It’s been a long time/I shouldn’ta left you/Without a dope page to step to...





Thetis' silver feet took her to Hephaestus' house,
A mansion the lame god had built himself...
She found him at his bellows, glazed with sweat
As he hurried to complete his latest project,
Twenty cauldrons on tripods to line his hall
With golden wheels at the base of each tripod.
....He was getting these ready,
Forging the rivets with inspired artistry.

~ Homer, Iliad, 18:398, Lombardo translation





Vulcanic Stirrings


By C. Ravin, Esq.

Spring Equinox 2002





I will forge your armor, you men
Fashion your ornaments, O ladies
Build your fine palaces, one and all.
Do you yet hear my thunderous call?

Service, if to be perfect,
Or so they try to tell me
Must be loving service;
I already did know this.

My will alone will set
My bellows in motion;
I’m glazed with sweat
Cleansed by the ocean
And the sweet balance
O Pisces Queen Charis.

Yet I forge a metal that is true blue
And Virgo, a stronger soul for you
You can keep your mercurial ways
Quick, loquacious, wing-footed be
Yet these are waning days, you see
So awaken now to thunderous me.

Come here, for this adamantium
Is popular for backbones, I hear.
Oh yes, I shall make you harder.

You are ready to plug in, I see.
Though no one can yet see me,
I am there, next to my brother,
Your foster ruler, yet be clear:
I am for sure closer to the Sun
Since I do run the furnace here.

So go ahead and be restless
Go and wonder and wander
Sit by the ocean and ponder
Me. For in your mind’s eye
You always knew just why
We’re meant for each other.
For I am my brother’s sister
And the sister of my brother.

And while some think I’m more a father
It’s better if you think of me as a mother.

~ C. Ravin, God/dess of the Hammer





This page is dedicated to the Planet Vulcan, the true ruler of Virgo. As Virgos the world over continue to respond to the tic-toc of our foster rulership by the Planet Mercury, we eagerly await the discovery of Vulcan, yet we have felt a deep soul yearning for Vulcan all along. So what do we know about the archetype of this God, and about this Planet? Since the astronomers take their own time about things, we astrologers realize the importance of furthering our knowledge and understanding of this very primal energy, and that a continued discussion of Vulcan will benefit more than just technical Virgos, yet all of Humanity. So forget what the astronomers cannot find in their expensive telescopes...Knowledge stops for no mortal in this, the Aquarian Age. Please read on to learn what has been said about this Planet in recent years, draw your own conclusions, and follow your own Inner Bell...




Isabelle M. Pagan...

The Virginian Type

Ruler

The ruler of Virgo is described in astrological tradition as "the negative side of Mercury", an expression which tells us that this aspect of deity cannot be positively connected with the power of any known planet. Some recent astrologers have put forward the theory that the true ruler is Vulcan, a planet whose existence is suspected by astronomers, and whose invisibility is accounted for by the smallness of its size and by its nearness to the Sun whose radiance eclipses it (Astronomy of late has been inclined to shelve this theory. Astrology clings to it yet.); and turning to the key of classical mythology it will be found that the Smith of Olympus is, in truth, an excellent symbol of the form of energy most apparent in those who come under the Virgo influence. Vulcan is the craftsman, the artificer, the practical worker among the Gods. He forges their armour, fashions their ornaments, and builds their palaces. In serving them he obeys the essential impulse of his own nature, never drudging mechanically as a slave, even when working under orders, but always with some originality, accepting commissions, but executing them according to his own designs. In fact he works as a great artist does, obeying the dictates of his patrons without troubling his bead about why the order is given or whether it should have been given at all, and concentrating all his energy and intellect on the manner of its execution. His will is enough to set his great bellows in motion. His glowing furnace tries and tests and purifies the materials at his disposal, separating the true metal from the dross. He wields his hammer with power and might, and gold and silver and shining steel leave his hands fashioned into forms so fair, as well as so strong and lasting, that all Olympus marvels. His frame is powerful, his muscles firmly knit, his right arm is ever bared, and ready for work. As he stands at his forge he is a grand and impressive figure; but when he leaves it to join in the festivities of the Gods, and, true to his instinct for serving others attempts to carry round the cup of nectar, he does it so awkwardly that Olympus rings with laughter - for this strange, strong deity of the forge is lame. His "one-sided" tendency is also expressed by the poets in the legend that he had no Father, but sprang from Juno alone, the inner meaning of which becomes clear to the student if he calls to mind that Vulcan’s wife (according to the Iliad) is Charis, or Love, the Mother of the Graces. The type of energy expressed by Virgo needs Grace to complete it. Service, to be perfect, must be loving service; otherwise it becomes uncouth, unwelcome, and even, at times, ridiculous. And note that Charis signifies love at its purest and most passionless; the self-sacrificing, self-effacing love expressed by the power of Pisces - the sign opposite to Virgo in the horoscope. In the Odyssey Vulcan is mated with Venus - unequally and unhappily mated, for she prefers Mars, and is false to her lord, who punishes her by turning upon her the ridicule of heaven; and the gods themselves amid their laughter, acknowledge that after all, the erring pair are well-matched. A strange and puzzling story to the student of mythology, but one pregnant with meaning to the astrologer; for Venus and Mars are the true wedded couple - Libra balancing Aries; and Virgo and Pisces, which complete and harmonise each other, expressing service with devotion, are both, in their highest human manifestation, celibate signs. The Vulcanalia, or chief festival of the lame god, was held in Rome on August 23rd, at which time the Sun is in Virgo - an interesting and suggestive coincidence. In Greek mythology Hephaestos corresponds to the Latin Vulcan, and both are closely related to the various Gods of the anvil or the furnace who are found in almost all religions. In Christianity this power is represented by St. Clement, the patron saint of blacksmiths, and finds another sympathetic saint in St. James, the apostle of good works, who is a special favourite with the serving orders of monks and nuns.


Evolved Type

The chief characteristic of the fully developed Virginian is his marvellous power of discrimination. He tries everything in the furnace of his criticism, separates, sifts, classifies and arranges his materials and his men, recognising at a glance the potential value of each, and organising the work entrusted to him so as to make the very best practical use of everyone and everything. Hand and brain generally work together in people of this type, especially in all matters in which accuracy and method are important. Their clear heads and thrifty ways make them excellent managers, enabling them to shine as public servants, and qualifying them to bear the burden of much anxious and responsible work in connection with large enterprises and important undertakings. An ideal staff of officials for any company, club or association would include a Leonian as President, a Cancerian and a Scorpionian as vice-presidents, a Taurean as treasurer, and a Virginian as secretary. The last-named generally does the hardest work and gets small thanks for it. If he fails in his duties, the Society he serves will probably go to pieces, but few realise that, and he is generally too much occupied by practical details to care greatly whether they do or not. His business is to carry on the activities of the concern with strict attention to the rules of a constitution which is framed and directed by others, and when he has done all that is his duty to do, he personally sets the example of regarding himself as an unprofitable servant, and the vote of thanks, by his own directions, goes to the chair. In this matter the Virginian is wise as usual. It is not his province to command, and when he attempts to issue orders in his own person, or to assume airs of authority he very frequently gives offence; but people will readily work with him and accept services from him; for he is splendidly capable, and very quick to see how a thing should be done, though disinclined to trouble his head about the why. "It is an order" is a sufficient reason for him, for Virgo, like Taurus, is one of the Earthy or "Service" signs. The above statement must not, however, be interpreted as signifying that the Virginian is always doomed to work without reward or appreciation from his fellow men. Untiring industry, practical ability, clear vision and critical acumen are bound to bring a man to the front sooner or later; and though it is often later - for this type generally seems to start handicapped in some way - many a son of Vulcan has inscribed his name on the Honours list in life, thanks to his Virgo qualities. Success has been achieved notably in the lines of criticism and literature, and also in art - especially painting. These people work best "at the forge" - i.e., alone in studio, study or workshop - have small patience with underlings, assistants and apprentices, and no patience at all with the critics, unless their comments show exceptional discrimination and are practically helpful. Women born under this sign are usually skilled in needlework, and often achieve their greatest triumphs in that line when spurred by necessity and handicapped by limitations, finding a use for the most unlikely materials and showing great judgement in their adaptation, and ornamentation. When well off they generally dress with care and taste - never showily or ostentatiously, and sometimes even with a certain puritanical sobriety, but always suitably, and with a reasonable attention to health, common-sense and the practical durability of their garments. If not compelled to the use of the needle, they often take it up for pleasure, or pursue some form of handicraft - wood-carving, design, embroidery, lace-work, etc. Those who do not, have something of a masculine turn about them, are keenly intellectual, and somewhat critical both of themselves and of others—an unhappy condition of mind. Even at its brightest this type tends to be a grave one, for it has few illusions, and little buoyancy; but when Vulcan is "wedded to Charis", i.e., when this influence is properly blended with one of the gentler and more loving signs, nothing can exceed its charm. The pointed speech then becomes extremely witty, and the clear eyes are always wide open to whatsoever things are pure and lovely and of good report. If there is any virtue, life’s keen critic will point it out, and if there is any praise he will utter it; and though his native penetration refuses to leave him in ignorance of the shortcomings of frail humanity, his healthiness of mind will prevent his dwelling upon them or indulging in morbid analysis of anything that is objectionable or unclean.

