Malvin Artley has been a practising astrologer for more than a decade. He is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers.
Malvin is the author of Bodies of Fire: An Exploration of the Lesser Chakra System. He has authored numerous articles and was a member of the faculty of the University of the Seven Rays, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of the Trans-Himalayan tradition as expressed through the books of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and others.
His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism. He has done extensive work with Chinese astrology and the cycles they use and seeks to synthesize the great Western and Oriental systems on such matters.
Malvin lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He also works in the engineering trades and sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.

The Christ Festival [part 3]
subtle meanings of the Full Moon in Libra 2005

Malvin Artley now concludes his discussion of the Easter Moon, the Christ Festival of March 2005, by examining the accompanying aspect patterns, the septile and the yod in the light of some famous examples. He argues that, as human beings, we are stretched, like Einstein's cat, out along many different densities of existence for most of which we have no cognizance. Sometimes we feel as though our tails are being pulled when we finally feel these impulses, at which point we howl and carry on. But we eventually get the message and life returns to “normal”.

The preceding paragraphs come to the real crux of the Aries experience, for all Aries types are imbued in some fashion with the archetype of taking the next steps ahead-of “being first”, although that is a distortion of the true intent of Aries. The pioneering, investigative, scientific, original and inventive aspects of Aries all ultimately take their meaning from Uranus. Although the persona is more imbued with the Martian side of Aries, still the dim reflection of divine purpose plays out, and the Aries type always has something to offer outside the “norms” of thought and activity. Though the great Lives that are the soul of Aries are unified in their efforts and indicate the next great steps ahead for humanity, the Aries type carries on that activity, albeit masked by the emotive, bombastic and self-centered energy of Mars. So, the next time your favorite Aries type says he or she has a great idea, it may pay to listen to them, even though the presentation might leave a bit to be desired and the idea itself may be very much “in the raw” so far as implementation is concerned.

This leads us, finally, to a discussion of the Aries full moon for this year—The Easter Festival—the Festival of the Risen, Living Christ. The Aries full moon for 2005 occurs at 8:00 AM AEDT on the 26th of March (March 25, GMT). This one will be quite fascinating in several respects, as I mentioned earlier, because there are two uncommon planetary alignments that occur on that day. Those patterns are a quintile triangle between Jupiter, Pluto and Uranus, with Pluto as the central point of the triangle, and the other is what might best be called a septile yod, which is composed of a base septile, formed between Neptune and Pluto in this case, and with both of those in tri-septile aspects to a third planet, which is Saturn in this case. True, they are minor aspects in the orthodox sense, but they are quite important to those who work with the hidden forces in nature and those who seek to reveal the Mind of God. We should begin here with a brief exposition on the septile—and it turns out to be a fascinating little aspect indeed.

Septile Patterns

A septile is an aspect of 51³/₇ degrees (what we get when we divide a circle by seven). Only a degree of orb is allowed for it, and the vast majority of astrologers do not use it at all, primarily because it does not really register in the lives of most people. It is of interest to note that it shows prominently in the charts of more than a few famous astrologers, though. There is scant information on it. It is an aspect that has been noted in the charts of creative artists. The primary exponent of it was John Addey, himself blessed with a septile triangle (We will get to that shortly.), the advocate of harmonics in astrology. He said that the septile gave one “the ability to sense the mysterious whole behind the parts of a subject... ” I have a good friend—an astrologer's astrologer—who said it best, I think: “Septiles give one the ability to comprehend the hidden side of things.” She has found them strongly placed in the charts of psychics. (She is in the process of writing several books, and when those are about to come out I will put in a plug for her.) We should keep in mind that the septile is a series based upon the number 7, which number is most strongly represented at this time by the planet Uranus. So, from an aspect so closely connected with Uranus, we would fully expect to see it strongly placed in the charts of people who work with the hidden side of things. We would also expect it to work somehow with the principle of order, because the number seven is associated with the 7th Ray—the archetypal energy of Ceremonial Ritual and Order. From what we have just discussed, Uranus rules the path of occultism and over all things hidden from view, but waiting to be expressed or revealed. I have done a bit of research on this aspect myself, and I have found some things that may be of interest.

