Digest Number 298

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Sidereal Taurus

 

Sidereal Taurus

From 'sidereal.zip'

a free download file compiled by Kay Cavender Reynaud.

 

http://users.cwnet.com/~sidereal/mag/inhouse.html

 

EXCERPTS FROM AUTHORS ON STAR CONSTELLATIONS

[TAURUS] Below, see sections from Cyril Fagan's ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS and

ZODIACS OLD AND NEW for historical information on the original Egyptian

zodiac to distinquish between the occurrence of the (precessing/changing)

equinoxes as when in Taurus (Taurean Era), and the original divisions of the

zodiac, 0 LIB-ARI, 0 CAP-CAN. When writing, Fagan does not make this

distinction clear, although it would be clear to a few scholars who had the

same encyclopedic background he did.

 

* * * *

 

EXCERPTS on STAR CONSTELLATION TAURUS

 

Cyril Fagan, ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS, 1971

 

" Stella Dominatrix "

 

....The remarkable thing to note about these lunar mansions is that in remote

antiquity the Arabic and Indian versions commenced with the asterism of

Pleiades at the beginning of the constellation TAURUS, while the Chinese

began with Spica. Thus the Arabic manzils began with Al Thurayya, " The Many

Little Ones, " the Hindu nakshatras with Krittika, " General of Celestial

Armies, " while the Chinese sieux commenced with Kio, " The Spike " or Spica.

It would appear that at a later date the Chinese sieux commenced with Mao,

" The Constellation, " which was their asterism for the Pleiades (vide R.H.

Allen: Star Names and Vivian Robson: The Fixed Stars and Constellations.)

 

These asterisms were immediately followed by the manzil AL Dabaran an Arabic

word that mean " The Follower. " But Professor S. Langdon demurs. He writes,

" ...al-dabaranu surely means 'the writer' or 'the forecaster; and not 'the

one who follows after,' the meaning commonly given in English lexicons

'because it follows the Pleiades' i.e., rises after Pleiades " and refers to

the fact that in the Cuneiform Tablets in the British Museum, Aldebaran is

styled isu li-e, Star of the Tablet. (Babylonian Menologies and the Semitic

Calendars, 1935)

 

As already stated, Garth Allen's decisive and historical determination of

the mean sidereal longitude of the vernal point for the epoch 1950.0 puts

Adebaran, for the epoch 786 B.C., the year of the Hyposomata, in the precise

mathematical center of the constellation TAURUS, and Antares almost in the

precise mathematical center of the opposite constellation Scorpio (actually

15deg02'). Both stars are of the first magnitude and ecliptically they are

in partile opposition to one another. The Arabs called Aldebaran 'Ain al

Thaur, the Greeks 'Omma Boos and the Romans Oculus Tauri, all meaning " the

Bull's Eye. " In the Greco-Roman star atlases (c.600 B.C.) only the bull's

head and forelegs are depicted, thus putting the Bull's Eye in the dead

center of that constellation. To this day the expression " Bull's Eye " means

the mathematical center. In the Egyptian Celestial Diagrams, as they are

called, of the New Empire (c.1500-1200 B.C.), it was usual for the scribes

to represent the star by five-pointed devices classified as determinatives,

but in one of the Ramesside diagrams Aldebaran is shown as an eight-pointed

star of unusual proportions. In the classical period it was known to the

Romans as Stella Dominatrix, " The Master Star, " not because of its

brilliance--Sirius and Canopus far outshone it--but because, in Taurus 15

00' 00 " , it became the master key star of the zodiac; otherwise known as the

zodiac's master fiducial, determinative, or marking star. In antiquity all

ecliptical longitudes were measured from it or from its opposite, Antares in

Scorpio, and its position shows that the oldest and hence authentic zodiac

began with Taurus 0deg00', at the beginning of the asterism which contained

the Pleiades....

