The great palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin commenced his Mass on the World with "Since once again, Lord—though this time not in the forests of the Aisne". So once again, it behooves jyothishas' to pay some attention to the Cousins – those who practice and follow western (tropical) astrology. Some western astrological websites are expecting major world events with the Cardinal Grand Cross occurring April 20-24th with Mars squaring Pluto, Uranus and Jupiter and then the oppositions between Jupiter and Pluto and Mars and Uranus. With respect to our astrological cousins, we look to this matter as it is a period straddled by two eclipses: the lunar eclipse of 14 April and the solar eclipse of April 29.
The Cardinal Grand Cross
The Cardinal Grand Cross of April 20-24 is formed outer planets Mars and Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto taking positions in the sky which form an astrological square between the houses they occupy. If one were to draw a line between the planets, a cross would be formed. Hence the title "Grand Cross". The planets are in cardinal signs, that is, signs of a movable nature. There are three different types of these signs: cardinal (movable), fixed and mutable. Here is one astrological representation of the Cardinal Grand Cross.
Cardinal Grand Cross of western (tropical) astrology.
In the South Indian Vedic Chart, this is how it looks:
The planets in the coloured squares are in cardinal (movable) signs. They are in mutual kendra (four houses away from each other - counting inclusively) and aspect one another with 100% full aspect. Jupiter aspects Pluto; Mars aspects Mercury, (Ketu) and Uranus; these aspects are mutual, hence Pluto and will be aspecting Jupiter and Mercury and Uranus will aspect Mars and (Rahu). Not all western astrologers use the North and South Nodes of Ketu and Rahu so we put them in parentheses.
Jyotish (vedic astrology) uses a nine planet system derived from the two major luminaries (sources of light) Sun and Moon; the five planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Joined to this are the two nodes - called shadow planets - of Rahu and Ketu, the dragon's head, the dragon's tail. There are also five non-luminous (invisible) planets - Upagraha, but these are used in other systems and not in the everyday birth chart or electional astrology. Western - tropical - astrology uses three more outer planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Uranus was discovered in 1781, Neptune in 1846 and Pluto was discovered in 1930.
As the earlier astrologers did not have the telescopes of today (nor the telescopes of Galileo) the newly-discovered planets are treated as higher resonances or "octaves" of existing planets. Uranus is discerned as a higher octave of Mercury; it signifies disorder and unexpected reversals. Uranus is ruled by Prajapati (Brahma, the creator) and partakes of pita due significations of heat, lightning and thunder. In Roman mythology, Neptune is the god of the sea, and the deep, ocean blue colour of the planet Neptune reflects this. Neptune is ruled by Varuna (deity of the seas) and it is discerned as a higher octave of Venus: it partakes of kapha dosha, and has significations of art, ideals and dreams. In Roman mythology, Pluto is the god of the underworld and of wealth. Pluto is ruled by Yama (deity of Death, and brother of Saturn) and is discerned as a higher octave of Mars. Pluto partakes of pita dosha, and signifies transformation, destruction, disorder.
Looking toward the significance of the "cardinal" aspects of this configuration of planets in western astrology, we take a number of matters into consideration. Planets are life force; this life force is expressed in a concentrated form in houses and signs. Signs have multiple configurations, and one such is the movable-fixed-mutable continuum which gives clues in broad form to the whole of life. This continuum establishes patterns of behaviour that persons will follow throughout their lives. A predominance of cardinal (movable) signs occupied by planets indicates that such people will be fond of travel, ambitious, and delights to frequent other lands in search of wealth. A predominance of fixed signs suggest a fixed mind, a stable personality, reliability in character, and perhaps, not a lot of creativity. A predominance of mutable signs indicates resolution, cleverness, of fluctuating wealth and perhaps, lacking stability, confidence and exhibiting frequent changes.
The trimurthi of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva form the pillars of basic principles in vedic astrology and feature in spiritual dimensions of astrology. Cardinal signs are associated with the energy of creation and manifestation and are ruled by Brahma. Mutable signs are ruled by Vishnu-Narayana and associated with the principle of sustenance, organisation, preserving. Fixed signs are associated with the end of things, destruction, and are ruled by Lord Shiva. The nature of this "grand cross" is cardinal, ruled by Brahma, the creator. This is a event of creation energy, the bringing forth, emergence of that which is new, that which transforms and renews how we perceive reality in this world of maya, illusion. Cardinal = Brahma = Creation.
