Past Articles

AR 40 Saturn in Cancer, June, 2003 to July, 2005

AR 39 The Poles
of the Zodiac

AR 38
Uranus In
Pisces
2003-2011

AR 37
Twelfth Planet, Plutinos or
Planet X

AR 36
Eclipses – Promise or Peril?

AR35
Solar Fire

AR34
The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology

AR 33
Children of the Gods

AR 32
Wheels Within Wheels

AR 31
Horoscopes of Destiny

AR 30
Zodicac of Dendera

AR 29
A Star Is Born

AR 28
Age of Aquarius

AR 27
Persia's Royal Stars of Ancients

AR 23
The Lore of a Shaman

Geometry of the Spheres,
Relating Astrology to Number
and Sacred Geometry

"Everything an Indian does is in a circle. That is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round." Wallace Black Elk (1863-1950)

I believe what we call time is an unfolded circle that we experience like a line in the third dimension. Our perception of reality is stepped down so that what is happening all at once from one perspective, or higher dimension, is seen as linear and sequential from our limited 3-D awareness.

Everything spins and moves in circles, spirals or ellipses. The Hindu god Shiva is often depicted within a circle, dancing the Universe into circular manifestation. Shiva is a vastly ancient deity, representing the power of the life force which enlivens and motivates everything in form. Shiva is always pictured with a flute, symbolizing the transforming quality of vibration and sound.

There are wheels within wheels, seasons and rhythms in the vast cycles of our galaxy which pour down through the planes of manifestation to impinge on the lives of nations and individuals. Astrology is the study of some of the smaller cycles, using an archetypal language to define twelve signs and ten planets. A skilled Astrologer uses this language to translate the coded, energetic blueprint of interactions of the planets and the signs at birth and throughout unfolding and repeating cycles.

Dane Rudyar defined Astrology as a technique for the study of cycles. In his book, The Lunation Cycle, a Key to Understanding Personality, Rudyar remarked "Its (astrology's) main purpose is to establish the existence of regular patterns in the sequence of events constituting an individual's inner and outer experience; then to use the knowledge of these patterns in order to control the genesis, development and recurrence of experiences and achieve mastery."

Sacred Geometry

Measure is the means through which matter manifests as form, and Number is the agency by which multiplicity emerges from Unity. It is through number and geometry that the Universe is generated and maintained. Number is both vibration and frequency and geometric patterns underlie all of existence. All geometry is sacred because meaning and archetype are contained in the shapes in the same way archetypal principles are contained in numbers.

Music is sacred geometry. The Sufi master musician and teacher, Inayat Khan said, "The nature of creation is the doubling of one. And it is this doubling aspect which is the cause of all duality in life; one part is positive, the other negative; one expressive, the other responsive. Therefore spirit and nature in this creation of duality stand face-to-face."

Certain shapes communicate symbolic meaning. The circle is a symbol of infinity since its border has no beginning or ending. The round shape symbolically conveys infinite potential and carries the notion of a womb, pregnant with possibilities. The circle is what lies behind creation before a cycle of manifestation. Zero is "no thing" before expression. The Zodiac is both a circle and a cycle.

The triangle or pyramid is a symbol of the divine principle of trinity, or threefold aspect of of Creator. Pointing upward, the triangle is an emblem of the element of fire and aspiration toward the divine. Pointing downward, the triangle represents the element of water and divine energy moving into manifestation. A triangle is also a geometric representation of the number three, connoting growth and multiplicity.

A square has four sides and is therefore the geometric equivalent of four. A square and the number four convey stability and the idea of being anchored in the Earth. A cube, or solid square, signifies the physical realm and represents aspects of walking the spiritual path. Masons use squares to build buildings and the temple within.

Because humans have five fingers and toes on each of our appendages, and because when we stretch out our arms and legs we resemble a five-pointed star, five is said to be the number of humanity. Five is the number of change. The Pentagram symbolically represents the work and experience of the human condition. Five-pointed stars represented celestial deities, and perhaps the completed work, when they were carved into temples in Egypt.

A Hexagram is formed by two intersecting triangles and shows the idea of balance and the reciprocity of opposite energies. Sometimes called the Seal of Solomon, the name of this figure in Qabalah is the Mogen David, or seal of David, the shield of love.

As the world turns

Cycles reveal unfolding patterns of energy and opportunity which recur at different times, depending on the circumference of the circle. Many cultures celebrate feasts, or holy days, performing ceremonies at critical symbolic moments of the moving year to honor the cycles and what each phase represents.

Like a "freeze frame" we stop the action and study the quality of a particular image. When a point in time is isolated from the flow it becomes oracular in nature and divinatory. Time is not a still photograph, but like a haunting picture, a powerful moment in time may yield an illuminating vision. Astrological charts are cast for captured moments and studied and interpreted like X-Rays.

