, giving basic value and significance to the two most   prominent numerical symbols in all of the sacred S criptures of the w orld: seven as four plus three, and twelve , as four times three.  Here we have the basis of two such amazing symbolic structures as the great pyramid of Gizeh (sic), with its four-sides base and its  four triangular faces, and the zodiac, with its four eleme nts of earth, water, air and fire in three active phases. The zodiac in  particular is a mathematical structure o f the mo st amazing semantic significations, almost fathomless in its intimations. And the  pyramid (meaning etymologically "a measure of fire") is no less suggestive of t he play of the fiery energies of o ur life in a marvelous cosmic pattern. Of utmost importance for semantic understanding is the fact that the seven resulting from the addition of the four and the three is the number of the basic physical structure of the universe, while twelve, the number resulting from the multiplication of three and four, is the spiritual foundations of the w orld.

Can we account for the 36 Decans in the pyramidal structure? The answer is yes, by building three pyramids as was done at Giza. One pyr amid would be Cardinal, one Fixed, and the other Mutable. Each side of the py ramid would be of a part icular element, and the 3 corners of each triangle would symbolize t he three Decans of that sign.

In looking at the Zodiac itself, if one were to extend the markers between the Signs as shown above, it would form a Maltese Cross stretching beyond the original wheel. Ther e are 4 seasons composed of 3 months each, with each month signifying the beginning, middle and end. Moreover, as we've seen, each month can be further subdivided into 3 separate expressions or "resonance frequencies" called Decans, the Modalities within the Modalities. The above illustration is also very useful in understanding one's own numerological timeline as discussed on the Personal Timeline page. Each space of the Matlese Cross extending bey ond the wheel is filled with information pertinent to the individual's movement through space/time, i.e., the year. Each of the  four elements (fire, water , air, earth) of course has it's "opportunity" to be one of three modalities; Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable. When an element is in it's Cardinal expression, it is v ery energet ic in the terms of that element. For fire, i.e., Aries, this is especially energetic. For water, Cancer, this is highly energetic as well but in a very different "watery" way. The "highest" expression of   water is total absorption of the environment and inclusion, adaptation and taking shape of whatever v essel one finds him or herself in.  Whatever the element, if it is Cardinal there is an air of really taking up the baton and "marching forward" with the new element. This is due to the fact that Cardinal elements have gone through an entire season with no expr ession prior to their own, i.e., no sign of that element. For example if we look at Aries, the cardinal Fire sign, we see that it represents the first month of Spring (at least in the northern hemisphere). When we look at the Winter months just prior Spring, we see no expression of Fire. Therefore Aries takes up the

"baton of fire" and firmly est ablishes itself, ushering in a new season with it's own elemental ex pression. The same applies to t he other Cardinal signs of Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.  When an element is in it's Fixed expression, one will notice that t he element is ex pressed both in the season prior (Cardinal) and the season following (Mutable). This lends perspective to the Fixed sign of what that element really means to the whole. The element is neither shooting forth with fresh energy (Cardinal) nor is it spiraling to a close and grounding itself for the following season of dormancy  (Mutable). In essence t he Fixed position is the "spearhead" of the astr ological Tr ine, showing why Fixed signs can be such good harmonizers and synthesizers of many different perspectives and possibilities. Balance between the "highest and lowest" is key for the Fixed position. The central Fixe d Decan of the F ixed signs is the 6, mapping to the 6t h Sephiroth of the T ree of Life and also the 6th line of the Lord's Pray er; On Earth as it is in Heaven. The 6 is like a social "go betwe en" between higher more archety pal energies and lower more mate rial ones.  When an element is in it's Mutable ex pression, it is very down to Earth and attached to the realm of the "mundane." When most people think of mundane they think "boring," "unexciting," "unev entful," etc., etc. This is not the case at all. It is visceral, intense, and highly  active, only Fixed and Cardinal individuals might not notice it as much as Mutable individuals do. The world is ver y much alive and surging with activity. The Mutable expression establishes itself in the world , and it has much to do with the senses. They represent the "deepest" expression of the element. For example, Pisces, a Mutable Water sign, represents the "deepest" expressions of the element of   Water. It is a sign of the Deep Waters of the Soul, the deep psy che, the subconscious, and deep intuition and sensitivity . It is also a sign of  poetry , art and dreams. Pisces grounds the water element for it's "hibernation" during the following season before the next Cardinal expr ession in Cancer.

 Apart from the Maltese Cross and the Pyramid, the above graphic is another useful way of understanding the 3/4 dy namic of Astrology, it's modalities and also the 3/4 structure of Kabbalah and Tarot. We see the reality of the 120 degree angle Trines indicated by the 6 pointed star. Here we can sort of bridge the meanings of the 90 degree angle Crosses and the 120 degree angle Trines and find a relationship between them. For example, say someone gave you an actual square shape and said "try to find one 120 degree angle imbedded within these perfect 90 degree right-angles." The way you would do this is to take the square and look at it from a particular angle, an angle which suggests a

hexagon (the center of the 6 pointed star) and also a cube. This is the only way to get a 120 degree angle to rev eal itself out of 90 degree angles. Within these 4 cornered right- angles or " hard aspects" as they 're sometimes called in astrology is a harmony of trinities or Tr ines  which brings great balance to the element s as they expr ess themselves in different modalities (for more on the significance of the structure of the cube see the Saturn section of the Planets page). Note also that a cube has twelv e edges and six sides, numbers harmonious with 3.