 

* * * *

 

Cyril Fagan, ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS, 1971

 

" Bull's Eye Astrology "

 

Assuming that Aldebaran in the mathematical center of the constellation

Taurus was the original and hence authentic determinant of the sidereal

zodiac, then calculation discloses that the mean vernal point retrograded

into the 30th degree of this constellation in April 4152 B.C. when,

theoretically, the Taurean Age began. By an astonishing coincidence it

almost simultaneously came to the precise conjunction with Gamma Tauri, a

star of the third magnitude, at the tip of the Bull's South Horn. This star

was known to the Chinese by the suggestive title Tien Kwan, the " Heavenly

Gate, " and to the Arabs as Al Hecka the " Driver. " The actual date of the

conjunction was 4151 B.C., and hence there was just a year between the two

phenomena, which is remarkably close. Slowly retreating through that

constellation, the vernal equinoctial point, forming its ecliptic

conjunction with Aldebaran itself in 3058 B.C., did not leave it until 1955

B.C. when it entered the 30th degree of Aries....But the great point to note

and remember is that during the first two thousand years or so of recorded

history, when the vernal equinox was receding through it, Taurus was the

first of the zodiacal constellations and Aries the last!.... among the

Romans of the Aries age (1955 B.C. to 221 A.D.) when the vernal point was

gliding backwards through that constellation, Taurus was still hailed as

Princeps armenti or leader of the zodiacal herd!

 

* * *

 

[NOTE: Above, in ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS, Fagan talks of the key constellation

marking stars as the empirical standard; and particularly he talks of

earliest records of the the star " Bull's Eye " in the exact middle of Taurus,

which was the " zodiacal leader " of the constellations when the equinoxes

occurred in Taurus. Earliest " recorded " history from which we have evidence

comes from this equinoctial epoch, the Taurean Age. Of course, there were

many key stars throughout the whole heavenly sphere, which had different

associations. Please see following sections from Cyril Fagan's earlier

ZODIACS OLD AND NEW for historical information on the original Egyptian

zodiac to distinquish between the occurrence of the (precessing/changing)

equinoxes as when in Taurus (Taurean Era), and the original divisions of the

zodiac, 0 LIB-ARI, 0 CAP-CAN. When writing, Fagan does not make this

distinction clear, although it would be clear to a few scholars who had the

same encyclopedic background he did.

 

* * * *

 

Cyril Fagan, ZODIACS OLD AND NEW, 1951

 

" The Premier constellation "

 

[P. 29] Because the new-moon of Nisan, which commenced the New Year, was

seen among the stars of Aries from B.C. 2000 to early Christian times, this

constellation was assumed to be the first of the twelve. But this was not

always the case. For some 2000 years prior to this, the Neomenia appeared

among the stars of Taurus when it was considered as the premier

constellation. It was during this Taurean era that the Kali-Yuga commenced.

Then the nakshatra (Hindu lunar mansion) Kritika, having the Pleiades

(Taurus 5 degrees) as its yogatara (chief star) was the first of the 28

lunar asterisms. But when the Neomenia fell in the beginning of Aries the

nakshatra Asvini with Sharatan (Aries 9 degrees) as its yogatara, became the

leader.

 

Since the beginning of the Christian era the Neomenia, or new-moon of Easter

(crescent), has been falling in the constellation Pisces, and will continue

to do so for another 500 years. HENCE PISCES IS NOW THE LEADING

CONSTELLATION. About A.D. 2369 the spring-point will recede into the end of

Aquarius when the Aquarian age will commence.

 

A similar situation existed in regard to Egyptian astronomy. The native

year, being one of 365 days, without any provision for the intercalation of

a leap-day, could not keep in step with either the sidereal or tropical

year, but receded one day (or one degree) in every four years. In

consequence the sidereal longitude of the sun on New Year's Day (1st Thoth)

changed constellations once every 118 or 120 years. In the year A.D. 17 when

the Denderah zodiacs were designed, the sun was in Leo on the 1st Thoth, so

that the Lion was then considered by the Egyptians as being the first of the

constellations, and it is so shown in the circular zodiac. But in 137 when

the Esneh calendar was framed, the sun was in Libra 5 on the 1st Thoth,

hence Libra was then considered the first of the constellations. (See O.