Having looked through chart databases, certain things about the septile stand out to me.

They are strongly implicated in the charts of people who have revealed the hidden side of nature.
They are implicated in the charts of people who either work with or impose order.
They are often found in the charts of people who stand as examples for the shape of things to come.
They are found in the charts of people who work with cycles of destiny, either consciously or unconsciously.

The preceding points are especially true when regular patterns of linked septiles occur in a chart. There are some outstanding examples. Of the people who either worked with or revealed the greater cycles that condition us, we have Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler and Alice Bailey. These three people had beautiful patterns of linked septiles within their charts. Bailey and Kepler had interlocked patterns of septile triangles—quite beautiful. Kepler also had a quintile triangle linked to the septiles. Brahe and Kepler were two of the great father figures in astronomy. Kepler was actually Brahe's assistant. Theirs is a fascinating story, but the fact to be seen here is that their work involved the cycles of the heavens and the revelation of that which lay beyond the realm of the minds of the time. They understood the whole from the parts, when all was said and done. Bailey's work is well-known to most of readers of this letter. She was an amanuensis and revealed much about occultism as we know it in the West through her writings. Buried in her writings as well are the subjective cycles of the planets-the Ray cycles.

The Benchmark Triangle

There is a septile pattern that appears in the charts of some famous astrologers, too. That particular one is form by a linked series septile-based aspects: a septile, a bi-septile and a tri-septile, all linked and forming a triangle in the chart. That triangle is interesting for other reasons, too. On the whole, though, this is a triangle that reveals order in some way. Of the famous astrologers, we have CEO Carter, John Addey, Cyril Fagan and Reinhold Ebertin. There were also some famous dictators who had this triangle: Adolph Hitler, Francisco Franco, Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein. They were/are certainly imposing people, in the negative sense of the word. We also have Washington Irving, David Frost, Emily Dickenson, William Faulkner and William Blake—who all certainly revealed a lot about the power of ordered words to move people. Poets also have a capacity to really sense the undercurrents of things. This septile triangle, along with other septile patterns, also appears quite often in the charts of European royalty. I have not checked it for royalty in other parts of the world. If I had to name this triangle, I would call it “the Benchmark Triangle”.

As for other septile patterns, the list is a bit longer, but I will put out the names and you can see what you think. Benjamin Britten, Robert Burton, Queen Elizabeth II, L. Ron Hubbard, David Hibbert, Lewis Carroll, Michael Caine, Paul Choisnard, William R. Hamilton, Randall Garret, John Fremont, Steven Foster (the songwriter, not the author), James Connelly, Jean Harlowe, Amelia Earhart, Alfred Dreyfus, Sir Isaac Newton, Bix Beiderbecke, Harry Belafonte and William Pitt. These patterns can occur in people from all walks of life. There were explorers and adventurers in this lot, royalty and statesmen, musicians and writers. They all worked with order in some way. Many of them expanded our minds. All of them were able to work with the unseen, subtle currents affecting them and the humanity of their day. They all were tapped into the psyche of their times. And, they all contributed something towards a new order in their own fields. They each set a benchmark for others to follow.

A Strange Influence

But, the particular septile yod that occurs in this full moon figure is a bit of a strange influence. I'll list some of the famous people who have it and you will see what I mean: Hank Williams, Brenda Vaccaro, Frank Sinatra, William H. Sheldon, James Earl Ray, Richard Nixon, Jack Kerouac, Johannes Kepler, Horace Howe, Michel Gauquelin, Sigmund Freud, John C. Fremont, Francisco Franco, Steven Foster, Eric Clapton, Fidel Castro, Ludwig II of Bavaria, and Albert Victor (Earl of Clarence). Hank Williams died before his time. A few of these people were substance abusers—addictive personalities, in other words (Kerouac, Freud, Clapton, Williams, Victor). There was also a criminal element (Ray, Nixon, Sinatra, Victor) and a bit of insanity, too (Ludwig II, Victor). There was a strong element of the negative side of the 7th ray in some of these—the imposition of order, in other words (Franco, Castro, Nixon).

