My Inspiration
White Light Astrology

                                       


 I would like to present here excerpts from Studies in White Light Astrology by Elman
Bacher, a book that is the inspiration for this website and my practice of Astrology.

 It was he who first taught White Light Astrology through the pages of Rays from the
Rose Cross, published by the Rosicrucian Fellowship. After his death in 1951 they
published it in book form and it is readily available on the internet.

I am not a Rosicrucian, nor do I have any ties to their organizations, yet I thank them
profusely for their publication of his work. I highly recommend this book to anyone
interested in the spiritual/transformational approach to Astrology.

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 The art-science called "astr-ology" is the study of universal laws as they apply to
evolutionarily unfolding consciousness; consciousness is the one primordial light, and
the symbols of the "lights"--Sun, Moon, and planets--are used to designate the faculties,
vehicles, and powers by which unfolding consciousness becomes aware of divine
consciousness.

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 The approach that anything that is depicted in astrology is essentially bad makes it, relatively,
impossible for the constructive work to be adequately fulfilled; further, such an approach has
about as much correspondence to astrological truth as has the "hell-fire-and- damnation"
version of Christianity to the simple, luminous teachings of Jesus.                                

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The "unjoyous" are the apathetic, the careless, the indifferent, the mentally and
emotionally slovenly; they exist in motion by response to things in themselves which, for
the most part, they do not understand. The joyous ones are conscious -deeply so--of
course and objective; they express their resources and fulfill their objectives with a focus
of power, intelligence, and devotion that qualifies them to swing the tide of human
evolution upward and onward. There are relatively few geniuses incarnate at any one
time, but every human can learn to live joyously in the sense that all who will to can
become more clearly aware of their divine identity and of their divine resources. It is
when we think of ourselves as "worms in the eyes of God" that we turn from our identity
as "joyous Beings." We are, in truth, "sparks from the flame of God" and a spark has
the attributes of light, warmth, and upward motion.

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 In this part of your life, if your personal Sun has squares or oppositions, you will be
challenged (depend on this!) by the vibratory powers of other people in order to stimulate
your attention to focus on the existence of your Divine Attributes. Some of these people
may be tyrannical by nature. You must learn to keep your Light alive and radiant in spite
of everything they--seemingly--try to do to you. Others may be inclined to take advantage
of your weaknesses in order to use you for their own purposes.

 You must study yourself and learn how to transmute your energies from disorganization
and weakness to strength. (Persons you may know who have no squares or oppositions to
their personal Suns will prove to be the best objects for study and the best teachers to
help you learn how to unify and focus your potentials.) If you deflect from what you
know to be your life- purpose, then you default on Divine Command.

 If your personal Sun has no squares or oppositions, then the congestions of the planet
which disposits it are the focalizations for "Sun-exercise." Through increasing
unification and focusing of positive powers, discipline of expression, purification of
desire- urges and clarification of your awareness of Spiritual Identity, you are to deal
with the problems represented by these "planetary afflictions."

  Frictional aspects involving planets in the sign Leo are to be redeemed by
transmutations of egotistical congestion through expressions of radiative Love--through
our Leo-points we must become contributors of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful for
the ongoing of Life. Transcendence of diffused separativeness is the action of
Mastership; radiation of focused Power as Love and Wisdom is the service of Mastership.
        
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  When the astrological student establishes his awareness of the "astro-path" as  being
the study of consciousness--ever evolving through incarnated experience and patterned
by the great archetypal Principles of the Universe--he will then appropriately evaluate
each factor of the study to the basic core and thus maintain all evaluations in proper
proportion and perspective. Every factor in a correctly calculated horoscope is an exact
picturing of results in consciousness from causes in consciousness. Regeneration of
consciousness determines improved conditions, more truthful evaluation of experience
and a clearer and more perfect perception of powers, both potential and actual.
     
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   The Astrological Path is a long one, containing many complexities of unfoldment; the
"long- range viewpoint" and quiet, unshakable patience are prime requisites for the
fulfillment of any of its phases. Some students, in the present life, may be recapitulating
knowledge gained through study in past lives, now ready to begin to apply their
knowledge and understanding; some may still be continuing their program of absorption,
and still others may be taking their first step on this Path. Regardless of present
placement, all should have a comprehensive knowledge of the over-all program that is
involved in this complex study so that the spiritual ideal and purpose may be held to
unwaveringly.
          