Neugebauer, Egyptian Planetary Texts, in transactions of the American

Philosophical Society, 32, 1942, p 246.) But Virgo was the leading sign of

the Esneh zodiacs, for in both it was the first to rise. This fact is

symbolised by the figure of a female sphinx having the head and breasts of a

woman (Virgo) and the hinderparts and tail of a lion (Leo) denoting that the

zodiac commenced with Virgo and ended with Leo. From about 116 B.C. to the

beginning of the Christian era the Sun was in the constellation Virgo on the

1st Thoth.

 

..... The vernal-equinox did not leave the constellation Taurus until 1963

B.C. when it regressed into the 30th degree of the constellation Aries (not

coming to its beginning until 213 A.D.) BUT THE MONUMENTS PRIOR TO THAT TIME

SHOW THE ZODIAC TERMINATING WITH THE MIDNIGHT CULMINATION OF SPICA AND

BENETNASCH-- " THE STRETCHED CORD " -- when the Sun was in the last degree of

sidereal Pisces. The inclusion of the ideogram for linking the final pentade

(No 18) of the constellation Pisces in the dekan-list from the IX and X

Heracleopolite dynasty coffin-lids (circa 2300 B.C.) ...[occurs] at least as

early as the Middle Empire.... Incidentally this confirms the sidereal

origin of the zodiac and shows that its initial point was determined quite

independently of " Aries 0 degrees " of the tropical zodiac....

 

[p. 15] In the famous Theban star-calendars of the Ramesside kings (20th

Dynasty) Arcturus and Spica form the constellation MENYET, the " Mooring

Peg, " with the point or Spike in Spica. In all the celestial diagrams from

the XVIII dynasty down to Roman times that adorn the inside of the Coffin

lids or the ceilings of sarcophagi, Isis, the mother of the gods, is shown

as an erect female hippopatamus, styled Hesamut, " Mother of the Cord. " In

her hands she holds Menyet, the " Mooring Peg, " to which is attached a cord

stretching from Aka, the " hoof " of Meskhetyew, the " Bull's Foreleg. " This

constellation is identical with Ursa Major, " Great Bear, " and the " hoof "

star is Benetnasch (Eta Ursae Majoris). In B.C. 2791 Benetnasch and Spica

formed their conjunction in right ascension 9h. 18m. 32s., culminating at

apparent midnight on March 1st when the Sun entered the constellation Sr.t

(Seret) the " Sheep " (Aries). Benetnasch's declination was then N 74D 54' and

Spica's N 14D 19', a difference of over 60 degrees, hence an arc of a great

circle of the sphere passing through them and produced in both directions

divided the heavens into two equal parts, cutting through Thuban (Alpha

Draconis) THE THEN POLE STAR, and at right angles to Sirius. According to

the generally accepted chronology this was the time of the IV dynasty, the

age of Sneferu, Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus, the great pyramid-builders.

 

One of the most important ceremonies in the foundation of Egyptian temples

was known as Pedjeshes (Pedj-- " to stretch, " Shes-- " a cord " ) and it forms the

subject of one of the chief monumental ornaments in the temples of Abydos,

Heliopolis, Denderah, and Edfu. The reigning pharaoh and a priestess

personifying Seshat, the goddess of writing, proceeded to the site, each

armed with a golden mallet and a PEG connected by a cord to another PEG.

Seshat having driven her peg home at the previously prepared spot, the king

directed his gaze to the constellation of the Bull's Foreleg (this

constellation is identical with Ursa Major, " Great Bear, " and the " hoof "

star is Benetnasch, Eta Ursae majoris). Having aligned the cord to the

" hoof " and Spica as seen through the visor formed by Seshat's curious

headdress, he raised his mallet and drove the peg home, thus marking the

position of the axis of the future temple.

 

As a result of his review of Dr. Gunter-Martiny's work on the survey of

Assyrian sancturies, Professor P. V. Neugebauer, (Observatory at the

Rechen-Institut in Berlin-Dahlem), discovered that all Assyrian Temples,

from B.C. 2930 to B.C. 603, whose foundation dates were recorded, were

ORIENTED AT DAWN ON 1ST NISAN TO THE POINT OF INTERSECTION WITH THE HORIZON

OF A GREAT CIRCLE OF THE SPHERE, PASSING THROUGH BENETNASCH AND SPICA,

exactly the same circle that figures in the Egyptian ceremony of the

Pedjeshes. There can therefore be no doubt that for the ancient peoples of

Egypt, Babylonia and Assyria, Spica was their chief marking-star....