Yods are always thought to be a stressful configuration, no matter what the type of aspect they are based upon. There is always something seeking resolution with a yod, and in this case we see people trying to make some sense of their lives, often in alien environments; people who sense something greater than themselves but who find it very difficult to integrate that into their own psyches; people who are often very sensitive, but who find it difficult to handle that sensitivity (so they seek solace in substances at times rather than inner peace—sometimes they get pushed over the edge);and, people who feel compelled (and yods often bring compulsions) to “see what is on the other side”. So, this yod in the Easter Festival figure will bring the qualities just mentioned with it.

The higher side of the preceding paragraph is that we will/should feel compelled to bring through the things that beckon to or nag us from “the worlds beyond the veil”. A few of the people just mentioned, like Gauquelin, Kepler and Freud, left a legacy to the world. They did penetrate some mysteries. They were certainly compulsive—yet ordered—in what they did. They saw the prevailing undercurrents within the fields of their work and they were able to comprehend the patterns and bring them through for the rest of us. It is important to note that what these people brought through is not perfect by any means, but they cracked a code and made a good start. They found a pattern that others could follow and thus complete the work over generations to come. There is a lot in this yod about movement, too. Some of these people were explorers and adventurers (Kerouac, Fremont, and Howe) and their discoveries led either to new countries or to new paradigms in their fields. Music also opens us to other realities and the world would be more barren were it not for the likes of Clapton, Foster and Sinatra. Those people also set benchmarks in the field of popular music.

Drugs and Insanity

We should say address a final point on the drugs and insanity this yod seems to bring with it at times. It is said there is often a fine line between genius and insanity. Unfortunately, the insanity portended here does not accompany genius. It is the result of the abuse of the order of the body. Drugs are also said to be one of the ways to enlightenment, though it is a very dangerous road and one that is not recommended by any Teacher I know of. Herein lies a warning about this septile yod: Abuse your God-given body at your own peril. Seek enlightenment or solace through inner work rather than the allure of substance. Substance abuse seems particularly hazardous to people who have this yod in their chart. So does abuse of power. Power is given of God, and to abuse that privilege is to invite retribution under the auspices of this yod. One has only to look at the lives of Ludwig II and Nixon to see how this might work. We will have to see what awaits Castro as a bookmark to the end of his life.

The apex planet of any yod is important, and it defines the keys to releasing the potential of the yod. Saturn is the apex planet in this case. Make no mistake-this is a powerful yod. The septile is between Neptune and Pluto. We talked of that pairing in the previous letter. Those two planets are also in parallel in this chart, making this a “power aspect” in the terms of the Magi Society. Those two planets give all-too-clear a warning about the consequences associated with the abuse of power, privilege and body. At the other end of the spectrum, though, they also speak of the highest possible of insights that can be made available to us if we make the effort and follow spiritual protocol. Pluto clears away that which obscures the vision set forth by Neptune. With Saturn at the apex, we find the necessity of manifesting that vision in the outer world somehow. This yod is a powerful tool for all who can make use of ritual, order and insight to bring through the needed steps to be taken this year. Ritual is very important for any full manifestation of a septile, especially a septile yod. The degree occupied by Saturn is revealing. It reads thus:

“A prima donna is singing.”

