The Sabian Symbols - Capricorn 1-15

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ACT IV: CAPITALIZATION

SCENE NINETEEN: CRYSTALLIZATION

Dane Rudhyar

(Capricorn 1° to Capricorn I5°)
FIRST LEVEL: ACTIONAL

PHASE 271 (CAPRICORN 1°): AN INDIAN CHIEF CLAIMS POWER FROM THE ASSEMBLED TRIBE.

KEYNOTE: The power and responsibility implied in any claim for leadership.

The religious ideal implied in the preceding symbol has now materialized or crystallized into sheer power — the power to lead the community and to ensure its welfare or even its physical survival. The energies released through group cooperation (Libra), deepened and emotionally experienced as forces of great potency (Scorpio), and given meaning and conscious purpose (Sagittarius) are now stabilized and hierarchized. The power of the group is turned into a measurable and carefully managed "capital." The words "chief" and "capital" come from the same Latin word, caput, meaning "head." A time comes in many lives when the individual finds himself placed in a situation that allows him to assume power over his comrades, however limited this power may be. Is he ready to do this effectively and responsibly? This is the supreme test of man in society. It complements its polar opposite (summer solstice degree), which refers to the acceptance by the individual of a new kind of allegiance as a foundation for the integration of his mature personality. Such a foundation may, but need not, refer to establishing a home.

This represents the first stage in a five-fold process — the fifty-fifth sequence of five symbols. It refers to the capacity latent in every individual to claim and assume AUTHORITY in a vital group-situation.

PHASE 272 (CAPRICORN 2°): THREE ROSE WINDOWS IN A GOTHIC CHURCH, ONE DAMAGED BY WAR.

KEYNOTE: The necessary realization by any individual making a violent use of collective power that it will lead to the inevitable destruction of some of the values ensuring group-integration.

It seems obvious that the interpretation of this symbol should refer to the disruptive consequences of war. The "chief" who claimed power from his tribe in order to lead or save it must reckon with the consequences of a too-impulsive use of this power in terms of violence. The integration he seeks to maintain or enhance may be partially destroyed if in his ambition he yearns to be the victorious war leader glorified by his people. A "rose window" is not absolutely essential to a cathedral, yet it symbolizes that through which the "light of the Spirit" enters into the edifice. Man's soul is said to be three-fold. Which part of man's inner trinity of principles tends to be destroyed by the use of violence? Evidently the principle of love and compassion.

This second stage symbol is in contrast to the preceding one because it opposes the power to destroy to the power to build. The "capital" of group-energies is partially squandered in armaments and death. WASTE is the opposite of group-integration.

PHASE 273 (CAPRICORN 3°): A HUMAN SOUL, IN ITS EAGERNESS FOR NEW EXPERIENCES, SEEKS EMBODIMENT.

KEYNOTE: A powerful yearning for whatever will increase the scope and depth of one's contacts with other living beings.

One wonders what the clairvoyant "saw" and said to the recorder of this symbol. How did she visualize a "human soul" or, as Marc Edmund Jones recorded it, its being "receptive to growth and understanding"? What is implied in the position of this symbol seems to be the strong drive in every human consciousness or will toward new experiences, whether they are constructive or destructive. Man may grow and gain understanding and wisdom through both types. Yet the yearning needs to be tempered by an instinctive evaluation of the end results of the experience.

This is the third phase of the fifty-fifth five-fold process. It shows us what is behind all uses of power, anabolic or catabolic: a strong DESIRE TO PROVE ONESELF.

PHASE 274 (CAPRICORN 4°): A GROUP OF PEOPLE OUTFITTING A LARGE CANOE AT THE START OF A JOURNEY BY WATER.

KEYNOTE: The ability to use natural resources and basic skills in order to achieve a group-purpose.

As this scene was recorded in the original version only in imprecise terms, it seems merely to indicate the start of a journey undertaken by a cohesive group of people, who perhaps together have built this large canoe. Thus we see here a common enterprise which may be an answer to the need for a change of locality. A social group more strongly than ever reveals its homogeneity and common will when it decides to move away from its familiar habitat. The zodiacal sign Capricorn brings this common will to a focus in concrete actions. It does so in terms of socio-political expediency and under a definite type of executive direction, even though the decisions are arrived at by common consent.

As this is the fourth symbol in the fifty-fifth five-fold sequence, we find in it a hint of how to do something concrete. The "canoe" may also have a special technical meaning, as it uses water in order to move. A common feeling-response to a specific situation may be implied. The main emphasis is nevertheless on GROUP-ACTIVITY in circumstances implying a need for change.

PHASE 275 (CAPRICORN 5°): INDIANS ON THE WARPATH, WHILE SOME MEN ROW A WELL-FILLED CANOE, OTHERS IN IT PERFORM A WAR DANCE.

KEYNOTE: The mobilization of physical and emotional energies in a spirit of conquest.