The Swastika, Modality & the Torque Nature of Astrology

The Swastika is a very sacred symbol that has been used in many cultures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika) throughout history. From the wikipedia entry, the Sanskrit word swastika.: ...is composed of su- (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su-) meaning "good, well" and asti "to be" suasti thus means "well-being." The suffix - ka e ither forms a diminutive or intensifies t he v erbal meaning, and suastika might thus be translated literally as "that which is associated with well-being,.."  It is ver y ironic what this most sacred of symbols has come to be identified with. Most people associate it with Nazism, fascism and racism which, though understandable, is a shame for the symbol itself. I feel utter ly compelled to save it from it's association with terrible historical events and remove the negative associations of the word itself which literally has only the most positive of  meanings. There is a documentary currently in the works delving into the history, world wide use, sacredness and also the current stigma surrounding this symbol called My Swastika (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm5Kjr2AyfY ). It is truly a most fascinating symbol. From an astrological perspect ive t he Swastika shows how the Cross, as discussed on the Cross of  Elements page, spins and turns in on itself. Pictured above is a personal swastika I made utilizing both the I Ching and the Astrological  wheel. Here is how it works basically.  We have t wo basic dualities or "charges," which are positive and negative, or masculine and feminine. If you have two positives, they  repel, just like when trying to push the north poles of two magnets together. But, when you have positive and negative poles, they are drawn together and stick. This reminds me of the saying "what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object." It's a rhetorical type of riddle like Zen korans, but the answer may be that the universe is literally created. Within symbolism, astrology, the tarot, and other divination syste ms like the I Ching, we are finding analogues of advanced principles in physics, geometry, and even genetics . In Astrology, positives are alway s opposite of positives (fire and air signs - masculine) and negatives are always opposite of negatives (water and earth signs - feminine). They "repel" each other. So, the "significant other" of these charges are not found in the opposite sign, but in the opposite charge of the next sequential sign of the same modality, in a turning motion, which also gives us the Cross. For example, Taurus (earth) is opposite of Scorpio (water) and are both feminine or negative receptive charges; they "repel" each other. But, the "great cosmic war" of dynamic creation, which is simply love at it's core and a "great cosmic copulation," occurs in the arching motion and the "t orque" bet ween these opposing signs, symbolizing spin. There is an unstoppable att raction between t he one positive arm of the Cross to the other negative arm of the Cross. They are pulling themselves toward one another in a very dynamic "spiraling" fashion, showing how no sign exists in total isolation from the others. They impact and create one another completely.

The video above e xplains this dynamic from a scientific perspect ive. Y ou may see the one line of balls as one arm of the cross, and the other line of balls as the other arm of the cross with an opposite charge. The measurable flow of energy between these charges is what the arch of the swastika sy mbolically displays and without t his fundamental attraction every thing would fly to pieces in less than a microsecond. Using the four F ixed signs as an example, y ou may follow along in this patter n with the Swastika pictured above. This is how the signs in essence "create" one another, showing that no sign is an island unto itself but is rat her an amalgamation, balance point, or expre ssion of  the space between the other signs surrounding it. As the saying goes, Nature abhors a vacuum. Picture energy or a ball of light moving around the Swastika in this 8 step process (or just use your cursor): From Scorpio to T aurus opposite of it From Taurus arching to Leo From Leo to Aquarius opposite of it From Aquarius arching to Taurus From T aurus to Scorpio opposite of it From Scorpio arching to Aquarius From Aquarius to Leo opposite of it then from Leo arching back to Scorpio completing the cy cle This is just one way of understanding the swastika in an astrological context. Y ou will notice that this 8 step process creates a kind of  "double figure eight" pattern. The fact t hat it is an 8 step process is interest ing as well since the symbol of the number 8 is the "sy mbol of infinity." Oddly, though not too surprisingly after understanding the importance of t his symbol, the Nazis used t his schemata and other things they found in ancient texts to help with their physics experiments with anti gravity and locally engineering space/time. As Dr. Joseph Farrell outlines in his talk Nazi International (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd_sUOvR2vY) , he fee ls Nazi scientists may  have discovered free energy with the help of this schemata and immediately weaponized it, which is of course insane. They then used their advanced technological discoveries as bar ter for freedom after WWII and continued the re search elsewhere, according to Farr ell. Regardless of this, it is a very important symbol to be aware of, especially in terms of ones own astrological cross and the world soul as discussed on the Cross of Elements page and elsewhere on this site. The reason for this is found in the dynamic between the conscious and subconscious. It may be helpful to understand the sy mbol of the Cross as this "world soul" which then becomes married, in a sense, to ones own soul that progressively sees itself mirrored "in the world." This is the crux of the Alvin Boyd Kuhn quotes at the top of the Cross of the Elements page. T hrough studying the dynamics of nature and conceptualizing it within the mind, one comes to furt her underst and his or her own soul very deeply. These two "souls" are rather like the Twins, or Lovers, of Gemini, represented by the Lovers card in Tarot. These Lover s may also be seen as the conscious and subconscious pillars of ones being, the t wo arms of t he Cross. One ar m is conscious (mind, ego, spirit, identity, pe rsonality), and the other is subconscious (the body, the phy sical, the soul, the world, the DNA). There are many ways one could look at this and describe it, this is not the only way, but through seeing the dynamic "torque" pattern of the Swastika as symbolic of astrological modality, the conscious and subconscious aspects of being undergo what may be considered a "wedding," where harmony between the inner and outer can be struck through this marriage of seeming opposites.