There is always great pomp and ritual around opera, as well as amazing virtuosity in performance. There is also something quite magical and profound about the human voice used as an instrument, especially in revelation. Sound precedes creation. All thoughts, in order to be manifested fully, must be given voice. They are also worthy of all the virtuosity we can conjure up if that idea will improve the lot of people's lives. To those who can see on the inner planes, musical performance and the performance of ritual is truly a magical event. Sound becomes geometrical at those times and shapes and colors are impressed upon the ethers, sometimes taking on a life of their own. There is an admonition here to adhere to ritual, to time-honored practice, to exactitude in execution and for virtuosity in our work if we are to see the benefits of this yod and this full moon made available to the world at large. The base septile is beyond persona. No significant personal benefit will come from this, except as it benefits everyone. Our understanding that comes from this period must be used for the uplifting of humanity as a whole, but we must be the best we can be in the process of bringing things through.

All that being said, the degree of the Sun defines the solar purpose for this festival. It reads thus:

“A square, with one of its sides brightly illumined.”

This, again, refers to the processes of manifestation and of making ideas tangible realities. Squares are always associated with material existence. This symbol can refer to things being too one-sided as we seek to anchor our thoughts in the world. It can also refer to a dynamic point of focus upon one aspect in particular of the work to be undertaken. The square with the one side brightly illumined also implies an ability to think “outside of the square” and to seek Light from sources other than what we see before us. No matter which way we approach it, there will be one particular aspect of our lives that will receive emphasis during this full moon, almost to the exclusion of the other facets. That can be good or undesirable, and each of us must decide for ourselves. The degree of the Moon provides the counterpoint to this solar degree (Aries and septiles both seem to have an affinity to music, re: counterpoint.) It reads thus:

“A man watches his ideals taking a concrete form before his inner vision.”

What more can we say? This symbol forms a continuum with the degree of the Sun and the septile yod. All throughout this figure we see the themes of manifestation, understanding of that which lies just out of reach and order being presented time and again. The Moon is how we care for ourselves and our ideas. It is also that which we bring from our past experience-our spiritual heredity, if you will. This symbol also speaks of one of the most important processes in white magic—the ability to clearly formulate and visualize an idea through the mind's eye with the expressed intent of making it manifest in physical form. There is a lot we could say here, but we have enough to go on. This symbol speaks of the need for clarity of insight, firmness of mental focus, and the ability to use the imaginative faculties in service. The “man” is the higher Self—the Silent Watcher—who oversees all efforts in the lower worlds and guides the progress of the Soul through its many incarnations. This is a symbol which speaks uniquely of Will, if we can recognize that, for it is will that drives a thought forward into form. This symbol, along with the solar degree, enjoins us to use our mental focus to “penetrate the veil of matter” and the wrest the secrets we need from the Islands of Light.

The Sun is conjunct Venus in this figure, pointing to the fact that there should be sufficient magnetism and mutual support to get a lot done in a short space of time. Venus will aid us very greatly in our comprehension, for it links the three minds and brings together the higher with the lower. It is the Christ Light shining upon all and it ensures that all we obtain through this full moon will be used for the greater good. It also assures us that we should be able to easily integrate what we see into our experience on the whole. The Sun and Venus are sextile to a Mars/Chiron conjunction. Mars with Chiron is generally difficult, but in this case we find that our efforts will be greatly animated and even more magnetic if we so choose. This is a configuration that bodes well for cooperation between the sexes and it generally energizes and magnetizes the whole of the chart. What it speaks to most of all is that the inner impulses will find a ready outlet in the personal life and that we should be able to communicate whatever our work is quite effectively.

The Quintile Triangle

The last configuration to be looked at is the quintile triangle mentioned previously. I have written a lot on quintiles in previous letters, so I will not go too much into the meanings of this triangle here. Jupiter is in a wide conjunction with the Moon as one leg of the triangle. The other leg of the triangle is Uranus, and it forms no major aspect. It is exclusively tied in with the operations of this quintile pattern. This is a very mental configuration, and Uranus is quite at home here. Pluto at the apex of the triangle completes the scene. The overall pattern is one of intense mental activity, the shattering of many old notions, the genius that can come from thinking outside the square, an enormous expansion in the mental realms and a great compulsion to break out of the old orders of thought. This is a revolutionary pattern for thinking and it should bear some most interesting insights. It is also a pattern that is good for writing, so I would advise everyone to write things out as much as possible, especially because we don't want to lose any gems of insight that might come to us. As always, there is a lot more there, but this will suffice for now.

