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SCENE EIGHTEEN: TRANSFERENCE  

 

Dane Rudhyar

 (Sagittarius 16° to Sagittarius 30°)

FIRST LEVEL: ACTIONAL

PHASE 256 (SAGITTARIUS 16°): SEA GULLS FLY AROUND A SHIP IN EXPECTATION OF FOOD.  

KEYNOTE: The easily acquired dependence of psychic desires upon the stimulation of social circumstances.

Animals drawn into the circle of what human society produces find it easier to depend on man's handouts than to pursue their usually difficult search for sustenance. The sea gulls here symbolize the more wild and normally untamable energies of the human soul, but they too can develop a land of domesticated dependence upon the by-products of man's adventures within the realm of the unconscious (the sea). Natural instincts feed on the reactions, and often perversions, of the socially conditioned mind-ego.

This is the first stage in the process represented by the fifty-second sequence of five symbols. It shows us how nature can readily become subservient to man's restless ambition to dominate the entire biosphere through an all-human planetary socioeconomic organization. This is a symbol of DEPENDENCE.

 

PHASE 257 (SAGITTARIUS 17°): AN EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE DRAWS A LARGE CROWD.

KEYNOTE: The culturally stimulated longing for group participation in a process of rebirth.

Since the very early days of man's evolution, religions and cults of various types have used the most significant periods in the year's cycle to dramatize the deepest longings of human nature, thus giving them direction, meaning, and through group action, a greater dynamic intensity. Easter is the Christian way of celebrating the coming of spring and the rebirth of life on this earth after the hardships of winter.

At this second stage of the five-fold sequence we see, in contrast to the first, man discovering in nature's cycles great movements that stimulate his spiritual quest for the psychic and mental equivalent of solar light and warmth. The obvious Keyword here is REBIRTH.

 

PHASE 258 (SAGITTARIUS 18°): CHILDREN PLAYING ON THE BEACH, THEIR HEADS PROTECTED BY SUNBONNETS.

KEYNOTE: The protection society affords to as yet immature individuals as they begin to deal with the powerful energies of their unconscious nature.

What we call "culture" is an attempt to limit and define the areas of consciousness and interpersonal or group behavior within which growth and exploration into super-physical realms can be considered safe and sound. Sun and sea are powerful forces; they can kill as well as illumine and inspire, as can various kinds of forces within man's unconscious. The cultural and religious institutions of society aim to act as protective agencies, especially for the youth. Overprotection and hypocritical behavior by supposed grownups defeat this purpose, and today we are witnessing an at least partially healthy rebellion against the protective paternalism of social institutions. This, however, does lead to many a symbolic "sunstroke."

This is the third symbol in the fifty-second five-fold sequence. It brings to us a realization of the value of PROTECTIVENESS, yet also evokes the negative possibility that too much protection may be unhealthy and defeat its purpose.

 

PHASE 259 (SAGITTARIUS 19°): PELICANS MENACED BY THE BEHAVIOR AND REFUSE OF MEN SEEK SAFER AREAS FOR BRINGING UP THEIR YOUNG.

KEYNOTE: The need for people concerned with the future to discover a new way of living and more wholesome surroundings.

The evident reason for using "pelicans" at this stage of the cyclic process is that tradition tells us that these birds are so concerned with their young that they give their own blood and flesh to feed their progeny. Whether this is fact or symbol, the meaning of this picture refers to a situation that lately has acquired great urgency. Our technological society is polluting not only our global environment, but the mind and feeling-responses of new generations as well. The search for a new way of life is seen by many people to be imperative.

In this fourth symbol of the fifty-second sequence we are told that the race's SURVIVAL has become a matter of extreme importance. Whole animal species may be destroyed by our civilization; mankind itself is in danger. Going to distant planets is hardly the answer. A generation may have to sacrifice itself for the sake of its descendants.

 

PHASE 260 (SAGITTARIUS 20°): IN AN OLD-FASHIONED NORTHERN VILLAGE MEN CUT THE ICE OF A FROZEN POND FOR USE DURING THE SUMMER.

KEYNOTE: The foresighted use of natural resources to supply future needs.

At the close of this series of symbols we again see a reference to the relationship between man and nature. Man’s ingenuity and foresight make it possible for him to plan for the future in terns of his knowledge of the seasonal rhythm of cold and heat and, by implication, of even larger cycles of change. Quiet and relaxation may have to be sacrificed, and some hardships endured, in order that another type of problem, which may involve survival though proper feeding, may be met at some later time.