 

(p. 18) Spica in Libra 0d0' or in Virgo 29d0'

 

When I first discovered that Spica was the original fiducial or marking star

of the ancient zodiac, I naturally assumed that it was placed diametrically

opposite to the initial point of the zodiac, Aries 0.0 degrees, that is, in

Libra 0D 0' (180 degrees) especially so as in the Soma, Surya,

Vriddha-Vasishta and Brahma siddhantas--the ancient Sanscrit works on

astronomy--the longitude of Chitra (Spica) is given as 180 degrees--albeit

these were expressed in polar longitudes.

 

The graph [not reprinted on wordprocessor] however, makes it clear that the

ancient Babylonians and Egyptians considered Spica as being in Virgo 29.0

degrees and not in Libra 0.0 degrees. This accords better with tradition

which always associated the " Spike of Corn " as being in the agricultural

Virgo. Nowhere in the literature of antiquity is Spica associated with

Libra.

 

Oddly enough the Egyptians did not consider mnit (Menyet) the " Mooring-Peg "

as beginning the zodiac, BUT AS ENDING IT. Having crossed the celestial

Nile, the boats of the planetary gods were brought to rest and moored to the

" peg. " The root mn (men) means " to be at rest " " to be secure " " to be

immovable " " to be motionless (as in death). " The west was called Amentet,

the " place of rest or death, " " the hidden place, " and the portal to the Duat

or Underworld.

 

It is only necessary to deduct precisely one degree from all longitudes

computed from Spica in Libra 0.0 degrees to reduce them to the hypsomatic

zodiac (Spica in Virgo 29.0 degrees).

 

* * *

 

NOTE: Regarding the division of the star constellation zodiac: Fagan's

ZODIACS OLD AND NEW, a study in archaeoastronomy written prior to 1951,

accords with Garth Allen's discovery and statistical validation (done with

CAPLUNARS of earthquakes and other disasters) that the longitude of the APEX

of the Sun's Way occurs at 0 Capricorn as a FIDUCIAL of the constellation

boundaries. (viz. the Fagan-Allen Ayanamsha, the S.V.P. or Synetic Vernal

Point correction of Spica to 29VIR06'05 " ). Hence, the quartering of the star

constellation zodiac would occur at 0 Libra and 0 Aries. (Garth Allen also

reported the then current astronomical finding of a radio source at 0 Libra,

see file [VIRGO].)

 

Regarding the APEX, consider this analogy: a line dropped longitudinally

from the APEX to the ecliptic plane, divides the ecliptic plane of our solar

system in relation to sidereal space - just as when a line dropped from the

North Pole star down to the horizon defines the (North-South) Meridian as

the primary direction for Earth in relation to the solar system (i.e.,

North-South, East-West). See file called [APEX] for Cyril Fagan's 8/56 Essay

called " Cosmic Division " in his Solunars series in American Astrology. In

that essay, he makes reference to other of Garth Allen's statistic studies

validating the natural cosmic division of the star constellation zodiac

known to the Babylonians and Egyptians.

 

 

* * * *

 

Cyril Fagan, THE SYMBOLISM OF THE CONSTELLATIONS, 1962

 

SUN IN TAURUS: May 15 - Jun 16

 

The meek and mild Moon is exalted in Taurus (3degrees), which is the

nocturnal house of the peace-loving and amorous Venus. Such being the case,

is it not obvious that the vision of the tropical Taurus " ...a confident,

proud and bold man, fond of opposition and proud of his strength... " (Lilly)

totally belies the essential natures of these two " boudoir " bodies? When

opposite signs are contrasted, it will be found that their characteristics

are also diametrically opposite. Thus, the regality of Leo contrasts with

the plebianism of Aquarius, the generosity of Cancer with the niggardliness

of Capricorn, and so forth. As the bellicose Scorpio is in opposition to

Taurus, it follows that the characteristics of the latter must be the

antithesis of those of Scorpio, namely tameness, docility and pacificism...

