Studies in Astrology
by
Elman Bacher
Volume VIII
Chapter VIII
The Generic Spectrum
In the last few years of the eighteenth century and
the first two decades or so of the nineteenth occurred one of the most
remarkable stellar phenomena of modern history--the conjunction of Uranus and
Neptune, in Sagittarius and Capricorn. This "hyper-lunation" was "seed-
planting" in terms of the cosmic vibratory powers of these two giants--rulers
of the last two signs of the zodiacal belt.
As a conjunction of any two planets carries out the
pattern of the Sun-conjunct-Moon lunation (with its extensions of "first
quarter," "trine," "opposition" and so forth), so it was with this
conjunction; during the years of the nineteenth century and up through the
first fourteen years or so of this one Uranus and Neptune moved, in
relationship to the "conjunction-point" and to each other, to make patterns of
aspects that represented a turning-point in the vibratory evolution of the
human race.
The "Full Moon pattern" of this tremendous aspect was
represented by the opposition of Uranus to Neptune; this pattern prevailed
when Uranus had returned to Sagittarius and Capricorn and Neptune had gone
half-way around the wheel to Gemini and Cancer. This crescendo of vibratory
powers on the part of Neptune included the last four signs of the zodiacal
sequence (Sagittarius through Pisces) and the first four signs (Aries through
Cancer). The objectified climax, shortly following the period of exact
opposition in the middle degrees of Capricorn-Cancer, was the first World War-
the spewing forth of congested and putrefied energies on the part of nations
all over the world and the imagination of an entirely new phase of unfoldment
on all planes.
Let us consider this great conjunction in terms of
house-sign patterns:
The inception of this conjunction occurred in the
abstract ninth-house-sign Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, significator of
abstract mentality, ideas, concepts, understanding, and philosophy. Jupiter is
the Principle of Improvement and of Expansion. In Sagittarius, Uranus--ruler
of Aquarius, the eleventh house-sign--was in its own eleventh house-sign, the
keyword of which is liberation through universal, or impersonalized Love-
Power. This position of Uranus had the effect of an electrification of human
consciousness in the form of a vitalization of humanity's need for greater
freedom on all planes; there were revolutions like nothing that had been known
for ages--by actual warfare and by protest against the effect of centuries of
spiritual and intellectual shackling by temporal powers; there was a "blasting
open" of horizons of knowledge and thought so that the mental and spiritual
capacities of humanity might find "new pastures." New philosophies and
religious forms sprang up on all sides that man's need for broader
understanding might be fulfilled.
Neptune in Sagittarius was in its own tenth house-sign
from its dignity in Pisces; it had reached the three-quarter mark in its own
cycle and had come to the point analogous to Capricorn in its relationship to
Aries. This was a timing for a new releasement of the powers that serve the
purposes of redemption; that which was to be "re-redeemed" was the effect of
many preceding centuries during which mankind's ideality had become congested
to the choking-point by corruption and perversion of ideals.
In Capricorn, Uranus reached its own twelfth house-
sign, the last position in the cycle from its dignity in Aquarius; in this
sign, Uranus' influence was to disintegrate outmoded forms to make way for new
formations on all planes. In Capricorn, Neptune reached its own eleventh
house-sign; a "wave" of Egos (Elder Brothers and Sisters) incarnated during
this period who served to act as "instruments" (Neptune is the Principle of
Instrumentation) for the down-pouring of tremendous spiritual powers to re-
charge the spiritual consciousness of mankind.
During the years of the nineteenth century Egos of
great and remarkable development incarnated in, shall we say, "swarms;"
philosophers and religionists, musicians, artists and writers, scientists and
mathematicians, healers and teachers. These persons, whatever their specific
field of activity was, served to bring humanity closer to each other by the
tremendous range of their influence. A particularly significant opening-up
took place by the advent--in the western world--of the sciences pertaining to
psychology and psycho-analysis; a few great minds incarnated during this
period who were determined to investigate the principles pertaining to human
sexuality, emotionality, and the function of the subconscious mind. To these
people we owe an unpayable debt. They pioneered in a field of research that
had scarcely been tapped, and they stood strong and unshakable against the
powers of crystallization, ignorance, and prejudice in order to bring to
mankind a "new Light" toward greater understanding.
In our particular subject at hand--the "generic
spectrum"--we will deal, in astrological symbology, with one of the most
important of the factors pertaining to the "inner nature" of man's
constitution: the factor of bi-polarity.
"Experience as male" and "experience as female" is
represented abstractly by the division of the wheel by any diameter; the arch-
symbol of this pattern is, of course, the Aries-Libra diameter of the Great
Mandala--the abstract or "natural" wheel having thirty degrees of each sign
per house, starting with Aries as Ascendant and moving counterclockwise around
the wheel to Pisces at the twelfth cusp. The Aries cusp is the "I AM" of human
consciousness; it is the projection of all potentials from the center of the
wheel to the circumference--the "point of incarnation" or "the objectification
on the physical plane." All radii of the wheel are simply emanations of this
Ascendant-line, since there is only one radius for any circle.
