Doctrine of Nativities

NOW that it has been shown that astral vibrations from the planets have such an
important and far-reaching influence upon all life, the next step is to indicate more
precisely how these vibrations affect humanity.

Yet the reader should not be given the impression that the destiny of the soul
commences at its birth into human life, and that planetary influences operating at this
birth are determined by chance. Therefore, it seems advisable first to outline the old
Hermetic teachings in regard to the soul.

If the old Hermetic Law of Correspondences holds true–“As it is below, so it is
above; as on the earth, so in the sky”–then not only the astral world, but the spiritual
world, the angelic world, and the celestial world, are subject to the same seven-fold
division as the physical world. In other words, the things and entities of these worlds
are, even as the things and entities of earth, subject to planetary rulership. Of course,
in the higher worlds the vibrations are transmitted by finer substances than the astral,
but nevertheless, the entities of these realms belong to definite planetary families. All
those things on any plane that are ruled by a certain planet –transmit that planet’s
influence more freely than any other–are said to belong to its planetary family.
Souls are no exception to this, and at the moment of differentiation in the higher
realms each belongs to a certain planetary family.

I may not here speak of the angelic parenthood of souls or of the circumstances
surrounding their first existence as differentiated entities. These things are explained
in Course 2, Astrological Signatures. I may here mention, however, that at its first
existence as a soul it is endowed with a definite polarity, or quality. After its
differentiation the life-impulse –that impulse which we observe causing all forms
of life to struggle to live–carries the soul down through fleeting forms in the lower
spiritual world, down through other fleeting and elemental forms in the astral world,
and finally enables it to incarnate in the mineral realm of a planet.

Do not think that the rocks and metals are devoid of life. Professor Chunder Bose1,
through extensive experiments, has demonstrated that metals, for instance, are
sensitive, may be put to sleep, may be intoxicated, or may be killed. The difference
between their sensitiveness and that of higher forms of life is one of degree, due to
less complex organization. The idea that I wish to convey here, however, is not
merely that rocks and grass and trees as well as animals are endowed with souls, but
that the soul evolves through these different forms.

The Astral Body Is Built of Stellar Cells and Stellar Structures

–In its descent to incarnate in the mineral, and in its ascent through innumerable
lower forms of physical life, the soul has experiences of different kinds. The
awareness and emotions accompanying these experiences build thought-elements
into the high-velocity, or stellar, body. Through other experiences these
thought-elements become organized as stellar cells, and these in turn into dynamic
stellar structures.

Thoughts, in the sense I here use the term, embrace every form of consciousness and
include the sensations felt by even the lowest forms of life. All life-forms react to
environment through an awareness which builds mental elements into their finer
forms. And a birth-chart–even the birth-chart of a primitive creature–is a map of
the character, that is, of the thought-organizations of the finer form, as these have
been constructed up to the moment of physical birth.

Living physical matter is composed of protoplasm, which is a combination of
chemical elements. And the inner-plane, astral or stellar body of every living
creature is composed of psychoplasm, formed of thought-elements in various kinds
of combinations.

The physical body is built of cells of protoplasm and their secretions; and the astral
body, wherein resides the soul, or character, or unconscious mind, as it is variously
called, is built of thought-cells, or stellar-cells, as they are also termed. These
stellar-cells are not all alike; but are composed of thought-elements of various kinds
and in different proportions. They, in turn, enter into the formation of stellar
structures, just as the physical cells are organized into the bony structure, the
muscular structure, the nervous structure, etc., of the physical body.

Due to its original Polarity, the soul, through the Law of Affinity–the Law that Like
attracts Like–builds a form of similar polarity. Its experiences in this form add
thought-elements and thought-cells to its astral body. Therefore, as a result of living
for a time in this form it possesses qualities that it did not have before. And these
qualities, after it has passed through a period of assimilation on the astral plane, cause
it to be attracted to, and enable it to mold and function in, an organism of more
complex structure.

