Pisces 2014: Pluto and Pisces. Pink Floyd. Prodigal Son. Putin.

Keynote
“I leave the Father’s home and turning back I save.”
(Full Moon: March 16, 2014. 5.08 pm, London, UK.)

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Pluto’s Soul Rulership of Pisces
Pisces Pink Floyd and the Sixties Music Revolution
The Ancient Karmic Meaning of, “I leave the Father’s home …”
Vladimir Putin and the Destiny of Russia

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Pluto’s Soul Rulership of Pisces
Jupiter and Neptune, traditional co-rulers of Pisces, reveal much about this sign; they transmit respectively the energies of the second ray of Love-Wisdom and the sixth ray of Idealism and Devotion; these are coincidentally the only two rays that pass through Pisces, complementing the great sensitivity and mystical nature of this sign.

Jupiter (by Jove!), with its broad and expansive consciousness, as infinite as the ocean’s horizon; its compassion, generosity and understanding. Jubilance and joy derive from Jupiter (jovian, jolly), etymologically and esoterically. The expression of the soul, which is essentially Love-Wisdom no matter what ray it is on, is joy.

Neptune, Lord of the Oceans and the earthly astral plane, source of higher buddhic consciousness that feeds the mystic, the visionary. Neptune is the vehicle of Varuna, the great Deva Lord of the cosmic astral plane.

Yet Pisces soul ruler Pluto, has jurisdiction over the underworld which includes “under the sea” and what is hidden; this is why it is regarded as a “most esoteric planet”, working invisibly, surreptitiously in the personal “underworld”, the unconscious-subconscious realm.

Pluto is the Lord of Death, known by many names — Kali, The Destroyer, Yamantaka etc. As the higher octave or soul ruler of Pisces, it is the liberating force that frees the two fishes bound together in the sea of matter. As the last sign of the zodiac, Pisces is associated with death and finality — specifically, “death by drowning”:

“The waters drowned the man. The fish was made to disappear. It then appeared again only to die or else to die and bring salvation … The death by drowning or by water in Pisces releases man again into that great centre which we call Humanity, and there experience is gained. Herein lies the mystery of the fish-goddesses of this sign, “who spawn their young again and yet again.”1

“To die and bring salvation” is the redemptive nature of Pisces upon the reversed wheel — whose keynote is, “… turning back, I save.” Salvation, the soothing, healing salve of Pisces that cradles torment in its loving arms. The two fishes of Pisces represent the duality of human existence.

Pluto was discovered toward the end of the Piscean Age in 1930, between two world wars and just prior to the unleashing of the stupendous power of the atomic bomb. (Pluto rules the first ray of Will or Power.) This vast liberation of destructive plutonium force, is a vivid testament to Pluto’s potential in the personal life. Pisces is a sign of bondage, but also liberation from fetters and manacles. Seekers of the light are able to invoke Pluto’s power and destroy hindrances, ‘cutting the thread that binds’:

“The Fishes in Pisces are bound together … and this is a symbol of the captivity of the soul in form … the experience of the many changing incarnations has done its work, and the Band (uniting the two fishes) is in process of dissolution, for part of the work of Pluto is to “cut the thread which binds the two opposing lives together.”2

The phrase, “experience of the many changing incarnations has done its work”, is connected to “death by drowning”; the keynote of Pisces on the “ordinary wheel” is, “Go forth into matter” — i.e. go forth into many incarnations and gain experience. Or in Biblical parlance, “eat of the husks of the far country”. (This will be elaborated upon later.)

Pluto rules the base chakra, wherein lies coiled the kundalini serpent, whose arousal is akin to “playing with fire”, atomic fire. Hence, its wise use through natural evolution, and not prematurely forcing the process through dubious techniques aimed at “enlightenment”.

Pluto is the ‘power’ aspect of the first ray “will-power” equation, creating unity from duality, by destroying. The heat from Pluto’s furnace renders all atoms to a malleable frequency, whilst Vulcan’s hammer pounds into shape the unified alloy upon the anvil.