Reflections:
These planets are in mutual relationship: that relationship is called kendra - each four houses away from the other (counting as we do in jyothisha, inclusively): kendras are the pillars of the horoscope, kendras are houses of strength. We have planets in kendra, the signs the kendra occurs are cardinal, signs of a movable nature. We look to the associations that movable suggests.
Movable suggests fluidity, change, travel, movement, flexibility, open-mindedness. The opportunity to consider fresh information, new data gleaned from a new environment (as persons with majority of cardinal signs in the chart ever seek their wealth in new horizons). Movable brings ideas of opening to different experiences, Brahma, the creator deity ruling the Cardinal signs elicits the question: What is different about these times? What is moving, what is becoming fast-moving, fast changing? We must look to the role and functions of Lord Brahma in this mutual relations of kendras in cardinal signs.
Cardinal is the other word used to describe these signs in both vedic and western astrology. The word cardinal etymologically means essential, fundamental component. There are also cardinal numbers, and the princes of the church. Synonyms of cardinal are "essential, fundamental, key, primal". Something that is primal is a cardinal rule, a central cause, a fundamental nature. Primal also connotes having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state. So we may have primal used to describe aboriginal forests; primal eras before the appearance of life on earth; the forest primeval; primordial matter; primordial forms of life. The ruler-ship of Lord Brahma, the creator, for the cardinal signs is more clearly stated when we look more deeply into the meaning of the terms.
We may look to the creation, the world which we live in which is at present called Kali Yuga, or the Iron Age. Today, we live in a world with a polluted Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima meltdown. We live in a world where climate change affects species of life daily, and affects human life. We live in a world where there is an imbalance of distribution of food and resources creating pockets of poverty in third world countries. We live in a world which does not reflect that which was given to us in the beginning. We have created our own reality. We may ask about our present way of life, and what is signified by this Cardinal Grand Cross of mutual relations between planets in kendra, over-sighted by the creator in the vedic trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. What are the antecedents we may look to?
There is a mass of information coming to humanity about our origins, and human life before the Fall of Atlantis, the great flood accompanied by an Ice Age. Of human history before the Fall of Atlantis, we know little. We know little (if anything) of the presence and role of star-peoples at that time. We know Star people have come and and built civilisations and that there were many places called Atlantis all over the Earth. These star peoples came from different stars, different galaxies, and travelled here through space worm-holes we have yet to comprehend and understand. These star peoples guided the evolution of the human race with all its amazing homogeneity. These star peoples acted in concert with the Hierarchy, and the over-sighting spirits of our planet. We are soon to discover the missing link from the tree-living apes to the upstanding hairy ape-like progenitor of homo sapiens sapiens.
Note that term homo sapiens sapiens carefully. It means 'of one race'; that has self-consciousness, awareness; and is aware of that self-awareness, which is wisdom. Sapienta means wisdom. The key to wisdom is self-awareness, self-reflection, discrimination and detachment. Homo sapiens sapiens, our race, our species, has a unique self-awareness and is capable of living with full wisdom and consciousness. In these times of the coming of the Star Peoples, we need to exercise this wisdom in our response to the visible, concrete presence of those who helped us make this world. This world is returning to the 4th Dimension, the 5th Dimension, and the Cardinal Grand Cross under the auspice of Lord Brahma creates a reality where we may cope with the unexpected (Uranus), realise our philosophy and understanding of human history is incomplete (Jupiter), enter a time of transformation of our self-understanding as a species (Pluto) and respond with wisdom instead of defending our known boundaries with weapons (Mars). Mars, incidentally, has the opportunity to respond as a spiritual warrior. The male spiritual warrior was activated in the 2012 Solar Eclipse (see here).
The Cardinal Grand Cross marks a moment in human history when we may take up Sapienta, wisdom, and use that wisdom to settle our differences by discussion and understanding and agreeing to disagree, instead of taking up weapons or resorting to violence. The Cardinal Grand Cross opens the doors to use of our wisdom in achieving our ends peacefully – in the home, among our relations, in the community, in the society, and between the nations.
Is the Cardinal Grand Cross - oversighted by Lord Brahma - a Stargate for the coming of the Star Peoples?