The soul, then, after it starts on its pilgrimage to matter and back to spirit again, at
every step of its journey is governed by the Law of Affinity. That is, the kind of an
external form it is attracted to on the physical plane depends upon the
thought-organization (thought signifying any type of consciousness) of its astral
form. The thought-organization of its astral form depends upon the various
experiences it has previously had, each adding thought-elements and aiding to
organize definite thought-cells and thought structures in the astral form. And these
thought-cells and thought structures, which in reality are stored up experiences
gained in other forms, give it the ability to handle the life processes, and thus build
about it the new and more complex body to which it is now attracted.

The soul accomplishes its evolution, therefore, by being attracted to one form,
dwelling for a time in it and undergoing certain experiences, then repelling this form
and passing to the astral world. We speak of this repelling of the physical form and
passing to the astral plane as death.

Then on the astral plane there is a period of existence during which other experiences
are added, and the physical experiences are assimilated and still further organized.
These assimilated experiences–derived from both the physical world and the astral
world–persisting as stellar-cells and stellar structures in the astral body, give it the
ability when cyclic law again attracts it to earth to attach itself to the forming crystal,
the spore, the divided cell, or the fertilized seed that forms the physical conditions for
the growth of a new physical entity. These experiences in directing the life processes
that molded some simpler form in the past, also give it the unconscious, or astral,
intelligence which enables it to organize about itself, or grow, the more complex
life-form which it now animates.

I speak of intelligence advisedly. We are all too apt to take for granted the myriad
wonders performed by the plants and insects and animals about us. To be sure, the
intelligence they display is not on a level with that exercised by humanity. Yet from
the same soil and air one plant will subtract, as in the case of the common red clover,
the material to build a head of long-tubed flowers, painting them rose and purple as
flaming advertisements to the bumble bees upon which the fertilization and
consequent life of the species depends; while another plant subtracts the material, as
in the case of the common white sage, for a shrub whose foliage is mostly white,
instead of green and whose flowers are white with very short tubes, easily accessible
to the honey bees, and so exposed as to attract them, and thus use them as carriers of
the fertilizing pollen. Plants also are far more sensitive than is usually supposed.
They possess energy very similar to the nerve currents of higher animal life. The
difference between the sense of feelings in plants and that in animals is one of degree.
This has been adequately and scientifically demonstrated by Professor Chunder
Bose2.

Economic problems that still perplex humanity, such as the division of labor, have
been solved by the ants and the bees. The orb weaver spider thoroughly tests his base
line, then produces radial lines that are as accurately spaced as if drawn by a human
architect. The oriole builds a hanging basket nest that any basket-maker might envy,
and the wasps here in California anticipate cold storage. They sting spiders in such a
manner as to paralyze them without producing death, and with them they fill the nests
in which they lay their eggs, that the young may have fresh meat to eat during the
larval stage. A thousand other instances of the intelligence of plants and animals
might be cited. We may call it instinct if we wish, but this instinct is the expression of
an intelligent adaptation of a means to an end.

Neither does this instinct spring into existence spontaneously. It is the result of
experiences which are added to the thought-cells of the astral body. The organization
of its astral form is responsible for the soul being attracted to the species of life which
it is to animate. The physical sperm and germ, or cell-life, that are the
commencement of the new physical form, also have an astral counterpart. And
through the thought-cells associated with the genes–those portions of the
reproductive cell handed down from generation to generation–race characteristics
add their experiences, or mental elements, to the astral body of the entity that uses
these cells as a physical basis of life. Thus certain race experiences are
communicated to the astral body of each entity incarnating in the species.

The entity cannot incarnate in the species, however, until it has had such experiences
in lower forms of life as will give it the unconscious, or astral, intelligence to build up
the new physical form it is to occupy. Even the food of the higher forms of life has had
enough experience in cell-building that it more readily and intelligently performs
that function again. Bacteria are the lowest forms of life above the minerals, and
certain bacteria can draw their sustenance directly from inorganic minerals. Plant life
does this with greater difficulty, and the nitrates generated by bacteria, and the
humus–decomposed organic life–in the soil are a great aid to thrifty growth. This
is because the astral counterparts of such organic products have already had some
experience with life processes, and therefore the more readily perform these
functions.

