Taurus 2010: Volcanoes and Vulcan. Iceland. Mercury Retrograde.
Iceland Volcano.
Volcanoes, Vulcan and Mercury Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde
Pause for Reflection
The Manu
Volcanoes, Vulcan and Mercury Retrograde
Lately nature has been creating major disruptions via eruptions of the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull.(Can you pronounce that?!) Volcanoes are of course studied by vulcanologists and so in reflection upon the approaching Wesak (Taurus) full moon, one can contemplate the esoteric ruler of Taurus, the planet Vulcan. Vulcan the Divine Smithy, toils away at his forge, fashioning his “instrument” upon the anvil:
“… Vulcan, the forger of metals, the one who works in the densest, most concrete expression of the natural world (from the human angle). He is the one who goes down into the depths to find the material upon which to expend his innate art and to fashion that which is beautiful and useful.
Vulcan is, therefore, that which stands for the soul, the individual, inner, spiritual man; in his activity we find the key to the soul’s task upon the eternal round of the wheel of life. You will remember how Hercules upon the Fixed Cross had to fashion his own weapons before he succeeded in the struggle. This is in reality a reference to the art of Vulcan who rules the inner man and guides his fashioning.”1
Vulcan (will) shares rulership of the first ray of Will-Power with Pluto (power). Both planets are like invisible guardians at two extremes of the solar system – Vulcan closest to the Sun, Pluto furthest from the Sun; both cannot be seen with the naked eye. In mythology both are characterised as working underground, hidden from the world, hence their very esoteric influence working behind the scenes.
When peering into any volcano with its awe-inspiring eruptions hurling skyward molten lava and ash, amidst the lightning flashes of self-perpetuated thunderstorms, one witnesses the source forces and raw materials with which Vulcan works; we bear witness to the destructive forces of Pluto as well as the constructive forces of Vulcan.
Surtsey, Iceland
Mt Rinjani, Lombok, Indonesia (1994).
The rootraces and their respective continents are destroyed alternately by fire and water. Lemuria was destroyed by volcanic activity (fire), Atlantis by water and the continents of the Fifth Rootrace will ultimately be destroyed or re-shaped by volcanic activity. Hence current events of earthquake and volcanic activity will increase over the next 2,000 to 25,000 years as a natural part of Earth’s rhythms and cycles; they will be seen as disasters of course, yet are reflections of the transformation of human consciousness and the movement that it is making toward the Sixth Rootrace.
Mercury Retrograde
Taurus is a sign intimately related to money, precious metals and possessions. During the current volcanic eruption in Iceland (recently bankrupted), many have lost income and business because of the disruptions caused to air traffic. The eruptions started during the cycle of Mercury’s transit through Taurus – in the slowing down period before it went retrograde. (Mercury goes direct May 12.)
As Taurus is one of the signs of the zodiac that suffers from the greatest inertia, Mercury retrograde in this sign can cause profound disruptions and delays in transport and communications. It is also interesting to note that during this period, NASA has released spectacular images of solar flare eruptions on the Sun – as above, so below!
Some students talk of Mercury retrograde in almost superstitious tones, tending to reinforce a kind of fatalism. But of course Mercury retrograde allows old ground to be gone back over, carefully sifting, reflecting and reassessing whatever needs to be scrutinised in one’s life. If we surrender to this introspective process, by the time Mercury goes direct again, a point of clarity and resolution will emerge.
Yet even after Mercury goes direct, there is still a period of a couple of weeks for it to speed up to its normal daily motion, just as there is a couple of weeks leading into the retrograde phase, a slowing of its daily motion. Hence Mercury goes truly direct once it has reached its average daily motion through the heavens – which may be a couple of weeks after it has gone direct in the technical sense.
Hence the volcanic eruptions will not be over until they are over! Currently there may be a view windows open that will allow air transport to resume, yet late May could be a more realistic date, in terms of Mercury moving fully into its direct cycle and eruption disruption ceasing. Time will tell!
Pause for Reflection
Returning to Iceland – Taurus is Mother Earth, hence transiting Mercury in Taurus is a most appropriate cycle for the raising of the vital fluids of Earth . The disruptions caused to human living have been most profound – what was taken for granted in the past can no longer be counted upon. It’s almost as if Humanity is being asked to slow down and take stock.