The Lovers ~ Gemini - 6

The two arms of the Cross are like a magnet, and one might also consider the two pillars of the symbol of Gemini, ♊, the Lovers, as being a tuning fork. One is dependent on the other. As depicted in the Lover s card, the male figure is holding a spear and the female figure is holding a cup. This symbology of the spear and cup, or the "I" and the "O" is discussed further below. The "I" may be likened to the suits of Swords and Wands, the masculine polarity (Will), whereas the "O" may be likened to the suits of Cups and Disks, the feminine polarity  (Love). The balance of polarities is further symbolized, among other things, by the snake and the egg in the Lovers card, and also by the mobius strip with a single edge that is both inside and outside . The cross pulls and attracts the same kinds of things to an individual over and over again that r equire alchemical refinement and distillation. Here we find the endless repetition of the Thanatos complex as discussed on the Cross of Elements page, but t here is a positive Eros side to the pr ocess as well. Even though the same kinds of things may get pulled to an individual over and over again, by  understanding their process more deeply they may transmute the seeming friction of those very same "oppressive" archetypal movements into cathartic, healing and ultimately highly creat ive expressions.

The experience of one's Cross may be summed up generally by the three characters pictured on the Fortune card in Tarot, being the card of Jupiter and whose number is 10. These three characters, Hermanubis, Ty phon and the Sphinx, r epresent Knowing, Doubting and Fate. One is comprised of all these elements t hat "spin" around one another, and one cannot st op the spinning by choosing favorites. Deep acceptance is w hat leads to "fortune," which then further aligns one with "destiny." The conscious arm of the cross is indicated by an individuals Sun placement and Earth placement. For example, if the Sun was in Scorpio at the time of your birth, then that means through drawing a straight line directly opposite of it we come to the Earth Sign of Taurus. The unconscious arm of the cross is represented by the other two signs of the same modality   but which are at a 90 degree angle from the first two signs. This arm of the cross governs unconscious "body consciousness" indicated by the ar m of the cross 3 months before actual  birth during the 3rd tr imester. I n the case of conscious Sun sign Scorpio and conscious Earth sign Taurus being the conscious arm, t hen Leo and Aquarius would represe nt the unconscious Sun and unconscious Earth signs of the unconscious arm. Trusting the Leo/Aquarius unconscious arm is on par with trusting ones own physical body and physical reality, that materiality has its own kind of intelligence of incredible depth, but which is "unseen." Fortune ~ Jupiter - 10

Through contemplation of the torque nature of astrology one may enter into a deeper

awareness and t rust with their unconscious arm by bringing it into greater harmony with the conscious arm. T he unconscious arm represents the "Doubt" of Typhon, whereas the conscious arm represents the "Knowing" of Hermanubis. The Sphinx is the entire cross itself, being Fate, representing the combined force of the four elements. Remember the pattern of the Swastika. The first, conscious arm of the cross may be considered a " surface road" on which you can actually see t he activity moving on it. Y ou have conscious access to  your ex periences on this level. The unconscious arm, on the other hand, may be considered a tunnel. After one moves from Scorpio to Taurus, we then move over the arch from Taurus to Leo. Leo represents the beginning of the unconscious tunnel, and whatever comes out the other side of t his unconscious tunnel in the opposite sign of Aquarius will then move over the arch and be fed back into Taurus, that is, back into consciousness. As the say ing goes, whatev er you "feed" the unconscious is what it will reflect back, only with an opposite "charge" or polarity . This then feeds back into ones conscious awareness. If t he process is passed through cleanly, then gre at gifts and wholeness of being is experienced mentally and lived out physically. And so on the patte rn continues, with both the positively  and negatively charged arms of the cross feeding into one another in this "double figure eight" swastika pat tern. This Cross and Swastika symbol of duality and opposition working together in harmonious turning and churning is found in the sign of  Gemini itself in that Gemini is the sign opposite of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is in the direction of Galactic Center, and the symbol of  Sagittarius is an arrow. This is the "arrow" pointing to the heart of our galaxy, the pleroma, the hub. This is why a large part of  Sagittarius in the Ge ne Key s knowledge is actually called the "Ring of Light." But, opposite of the cente r, Sagittarius, is Gemini, which is much further out and "away" from the G alactic Center, with Earth of course hanging in the middle of this duality . Gemini, among other things, represents finding ones reflection in the aby ss, or y ou could think of it as the br ight, self aware consciousness accepting the "dark" or hidden subconsciousness, finding its own "face" in it. T hese are t he T wins or Lovers becoming wed t hrough existence, and one cannot exist without the other. It is the pivot between these dualities that makes them inseparable, and this unity makes the duality itself a trinity, or rather a kind of triune unity. This trinity is again symbolized by the three characters of the Fortune card. In terms of the duality of the signs of Sagittarius and Gemini, repre senting the inner and outer galaxy (and even your inner and outer galaxy), the trinity would then be made complete by the Earth itself, our reference point in the middle.

The Swastika & Modality

 A great way to visualize and understand Modality is with this design I created that has a swastika symbol with a scythe shape to the arching that starts thick at the cross of the Solstices and Equinoxes (beginning of the Cardinal signs), and diminishing completely at the tip whilst approaching the next Solstice or Equinox (the ending of  the Mutable signs). We can see here how the Cardinal and Mutable signs share a common ground, that is that t hey   both touch the Solstices and Equinoxes. Right at the change of the seasons, like from Fall to Winter for example at the Winter solstice on December 21st, we move from Mutable Sagittarius to Cardinal Capricorn. Remember always that Mutable basically  means changeable. The Mutable signs are where there is a dissolving of the time before and an anticipation, or ushering in, of the time ahead. This happens every year  with the beginning and end of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. But, each of the four seasons has it's definite day in the Sun. This "day" is symbolized by the Fixed signs, which are situated perfectly   within the center of each season and is why they are actually called Fixed signs. Fixed signs to not touch the beginning or the end of  seasonal cycles as indicated by the Solstices and Equinoxes, but are rather between them. This is also why the Fixed signs are sometimes conceptualized as turrets or "watchtowers," or as the four Cherubim of the Lion (Leo), the Man (Aquarius), the Bull (Taurus),