 

Contemplative in temperament - although in company they can be gay, with a

propensity for punning - Taureans are noted for their patience, tolerance,

and prolonged, steady application to congenial work or study. Only the

promptings of Eros will tear them away from their devoted labours. They have

a gift for simplification, and making a cosmos out of chaos, which qualities

render them builders of large organizations or schools of thought....the

Taureans' quest for knowledge being unquenchable. Rarely do Taureans waste

their time reading fiction, but if they do, it is usually to extract some

useful facts, or to add to their store of knowledge. He is a poor

representative of Taurus who does not worship the unadorned truth, or expect

truthfulness from others; he despises the prevaricator. The most

characteristic features of Taureans are their soft, mild, persuasive,

gentle, peace-loving dispositions. Their meekness is phenomenal, and for

this reason, they are often imposed upon or exploited. They manage to live,

apparently amiably, with impossible people, without every losing their

tempers. They will do all they can to preserve life, shrinking from

coarseness and violence in any form. Taureans eschew disputes holding that

the least said is the soonest mended. Unless the luminaries are configurated

by the malefics, the speech is gentle, sensible, devoid of profanities and

without reproach or sarcasm. Even when the Taurean feels irritated, he

seldom will reveal his anger either in manner or speech--but when he does

let his temper fly, it can be devastating. It was said of the great Duke of

Marborough, who had the Sun in Taurus, that the harshest message he ever

sent was: " ...Say 'My Lord Duke is surprised'... "

 

Taureans are lovers of the human physical form, and prefer the society of

human beings to all the scenic grandeurs of nature. They idolize children,

and Taurean womenfolk are usually blessed with large families. As in to be

expected from the controlling influence of the Moon and Venus, the sex

urges, even in their most abnormal manifestations, seem to be pronounced in

this constellation. Indeed, it is the persistent goading of these urges of

the flesh that prompts many Taureans to search their own psyches deeply for

causes. Perhaps this is the reason why so many philosophers, psychiatrists,

educators and the like are born with the Sun in Taurus. Rarely does the

Taurean child top the form at school for their genius flowers late, but when

it does flower, it is profound, ponderous and concentrated. They pursue the

practical study of the facts of life for themselves, and are not prepared to

accept knowledge on authority. But their best endeavors occur in the fields

of applied psychology and allied subjects. It is said that each one of

Wagner's operas contain enough material for ten separate operas; and the

composer was born when the Sun was in the constellation Taurus. With rare

exceptions native of Taurus seldom succeed in the armed services or in those

departments of government having to do with same. Omitting the case of John

Churchill, Duke of Marborough, one of the most brilliant soldiers of all

time, and who was born with the Sun in Taurus in conjunction with Mars and

Pluto and in opposition to Uranus and Neptune, Taureans are rarely a success

as soldiers, ministers of defense, or the like, as witness Sir Anthony

Eden's ill-fated Suez venture and President Kennedy's debacle in Cuba.

 

In consonance with Venus' planetary dominion there was a time when the word

" bully " meant " a dear one, a lover of either sex " (Skeat: A Concise

Ethymological Dictionary of the English Language, Oxford University Press,

1882). In modern usage the word bully has come to mean " a rough overbearing

fellow. " Why? Simply because the sign Taurus of the tropical zodiac since

A.D. 221 has been slowly retrograding into the constellation Aries. By the

year A.D. 2376 it will have completely covered it.

