Welcome to Esoteric Astrology with Bonnie Wells

On the evolutionary path, there can be no sharp distinctions between subjective and objective categories of experience. Inner is outer: perceptual states tend to reveal themselves in situations experienced as Other, which in turn magnetize more of the original quality -- who can say which comes first? It follows, then, that our perceptions not only condition inner and outer reality, but conjugate it; the perception is the grain of personal truth around which concretizations accrue. Self-perceptions, both conscious and unconscious, alchemize the soul's journey, for they speak to who and what we think we are, and to that which is primary about us. How we see ourselves changes over the course of a lifetime, but we entered this life at some point on a continuum of experience that resonates with a reality we, ourselves, have built up. Intimately linked with that thought, is the idea of purpose: if I perceive that my soul is characterized by a particular set of qualities and potentials, how can I facilitate their externalization in the world of form? This is the principal area addressed by esoteric astrology, for our understanding of ourselves as souls is critical to the multidimensional process of our unfolding.

Esoteric astrology is rooted in the philosophy of hylozoism, which asserts that life and matter, as states or conditions of energy, are inseparable; that life is a property of matter; and that matter or substance is composed of spiritual elements. According to this view, the cosmos and its constituents are not inert, but vibrant with life, consciousness and activity, and all life is (by definition) ensouled. The perspective of esoteric astrology is that a human being is a microcosm of the limitless macrocosmic Life, and that all of the forces operative in the universe also work through each person. The individual is a spark of Divinity centered in substance, possessed of a personality comprised of the physical body and three interpenetrating subtle bodies (etheric, astral and lower mental), plus a soul which connects the person with all other souls, and with Spirit; the personality is considered to be the vehicle of the soul, but it is the soul and not the personality that is the focus of esoteric astrology. This is why esoteric astrology is often referred to nowadays as "soul-centered astrology." You might also hear it called spiritual astrology, or ray-centered astrology.

The focus of this essay is esoteric astrology as disseminated via the teachings of Master Djwhal Khul (also referred to as D.K., or The Tibetan) through his associate, Alice A. Bailey, in the first half of the 20th century. It was understood at the time the material was transmitted that the world would not be ready to receive it until the close of the century. The primary teaching of that school of thought is that humanity is gradually shifting from an astrally-polarized, personality-based state of being, to a mentally-polarized or soul-based position, and that our astrology needs to reflect the shift in our understanding. The word "esoteric" simply means hidden, or that which is not apparent at first blush; it is to personality-based astrology what the mystery temple is to the church. There are many astrological systems in use whose purpose is to illumine the soul-level of life, but the Bailey material is foundational and a working knowledge of it is essential for the student of esoteric astrology.

"The new astrology," as esoteric astrology is called in the Bailey material, is intended to link the individual with the whole in which he or she participates. The era of personality-based astrology will naturally pass as we understand more of what we truly are as souls, for our understandings and our selves evolve together and reflect one another. Service to our fellow human beings will become increasingly important to us as evolution proceeds, and we will seek connection with the group purpose behind individual existence. In our astrological thinking about physical-plane events, the trend will increasingly be away from prediction, and toward an energy-based understanding of events as the effects of underlying spiritual causes; people and life circumstances will become less predictable to whatever extent we are able to resonate with our inner soul-promptings. Toward that end, esoteric astrology seeks to delineate our particular tasks and inclinations, and to relate them to spiritual growth and purpose through an understanding of our dominant energies (known esoterically as "rays"); access to the meaning of the birthchart is through intuition, whereby the whole is grasped in its integrity. Esotericism is the study of energy and force, and esoteric astrology consequently aims to understand the human being as a dynamic energetic complex manifesting in (but not limited to) the world of form.

