Studies in Astrology
by
Elman Bacher
Volume III
Chapter III
White Light Astrology
The essence of spiritual service of any kind is
performed by the person who transmutes the negative areas of his own
subconscious, strengthens and disciplines his mental faculties, keeps his
heart consciousness alive with love power, and seeks always to be perceptive
of the best in others. The perception of the actual or potential good in
others is an ignition which sooner or later makes possible the expression of
that good. The essence of evolutionary progress is the ever-unfolding
awareness of Good; we as individuals make a contribution to the progress of
the race as a whole when, by regenerate consciousness, we are able to alert
others to a recognition of their higher potentials for the fulfillment of
talents and abilities, health, love, and success in any field of endeavor.
The term "white light" is a symbolized expression of
this consciousness. White is the composite of all color refractions; in its
purest form it stands as a symbol of the vibration of consciousness which is
centered in God. The refractions of white light may be referred to, or thought
of, as soul qualities, corresponding spiritually to the variations found in
the color spectrums. Each of these colors manifests the principle of diversity
as an expression of unity, in that each quality has its vibratory ranges from
the most primitive, unregenerate aspects to its most regenerate and highly
spiritualized aspects. The utmost degree of pure, luminous white composites
the best of all visual vibratory expressions as a symbol of consciousness
perfected.
The astrologer, in his study of horoscopes of human
beings, is actually studying, analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting
vibratory patterns of soul qualities representing all possible ranges of
development and their reflection, in the world of forms, as experience
patterns. The artistic consciousness of the painter, for example, is reflected
by what is found on his canvases; that of the musician is manifested by that
which comes out of his instrument.
The astrologer, also an interpretative artist,
expresses his consciousness by the way he interprets the horoscopes of others;
the horoscopes are his instruments--corresponding to the brush, colors, and
canvas of the painter, and to the violin of the musician. The astrologer's
consciousness of good corresponds to the composite of the artistic perceptions
of the esthetic interpreter. Inspiration is the ignition of all
consciousnesses that are aligned to truth and beauty; for the astrologer, this
ignition is made possible when he charges his consciousness with the desire to
interpret a horoscope according to the best of all its potentials. This means
that he makes his ultimate interpretative goal that of alerting the client to
a recognition of the best and finest of the latter's soul colors and soul
tones.
The impersonality of the astrologer's service makes it
imperative that, when he is at his work, he lift his consciousness from down-
pulling patterns of personal feeling and emotion. We suggest, as a preparatory
technique for developing this faculty, meditation on the following mandala: a
circle, blank except for a round dot, or spot, in the exact center. This
mandala is the most perfectly impersonal representation of a horoscope that it
is possible to make. It conveys no experience pattern, emotion pattern, nor
friction, sorrow, or difficulty. The dot in the center can stand as the
purpose of the astrologer's task. It is one-pointed, condensed, and
undifferentiated. That purpose is to be a source of spiritual enlightenment to
the client and when meditation on that purpose is, itself, focused and
concentrated, personal down-pullings vanish from the consciousness of the
astrologer. In this way the astrologer "white lights" himself; his next step
is to "white light" the client. He does so by adding to the above mandala the
vertical and horizontal diameters; the result is the most abstract and
impersonal portrait of a human being that can be made. This mandala is a
composite picture of the spiritual consciousness--the central dot; the state
of physical incarnation is the cross formed by the straight lines; and the
enveloping of the perfect circle is divine power, divine love, and divine
wisdom The mandala pictures a human being who is conscious of his spiritual
origin and of the spirituality of incarnation. From meditation on this
portrait, the white light awareness of the astrologer toward the client is
unfolded.
The next step in developing white light awareness is
for the astrologer to add the other diameters to the above mandala, thus
completing the twelve-fold horoscopical wheel. The mandala now presents the
picture of the client as subject to the same general patterns of experience
and relationship that are common to all other human beings. These twelve
"houses" are the "rooms" of the house in which the entity, Humanity, lives
during incarnation. Each is as necessary as all the others, each has its
particularized significance in experience, and each is a work-shop for the
creation of greater good on all planes of human expression and realization.
The mandala, as it now stands, is the essential
pattern of all horoscopes. Meditation on it, as a picturing of human life, can
be made by all astrologers so that the realization of evolutionary purpose in
human life may become deeper and clearer each day. Every horoscope perceived
as a "variation-expression" of this mandala stands a much better chance of
being sensitively and intuitively interpreted; without this preparation of
"White Lighting" the basic pattern, the astrologer risks mental entanglement
among all the complex factors of a natal horoscope. Further--and this is
important--since horoscopes represent people, the astrologer develops the
response of "white lighting" people automatically when he contacts them in his
daily living. This is a natural development from his daily white light
meditation on the astrological mandala because he throws out to people an
awareness which is being more and more focused on perfections.
From the abstract design we now begin to apply the
white light technique to personal variations; we leave the universal pattern
to consider particular patterns.
The old admonition, "Charity begins at home," can be
restated here in this form: The development of white light technique begins
with the astrologer's meditation on his own chart. He, a human being, has the
same essential pattern as has any other human being. But his
particulars differ to a degree from those of anyone else.