 

Among those who were born with the Sun in the constellation Taurus, mention

may be made of the following: William Lilly, Magnus Hirschfield, Addison,

Alphonso Kill, Nicholas II, Marcus Aurelius, Honore de Balzac, Conan Doyle,

Richard Wagner, Queen Victoria, Mesmer, Bulwer Lytton, Emerson, Peter

Kuerten, Linneas, Queen Mary, President Kennedy, Marguerite de Valois, Walt

Whitman, Bob Dylan, Brigham Young, Abbas Effendi, George V, Cagliostro,

Marquis de Sade, Neville Heath, Beau Brummel, Edwin Arnold, Charles II,

Anthony Eden. And Reg Parks of Leeds claimed by his admirers to be the most

perfectly developed man of today, if not of all time, had the Sun in the

24th degree of Taurus at his birth. Bertrand Russell, Emerson, Frank Lloyd

Wright, Cole Porter, Bob Hope, Laurence Olivier, Rosalind Russell, Marilyn

Monroe. And Cyril Fagan (See end of file)

 

 

 

* * *

 

CYRIL FAGAN [May 22, 1896, Dublin, IRE., 12:25 pm = data given by Pauline

Fagan to Kay Cavender as the data Cyril used]

 

Fagan's biography from a bookcover: Born into a well-known medical family in

Dublin, Ireland, Cyril Fagan was educated at Belvedere and Castleknock

Colleges. Prevented from following in the family tradition through almost

totally impaired hearing since childhood, he turned his acutely enquiring

mind to other things, many and varied, finally deciding to make the

betterment of the subject he loved the most astrology, his life's work.

 

Dissatisfied with all available material on the subject, he decided to set

out and find the answers for himself. He combed the libraries of many of the

capitals of Europe and soon concluded that a working knowledge of astronomy

and Egyptology was essential if the embryo of astrology was to be unearthed.

These he mastered alone as he had done everything else. He has lived in many

places over the years including Wales, London, Spain, Morocco, and the USA,

and has traveled throughout most of Europe and some of Canada.

 

Works include Astrological Origins; Zodiacs, Old and New; A Primer of

Sidereal Astrology; Symbolism of the Constellations; and a monthly

contribution to American Astrology, " Solunars. " See also articles in

American Astrology under his pseudonym, Ian Cowley.

 

Cyril Fagan was President/Founder of the Irish Astrological Society, and a

Fellow of the American Federation of Astrologers; a Fellow of the Federation

of British Astrologers; and a Komandoro of the Universal Order of Antares

(Trieste).

 

The most momentous and revolutionary astrological discovery of all time was

made in 1948 by Cyril Fagan, the well-known astrologer and Egyptian scholar.

He discovered that the historical exaltation degrees of the zodiac

originated in 786 B.C. and that all these degrees were expressed in terms of

the zodiac of the constellations and not of the signs. This led him into a

whole series of further discoveries which are equally important to the

archeologist, the chronologist, the historian, and the astrologer.

 

First and foremost, he found that the so-called Egyptian decans were in fact

pentades or 5-day star groups, a discovery that immediately led to the

identification of most of them. He also solved the precise date of the

Inauguration of the famous Sothic Cycle as well as dating the zodiacs of

Esna and Denderah.

 

OTHER SIDEREALISTS:

 

RUPERT GLEADOW (data from inside of his book he autographed; and I

suspect MER culminates rather than SUN): 22 NOV 1909, 11:55 am,

Leicester, England.

 

BRIGADIER ROY C. FIREBRACE (publisher of SPICA, A SIDEREAL JOURNAL)

(sent to me by Brigadier Firebrace): 16 AUG 1889; 5:00 pm InterColonial

or Atlantic time (-4h 14' 20 " ); Halifax, Nova Scotia 63w35, 44n38'

 

GARTH ALLEN (Donald Bradley): (from American Astrology): 16 MAY

1925; 2:04 am CST; 40n21' 97w35' Nebraska

 

Rupert Gleadow, YOUR CHARACTER IN THE ZODIAC, 1968

 

....once again, the constellations were not named from fancied resemblances,

except in a few cases. They were more often named from the seasonal labors

which they indicated when the moon was full in them....

 

So people born under TAURUS are not said to be wild and fierce, especially

as their ruling planet is Venus. This must mean...that they are ruled by

their affections; they want to be on good terms with others and will go out

of their way to avoid ill feeling, not as a rule by giving in but by simply

ignoring the strife as long as possible. Being modest they do not hunt

popularity....

