D Ray 5 (sacred planet)
Method: Refinement of the mind, appreciation of intelligent division
| Rulerships: | Orthodox: Taurus Libra Esoteric: Gemini Hierarchical: Capricorn |
|---|---|
| Dignities: | Exaltation: Pisces Fall: Virgo Detriment: Aries Scorpio |
| Symbol: | D An circle above an equal-armed cross. |
| Venus triangles: |
Venus: general information
Venus exemplifies one of the major shifts in Esoteric Astrology from the familiar. While embodying the principle of love-wisdom as originating in Ray 2, the planet also transmits the intelligent division and “science” of Ray 5 (see the fifth ray triangle). The best way of understanding this is symbolised by the well-known geometry of the golden section or golden proportion, where the smaller part is to the greater as the greater is to the whole; a ratio approximated in the Fibonacci sequence (in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones). This proportion appears throughout nature as the way in which matter can be arranged in an optimum yet beautiful way, symbolising the real “scientific beauty” that Venus embodies.
Venus also represents the individual soul which, in the theosophically-derived system followed in Esoteric Astrology, is the root of the real self “behind” the personality, carrying the essential systemic principle of love-wisdom (embodied in the sun of our solar system) during the process of conscious evolution or the “path of discipleship”. In the inner psychology of the subtle bodies that make up human existence the soul or “causal body” exists between the abstract higher mind and the rational self, and is held to preserve and process the knowledge gained from the experience of each incarnation, retaining the resulting wisdom between each. This human-level role is derived from the idea that, for humanity, Venus in this solar system is the soul to the Earth as personality.
The rulerships of Venus follow the rather mysterious role of the planet in esoteric astrology, from the personal in Taurus and Libra, through the esoteric in Gemini and the hierarchical and universal in Capricorn. Once the esoteric psychological and cosmic schemes are grasped, the complex role of Venus becomes easier to work with.
It is because Venus thus relates certain pairs of opposites that she has been erroneously connected in the minds of men with sex and the sex life and with the relation of the physical opposites, male and female. (EA 355-6)
The fascinating and crucial relation between “five” and “two-ness” is explained by the relation between the main (systemic) Ray 2 and the individual Ray 5 spark of soul on the higher mental levels, symbolised in Bailey’s esoteric Christianity as the “Christ Principle” and the individual human soul on the higher mental levels:
in esotericism the two and the five, the Son, and the Sons of Mind, are closely allied (TCF 1170)
Venus and the Esoteric Schools
Connected to eight of the planets are details of associated esoteric schools. Apparently it is not possible to touch upon the other planetary schools, nor would it profit.
(TCF 1179). Originally in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, these cryptic and evocative summaries describe the role of that planet in terms drawn from the obscure esoteric cosmology of Theosophy, where planets themselves are individual entities developing in a yet more vast process of cosmic evolution. Some (glamour warning!) AI visualisations of planetary esoteric schools have been adapted from their descriptions. They appear inspiring and offer a rough impressionistic image, but beware—they’re pure fantasy!
Venus is included as The School with Five Strict Grades:
This again is a planetary scheme closely related to ours, but its planetary Logos is in a more advanced group of students in the cosmic sense than is our planetary Logos. Most of its hierarchical instructors come from the fifth cosmic plane, and are a peculiar group of Manasadevas of very exalted rank. They are each depicted in the archives of our Hierarchy as holding a trident of fire surmounted by five green emeralds. (EA 693-5, TCF 1179)
Venus: Rulerships
Three of the rulerships of Venus form a triangle: Taurus-Libra-Capricorn (the orthodox Taurus and Libra, and the hierarchical Capricorn) throughout which Venus… is the source of the intelligent mind
(EA 246).
Orthodox: Taurus ⇧
Esoteric Astrology this rulership involves the unique relation of Venus to the Earth, and touches upon one of the mysteries of the Ageless Wisdom
(EA 382) because Venus is to… Earth what the higher Self is to the Personality [which] brings about a much closer relation between Taurus and the Earth than perhaps exists in any other zodiacal relation where our planet is concerned
(EA 383). The fact that Venus is a sacred planet and the Earth isn’t has a bearing on this relation regarding:
a deep mystery of relativity, of interplay and of eventual revelation. This revelation as to the relation of the Earth’s alter ego to the world of human life will only be revealed at the third initiation, at which time all glamour and illusion is dissipated and “the light which shines through the eye of the Bull will be unimpeded” and carry light into the darkness. (EA 383-4)
There follows an explanation about the relation of the personality to the higher self being an esoteric parallel to sexual union, and how—although we cannot force that union physically (no matter how intimate)—we are essentially seeking in physical expression the soul-personality wholeness we really long for.