During the Sun’s annual passage through the signs, whether one has Pisces in the horoscope or not, there is always an opportunity to utilise Pluto’s destructive powers; to use a somewhat Piscean nautical phrase, “clear the decks” — before the start of the new cycle in Aries. Well shiver me timbers! (Or is that Shiva me timbres?) At any rate, it is a very subjective internal process, befitting reflective Pisces.

As average humanity’s “fishes” of consciousness tend to be immersed in the astral world (the ocean of emotion), the challenge for those upon the upward way is to “keep their heads above water”, to be detached from the ocean but to be able to swim in it; or to “live in the world but not of it”. This is a great paradox as Pisces inherently knows no separation, hence why Pisces-Neptune types often have personal boundary issues.

Pluto is associated with the underworld-unconscious-subconscious but also the “superconscious” (transcending human consciousness); it has an association with the mental plane — hence the soul and its existence upon the higher mental plane:

“[Pluto] … governs however the death or cessation of old ideas and emotions, and its influence is therefore largely cerebral, and in that you have the clue to its late discovery. Mankind is only on the verge of becoming mental. Its effects are felt first in the mental body. The names of the planets are not the result of arbitrary choice but the planets name themselves.”3

Mankind is on the “verge of becoming mental”. It could also be said in this day and age, that “mankind is going mental” as it seeks to address the problem of the pairs of opposites in the realm of ideas. Pluto was discovered in this era which is the apotheosis of the Fifth Rootrace and the development of the mental principle.

How do we square this mental association with Pluto ruling the base chakra? Perhaps it concerns the incarnation of mind into matter, the constant anchoring at the foundation of all that is known about living, rendering it below the threshold of consciousness — into instinct. It also concerns the development of mind over matter.

The “planets name themselves” by virtue of Pluto’s role as lord of the underworld in ancient mythologies — essentially the Mystery Teachings encoded in story and parable. Pluto however, is connected to the “cessation of old ideas and emotions”, so it works on both the astral and mental planes.

If its association with the base chakra is included, then also the physical plane. Hence, Pluto is an important planet in transforming the life of the candidate for initiation, influencing the mental body and governing the “lesser burning ground” of the emotional body:

“Two of the other non-sacred planets — Mars and Pluto — function in connection with the sacral centre (Mars) and the solar plexus (Pluto). This latter planet becomes active in the life of the man who is “becoming alive in the higher sense, his lower nature passes into the smoke and darkness of Pluto, who governs the lesser burning ground, in order that the man may live in truth in the higher land of light.”4

Pluto can also have profound physical effects when it aspects the Sun or Moon, heralding at times the onset of serious illness, which of course, has its roots in either the astral or mental bodies.

Yet Pluto never destroys consciousness, the imperishable soul, only impediments to the soul’s free expression — “death of desire, death of the personality and of all which holds him between the pairs of opposites, in order to achieve the final liberation.”5

Pisces Pink Floyd and the Sixties Music Revolution

“How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We’re just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.”6

This verse is from a song about Pink Floyd’s dearly departed mystic and visionary, Syd Barrett – possibly Pisces rising, with Sun-Venus square Neptune. The song was written by other band members, Roger Waters and David Gilmour, from Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” album.

Gilmour has Sun and Venus in Pisces, whilst Waters, the main song-writer, has Sun and Venus in wordsmith Virgo, making a very creative dynamic between them, yet also a long-lasting and acrimonious feuding.

In the late sixties/early seventies, many musical groups achieved their highest and most creative output; this was due to the influence of the second ray of Love-Wisdom, Jupiter and Aquarius. (The summer of love, All you need is love, etc.) Jupiter rules the second ray and is also the esoteric ruler of Aquarius.

Many groups like Pink Floyd embraced esoteric and eastern philosophy in their lyrics and lifestyles. Psychedelics were a means to an expansion of consciousness and, at least in the early days, were regarded as a sacrament to a mystical vision of the Divine.

