The Three Crosses of the Zodiac and Consciousness

What we are witnessing today is the gradual emergence of a picture of the universe which presents us with a special problem, for it demands the acceptance of a new dimension of reality. This “fourth dimension” can be defined by the elusive, yet revealing word: Interpenetration. What is implied by it is that the universe and our total beings interpenetrate. The era of isolated, irreducible, and quasi-absolute individualities…is passing away. — Dane Rudhyar, The Sun is Also a Star

Astrology is the language of consciousness. It is through its signs and symbols that we can observe how the complexities of human evolution take place. It is for this reason that the Tibetan Master, D.K., has called astrology “the science of effective energies”. This nomenclature is especially appropriate, for what is astrology if it is not a science whose energies express and effect the nature of our individual and collective destiny?

One of our major tasks in terms of the unfolding of our consciousness and the expression of our destiny, is to build a “landing base” for the Soul to anchor on the Earth. When this happens on an individual basis, we have what is known as “personal enlightenment” or “Soul-infusion”. When this occurs on a collective level and a Mahatma (Great Soul) appears, we have the externalization of a Messiah, and the Christ comes forth once again to walk among us.

In Soul-Centered astrology, we can use the symbology of the signs to diagram the unfolding of the stages of human consciousness. It can be said that humanity falls into three broad groups of beings, groups which correspond to the three cross of the zodiac. The first group, the Mutable, is by far the most numerous. This is the great, unconscious, unindividualized mass of brothers and sisters who inhabit our planet and live primarily through the instinctual awareness of their biological karma.

The second group, the Fixed, is a bit more advanced along the spiritual Path and are to be found hard at work shaping their physical, emotional, and mental vehicles for a purpose which they sense but in many cases cannot see in its entirety. This is the stage in which many of us reading this article currently find ourselves. It is at this stage in our development when we take on certain disciplines of diet, exercise, study, and service in order to love ourself and others in ways that may be new but are of great importance to us. We often do not know the reasons for our choices or the focus of our direction, but we have learned to listen to our inner voice, our intuitive self. As evolution takes place on the Fixed Cross, people emerge to take their place as members of the New Group of World Servers. This group currently numbers in the millions is growing. It consists of men and women of goodwill from all nations, races, and social levels. These are individuals who in one degree or another, have evolved to a point whereby the link between the Soul and the personality is an increasingly conscious one. Each of these people has his own particular field of creative expression—always connected to a field of service—through which a contribution to humanity is being made. In esoteric terminology, such people are known as “aspirants to the Path” at the outset, and “Disciples of the Path” when a little further along the way. Although each of the steps along the Path gives greater Light, the Path requires the continuous crises of transformation and transmutation of the lower self.

The third group, the Cardinal, is by far the least numerous. It consists of individuals who are the most advanced of all members of humanity. They hold the most Light and also undertake tasks with the greatest responsibility. These Brothers and Sisters are known as the “Initiates of the Path”, and work to benefit all of our lives through their selfless service.

In terms of astrological symbology, we can say that the first group is represented by Mutable Cross of the signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. The focus for awareness when one’s consciousness is on the mutual cross is desire for experience. This desire assumes four different forms relative to the astrological elements. In the earth signs, desire manifests as the urge for material possessions and the achievement of social prestige for its own sake. The desire for communication, for being with many people in many different places and for what we could term, “social stimulation”, takes place through the air signs. The desire for sensual response, pleasure and emotional stimulation characterize the water signs at this level. Personal recognition—“Look at me, I’m here!”—is the underlining desire of the fire signs at this stage of evolution. Consciousness on the mutual cross may be called “unconscious unity”. The individual is so attached to his or her desire nature that he or she sees no separation between desire and consciousness: consciousness IS desire. The purpose for incarnating on the Mutable Cross is to awaken intelligence and knowledge through the multifarious life experiences we encounter during such lifetimes. As it relates to the Seven Rays of manifestation, the Mutable Cross is connected to the Third Ray of Active Intelligence.