Certain astrologers have declared that this is a selfish sign, and for some time the writer was at a loss to account for such an assertion; for the type of selfishness that demands and exacts assistance and attentions from others is the very last accusation that could be brought up against Virginians, many of whom dedicate their whole lives to the service of their fellow-creatures, toiling unremittingly, often for very inadequate pay - and always finding far more satisfaction in helping others than in working for their own benefit. They give freely and ungrudgingly of their time and strength and ability up to the very measure of their natural forces, and sometimes beyond them; but nevertheless there is a limit to their generosity, and when demands are excessive and unreasonable they know how to say no, and to stick to it. In addition to this they are rarely lavish in their affections, never prodigal of praise, and usually very prudent in the expenditure of their income, which is often a narrow one - possibly because when souls are meant to evolve through a life of labour they are guided into an environment which gives them ample opportunity for it. An inevitable accompaniment of this love of giving active service is an intense dislike to the idea of accepting it, and a horror of dependence in old age, which naturally leads to the careful husbanding of their pecuniary resources, and makes many of them live very simply and frugally; but when ample wealth is placed at their disposal, and they have no need to worry about the future, they spend wisely and well, generally receiving full value for their money.


Love and Friendship

The Virginian heart, like the steel of Vulcan, is true metal, and not easily melted; but when once it finds itself in love’s furnace it glows with a pure white heat, and takes a long time to cool. His love affairs are few, and when, as often happens, they are unfortunate, he takes refuge in his one panacea of hard work, and is apt to shrink from the society of his fellow men. The sign is unfavourable for progeny; i.e., the women only attain motherhood with much suffering and difficulty if they attain it at all, and many of the men are sterile. Neither sex seems to crave much for children though the members of both make very careful and conscientious parents. When highly developed they accept celibacy easily and are fruitful in good works, caring little for posterity so long as they can serve their own day and generation. They have the instinct of chastity and turn with special repulsion from literature dealing with sex problems, especially if there is anything morbid or unwholesome in the treatment of the subject. Students may smile over such an assertion, remembering that among men born with Virgo strongly accentuated are several notable examples whose lives have been far from ideal in the matter of purity. In accounting for such exceptions the horoscope must of course be examined in detail, special note being taken of the position of Venus. If it is in a susceptible or fickle sign, the Virgo influence will be to some extent counteracted; and environment must also be considered. Thus in the case of Charles II, the planet of love is found in Taurus - the most amorous sign - and the low ideals of his corrupt generation, as shown in the life and literature of the time, will account for his responding more easily to the vibrations of Venus than to the sterner call of Vulcan. Perhaps if the Merry Monarch had ever experienced the white heat of a true Virginian affection, the history of his court might have been different. It should be noted that his children were few and his marriage sterile, and also that he was one of the wittiest men of his day.

Religion

Taurus lays the foundations of the temple of the Lord, and sees that its walls are solidly built. Libra gives grace to their proportions, and balances arch against arch and curve against curve, tapering the spire, and raising the dome. Virgo tries and tests the materials and provides the cunning workman in brass and silver and gold, the fashioners and broiderers of tapestry and vestment, the carvers in wood and stone who fill in the details and find out the best practical methods of carrying out the design of the architect. The humbler members of this brotherhood will cleanse and purify the building, sweeping, scouring, dusting, polishing, repairing and replacing with untiring industry and exhaustless energy. The holy water is their fitting symbol; baptism—the first and lowliest of the sacraments - the only one that seems to them of any importance. To enter the service of the Master is the chief event in their religious life; to bring to that service clean hands and a pure heart, a sound mind and a healthy body seems to them all that is really essential. Elaborate ritual strikes the average Virginian as a waste of time; theological debate as a wearisome repetition of meaningless phrases. He gives his sanction to the preaching of the word, because it stimulates energy and conduces to good works; but it must be brief and to the point, and he is seldom roused to enthusiasm by it. He never seeks for praise or thanks himself therefore it does not occur to him to render either to his Maker, Whom he conceives as above both, and consequently - though this does not necessarily follow - indifferent to them. After he has asked for a blessing on past work, and for strength to labour in the future, his petitions are done, and with regard to every other form of religious observance he is inclined to ask his recurrent and characteristic question, "What is the use of it?" When reference is made in his presence to the rapture of the Mystic, the ecstasy of the Saint and the inspiration of the prophet, he shrugs his shoulders. If others talk of the faith that removes mountains, he shakes his head. "Show me your faith without your works, and I by my works will show you my faith," he says; for, from his point of view, "True religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this; to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." A successftul ship-builder on the banks of the river Clyde was once questioned as to his beliefs. "It is my religion," he replied, "to build good ships." He was probably a Virginian; and though his reply will shock many, it has its impressive side for all that. "To build good ships"; i.e., to fulfil one’s contracts faithfully, even at the risk of losing by them; to give honest workmanship and sound timber and true steel; to tolerate no shams, no pretences, no hypocrisies in commercial life. The cause of true religion would gain and not lose, if more of our businessmen would follow such an example.

Astrological tradition associates this sign of Virgo with the Holy Hermits of old, and though such an idea seems to contradict the above, the two forms of religion are not really irreconcilable, for the hermitage is generally associated with the closing years of a life that has been full of activity. Saints of this type were generally believed to have played their part in the world before leaving it, and were, not infrequently, reputed to have suffered much through the affections. Elderly Virginians will generally own that the descriptions of these pure and peaceful lives appeal to them very strongly. The rocky cave for shelter, the, limpid stream for the daily bath, the simple diet of nuts and fruits, with the milk of the hind - emblem of purity -for all luxury. The practice of such austerities hardly smiles upon us in our northern clime; but in far-away forest and desert and cave many a Virginian follows the calling still, and lives out his declining years in the lap of nature, resting after labour, and learning, who can say how many lessons in the process.


Literary Style

Literary men, born under this sign, excel in the mastery of detail and are exceedingly industrious and prolific, adapting their genius to the demands and necessities of their day, and usually finding their market in consequence. Dickens, who gave the hour of his birth to an American inquirer as 7:50 a.m. and so must have been born when Virgo was rising, is an excellent example of this type. He never spared himself - died, in fact, of overwork, and published in rapid succession a large number of novels, in most of which the side characters and detailed description are of much more importance to the reader than the heroes and heroines or the main outlines of the plot. His gallery of clear and definite portraits is something extraordinary. In Bleak House alone there are over eighty distinct and living characters - all real breathing people capable of interesting the reader in their various personalities and concerns.; and although his work in life was that of a writer of light fiction, and he used his Virgo wit to keep his audiences thoroughly well entertained, his real aims and ideals were utilitarian. His great ambition was to better the physical condition of the poor, and to interest the men and women of his generation in such questions as workmen’s dwellings, prison reform and poor-law relief. In spite of his great kindliness and charming personality, his attitude of mind was always intensely critical, and his portraits of his fellow creatures far from flattering. In fact, when he attempts to idealise, as in the case of such a character as little Nell, he fails to produce a convincing portrait, and his most lovable characters are full of weaknesses and intensely human. Among significant facts, for the astrological student, are to be noted his failure to find happiness in marriage, and his resentment of cricitism.

The average Virginian, instead of mastering detail, allows detail to master him, and if he takes up literature at all is more likely to succeed as a critic of other men’s work in any field demanding creative power. His style, though concise and clear, is somewhat formal, and best suited to the framing of business notices. He will draw up an index or a catalogue, compile a dictionary, or lend a hand in the production of an encyclopaedia. Hard work never daunts him, and to express himself with neatness and precision is a real joy; but apart from criticism his pen seldom runs freely, and his letters are usually the driest of the dry.


