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| Life's Greatest Adventure!
| | | | | | Hi Friend,
I often write about the deeper esoteric meaning of the Zodiac signs, polarities, and the importance of resolving duality (polarities) for our spiritual path but this week I'd like to look at the planets and their specific roles in the individual and collective unfolding of human consciousness.
The most important thing you can do with your life, is to realize your true nature. Knowledge is useless if it remains at the level of a mere intellectual exercise. It is my sincere wish for you that as you read these newsletters, you are inspired to go deeper into your spiritual practice, and become determined to awaken to your true nature. In Esoteric Astrology the planets act as 'spaceholders', contributing to the conditions for you to awaken.
You can read more about the planets and their role as 'spaceholders' in chapter 5 of my book "Soul Astrology" ... enjoy! |
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| In contrast to specific 'points' in your birth chart such as the ascendant, midheaven or the lunar nodes, the planets are actually dense bodies of matter. Now this might seem obvious, but it is easy to forget that, when we are looking at our birth chart. Physical matter, is the embodiment of energy and as such, it has the capacity to hold a specific vibrational frequency. Every physical 'thing' therefore has it's own note. It's own tone.
This is more easily understood when we hear bells ringing. Before continuing, just take a minute to listen to this short video of handbell ringing. The only difference in the bells is their size, which gives each one a different tone. Now, as you continue reading, remember that video, and consider that each planet also has it's own unique tone.
In Esoteric Astrology, The Tibetan Master DK taught that as a collective, humanity is evolving from instinct to intellect, from intellect to intuition; and from intuition to illumination. This not only describes the evolution of human consciousness, but it also describes our individual path of spiritual awakening because as we awaken individually, we will each experience these unfolding 'stages' of consciousness. Indeed it is the awakening of individuals that is at the spearhead, driving the collective evolution of consciousness.
As we look at each of these stages in turn, and their planetary associations, remember that we are talking about the evolution of human consciousness AND your individual path of spiritual awakening at the same time: for they are one and the same. I would also like to add one final stage: emptiness. So our complete path is as follows:
instinct > intellect > intuition > illumination > emptiness
What do I mean by 'emptiness'? Emptiness is pure presence, awake awareness, without mental concepts. There is an important distinction between illumination and emptiness. In illumination we become full of light. We can experience great bliss and have an experience similar to nirvana, yet we can still be in duality. When we arrive at 'emptiness' we have pure, non-dual awareness. In the Tibetan tradition the highest wisdom of all is the wisdom realizing emptiness. I will explain more about that later in this series.
First I want to give an overview of the planets as spaceholders and how they relate to each of the evolutionary stages above. First of all, let's look at the term 'rulership' as it is used astrologically. Rulership is a very old term from the days back when the king or
'ruler' was the custodian of his land and his people. Rulership doesn’t seem like a good thing to us in our modern era where we see the effects of malevolent 'rulership', dictators, war and power games every day in the news, but this is not what is meant in the astrological sense.
It is not something or someone that has power over us, but rather something that contributes to the conditions that support us in our growth - much like a loving gardener who knows exactly what conditions are necessary not only for plants to survive but to thrive and reach their highest potential. So in this sense the planetary 'ruler' is more like a guardian, or custodian, creating the conditions that support our Soul’s growth.
We speak of planetary 'rulers' (or spaceholders) on many levels in astrology. You will have your overall chart ruler, this is the planet which usually has the most power and influence throughout your lifetime (see my earlier newsletter on tracking your chart ruler) by providing the conditions for your Souls growth. In addition to your chart ruler each house in your chart will have a planetary ruler: we take into account the natural ruler (for example Mars is the natural ruler of the first house) and we take into account the actual ruler. For example if you have Libra on the 5th house cusp then Venus (as the ruler of Libra) would be the planetary ruler of your 5th house. I don't want to get sidetracked with specific house rulerships here, I just wanted to present the idea that all the planets are spaceholders in your life, not just your ruling planet.
In terms of the evolution of human consciousness, and your individual path of spiritual awakening, the planets are creating conditions for you that support definite stages:
Instinct: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus Mars.
Intellect: Jupiter, Saturn.
Intuition: Uranus
Illumination: Neptune
Emptiness: Pluto
These stages are not rigid, but serve as a general guide. You will often experience overlap, for example when you experience transits of Neptune you will be having experiences that can ultimately lead to greater illumination. You could also be experiencing a powerful transit of Mars at the same time. In this case the 'illumination' of Neptune can support you in transforming instinctive aggression into conscious assertiveness.
As we continue with this series you will see how the interplay of planetary energies through the different areas of your life, create the perfect conditions to support you in your journey of spiritual awakening. |
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That's all for now! Next week we will look at the 'instinct' stage in relation to the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars, in the meantime... happy exploring!
Best Wishes,
Ruth
If you enjoyed this week's newsletter you will love reading chapter 5 "The Planetary Spaceholders" in my book " Soul Astrology"...
| | Soul Astrology How Your Rising Sign Reveals Your Soul Path and Life Purpose
by Ruth Hadikin
“Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” are the biggest questions that you will ever ask yourself as you walk though this journey of life. The answers are hiding in plain sight and can be revealed through your birth chart. You just need to know how to look, and this book is about to tell you...
Drawing upon Esoteric Astrology, the Greek myth of Hercules, and ancient principles from spiritual masters, the author describes the journey of your Soul through the twelve signs of the Zodiac. This book offers a way of using your birth chart to answer life's big questions by recognizing the energy that you were born with and how it is wanting to be expressed in this lifetime.
For lovers of astrology, Soul Astrology is a powerful addition to your toolbox for your ongoing journey of spiritual awakening.
Available in paperback, Kindle, iBooks, Kobo and Nook... |
| | | | Ruth Hadikin, B.Sc. specializes
in the science of Soul Astrology, as applied to living our Soul Path
and Life Purpose. She is dedicated to supporting people to live from the
Soul in 'Life's Greatest Adventure'. |
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