For this reason it is impractical for chemists to make food. The chemist can make
bread that contains just the correct amount of each chemical element. But if this
bread is to sustain life, in some manner these elements must be given the intelligence
usually acquired through the experience of growth. They must be forced at once from
the kindergarten, as it were, to high-school intelligence.

Each Cell Has a Soul

–Each cell is an entity, and possesses an intelligence of its own. It may thus be said
to be the expression of the soul. It has recently been estimated that there are about as
many cells in the human body as there are suns in our galaxy–possibly
40,000,000,000. However, to bring our comparison nearer home, let us say there are
180,000,000 people in the United States. Now each person in the United States has a
soul, and lives his own life. The United States forms the opportunity for him to live
and evolve such qualities as he can. Likewise the physical body of man affords the
opportunity for its numerous population of cell-life to undergo evolution. The
President of the United States governs the inhabitants of the United States in much
the same manner that the soul of man governs the cell life comprising his body. And
as the mind of the President is not the aggregate of the 180,000,000 minds he
governs, neither is the soul of man the aggregate of the minds of the cells comprising
his body. And were the comparison drawn still closer, the soul of man would be
likened to an imperial ruler to whom the subject cells should give unquestioning
obedience.

The reproductive cells which unite to furnish the physical conditions by which a
human soul may build about itself a physical body, each may be said to have a soul.
But the souls, or intelligences stored in the astral forms of these reproductive cells
are, like other cell life, undergoing their own evolution, and they do not become the
soul of the child. The soul of the incarnating child has its own astral form, in which
are stored as organizations of stellar-cells, all the experiences of its past.

The union of the sperm and germ furnish the conditions for it to become attached to
the physical cells, and through cell division to build up about it a human form. The
heredity genes in these reproductive cells form the physical link by which race and
family characteristics, stored up in the stellar cells of their astral counterparts, are
transmitted to the astral body of the child. These race and family characteristics are
experiences which are handed on from generation to generation, even as human
traditions are passed from one to another by word of mouth. They are thus acquired
by the incarnating soul through mental experience. They are experiences derived
through the astral rather than through the physical. But as we shall later discern,
experiences coming from the astral plane are quite as effective as those coming from
the physical.The soul that incarnates in human form has evolved up through innumerable lower
forms of life, at each step gaining new experiences that enable it to be attracted to,
and more or less successfully build about itself, a higher form. It now, along with
other souls, exists on the astral plane. Whenever there is a ripened ovule in the female
organism, one of the conditions is fulfilled for attracting a soul from the astral plane.
The intense emotions of the sexual union raise the parents’ vibrations to a state where
they unconsciously are closely in touch with the astral plane. They actually attract
entities from the astral plane to them at this time that correspond to the plane of their
desires and emotions and the harmony or discord between them. They contact
energies at this time that they do not at any other, which makes it exceedingly
important that the motives be lofty and pure.

This astral plane, inhabited as it is by innumerable entities and forms of life, is not
away off somewhere in space. It is all about us, and it requires but the proper
conditions to be contacted at any time. Observation indicates, however, that astral
substance does not communicate motion directly to physical substance. The
difference in velocity between the two planes seems to be too great for such direct
transmission. But electromagnetism, whose velocity seems to lie between them,
performs the function of transmitting energy from the physical to the astral, and from
the astral to the physical.

To be able to affect physical substance, an astral entity must utilize electromagnetic
energy that already is associated with physical substance. Certain persons emanate
electromagnetic energy in large volume, and in such a form that it can be used to
transmit astral motions to atomic matter. Astral entities then use this electromagnetic
energy for the production of supernormal physical phenomena. And the person
furnishing the excess of electromagnetic energy is called a Medium.