Could we contemplate, instead of a few hours by plane, taking several days on a passenger liner from New York to London? No one knows how long the eruptions will continue. The second volcano (Katla), which according to scientists may have far more disastrous consequences, could also have an eruption triggered by the first volcano; they could both keep erupting for a couple of years as they did back in the 1800’s.
Hence even though there are some tough short-term economic consequences and inconveniences, these eruptions could be a blessing in disguise. Taurus is a sign of values, and this is certainly a good opportunity for everyone to re-assess values, particularly for many of those who bound to the treadmill of materialism and have not woken up yet to the fact of soul. Incidences like the recent volcanic activity are pivotal moments and act as fiery catalysts.
In this light, it is interesting to contemplate the Wesak chart of Taurus 2000, the so-called Fifth Shamballa Impact,2 a pattern that could well determine the intervening 25 years until 2025. The horoscope for that period has a stellium of planets in Taurus in the second house of money, more esoterically interpreted as the house of spiritual values. As noted then, the two major themes emerging from that horoscope were money and the environment.
Considering the economic downturn that started in 2008 and recalcitrant attitudes of those resisting change, one could draw a conclusion: If Humanity does not change its old ways of doing business, like the corrupt practices of Wall St. for instance, then it will be forced to do so by Mother Nature. (Some very encouraging initiatives by the Obama administration are currently in effect and this is cause for hope.)
Or if Humanity is too slow to change then it will be given a little hurry-up by natural cataclysms. This may well be occurring now and could repeat with greater regularity in the near future with more devastating earthquakes such as the recent ones in Chile, Haiti, China and Iran. As mentioned earlier, much of this activity is part of natural cycles over a vast period of time and has been widely anticipated by mystics and scientists alike.
Note that esoterically, Taurus is the sign of the celebration of the Buddha. Mercury is also a name synonymous with Buddha, as to attain Buddha awareness is to move into the perception of the buddhic (intuitive) realm, ruled over esoterically by Mercury. Hence the passage of Mercury through Taurus is a “double-dose” of the energy of the Buddha, the Avatar who came to teach the world how to liberate from the imprisoning desire nature.
The realms of air travel are symbolic of higher “altitude” awareness, hence some telling symbolism about being “grounded” in the earthly material realms of Taurus, yet with the possibility of being elevated into the realm of Taurus the Mother of Illumination: Who, “when the eye of the Bull is opened, ‘thy whole body shall be full of light.”
The Manu
As alluded to earlier, while the world moves into the consciousness of the Sixth Rootace-based upon compassion, understanding and the development of that sixth sense intuition, so will the continents re-shape themselves in preparation for the first pioneers of that race. Racial development and the shifting of continents comes under the aegis of the one known as the Manu, holding one point of the divine triangle with his brothers, The Christ and The Mahachohan.3 The following passage is a most mysterious one to ponder in terms of inner planetary workings:
“The work of the Manu is largely concerned with government, with planetary politics, and with the founding, direction, and dissolution of racial types and forms. To Him is committed the will and purpose of the Planetary Logos. He knows what is the immediate objective for this cycle of evolution over which He has to preside, and His work concerns itself with making that will an accomplished fact. He works in closer co-operation with the building devas than does His Brother, the Christ, for to Him is given the work of setting the race type, of segregating the groups out of which races will develop, of manipulating the forces which move the earth’s crust, of raising and lowering continents …”4
We live in exciting and transformative times betwixt the ages of Pisces and Aquarius. We must face these mighty changes with courage, innovation and a strong spirit of service toward the many who are blighted with confusion, fear and doubt. Earth changes will force many to the point of “reversal of the wheel”, followed rapidly by the first initiation where there is the realisation of the Buddha-Christ within the cave of the heart. During the Wesak Festival may we all affirm the call to the sacrifices required to truly serve this Planet.
Phillip Lindsay © 2010.
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- Esoteric Astrology, Alice A. Bailey. p.385. [↩]
- See the revised edition of The Shamballa Impacts: Their Esoteric Astrology in World History. Phillip Lindsay. Chapter titled: “Activation of the Fifth Shamballa Impact Climate Change and the Environment”. [↩]
- See Masters of the Seven Rays, Phillip Lindsay. [↩]
- Initiation Human and Solar, Alice A. Bailey. p.43. [↩]