 

Modern writers have solf-pedalled the rulership of Venus and emphasized the

clodhopping earthy side of Taurus, which is unjustified. When Venus

genuinely rules it is not surprising that the native should be, as Valens

tells us, fond of pleasure and music, generous, and more than usually

amorous.

 

The keynote of Taurus is devotion, to a person, to an ideal, or simply to

his work. Where Aries wants to be the boss, Taurus wants to be the workman;

he likes to be on the job, so much so that he becomes impatient with the

preliminary but necessary discussion whether the job shall be done at all

and if so how. He is not a good foreman because too tender-hearted; sooner

than sack a man he will make up his deficiency for him, and he hates to hurt

people's feelings. He does not excel in politics or the law because he

detests rows and tries to render them futile by ignoring them, just as he

ignores bossy people.

 

As Aries is ruled by...his energy, and must do whatever it wants however

ill-judged, so Taurus is ruled by his affections. The whole course of his

life can be altered by a casual word from a friend; for if he asks advice he

intends to take it. His love is deep and lasting but very undemanding; he is

naturally humble and does not feel that he has a right to ask anything for

himself. There is nothing unimaginative or heavy about Taurus; how could

there be, and it ruled by Venus? Many artists and writers are under this

constellation. Though sensitive and keenwitted, they are not afraid of dirt,

hard work or debauchery, all of which they accept as part of life. They

intensely dislike hypocrisy and insincere relationships, because they like

to be in touch with the real, and this is very important to them; in this

they form a contrast to Gemini, but like Gemini they try to avoid ugliness.

 

Rather naturally the Bull is highly sexed, but its attitude to sex is the

most direct, and uncomplicated of any constellation. It needs not frills,

pretences or artificial glamour; it knows the facts and that is quite

enough. This goes with two other qualities: Taurus is exceptionally

truthful, and also does not mind exposing his skin, whether to the sun or to

other people; so 'the naked truth' is a Taurean phrase.

 

Though good-natured and often a good partner in marriage, Taurus is too much

inclined to brood, and needs encouragement to speak of his supposed

troubles. He is not every man's friend, rather he is faithful to a few, but

usually willing to play second fiddle and serve others, and extremely

reliable. If religious, he will know the meaning of the words 'Thy will be

done'; but despite this submissiveness, which is a great help towards peace

of mind, he is not always conventional in his religion, for he is interested

in deep problems and likes his answers to them, when they appear, to be

practical, rational and if possible simple; for though he may be strong in

faith and devotion he can still distrust unfounded dogmas and assertions.

 

With its gift for profound study this sign makes philosophers, teachers,

artists and psychiatrist, and succeeds in any calling that requires

patience, beside liking trades connected with agriculture, the arts or

beauty. Not for nothing, then, does our list of famous Taureans end with

Beau Brummell and Norman Hartnell, although it begins with deep thinkers

like Marcus Aurelius and Bertrand Russell.

 

Of the painters under this constellation Constable, Corot, Cotman and Millet

are known chiefly for their landscapes, and in literature Thomas Hardy is an

admirable example, for he produced in Far From the Madding Crowd the perfect

unsophisticated Taurean, Gabriel Oak. Daudet's Lettres de Mon Moulin belongs

on the same shelf, and Walt Whitman too showed the influence of Taurus very

plainly, although in him it was combined with Sagittarius.

 

GARTH ALLEN, " Daughter of Earth and Sea " A.A. 6/63

 

We do not know her birth hour, but merely evaluating the celestial layout at

noon in Springdale, Pennsylvania, on May 27, 1907, her birthday, is a

rewarding intellectual exercise. It is a chart of remarkable spiritual depth

as well as lucid attunement with the realities of physical existence. And

because of her inner combination of wisdom and knowledge, she represents one

of those rare personages who leave an indelible impress on world history.

She is truly a scientist, and in our lexicon that one words stands as the

highest compliment we can pay to a deserving individual. We refer to Rachel

Carson, of course, the scientist-author whose books, The Sea Around Us,

Under the Sea Wind, and The Edge of the Sea, have illuminated our minds over

the past decade more brightly than any other offering by a contemporary

writer.