It is this electromagnetic energy that constitutes the vital principle of all physical life.
When associated with minerals it is called Mineral Magnetism. As the vital element
in vegetable life, binding together the thought-cells and the physical cells and
furnishing the motive power for the various vegetative functions, it is known as
Vegetable Magnetism. In the animal kingdom it binds together the astral and the
physical body, constitutes the vital energy, and is known as Animal Magnetism. In
man it performs a like function, and is known as Personal Magnetism. Its quality
depends upon the organization of the physical life it vitalizes. It persists only so long
as the astral counterpart and the physical are held together, forming the means by
which energy is conveyed from one to the other. At the death of the organism this
electromagnetic counterpart, or electromagnetic organization, quickly dissipates as
the physical particles disintegrate.

Now, nerve currents are electric energies. And when the intense vibrations of sexual
union create an electromagnetic vortex, this also creates a vortex in astral substance,
and the field of force so created, if there is a ripened ovule in the female organism,
attracts the soul of a child of corresponding vibration.

That is, the souls on the astral plane, that have evolved through the various lower
forms of life to a point where they are now ready for human incarnation, vary as
greatly in quality as do the people of the world which they become. This variance is
due to their having had a different polarity at differentiation, which in the course of
evolution attracted them to widely different experiences, and these divergent
experiences organized different thought-cells in their astral bodies.

From the cosmic standpoint such variety seems necessary, for if all had the same
experiences, all would become fitted for the same task in cosmic construction, and it
seems that cosmic needs are such as to require souls whose educations bring out a
wide variety of talents. But however that may be, the astral bodies of different souls
have been differently organized through experiences, and the vibrations of the
parents at the time of union attracts a soul whose astral body corresponds in vibratory
rate to the vibrations set in motion by the parents. Even should there be no physical
union of the parents–for the astral plane is ever ready to utilize whatever conditions
permit the physical incarnation of the life-forms which crowd it–if conception takes
place, it is the vibratory rates of the parents, imparted to the sperm and germ, that
determine the type of soul which is able to become attached to the fertilized cell.

If the general plane of the parents’ thoughts are low, and particularly if they are on a
low plane during union, the soul attracted will be of corresponding low moral bias. If
their love vibrations are exalted, and the general level of their thoughts and
aspirations are high, a soul of high spiritual qualities will be attracted. The mental
abilities of the soul attracted, as distinct from the moral, depend more upon the
intensity of the union. And the physical strength and vitality depend more upon the
harmony between the parents. The soul thus attracted is magnetically attached at the
climax of the union to the physical ovule through the electromagnetic field then
formed.

The positive electric energies which are the foundation of the future child’s vitality
are furnished by the father. They are strong or weak as he is or is not virile and intense
at the time of union. The receptive magnetic energies which are the foundation of the
future child’s constitution and general health are furnished by the mother. They are
strong or weak as she is, or is not, virile and intense at the time of union.

Upon the harmony between the parents, and the balance in intensity, depend the
physical balance and in a measure the general success and happiness of the future
child. That is, any discord or lack of balance between the parents in general, and
especially at the time of union, will attract a soul in whose astral form are similar
qualities. And these discordant thought-cells in its astral body will during life attract
inharmony in environment and inharmonious events. Did parents but more fully
understand the importance of complete harmony between them, certain souls now
born in human form would be compelled to evolve higher upon the astral plane
before incarnating, and there would be fewer children born with improper equipment
for life.

When conception takes place the astral form of the soul becomes permanently
attached to the united sperm and germ. The electromagnetic energy furnished by the
father becomes the vital force, and that furnished by the mother becomes the
magnetic force, and together they form the electromagnetic form. Through the
medium of this electromagnetic energy the astral form attracts the physical particles
in the process of growth in such a manner as nearly as possible to build a physical
counterpart of the astral form. The astral form is the mold which the physical
particles strive to fill in detail, even as hot metal will take the form of the mold into
which it is poured. In so far as the physical materials at hand will permit, the physical
body grows into an exact likeness of the astral body.

The child, during the period of gestation, has entered an environment largely
influenced by the thoughts and feelings of the mother. Both the physical and the
astral bodies of mother and child are closely associated. There is a constant exchange
of energies between them. As a consequence mothers frequently notice that their
natures and dispositions change markedly during pregnancy. This is due to the astral
vibrations of the child communicating themselves to the mother. If there is a marked
discord between the astral makeup of the mother and the child, she will suffer from
this discord. In this case the discord may not belong either to the mother or to the
child except that their association, due to difference in vibratory rates in their astral
bodies, sets up discord.