The horoscope in its totality is the composite of all
consciousness of the individual, and this means the composite of all masculine
and feminine potentials. Relationship is "within;" it is not, essentially,
"outside of the individual." This can be easily proven by consideration of the
fact that when you change your reaction to another person, you change your
relationship with him/her. The outer aspect of relationship is its picturing
in space-time on the physical plane--the mirroring of inner states by their
expressions in form. The "maleness" and the "femaleness" of human beings serve
to focus generic qualities, both in expression and by reflection. Certain
experience-patterns, in actual physical living are peculiar to the male,
others are peculiar to the female; each in its own way, is a picture of karma,
since we incarnate by law in the dimensions of space-time and the physical
expressions of gender: sex.
Since our essential bi-polarity is not, as yet, fully
realized, Nature makes possible, by the faculty of emotional reaction, a
recognition of our latent generic states. This recognition is found in our
relationships with other people, and we identify them--seemingly outside
ourselves--by the stimulation that they make of our vibratory being. Because
the quality of our relationship patterns resides in our consciousness, we now
recognize--when our viewpoint is sufficiently detached--that each human being
is his/her own father/mother, husband/wife, brother/sister, and son/daughter.
Our generic being serves to identify other human beings as factors in one or
more of these basic relationship-patterns--and their many variations--in
accordance with our generic patterns and our congested or regenerate levels of
consciousness. We do not have enemies; we, ourselves, are the source of what
we interpret as "enmity." The regeneration of our emotional-reaction faculty
improves the quality of our vibratory being and thus improves our
consciousness of relationship with other people. That is the only way we can
"defeat our enemies" and redeem relationship-karma.
In consideration of this material, it is suggested
that each student try a little "inner adjustment:" stop thinking of yourself
as "male" or as "female;" think of yourself--and this may require considerable
"elasticization"--as composite of masculine and feminine. Recognize that you,
as an individual expression of the idea, "humanity," contain in your vibratory
being everything that is meant by the words "man" and "woman." You are simply
specializing as male or as female in this incarnation; you may have been the
opposite in the previous incarnation, you may be the opposite in the one to
come. If you are male your feminine patterns will, for the most part, be
objectified by reflection in the "women in your life" and the reverse holds
true for females. But--and this is very important--the bi-polarity of our
being is coming into clearer manifestation as we evolve through the exercise
of our potentials of Love-Power and Wisdom-Power--one of the remarkable
phenomena resulting from the Uranus-Neptune conjunction and opposition during
the last century and a half. The study of human relationships is no longer
centered on the differences between the sexes as much as it is on the
similarities of men and women as bi-polar mechanisms. We are coming into a
realization that "opposite sex" really means "latent generic quality" which is
"ignited" by contact with persons whose vibratory being complements ours, in
some degree or pattern.
The astrologer, in fulfilling his/her service,
functions--or should function--as a bi-polar consciousness. If he/she is to
understand the problems of the client he/she must draw on his/her experience-
memories as male and as female in order to perceive the vibratory roots of the
client's problems and potentials. The astrologer, in this functioning, is not
neutral; he/she is compositing his/her vibratory elements as a ray of Light,
focused into whiteness, to enlighten the consciousness of the client to
clearer awareness of the source of the problems and their inherent
correctives. "Masculinity" and "femininity" are not words of opprobrium when
applied to females and to males, respectively They are words that refer to the
two-fold expression of our vibratory being which, in the final analysis, is
the basic life expression of our inner nature. Cause (masculine) and Effect
(feminine) may be said to designate the Life-expression--polarity--of the
Cosmos.
The consultant astrologer who does not function with
awareness of his/her bipolar reality will not do justice to his work as an
analyst of relationship
and sex problems. He/she must be able to perceive the combined masculinity-
femininity of any one whose chart is studied to assist this person to
recognize more clearly the inner source of relationship-problems. The male who
does not know or recognize his own femininity is not going to perceive the
"woman-part" of anyone he reads for. Truly, our "brother-human" is the
masculine element of human nature; our "sister" is the feminine element,
regardless of the physical envelope that is worn. Each astrologer should apply
his/her analytical powers toward a more clarified understanding of his/her own
personal relationships and see, with the Eye of White Light, how he/she
affects, and is affected by, each person with whom there is close association.
It is necessary to analyze the chart from the generic standpoint to determine
the relative masculinity/femininity that is pictured. We now offer, as food
for thought, a generic analysis of the twelve signs.
Use a copy of the Great Mandala without the planetary
symbols--just the sign-symbols outside the wheel. Notice that the first four
signs--Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer--each represent one of the generic
elements: fire, earth, air, and water, respectively; two of these, Aries and
Cancer, are cardinal "structure-points."
Since rhythm is the archetype of movement (in time-
space), we recognize that the progress around the wheel, through the twelve
signs, is a rhythmic progression; the simplest basic rhythm is what we call
"two-four" rhythm--two counts, each of which has a down-beat and an up-beat.
The down-beat is the masculine "initiation" of the count, the up-beat is the
releasement--or feminine complementation--of the down-beat.
