Studies in Astrology

by

Elman Bacher

Volume V


Chapter VI

The Golden Rule

   "Do unto others what you would that they do unto you."

   This Great Commandment was given as a directive for conduct so that humanity could become aware of the action of the universal Law of Cause and Effect in its experiences, relationships, and affairs. By adherence to it, the self-preservative impulse is appealed to in such a way that consideration of the well-being, happiness, and success of other people is stimulated, and the natural, normal desires for fulfillment of the individual are extended into the higher octave of fulfillment for the self and for the "other self"--which means "all people."

   In considering the "self and the other self," let us re-word the Commandment slightly into: "I do unto others; so do they unto me:" and combine this phrase with the following simple mandala: a circle with horizontal diameter; the symbol for the sign Aries at the point which corresponds to the Ascendant; the symbol for the sign Libra at the point corresponding to the seventh cusp.

   Place the point of a pencil on the Aries cusp as you say "I do;" as you say "unto," let the pencil-point travel around the circumference of the wheel passing (what would be) the cusps of the second, third, fourth, fifth, and the sixth houses, arriving at the seventh cusp as you say "others;" let it remain there as you say "so do they;" let it travel over the upper semi-circle--the cusps of the eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth houses--as you say "unto" and arrive back at the Ascendant when you say "me." Repeat this action several times to alert your consciousness to a greater realization of the continual, rhythmic functioning of the Law of Cause and Effect in human evolution; in short you are performing a motion- picture of the Golden Rule.

   The horizontal diameter of the horoscope-wheel is one of the most important phases of astrological symbology because it is the "arch-symbol" of such as: the occult essence of the opposition aspect; the picturing of the self and the other selves; the picture of action and reaction, force and counter-force; marriage as fusion of male and female qualities and expressions in love-relationship; marriage as the magnetic attraction between the individual and any or all complementary relationship-patterns, whether single or collective; the challenge to the separative self by the vibratory forces which seek to decrystallize the separativeness into the larger Life and Consciousness through union, exchange and blending; the mirroring of the individual through his feeling-reaction to those who complement him, either unregeneratively or regeneratively; it is the astrological picture of the physical Law which is started: every force automatically sets up an equal opposite force; this, in physical terms, is Life's way of establishing equilibriums after stress and tension.

   Since planets are the active focuses of principles, and planetary positions and aspects depict our individual consciousness of principles, then it is clearly shown that every planetary focus has its counterpart in the zodiacal degree opposite to its position in the natal horoscope. Give this careful attention--it will help you to understand much more clearly why some people who may not be specifically identified by your seventh-house patterns may appear--in your feeling-reactions--as your counterparts; something in their charts may oppose a point of one of your planetary arrangements. In other words, the other person's planet may serve to mirror the counterpart of something in your own chart. He is then, in part, a reflection of yourself, either to pull you down further into your congestions- -through reactions of temptation, friction and enmity--or, by his regenerate quality, to lift you out of your congestions--to love and ideality.

   Since I AM and I DO comprise the "song of the individualized self" as illustrated by the Ascendant of the abstract horoscope, the Golden Rule refers specifically to humanity's "being and doing." It is the start of travel around the wheel through experience-patterns and development-levels. The Rule says, in effect: life is to be lived; I show you how it can be lived in terms of neutralizing inner frictions and establishing harmonies and integrations each step of the way. Let us see how the mandala can be amplified to illustrate the Rule throughout the wheel.

   Add the other diameters, thus picturing the twelve houses; add the symbols appropriate to the house-cusps (Aries through Pisces); perform the "ritual" of reciting the Rule--as we did with the Aries-Libra diameter--starting with each cusp in turn. For example, when you "start the motion-picture" with Taurus you are impressing your consciousness with the value of the Rule as an underlying basis of conduct in all of your experiences pertaining to material stewardship and financial exchange and toward all people who are involved in your life through these experiences. So it is with all of the other houses and signs; the Rule directs your conduct in relationship to all people who figure as "vibratory expressions" in your experience-patterns--past, present, and future.