But of far more importance than the temporary influence of the child upon the
disposition of the mother is the mother’s influence upon the unborn child. The child’s
astral form at this stage is unusually plastic and receptive to vibrations. Thus it is that
cases are known in which the mother kept the image of a loved one in her mind during
gestation, and the child when born resembled in features this loved one rather than
the father or the mother. A sudden strong desire during pregnancy, or a sudden fright,
sometimes results in a birthmark more or less resembling the object causing it. Such
fright, when extreme, has been known to deform the offspring. In this intimate
relation between mother and child during pregnancy the mother has a wonderful
power for good. Her thoughts, her emotions, and her desires are the environment in
which the child is living. They communicate rates of motion to its astral form,
modifying the thought organizations already there. Upon the thought organization of
the astral form, thus modified by the mother’s influence, depends the character of the
child when born and the events of its life.

It is not necessary here to enter into a discussion of the Prenatal Epoch, as the theory
of the relation between the time of conception and the time of birth is called, for this is
treated in Course 10-1, Progressing the Horoscope, Chapter 8. Nevertheless, it
should be pointed out that gestation is under astrological law, and that the child will
not be born and live until the astral vibrations at that place set up by planetary
positions correspond in pitch, tone, harmony and discord with the astral vibrations of
the child then born. It is not to be supposed that this vibratory correspondence is so
strict as to allow no latitude. For instance, in tone, the vibrations between certain
limits all are said to produce middle C. The color red, likewise, is not a set number of
vibrations per second, but those vibrations within a certain range. In the case of birth,
however, if the difference between the vibrations of the astral body and those of the
planetary influences at the time of birth are extensive, the child suffers, and if too
great it will die under the first discordant Progressed Aspect. Hence it is that
instrumental deliveries and artificial births may cause an entity to function through a
form incapable of responding to its internal nature. Yet there are other times than at
the end of the nine-month period, notably at seven months from conception, when
the vibrations set up by the planets correspond closely enough with the astral form of
the child for it to be born and live to a ripe old age.

The Birth-Chart Accurately Maps the Character as It Has Been Built Up to the Moment of Birth

–While there is a certain range of vibratory rates within which the similarity
between those of the character and those in the sky is close enough that the child then
born will live, nevertheless this similarity–as careful analysis of tens of thousands
of birth-charts by our Research Department proves–is always close enough that the
outstanding factors of character are accurately mapped in the birth-chart.

And as not only the abilities, but every event of life, is an expression of, or is attracted
by, those thought organizations which comprise the character, the birth-chart gives a
clear picture of the life if nothing special is done to change the character. That is, as
all that happens is the result of character, the only manner in which the destiny can be
changed is to change the character. Furthermore, as destiny is the outcome of
character, and through intelligently directed effort the character can be changed, the
life indicated by the chart of birth–which is merely a map of the character with
which the individual is born–can be markedly altered in any direction desired.

As indicated in chapter 3, scientific astrology need concern itself with but four sets of
factors:

1. The 12 zodiacal signs and their 36 decanate subdivisions.

2. The 10 planets.

3. The 12 mundane houses.

4. The 10 aspects.

In that chapter it was indicated what each of these four sets of factors represents as an
influence from without. Now, therefore, let us consider, that we may the better
understand how the character and thus the fortune can be altered in any direction
desired, what each of these factors maps in the astral body.

Signs Map the Zones of the Astral Body

–Aries always maps the region of the head, Taurus the region of the neck and ears,
Gemini the hands and arms, etc. They also map the series to which the thought-cells
in the compartments of the astral body coincident with these zones belong. Thus the
thought-cells in the Aries zone belong to the I Am series, those in the Taurus zone to
the I Have series, those in the Gemini zone to the I Think series, etc.

