Week 4: Beyond The Mask Online Seminar: Leo Rising
Fixed Fire/The Sun (on 2 levels) as Instinctual and Esoteric Ruler
This week we have a major symbolic shift from Moon-Ruled Cancer Rising to Solar Leo. On the mundane or instinctual level, we leave the feminine qualities, feeling and emotion, nurturing, receptivity, imagination, poetic gifts, etc, to consider a strong, masculine, willful Rising Sign.
Even the approach to spirituality changes as we move from the Path of surrender, passive trust, devotion, and blind faith (waiting for intuition to make things clear to us) to the Path of Will, discipline, striving, perseverance in study of spiritual texts and/or practice of techniques. As a previous workshop a participant said, “it’s as if the Moonchild Archetype is about Being, while the Leo/Solar Archetype is about Doing, about actively engaging in Life.”
That’s a good analogy. Physically, the Moon reflects the light of the Sun, but the Sun generates heat and light, without which none of us could exist here on Earth. The ancients had a better understanding of this essential fact, living as they did before electricity, furnaces, oil and coal refineries etc. In our times, power outages lasting 8-10 days temporarily make us aware of our dependence on the Sun, but unlike the ancients, we can purchase generators.
In astrology, what do we really mean by the two levels in which the Sun is said to rule Leo? While I was in Pondicherry, India a North American (possibly a double Pisces) asked someone who’d lived 20 years at the Aurobindo Ashram about the Ego, “it’s a Bad Thing, right? We need to get rid of the Ego in order to find God?”
“No, no, no,” said the Sage, “that’s a common error. In Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy, the Ego is simply an instrument of the Divine. The more you develop your individual personality and your talents, the better. If you do that, when you reach Self-Realization you’ll have a lot more to offer the world. Of course, we must apply our will to conquer our lower nature, we cannot give in to every distracting desire.”
Aurobindo Ghose had Sun /Jupiter conjunct on his Leo Ascendant, who better to understand and explain this than he? (As to “serving the world,” he also had Venus- in- Virgo in his First House.)
For the Leo persona, please read the quotations, p.95, on Zelda Fitzgerald, 98-99, The Fixed Mode, The Fire Element, Solar and Lunar Creativity, and The Mundane Ruler.”
Question 1) Match the following Leo Rising people with the following statements. Michael Moore, Maya Angelou, Henri Matisse. Edouard Manet Zelda Fitgerald. Sting. Maud Gonne.
a) An attorney, I became interested in painting while recovering from appendicitis, then decided to pursue a career in art. I overcame the objections of my family and teachers who insisted I had no talent. I had Sun in Capricorn, with Exalted Mars, and 3 other planets in my 5th House.
b) I have Sun/Saturn in Libra in the versatile 3rd House, enjoy several types of music. I’m a singer, guitarist, actor and former teacher (Mercury in Virgo.)
c) A double Leo with Sun in the 12th, I danced professionally, painted, wrote short fiction and enjoyed entertaining famous American ex-pats in Paris.
d) A Sagittarius Sun Sign orator, I was surprised at W. B. Yeats including me in his poem, “Beautiful, Lofty Things,” then furious when he described me as a tired, fading beauty outshone by her sister! (“The Arrow.”) Men!
e) An artist with Sun in Air in the 6th House, I needed to paint in order to feel well.
f) I have Sun/Jupiter in Aries on my 9th House cusp, trine the Rising Sign; Neptune is on my Ascendant. Actress and prize winning author, I speak 6 languages, have lived abroad and toured around the world.
g) A modern filmmaker, I take on controversial topics and defend my position on TV talk shows. Forty percent of my planets, including Sun, Moon, and Exalted Mars are in Earth. In spite of my public persona. I consider myself an introvert
Question 2: The three Leo Rising women (above examples) disliked being thought of as “muses” to great men. Why do you think this seems to bother Leo Rising women more than women with other Rising Signs? In past centuries, women were seen as reflections of their husband’s personalities, whose duty it was to support his career. Would this have been easy for them to fulfill society’s expectations for women?
Question 3 How does the Fixed Mode aid Leo Rising in consciously creating the persona? From what you’ve read of the examples, does success come more easily for Leo Rising than Cancer Rising? Would Sun-in-Fire help bring out Leo Rising’s charisma? In youth, might the Mask of Leo Rising seem more macho than that other men's masks?
Advanced Question for Astrologers:
Question 4: please read pp. 113-114: “Leo Rising in Youth.” Aquarius is the Sign on the 7th House Cusp for Leo Rising (Marriage House.) A Fixed Sign, it appears steady, yet Aquarius is Uranus-ruled. In youth it sometimes features excitement over stability. If you know people with Leo Rising, would you say that marriage flows easily for them, or is challenging for the Leo persona?
