Keywords and Phrases for the Signs 
through the Three Crosses.

Artwork by David Camp

Aries - The Light of Life Itself

This is the dim point of light found at the centre of the cycle of manifestation, faint and flickering.  It is the "searchlight" of the Logos, seeking that which can be used "for divine expression" (1)

Keyword Phrases

Let form again be sought.   This is the orientation for humanity on the ordinary wheel.  It shows that the energies of Mars and the focus of the creative fire of Aries are used to anchor the incarnation for the purpose of material expression and personality dominance.

I come forth and from the plane of mind, I rule.  This is the orientation for those individuals who have worked to express their life through the direction of the reverse wheel.  This phrase indicates the influence of Mercury and the plane of the intuition on the life.

Taurus  - The penetrating Light of the Path

This is a beam of light, streaming forth from the point in Aries,
 and revealing the area of light control.

Keyword Phrases

Let struggle be undismayed.  This is the phrase for Taurus on the ordinary wheel and reveals the influence of the Fourth Ray.  It indicates the urge to move forward into matter so that all lessons are learned about the nature of form.  It is then that the conscious duality can take place, so that Taurus may learn how to use discrimination in the physical world.

I see, and when the Eye is opened, all is Light.  The Soul's vision is through the cosmic eye of the Bull of God, demonstrating the presence of the First Ray.  Once this vision of spiritual reality is developed, the Light which shines through Taurus serves to transform and uplift everything and everyone with whom she may come in contact.

Gemini -  The Light of Interplay

This is a line of light beams, revealing that which opposes or 
the basic duality of manifestation, 
the relationship of spirit and form.  
It is the conscious light of that relationship.

Keyword Phrases

Let instability do its work. This phrase embodies within it all the vicissitudes of ordinary life, unpredictable changes, instability in human relationships, and the lack of cohesion in the lives of a huge multitude of people.  Such instability serves to bring about the need to find the focus of harmony, which comes with Soul awareness.

I recognise my other self, and in the waning of that self, I grow and glow.  The individual knows himself to be the Soul.  As the personality releases its hold upon the life energies, the soul is able to relate to the lower self and the material world with greater direction and clarity.  The lower self then becomes the disciplined extension of the Higher, creating what adjustments may be needed to bring forth the soul's presence.

Cancer -  The Light within the form

This is the diffused light of substance itself, the "dark light" of matter.. 
It is the light awaiting the stimulation coming from the soul light.

Keyword Phrases

Let isolation be the rule and yet - the crowd exists.   When a person's life is centred in the personality as its total expression, his eventual destiny will be isolation and loneliness.  He is so fundamentally subjective that it becomes impossible to connect with others, no matter how close the biological or karmic attachment.  Without the tension of the personality-Soul relationship, he becomes imprisoned by the shell of the lower self.

I build a lighted house and therein dwell.  The illusion of separateness eventually gives way to the illumination of universality.  It is then that the soul-centred individual becomes the channel for the "Light of the World" which, when expressed through Cancer, is unlimited nourishment to all the forms and creatures of life.

Leo  -  The Light of the Soul

A reflected point of light logoic or divine. 
 The light diffused in Cancer focuses and reveals eventually a point.

Keyword Phrases

Let other forms exist, I rule because I am.  This phrase characterises the "benevolent dictatorship" which is often the form of expression for the personality-centred Leo.  The "other forms" are seen as extensions of the undeveloped self over which "young" Leo takes control in an instinctual and unconscious manner.  "I rule as a right of my presence in any situation" would also be a proper way to state this type of Leonine frame of reference.

I am That and That I am.  This phrase shows that the individual has identified with the Soul and that the two - the soul and the personality - have reached a relationship of fusion and integration.  Now Leo is prepared to rule as a conscious extension of Divine will.

Virgo  -  The blended dual Light 

Two lights are seen - one bright and strong, the light of form; one faint and dim, the light of God.  
This light is distinguished by a waxing of one and the waning of the other.  
It differs from the light in Gemini.

Keyword Phrases

Let matter reign.  Matter is form and comes from the Latin word mater, which means "mother".  On the ordinary wheel, Virgo is so intimately connected with the form life that the consciousness has not, as yet, developed the necessary objectification for its release as Light.  Yet it is through the lessons of matter that Virgo, at a later stage, comes to regard that precious inner purity which, at an earlier stage, was regarded with dread and fear, as the embryo of the Soul's presence.

I am the Mother and the Child.  I, God I Matter am.  These are the words of the Soul, recognising its function as a vehicle for the Father's Light.  this is also a statement of perfected, blended unity in which /Spirit (God), Soul (Christ) and Body (Matter/Mother) are all unified.  In effect, this lesson of Virgo reveals to use that Matter and its Creator are but one continuous line of cosmic expression.  It is through consciousness (that quality of the Soul) that humanity comes to this realisation.  It is through service to humanity that such an awareness of the Eternal Life and all of Its Forms is quickened into physical reality.

Libra  -  The Light that moves to rest

This is the light that oscillates until a point of balance is achieved. 
 It is the light which is distinguished by a moving up and down.

