All these triangles, hexads, pentads, signs and figures, are the differentiated aspects of the One, Eternal, Changeless Consciousness.

—The Zodiac.

THE

WORD

THE ZODIAC

VI

THE zodiac has now been shown to be a monad—one complete circle or sphere arranged into twelve great orders, which are called signs. We have also considered the zodiac as a duad—the circle divided by a horizontal diameter from cancer (♋︎) to capricorn (♑︎), the upper half of which circle represents the unmanifested and the lower half the manifested universe, noumenal and phenomenal. The diameter has been shown to be the division between the unmanifested and the manifested, and represents the coming into the physical world or body and the passing out of it.

The sign cancer (♋︎) has been shown to be the entrance downward into the material world or body, while the sign capricorn (♑︎) marks the return into the unmanifested after that portion of substance (♊︎) to be manifested has passed through all the signs of the manifested universe. The monad or ego ascends from capricorn, and then descends on the downward arc and again begins its process of reincarnation through the breath until it has fully, completely and consciously attained its individuality or I-am-I-ness.

The zodiac has also been shown to be a triad—the three quaternaries especially as related to the body of man (Figure 3). This body stands in the three worlds. The first four signs have been shown as the archetypal signs, which stand in the unmanifested world of ideas. The second four signs stand in the natural world, or the world of procreation; the last four signs being the mundane and standing in the physical world of forms, unless, as shown, this lower mundane quaternary is raised, when it becomes the divine quaternary, in which case it changes man from a beast into a god.

We will now consider the zodiac as a quaternary and how this quaternary prevails in the four triads of worlds, Figure 9.

In the archetypal world, Consciousness, the Absolute, is represented by the sign (♈︎) aries. In the natural, procreative world it is expressed through life and the blood, and is represented by the sign (♌︎) leo. In the mundane (or divine) this becomes thought (♐︎) sagittary, which either passes out of the body as a germ through sex, or, as shown, rises by way of the terminal filament.

In the archetypal world motion is represented by (♉︎) taurus, the Word; in the natural it becomes form, the flesh, and is represented by the sign (♍︎) virgo. In the mundane world and through the flesh it may become individuality, and is represented by the sign (♑︎) capricorn.

In the archetypal world substance, or potential duality, is represented by the sign (♊︎) gemini. In the natural or procreative world this manifests as the two sexes, and is represented by the sign (♎︎ ) libra, sex. In the divine quaternary this becomes soul, and is represented by the sign (♒︎) aquarius. In the archetypal world breath is represented by the sign (♋︎) cancer. In the natural or procreative world it manifests as desire, and is represented by the sign (♏︎) scorpio. In the divine it becomes will, and is represented by the sign (♓︎) pisces.

The four principles of the signs operate in each of the three worlds. These four principles, operating in each of the three worlds, represent four triads—the sexless, the androgynous, the female, and the male triads.

Figure 10 represents the sexless triad.

Figure 11 represents the androgynous triad.

Figure 12 represents the female triad.

Figure 13 represents the male triad. These two (Figures 12 and 13) are the microcosmic triads. By noticing the characteristics of these signs it will at once be seen why this is so.

There is a pentad of the zodiac, but it applies more particularly to the zodiac of ten signs which is not the zodiac of our humanity, Figure 14.

The hexad of the zodiac is represented by the interlaced triangles. One hexad consists of two interlaced triangles, as shown in Figure 15, which pointing upward and downward form the universal hexad. The upper triad, ♈︎, ♌︎, ♐︎, symbolizes God, the Absolute, Consciousness. The lower triad, ♊︎, ♎︎ , ♒︎, represents nature.

Figure 16 represents the two interlaced triangles which point to the right and left. The triad ♉︎, ♍︎, ♑︎, pointing to the right, symbolizes woman. The triad pointing to the left, ♋︎, ♏︎, ♓︎, symbolizes man.

These hexads, the macrocosmic and microcosmic hexads, act and react on each other.

Notice the triads, Figures 12 and 13 of the human hexad, Figure 16. If the two lower points or organs of the triads in Figure 16 are brought together, an inverted pentad is produced, as shown in Figure 17.

The six principles in nature, whether macrocosmic or microcosmic, are represented by two hexads of the zodiac.

The macrocosmic hexad typifies the sexless (♈︎, ♌︎, ♐︎) working through the androgynous (♊︎, ♎︎ , ♒︎) principles in nature.

The microcosmic hexad typifies the positive operating with the negative, the masculine (♋︎, ♏︎, ♓︎) and feminine (♉︎, ♍︎, ♑︎).

If we blend the characteristic words expressing the nature of the points, we have (♍︎) form and (♏︎) desire, or desire-form. The human hexad is separated into male and female. By uniting these triads, or parts of the body representative of the signs form and desire, at the point of the triad of nature (♎︎ ) libra, we act on the universal hexad through the triad of nature at the point or part of sex, and the universal hexad reacts on us through nature and the nature of sex. Whenever the human hexad unites at this point it calls upon and invokes nature, and through the procreative and natural quaternary nature reacts on it through the nature triangle (♊︎, ♎︎ , ♒︎) at the point of sex. When the human hexad would call upon or invoke God, the two upper points of the triangles of the human hexad (♓︎, ♉︎) are united by merging these apices will (♓︎) and motion (♉︎) at the point of the triad of God, or Consciousness (♈︎). Then we act on the universal hexad through the triad of God at the point of Consciousness, and the universal hexad reacts on us as Consciousness at the point of Consciousness.

This explains why the pentad, or five-pointed star, has always been used in a mystical sense as representative of man. Not only is it the figure of man, but it depends on the direction in which it points as to whether the one so using it wishes to represent it as used in sorcery and in an evil sense, in which case it would point downward and would represent the use of powers by a sexual tendency, or it would be represented with its point upward, in which case it would represent the masculine and feminine powers in one human body, or motion and will uniting, and thus invoking the conscious presence of Consciousness. This is the mystical way by which the six-pointed star, male and female, becomes a five-pointed star, and the way by which the microcosm, man, acts on and becomes the macrocosm, the six-pointed star, or Solomon’s Seal.

The septad is represented by the zodiac with the horizontal diameter, Figures 18 and 19.

The signs from capricorn (♑︎) to cancer (♋︎) by way of aries (♈︎) (Figure 18) are seven. These are the unmanifested septad.

The manifested septad are (Figure 19) the signs from cancer (♋︎) to capricorn (♑︎) by way of libra (♎︎ ).

The signs cancer (♋︎) and capricorn (♑︎) are used in both septads. They are of the unmanifested septad, but the manifested universe depends on them for existence—breath and individuality.

All these triangles, hexads, pentads, signs and figures are the differentiated aspects of the One Eternal Changeless Consciousness, represented by the sign aries (♈︎).

(To be continued)