Question 5: The Esoteric Journey. Please read, “The Sun as Higher Self,” pp. 105-113; 114-115 “The Leo Mask Over 50.” (Life’s Best Years?)
Edgar Cayce had the Sun in a Water Sign and a psychic House. an independent young man, he chose photography instead of his father’s profession, but what was his greatest personal challenge?
Question 6: Next, please read the German story, “The Ruined Dancing Shoes.”
After you finish, consider the older couple, the parents of the princess. What might they do with their freedom after she “wakes up?” (Their responsibility to her, and the Kingdom is over.)
Both CG Jung and the Indian Ideal of the 4 ashramas (stages of life) view life after 50 as different. The householder stage ends, the Ego’s ambition, competitiveness, and desires wane, while many people experience increased interest in spirituality.
The Indian (Golden Age) ideal: by 50, a couple’s children would be self-sufficient, so the husband and wife could retire to the forest for a number of years, living simply (at survival level), then, eventually, they’d become hermits. From 50 onwards, the focus is on Soul, with minimum attention to the body’s needs. As long as older people are healthy, these seem to be life’s most enjoyable years. Responsibilities dwindle. Few Westerners would embrace the forest or a hermit’s mountain cave! But what does life offer us, after 50 in the 21st Century?
Question: 7 Please read the progressed cycle and think about what it means for Leo Rising. Which of the progressions seems easier? If you have Leo Rising, would you like to share anything with us about the progressed cycle?
Replies
That's very interesting, the Virgo (Mercury-ruled) progression covered your career years. You mentioned earlier having several Earth planets in the Natal 10th. Out of curiosity, what was your last job title at work? And have you yet progressed into Lihra?
Yes, my retirement Sun progression is Libra. I retired as a technical writer.
Ah. Generous Jupiter, it is playful in the 5th, your're right. He was probably a good photographer, too.
So,Venus Exatled in Pisces in the 8th in the Sign of the Twins, two or more clients, two or more chances someone would help with the center in Myrtle Beach. The 8th is among other things, investors' money.
Cayce was expecting others to be lucky--an oil stike would have done it, his friends' investments paying off. A good soul, he wished his clients well and did everythng in his power and the Source's power to help them. It seemed only natural to him they'd help him in return. And the truth is, he was right, the plutocrats were very lucky people. And he did discuss Myrtle Beach with grateful clients. They nodded, told him how much they valued his work and how they wanted to help at some point in the future.
Maybe if he had been awake, rather than dictating from a trance state, he'd have been better able to "bargain with the Source" as you suggest. But it didn't work that way. From what I've read, the Souce cut in when he inquired about other people, telilng him to eat properly himself to keep this vehicle (his body) strong, or move to Myrtle Beach, where the Source said he belonged.
LIke many Piscean Sun Signs--as you mention--he didn't ask questions about himself. The Source interrupted, concerned about Cayce's health and well-being, and wanted him to live near the ocean. Many Pisceans intutively do that, and seem to live a long time in places like Florida.
Jupiter-- in Pisces symbolizes great faith--Jupiter ruled Pisces for many centuries, before Neptune was discovered and still has its imprint there, so it's in Rulership, a fortunate placement. He gave his life to his work, he expected to be provided for.
And yes, Life does appear that way to some Pisceans--they feel like cells in a huge cosmic organism, they help others, and others will help them. This is how, they tell me, we'll all survive.
Yet what happens in the 8th, if we depend on others, in years like 1929 and 2008? Even with a benefitc planet there? There are things beyond even Plutocrats' control, like world economies. His cleints went under and couldn't do the healing center. The timing was off.
Another thing about Jupiter is, BIG dreams. Suppose Cayce had said, "I'll move just my family and small staff to Mrytle first--my big center can come later. They might have helped him do it in stages. But it was a huge plan. They'd invested most of their funds elsewhere. Pisces doesn't ordinarily think in stages, that's the polarity Sign, Virgo. Pisces is a Visionary sign that concentrates on the whole picture.
When I think of Cayce, as I often have over the years, I sometimes quote to Pisceans what Yogananda's Taurean Guru, Sri Yukeshwar said.
Sri Y was asked why he owned a small business--"what a worldly thing to do, you're a Swami! Why not sell it?"--and he answered, "I keep this business so I'll never be dependent on other people." His students were puzzled (like my double Pisces clients,) one of them replied, "but we'll take care of you, sir. We're your children!" And he thanked the student for his generous offer and good intentions, then declined.
It's sometimes a delicate balance between the esoteric and the mundane. Without the esoteric rulers many of us would remain unconscious, but to overbalance in the esoteric direction has its dangers.
Someone once asked what Cayce's story meant to me, personally, (my having a Pisces Moon, I guess) and I said, "if the Source told me to move, I'd move quickly."
One final thought--you mention "the depths" of the 8th House, investing in products beneath the surface, oil mining must have felt right to him.