Mundane Houses Map the Compartments of the Astral Body

–The astral, or inner-plane body, is divided not merely into zones as is the physical
body–head, neck, arms and hands, heart and back, etc.–but is also separated into
12 different compartments. And these compartments of the astral body are not
located in reference to the zones of the astral body the same in different persons. That
is, compartment one may largely lie in the Aries zone, the Gemini zone, or some of
the other zones, according to the character of the individual. This relationship is
indicated by the manner in which the signs are arranged in relation to the houses in
the particular birth-chart.

Yet whatever zone covers it, experiences relating to health and the personality build
their thought-elements into the 1st compartment; experiences relating to personal
property build their thought-elements into the 2nd compartment; experiences
relating to short journeys and brethren build their elements into the 3rd compartment;
experiences relating to the home build their thought-elements into the 4th
compartment; experiences relating to love affairs, entertainment and children build
their thought-elements into the 5th compartment–and so on in such a manner that
every department of life builds by its experiences, thought-cells in one of the 12
compartments of the astral body.

In a birth-chart the houses accurately map these 12 compartments of the astral body.
Each house of the birth-chart, therefore, maps the thought-cells relating to one
department of the life. As what comes into the life, and whether it comes fortunately
or as a misfortune, is determined wholly by the amount of activity and the harmony or
discord of the thought-cells in the astral body relating to that department of life, the
houses of a birth-chart accurately map what may be expected if nothing special is
done about it, from each department of the life. That is, what happens is due to the
activity of the thought-cells working from the high-velocity plane; and if we know
how they are organized and energized we can discern the events they will attract to
the individual in whose finer form they make their abode.

Planets Map Dynamic Stellar Structures Which are Also Receiving Sets

–The thought-cells of a particular type which have had added to them experiences
of greatest intensity, and through repetition of similar experiences the greatest
volume of energy, become organized through these intense and closely related
experiences into a stellar structure of a highly active nature. We call such an
energetic group of thought-cells in the astral body a Dynamic Stellar Structure. And
in the birth-chart it is always mapped by the planet ruling the thought-element which
is most active in it.

To put it another way, those experiences which are most intense and belong to a given
planetary family build a highly dynamic organization of thought-cells in some
particular region of the astral body; and this energetic organization of stellar-cells is
always mapped in the birth-chart by the planet most closely related to the experiences
which are responsible for its construction. Such a dynamic stellar structure acts as a
receiving set for transmitting to the thought-cells of the astral body the vibrations of
the planet mapping it in the birth-chart.

Aspects Map Stellar Aerials Which Pick Up, Radio Fashion, Invisible Energies

–Experiences, however, are not isolated events, but through the Law of Association
(see Course 5, Esoteric Psychology) are related to other experiences. Events that
affect one department of life also frequently affect other departments. Furthermore,
experiences are pleasant or painful, that is, harmonious or discordant; and it is the
amount of harmony built into the thought-cells thus formed that determines the
fortune they will attract to the individual; and it is the amount of discord built into the
thought-cells so formed that determines the misfortune they will attract to the
individual. In other words, if they feel happy, they work from their high-velocity
plane to attract good fortune; but if they feel mean, they work with equal diligence to
attract misfortune.

These relations between types of experiences of sufficient energy to form dynamic
stellar structures, build lines across the astral body from one dynamic structure to
other dynamic structures with which experience has thus associated them. Such a
line forms a ready avenue by which the compartment of the astral body at one end is
able to transmit energy to the compartment of the astral body at the other end. That is,
departments of life so associated continue throughout life, if nothing special is done
about it, to have an influence of a particular kind over each other.

Such a line, by its length, also indicates whether the two compartments are associated
harmoniously or inharmoniously, and thus whether the thought-elements mapped by
the planet at either end have entered into a harmonious or discordant thought-cell
compound.

But in addition to this, each such line acts as a stellar aerial to pick up, radio fashion,
the energies of similar quality radiated from the planets. That is, if it is of a length
suitable only to picking up discord, it will pick up the energies of the planets mapped
at each end only so loaded with static that this energy disturbs the thought-cells in a
very disagreeable manner. But if it is of such length as to pick up the energies mapped
at each end harmoniously, it delivers these planetary energies to the thought-cells at
either end in such pleasing quality as to cause them to work from their high-velocity
plane to attract fortunate conditions into the life.