Keyword Phrases

Let choice be made.  This statement reveals the consistent tension which exists for Libra on the ordinary wheel.  It is the tension of opposing forces, needing harmony and balance.  This is the battle between the lower and the Higher selves as it plays itself out through the personality.  It is here that Libra is tested, and right judgment and proper use of love are cultivated.

I choose the way which leads between the two great lines of force.  Right choice is always made when one is aligned with the Will-to-Good.  This statement reflects the relationship between the First and Seventh Rays, as well as between Aries and Libra.  The battle lines are drawn, and yet Libra's goal is one the focus of world service through the unfolding of expanded consciousness and the resulting responsibilities such visions entail.  This is symbolised for us through Saturn's exaltation in the Scales.

Scorpio  -  The Light of Day

This is the place where three lights meet - 
the light of form, the light of Soul, and the light of life.  They meet; they blend; they rise.

Keyword Phrases

Let maya flourish and let deception rule.  This, and the key phrase that follows need little interpretation.  Maya is illusion on the plane of Desires.  It represents the mirage of personality-centred emotions.  Maya is clouded water that distorts and obscures the eye of the Eagle and the Heart of the Phoenix from penetrating into the darkness of matter so that the lower self may be irradiated with love and resurrected into Light.

Warrior I am and from the battle I emerge triumphant.  this phrase is written on the banner of the Disciple as he marches out of the battlefield and into his field of service to humanity.

Sagittarius  -  A beam of direct, focused Light

In this the point of light becomes the beam, revealing a greater light ahead 
and illumining the way to the centre of the light.

Keyword Phrases

Let food be sought.  This phrase symbolises the urge to gain experience, something that Sagittarius on the ordinary wheel of life does quite indiscriminately.  Any food will do - the idea is just to gather the basic substances of life in order to bring about those situations that stop the Horse "in his tracks".  When he is thus satiated and bursting he may then realise that he had better take control of the reins, since he is the rider as well as the steed.

I see the goal.  I reach that goal and then I see another.  This sentence clearly depicts the frame of reference of a Sagittarian on the reversed wheel of discipline and initiatic promise.

Capricorn  -  The Light of Initiation

This is the light which clears the way to the mountain top, and produces transfiguration,
 thus revealing the rising sun.

Keyword Phrases

Let Ambition rule and let the door stand wide.  On the ordinary wheel ambition drives Capricorn toward achievement.  The door to initiation and the freedom to serve humanity from a focus of loving awareness are always there.  Yet fear and instinct blind Capricorn into believing that freedom is gained through attachment to form.  The opened Gate remains unseen until such time as material illusion ceases and spiritual reality is revealed.

Lost am I in light supernal, yet on that light I turn my back.  The totally Soul-centred Capricorn Initiate may remain in the consciousness of Divine Love.  She has culminated a long journey and may now pause, rest and be rewarded.  Yet the call to service is so strong that by ~turning her back~ on this supernal state, she takes the Gate In through Cancer and returns into incarnation for further service to mankind.

Aquarius  -  The Light that shines on Earth, across the sea.

This the light which ever shines within the dark 
and cleansing with its healing rays that which must be purified until the dark has gone.

Keyword Phrases

Let desire in form be the ruler.  The need to give shape and form to the dispersed and airy quality of the Aquarian lower self is achieved to some degree in the earthy sign of the Mountain Goat.  It is here that the ego may try to incorporate the ideas and ideals so important to the Water Bearer into their practical and physical forms.  The experiences in Capricorn will train the lower self to understand the relationship between the real and the ideal as the lessons of physical limitations and responsibilities reveal themselves.

Water of life am I, poured forth for thirsty men.  True esoteric knowledge forms the basis for white magic - that Seventh Ray quality which teaches the Laws of Manifestation behind the alchemy of the Soul.  Aquarius on the higher levels is a training ground for the transformers of humanity, as these enlightened and dedicated people serve to distribute the Love and Wisdom that saves the world.

Pisces  -  The Light of the World

This is the light revealing the light of life itself.
 It ends forever the darkness of matter.

Keyword  Phrases 

Go forth into Matter:  this is the call into manifestation, to refine and create a proper set of vehicles out of the personality for the purposes of the Soul.  It is a call to sacrifice. "Go forth, descend, and make yourself a willing instrument" .  This is the Grace of Love which shines forth for all. If the ego (matter) is to be a self conscious entity, it must be irradiated with consciousness, and as a result, also come to know itself as divine.

I leave the Father's House and, turning back, I save.  This is the message from the Soul who knows that It has made a supreme sacrifice by leaving "the place where the Will of God is known" -  the Father's House.  It has left this bliss-filled Oneness in order to serve the Plan and Humanity.

The Soul occupies the Middle Way.

Reference : Alan Oken's "Soul Centred  Astrology" ISBN 0-89594-811-7

(1) the quote and the eleven that follow each Sign are to be found in Alice Bailey's Esoteric Astrology (pp 329-330)

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