Primitive Type

It has been neatly said, and the saying is often quoted, that the critics are those who have failed. It might be said with greater charity and fuller truth that the critics are those who are not yet sufficiently evolved to succeed; and of these critics, the most captious, and aggravating and impossible to please are the undeveloped Virginians. The advanced type, bringing its clear vision and fine discrimination to bear upon the work entrusted to it, sees at a glance all the practical possibilities and opportunities for usefulness involved. The primitive type only sees the impossibilities and the flaws; and it finds them, by preference, in work done or schemes drawn up by others. The developed specimen never asks for praise; the primitive specimen never gives it. The former will conquer adverse circumstances, and makes his very handicaps contribute to his success. The latter quarrels with every condition imposed upon him, resents his limitations, and invariably blames circumstances for his failures. His ambition to achieve something practical and his inability to do so are apt to result in impatience, nervous irritability, and ill-humour; and sometimes in chronic discontent. If hampered by ill-health or in any way restricted in his activities, he takes it cantankerously, sometimes working on till dead-beat in defiance of the doctor, and meeting all the kindly remonstrances of his friends with a snap and a growl. Even at this rudimentary stage he has very little laziness about him, and if he is under wise guidance and control will make an admirable servant, loyal to his master’s interests, and rigidly faithful to his orders; but these orders must be clear and precise, and the reversal of one of them, especially if sudden and unexpected, will upset the Virginian’s temper completely, and make him, for the time being, a very disagreeable companion. His horizon is bounded by the circle of his own duties, and by dint of concentrating his attention solely on the details immediately under his own nose, he loses sight of the larger outlines and consequently cannot adapt himself to changes which spring from causes beyond his ken. His views are not merely limited, they are microscopic, and he is apt to make mountains out of molehills on every possible occasion. He is the kind of man who is capable of surveying some masterpiece of art in a stony silence that chills the blood of any real art lover in his company, and who, before turning away, will point out mercilessly some trifling error in the darkest corner of the background, some tiny flaw in the construction of the frame. In fact, at his worst, he exercises a most depressing and deadening effect upon his fellow creatures, killing enterprise, enthusiasm and hope, and nipping youthful ardour ruthlessly in the bud. Virginians who find themselves prone to such habits of thought and speech should strive earnestly to cultivate the appreciative faculties and force themselves to enter kindly and sympathetically into family and social life; otherwise they will develop into mere machines, spending their days in a dreary round of drudgery, and allowing love and friendship to slip away from them or pass them by, till they realise, too late, that they have developed into crusty old bachelors or lonely old maids, with absolutely no ties binding them to the rising generation. Marriage, if resorted to in time, is a remedy, but it is surprising how "oldmaidish" these people—men and women alike—can contrive to be, even in the bonds of holy wedlock; and there is always a danger of matrimonial shipwreck for them unless great care is taken to avoid the failings of their type. The male Virginian allows business to absorb him to such an extent that all outward signs and tokens of his affection tend to disappear; and his wife, becoming convinced of his indifference, looks outside the limits of her home for sympathy and companionship, and if at all vain or weak, is tempted to accept the admiration and attentions of others. The women of this Virgo type make idols of their household gods—their carpets and their curtains, their crockery, furniture and plenishings generally; and are so much absorbed in their upholstery and their house-cleaning, that they can scarcely lay aside their needles or their dusters to give their wearied husbands a kindly welcome home. Consequently they too, pave the way for their rivals, and especially for such jovial and genial rivals as the club and the public-house.


Physical Charcteristics

Manifesting physically, the Virgo type is associated with a somewhat wiry build, generally strong and muscular, and capable of enduring long hours of steady work, and much physical fatigue. The hair is usually dark brown or black, the eyes very clear and often hazel or grey; but colour varies, as always, with race and climate. The mouth is small, the nose rather long, the expression always intelligent and sometimes keenly critical. The type at its best is exceedingly handsome, but there is apt to be a "faultily faultless, icily regular" flavour about it. The beauty depends on regularity of feature and fineness of form, and lacks plastic grace, unless one of the softer and more loving elements in the horoscope - Libra, Venus, Pisces, etc. - is strongly emphasised, in which case there is great personal charm, ready repartee and a sparkling wit. Even at its gentlest this type is always critically alive to the faults and failings of those around it—its dearest friends included. Though France and her children generally are ruled by Leo, the city of Paris is said to be specially under the influence of Virgo. It is certainly a city of detail, the home of encyclopaedists and the centre of an organisation of the most finicking type: The French Government dictates the very hours of the children’s lessons with such precision that the little scholars in the East of France have to attend their classes by Parisian time, rising winter and summer an hour earlier by the Sun than their contemporaries in the West. The Parisian is generally handsome and always tastefully and suitably dressed, has few illusions and no cherished beliefs; is sceptical, practical, makes an excellent craftsman, and is very often exceedingly witty. There is more Leonian tolerance than Virginian purity associated with the life of the gay city; but it is an oft repeated assertion that the foreign elements of the population are responsible for its doubtful reputation, and not the nativeborn Parisians, who are usually hard-working, frugal and temperate. The irritable bachelor uncle of the comic papers is a burlesque of this type, and another is the Angular Spinster of the caricaturist, with her sharp speech, dislike of children and weakness for cats, which animals are traditionally said to be ruled by Virgo.


Health

A curious fact which, so far as the writer is aware, has not been noted by any other astrologer has pressed itself on her notice while this article has been in course of preparation. Among the people personally known to her whose horoscopes she has collected, all those who are lame come under the Virginian influence in one way or another - suggesting a further tie between them and the power of Vulcan. It would be instructive to gather statistics at some hospital for cripples, and find out whether the rule is invariable; and the result might settle various matters of dispute among astrologers - e.g., whether Byron and Sir Walter Scott were born with Virgo as ascendant. Inquirers would have to bear in mind the probability that Vulcan, in or near the ascending degree, would have the same effect as an accentuated Virgo influence; and it is interesting to note that in some cases where there is a strong Virgo element visible in the life, and nothing to account for it iii the horoscope, the ascension of Vulcan is a possible explanation.

Virgo is an extraordinarily healthy sign and more capable than any other of incessant and unremitting labour. In fact, the chief dangers to health are overwork and absorption in purely practical matters, leading to a certain sceptical and unsympathetic attitude of mind - a kind of dryness and barrenness in the life - a total absence of the spontaneity and joy which ought to accompany the exercise of the faculties. There is seldom any serious illness; but occasional functional derangements appear, and diet is often a difficulty, for certain foods which other types can eat with impunity are apt to prove poisonous to Virginians. Many of them are seriously upset by preparations of fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, rhubarb or prunes, and cannot touch dishes which are highly spiced or seasoned - pickles, chutney, curries and so forth causing disagreeable eruptions and other disturbances. Virginians are consequently inclined to be fastidious and fussy about their food, and especially about its purity and the manner in which it is prepared and served. Some of the specimens whose horoscopes have been collected, have suffered from internal abscesses and ulcerations, difficult to treat successfully, and in these cases some weakness or curvature of the spine is usually perceptible, the removal of which - by careful remedial gymnastics—is the best prescription for the other afflictions. As has already been said, a notable percentage of Virginians are lame and the lameness is often due to an accident in very early childhood.


Isabelle M. Pagan, From Pioneer to Poet or The Twelve Great Gates, (Theosophical Publishing House, London, 1911). This is a reprint of the entire section on Virgo from the fourth edition.








L. H. Weston...


THE INTRA-MERCURIAL PLANET VULCAN

The name "Vulcan," as applied to a planetary body, seems first to have come into general use about the year 1857, among the astronomers who were engaged in discussing the observation of what was supposed to have been the transit of an intra-Mercurial planet by Dr. Ritter, of Hanover, a few years previously. Again, on March 26, 1859, M. Lescarbault, a French physician, who was an amateur astronomer, observed the transit of an intra-Mercurial planet, and this observation necessitated a renewed discussion, while at the same time rendering still more necessary some suitable name for distinguishing the supposed intra-Mercurial planet.

The selection of this name was, as a matter of fact, due to a singular mythological story which gives an almost exact description of an inner planet. An intra-Mercurial planet is pretended to be hot, like a blacksmith’s iron, because it is close to the Sun, and Vulcan of mythology, or Tubal-Cain of the Bible, was feigned to be a blacksmith, or an artisan engaged in the occupation of forging hot iron. Vulcan caught Mars, and made sport of him before Olympus, and we actually find some invisible planet near the Sun producing a detrimental effect on Mars, even though that effect were itself of a somewhat Martial nature. The son of Vulcan was Ethiops, or that is to say thin air, or ether. Now every weather prophet who ever used the intra-Mercurial planet in his analysis affirms that it controls the aerial currents on the Earth’s surface. From these, as well as certain other considerations, it seems possible, if not probable, that Vulcan is the true ancient name for the great intra-Mercurial planet, and that the attributes of the Vulcan of mythology correspond with the scientific effects of the intra-Mercurial planet of Chaldean Astrology.

Democritus, an astrologer and noted philosophical writer who flourished about the year 250 B. C., clearly stated that there were certain planets invisible and unknown to the commoner sort of observers of his day. In the times of Pythagoras, about 600 B.C., it was a matter of common knowledge among the astrologers that there were "ten fiery circles," instead of seven, as in profane or exoteric doctrine.

The Jewish Quabbalah is based upon the intrinsic values and virtues of Ten Sephiroth, that is, planetary orbits, and Kether, the crown of Macroprosopus, was Vulcan’s orbit. "In His form (in the form of the Ancient One) existeth the equilibrium; it is incomprehensible, it is unseen." - Quabbalah, Mathers, Art. 7.