The “Summer of Love” in 1967 was a social phenomenon that signalled a major cultural, political shift and the Hippie Revolution. Neptune was in Pluto-ruled Scorpio, hence the experiments in sex and drugs (and rock and roll), investigation into the subtle, psychic realm — as well as all the accompanying glamour and maya. 1967 was the year of the release of the songs, “All you need is love”, “If you are going to San Francisco” and “Let it All Hang Out”.

Jupiter was in Leo, the love-wisdom planet in the sign of the heart. Hence also, the highly individualistic, outlandish clothes, big hair, psychedelic art — everything that spelt non-conformity to the establishment. Of course, the Jupiter-ruled Aquarius polarity was highly stimulated as well, triggering a flood of new ideas, technologies, rebellion against authority and a revolution in consciousness.

This era was a pivotal point between the ages of Pisces and Aquarius, both influences synthesising an eclectic mix; it was a truly revolutionary and exciting time. The world is well overdue for another period like this, expected to occur from around 2025 onward, when the new music and arts start to precipitate into human consciousness.

The Meaning of, “I leave the Father’s home …”

Pisces keynote:
“I leave the Father’s home and turning back, I save.”

What is the significance of the “prodigal son” esoterically? Prodigal is related to prodigious, another expansive Jupiter word. Jupiter as ruler of Pisces, rules the ordinary wheel upon the mutable cross, whose keynote is, “Go forth into matter”, or similarly in Jupiter-Zeus’s promiscuous language, “go forth and multiply”!

Prodigal translates as, “characterized by profuse or wasteful extravagance”. The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:13-19), tells how a father’s younger son, “… took his journey into a “far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” (Sounds like yours truly before his first Saturn return!:))

“… a father gives the younger of his two sons his inheritance before he dies. The younger son, after wasting his fortune, goes hungry during a famine. [“… filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat…”] He then repents and returns home, where the father holds a feast to celebrate his return.

The older son refuses to participate, stating that in all the time the son has worked for the father, he did not even give him a goat to celebrate with his friends. His father reminds the older son that everything the father has is the older son’s, but that they should still celebrate the return of the younger son as he has come back to them.”7

This parable of Jesus is a profound esoteric allegory concerning the proverbial “fall of the angels” or Monads, when they descended into matter, appropriating souls and the experience of many incarnations. At the appointed cycle, two thirds “obeyed”, one third “refused”, thereby incurring the “war in heaven” of the “rebellious angels”:

“… the divine plan of evolution was based upon the production of this relationship between spiritually conscious man and the form aspect, and thus the great Law of Duality came into action, bringing about the “fall of the angels,” as they descended from their sinless and free state of existence in order to develop full divine awareness upon earth, through the medium of material incarnation and the use of the principle of mind.

This was the divine plan, emanating from the Mind of God and swept into activity and progressive unfoldment by an act of His Will. At its inception, there took place the original “war in the heavens,” when the sons of God who responded to the divine urge to experience, to serve and to sacrifice, separated themselves from the sons of God who responded to no such inspiration, but who chose to stay in their original and high state of being.

To this truth, Christ Himself bore witness in the story of the Prodigal Son and his relationship to his elder brother, who had not left the Father’s home. It is obvious, is it not, from this parable, where the approbation [approval] of the Father lay; a careful study of this story and an intuitive understanding of its implications may evoke someday a response to the “sin of experience,” as it has been called, and a comprehension of the two major laws governing the process: the Law of Evolution and the Law of Rebirth. Here lies the prime initiating cause of what is taking place today.”8

This is an extraordinary statement, as it was written at the onset of WWII in 1939, under the heading, “Ancient Karmic Events”. The period referred to is Individualisation in the Lemurian era 21 million years ago.9

The “Father” is the Planetary Logos of this planet and the angels or monads were “his” very substance, about to manifest under the Law of Cycles — as part of a planetary initiation. The son who stayed at home is one of the group who “refused”.

The “prodigal son” is the soul who has “returned”, having “eaten of the husks of the far country”, i.e., run the gamut of incarnational experience and become perfected and liberated. (The “father” is the symbol of the planetary logos, or the monad.)