War is often undertaken mainly to mobilize the common will and avoid individualistic disintegration. The "Indian chief" in the symbol for Capricorn 1° may find it convenient or necessary to arouse the war spirit — perhaps under a very slight provocation — in order to more firmly establish his authority. The scene presents an extremely dynamic situation. The group (or the nation) affirms its solidarity and unity of purpose by taking the offensive. The group-life demands constant activity and challenges in order to remain healthy.

This is the last symbol of the fifty-fifth sequence. It suggests that AGGRESSIVENESS may be a necessary ingredient in the activation of the potential of growth inherent in any social group.

SECOND LEVEL: EMOTIONAL/CULTURAL

PHASE 276 (CAPRICORN 6°): TEN LOGS LIE UNDER AN ARCHWAY LEADING TO DARKER WOODS.

KEYNOTE: The need to complete any undertaking before seeking entrance to whatever is to be found beyond.

Number 10 is a symbol of completion; it symbolizes even more the revelation of a new series of activities just ahead. Yet unless the concluded series is brought to some degree of fulfillment, nothing truly significant is likely to be accomplished by a restless reaching out toward the as-yet-unknown. Number 10 is a symbol of germination, but the seed (Number 9) must have matured well. No natural process can be accelerated safely beyond certain limits.

This represents the first stage in the fifty-sixth five-fold sequence. It establishes a foundation for what will follow. Here man reaches a THRESHOLD in which he may have to pause in order to safeguard his further advance.

PHASE 277 (CAPRICORN 7°): A VEILED PROPHET SPEAKS, SEIZED BY THE POWER OF A GOD.

KEYNOTE: The ability to act as a mouthpiece for the revelation of a transcendent will and truth determining future action.

Here we witness the deepest manifestation of that Power which operates within all relatively permanent social units, especially at the level of tribal organization. A tribe is a bio-psychic whole (or organism) integrated by a collective superphysical Power, the god of the tribe. In the Hebrew tradition this god is YHWH (Yahweh-Jehovah); in earlier tribes it may have been a deified more or less mythical "Great Ancestor." All these tribal gods are local manifestations of the very power of "Life" within the earth's biosphere. It is this deified Power which psychically "seized" especially sensitive or religiously trained men or women, who became Its mouthpiece — prophets, seers, oracles. That Power operates in our days as well, but in different ways because of the individualization and intellectualization of modern man's consciousness. It binds together and helps to maintain the integration of organized social collectivities. It guides their development by releasing and focusing through especially open persons the visionary expectation of developments about to occur.

At this second stage of the fifty-sixth sub-cycle the future interacts with the present to release it from the inertial power of the past. Thus this symbol stands in contrast to the preceding one. At the threshold of tomorrow man is allowed to have a vision or revelation of the essential elements of the as-yet-unknown next step in evolution. The key word is MEDIATORSHIP.

PHASE 278 (CAPRICORN 8°): IN A SUN-LIT HOME DOMESTICATED BIRDS SING JOYOUSLY.

KEYNOTE: The wholesome happiness which subservience to the ideals and patterns of a well-established culture brings to those who accept them unreservedly.

In various ways this section of the cyclic process brings to us images glorifying the power and benefits which a steady and well-integrated society brings to its members. Saturn rules Capricorn; Saturn was the ruler of the Golden Age before he became a symbol of binding limitations. He who accepts willingly or — even better — takes for granted the value of these limitations can lead a serene and happy existence, whatever his social status.

The third stage of this five-fold sequence suggests to us how we can enjoy our life condition by allowing the spiritual values it embodies to fill our consciousness. In every condition provided by a healthy culture — which hardly refers to our present chaotic world — human beings can find ENJOYMENT in the roles they are born to play.

PHASE 279 (CAPRICORN 9°): AN ANGEL CARRYING A HARP.

KEYNOTE: The revelation of the spiritual meaning and purpose at the core of any life situation.

This picture simply says that "heaven is within us." All we have to do is to be open and listen to the total harmony of life, a harmony in which we play a part that is necessary to the completeness and meaning of the whole. In order to do this we have to surrender our separative ego- consciousness and flow with the universal current which, to the religiously minded person, is the Will of God.

This is the fourth symbol of the series. The technique it implies is that of ATTUNEMENT to the rhythm of universal life. Angels are to be considered personalizations of various aspects of this life, and totally subservient to its rhythms and purposes.

PHASE 280 (CAPRICORN 10°): AN ALBATROSS FEEDING FROM THE HAND OF A SAILOR.

KEYNOTE: The overcoming of fear and its rewards.

The man who radiates perfect harmlessness can call the wildest creatures to him and can establish with them a partnership based on mutual respect and understanding. Every living entity plays a role in the world's ritual of existence; beyond these specific roles, which too often separate one entity from another, the communion of love and compassion can bring together the most disparate lives.