and the Eagle (Scorpio). These four Cherubim, and the four Fixed signs from which they are derived, are seen as guardians of the seasons and are used in much religious iconography. They are indeed fixed , and by looking at the scythe shape of the swastika pattern above we see that the Fixed signs represent a kind of steady stream; a steady arching or influence that is neither "explosive" or charging ahead like t he Cardinal signs, nor "spread thin" and open to change like t he Mutable signs. One may t hink of this particular scy the shape as water shooting out of a hose in an arch. This is basically how the Modalities work. T he 'high energy' pressure right at the nozzle of the hose is represented by the Cardinal signs, the beginning of the seasons, where the line is thick . The 'steady stream' of the flowing water is represented by the Fixed signs. The 'dissipating droplets' of the water at the end of the arch, where the stream is losing it's shape,  breaking apart and then hitting the ground, are represented by the Mutable signs. This is a useful analogy in many way s, for example how Mutable signs are closely tied to t he Earth and possess a quite v isceral relationship to physical reality. T his is especially true of the sign Virgo and it's Double Mutable decan the 1 0 of Disks, the last card of the Minor Arcana.  As discussed here and on the Minor Arcana page, the Minor Arcana and the sephiroth on the Tr ee of Life show how the 12 divisions of  the se asons further divide into 36 zones called the Decanates. Each sign of the Zodiac has within itself 3 ex pressions, and the 3 expr essions of each sign may be thought of as "Modalities within Modality." The first zone of a sign is Cardinal, the second is Fixed, and the t hird is Mutable. Hence, a Mutable sign like V irgo has within itself a Cardinal expression within the first 1 0 degrees, a Fixed expr ession in the second 10 degrees, and of course it's Double Mutable e xpression in the t hird and last 1 0 degrees. The dead center of each season is found within the "Double Fixed" areas of Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius and Taurus, the fixe d areas of the fixed signs. The second card of these signs are comprised of the four 6s in T arot, which directly corresponds to the 6t h sphere on the Tree of Life, Tipareth. As stated before, each season has it's "day in the sun." The four Double Fixed areas are exactly that day in the Sun. The 6th sphere on the Tree of Life is indeed attributed to the Sun/Son. It is the "central hub," the radiant center where "heaven and earth" meet and is often called the "Seat of the Soul." In the Lords Prayer, the line "on Earth as it is in Heaven" is attributed to the Double Fixed area of the Seasons in Tipareth. In fact, all ten lines of the prayer describe the ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life from Kether to Malkuth. 1 - Kether: Our Father 2 - Chokma: Who art in Heaven 3 - Binah: Hallowed be thy Name 4 - Chesed: Thy kingdom come 5 - Geburah: Thy will be done 6 - Tipareth: On earth as it is in heaven 7 - Netzach: Give us this day our daily bread 8 - Hod: And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us 9 - Yesod: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil 10 - Malkuth: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever unto the ages, Amen.  An excellent short book on this subject is Many P. Hall's Cabalistic Keys to the Lord's Prayer (http://www.amazon.com/Cabalistic Keys- Lords-Prayer-Manly/dp/08931 43081/ ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321985409&sr=8-1 -fk mr0). Notice that 1 and 10 are related her e. T hey repre sent both the beginning and the end, which might lead one to ask " is there such a thing as a beginning or an end?" Y es and no. Yes in that all ends are really beginnings and all beginnings are really ends, but no in that they cannot ex ist isolated from each other as stand alone concepts. Our Father is ultimately the kingdom, the powe r and the glory . Ther e is no difference, and one is not "higher" or "more exalted" than the other. This 10 step process does, in a way, show how the highest of spiritual concepts and aspirations (1) are perfectly mirrored within the many functions of the physical universe itself (10).

The Personal Swastika

There is an irony in using the swastika to better understand Jewish Mysticism. But once we remove the stigma these symbols begin to compliment one another in an amazing way showing the torque nature of astrology, a great way to conceptualize the seasons, and also a  way to bett er understand one's own Cross as it exists within the seasons themselv es.  Whichever Cross you have, there is a useful meditation, or contemplation, of the energy dispersion between all the 4 elements of that specific Cross. The Decans allow one to be much more precise in this, and on the I Ching page this process will get e ven more tailored to