This is the fifth and last phase in the fifty second section of the cycle. It stresses the value of actively planning for future need, and of foresight based on the knowledge of cyclic processes. Keywords: ASSURING SUPPLY.  

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SECOND LEVEL: EMOTIONAL/CULTURAL

PHASE 261 (SAGITTARIUS 21° DEGREE): A CHILD AND A DOG WEARING BORROWED EYEGLASSES.

KEYNOTE: The use of imagination and make-believe in anticipating higher stages of development.

This rather peculiar symbol seems to imply here that by imitating features belonging to a level of consciousness as yet unreachable, the process of growth may be accelerated. Eyeglasses symbolize intellectual development; the chiefs of primitive tribes in some instances have sought to impress their people by wearing spectacles without glass, or western hats – simply because these objects seemed characteristic of a race of superior people. This is similar to the process of growth by identification with a ‘Master’ or guru. In a sense it is mere pretending or make-believe, yet wearing the ‘mask’ of a god the medicine man at the time becomes for all practical purposes the incarnation of the god. Growth is always a hierachical process, even if the growing entity is not aware of it.

This is the first of five symbols constituting the fifty-third sequence. It suggests the value of LEARNING THROUGH IMITATION.

 

PHASE 262 (SAGITTARIUS 22°): A CHINESE LAUNDRY.

KEYNOTE: Making use of one’s special racial-cultural background in order to survive and prosper in an alien environment.

There are many life situations in which because on one’s ancestral or personal background, or their special interests, and individual finds themselves separated from the people in the midst of whom they have to live. Yet they often can use this background a valuable foundation for smooth operation and acceptance by the alien environment, without losing their own natural character.

This second stage symbol stands in contrast to the one for the first stage. There is no longer a question of imitating the ways of a superior group, but instead of maintaining one’s own integrity in situations which neither give value for, not favour what one basically is. What is asked here is SELF-CONTAINMENT…and good humour!

 

PHASE 263 (SAGITTARIUS 23°): A GROUP OF IMMIGRANTS AS THEY FULFILL THE REQUIRMENTS OF ENTRANCE INTO THE NEW COUNTRY.

KEYNOTE: Consciously accepting the ways of a new stage of experience, in readiness for the opportunities it will present.

As we pass any threshold leading to a new realm of existence we have to meet certain requirements and the necessity to adjust to new ways of life – in action, thought and feeling. At times this may seem an ordeal but it is inevitable. Everything that will follow depends largely on how we cross this threshold, and on the spirit in which we meet unfamiliar and perhaps shocking experiences.

At this third stage of the fifty-third five-fold sequence we face a combination of the two preceding symbols. We find ourselves in a period of TRANSITION. We have to imitate, yet retain our inner integrity.

 

PHASE 264 (SAGITTARIUS 24°): A BLUEBIRD PERCHED ON THE GATE OF A COTTAGE.

KEYNOTE: The reward which meets every effort at integrating into a social environment for those who remain true to their own selves.

The bluebird is a symbol of happiness, but also it refers to what one might call a spiritually oriented mind - to which the color blue relates, especially when a 'bird' is mentioned. A cottage is normally a part of a community, and the implication is that its inhabitants are well-adapted, either to the life of the community, or to their’ more or less isolated togetherness.

This is a fourth stage symbol, and it suggests that the essential technique for successful living is the development of a consciousness in which peace and happiness dwell. There is also a hint that GOOD FORTUNE is going to bless your life.

 

PHASE 265 (SAGITTARIUS 25°): A CHUBBY BOY ON A HOBBY HORSE.

KEYNOTE: The anticipatory enjoyment of powers one can only as yet dream of utilizing.

The horse has always been a symbol of power and, in many instances, of sexual energy. Until very recently the horse gave people a greater possibility of conquering more space and what that space contained. Mounted on his hobby horse and experiencing the to-and-frow rhythm of its motion, the well-fed boy unconsciously, and perhaps nowadays half-consciously, may anticipate the rhythm of the sexual act. In a sense it is also a kind of make-believe and growth through the imagination, but here – in contrast to what was shown in the symbol for Phase 261 – the imagination is active at the organic body level. There is something of an initiation in the play. 

This is the last symbol of the fifty-third sequence of five. It ends in a mood of play, but it is a play filled with cultural expectation, unconscious though this expectation may be. We see here the FORSHADOWING of the mature experience of man/womanhood.  

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THIRD LEVEL: INDIVIDUAL/MENTAL

PHASE 266 (SAGITTARIUS 26°): A FLAG BEARER IN A BATTLE.