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  We must learn to recognize our patterns of consciousness by identifying our reactions
to other people and synchronize these conclusions with the picturings in our horoscopes.
When--if ever--this is accomplished we have put our astrological knowledge to
constructive, practical use toward lifting reactions of envy, hatred, jealousy, fear, and
the like from our minds and hearts. We cannot love our neighbors (humanity) as long as
such qualities remain in our "inner." Not loving (the Light in) our neighbor means not
fulfilling. Your Light is his light also and the dark congestions of down-pulling reaction
must be dissipated if the Light in yourself and in him is to become a living reality in your
consciousness. So, let us study our natal charts from this basis of "counterpart" and
come into a clearer realization of the fact that our reactions to others form the vibratory
barometer of our Consciousness; we will approach this study by renewing our realization
that planets are expressions of principles; therefore they are the "goodness of Life in
action;" it is our Life-purpose to learn how to live these principles as unfoldment of
divine potentials.
          
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    To "enlighten" might be thought of as a process by which "light is thrown into
consciousness" or "the presence of light in consciousness is revealed." Any human, by
whatever mode or means, who serves to reveal harmony to other persons is an inspirator;
harmony is the revelation of equilibrium throughout all parts of a thing and it is the
conscious re-attainment of equilibrium that characterizes our evolutionary goal.
          
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  The spiritually motivated astrologer must stand as a living symbol of that love which
recognises no barriers or limitations-- of any kind-- to its expression.
 He is aware of the drama of life and he is sensitive to the nuances of human thoughts
and feelings as they are presented in the problems that he studies. He knows evil but his
mind and heart are set on good. He studies problems to fulfill the purpose of finding
solutions. His motivation being one of love, he radiates encouragement, neutralizes fear,
illumines the consciousness of his brothers and sisters by alerting them to their strength
and powers. He is--and realizes that he is--an "open door" through which all who so
desire may walk from the darkness of their unregenerate patterns into the light of
self-knowing. He neither approves nor disapproves of anything he sees in any chart--he
keeps personal feeling out of the picture--because he recognizes that each chart is a
picturing of good in its becoming.
           
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   All of these factors are, together or individually considered,  for the one purpose of
enlarging and purifying consciousness--"en-light-en-ing ourselves," or serving to make
the self more aware of the light of the Self-and the Self is the Spirit which identifies
man's kinship and unity with his Creator.    

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   The astrologer, as a contributive factor in the spiritual life of this nation, is basically
on the "ray of philosophy" rather than that of "devotional religion."    
He may be Protestant, Hebrew, Catholic, or a follower of any other form of devotion as
far as his immediate "religious mold" is concerned, but his focus of attention is the study
of life principles through symbols. The planet Uranus, ruler of the fixed air-sign
Aquarius, is the planetary significator of those elements of consciousness that enable a
human to "become an astrologer."  
As a fixed sign, Aquarius is one of the structure-points of the square of resource; as an
air sign, it is one of the structure-points of the trine of fraternal consciousness. Its square
is initiated by its own polarity Leo (fixed fire), the principle of radiative Love Power; its
trine is initiated by the cardinal air-sign Libra, arch- principle of reflective
complementation.   
Dynamically, Aquarius is the love- potential liberated for universal expression;
reflectively it is the perception of the love-potential of all people by what we call the
"spiritualization of Fraternity." The "Leo part of you" alerts you to your attributes as an
expression of divine love; the "Aquarius part of you" alerts you to your capacity to
express that potential boundlessly and perceive it endlessly as an attribute of every other
human. "
Psychology" (which is also designated by Uranus) is the "study of the soul" or the
"study of the soul's laws." What is the soul but the distillation of past love-expressions?
"Psychiatry" is the study of the effects from congestion of the soul's powers in the
desire-octaves--a Gemini-like function of studying a specialization of the Law of Cause
and Effect. The psychologist deals with the "Leo-Aquarius part of you;" the psychiatrist
deals with the "Taurus-Scorpio part of you."
            
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    Because we put astrological knowledge to work for a certain specific enlightening or
regenerative objective, we must learn how to apply to the individual horoscope these
picturings of "zodiacal points and their counterparts." In other words, we must always
seek to make our philosophical conclusions practical--in astrological interpretation or in
living.
           