This carries the legacy of Aristophanes’ speech in Plato’s Symposium about the conjoined beings (male, female and androgynous) that Zeus split into two, because their completeness gave them an immense strength and ambition rivalling that of the gods. After the split (and after Zeus subsequently repositioned their genitals to experience pleasure when conjoined!) they became preoccupied with seeking their “other half” in order to restore their original wholeness. (Symposium 189c) The popular interpretation of this tale as soul mates limits it to material relationships, but esoteric philosophy sees an allegory of the human journey: from an original unconscious and innocent whole; through the personality being developed and becoming painfully alienated from the inner self or soul; to a conscious reunion of personality and soul—a unified human self—at the third initiation when the personal self is transcended; a view elaborated by Pausanias who states that those who love the soul remain devoted for life, for [they are] attached to something enduring
(183e). In relation to Taurus, this esoteric correspondence to sex becomes the relation of the lower nature to the higher Self
which is:
…then lifted up into the light of day to reach complete union with divinity. Sex (hitherto a purely physical function, sometimes under the impulse of love) is elevated into its rightful plane as the divine marriage, carried out and consummated upon the levels of soul awareness. Humanity seeks through physical expression to produce the inner fusion and harmony they crave but this cannot be done. (EA 385, edited)
Sex, as a symbol of inner duality which must be itself transcended and wrought into a unity
cannot be resolved by physical means or rituals because it is a transcendence in consciousness
. In the cosmic planetary sense, the relation between the Earth and Venus must eventually work out into symbolic expression upon the physical plane
(EA 385). In other words, the hint is that when the Earth reaches the state of becoming a sacred planet, its bond with Venus as its “soul” will become apparent in material life, both on an individual and (more distantly in time) planetary scale.
Venus connotes [even with] only a glimmer of occult truth, that which is mental [the esoteric plane of the soul], …concerns final sublimation, …deals with sex and …must work out into symbolic expression upon the physical plane. (EA 384)
See the related triangle Taurus-Venus-Earth for more details about this connection.
Orthodox: Libra ⇧
Here, Venus brings the Ray 5 quality of Intelligent Division and the balancing aspect of the mind, with its ability to assess and bring into relation the spiritual and personal selves, as well as other polarities:
the balancing of the pairs of opposites must take place and reach solution through the activity of the judicial mind and the establishing of a point of equilibrium between the male and the female principles. (EA 233)
In this role, Venus symbolises “the other”, just as Libra rules the seventh house where the other to our self is found. The polarity of Aries-Libra embodies this duality, which we are obliged to resolve under the rulership of Venus in this sign. The importance of inclusion rather than separation is crucial here.
Esoteric: Gemini ⇧
The role of Venus in the emergence of humanity from the animal kingdom is a major theme in the esoteric philosophy. The term “Individualisation” is used for this process, and the entire role of the connection between Earth and Venus is a crucial part of understanding this.
The fact that Gemini is the third sign and embodies what is called “a third potency” enabled it to reach, with its force, the third kingdom and produce that reaction which resulted in the individualising or the humanising of its higher forms of life. (EA 355)
The above describes—in the occult philosophy—the emergence of humanity (4th kingdom) from the animal (3rd kingdom), and the mythology of Venus and Capricorn.
Hierarchical: Capricorn ⇧
…Venus is also the hierarchical ruler of Capricorn, thus showing the power of the mind and its place and purpose in connection with both the major human crises: Individualisation and Initiation. (EA 355)
“Initiation” here means the stage of personal integration, so that the personality becomes solely the vehicle for the less strictly personal aims of the inner self or “soul”. Ray 5 “pours through” Capricorn to Earth via Venus in this case.
Everything abstract and formless needs form and will refine that form to suit its purpose. In the resulting processing of experience is our esoteric role in the refinement of matter. For the deeper significance see Makara—the cryptic “secret of the crocodiles” and the mythology of Venus in Capricorn. Also see the 5th hierarchy (EA 37, 45-49), the fifth kingdom and the Lords of Flame.
[After] the third initiation [we] can consciously mount the Cardinal Cross, [and are] released from the ruling of Saturn and [come] under the influence of Venus, …ruler of the Hierarchy which is that of the Crocodiles. [Only] upon the Cardinal Cross [does] the significance, purpose and potencies of the Creative Hierarchies become clear… (EA 163-4)
Venus decanates
In conventional astrology, decanates simply follow the rulerships of each elemental triad, but Esoteric Astrology has inconsistent information. See notes about the decanates, and the “decans” tab under each sign.