The Egyptian Isis was a deific individual dwelling in a realm of supernal light, and, reduced to personification in feminine gender, she is feigned to boast that "No man has lifted my veil or seen my face."

The Jews always worshiped an invisible deity situated in a place too intensely light to gaze upon.

While it is perhaps impossible to find any direct reference to an intra-Mercurial planet in any ancient history or mythology, it may, nevertheless, be indirectly inferred that the elements of an intra-Mercurial planet were used by the ancient Egyptian astrologers as early as the times of the Pyramid Builders. The evidence of this is contained in their well known doctrine of "combustia," which was referred to by Ptolemy in several instances, and which has always been a cardinal doctrine in every system of astrology derived from the Egyptian and Chaldean sources. The doctrine of combustia is, in brief, that when any planet is within a few degrees of the Sun, usually supposed to be 8° 30’, it is in a state of combustia, that is, burnt up, and its virtues destroyed by that position. Ptolemy refers to this in the last sentence of Chapter 7, Book 2, of the Tetrabiblos.

Wilson, who was a translator of Ptolemy, states in his Dictionary of Astrology, under the head of "combustion": "It is said by Ptolemy that a planet when combust can neither save nor destroy, but it impregnates the Sun with its power, whether good or evil." This effect is the same on the Sun as that of the tunic of the Centaur was upon Hercules, in Greek fable, and the Sun is undisturbed by the burnings of combustia, as was also Herculese in the midst of the burning Mt. Aetna.

Mercury and the Sun are never "via combustia," but every other planet, and particularly the Moon, are powerfully affected in some strange manner, though irregularly, when within a few degrees of the Sun.

This fact that the planets often, but not always exhibit some strange and unaccountable detriment when within 8° of the Sun is only to be explained by the presence of an intra-Mercurial planet. It has been found by modern investigators that in nearly half the cases examined the doctrine of combustia would hold good, but in something over half the cases it fails. This showing gives rise to the suspicion that the effects noted were caused by something that is only about half the time in position to be operative, indeed, it must be caused by an intra-Mercurial planet which is about half the time on one side of the Sun and half the time on the other.

The very early Atlantean astrologers who belonged to the Pyramid Observatory class, knew all about Vulcan and possessed the complete tables of his motion, but after the decadence of the Pyramid Builders and the substitution of the hideous rites of religious worship in the place of scientific observation, the ephemerides of Vulcan were lost and could not be recovered under the deadly blight of the "holy men" who succeeded the "wise men." In this absence of the tables of Vulcan the best that could be done was simply to call any planet combust that was near enough to the Sun to be within his orbit, and thus the astrological doctrine of combustia is seen to be a relic and fragment of the ancient exact assignment of effect to an intra Mercurial planet.

A spotted panther or leopard carrying a human head on his back and the head having two wings, was the Egyptian glyph for a secret and unknown element, later by the Greek called Bacchus riding on a panther. It was the Sun, covered with spots like a leopard, and Vulcan, like a human head with wings. Ceremonially, the Egyptian Magi in the official dress of a leopard’s skin representing the Sun, Vulcan by the headdress.


MODERN OBSERVATIONS

There are a number of observations on record, particularly in the last two centuries, of the transit of an intra-Mercurial planet over the Sun’s disk, but for present use I will go no further back than the observation of Dr. Alischer, of Faure, France, March 27, 1720. Alischer, on this date, saw a dark body pass from east to west across the Sun’s disk, and his calculations based on its size and speed, proved it to be an intra-Mercurial planet. Again, on March 15, 1721, Alischer witnessed another transit of exactly the same nature, the two observations being 353 days apart. More than a century and a half later this same recurrence of two transits separated by an interval of about 353 days was noted by other observers.

Since Alischer’s time a number of observations have been recorded of the transit of an intra-Mercurial planet, and I give below a list of such as may be considered fairly authenticated.

I use the observation of Lescarbault of France, on March 26, 1859, and the observation of Captain Isbester, June 25, 1907, as two that are absolutely authenticated. Leverrier tested that of Lescarbault, and I have settled the fact of Isbester’s report.

There is an intra-Mercurial planet. It has been seen. No doubt remains that it exists, and I here abandon all controversy on that point, I accept the name "Vulcan" for it, and for the use of astrologers I give it this symbol:




List of Observed Transits of Vulcan

1—Dr. Aliseher, Faure, France, (O.S.) March 27, 1720 I 68376
2—Dr. Alischer, Faure, France, (O.S.) March 15, 1721 I 68023
3—Fritch, Madgeburg (Bode’s Almanac) Mar. 25, 1784 I 45015
4—Fritch, Madgeburg, Germany………..Oct. 10, 1802 I 38243
5—Stark, of Augsburg…………………..Oct. 9, 1819 I 32035
6—Schmidt, Germany…………………...Oct. 11, 1847 I 21806
7—Lowe and Sidebotham, England…….Mar. 12, 1849 I 21288
8—Dr. Ritter, Hanover, Germany……….June 11, 1855 I 19006
9—M. Lescarbault, France………………Mar. 26, 1859 I 17622
10—Astronomers at Stuttgart, Germany….Feb. 16, 1897 I 3780
11—Astronomers at Weibaden, Germany...Feb. 4, 1898 I 3427
12—Captain Isbester, Long. 136° w………June 25, 1907 I 000


THE OBSERVATION OF 1907

About the last days in June, 1907, an article appeared in the local columns of one of the Portland, Oregon, daily newspapers giving an account of the observation of a singular "Sun spot" by Captain Isbester about June 23, 1907. A few months later I visited the hydrographic office in the customs house at Portland and made inquiry regarding Isbester’s report upon the observation mentioned in the newspaper. Mr. McNulty, who was in charge of the hydrographic office, stated that the newspaper account was in the main correct, but upon looking over his letter files it was found that he had given the date of Captain Isbester’s observation as June 25, and not 23 as the newspaper had it. I also met a gentleman at the hydrographic office who was well acquainted with Isbester and remembered all the Captain had said about the Sun spot. This man had heard Isbester tell the story repeatedly, and briefly it is as follows:

The British ship Dalgonar, from Hamburg to Portland, Oregon, Captain Isbester master, was in longitude 1360 west and latitude 460 north on June 25, 1907. This is about 250 miles off the Northern California coast. The weather was clear and sultry, and when the Captain took the noon observation for declination with the sextant he noticed a very large spot on the disk of the Sun. The spot was of immense size and the Captain was much surprised at its general appearance, for it was unlike the commoner Sun spots which he had seen almost daily for many years. It had a singular motion and the Captain in trying to describe it said "it looked like an inverted balloon." It moved with easily noticeable speed and passed off the Sun’s disk late in the afternoon.


This is the testimony as I secured it, and from it I concluded that the Captain had witnessed the transit of an intra Mercurial planet. He said the spot looked like an inverted balloon. Now that is just the shape Venus appeared to have at ingress and egress at the transits of June 5, 1761, and June 3, 1769. It is well known that both Venus and Mercury while at internal contact with the Sun’s disk at transits present the appearance of a pear shaped spot, the small end elevated if the planet is north of the solar equator.

Isbester appears to have concluded that the "spot" was on the Sun from noon until late in the afternoon, say a full four hours, being perhaps longitudinally central near noon. This is the same duration of transit that Lescarbault noted 4 hours.

Again, upon comparing the date with previously recorded observations, as on page 5, I found it would coincide quite exactly with most of them if a synodic time of 19.5804 days were assumed for the supposed intra-Mercurial planet.


The Basis of the Tables

How it happens that I should choose to assume, at the beginning of the inquiry, that about 19.5804 days is the synodic time of Vulcan, may be explained, briefly, by reference to the following circumstances:

The great astronomer Leverrier, whose authority is of the first order, found from Lescarbault’s observed timing of a transit, as well as from his own elaborate investigations in to the perturbations of Mercury’s nodes, that an intra-Mercurial planet certainly revolved in a heliocentric period of near 19 days and 17 hours, which would be a synodic time of nearly 21 days. Valz, the noted German astronomer, using Dr. Ritter’s observation, as well as his own elaborate computations, concluded that Vulcan’s sidereal period was 17 days 13 hours, or a synodic time ‘of near 19 days. Thus, two great matematicians equipped with all modern facilities, find that Vulcan must have a sidereal time of about 18 to 19 days. Leverrier gives Vulcan’s sidereal time as 19d 17h; Valz gives it as 17d 13h; but I here give it as 18d 14h 1m.