While the rays or energies comprising the cosmos are many, there are seven fundamental building rays of particular importance to our solar system. All energies are permutations or subrays of these seven basic rays, which are themselves emanations of the God-Force or Logos. In esoteric astrology, the planets are seen as embodiments of the seven rays, and birthcharts reveal the ways in which human beings may interact most constructively with the universe via our solar system, so that the dynamism of the rays can be expressed most consciously. All of us are born with affinities for certain rays as a result of our varied soul experiences. Our physical and subtle bodies resonate with, and are qualified by, specific combinations of the principal rays. When we vibrate in concert with our predominant energies, not only we, but also the planets -- as the substantive expressions of indwelling Ray Lives -- are assisted toward realization of purpose and harmonious expression. Thus, astrology can be a comprehensive means by which we may understand our connections with Spirit in the language of the solar system, which links us with the universe. Indeed, the most basic tenet of esoteric astrology is that space is an entity: we are quite literally the sisters and brothers of all the beings around us, and we truly participate in each other through the principle of harmonic resonance.

The birthchart is not a map of the rays, themselves, so much as it is a highly specific guide showing the way into the ray pattern of an individual. Within our essential oneness, each of us expresses an overall pattern or design; but in every lifetime, only a certain portion or aspect of the design is in evidence. The portion representing this lifetime -- and the chart with which one is born, as its reflection -- holographically link us with the greater pattern, which is too vast for us to see during this incarnation. Life is a series of initiations within initiations, or progressive expansions of consciousness whose ultimate aim is to reacquaint and reunite us with the grand design (at their highest level, the predictive techniques of astrology are intended to reveal one's current orientation relative to that pattern). The planets, likewise, undertake initiation, and in esoteric astrology the designations "sacred" and "non-sacred" correspond to the level of a planet's evolution. At the present time, Vulcan (an etheric, or not-yet-physical planet), Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are considered sacred; Earth, Mars and Pluto are non-sacred planets.

Our particular solar system is said to be energized by three stellar configurations: the Great Bear, the Pleiades and the star Sirius. These energies are "stepped down" through the seven rays, which then pass through the zodiacal signs and "collect" or reach a point of focus in the Sun. The rays are transmitted to us through the planets. No person, nation, kingdom in nature or era is without its correspondences to these seven rays. The rays inaugurate, drive and support the archetypal forms of experience through which we pass in our evolution, and they bear titles that reveal their natures and purposes. Their combinations and relative dominance during any epoch, and shining through every form, weave a tapestry of infinite variety and ordered beauty. Each sign of the zodiac filters, and each planet embodies, at least one of the seven rays. Very briefly, and only for the purpose of introduction (since many volumes have been written on this subject), the energetic potential of each ray is described below.

RAY I: WILL AND POWER This ray is also called the Builder/Creator and the Destroyer, since it is concerned with elemental power and the directed use of the will. It is prominent in leadership issues. It is concerned with the destruction of forms that have outlived their usefulness, and the creation of more suitable vehicles. Ray I concerns the ability to govern on all levels.

RAY II: LOVE AND WISDOM This ray is often associated with teachers, healers and counselors. It is concerned with study and understanding. It is the ray of our solar system, and it represents the union of the heart with the higher mental centers. Ray II is the ray of love as inclusiveness, which -- when joined with the mind -- leads to wisdom.

RAY III: INTELLIGENT ACTIVITY Ray III has to do with economy of energy and the principle of synthesis. It is concerned with adaptability, abstract thinking, skill in action, business acumen, planning and strategy. It involves the practical application of theory on any plane.

RAY IV: HARMONY THROUGH CONFLICT This ray involves intuition and creativity. It has to do with the appreciation of beauty and color and the refinement of form. It seeks the point of balance between all pairs of opposites. Significantly, this is the ray governing the human race.

RAY V: CONCRETE KNOWLEDGE Ray V concerns the scientific method, rational and technical analysis, precision and specialization. It involves impersonal research and unemotional observation. The driving impulse behind Ray V is the search for knowledge in its purest forms.

RAY VI: IDEALISM AND DEVOTION This ray characterizes the Piscean Age. It is the ray of the devotee, the aspirant and the mystic, and has to do with reverence, loyalty (often to the point of fanaticism), dedication and religious fealty sufficiently strong to engage issues of life and death. It is a ray of intense personal feeling.