The second group of people are incarnating on the Fixed Cross of the signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. This cross is characterized by a movement of consciousness in which an individual becomes more refined and defined in the use of his or her life energy. We could call this transition from the Mutable to the Fixed Crosses, a mutation from indiscriminate or instinctual experience to an increasingly clearer orientationof life expression. Desire ceases to become the prime motivation in life and is replaced by aspiration. The Fixed Cross experience brings into life a very certain tension, the tension of conscious duality. It is through the incarnations taken in the Fixed Cross that we come to understand the relationship between the Soul and the personality and our aspiration becomes the urge to unite the two.

The purpose for incarnating on the Fixed Cross is to reveal the true nature of Love, i.e. the consciousness of the Soul. When the earth signs predominate, aspiration takes the form of the experiences found through the professions, business, and the arts. When the air signs predominate, aspiration expresses itself as the need to communicate some unifying message between individuals and groups of individuals in order to benefit humanity. The watery signs aspire through altruistic ideals that are often taught through philosophy, religion, and unselfish acts of charity. The fiery signs focus their aspirations through those creative projects which serve to stimulate aspiration in others. The Fixed Cross is most closely associated with the Second Ray of Love/Wisdom.

The third group of people are incarnating on the Cardinal Cross of the signs Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. This occurs when a person becomes fully anchored in the orientation of the Soul’s purpose and Love has merged with knowledge and emerged as Love/Wisdom. One has thus achieved the one-pointed, non-dualistic state of consciousness which can be termed “conscious unity”. Here there is no separation between the desires and aspirations of the personality and the Will-To-Good of the Soul. Life is motivated by pure Spiritual Attraction and intent. The tests and trials of the Fixed Cross of transmutation have been passed and one is ready to get “an advanced job” in terms of planetary service. The personality has become the total instrument for the Soul and life has become decidedly and lovingly impersonal. Mounting the Cardinal Cross is called in the Ancient Wisdom Teachings, taking the “Path of Sacrifice.” Please note, that the word “sacrifice” comes from two Latin roots meaning, “to make holy”.

This Path leads to one of four directions: greater responsibilities for the creation of the right structures of government, economics, and the use of material resources (Capricorn and the earth signs); the organization and participation in groups dedicated to serving humanity (Libra and the airy signs); increasing compassion and human understanding (Cancer and the watery signs); the Right Use of Will to further the Plan of Creation (Aries and the fiery signs).

The Cardinal Cross is under the direction of the First Ray of Will/Power.

Before we examine the crosses and their signs any further, it is very important to clarify our perspective. It is not the sign which qualifies your level of consciousness—it is your level of consciousness that gives conscious direction to your sign. Please note this very carefully. A person is not necessarily on the Mutable Cross for example, if his or her Sun or rising sign is so placed. A person may be incarnating on the Fixed Cross of consciousness and using a mutable sign as a vehicle of expression of their field of aspiration. In other words, I may have very definitely anchored my sense of orientation to the Plan and have thus established my consciousness (my expression of Love/Wisdom) on the Fixed Cross. But in the current incarnation, nothing but a Gemini ascendant will do in order to give me the flexibility I require to relate that consciousness to as many different people under as many different kinds of life circumstances as possible. It is vital to keep in mind that in esoteric, Soul-centered astrology, we are using the signs as fields of “effective energies”. The Soul determines which of these energy fields will have the greatest and best effect for our contribution to life. I think that the following explanations will make this concept clear.

On the Mutable Cross of consciousness (totally personality-centered awareness), Gemini and Sagittarius are signs that often point to those expansive activities that are completely involved with self-interest. The gaining of additional knowledge through education, the urge for limitless life experiences, the urge to communicate information, are all used for the expression of the lower mind and the dominance of the personality in the immediate environment. Such individuals all too frequently believe that everyone should hold the same religious, philosophical, or intellectual beliefs as they do. This gives rise to prejudice and exclusivity, qualities that are not facets of the Soul’s expression.

When Gemini and Sagittarius are expressed in the life of someone who is on the Fixed Cross, all mental activities are geared with ever growing awareness and orientation to the expansion and evolution of consciousness. Such individuals usually create those communicative directions in the educational systems of their societies that serve to transform the separative concepts of the majority of people into more inclusive world views. An individual whose consciousness was on the Cardinal Cross born with the Sun or rising sign on one of the two above signs, would be known on earth as a Great Teacher, incarnating to communicate Divine Truth.