In the list of observed transits as given on page 5, the last column of figures shows how many days there are between each transit and Isbester’s observation June 25, 1907. Now upon examining the differences in days between these several transits it is found that between list numbers 1 and 2, which are the two observations of Dr. Aliseher, there are 353 days. Also between list numbers 10 and 11, which are observations of the German professionals over a century and three-quarters later, there are 353 days. At another time, between 6 and 7, there are 518 days. Now if we put 18 revolutions into 353 days, and 26 revolutions in to 518 days, the value from such division will be about the same, namely, about 19.5804 if something is allowed as fractional instead of absolutely even days between observations. Furthermore, between list numbers 4 and 5 are 6208 days, and 19.5804 goes into that 317 times with an insignificant remainder. Between 6 and 8 there are 2800 (lays, and 19.5804 goes into that 143 times so exactly as to be exceedingly suspicious that we are using a true divisor. Between 8 and 10 are 5226 days and 19.5804 divides by 267. The figure 19.5804 is about what the mathematicians take to be Vulcan’s synodic time and here we find it dividing the number of days between the several observations with about as much accuracy and uniformity as could well be expected of any mean motion value. It divides the time quite satisfactorily between Alischer and Isbester, between Fritch and Stark, between Schmidt and Dr. Ritter, while between Lescarbault and Isbester the very considable period of 17622.36 days is divided by 19.5804 just 900 times.

The well known law of planetary distances sustains the opinion that about 19 days is the proper sidereal time for an intra-Mercurial planet, and as I take 19.5804 as the synodic time, then its true sideral time must be 18:584, and its daily heliocentric increment in longitude 19.3715°.

The Third Law of the great astrologer Kepler is: "The squares of the times of a planet’s revolution are as the cubes of the mean distance from the Sun."

This law gives rise to a certain consequence in mathematics, which is that a constant value may be found for all ratios between squares of times and cubes of distances in the case of all planets revolving around any primary, and that ratio must be the same for all. Computing upon this proposition for our Sun’s system of planets it is found the value for Venus is the number 133413, and that it is nearly the same for all planets.

The dictum based upon the Third Law is that "If the squares of the periodic times of the planets be divided by the cubes of their mean distances from the Sun the quotients thus obtained are the same for all the planets." (For the solar system this is uniformly about 133413.)

If, now, we take the distance from the Earth to the Sun as 1, then the Third Law of Kepler yields values as in this table. The periodic time is here represented by P, and the mean distance from the Sun by A.





The periodic time as given for Vulcan in this table is computed from synodic time which I have assigned as 19.5804 days. Taking this computed periodic time as 18.584 days and squaring it and then dividing that square value by 133413, which has just been explained to be the constant value of ratio for the Sun’s system, we get the cube of what must be Vulcan’s distance from the Sun where the Earth is 1. Extracting the root from the cube so found we have the value of about 0.13744 for Vulcan’s mean relative distance from the Sun.

Thus it is seen that Vulcan is a lawful member of the system and completes the list of Ten Sephiroth of the Quabbalah and the Ten Orbs of Pythagoras, the Chaldeans and the Atlantean Pyramid Astrologers antedating the Deluge of Deucalion.

There is another law, or theory, which determines the inter-dependence of one planetary orbit upon all the others in any system. It is: "The ratio of a senior planet’s orbit to a junior planet’s orbit is equal to the square of the ratio of the junior planet’s orbital motion to the senior planet’s orbital motion."

Now I have already determined that Vulcan’s periodic time is 18.584 days and his semi-major axis is 0.13744, hence his orbital motion in miles per day must be near 4,257,800. Then by the theory the daily orbital motion of Mercury divided into this must give a number which must be the same as a number found by extracting the square root of the quotient found by dividing Mercury’s semi-major axis in miles by that of Vulcan. The computation gives about 12,700,000 miles as Vulcan’s distance from the Sun, being practically the same as the value found by other methods. Thus a periodic time of 18.584 days for Vulcan is theoretically exact.



THE ELEMENTS OF VULCAN

In the light of the best data obtainable at this day I now proceed to assign the elements of Vulcan and construct his tables. The tables are perhaps not all that could be desired, yet for use in astrology they will be found fairly satisfactory.

I assume that Lescarbault’s observation of Vulcan’s transit was March 26, 1859, noon Greenwich, 5° 19’ Aries. Isbester’s observation June 25, 1907, 8h 39m Greenwich, conjunct in 3° 06’ Cancer.

Vulcan’s mean sidereal time………………………..18.584 days (18d 14h 1m)
Synodical period……………………………………19.5804 days (19d 13h 54m)
Longitude South Node June 25, 1907………………………..2° 23’ Cancer
Mean annual motion of nodes minus…………………………16° 48’
Semi-major axis (Earth equal 1)………………………………0.13744
Daily orbital motion…………………………………………..°19.3715
Mean distance from the Sun in miles…………………………12,753,000
Mean distance from Sun at elongation………………………..8° 17’


HOW TO COMPUTE VULCAN’S LONGITUDE

It now remains only to construct a set of tables from these elements for finding Vulcan’s longitude at any date and hour. The tables are given together at the end of the booklet for the sake of convenience, and are numbered for reference.

A brief general explanation will perhaps aid somewhat in grasping the proposal plan of computing longitude. In order to find Vulcan’s longitude on any date after 1859 it is necessary to repeatedly add the synodic period to Lescarbault’s time, March 26, 1859, Greenwich noon, which will give the date and hour of any subsequent inferior conjunction with the Sun, and the Sun’s longitude on that date and hour must also be the longitude of Vulcan at that time. Table 2 facilitates such addition. Now the inferior conjunction of an intraTellurian planet, that is, one inside the Earth’s orbit, will be while the planet is retrograde in motion, changing soon to direct and again to retrograde during its synodic period, and a table must be constructed to exhibit that motion in the case of Vulcan. Table 5, therefore, is arranged to give the longitude to hours that Vulcan must have minus or plus his longitude at the conjunction. But the table is based upon the assumption that the Sun moves always just 1° per day, which is not the case, hence to longitude found by such a table a correction must be applied, and Table 3 supplies that correction.

It would have required about ten pages of tables to have given each inferior conjunction since 1859, and in this first edition I give only one page of them, Table 1. Any apt computer may find the exact day and hour of any inferior conjunction, Greenwich time, by simply adding 19.5804 days repeatedly to March 26, 1859, noon. In this way find the date and longitude of that inferior conjunction which just proceeds the date and hour to which you are computing the position, and Tables 5 and 3 will give the value minus or plus to be applied for any day and hour following, up to the next conjunction. Table 4 shows the years in which the intercalary days occur at the end of February, and by multiplying years by 365, adding the intercalary days, and then the extra ones after March 26, 1859, up to the date to which you are seeking the position, the number of days are found which are to be divided by 19.5804.


ASTROLOGICAL NATURE AND EFFECT OF VULCAN

So far as may be determined at this day the Astrological Nature of Vulcan is, as the ancients claimed, combustible, fiery, explosive, ethereal and tending to nulify the effects of all planets in bodily conjunction with him (the Sun and Mercury excepted.)

In effect, Vulcan rules the Earth’s atmospheric air motions, barometric pressures; also gases, as well as all gas-producing materials of combustible nature, such as mineral oils, gasoline, powder, sulphur and the like.

I give Vulcan the following- position among" planetary effects:

1—interior of the Sun governs the Earth’s temperature.
2—Solar photosphere governs the Earth’s electro-magnetism.
3—Vulcan governs the atmosphereic air and gases.
4—The Moon governs the Earth’s waters.
5—Mercury, a crystalizing force, synthetic and analytic.
6—Venus, an ozone, or element of preservation.
7—Mars, a force that minutely subdivides every element.
8—The Asteroids produce fogs, clouds, rains, meteors.
9—Jupiter, a coagulating, synthetic force, of supreme power.
10—Saturn, inharmony, disentegration, decay, cold, inertia.
11—Uranus, like Mercury, but of massive reaction.
12—Neptune, like Venus, but of a more permanent nature.


IN NATIVITIES - Vulcan appears to nullify the effect of any planet with which he is in bodily conjunction (excepting the Sun and Mercury), but in any other aspect whatsoever, square or trine, he gives a kind of vehement eccentricity of character according with the nature of the planet he aspects. Strange freaks are produced in human nature, mentally and physically, and usually in malevolent form.

VISIBILITY – I may be asked to explain why it is that Vulcan has so rarely been seen at transits, for it is certain that he must transit the Sun’s disk several times every year. My answer is that this intra-Mercurial planet Vulcan is a thin, flat disk of matter, about the density and the toughness of the best vanadium steel. Since the axial rotation would throw his poles nearly at right angles with the ecliptic we can never see the planet at any time on account of the thin edge being always presented to our view. But occasionally Vulcan captures masses of matter in the form of comets that rush in near the Sun and this material, generally in a cloudy form, appears as a globe surrounding the planet. The great axial velocity of the planet soon throws this cloudy matter out into a thin sheet which finally streams into the Sun and is there consumed or lost in the great aggregation of the Sun’s mass. While the clouds are around Vulcan at the time of his transits he may be seen, but as he throws off the clouds in a few days there are many years together when he can never be seen. If this planet is observed once it is probable he can be seen again in just 353 days later, unless he has thrown off his cloak in the meantime. But if he has divested himself of the cometary clouds before he gets around to the node again he will remain invisible.