His being an astrologer does not automatically exempt
him from patterns of personal feelings in the form of prejudice, resentment,
false pride, envy, etc. However, his being an astrologer imposes on him the
responsibility of transcending these negatives as soon, and as completely, as
possible. His negatives can congeal and crystallize just as anyone else's can;
so he, the astrologer, must turn his impersonal consciousness on
himself, the human being. This is a truth: to the degree that an
astrologer remains fixated in negative reaction patterns he limits his
interpretative abilities. In that state he transposes his own negatives into
similar patterns which he may find in another's chart. For example: a male
astrologer has become fixated on a pattern of aversion to a specific feminine
expression of human life. He has, toward that expression, a deep subconscious
feeling of dislike or animosity--the result of his reaction to a problem-
experience some time in his past. He has never released that frictional
feeling from his subconscious. How, we ask, can he adequately interpret and
psychologically or spiritually solve a similar condition which he finds in the
chart of another male? There are astrologers who, motivated by deep urges
toward self-defense and self-justification, fail to interpret correctly
certain patterns in their charts which others can see at a glance. A little
white light is urgently needed at that point.
We astrologers, as a general thing, find no
difficulty in "white lighting" the twelve houses of the chart. The houses
stand as picturings of basic experience patterns and, as such, convey a more
directly impersonal meaning. But some of us seem to have it in for certain
planets and/or planetary aspects. Why? Because the planets are the
focalizations of consciousness and some of the patterns they make in
relationship to each other picture the friction and testing of consciousness
patterns. We tend to regard as bad, evil, or unfortunate any experience
pattern which ignites our unregenerate consciousness levels, thus causing us
to experience reactions of pain. Those which ignite our regenerate levels of
consciousness we interpret as benefic, fortunate, and happy. The symbolic
composite we call black--evil, painful or bad--is to be worked on though the
alchemicalizations of regenerating experience and transmuted into that which
we call white. Why not, then, learn to perceive the whiteness inherent in all
planetary qualities and relationships? This comprises the interpretative phase
of white light astrology.
The whiteness of any planet is the life principle
which is symbolized by that planet. The diversity of expression of any planet
is just another way of saying: the diversity of expression of human
consciousness. According to your development you are aware of these
principles; according to your non-development you are unaware of their meaning
and significance. The purpose of white-lighting anything is to become more
aware of its spiritual meaning.
However clearly you, as an astrologer, may delineate
and understand the chart of another person, it is suggested that a plan be
adopted by which you may become more perceptive of your own whiteness. This
plan involves meditation on several mandalas abstracted from your own chart;
one mandala for each of your planets. These mandalas will not involve the use
of numbers in any form since number implies limitation, and whiteness is
unlimited. Do not permit a single negative, down-pulling keyword to be used in
these interpretations. Use only words which convey levels of spiritualized
consciousness.
The mandala for your Sun position will be a circle
with the twelve houses: the symbol for Leo on your Leo cusp; the symbol of the
Sun placed in the house and sign where you have it; the symbol for your Sun
sign is placed on its appropriate cusp. This is the concentrated picture of
your Sun seen with white light. Synthesize by spiritual keywords every factor
of this picture--it is the spiritualized essence of your Sun consciousness,
will-power and purpose, the radiation of creative love.
Your Venus mandala: a wheel like the above with the
symbols for Taurus and Libra on the cusps appropriate to your chart; the
symbol for Venus--the abstract symbol of the fulfilled feminine consciousness,
the refinements of the soul, the esthetic awareness, the capacity for
cooperation, etc.--to be placed in the house and sign where you have it, the
symbol of the sign containing Venus placed on the cusp appropriate to your
chart. And so on--one mandala for each of the other planets.
The impression that is conveyed by each of your
planetary mandalas is that of a pure color, a light blazing without hindrance.
There are no implied complications or limitations to the ability of the planet
to radiate at its fullest.
Your white light horoscope is the composite of all
your planetary mandalas: a wheel with your signs on the cusps, your planets
placed according to the houses and signs in which you have them. Utilizing the
most spiritual principles as key words, you now interpret your chart as a
picture of the highest and best that you are capable of experiencing and
realizing in this incarnation. Your chart, in this form, is an astrological
portrait of your ideal self.
The next step is to abstract a white light mandala,
in the same way as is described above, for each of your square and/or
opposition aspects; we will call these patterns aspect mandalas. Do
not place the planetary degrees in the aspect mandala but meditate with
spiritual key words on the two planets involved. Since each planet in an
aspect mandala blazes with the sane pure essential light that it does in its
own mandala, you are now exercising the faculty of synthesis to white-light a
two-fold pattern. Follow out the same plan in application to your compound
(involving three planets or more) aspects.
After the white light preparation has been made the
squares and oppositions in your natal chart will be clearly and truthfully
seen to be the process of experience and reactions to experience by which you
regenerate your life on all planes. In conclusion, this statement is offered
for your spiritual consideration: Regeneration of consciousness is not
for the purpose of making trines for the future, it is for the purpose of
unfolding God-consciousness through the expression of your planets according
to their spiritualized white light principles.