Thanks for your insight here Kathleen - very interesting and makes sense..
Question 6: Next, please read the German story, “The Ruined Dancing Shoes.”
After you finish, consider the older couple, the parents of the princess. What might they do with their freedom after she “wakes up?” (Their responsibility to her, and the Kingdom is over.)
Both CG Jung and the Indian Ideal of the 4 ashramas (stages of life) view life after 50 as different. The householder stage ends, the Ego’s ambition, competitiveness, and desires wane, while many people experience increased interest in spirituality.
The Indian (Golden Age) ideal: by 50, a couple’s children would be self-sufficient, so the husband and wife could retire to the forest for a number of years, living simply (at survival level), then, eventually, they’d become hermits. From 50 onwards, the focus is on Soul, with minimum attention to the body’s needs. As long as older people are healthy, these seem to be life’s most enjoyable years. Responsibilities dwindle. Few Westerners would embrace the forest or a hermit’s mountain cave! But what does life offer us, after 50 in the 21st Century?
I am wondering myself :D
I know from my own background seeing my grandmother have such an enjoyable life, full of talking to many and varied people and being able to be relaxed and unhurried about everything, that that seems like a wonderful thing to embrace, but with retirement age getting older and personally feeling I will need to work possibly beyond that I do wonder.
I also wonder about the 50 - 65 age range - 65 + seems handleable because of my grandmothers example, and my logic which says when mortgages are paid off then things will shift more than I can imagine.
But from here to there - well what exactly - I am coming to menopause myself at 46, so feel a bit of the need to retreat, yet also have simultaneous feelings of not yet having finished my ambition or drive ro success - in some ways I feel that has only just started.
I look around socially and also find there are no exciting avenues for me in this age range, though as I explore I find there are also more than I would imagine - mountaineering round here certainly covers the 50 - 80 age range which a plethora of older mountaineers, perhaps not now doing everest, but still doing uk and Alps - having more time to travel and explore and do adventure type holidays - often with more knowledge and experience now - I look forward to this. Less competative and more experiential.
My own dilemma is compounded by not only feeling I have not yet achieved what I can professionally, but also I still have a relatively young son who curtails many social opportunities I would otherwise engage in.
Not really sure how this relates to the astrology we are discussing here, but the question has brought forth these thoughts personally - I am really interested in others ideas about this question... I feel in the dark about it all...
Well, here we say 50 is the new 40, so you have plenty of time to try out your options. Mountaineering goes on to 80, that's wonderful!
Yes.,, I think when the competitive drive dwindles, we have a lot more fun. One of the best parts about gettting older is that we no longer need to prove anything, either to ourselves or the outside world.
The person you are, the experiences you've had, including motherhood, combine to make you a better professional,though, and perhaps better than people who've been in practice longer, but have seen less of life.
You mentioned, I think, that your son has Leo Rising and the Sun rules the Rising Sign from the 10th? Or, the upper hemisphere? As he gets older, he'll enjoy some of your adventurous trips. For when that happens, are there trips where families can participate? I know ski lodges in the US offer classes and programs for young people, while their parents are out on the slopes, and wonder if hiking offers any?
Thats great 50 is the new 40 - thats been rattling around in my head for a few days since you posted it :D And a smile on my face. Thats good to hear about my son - he is interested in walking in the mountains and actually told me recently he wants to do the Welsh 3000ft mountains in 24 hours! He will need to train though and getting him out regularly, despite his verbal enthusiasm, seems harder. He is very into the computer. I will be attempting to do this with him this year though as the weather improves and with daylight longer.
Not much like that here - child care whilst out in the mountains - though...
Maybe other parents with children your son's age could get together and arrange classes for a small group of interested children? As I recall, that's how the kids' skiing classes began, and fairly soon became popular enough for families to come every year, ending with internediate and advanced classes too. The kids really enjoy it over the holidays.
Question 5:
You bet I want to weigh in on Edgar Cayce because I've always been curious about why his greatest challenge was earning a comfortable living for his family. From what I've read about him, he did his best to follow the instructions from The Source. If being psychic was his major gift, why didn't it include money? You have to have it in the culture we live in.
In my view, if The Source told Cayce not to charge for psychic readings, then the Source should have also told him where to find a couple of oil wells that would set him up financially for life. Then, and only then, should he have given free readings.
The world looks so different to different personality types! I suppose in Cayce's time, people didn't need as much money as we seem to require now. You would have responded to the Source differently, and so would I. I'd have gone to Myrtle Beach with a couple small suitcases, checked into a hotel, and told the Source, "Okay,I'm here, what now?"
It seems to me Cayce's issue was partly his big dream. Let's have a look at that along with Emma's question. She provides more input on his personality (horoscope) to consider.
I appreciate the time you've devoted to the seminar, both of you, by the way.
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