Hence, Pisces harbours this ancient karmic thread, “I leave the Father’s home and turning back, I save.” This Pisces keynote for the “reversed wheel” of conscious evolution is like a compensatory law that mitigates some of the karma from that ancient period. Who knows how many of us were amongst those who “refused”, the Divine Rebels? Perhaps the one third who refused to incarnate should be called the moan-ads? (My old man never even gave me a bleedin’ goat!):

“The sons of wisdom, the sons of night … ready for re-birth, came down. They saw the (intellectually) vile forms of the first third (race) [“the bodies were too coarse”] … “we can choose,” said the lords, “we have wisdom.”10

Are they still whinging today? Probably! The goat is a symbol of Capricorn and initiation, that can only be undergone by the monad submitting itself to Earth experience, the unavoidable “Cycle of Necessity”; thereby redeeming the substance of the planet, so that it can eventually be transformed into a “sacred planet”, furthering the evolution of the greater solar system of which it is part.

Herein lies the mystery of human incarnation and the part that Earth plays within the greater scheme of the solar system. H.P. Blavatsky informs us that this extraordinary planetary event contains,

“… the whole key to the mysteries of evil, the so-called Fall of the angels, and the many problems that have puzzled the brains of the philosophers from the time that the memory of man began. It solves the secret of the subsequent inequalities of intellectual capacity, of birth or social position, and gives a logical explanation to the incomprehensible Karmic course throughout the æons which followed.”11

On the “… the secret of inequalities …”, DK later comments through his second amanuensis, Alice A. Bailey:

“Men of this type refused to incarnate earlier, as the bodies were too coarse … No real “sin” was committed; it was their privilege to discriminate, and this refusal has its bearing upon conditions upon Earth, being the basis of the great class distinctions which — in every land — have been so fruitful of trouble and the esoteric foundation of the “caste” system, so abused now in India.

The problem of labor and capital has its roots in the subjective distinction between “equipped and unequipped” Egos [souls], between those units of the human family on earth who have passed out of the Hall of Ignorance, and those who are yet groping in its dark and gloomy corridors; between those Egos who are only “bud” Egos, and those who have organised the outer circle of petals [of the 12-petalled heart lotus], and whose petals are ready to open up …”12

Well, an extraordinary story and much to reflect upon. Some readers may ask what is the point of knowing all this highly esoteric information? The obvious answer is that in understanding the greater Plan comes greater compassion; and hence a greater conscious involvement in seeing that the Purpose of human and planetary unification is realised.

This diagram gives an understanding of the return of all “prodigal sons” to their source. Note the seven triangles on the 2nd sub-plane, the monadic plane, where its says, “A Human Monad”. Then, find the 5th sub-plane where it says, “Human Causal Body”. This is the abode of the soul that, once liberated at the Fourth Initiation, is destroyed, allowing the Monad to “take over”, to become, “monadically conscious”. The 7 planes, 7 sub-planes are a map of the various degrees of energy and consciousness, becoming more refined with each ascending step of the ladder. They all correspond to the 7 rays, 7 chakras, 7 sacred planets etc. Hence the physical plane is “mother matter”, the monadic, “father spirit” and the causal (higher mental), is the “son-soul”. These are the A, B, C’s of occultism for the dedicated student and can serve as a handy reference for many years of study.

One final reflection to add,

“… the question of what constitutes sin and evil is far more intricate than even appears upon the surface. From our limited vision, it appears to be “sin” to fall into incarnation, and equally sin or self-will, self-satisfaction, to remain unevolved upon the higher planes.”13

The keynote of the Prodigal Son story is forgiveness — of the father to the son, and the heartfelt welcoming back into the fold. Without forgiveness there will always be separation and bitterness. Forgiveness is the most outstanding feature of Pisces and is covered here in another newsletter called “The Forge of Forgiveness”.