The activities of the Virgo-Pisces arm of the Mutable Cross when manifesting through primary instincts and a lack of individualized consciousness, produce individuals with a distinct tendency towards diffusion and lack of discrimination in their activities. The relationship between Soul and substance is not perceived as this comes about only later through the crises of polarity of the Fixed Cross. It would thus not be possible for a Mutable Cross Virgo or Pisces to be able to perceive the Life Force contained within the form aspect of any object, or perceive the Soul quality within another person. They would only experience the sensation for the desire for that object or their particular need for that other person. Furthermore, the tendency for the Virgo individual would be to diffuse their skills and physical resources while the Pisces person would be more involved with indiscriminate emotional involvements.

If one’s consciousness, manifesting through Virgo or Pisces, were focused on the Fixed Cross, the nurturing dynamics of this sign would come forth very potently. The individual would stand ready to bring such care and carry her resources to all forms of life—the more expanded the consciousness, the more inclusive would be the direction of this service. Yet the inherent quality of the Fixed Cross of consciousness would hold this Virgo individual firmly in place, attaching her to her purpose and inhibiting the diffusion of her energy. This would occur through Pisces on the Fixed Cross through a kind of life orientation that would seek greater unity between people. In this respect, a disciple of the Path with the Sun or rising sign in the Fish, would be very open to dissolving those beliefs, philosophies and creeds which separate people. An Initiate of the Cardinal Cross born in Virgo or Pisces would embody the energies of the Divine Mother or the World Savior and serve humanity accordingly.

In a similar way we can take a brief look at the Fixed and Cardinal Crosses. For the personality-centered Leo or Aquarius, the world is a place where the desire to extend personal influence over others is very strong. The Leo individual manifesting through the Mutable Cross of consciousness will have a profound urge to dominate the environment and rule. The Aquarian on the Mutable Cross would work to assure himself that his system of values is the dominant way of thinking in his little (and all too often, it is too big), world. Taurus on the Mutable Cross will fear the loss of material substance and strive to create abundance no matter what the cost to others. And Scorpio on this Cross is very eager to take Taurus’ money away from him!

When on the Fixed Cross, the fixed signs will tend to reorient their values and resources to the benefit of others. Taurus will become increasingly more generous (and magnetic) as her attachment to matter is transformed into an understanding of real value. Scorpio on the Fixed Cross is a most potent influence and requires great faith and patience. It is here that an individual goes through one of the most important of incarnations: the test of transmutation and transformation of live direction. An Cardinal Cross Initiate born on the Fixed Cross may likely appear as a Great Healer (Taurus), an Enlightened Ruler (Leo), a White Magician (Scorpio), or an Enlightened Communicator (Aquarius).

In terms of the cardinal signs, an Aries or Libra born with his consciousness on the Mutable Cross will create relationships that are very egocentric in orientation. The urge will be to create response in others to the desire’s of the personality (Aries) or to be a manipulative “everything to everyone” kind of Libra. Cancer and Capricorn on this level usually demonstrate as emotionally needy and grasping (Cancer) or very usurious and opportunistic (Capricorn). When operating on the Fixed Cross, the cardinal signs begin to orient themselves as follows: Aries will tend to open new pathways for his own creative expression and stimulate the latent creativity in others. The purpose of this direction will be to increase the possibility for the externalization of Love/Wisdom. Libra will use her magnetism to join people together for purposes of greater social welfare. Cancer will create many opportunities to spread and share the abundant resources of her nourishing nature unselfishly. And Capricorn on the Fixed Cross develops the objectivity necessary to create the proper structures and boundaries for the expression of the Soul in the practical world.

As one would imagine, a cardinal sign Initiate born through the Cardinal Cross is a very powerful Being. In Aries this might manifest as a Great Leader; in Cancer as a Holy Mother; in Libra as an Inspired Peacemaker; and in Capricorn as a Spiritual Liberator.