L.H. Weston, The Planet Vulcan: History, Nature, Tables, (AFA, Tempe, AZ)





Linda Goodman...





Her approaching thunder is growing louder.
Have you heard it?


I have always believed that Star Trek’s Mr. Spock is a Vulcanite by nature. Vulcan is the true ruler of Virgo, and is “the lame goddess of thunder,” since Vulcan is definitely a female planet. Let me explain what I mean by “the true ruler.”

But first I must beg the indulgence of some of you. Many of you are sufficiently knowledgeable about astrology to be very interested in what I’m about to tell you. Many others of you are not as knowledgeable, soothe following few paragraphs may sound like Greek to you. Will you, then, bear with me if I devote a page or so to the meaning of “the true ruler” of Virgo for my readers among you who will understand it? It’s something of which we all should be aware, and who knows? Perhaps the Higher S-elves of those of you who know little about the calculations of astrology will somehow translate your reading of what at first seems new and strange into a flash of illumination. Anyway, thanks for being patient for a few paragraphs.

Each of the 12 Zodiacal Signs has a true or natural (original) ruling planet. “In the beginning” of each cycle or slow turning of the cosmic wheel, the Sun is known to be the natural ruler of Leo; the Moon the natural ruler of Cancer. (Brother Sun and Sister Moon). When all ten planets are discovered (or re-discovered), and take their rightful, original rulership over each Sun Sign, Earthlings face a challenge, and have repeatedly, over the aeons, failed this greatest of all karmic tests. If, at this return to the beginning of the original rulership of each Sun Sign, peace, harmony, and love reign on Earth, then the plan of our co-Creators will have been fulfilled for eternity. If not, then natural cataclysm, produced by Earth, Air, Fire or Water, creates the necessity of beginning all over again.

An example: At one time, both Pisces and Sagittarius were ruled by Jupiter – until Neptune was discovered as the original and therefore natural (or true) ruler of Pisces. At one time, both Aquarius and Capricorn were ruled by Saturn – until Uranus was discovered as the original and therefore natural ruler of Aquarius. (Abraham Lincoln was a Saturn-ruled Aquariun, Franklin Roosevelt a Uranus-ruled Aquarian). Uranus was rediscovered by a farm boy named Herschel, and was called by his name at first. But metaphysicians knew that the planet’s true name was Uranus – and sure enough, the fuddy-duddy astronomers later re-named it Uranus, as all Gurus knew they would eventually be guided to do by Universal plan. How was it known that the planet’s real name was Uranus? Through karmic soul memory, since each planet has been “discovered” countless times in the past. (Isn’t it strange that those scientific and astronomer types who are so skeptical of mystical matters and Universal Law are, nevertheless, magnetized to behave exactly as prophesied? Perhaps not so strange as amusing. The “gods” and the Masters of Karma do have a sense of humor, you know.)

To continue, Aries and Scorpio were both ruled by Mars and Scorpio, until Scorpio’s true and natual ruler, Pluto, was discovered. And so on.

Each time this repeated circle of discovery occurs, it manifests in the same pattern - or order of discovery - and the last two original planetary rulers to be re-discovered are always (in each cycle) Vulcan, the true ruler of Virgo – then Horus (Pan-Horus), the true ruler of Taurus. Virgo presently shares with Gemini the rulership of Mercury, although Mercury is the true ruler of Gemini, and is only “on loan”, so to speak, to Virgo. Just as Taurus presently shares with Libra the rulership of Venus, although Venus is the true ruler of Libra, and is only “on loan”, so to speak, to Taurus.

After Vulcan comes the re-discovery of Horus, called by mystics and Egyptian mythology “the god of Time.” HORUS, by simply switching two letters, lexigrams into HOURS. When Horus is re-discovered, Earthlings shall have commenced to comprehend how to enter the 4th Dimension of Time – The Eternal Now.

Following the re-discovery of Horus, the “planet” Apollo (the Sun god), by esoteric tradition, is the final re-discovery, and is said to be the “planet” ruling earth Herself. Not so.

Apollo is actually our Earth’s Second Sun, lost aeons ago (for a reason given in the forthcoming Twelfth Night Secrets, related to Set, Nephthys, Adam and Eve, Isis and Osiris). This loss of our Second Sun created the beginning of illusory Time – and Gravity, the latter, not the former being the cause of unnecessary aging and death. There’s not enough space to explain it any further here, or this Star Note would be as long as February’s, and my printer has told me that if that happens too often, the printing and mailing expense will double! We don’t want that to happen, so please read again Page 423 in the hardcover edition of Star Signs - or Page 534 in the paperback or softcover edition, for an explanation of our “Second Sun.”

Yes, the secret identity of “Apollo” is our Earth’s Second Sun, it’s sudden and miraculous return destined to bring an end to illusionary Time, the end of Gravity and the end of aging and death – although the latter two tragedies may be negated even now – presently – through the proper use of mental gravity, as I explained in Chapter 9 of Star Signs. The sad truth is that, at the end of each of the countless cycles – when all of the original planetary rulers have been re-discovered, all the way through Vulcan and Horus – before the glory of the return of Apollo has been able to burst into light and bless us – Earthlings have clung to greed, lust, selfishness, fear and hate, causing yet another cataclysm that catapults us back through the tunnels of time into a Stone Age of ignorance – forced to learn everything from the beginning genesis once more, rediscovering each planet, as through countless former millenniums.

What a terrible waste of promised happiness, peace and joy! Wouldn’t it be an awesome miracle if, this time, we managed to make it to Apollo, ending darkness on earth – and in our spirits? We can, at least, begin to think about it, to image it. Remember, IMAGE contains I AM A MAGI! Let’s ordain it together, now that the prophesied re-discovery of Vulcan draws near. Then, Horus…

You may recall that, in my book, Love Signs, I wrote that my Higher S-elf whispered to me the secret of Vulcan’s imminent re-discovery within approximately a decade or so. Love Signs was published in late December of 1978 – early January 1979. A few years before its publication, Dr. Joseph L. Brady, of Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, published his theory of an existing “Planet X.”

Recently, a friend, Dave Walters, wrote to me some very encouraging signs coming from the astronomical community. Astronomer J.J. Rawal has definitely established that there are stable orbits within the orbit of Mercury. (Note: When Vulcan is finally discovered and named, it will be found to be located or positioned between the Sun and Mercury.) Another astronomer, Dr. Henry Courten, in the late 60’s and early 70’s, spotted some faint objects during solar eclipses. Whether one of them is Vulcan is yet to be determined, but the astronomical interest is certainly there, and hopefully it will surface again before too long. Dave also informed me of something I didn’t know, which is that the first proposal for an intramercurial planet started from the time of Galileo. There’s a profound reason, buried in antiquity, for Vulcan to be located near Mercury, which will be given in Twelfth Night Secrets.

As for Horus, another astronomer has proposed that there is a planet beyond Pluto (the legendary location of Horus – Pluto being the ruler of Scorpio, the sign closely associated with Horus, son of Isis and Osiris – a planet which has an orbit of 1,018 years, and is currently positioned at 00:00 Sagittarius. Interesting that the numbers in that 1,018 year orbit of the planet which could be Horus, add to the double number 10, the number of Isis and Osiris. The I is for Isis – and the 0 of the 10 representing Osiris. A strong indication that the proposal of a planet beyond Pluto is correct, that it is Horus, and will be so named when it is “officially” re-discovered at its allotted time. Another reason why metaphysicians often know the truth of planetary discoveries long before they are actually made. Numerology.

Would you like to continue this numerological spiraling a bit further? Ponder these truths. While Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris, Vulcan and Mercury were the names of their twin children (Mercury, male – Vulcan, female). Zero or 0 is the number of Pluto, ruler of Scorpio, closely associated with Horus. 10 is Isis and Osiris. The 0 of the double number represents Horus (Pluto-Scorpio) – and the 1 of the 10 whispers that, instead of twins (which all births once were – explained in TNS), Horus was a single birth (for good reason) – Horus was one child only.

The number of both Mercury and Vulcan (the twins) is 5. Therefore, the number of Gemini and Virgo is 5, since both are presently ruled by Mercury. Vulcan and Mercury were twins. Think about it. Gemini, the Twins, ruled by the number 5 and by Mercury – Mercury now ruling Virgo, until Vulcan (also a 5) is re-discovered.

Therein lies an astounding ancient mystery...for aeons hidden behind these astrological and numerological symbols. So...let’s add thefive of the twins, Vulcan and Mercury, to the 10 of their parents, Isis and Osiris, plus the 0 of Horus. The result is the double number 15, the number of magic and mystery in the Kabala and the Chaldean alphabet. Magic and mystery indeed! How true. And, of course, the 15 reduces to the single number 6 – the number of Love – more appropriate and “logical” than you yet guess.

As to what the re-discovery of Vulcan will mean to all of you Virgos, if I told you here, this letter would be a book! What it means to you Virgins is exciting and quite lengthy, so may I ask you to read the Virgo-Virgo section of Love Signs instead? It will tell you everything you need to know.