   Since every zodiacal point in the first six signs of the abstract horoscope is counterparted by the opposite point, the following is suggested as an exercise for becoming more fluently acquainted with the "opposition pattern;" place the pencil-point on the cusp of the first house and draw it along the horizontal diameter, saying: " Aries is counterparted by Libra;" then turn the wheel so that Libra is on the Ascendant, draw the diameter again saying: "Libra is counterparted by Aries." Follow out this procedure with each pair of counterparted signs until each pair is established in mind as "two parts of the same thing" rather than as "two different things."

   Each of the twelve signs is then seen to be a potential starting point for a journey around the wheel. The cusps of the twelve houses--as the horoscope is constructed--form what appears to be six diameters; actually the cyclic action of the "life within the wheel" indicates twelve diameters representing the polarity-action of the horoscope as a picture of the Law of Cause and Effect in action throughout humanity's evolution. These diameters are not complete in themselves until the return is made, since each is simply a short cut between one zodiacal point and its opposite; the two opposites form a structural segment on which the complete circle is built. So, from Aries to Libra and back to Aries--via the diameter--is the short-cut picture of traveling around the wheel from Aries through Libra and back to Aries on the circumference of the horoscope. Cyclic action is implied by both.

   Because we put astrological knowledge to work for a certain specific enlightening or regenerative objective, we must learn how to apply to the individual horoscope these picturings of "zodiacal points and their counterparts." In other words, we must always seek to make our philosophical conclusions practical--in astrological interpretation or in living.

   We must learn to recognize our patterns of consciousness by identifying our reactions to other people and synchronize these conclusions with the picturings in our horoscopes. When--if ever--this is accomplished we have put our astrological knowledge to constructive, practical use toward lifting reactions of envy, hatred, jealousy, fear, and the like from our minds and hearts. We cannot love our neighbors (humanity) as long as such qualities remain in our "inner." Not loving (the Light in) our neighbor means not fulfilling. Your Light is his light also and the dark congestions of down-pulling reaction must be dissipated if the Light in yourself and in him is to become a living reality in your consciousness. So, let us study our natal charts from this basis of "counterpart" and come into a clearer realization of the fact that our reactions to others form the vibratory barometer of our Consciousness; we will approach this study by renewing our realization that planets are expressions of principles; therefore they are the "goodness of Life in action;" it is our Life-purpose to learn how to live these principles as unfoldment of divine potentials.

   Life gives us many opportunities to deal with each planetary pattern and these opportunities are presented to us through our contact with other people whose planetary arrangements synchronize with ours in different ways. We are now concerned with "problems" so we will deal with the "counterparting" of the opposition aspects.

   Until such time as you recognize that your Light is one with humanity's Light you tend to "classify" other people in three principal ways: (1) the bad--those who stimulate your unregeneracies; (2) the bad-good--those who stimulate both your unregeneracies and your regeneracies; (3) the good--those you love because they stimulate only your best in consciousness. The "envelope" doesn't matter--relationship, sex, age--we are now considering the "other fellow" only as a vibratory mechanism, expressing in human incarnation, as a factor in your vibratory experience.

   Recognize that every opposition aspect between planets in your chart forms an active polarity-pattern; until those elements in consciousness are harmonized by regenerating each factor, a condition of inner tug-of-war prevails. Any person who comes into your life in a significant way whose ruler--planet ruling the Ascendant sign--is conjunct one of your opposed planets is personally identified by that planetary vibration in your consciousness and fits into your life in one of the three above- mentioned classifications. Any person who has any other planet but the chart- ruler conjunct one of your opposed planets might be called a secondary identification or variation of that vibration. Regardless of how the other person is identified, his being in your life is to give you an opportunity to regenerate your expression of the two opposed planets; stimulation of one automatically stimulates the other. If his planet is unregenerate in quality the lesson is clear: you must use the spiritual principle represented by that planet in order successfully to harmonize and fulfill the relationship. If his planet is "bad-good" in quality then you must express the best of both your opposed planets--in other words, you must fuse the best elements of both planets in order to establish greater harmony with all of his planetary conditions represented by that particular planet. If his planet is entirely regenerate, then he is an "agency" for making you aware of the best of the particular planet in your pattern with which he is identified, and he helps you to express the best of the other planet of your opposition. His planet being regenerate, he is your "friend" because his quality stimulates you to express your Light; if otherwise, he is your "tempter."