RAY VII: CEREMONIAL ORDER OR MAGIC This ray is swinging strongly into manifestation with the onset of the Aquarian Age. It is concerned with group work, organizational power, rhythm, pattern and ritual. It is the ray of the occultist. Ray VII is impersonal, but is nevertheless concerned with ethics and the proper, orderly and skillful performance of tasks and duties.

Each ray is an active expression of Spirit. Ultimately, all rays are one ray; we might think of each ray as a specialization of the One, or in terms of the colour wheel, which -- from our perspective -- is a frequency spectrum finding its fullest expression in white light.

The rays pass through the zodiacal signs on their way to the earth plane (via the Sun and planets) in the following manner. Ray I filters through Aries, Leo and Capricorn. Ray II filters through Gemini, Virgo and Pisces. Ray III filters through Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. Ray IV filters through Taurus, Scorpio and Sagittarius. Ray V filters through Leo, Sagittarius and Aquarius. Ray VI filters through Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. Ray VII filters through Aries, Cancer and Capricorn.

Rays I, II and III are called "Rays of Aspect" because they are primary differentiations of the triune Godhead; Rays IV, V, VI and VII are called "Rays of Attribute," in that they represent facets or phases of the primary triangle of energy. Odd-numbered rays are often referred to as "Will rays" because they are concerned with the forceful application of the mind in any endeavor; even-numbered rays are frequently called "Love rays" because they are linked with the heart center and express the principle of inclusiveness. Like the signs of the zodiac, all rays are of equal value, and each has its most fertile field of application.

The planets associated with the signs are also qualified by rays. Planetary rulership in esoteric astrology expands upon traditional astrological rulerships, reflecting three phases of development, levels of consciousness or frequencies: exoteric or traditional, concerned with the physical/etheric and lower astral planes; esoteric, with reference to the upper astral and lower mental planes; and hierarchical, referring to the intuitional and monadic (spiritual) planes. The soul is the interface between esoteric and hierarchical rulerships. The terms, exoteric, esoteric and hierarchical, correspond to the basic triad of human manifestation: body, soul and spirit. Each level of expression reflects a particular degree of density, pitch or vibration.

More and more people are beginning to respond to the esoteric planetary rulers, and a few to the hierarchical rulers. In terms of exoteric/esoteric/hierarchical rulership, the signs are ruled respectively as follows: Aries by Mars, Mercury and Uranus; Taurus by Venus, Vulcan and Vulcan; Gemini by Mercury, Venus and Earth; Cancer by Moon, Neptune and Neptune; Leo by Sun, Sun and Sun; Virgo by Mercury, Moon and Jupiter; Libra by Venus, Uranus and Saturn; Scorpio by Mars, Mars and Mercury; Sagittarius by Jupiter, Earth and Mars; Capricorn by Saturn, Saturn and Venus; Aquarius by Uranus, Jupiter and Moon; and Pisces by Jupiter, Pluto and Pluto.

A planet is the outer expression or embodiment of the organizing Ray Life standing behind physical manifestation. Pluto and Vulcan embody Ray I; Sun and Jupiter, Ray II; Earth and Saturn, Ray III; Moon and Mercury, Ray IV; Venus, Ray V; Mars and Neptune, Ray VI; and Uranus, Ray VII.

A great deal of blending and mingling of rays occurs within the interplay of planets, signs and developmental phases. It is as if the inner sky were constantly being crossed and recrossed by beams of light, each illumining some aspect of life. The soul ray, the overall personality ray, the rays qualifying each of the threefold components of the personality, and the rays of the planets and signs interact to produce a richly textured portrait of ourselves. When we gaze at the night sky through a telescope, at first we see nothing except a field of deep blue; but when specific filters are applied to the lens of the telescope, worlds appear according to our intention. So it is with our rays, which are specific to our needs and purpose.

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