Linda Goodman’s Star Notes, March 1989


Mercury is the true ruler of the Air Sign Gemini, and is not at all at home in its temporary association with the Earth Sign of Virgo. Consequently (possibly through sheer boredom) the tricky Mercury sometimes agitates Virgins into behavior against their real natures, and contrary to their deepest desires. Virgos may take heart, however, for, as detailed in the Virgo-Virgo chapter of this book, when Vulcan is recognized and named, within a few years (or sooner), it will begin to express its powerful, magnetic vibrations through the personalities of all Virgins, causing them to be stronger, tougher – and less likely to switch horses, ideas, girls or career in the middle of the stream of Life’s little annoyances and irritations.

Love Signs by Linda Goodman, at 214.


Aquarian Age Virgos who ignore the twin urgings of impatience and cool, critical detachment, for so many centuries implanted in their natures by their foster ruler, Mercury, and allow themselves to feel instead, the slower, wiser, soul-stirring thunders of their to-be-discovered, true ruling planet, Vulcan, will be richly rewarded. They’ll gradually grow more aware that sex isn’t meant to be either analyzed or criticized between two people who love. It’s intended to be unashamedly given and received, joyfully and gratefully shared for the blessing it is - the most natural way for two searching souls to unite – and thus to deepen and renew their mutual dreams through becoming one flesh.

ibid, at 579.


VULCAN’S Song... "Virgo’s Quest"

there’s a Star I have never seen
lost inside a prayer
and somehow, the answer to love is there

I must go where the Star was born...many years ago
Then somehow…the answer to love I’ll know

Hidden by midnight...yet near to the Sun
High on a far off cloud
How can I see it, with eyes ever blind?
Just stumbling along in a crowd?

Though I must search for my Star alone
Just a dream or two behind
yet somewhere…the answer to love
I know…I’ll find


Even now, Libra’s Venus glows a little brighter...beaming a silent message that the weary time of waiting is nearly over, and the lost shall soon be found again...the long-ago separated will soon be reunited. Yes, Vulcan’s hour is imminent. Never mind what scientific astronomers say. Before too many moons have passed, somewhere, on a clear twilight, one of them will excitedly point toward the softly singing heavens, and shout, "Look! Up there, near Mercury! A new star!"

At first they may call it by a false name. But no matter. As astronomers were guided by their Higher Selves to eventually change the name of the planet Herschel to Uranus, unknowingly obeying the ancient prophecies of Aquarius…likewise will they once again be guided by a power beyond their scientific control to finally call the new "star" Vulcan...and so fulfill another of astrology’s destined births. Because Vulcan, the lame goddess of Thunder, orbits near the protection of Apollo, the Sun god, the planet can’t be seen in the daytime brightness - or at night. Vulcan is "hidden by midnight, yet near to the Sun," lyrically and literally. It must be discovered near Sunrise or Sunset. Sunrise is better. Sunset holds sad memories of tragedy for Vulcan...memories she’d rather forget, concerning Set and Osiris. Yes, Sunrise is better. At dawn, just as the new day begins, at the moment when the Morning Star (Libra’s Venus) is fading from sight over the horizon, to dream awhile...before returning at dusk.

ibid, at 588.


As much as he may love [his Libra woman] in return, with all his heart and mind and soul, he must be true to his own Sun Sign, and place service to others above all else – above even his own needs – yes, and if duty, responsibility, and dedication require, even above her. His shining quest is to somehow improve the world he lives in – to try as best he can to bring order out of chaos and confusion – to clarify the mistakes of Earthlings, whether they be his personal loved ones or complete strangers. He’s driven to turn the smog and pollution of human thinking into the fresh air of her own Libra harmony and balance.

This is his destiny, and Vulcan’s newly felt vibrations are increasing his compulsion to follow his star – to fulfill his mission as a Virgo...and with powerful Vulcan guiding him, he’s capable of both finding and comprehending the secret formula [for a miracle], which has been, for countless eons, waiting to be rediscovered.

ibid, at 592.


Still, with Vulcan, Virgo’s true ruler, about to be discovered, Virgins of both sexes are beginning to feel restless stirrings, of discontent, a compulsion to wonder and wander...to change old patterns and habits, and explore the world (as well as themselves) to see what surprises they might find.

ibid, at 605


I wished to emphasize to the Virgo man that, while he was born under a "feminine" Sun Sign, and is actually ruled by the feminine planet Vulcan, which doesn’t mean that he’s a sissy (Virgo Elliot Gould, a sissy?), only sensitive and perceptive – his Archer girl was born under a Masculine Sun Sign, and is also guided (puns, truth arrows, integrity, practical joking and all) by the masculine planet, Jupiter.

ibid, at 612


Now, I can’t explain to you in detail exactly what it means that Saturn is a Seventh Dimensional planet. But perhaps generally...

You see, here on earth, we are existing, living on a Third Dimensional planet, giving the large majority of us, at least, a third dimensional awareness (of Truth). The next, or the Fourth Dimension, is Time itself. Very Einsteinish. Gets into linear conceptuals and that sort of thing (See Leo-Aquarius chapter.) The next level after the 4th is logically the 5th. The Fifth Dimensional level of awareness has something to do with Vulcan, the true ruler of Virgos, but I can’t tell you exactly what. Moving right along to the 6th dimension and the following one, well – look at it this way: if we haven’t the foggiest notion of what the 5th and 6th dimensions relate to, consist of, etc. – then it’s no wonder that we’re totally baffled by the Seventh Dimension of Saturn. I mean, how are you going to comprehend the 7th if you don’t know a particle about the 5th and the 6th? That makes good, common sense, doesn’t it?

ibid, at 615


It’s about time they broke the chains of restriction, to learn that love will not be imprisoned by anyone’s rules. From far away in the distance, Virgo’s true ruling planet, Vulcan, thunders approval...while overhead in the sky overhead, Saturn weeps with a strange and unaccustomed joy.

ibid, at 621


As tough and patient and intractable as her ruling planet, Saturn, may be – Virgo’s true ruling planet, the thunderous Vulcan, will also have something quite firm to say about it. Because Vulcan has not yet been discovered and identified (though the event is imminent – see the Virgo-Virgo chapter), the male Virgin remains still partially influenced by his foster rule Mercury. This gives him, in addition to Vulcan’s distant but determined vibes of resistance, the extra bonus of Mercury’s quick intellect and agile mental cleverness, along with Mercury’s swift, wing-footed way of escaping uncomfortable situtations.

ibid, at 622


…no one can fly unless the fairy dust has been sprinkled on him.

The Fish were born under a double feminine influence – the feminine Sun Sign of Pisces, ruled by the also feminine planet, Neptune. The Virgins are likewise born under a double feminine influence (but with a slight difference, as we shall see) for Virgo is also a feminine Sun Sign, whose true ruler is the equally feminine (and powerful) planet, Vulcan – not yet discovered, but soon to be. Meanwhile, Virgo is foster-guided by Mercury, a masculine planet. Right away, you can see that the Virgins are one up on the Fish, in the sense of active or positive (i.e., masculine) initiation.

ibid, at 637


The Virgo Love Mystery

Earlier Leo enthusiasms have been replaced with resignation and quiet dreams. Virgo is driven by the fear of dependence into dogged determination not to waste time or shirk duty, the consciousness ever watchful and waiting, yearning to be something better. Although once again ruled by Mercury, the soul has by now learned not to scatter the vital forces as on the Gemini level. Like the symbolic Virgin, Virgo hovers on the edge of awareness, soon to answer the thunderous call of Virgo’s true ruler, Vulcan, not yet "discovered" by astronomers, but sufficiently near discovery to have commenced to faintly beam its pulsing influence to all Virgo-Virgin souls...

The Virgo soul has reached its narcissus aspect, half-remembering the heated fires of youth, but as yet unawakened, only vaguely sensing the passion that lies ahead, soon to be revealed by Vulcan. To Virgos, love means surrender of the self, a mystery they prefer not to solve. So they channel its energy into excellence at work...and although these men and women offer gentle devotion, love’s true meaning still sleeps within the Virgin heart.

ibid, at 24


For a KNOWFLAKE who cares about the TRUTH
With Virgo Clarity, he proceeds forsooth
Many a lesson he has learnt at what seems a great cost
You think that could stop him ? No, he is not lost!
Emotions he respects but feels that can deter one
If you could just keep those aside, he believes, you have won
For then, with objectivity, you call a spade a spade
Courteous yet firm, he believes, you've got it made
His vision is encompassing, he wants ALL to KNOW
With Clarity and Truth, you can stride forward for more
Undeterred by human obstacles that can cause you to miss
The "truth-hurt-set-you-free" remedy for eternal bliss
Yes, He is even more sensitive to such apparent human flaws
He is "Virgo-for-perfection", ruled by Vulcan's truth-abiding laws
And what with the Leos who walk through his chart
He has to be right and voice his truth from his teaching heart
Now at times this may not set well with a Knowflake or two
But really, if one knows a Virgo, he's upset as much as you
He's aware that distortions, however slight they may be,
Can halter the slow-progressing foundation of truth you see
So be it a person, a religion, a creed, a view that comes by
He scans and studies and filters - he can't afford a lie
With his Moon in Aquarius be ready for some quirky zig-zag posts
That may topple you off your seats - its like you're seeing ghosts
Explanations ? He has them a-plenty for he's ahead of you
In analysing his own statements - are they false? Do they ring true?
Not born Virgos, it does take most of us quite some time
To realise that idolization of Self is akin to a crime
But by and by we'll learn to hear the clarion call of a Virgo's song
Our Higher elves have recognized their devotion to Clarity all along
Now that we understand this Knowflake for following his quest
Its HAPPY BIRTHDAY from us - we wish for you only the best!