These lines across the astral body, which, unless something special is done to change
them, all through life pick up, radio fashion, planetary-energy, thought-energy, and
character-energy radiated from objects, in a particular manner, are called
PERMANENT STELLAR AERIALS. They are mapped in the birth-chart by the
ASPECTS.

Character Constantly Reacts to the Forces of Its Environment

–Environment constantly stimulates changes in all life-forms; and chief among
these environmental forces are the invisible radiations from the planets. As the
planets move forward after birth through the signs of the zodiac the energies fall upon
the zone of the astral body governed by the sign they are passing through. And it
seems that the astral body of a child is more plastic and receptive to these astral
vibrations during the early days and months of its life than when older. Furthermore,
the energies then received do not spend their force at once, but are liberated through
cycles.

In the same way that we determine the cycles governing the different stages of
development of the embryo in a duck egg, and can thus make definite predictions
from this knowledge, or as we can predict that a certain strain of corn when planted
will be out of the ground in so many days, in so many weeks will tassel, in so many
months will be in the milk, and that one hundred days from the time placed in the
ground will mature; we can also determine the cycles governing similar releases of
energy stored in the human astral body. That method is through observation.

The Three Releases of Energy

–Observation acquaints us with the fact that there are three distinct releases of
energy, each measured by its own cycle. The most important such release is at the
ratio of the movements of the planets during one day after birth releasing energy then
stored during one year of life. The next most important such release of energy is at the
ratio of the movements of the planets during one month after birth releasing energy
then stored during one year of life. And the least important such release of energy is at
the ratio of the movements of the planets during one day after birth releasing energy
then stored during the same day of life.

Because the mapping of these three methods of energy storage and release is done by
moving, or “progressing” the planets through the degrees and signs of the birth-chart,
the releases of energy after this manner are called Progressions. They are comparable
to the releases of energy of a clock which has an hour hand, a minute hand, and a
second hand.

Energy is stored up in the clock by being imparted to a spring, or by weights being
lifted. The energy stored up in the clock weights is not released all at once–no more
so than the energy stored up by planetary movements immediately following birth. In
the case of the clock it is released by the cyclic movement of the pendulum or other
device; and in the case of the birth-chart it is released by the cyclic motion of our earth
about the Sun.

The hour hand of the clock corresponds to the important day for a year ratio of release
in the astral body, which is the ratio of Major Progressions.

The minute hand of the clock corresponds to the next most important month for a
year ratio of release in the astral body, which is the ratio of Minor Progressions.

The second hand of the clock corresponds to the least important day for a day ratio of
release in the astral body, which is the ratio of Transits.

As the planets thus move forward after birth, regardless of aspect, or aerial, they store
up energy which when released according to the ratios of progression, imparts their
type of energy to the zone where they are shown by progression; and this gives the
thought-cells of the indicated region more than their normal activity. And this is true
whether the planet moves through the sign by Major Progression, by Minor
Progression or by Transit; although the amount of energy thus imparted and released
by Major Progression is far greater.

Progressed Aspects Map Temporary Stellar Aerials

–From what has now been said I think it will be clear that the function of
Progressions is to map those structural changes which take place in the astral body, in
obedience to cyclic law, that permit energies from the planets at definite and
predictable times, to reach certain groups of thought-cells in volume enough to give
them extraordinary activities.

When a planet progressing according to one of the three indicated ratios forms an
aspect with a planet in the birth-chart, or with another major progressed planet, the
energy-release then builds across the astral body a line which acts as an aerial which
picks up and transmits to its two terminals, energy of the type of the two planets
involved in the aspect. Experience proves that these temporary stellar aerials,
mapped by progressed aspects, while their influence may be felt over a somewhat
longer period, are seldom clear cut enough to pick up sufficient energy to bring an
event into the life either before or after the planets are within one degree of the perfect
aspect.