Venus Dignities
Exaltation in Pisces ⇧
As explained in Pisces, Greek mythology has Venus and her son Eros (Romanised names) jumped into the Euphrates to escape Typhon and transformed into fishes in order to escape the monster Typhon, binding themselves with a cord in order to stay together in the water. In Esoteric Astrology, this immersion parallels the descent of the human soul (symbolised by Venus) into the form principle of the Mutable Cross via the water sign Pisces. In the slow precession of the reversed sidereal zodiac, which governs the gradual development of humanity as a whole, Pisces—following Aries—is the start of a fresh round of “educational incarnations”, rather than the end of the accelerated evolutionary process on the “reversed wheel”, following the direction of the familiar tropical zodiac. There is a connection here between Venus as esoteric ruler of Gemini (and the connection between Venus, Earth and the esoteric origins of humanity):
Esoterically, the reason that Venus is exalted in Pisces is connected with the relation of Pisces to the sign Gemini, of which Venus is the esoteric ruler, and also in relation to the fact that Venus is the Earth’s alter ego and is closely related to the human kingdom. (…) The Fishes… are bound together… this is a symbol of the captivity of the soul in form, prior to the experience upon the Fixed Cross. (EA 129-30)
However, this exaltation applies to both the involutionary descent into incarnation on the precessional wheel of constellations of the sidereal zodiac, as well as to the evolutionary goal of humanity after emerging from the slow pace of mass evolution and entering individual conscious development by “reversing the wheel” back to the annual direction of the tropical zodiac.
Reunited With No Binding Thread
The entire journey of humanity through the agency of the Mutable Cross is laid out here, so it is important to sieve out how this exaltation affects the individual esoteric horoscope, by stepping down the cosmic to the individual. For the exoteric horoscope, this indicates the unconditional kind of “intelligent love”; the noblest quality of Pisces and the peak of evolution-through-experience on the Mutable Cross.
In the esoteric horoscope for those on the Fixed and Cardinal Crosses (no matter the personal signs), the exaltation highlights the reunification of the higher and lower selves, but in freedom and without the previous bind between them, which the esoteric ruler Pluto has severed. Relating this to the process initiated in Gemini (where Venus is the esoteric ruler) this passage continues:
The Twins in Gemini are symbols of the same basic duality, but [now] 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.” It is the task of Venus to “reunite the severed lives but with no binding thread.” Therefore, Venus is exalted in Pisces…
The paragraph goes on to explain—in Bailey’s occult Christian terminology—how this exaltation plays out at the end (in Pisces) of a greater sidereal cycle, when:
…the Sons of God who are the Sons of Mind are raised up into glory through experience and crucifixion because they have learned to love and truly reason. (EA 130)
These “Sons of God and Mind” are the inner selves of humanity, transformed. The final state of the “solar angels”, having evolved as “sons of mind” under Venus are therefore unified.
Fall in Virgo ⇧
This “fall” is about the descent of the individual soul into incarnation, being embodied in matter as we “descend to earth”. By incarnating and obscuring ourselves in the matter of the earthly human personality and physical body, our core self not only has the opportunity to learn in the process, but—at the same time—can also help raise the many individual lives that make up this “earthly self” as we expand our own consciousness. In this way, and as human beings acting with awareness, we contribute to the overall refinement of matter.
Venus, pure love-wisdom, falls into generation in this sign and occultly “descends to earth” and stands (…) for the gift of mind and of divinity, embodied in the Son of Mind and thus for the descent of the Christ principle into generation or into matter. Virgo and Venus are together two aspects of intelligence. (EA 281-2)
Alice Bailey then mentions the descent of Spirit into the womb of the virgin mother
, which Christian symbolism is preserved in the astrological fact that Venus falls in this sign; esoterically, she disappears from view and vanishes into the darkness.
Detriment in Aries ⇧
Aries is a detrimental sign to Venus
, and is obscured by the exaltation of the Sun so that
the other lesser luminaries fade out. Just as the personality is lost sight of in the light of the soul… so the soul itself disappears and its power and radiance fade out when the Presence, which it has hitherto veiled, appears and dominates the scene…
This “presence” is monadic (and group) consciousness, first tasted at the intuitive or Buddhic level.
We are told that the incarnating Minds, human beings, the solar Angels, came originally from Venus, but they in turn give place to the monad, the One. Mind gives place to intuition and reason to pure perception. (EA 104-5)
Statements about incarnating humanity “coming from Venus” have often been taken far too literally by many! The “Venus” referred to here is part of an esoteric chain of planetary being as outlined in Theosophy, but the concepts involved are generally too abstract to be of use to astrologers, although the symbolism of planets going through their own cyclic growth process and “reincarnations”—largely adapted from the extremely long periods of Indian cosmic metrics (e.g. Manvantaras (मन्वन्तर))—is worth bearing in mind. The historic human phase referred to is when our ancestors began to emerge from hominids as individuals (to put it very simply).
Detriment in Scorpio ⇧
The intelligent mind of Venus, having been developed and used—must now be subordinated to a higher power of the soul, the spiritual intuition
. The influence of Venus (ultimately representing the individual soul) is eclipsed by a more inclusive kind of consciousness, so Venus must wane and the Sun—as a symbol of Deity—must wax in influence and finally take its place
(EA 225) (“deity” as mentioned here is the Sun of our solar system, seen as as a conscious being). Eventually this intuitive level of consciousness leads to the group consciousness and collective responsibility of the “world server”. This is also linked to the hierarchical ruler Mercury, of which it is sometimes said esoterically that “Mercury and the Sun are one” at this stage of development.