Vladimir Putin and the Destiny of Russia
(Pluto-Uranus and Mars Retrograde)

Prior to the analysis of current events in the Ukraine, it is worth bearing in mind what the Master Djwhal Khul said in relation to Russia, USA and Britain — and their divine missions. Responsibilities for these nations lie in three planetary areas.

The following passage is from The Destiny of the Nations which, in the light of human stupidities, I sometimes irreverently refer to as A Density of Notions:

“a. Russia, fusing and blending eastern Europe and western and northern Asia.

b. The United States (and later South America), fusing and blending central and western Europe and the entire western hemisphere.

c. The British Empire, fusing and blending races and men throughout the entire world.”14

Hence, we can see how Colonialism and Imperialism, though crude and very cruel at times, played a part in the unfolding of the Planetary Plan. The “fusing and blending” is going ahead rapidly now, despite many abuses by governments and corporations trying to create their selfish “new world order”, as opposed to the emerging new world order based upon generosity, sharing and universal community.

It’s a very complex situation in Russia-Ukraine at the moment, with many competing propagandas in mainstream media. It is possible, although he may not know be conscious of the fact, that Vladimir Putin, by trying to retain Crimea-Ukraine, is trying to maintain, “fusing and blending eastern Europe and western and northern Asia.”

Or, he might be simply caught up in “nineteenth century thinking”, trying to hang on to a piece of Crimea geography which may be more trouble than it is worth in the long run — in myriad ways.

Russia’s spiritual motto is, “I link two ways”, the linking of East and West, a goal that lies a long way ahead for this Aquarian soul in the Aquarian Age. Hence, certain principles have to be maintained or retained, to achieve this goal. Northern Asia, linking to eastern Europe, linking to Russia.

Both Russians, Blavatsky (HPB) and Nicholas Roerich, who came forth from the soul of Russia, laboured in their lifetimes to achieve this bridging of East and West; hence HPB’s default emphasis upon Eastern religions. Both traveled and lived extensively in the East. Russia will come into its own when,

“… control of the Russian personality [Leo] has been offset … At present, the intensely individualistic Leo force in its worst aspects is dominating, but this will not last as history will eventually prove. The noisy, cruel child can turn into a controlled humanitarian in adult life and the influences potent in the Russian horoscope indicate this.”15

This was written many decades ago, but probably still applies — as Russia transitions this past twenty-odd years from its old structure of the Soviet Union. (Some media are speculating that Putin wants to create “Soviet Union Lite”!) Russia is a seventh ray soul (Ceremonial Order, Magic) and a sixth ray personality (Devotion, Idealism):

“Hence the tremendous conflict which is going on between the fanatical sixth ray cruelty of her sixth ray regime and the spiritual harmlessness which is the basic principle of the national ideology. Hence also the materiality of several important sections of her populace and the essential brotherliness which is imposed by the idealism and the mystical aspiration of the Russian genius, expressed through its people as a whole.”16

With a Libra Sun and Scorpio rising, the next couple of years will be intense for Putin, as Pluto and Uranus have their way. Transiting Pluto is almost exactly square his Sun, a big test for the right use of power. Usually the point of least resistance for these kind of transits is to ride roughshod over everyone, and events in the Ukraine were shaping-up like this for a while, with the deployment of the Russian military to “protect Russians” in the Ukraine.

Yet, Pluto soon backs off on its less than one-degree-applying square to Putin’s Sun, whilst transiting Uranus swings into an exact opposition in the next four weeks. Uranus will stay in orb of opposition until March 2015, whilst Pluto does not finish its square influence until the end of 2015.

The forces of destruction and revolution are in the air, and its anyone’s guess as to how Vlad the Lad will respond in the long term — with Libran restraint, or become another Vlad the Impaler? And of course the 2014 Grand Cross, exact from April 22-24, will also focus these tensions even further.

Part of that Grand Cross configuration is Mars in Libra, just gone retrograde, before it goes direct again in late May. Hence these next few months will be an opportunity to resolve conflicts around the world — with Mars the Lord of Battle, in Libra the sign of peace. The Russia-Ukraine crisis could drag on until Mars goes direct in late May, as the scales oscillate from one extreme to another.