At this last stage of the fifty-sixth sequence we are presented with a picture extending the ideal of peace and happiness through culture so it now includes all living organisms on this planet. The power of such a culture of harmlessness and compassion generates TRUST everywhere.

THIRD LEVEL: INDIVIDUAL/MENTAL

PHASE 281 (CAPRICORN 11°): A LARGE GROUP OF PHEASANT ON A PRIVATE ESTATE.

KEYNOTE: The refinement and propagation of aristocratic values by means of which man participates in the evolution of life toward ever more per feet forms of existence.

All life implies a hierarchy of values, from the crude to the subtle, from the rough and the ugly to the beautiful. By the use of biological techniques, man is able to develop new species, or at least to greatly improve those found in the wild. This ability is at the root of all cultural processes. Wilderness is turned into the gardens of an aristocracy having the leisure, taste and money to produce or encourage the creation of beautiful forms. This is what the social process produces in its highest aspect. The first symbol of the fifty-seventh five-fold sequence shows us how man can cooperate with nature in creating beauty and elegance by capitalizing on skill and opportunity. The Keyword is ARISTOCRACY.

PHASE 282 (CAPRICORN 12°): AN ILLUSTRATED LECTURE ON NATURAL SCIENCE REVEALS LITTLE-KNOWN ASPECTS OF LIFE.

KEYNOTE: The ability to explore unfamiliar realms and discover the laws underlying the complex processes of nature.

The aristocratic garden of the preceding phase has become the laboratory and lecture hall of a modern college. The emphasis here is on the acquisition of extensive knowledge, the satisfaction of intellectual curiosity. Nevertheless, there is also an aristocracy of science: this is the modern type. Its use of acquired knowledge can pose as many problems as the use of hereditary aristocratic wealth. But it is man's essential function to become fully conscious of all life forms and processes on this earth. Mankind is the conscious mind of the planet.

At this second stage the intellectual search for empirical knowledge contrasts with the display attendant to the wealth and culture of an elite. Civilization is founded on an ever-extended capitalization on knowledge and use of technology. It features EXPLOITATION preeminently at all levels.

PHASE 283 (CAPRICORN 13°): A FIRE WORSHIPER MEDITATES ON THE ULTIMATE REALITIES OF EXISTENCE.

KEYNOTE: The subjective quest for ultimates beyond the interplay of life and death processes.

Beyond cultural enjoyment and the passion for accumulation of often-unusable data of sense knowledge stands the willful and determined "adventure in consciousness" of the occultist, the yogi, the mystic. The mystery of fire has always captured man's imagination because it is the mystery of all transformations wrapped in the enigma of death. In times when collective, perhaps total, death could be in store for mankind, the process of subjective meditation is fascinating an ever-greater number of people.

This is the third symbol in the fifty-seventh sequence. It brings us to a stage beyond life itself. Are we ready to take this step which the masters of yoga claim to have taken: to experience death and return to the same body? Are we ready to demonstrate man's WILL TO TRANSCENDENCE?

PHASE 284 (CAPRICORN 14): AN ANCIENT BAS-RELIEF CARVED IN GRANITE REMAINS A WITNESS TO A LONG-FORGOTTEN CULTURE.

KEYNOTE: The will to unearth, in our culture as well as in any culture, what has permanent value, and to let go of nonessentials.

At a time when in nearly every land men are questioning and challenging the validity of traditional beliefs and customary attitudes, it becomes necessary to separate permanent values and great principles or symbols from the many individual habits and the socio-political developments which more often than not have perverted or even negated the original ideals of the culture. We must strive to free these ideals from the wild growth of personal and class selfishness, from the greed and ambition so prevalent in human nature, and learn to appreciate the excellence of what is the immortal seed-foundation, as well as the spiritual harvest, of any culture — and by extension of every sustained and complete work produced by a man's indomitable effort to achieve creative perfection.

In this fourth stage symbol we are shown the procedure which enables us to gain a deep and thorough appreciation of socio-cultural processes in their most enduring forms. What is needed is a penetrating and courageous insight founded upon a valid HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. This applies to the past of an individual's life as well as to the history of a nation or a group.

PHASE 285 (CAPRICORN 15°): IN A HOSPITAL, THE CHILDREN'S WARD IS FILLED WITH TOYS.

KEYNOTE: The responsibility of society to ensure the welfare and total health of the new generation.

The socio-cultural process must look to the future as well as to the past. It has created conditions which may harm the children who will carry forward its work, and it must try to repair these negative conditions through love as well as through physical care. In personal life, the individual should take great care of his fresh intuitions and his dreams of future growth. They are often fragile developments which the pressures of everyday life can easily distort or destroy.

This is the last stage of Scene Nineteen, which began with a powerful claim for socio-political power. The exercise of such a power can indeed produce social conditions which endanger the healthy and spiritual unfoldment of a community, and especially of its children. There is therefore constant need for TENDER CARE as well as skill to neutralize the destructive tensions of social living.

An Astrological Mandala