PS
When you Virgo-read the lines right to the end
KNOW that these word-druids are written by a friend

~ Miss Melina Macbeth, aka druid, On Carlo, August 1999





Barbara Watters...

“I’m interested in the prophecy that a new planet, ruling Virgo, will soon be discovered. About five years ago, I began to doubt the validity of the Mercury rulership. Mercury still works beautifully as the ruler of Gemini. But lately, when using it in the traditional way as the Lord of Virgo, it misses the mark on timing and may even lead to mistakes in judging the trends.”

“What’s the traditional way to use a planetary ruler in predictions?” asked Brian.

“Suppose Leo is the Sign on a man's 10th house of career. The Sun rules Leo. You see heavy stresses coming up over the Sun, so you warn him of coming pressure on his job, that he may have to change his employment, and possibly even the kind of work he’s doing. You know when the stress will be greatest, and when it will ease, so you can help him decide on the best ways to counteract it. It all works out so well that it seems certain the Sun really does rule Leo.

“But suppose Virgo is on the 10th. and you use Mercury the same way. The results can be most unsatisfactory. The timing may be off. The stresses will show up affecting the house with Gemini on the cusp - usually the 7th if Virgo is on the 10th. He may have serious marriage or legal problems, but no trouble at all with his job. Of course it’s no surprise that Mercury works through the Sign Gemini, which it undoubtedly does rule. But if it also rules Virgo, stress over it should work through both Signs. All too often, lately, it doesn’t.”

“You say this has only been true for the past few years. Before that, Mercury did work as the ruler of Virgo. Right?”

“It seemed to, Hal. I think such a change always occurs when a new planet is about to be discovered. Until almost the end of the 18th century, Saturn worked as the ruler of Aquarius. Then, shortly before the American Revolution, strange new influences began to operate in the world. Now we know these influences were Uranian. They brought a new type of political revolution, great technical and scientific advances, enormous social changes. Nothing in the sudden rise of the industrial, democratic states is like the operation of Saturn. Now we can see how the changes worked, historically, and we can connect them with the passage of Uranus through the Signs and with strong Uranian stresses over the charts of nations. But people living in those times could not do this. All they saw was a world in chaos, exploding in one revolution after another. Some of the finest astrologers of the time went astray on their predictions because Uranian values were so new no one understood them, so they had to continue to use Saturn as the ruler of Aquarius.”

“The same thing happens today when we try to use Mars instead of Pluto as the ruler of Scorpio,” said Hattie. “Pluto was discovered in 1930, and the world hasn’t settled down since. But it’s hard to see why, if a planet is always out there, it doesn’t influence the world in its own peculiar way, whether we know of its existence or not.”

“I have no explanation for it. Unless it’s because we can’t use the influence, so nothing we do or create in our human, social, political world reflects it. Then, a few years before the new planet is discovered, the whole world seems to go nuts. People do all sorts of weird things, apparently without motivation. The old systems seem to break down for no good reason, the old faiths and traditions lose their hold, and everyone is bewildered. Since we don’t understand the influences at work, we can’t find solutions to any of our strange new problems. Certainly this is happening all over the world today.”

“You think the discovery of a new planet casts its shadow before by influencing our psychology in mysterious ways, making us dissatisfied with the old grooves?” asked Brian.

“Yes. And that dissatisfaction causes us to start smashing the old traditions, so that we destroy old values before we know how to create new ones that will express the new planet.”

“It’s an interesting theory,” said Hal. “Everyone is certainly aware that we’re in a whirlpool of change. And nobody seems to know what it means or what to do about it.”

I said, “If we think back over what we’ve said about Virgo, we’d probably have to admit that none of it is really Mercurial. We find Virgo modest, retiring, conservative, conformist, analytical, perfectionist, patient in routine, reluctant to change, working in the background, preferring bureaucratic jobs, and - although we didn’t emphasize it - honest in its financial dealings. Virgo is one of the least flighty and most responsible of the Signs. Mentally it’s conscientious, rather unimagina-tive, and serious. The only thing here that is like the qualities of the planet Mercury is Virgo’s seeming in-difference to sex - its lack of passion and tenderness.

“Now look at Mercury,” I continued. “The messenger of the gods, here today, gone tomorrow. Irresponsible, light-fingered, addicted to lying, talkative, inventive, brilliant intellectually but impatient of any task not quickly finished. The confidence man of the Zodiac, the life of the party, flashing with wit, moving in any circle with assurance, but on the whole preferring the company of tramps, since at heart he’s a tramp himself. You can’t keep him trapped in routine, you can’t pin him down. He’ll argue every side of every question with equal conviction, believing none of it and all of it at the same time. He hates to stay home because he feels he has an obligation to be always out, spreading the news around.”

“None of that is much like Virgo,” agreed Hattie.

“What planets are happiest in Virgo?”

“It has a good stabilizing effect on Mercury. We haven’t observed Pluto long enough to be sure, but I think its desire to explore the unknown has yielded great scientific breakthroughs when in Virgo. It has an odd effect on both Mars and Jupiter. By nature both these planets are extravagant, careless of the morrow, and disinclined to store up goods against a rainy day. But in Virgo, both of them become hoarders, especially of food and clothing, and both may become pennywise and pound foolish. Neptune is most unhappy there, where it sabotages and distorts values about health and medicine. Most of the miracle drugs, which we are now discovering to be dangerous, were put on the market when Neptune was in Virgo. Uranus there causes violent revolts of the lowest, most oppressed class in the society and makes for a radical leftist ideology. Uranus was in Virgo from 1962 to 1969, and also during the French Revolution and reign of terror. The Moon and Venus in Virgo, in a male chart, seem to encourage sexual indifference to women, but this only becomes marked if they are afflicted.”

“What literary characters are good examples of Virgo?” asked Hal.

“Betsy Trotwood, who was David Copperfield’s busy, sharp-tongued maiden aunt, always hiding her kind heart under a bristly, touch-me-not exterior. And there’s Polonius, the old fuss-budget in Hamlet. Lucy, in the Peanuts comic strip, lets fly occasionally with some of Virgo’s most negative qualities. In mythology, the story of Persephone explains the Sign. For the good of the world, to assure its food supply, she had to marry Pluto, god of the underworld, and spend six months of every year in his underground home. Minerva, the Roman goddess of the hearth and the domestic arts and virtues, emphasizes the good qualities of the Sign.”

“How about Athena, her Greek prototype?” asked Hal.

“She was the goddess of wisdom,” I answered. “She did show many Virgo traits, but also many Libra ones - especially in her role as blind Justice.”

Hal said, “I asked because she was the only one of Zeus’s numerous progeny who was begot without benefit of sex. She sprang full-blown from the old lecher’s brow, giving him a terrible headache in the process. And I believe that deep down in its heart, Virgo thinks that’s the way all babies should be born.”

~ Barbara Watters, What’s Wrong With Your Sun Sign?, Valhalla Paperbacks, 1970.





It has been said in old astrology books that there is another planet in our solar system called Vulcan that will be recognized as Virgo's rightful ruler when it is discovered. Vulcan was the royal son of Hera and Zeus. Zeus threw him out of heaven because of his lameness. Vulcanalia, the chief festival of the lame god, was held in Rome on August 23, at the time the Sun moves into Virgo. Old-time astrologers say that Virgo must overcome some physical handicap in life. I have found that many Virgos have hearing difficulties. It's interesting to note that Mr. Spock of Star Trek was a Vulcan and his ears were noticeably larger than Earthlings; he shares this trait with fleet-footed Mercury.

The god Vulcan was a blacksmith and the patron of all artisans. Virgo is the ruler of all workers. As new planets in other solar systems are being discovered today, perhaps there is a little planet in our solar system beyond Mercury and hidden in the brightness of the Sun. Until Vulcan is discovered, Virgo must share the planet Mercury's rulership with Gemini, which seems to work well enough for both.

Dian Eidenbaum, Souls Signs, Fireside, 1998











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