KEYNOTE: The nobly accepted subservience of the individual to collective values and goals.

A flag symbolizes an organized collectivity of human beings, a nation or even a social class. In the old-fashioned type of battle, whoever carries the flag has to feel himself the representative of the integrity and unity of his group. His personal life and his welfare should therefore be totally submerged in and identified with the welfare of the "greater Whole" of which every person can act as a conscious and responsible agent for mankind. In substance, the symbol asks: "Are you ready to assume this role!"

This first stage of the fifty-fourth five-fold sequence presents a picture of what social consciousness can mean in its highest implications. The flag-bearer is unarmed, defensless; yet he can be the rallying point for the total effort of a large collectivity. This is a symbol of CONSECRATION TO AN IDEAL.

 

PHASE 267 (SAGITTARIUS 27°): A SCULPTOR AT HIS WORK.

KEYNOTE: The ability to project one's vision upon and to give form to materials.

At this stage we see the individual creatively expressing his own particular individuality. He takes the materials available in his social-geographical environment and shapes them so they reveal to other people something of his inner life and purpose.

This second phase in the fifty-fourth sequence is, as usual, in contrast to the first. The "flag bearer" symbolizes the selfless representative of a collective tradition or of national unity; the "sculptor," on the contrary, represents man as a creative individual intent on making his mark upon society. This is a symbol of man's capacity to transform raw materials according to his personal vision — thus a symbol of SELF-PROJECTION INTO A WORK.

 

PHASE 268 (SAGITTARIUS 28°): AN OLD BRIDGE OVER A BEAUTIFUL STREAM IS STILL IN CONSTANT USE.

KEYNOTE: The enduring elements in a society which reveal its ability to significantly link the genius of its individuals to the everyday needs of the collectivity.

This symbol brings together, as it were, the essential values implied in the two preceding ones. The mastery over material factors of a few imaginative and trained individuals enables their community to remain well-integrated and able to function easily in the best possible environment. The work of these sculptor-engineers allows their people to develop a relatively permanent culture. A tradition is built which enables men to link their outer nature with the highest vision their leaders can conceive and objectively demonstrate.

This third symbol of the fifty-fourth sequence also suggests the way in which the works of man can blend harmoniously with natural environment in producing beautiful and enduring shapes of profound meaning. Reacting against the ugliness of our commercial and chaotic cities and highways, today we tend to long for "wilderness." But the combination of natural beauty and human skill and imagination is the true ideal to strive for. As Keywords we might use the title of an excellent book by the architect Claude Bragdon: THE BEAUTIFUL NECESSITY.

 

PHASE 269 (SAGITTARIUS 29°): A FAT BOY MOWING THE LAWN OF HIS HOUSE ON AN ELEGANT SUBURBAN STREET.

KEYNOTE: The need to attend to everyday tasks which both ensure social worth or respectability, and benefit one's constitution.

This rather trivial picture becomes quite significant if related to the preceding three symbols. It brings down to a very concrete and commonplace level what the "flag bearer" and the "sculptor" symbols have presented. A well-attended front lawn is a symbol of the homeowner's concern for his social position, and of his desire to give beautiful form to the growth of natural forces, thus revealing his appreciation of order and esthetic values. The "fat boy" suggests that constructive working habits are needed to compensate for self-indulgence in the amenities of social living.

This fourth stage symbol speaks of one of the commonplace technical imperatives which face an individual belonging to a social elite. It reveals another phase in the cycle relationship between the individual and the community, and the need to maintain SOCIAL RESPECTABILITY.

 

PHASE 270 (SAGITTARIUS 30°): THE POPE, BLESSING THE FAITHFUL.

KEYNOTE: The need to pay homage to traditional values upon which the Invisible Community of the spirit is built.

The concrete integration of myriads of human individuals within a great religious institution with a long tradition reflects, as well as having produced century after century, an invisible spiritual Community. The "flag bearer" has now become the "Pope," who assumes the role of God's representative on earth. It is a role, but culture is based on embodying great Images and deeply moving symbols in physical reality. The symbol asks of the individual: "Are you willing to live a transpersonal life as a symbol?" This is the final and supreme statement of that section of the cycle of the year represented by Sagittarius.

This concludes Scene Eighteen. A collectivity of human beings is seen having "transferred" their sense of spiritual value to a man who has become an incarnation of their common ideal. Keywords: PERSONALIZED WORSHIP. It can be a blessing or in some cases, a curse.

 

An Astrological Mandala

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