   Therefore, since the opposition-aspect seems to pit one planet against another, the solution is not "working on one planet at the expense of the other;" it is found in translating or transposing the quality of planetary expression into a higher octave, thus redeeming the weakness implied by congestion and friction from darkness into a greater expression of Light. This can be done by different approaches: (1) using the regenerate quality of a third planet which favorably--by trine and sextile--aspects the two opposed planets; (2) using the regenerate quality of the planets which disposit--rule the signs of placement of--the two opposed planets; (3) direct translation-- by applying the Golden Rule--of the quality of the two opposed planets. This is a direct philosophical discipline, since the quality of the two planets is dynamically projected from your "Light-center."

   In the illustration above, the alleviating planet which helps the opposition may be congested by square aspect from a fourth planet. If such is the case, pay careful attention to the zodiacal point which is opposite to the alleviating planet. Any person in your life whose ruler is within orb of that point will stand, through his regenerate qualities, as a living symbol of the "higher Self" of the alleviating planet. Study that person with great care. Why do you love that person? How does he "lift" you? Why do you feel that you need him? The answer is clearly shown astrologically and can be perceived in personal relations; the best of that person is the higher self of the planet that makes possible a regeneracy of your two opposed planets That person is personally identified as one of your principal "Light- showers" in this incarnation. Don't waste a moment of your time in envy of that person; seek to emulate his good as much as possible. So doing, you will be learning from your own higher self. Assiduously cultivate every quality in your own nature that inspires that person with feelings of love and respect for you; in that way his Light and your Light blend into an "inner-plane- marriage" and the fused Light of both adds to the Light-expression of humanity.

   The person whose primary (chart-ruler) or secondary planet squares your opposed planets is also your teacher, but from a different "level." If his planetary quality is negative his effect on you is to ignite or frictionalize the negative quality of your opposed planets. Such a person gives you a stiff examination of your ability to regenerate your opposition; his negatives tend to "take hands with your opposed planets and pull them in his own down-going direction;" since this person's planets can square your opposition from two points--the signs which square your opposition--is it not feasible that the planets in your own chart which rule the squaring signs may be the vibratory power by which you can free yourself from the "effect" of this person's down-pulling effect on you? In other words, by using regenerate expressions of these two planets in your own chart you release yourself from his patterns and you establish your own regenerate counterparting. He no longer appears as your enemy because you have raised into a higher octave of expression the vibratory quality which you have in common with him and in so doing, you make yourself--if the relationship- pattern is a close one--a "Light" for the regeneracy of his planet. You established "up-lift" for yourself but you also extend the up-lift to your neighbor and the regenerating process is seen to form a "complete circle"--it includes him--it doesn't just stop at your own regenerating. The person whose uncongested ruler or planet squares your opposition has the effect of "brakes" on you; his vibratory quality serves to try to protect you from continuing in your frictional or down-going path. He, consciously or unconsciously, serves to show you the error of your ways. Since you are two people, that planet in your own chart being expressed regeneratively is the way your Light "takes hand with his Light." In other words, his unafflicted planetary vibration alerts you to that which in your own nature regeneratively counterparts your opposition. Let yourself open, in consciousness, to the good in that person; he is your friend, your teacher, your guide, your way-shower; he is not-as you may subconsciously tend to feel--your enemy or your antagonist. Take hands with this person in willingness to learn from him and his power will be seen as an agency of raising your opposition planets into a higher octave of expression.

   Another form of "counterpart" is seen when you contact a person who has two planets in trine aspect which you have in square or opposition. This might be called "counterpart of aspect-quality;" he "counterparts" you in representing a regenerate fulfillment of something in your consciousness which needs regenerating. He, then, foreshadows the fulfillment you are to make, sooner or later. Particularly if one of his trined planets is opposition one of your squared ones he will stand as a personification of your own Higher Self; he then by aspect-quality and polarity-pattern counterparts you in a higher level of expression. If he has any trined planets opposition a squared planet in your chart that planet, in its regenerate quality, is counterpart of your aspect. Pay attention to that planet in your own chart and provide, from within your own chart and your own consciousness, the redemption and regeneration of your square aspect.

   Let us meditate more and more on the great principle of polarity, not from the standpoint of ourselves being "versus" everyone else, but that we are all reflections of each other. The worst and the best of each is counterparted by the best and worst of others; the established recognition, in consciousness, of our joint participation in the one WHITE LIGHT is the goal of all.

  



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