 

A few months ago, Miss Carson's fourth literary effort virtually exploded

over the social, political and technological scene. Her new book, Silent

Spring, represented five years of intense research and was quickly hailed as

an epochal, world-jarring work. Justice William O. Douglas, for instance,

noted for his concern over conservation of natural resources and abiding

love of Nature, called Rachel Carson's new book, " The most important

chronicle of this century for the human race. " If you've read it you'll

concur with this opinion. The message of Silent Spring is a scientific

hair-curler. In essence, it proves what folks like our own Charles Hook (of

" Farm & Garden " fame in this magazine) have been trying to tell us for

years--that chemical pesticides, insecticides and fungicides, are not only

deadly to their intended victims but deadly to the whole human race--and it

already might be too late to ward off deadly consequences for the whole

world.

 

Naturally, Rachel Carson immediately became the smear target of vested

interests, both of the bureaucratic and industrial kind, and the attacks on

her have been only too easy to see through. The criticisms and attacks have

been reminiscent of the tobacco industry's almost- successful attempts to

belittle the lung-cancer finds these past dozen years. In fact, come to

think of it, the attacks are reminiscent of those made by die-hard

tropicalists against the historical and scientific realities of sidereal

astrology--the facts themselves are never openly blasted, the strategy being

the piecemeal assault on the fringes of the facts (simple statements,

solitary mistakes of judgment, the arguments that the majority must be

right, and so on--never the real heart of the issues at stake).

 

We personally have loved Rachel Carson deeply, through her writings, for

they opened up to us such magnificent vistas that we have often gone back to

read and reread the same pages, each time with renewed gratitude that Rachel

Carson existed. So it was with close to magical delight that we learned she

was born under a Full Moon with the Sun in Taurus, with a close conjunction

of Jupiter and Neptune in opposition to Uranus. Jupiter-Neptune is the

signature of the Mystic, and Jupiter-Uranus, the signature of the born

Scientist. (One of her commonest disparagements, interestingly enough, is

that " she has an almost mystical attachment to the theme of the balance of

Nature, " and this attachment has been painted as unbecoming to a scientist!)

 

Her Taurean Sun, though, is what impressed us more, since in our cataloguing

of people under their natal constellations, we have made special note of the

pre-ponderance of " born naturalists " who were sidereal Taureans. Tropically,

Rachel Carson is a Geminian. Regular readers will recall how often in the

pat we have pointed out the persistent connection of Taureans with things

oceanic--a direct reflection of the fact that the Moon is exalted in Taurus.

(Even our sexy prexy is probably the only U.S. president who was

photographed closeup in a wet bathing suit on a beach--Taurus is the

constellation of swimmers.)

 

Carolus Linneas, the botanist who originated the taxonomic system of Latin

names for all forms of life, a system that has become standard in science

throughout the world, was a sidereal Taurean. Noted botanists Henry Ravenel

and Thomas Moore, likewise, as well as naturalist Louis R. Agassiz of

Harvard fame, complete the Taurus quartet of scientists whose life works

have done more for Nature lovers than any other factors. The prize example,

though, is none other than Carl Akeley, the world's most famous naturalist

who invented modern taxidermy. Nowadays every museum has an Akeley room

honoring the man who transformed stuffed-and-sewn animal hides (which used

to be the fare of every museum) into the wondrous world that now greets

every museum- goer's eyes.

 

And who was the one poet of all time whose writings are indentified most

closely with the mysticism of natural history? Why Taurean Walt Whitman,

naturally, creator of Leaves of Grass. In a sense, Rachel Carson's Silent

Spring is a kind of scientific, twentieth-century Leaves of Grass. Taureans

all. A love of Nature, or soil and plants and creatures of every sort, is

the special gift of Taurus in the sky to its offspring on earth. It is only

fitting that this great lady, Rachel Carson, daughter of Taurus, should

become the conscience of the world with respect to the saving and

preservation of the Creator's greatest gift to life on earth--the earth

itself!

 

 

 

Jack Sirildo Contreras

Western Sidereal Astrologer

http://users.cwnet.com/~sidereal/

sidereal