the individual with great er pin-point accuracy. If an individual was born during the 7 of  Disks decan, for ex ample, then this would be their 8 st ep "infinity " pr ocess, bringing greater harmony between the four elements: From the 7 of Disks to the 7 of Cups opposite of it From the 7 of Cups arching to the 7 of Swords From the 7 of Swords the 7 of Wands opposite of it From the 7 of Wands arching to the 7 of Cups From the 7 of Cups to the 7 of Disks opposite of it From the 7 of Disks arching to the 7 of Wands From the 7 of Wands to the 7 of Swords opposite of it Then from the 7 of Swords arching back to t he beginning, the 7 of Disks So just as the Swast ika helps us understand the fixed cross of the Seasons, so too it helps one understand their own birth Cross configuration within the seasons. As seen on the Decanate Cross Meanings page, each of the M inor Arcana/Decanate Crosses are called the "Cross of 2s," "Cross of 6s," "Cross of 9s," etc. One might also call these crosses the "Swastika of 2s," "Swastika of 6s," "Swastika of 9s" etc. The 4 specific arch stages that take place between the Conscious and Unconscious arms of the Cross are of vital importance. They represent "breakthroughs" since these are the areas that 'bind' or marry the two aspects of being together. They represent one's personal IONic process, where I ON "horribly melts into the opposite of himself." This is dealt with more in depth on the I Ching page.  As Kuhn makes clear in 'The Ultimate Canon of Knowledge,' it is imperative to make conceptions of nature using the intellect. No matt er if the conceptions are subtle or grandiose, and no matter if it is done through astrology, poet ry or art, the act itself of plowing into nature and planting it deeply within one's being can only lead to a more enlightened and balanced state of awareness that's reflected both t hrough the heart and the intellect,  both through the the conscious and the unconscious, and both through the Self and the Other . Kabbalah, Numerology, t he I Ching,  Astrology and Tarot show this process of integration in great detail, where there is an intricate overlapping of meaning betwe en different parts, marrying them together.  As stated in the Rose Cross section of the Cross of the Elements page, cells die and cells are created all the t ime, just as life and human  beings themselves die and are cre ated at all times. The same dynamic applies to philosophy and spirituality. In short, if one is not willing to be obliterated, he or she is losing out on the opportunity t o find themselv es in a realm of unity and unspeakable tr ust in the Universe. One does not have to wait for physical death to bring this awareness "down to earth." Remember the Sufi saying "die before you die," the Thelemic aphorism "die daily," and also the 6th line of the Lords Pray er; On Earth as it is in Heaven. This has ev ery thing to do with the balance of opposites and seeing the Unity inherent in all dualities, which in the Astrological contex t then becomes trinities as illustrated in the resonator T rine relationships at the top of this page (see also Venus on the Planets page). Obtaining one's "heavenly wings" requires a process of deconstructing one's conditioning. T he Swast ika is a perfect symbolic analogue of  this process, that out of seeming destruction and entropy comes forth intense creation and syntropy . The only problem is when the mind or ego sabotages the process because it does not want to go to be annihilated through giving up it's seeming "power." T he sanctity of the process itself makes it impossible for the "impure" or fearful to undergo it. One might conceptualize it in the same way Zozimos envisioned, as a place where people walk into a room and then "burst into flames," where they are "boiled alive," etc. Many, when confronted with the necessity of this act of obliteration, turn back immediately out of fear. Some of t he more fearless may obtain a taste of it and then return themselv es to a more conditioned state of being again. For others still this process may occur spontaneously and is  what may be termed a "personal Apocalypse." Remember that in the vision of Zozimos, ION "pulls the skin off of his (Zozimos') head." This is perfectly concordant with t he literal meaning of the apocalypse, which originally meant "r emoving a leather covering." In other  words, apocalypse simply means to rev eal that which is beneath the "sk in." "Skin," "covering," or "leather" is likely a metaphore for the persona, the conscious arm of the Cross that may become afraid of letting go, of embracing it's own seeming obliteration and of losing it's I-dentity, thinking it "runs the whole show." Remember that the conscious arm of the Cross generally represents the ego, who we consciously perceive we ar e. T hrough this process the ego undergoes a kind of crucifixion and is subsequently redeeme d into wholeness  with one's entire Being. If the conscious arm of the Cross is operating correctly through trust, t hen the unconscious (the body itself, DNA,

cells, certain areas of the brain; every thing you do not need to be aware of) begins to light up and subsequently feeds the conscious arm  with deeper knowing.

Here in the Dendera Zodiac, discovered in the Hathor T emple at Dendera in Egypt, we find very interesting correlations between Egypt, Kabbalah, the  Western My stery T radition and the Western Zodiac. Within this Zodiac there are 36 Decans pictured on outer edge of the inner circle. The 1 2 signs of the Zodiac are also pictured as figures holding up the wheel. These figures show the dynamic interplay of the Modalities which is perfectly in line with our understanding of the Swastika. Remembe r t hat the Mutable and Cardinal signs "share a common ground" at the pe riods of the Solstices and Equinoxes, and that the F ixed signs are what might be considered "stand alone" Modalities that represent each season's "day in the sun." The 12 figures holding up the wheel of  36 Decans illustrate this dynamic beautifully. At the points of the Solstice and Equinoxes we see two Horuses facing each other and sharing a common space  with their arms interlocked. This illustrate s the "passing of the baton" as it were from season to season, from Mutable t o Cardinal. In bet ween t hese changing times is seen a female figure standing alone, indicating a single arch of the Swastika between seasons. These four solitary and pillar-like female figures represent the four Fixed months of the year, being the central month of each season; Scorpio (the eagle), Taurus (the bull), Leo (the lion) and Aquarius (the man). Ther e is a fascinating correlation between the four female figures of the Dendera Zodiac shown here and the four Cherubim as described in the Book of Ezekiel. From the wikipedia entry on the Cherubim we read: The prophet Ezekiel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezekiel) describes cherubim as a tetrad of living creatures, each having four faces: of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. They are said to have the stature and hands of a man, feet of a calf, and four wings each. Two of the wings extended upward, meeting above and sustaining the throne of God   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throne_of_God); while the other two stretched downward and cove red the creatures themselves. The four Fixed zones of the Zodiac do indeed "sustain the throne of God," and in looking at the Zodiac of Dendera, we might be looking at another representation as to why each of the four Cherubim have four wings each. On each side of the Fixed zones are two figures symbolized by the Hawk headed god Horus, indicating the Mutable and Cardinal signs, the "beginning and end" sharing a common ground. So, on each side of the F ixed zones may be considered "four wings." T wo of these wings "ex tend upward" and "sustain the throne of God" (Cardinal-beginning of season), and two stretch "downward" and "cover the creatures of themselves" (Mutable-end of  season). What we have when connecting this astrological template to the Kabbalistic Tr ee of Life are Double Mutable Decans (the 1 0s) coming into contact with the Double Cardinal Decans (the 2s). The Double Cardinal Decans, the 2s, are at t he highest position on the Tr ee in comparison to the other Decans, within the sphere of Chokma, sometimes called the "Celestial Sphere." These four Decans, like in our hose analogy of ex plaining the Swastika above, "ex tend upward" and powerfully sustain the overall flow of the seasons. The Double Mutable Decans, the 10s, are at the lowest position on the Tree, in the sphere of Malkuth, The Kingdom. This is the sphere of the Earth, the four Decans of which "extend downward" and cover the creatures of the Earth. What we have with the symbolism of  two Horuses facing each and interlocking their arms at t hese points in the Zodiac are t he Alpha and Omega meeting each other, where the Ouroboros serpent swallows its own tale in a great circle, where we get sayings like "coming full circle," and which also contains the meaning of Zozimos' vision where ION "melts into the opposite of himself," i.e., Omega (the end) dissolving into Alpha (the beginning).  All ends are also beginnings, and all beginnings are also ends. Perfect ly situate d between these beginning and end points of t he Solstices and Equinoxes are the Fixed points, Kabbalistically mapping to the 6th sphere of Tipareth, the sphere of miracles and of christ consciousness, the "Seat of the Soul" where in the Lord's Prayer it is said "On Earth as it is in Heaven."