In this sector of four signs we see two halves of two
full rhythmic beats; "count one" is Aries-Taurus--the down-beat is Aries, the
up-beat is Taurus, count "two" is Gemini-Cancer--Gemini is the down-beat and
Cancer is the up-beat. Each count, then, has its two-fold generic quality, and
the four-fold sector has its two-fold generic quality in its division of two
complete counts. Aries-Taurus is, then, the male down-beat of the sector;
Gemini-Cancer is the female up-beat, or complementation, Aries and Gemini are
the masculine down-beats of each of the two counts; Taurus-Cancer are the
feminine up-beats of each of the two counts.
The ideal realization of humanity's vibratory nature
is found in the spiritualization of all generic qualities: the "Grand Man" is
the perfection of composite masculinity/femininity. So we see how this
spiritualization is pictured in astrology: the circumference of the wheel is
the seconds, minutes, and degrees of the sequence of twelve signs. There are
four groups of trines, each representing the Power-Love-Wisdom aspects of one
of the elements. Each element, in three octaves, covers the wheel and each one
is a specialization of generic quality. The trines are initiated by the four
cardinal signs, each of which is a basic generic statement of "I AM," and each
represents one of the structure-points in the total pattern of human
relationship: the male as husband and father; the female as complement--wife
and mother.
Number the signs around the wheel as follows: Aries--
1, Leo--2, Sagittarius--3, Capricorn--4, Taurus--5, Virgo--6, Libra--7,
Aquarius--8, Gemini--9, Cancer--10, Scorpio--11, and Pisces--12. Place your
pencil-point on Aries and travel through the zodiac this way: Aries to Leo to
Sagittarius to Aries--to Capricorn; Capricorn to Taurus to Virgo to Capricorn-
-to Libra; Libra to Aquarius to Gemini to Libra--to Cancer; Cancer to Scorpio
to Pisces--to Aries. This "tour" of the zodiac starts with the most masculine
of male signs and ends with the most feminine of female signs; each cardinal
sign is the most masculine of its element, each mutable is the most feminine
and adjustable. Aries (dignity of Mars) joins the earth-element at Capricorn
(exaltation of Mars); Capricorn (dignity of Saturn) joins the air-element at
Libra (exaltation of Saturn); Libra joins the water-element at Cancer (dignity
of the Moon) as initiator of the water-trine, the third octave of which is
Pisces, exaltation of Venus, which is ruler of Libra; the Moon, ruler of
Cancer, is exalted in Taurus, earth-dignity of Venus and second--or love-power
octave--of the earth-trine initiated by the Moon's complement, Saturn, ruler
of Capricorn. Pisces, exaltation of Venus, is ruled by Neptune and represents
ideality. Venus's exaltation in this hyper-feminine sign symbolizes the
perfected mirroring of the best in humanity's consciousness; the
"renunciation" implied by the Piscean vibration is that of giving up the
negative, unregenerate feeling-reactions in favor of perception of the
inherent ideal--which is goodness, truth, and beauty.
Now we have the entire zodiac "lined up" by generic
quality; the whole belt of twelve signs by trine division represents the
healing power of three-four rhythm--each element thus picturing a
spiritualized key-note in which the music of human consciousness can be
played. Each sign, by three-fold decanate-division, composites its element.
You can now list your own planetary positions by generic quality, synthesize
them with your Ascendant and ruler, and evaluate your listing by comparison
with the gender of planets. We suggest Mars, Sun, Jupiter, Saturn (the father-
symbol), and Uranus as masculine planets; Moon, Venus, Pluto (ruler of
Scorpio--the "womb" of compressed desire-power), and Neptune as feminine
planets. Mercury, the intellect, is neutral--or rather androgynous; Mercury,
in its rulership of Virgo (a male sign) is masculine; as ruler of Gemini it is
feminine. This planet adapts to the sign in which it is placed and adds an
emphasis to the generic quality represented by the sign.
Apply this listing to many charts in addition to your
own. Learn to "size up" the generic values of charts for practical analysis of
relationship-problems. Pay particular attention to all planets that are
dignified by sign-placement; a planet in dignity is a "first-house" vibratory
placement--a "start" of a new cycle of aspect-patterns to be made by that
planet in future incarnations. Also--pay careful attention to the "structural
rulers:" Mars, Moon, Venus, and Saturn as respective rulers of the cardinal
(structural) signs; also planets placed in the cardinal signs--because they
will be disposited by the structural rulers. If you wish, it may be helpful to
list the planets of a given chart by their "maleness and femaleness" (fire-
earth, air-water) as well as "masculinity and femininity" (fire-air, earth-
water). Check the element--or grouping (this is very important)--that contains
the most of uncongested planets, or any chart that is uncongested. In this
factor, we see a registration of definite spiritualization of generic quality-
-an important signification of inner freedom. Also, the structural planet
(Mars, Moon, Venus, and Saturn) that is most congested and most regenerate.
Study these two planets not only by their aspect-patterns but also in terms of
the congestion and regeneration of the planet which disposits it. We must know
the generic quality that each planet is focalizing, and this "dispositorship"
gives us that key.