Putin shares a similar chart to Benjamin Netanyahu, both “dictators in democracies”, ironically both have several planets in Libra, the sign of justice, fairness and the law – hmmmm! Netanyahu is either Scorpio or Sagittarius rising, depending upon which time of birth one subscribes to.

Both leaders will be tested to the limit in their respective spheres of influence in 2014, as Mars retrogrades back over all their Libran planets, then passes back over the same when it goes direct again, completing its cycle of Libra by August 2014.

Hence the problems in Ukraine and Israel may reach critical mass during this time. Indeed, Israel’s solar arc Moon moves to 12-13 Libra in the next year, whilst its progressed Moon will be 11-13 Capricorn in the next couple of months — both receiving the full impact of the cardinal Grand Cross.

The horoscopes of both Ukraine and Russia were born from the turbulence of the late 80’s, early 90’s, during the Saturn-Uranus-Neptune conjunctions that witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and the ousting of many European dictators. 2012-14 is the first Uranus square to that period since 21 years have elapsed.

The Russian 1991 chart has some very interesting synastry with Ukraine’s chart — Russia’s Moon in Capricorn sitting on Ukraine’s Neptune: The idealism (Neptune) of Ukraine’s independence is at odds with its past (Russia’s Moon), from which it split. Now it seems that the mother wants to reclaim her child again. At this writing, Ukraine will hold a referendum on March 16, the exact date of the Pisces full moon, hence passions will be aroused for the sixth ray forces working through Russia-Ukraine — to put it mildly!

This Moon and Neptune are of course conjoined by transiting Pluto, and all square Putin’s Sun, creating a veritable thorn in his side. Likewise, transiting Uranus will maintain its square to Russia-Ukraine’s Moon-Neptune. Interesting to note too, that USA’s Cancer Sun completes the fourth leg of a grand cross between Putin, Russia and Ukraine.

The next two years may see a massive purging for these two nations and it could be a bloody and bitter conflict, as family feuds can be; with Europe and the USA sitting on the sidelines, opposed to Russia’s actions. The Russians certainly do not want the Ukrainians to get their hands on Russia’s navy nukes.

Yet the opportunity for creating a new future is also a good possibility, especially in light of the fact that both Ukraine and Russia are regarded respectively as the most corrupt nations in Europe; they can only go up from here. There are still many medieval and feudal ways of living, gangsters, oligarchs and high criminal activity – all of which are obstructing Russia’s true Aquarian soul purpose.

It will be interesting to observe Putin’s actions, the world knows how ruthless he can be. With Scorpio rising and its ruler Pluto on his midheaven, his tendency is to take no prisoners. Also, Scorpio co-ruler Mars in Sagittarius loves a good hunt! Let us hope that his weighing, judicial Libran nature makes the right decision.

Phillip Lindsay © 2014.
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1. Esoteric Astrology, Alice A. Bailey. p.97. [↩]
2. Esoteric Astrology, Alice A. Bailey. p.130. [↩]
3. Esoteric Astrology, Alice A. Bailey. p.439. [↩]
4. Esoteric Astrology, Alice A. Bailey. p.79. [↩]
5. Esoteric Astrology, Alice A. Bailey. p.127. [↩]
6. Waters and Gilmour from Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”. See also here. [↩]
7. Wikipedia. [↩]
8. The Externalisation of the Hierarchy, Alice A. Bailey. pp.118-9. [↩]
9. See author’s The Hidden History of Humanity. [↩]
10. The Secret Doctrine II, H.P. Blavatsky. p.161. [↩]
11. The Secret Doctrine II, H.P. Blavatsky. p.161. [↩]
12. A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, Alice A. Bailey. p.825-30. [↩]
13. A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, Alice A. Bailey. p.1090. [↩]
14. The Destiny of the Nations, Alice A. Bailey. p.104. [↩]
15. The Destiny of the Nations, Alice A. Bailey. p.86. [↩]
16. The Destiny of the Nations, Alice A. Bailey. p.60. [↩]