The Ego, I-King, Thinking & the I-Ching

The symbolism of the 10th card of the Major Arcana, Fortune, the card of Jupiter, holds many more secrets for the empowerment of the individual. The word "individual" has within it "In - divide - dual" which basically means undivided or unable to be divided, and the word "secret" itself is very close to the word "secrete." What we are approaching here is the elixir of Selfhood, a ve ritable Fountain of Youth .  As we hav e seen with the symbol of the swast ika, the identity has within it a fundamental duality, that of feminine and masculine "charges," the conscious and the subconscious, self and other, etc. The reconciliation of these two aspects of being leads to alchemical transformations and an experience of greater wholeness within the individual. The process of ION is essentially a process of what Jung called "individuation." Through the polarization of positive and negative charges comes a torque dynamic, giving us the 'walking' motion of the swastika where these dual aspects of being are drawn inexorably t oward one another. T here is an intrinsic Unity within this formula which is "indivisible." The spontaneous enlightenment of art ist and poet ManWoman (htt p://manwoman.net/ ) involved a conscious surrender to this dynamic, leading to what I can only interpret as a Universal embodiment of all that is, where no lines or distinctions were made between Self and God, conscious or unconscious, etc. As stated on his website concerning this quite unex pected experience, there was gre at turbulence, like jets of energy, that grew stronger as he was drawn closer to this symbol, until at one point he had to surrender to it, to face a "holy obliteration" as it were. It is very interesting that he chose the name "ManWoman" after this experience since within this symbol we see how t he masculine and feminine polarities of Being are drawn t ogether in a sacred union; a dance of Universal Lov e and Creation. The dynamic of turbulence or some kind of "sacrifice" or "surrender" pr eceding enlightenment is seen in all the world's most important stories where a character of one kind or other experiences union with what could be termed the "Divine Order." We have Jesus crucified upon the Cross , Zozimos mutilated into 4 parts and "burned upon the altar of the Art," the Norse god Odin hanging from the tree of   Yggdrasil to achieve enlightenment, Siddhartha (Buddha) declaring that "life is suffering" and himself achieving enlightenment under a tree, and the Egyptian story of the death, mutilation and eventual resurrection of Osiris. In the Tarot we have the 12th card of the Major  Arcana, the Hanged Man, a card indicating "sacrifice" (a word closely connected to sacred, sacrament, and also the chakra of sexuality  and life-force, the  Sacral ) whose legs form a Cross. All this imagery and all these stories have one thing in common, that of illuminating the dept hs of the phy sical elements with the light of consciousness. The themes of surrender, death and subsequent enlightenment are apparent t hroughout. Here we enter the "problem" of the I - ego, or the "problem" of narcissism. These things are actually not problems at all in the right doses and utilized in the right way . The only issue is that of authenticity and legitimacy. Each individual is his or her own Horus, their own Buddha, their own ION, their own Odin, and indeed their own Jesus. In short, each individual is squarely responsible for his or her own redemption, for lack of a better term. The tools are found right inside the archetypal landscape, but throughout time the syst emization of religion has cordoned off these important stories into a realm completely "outside" of one's Self, to be worshipped as Other, as separate , and as some nebulous template that is practically unattainable. Organized religion therefore has put the cart before the horse, greatly distorting and dishonoring the soul development of individuals by projecting the most important t ropes av ailable to us into this realm of the unattainable, in essence divorcing the concept of Power from the concept of the Self right at t he root. Spiritual perfection is not unattainable though. Something in the past must have happened that allowed for Kings to rise, and for them to rule their throngs of "lowly subjects." In this world of power games, the only currency is consciousness. In many backwards systems of  rulership, the dictator is often given the role of priest as well, as some god-like religious arbiter of ultimate truth. But the keys for personal sovereignty and redemption are purely within and cannot be given, dictated, or rationed out by an outside agency. The very  idea that such might be the case has lead to great errors and deviations in the psycho-spiritual history of humanity, stunting freedom and giving rise to all manner of ty ranny. Secrets are kept, secre t orders abound, and important information is guarded like gold at fort knox where an impenetrably thick line is drawn between the "rulers" and the "ruled," the "initiated" and the "uninitiated," the "haves" and the "have nots," etc. There may have been a point in history where occult information was best kept hidden, where the approach of  individuals to the inner sanctuaries was to be highly sy stematized, rigid, rigorous and kept thoroughly secret under penalty of death. This may have serv ed some important function long ago, but in these times such a dynamic is causing infinitely more harm than good to the human family. As Kuhn stat ed in his book The Esoteric S tructure of the Alphabet  on page 4: While modern intelligence aims to disseminate its blessings ove r the w idest popular area, hoping that it may edify the mass body of   people generally, the sages of old act ed upon a different est imate of the possibilities in the c ase. They appraised the cultural potential  of the "vulgar masses" as practically nil, and therefore deemed it a sacrilege to cast the precious jewels of esoteric truth and 