Slicing the pie

As the planets move, shifting angular relationships form between them in a definable sequence, and different energetic formulas develop as the character of a planet is affected by the zodiacal sign it occupies and the tension formed with other planets. Aspects between planets, or their angular relationships, are based on divisions of the circle. The characteristic of the angle has a similar nature to the archetypal meaning of the number used to divide the circle, resulting in harmonic frequencies in a horoscope. Aspects convey the meaning of numbers by virtue of their geometry. In his book Horoscope Symbols, astrologer Robert Hand remarked, "The nature of aspects does not arise out of the relationships among the signs . . . the relationships among the signs arise from the numbers that divide the circle into aspects."

The most commonly used aspects are divisions of the circle by one, two, three, four and six. Also described here is one-fifth of a circle. Other numbers and aspects, including multiples of seven, eight and nine, are used less frequently.

One - One is always first and stands alone. Symbolically one cannot be divided. Unity can only create by a process of addition. Meanings of the number one include initiation, unity, beginning, initiative, singleness, isolation, originality and self-conscious. In the vertical, linear form of the Arabic numeral one initiation of movement begins with the vertical line which connects above to below, showing the place where heaven touches earth. Two planets occupying the same degree is called a conjunction and divides the circle by one. A conjunction relates to the number one, embodying a union of planetary energies and a singular focus of combined energies. The result depends on the nature of the planets involved.

Two - In the expression of two the energy of manifestation moves from singularity to duality. Two is a perfect replica of one, created by addition, and is the first divisible number. Meanings of the number two include duplication, duality, reflection, replication, division, recreation, receptivity, dependence, polarity, division, double, twin, mirror image, antagonism, opposition, complementary, alternate, life force and sub-consciousness. One half of a circle is 180 degrees and two planets on either side is termed an opposition. The opposition gives the experience of polarity and standoff, but also potentially unites complementary energies, just like the number two.

Three - Three expresses the perfect outworking of the principles of one and two and grows through multiplication. Meanings of the number three include: multiplication, trinity, development, imagination, growth, creativity, unfoldment, pro-creation, and expression. One-third of a circle is 120 degrees and a trine aspect. The energy of a free-flowing trine brings ease, and like the number three gives growth and multiplicity of the planetary energies which relate in this way. Sometimes this ease creates a troubling inertia.

Four - The number four carries the memory of the order of manifestation and an understanding of the lay of the land, moving from the first three numbers. Meanings of the number four include: classification, order, reason, measurement, recording, planning, surveying, naming, tabulating, stability, geometry and topography. One-fourth of a circle is 90 degrees and a square angle. The square aspect is usually considered the most difficult. Squares place two energies at cross purposes and make it harder to see what's at work behind the scenes.

Five - The number five embodies the law which proceeds from the abstract order of the number four. Five stands in the middle of the numbers one through nine. Meanings of the number five include: mediation, change, adaptation, means, agency, activity, process, uncertainty, instability, transition and versatility. One-fifth of a circle is 72 degrees and is called a Quintile. Quintiles, like the number five, are a dynamic energy which carry the potential for genius if grasped and developed.

Six - One form of the number six is two interconnected triangles, forming a perfectly balanced symmetry. Six embodies the perfected union of opposites and rests in the center of the Qabalistic Tree of Life. Meanings of the number six include: equilibration, balance, symmetry, harmony of opposites, balanced polarities, reciprocity, love and complementary activities. Dividing the circle by six yields a slice of sixty degrees and is called a sextile aspect. Sextiles offer growth, but require work and choice. Effort is necessary to achieve the balanced polarities inherent in the meaning of the number six.

Harmonic resonance

Drawing lines between aspects can also form a kind of "solid" geometry or harmonic resonance within a chart. Configurations called Grand Trines (three planets in trine to each other), Grand Crosses (two intersecting oppositions), T-Squares and Kites (a Grand Trine pierced by an opposition), contain more powerful impact because they are formed of multiple planets. Some of these configurations are somewhat common, while others, such as a Grand Sextile, may be seen only once in an astrologer's career. These geometric astrological formations can take on a significance that dominates the quality of the horoscope, vibrating like the powerful keynote of a number above all other influences.

A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument which uses a reflecting surface and bits of colored glass. Rotating the lens creates beautiful symmetric patterns in a series of unfolding designs. The geometry of Astrology works in a similar manner. Depending on the planet, and the duration of its orbit around the Sun, we experience complete cycles of planetary geometry or portions of the pattern. Mercury speeds around the Sun three times in a year, but Pluto takes more than 240 years to make one circuit. Our experience and understanding of time can be deepened by a combined perspective of a single, beautiful but ephemeral, geometric expression or by seeing life like a kaleidoscope in constant motion. Paradoxically, if our conscious is focused in the "now," we experience both the magic of the moment and the mystery of the flow.