Throughout my life, the things at which I have had the most success are the things I have initiated myself. Is it not always thus? We are best at the things we love doing. Most of the time I have gone into things because I wanted to know about something to begin with and then, once I was into the subject matter, I found that I got a lot of enjoyment from it. My interest in technology started that way. I have always wanted to know what makes things tick. I have gotten myself into trouble at times because I am one of those men who likes to learn in his own way (It does seem to be a male attribute.). Occasionally my inattention to or ignoring of protocol caused me physical injury. I am a head-banger from way before the term was even coined, although not in the sense it is used now. Yes, I tend to leave instruction books alone until I get in a spot. Are we not all like that with our lives, though, refusing the “instruction book” of time-honored experience in preference blind rushing forward? On the whole, though, the joy of discovery has far outweighed any headaches (sometimes literal), and because of the way I have approached things, I see things with a slightly different slant from many people. I could have easily been an Aries with my approach to learning, but then again, I do have a very prominent Uranus.

Einstein's Cat

To me, occultism and all learning, for that matter, are sort of like Einstein's cat. He was once asked to describe radio, so he started with an analogy of the telegraph: “You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.”

It all makes perfect sense to me.

Occultism is like Einstein's cat. There is an impulse that gets sent from far beyond the realms of our senses. As human beings, we are stretched out along many different densities of existence—like a moggie cat—for most of which we have no cognizance. Sometimes we feel as though our tails are being pulled when we finally feel these impulses, at which point we howl and carry on. But we eventually get the message and life returns to “normal”. Eventually, we become like radio receivers and the whole process becomes painless. There have been many times in my life when I have felt that my poor tail was being pulled. There have been many times when my cat-like curiosity has gotten the better of me. There have been times when I have wondered how many lives I have left as a result of my lessons. Through it all I have been able to see that there has been a steady rhythm in life. It begins with a plateau in life and learning—then an impulse that comes along that piques my curiosity—a movement in a different direction results—I struggle as I come to terms with the new experiences and knowledge—a new order eventuates in my life and then there is another plateau. Then the whole thing starts again. A year is like that, too, and with Aries we get the impulses that upset the apple cart for the coming spiritual year, in a manner of speaking, those impulses gradually leading us to a better place in our lives (hopefully).

As we move into this most auspicious time of year, I hope we can all have the curiosity of a cat, the foresight to see the signs of trouble before it happens (Boy, I wish I had learned that one earlier!), the openness of mind to realize that we have only pieces of puzzles and that there is so much more we can learn, enough ego to be able to do things happily on our own regardless of the taunts and dismay of others and enough humility to be able to learn from mistakes and to cooperate with others. It is a very magical and extremely potent time of year in terms of its eventual effects. But, be mindful that many of the insights we get may not be for this moment, but are very likely for the future-and maybe not the immediate future. The tiny seeds we nurture today will eventually bear the fruit that feeds generations of minds, hearts and bodies in the future. Above all, let us have joy in our discoveries. There is no need to bellow at life's seeming messiness. Any perceived mess in life is but only the confused mess of our own disorganized minds. Life simply goes on its own merry way and asks only that we follow its lead. May you all be truly blessed through this full moon and in the year to come. Enjoy your septiles!

Much love and Buona Pasqua,
Malvin
18 Mar 2005

Click to return to the start of The Christ Festival

Malvin Artley is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers. His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests in those fields are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism.
He sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. These letters are sent out as a gift and a service. If you wish to be added to or deleted from the mailing list please let me know. If you feel inspired to pass them on please do so, but do so without alteration or charge. They are sent to people of many persuasions, not just astrologers. Blessings. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.