knowledge to the "swine" that would trample them in the mire of unconscionable crudity of misunderstanding. It may be said that  the history of religious cultism over many centuries has demonstrated the practical wisdom of this conservatism. The perversion, corruption, materialization and literalization of the lofty mystical sense of ancient cryptic literature, our pow er to rightly interpret  which is only now being regained, has caused perhaps the most colossal debacle in the culture of spiritual values in the course of  known history. Its easily discernible evil fruitage has bee n the positive derationalization of the Occ idental mind as regards all things religious, theological and Scriptural. It has deprived that mind of the cardinal advantage of know ing the sublime meaning of the splendid Jew ish-Christian Sc riptures, which are a collection of ancient mythographic portrayals of spiritual truth, sadly and  calamitously mistaken for history.

The Ego can be dictatorial, though one of the er rors of new age philosophy is the idea that the ego must be destroyed and wiped out of existence, because it can also be compassionate and a savior. The negative view of ego is partly due to a reaction of what is seen as obviously malignant and diseased manifestations of it in the world that uses power over humans rather than utilizing power with them. But, the ego is an interest ing mechanism. As stated in the I ON section of the Jupiter page, it really is all about you and your Cross and your "ION" which represents your own, personal process of  transformation. Everything else is secondary in the sense that if an individual has not legitimately "suffered t heir own cross" as it were, then how can they possibly relate t o other human beings without there being all kinds of hooks, complexes and shadows running rampant t hrough his or her relationships. The Ego is King crowned with identity, and it may be the only part of the Self that is concerned with true freedom and progress. Take away or diminish the I -dentity , though, and what y ou have is a selfless individual living solely on the whims of others in a similar position of inner futility and sense of dislocation. What one finds in mass situations like his are peculiar King-like charact ers called rulers whose legitimacy and virtues are blown so far out of proportion that even they believe themselves to be Gods-In-Flesh with a "divine right to rule." This exaggerated sense of greatness can only be achieved through the outward maintenance of this artificially elevated state, that is, through lies. The picture above is quite funny in that a truly whole and connected individual who has integrated his conscious with his subconscious through an IONic process may indeed "feel" exactly like that, in a way . The difference, though, is when an individual decides to sidestep the IONic process and artificially induce an exalted, albeit unintegrated, ego awareness in the lowest of ways, that is through the perceive d adoration, approval and acceptance of others. T his is basically a world ruled by psychopaths in which lies and distortions can fly for as long as one wants so long as the population is dislocated from their own center and divorced from their own power on the most fundamental levels.  Within the ancient I Ching system of China  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Ching), there is what is called the 'Superior Man.' He is identified  by how he utilizes specific information as contained within the I Ching oracle. For ex ample, within the information of the 7th Hexagram of the I Ching, which has to do with leadership, the "Superior Man" will respond to this oracular information in a specific way. Of this Hexagram it is stated "The Superior Man increases his masses by generosity toward the people... He who is generous toward the people  wins their love, and a people living under a mild rule becomes strong and powerful." Ther e is also what w e might call the 'Inferior Man,' and he may be identified by how ineffective his leadership is, leading to a discordant, ty rannical, or dictatorial nature. The Inferior Man man of this Hexagram may also remain hidden, choosing not to lead at all but to stay  in the shadows out of fear. Within the I Ching's treatment of the "superior man" and "inferior man" we se e a representation of a healthy  ego and an unhealthy ego. Both the superior and inferior, and both the healthy and unhealthy, are based upon the exact same templates. It is only the way in which the information is translated or transmitted into and through the world that makes the expression either "superior" or " inferior." The I Ching is a binary system, and here we find a very interesting connection to the number 10 again, our "original duality" as discussed above. Interestingly there are 64 hexagrams within this system (6 + 4 = 10), and the I Ching itself is essentially a binary  syst em of "1 s and 0s," that is, of broken lines and solid lines that are also called "male lines" and "female lines." T he solid lines are male,

and the broken lines are female. We can also think of the solid lines as "1s" and the broken lines as " 0s."