These temporary stellar aerials thus formed by the cyclic release of energy, have a
length indicated by the aspect which maps them, and this determines whether the
astral energy, from any source derived–thought-energy, and character-vibration
energy as well as planetary energy–which they pick up, will be given a harmonious
turn, or will be loaded with discordant static.

To the extent they transmit energy which is harmonious to the stellar-cells at their
terminals, are the thought-cells there given an impetus to work to attract favorable
events. Likewise, to the extent these temporary stellar aerials transmit energy which
is discordant to the stellar cells at their terminals, are the thought-groups there
located given an impetus to attract misfortune.

Events Are Attracted Into the LifeOnly by Unusual Thought-Cell Activities

–The stellar-cells of which the astral body is composed, the more active of which
are organized into dynamic stellar structures which are mapped by the planets in the
birth-chart, have a certain intelligence of their own, and work from the high-velocity
plane to attract into the life conditions and events corresponding to the way they feel.
When they receive no additional energy from any source they have only the amount
and kind of activity indicated by the birth-chart. It is only when, from some
source–astrological vibrations, thought vibrations, or the character vibrations of
objects–they receive an additional energy supply that their activity is greater than
the normal thus shown.

The whole problem of predicting the nature and time of events by natal astrology,
therefore is to ascertain the time when certain groups of stellar-cells within the astral
body will receive additional energy; and in what volume and in what harmony or
discord it will reach them. And it is this that a knowledge of Progressed Aspects
enables us to do.

Because, except some special effort based on astrological knowledge is made, the
stellar cells of the astral body receive additional energy of sufficient intensity only
when Progressed Aspects indicate Temporary Stellar Aerials have been formed
across the astral body; events apart from the normal everyday trend of life are
attracted only when Progressed Aspects are present within one degree of perfect.
And as the temporary stellar aerial thus mapped is plainly associated with certain
compartments of the astral body, as mapped by the houses of the birth-chart
influenced by the aspect, the department of life to which the thought-cells belong
which are thus given additional activity is readily apparent.

The families to which the thought-cells belong, and therefore their type of
activity–aggressive, social, timid and cunning, etc–are indicated by the planets
involved in the Progressed Aspect. The department of life to which they will give
increased activity is shown by the house rulership of the planets involved in the
Progressed Aspect. And–taking also into consideration the normal harmony or
discord of the thought-cells thus given activity–the nature of a Progressed Aspect
determines whether, and to what extent, the unusual activity of the thought-cells thus
given energy will be favorable or unfavorable in the type of events they attract.

Events Shown by Progressed Aspects Are Not Inevitable but Are Subject to Intelligent Control

–While it is true that the structure of the astral body responds to cyclic law and tends
to build lines, or temporary stellar aerials across the astral body, at the time energy is
released through Progressed Aspects; it is also true that the astral body, unconscious
mind, or character, as it is variously called, is equally responsive to properly directed
thoughts and emotions.

Anything that can be done in the way of structural changes and adding energy to
thought-cells by planets, can be done equally well through persistently directed
thoughts and cultivated experiences. The thought-cells were built into the astral body
in the first place through states of consciousness stimulated by environment. They
were not built there by the environment, but by the mental reaction to it. And by
cultivating a proper reaction to planetary vibrations at the time of the release of
energy by Progressed Aspects the events usually to be expected can be markedly
changed in the direction desired.

A Complete Reading of Birth-Chart

–In a complete birth-chart reading, therefore, the following seven factors should be
included:

1. The person receiving the birth-chart should be told just what it represents

2. He should be told, in connection with each department of life, what will be
attracted, and why, if nothing special is done about it.

3. He should be informed as to the best methods to follow to change the destiny of
each department of life in the desired direction.

4. He should be told what a progressed aspect represents.

5. He should be told what events each progressed aspect during the period covered
may be expected to attract if nothing special is done about it.

6. In connection with each progressed aspect during the period covered he should be
told the very best method of causing the energies then present to attract, not what they
otherwise would, but what he desires.

7. To show that the basis for such information is at hand he should be given an
accurately erected chart of the time of day of birth.

Notes

1. Response in the Living and Non-Living.

2. Plant Response