 This basic duality is what forms reality and conscious experience (and ev en unconscious ex perience). On/off, in/out, up/down, left/r ight, open/closed, male/female, life/death, conscious/subconscious, sleep/awake, day /night, nothing/something, etc., etc. The 1 and 0 combination is also used as a symbol for the on/off power button (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_symbol)  on nearly ev ery personal computer on Earth. As Alan Watts points out in this talk (http://youtu.be/r6S2zzAIBFA), the german philosopher and mathematician Leibniz, after having studied the I Ching, actually created the binary language of 1s and 0s that computers would be based on in the future. The 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching are also closely connected to t he str ucture of our genes and the different amino acids they code for called "codons." T he genes have every thing to do with the highly unique expression of each individual; physically, emotionally, mentally  and spiritually. Remember the quote from Kuhn stating that "Spiritual realizations are not in an upper world, but are cognate with the existent order." The genet ic coding of DNA so closely resembles the structures of the I Ching that one feels impelled to make a bridge  between the two, that is, a bridge betwee n science and spirituality , or the phy sical world and the world of consciousness. Many have explored these connections such as in the Tao of Chaos by Katya Walter, but one such revelation of real import was received by an individual in the 1980s which came to be known as the Human Design Syst em. This may be read about further on the I Ching page.  With such close connections between the I Ching and the functions of computers and genetics, one might say that we do indeed live in a "Matrix" of sorts, but it is a genetic and archetypal Matrix of infinite variety and possibility. One of the more dangerous types of science at work in society now is actually within the realm of genetic manipulation. It is as though they believe things are "not good enough (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVv9Y0yxq1A)" as they are but need to be upgraded and updated, and the measures to which this tinkering is being carried out are abrasive and extreme to say the least. Remember that the Fortune card, whose number is 10, is also given the correspondence of Jupiter. In the movie and in the original novel The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy , a super computer was asked to answer "T he Ultimate Question to Life, the Unive rse, and Everyt hing." After many thousands of years of computation it finally gave it's answer, which was simply "42." What is significant about this number is that it repre sents the sy mbol for Jupiter itself, which is combination of a 4 and a 2, ♃. The Hebrew letter attributed to the Fortune card is Kaph, of which K is the English equivalent. If we take the English suffix ing , which is added to verbs making them "present active participles," and add it to the letter K, we have KING. So, if one is a "King" we might say  they are "K-ing" as if it were an active verb.  As discussed on the Neptune page, the archety pe of Jupiter and Zeus is closely tied to the archety pal function of Horus. All are "sky  gods" and repre sent the process of moving through time from a singular point of view, the eart h. This is why Zeus rules from a "mountain." Mountains in archetypal language many t imes represent planets, and also the Earth itse lf. For example as it is seen on the 19t h card of the Major Arcana which also has a numerological connection to Fortune and Jupiter as 1+9=1 0.

 Within the Sun card we see t he dualities brought together and operating in harmony. Within the Sun card we see the phallic "mountain" or hill, the 1 , and we also see a circlet or wall around the t op of this mountain or hill which represents the 0, the feminine embrace. Each individual human being is an expression of this wholeness and harmony. Remember also from the Neptune page that the Ey e of Horus is connected to Jupiter, Fortune, the Sun and Moon cards, and also the Rx symbol for health and wellness. The Ey e of Horus is called the "wadjet" which originally meant " wholeness," basically. T his is ex actly what the Sun card represents, moving from the possible antagonisms of dualities and senses of "painful separation" into total harmony and wholeness within one's being. This is achieved through understanding the T rinity , the t hird binding agent that holds the dualities together. One might call this binding agent Lov e, they may call it consciousness, the Self, or they may call it God; whatev er one chooses to call it, it is the realm in which all dualities are brought into union, where all myst eries and riddles of the Self are put to rest, and where all anxious tensions, pains and perceived misgivings are fully  embraced causing them to melt into an experience of rapturous harmony within the whole. Of course when one looks at a binary sy stem such as the I -Ching, or if one is looking at how a computer works, it can all seem fairly dead, inhuman and mechanical on the surface. Ther e is a kind of perceived t ension on a certain level when looking at t he reality of how these things "work," and it can indeed drive the mind to limits of anxiety ridden, complex r idden, ego driven ex tremes. T his occurs in part  because the mind can so easily become obsessed with the " myst ique" or "my stery" of duality. I n this case, mystery is synonymous with misery in every way since in "higher realities" dualities do not even exist. They are only expressions of an inherent Unity, or whatever one wishes to call it. And, interestingly enough, the unity or "one" is really t he "three," the T rinity ; wholeness, balance, health, radiance, embrace, v ariety , and continuity . This T rinity is also shown in the I Ching itself with the 8 base trigrams whose var ious combinations then give us the 64 hexagrams.

Essentially each individual is an "Eye of Horus" unto themselve s, or rather a " circle" or "wheel" unto themselves, a holon, as pictured on the Fortune card, which is simply another way of looking at this. The word Fortune itself is connected t o this theme of wholeness and balance as with t he wadjet, but it also connects to one's own archetypal landscape within. T he heav ens are "squeezed" into individual human beings at the moment of birth, giving them their part icular "Fort une," making them a "Horus" and fulfilling the imperativ e of genetic and spiritual variety, potency and continuity. T his may also be likened to the "fortune" w ithin the lines of one's palms, the "fat e lines." But the word fate sounds ominous and seems to negate ideas of free will, right? The remedy to "fate," as we understand the term, is done by embracing the characters within it and aligning with one's "Horus" nature, essentially turning unconscious fate into a conscious destiny. This is also connected t o the "fates" mentioned in the Norse Eddas, and fulfillment of it is accomplished through correctly  setting one's sights . "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, your whole body shall be full of light."  Jesus in matthew ch 6 v 22 This is basically a reference to overcoming duality and dualism by seeing through it directly into the one fulcrum that bears them. The

geometrical shape of the Vesica Piscis shows this "single eye" coming out of entwined duality. It represents the shared reality of two circles, or two "Horuses" which could be anything from me/not me to any other duality one can conjure. T he y oni of the shared space may also be considered a portal, of sorts, into the collective unconscious where the ego is shattered momentarily so one can experience a  wider spectrum "Source Consciousness." This is where music, art, poetry and all manner of inspiration comes from. The ego needs to be "shatte red" or else it would take all the surging archety pal and geometrical activity quite personally, to perceive itself as a victim of the fates, as an "I" that this experience is occurring to . One might say that there is indeed no true "re covery " from such an experience in that the ego isn't there to expe rience it in the first place. It is part and parcel of the whole, and wholeness really means wholeness , that is it includes both y our ego and also the ego of ever y other human being alive on earth (not to mention the subconscious and the natural  world) giving one a fractal panacea of coded archety pes mixed together in infinite variety , and variety indeed is the spice of life.