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 Until such time as you recognize that your Light is one with humanity's Light you tend
to "classify" other people in three principal ways: (1) the bad--those who stimulate your
unregeneracies; (2) the bad-good--those who stimulate both your unregeneracies and
your regeneracies; (3) the good--those you love because they stimulate only your best in
consciousness. The "envelope" doesn't matter--relationship, sex, age--we are now
considering the "other fellow" only as a vibratory mechanism, expressing in human
incarnation, as a factor in your vibratory experience.
          
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            Let us meditate more and more on the great principle of polarity, not from the
standpoint of ourselves being "versus" everyone else, but that we are all reflections of
each other. The worst and the best of each is counterparted by the best and worst of
others; the established recognition, in consciousness, of our joint participation in the one
WHITE LIGHT is the goal of all.
          
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        All human problems are rooted in unregenerate expressions of the first six houses;
they are brought into their most intense focus throughout the composite action of the
seventh and eighth houses and the solutions are found in the regenerating powers of the
last four houses. In this design the astrologer reflects the regenerate potentials of the
client. He is thus portrayed as the client's other, or higher, self. The magnetic action of
love power attracted the client to the astrologer, who waits to assist all who need him,
and by the distilled powers of his regenerate consciousness, he is able to study the
client's chart and to throw a beam of light into the dark corners and perceive the needed
spiritual corrective for the client's consciousness toward his problem.
    
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    Mankind is not only one family---it is one thing, one particular pattern of
life-expression.
     
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    It is by the degree and quality of evolving consciousness that all phenomena,
experience, and relationship are interpreted; this refers to the physical body as well as to
all environments, activities, endeavors, karmic lessons, aspirations, and ideals. All of
these factors are symbolically pictured in essence by the natal horoscope; the sum-total
of the "contents" of a chart represents the person's basic inclinations and tendencies in
viewpoint--the specific result of the way he exercised his inclinations and tendencies in
past lives up to the present life.
      
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     He dedicates his application of knowledge to the service of human enlightenment
because he knows that the enlightenment-service is the basic purpose for the attainment
of knowledge in the first place.
 He knows that the maximum fullness of his knowledge is but a fragment of universal
wisdom so, with true humility, he keeps his mind and consciousness ever-open and
ever-adjustable to the consideration of new ideas.
  He is as impersonal and honest in his evaluation of his own chart as he is with the
chart of anyone else because he knows that only total honesty will nourish his own
unfoldment and ability.  
 His intellectual and analytical endeavors--extensive, profound, and crystalline as they
may be--are continually nurtured by prayer; whenever the need is felt, he invites the
recharging of his consciousness and intuition by the powers of  God.    
  Every act or endeavor in his astrological service is dedicated and consecrated by his
love for God and fellow-humans

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    It is interesting--and significant--to note that so many forms of visual exploration are
made through a circular frame-work. Our two eyes are focused in such a way that
everything we see is through a "circular window;" the astronomer gazes through a
circular mechanism to study and explore a portion of the solar system, a galaxy or some
other division of the phenomenal universe exterior to the earth; the chemist and biologist
peer through a circular microscope to study the "littleness" of material phenomena. In
his work as a student of human consciousness, the Astrologer centers his attention also
on a circular diagram formed by a certain arrangement of the zodiacal belt which
contains a specialized set of symbols placed according to accurate mathematical
principles and which convey a revelation of spiritual laws.
          
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   The objective, unemotional, scientific part of him must be trained and disciplined to
hold to its own truth, regardless of the feelings he has toward the person whose chart he
is studying. Astro- philosophy, in this way, proves its value as an "impersonalizer" of the
desire-nature; it makes possible a technique by which the mind may be trained to "see
clearly" in spite of the claims of the desire-nature; as astro- philosophers, we must all
acquire and maintain this impersonal scientific approach toward all charts.
          
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   The disorganized, incoherent, stumbling, congested, fearful, hateful, ignorant human
is so because he is focused on the diffusion of his planetary patterns; he sees himself
separate from all other humans, he sees no common denominator in his
experience-patterns, the manifestations of life are, in his reactions and feelings, outside
of (and against) him; therefore, living in his inner microcosms he expresses the lesser of
his potentials and all of their possible congestions.
        
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   In this respect, study the Sun in your chart and recognize that (even if you have to
decrystallize a mental habit of many years) the Sun cannot be afflicted. There it abides
in the center of your chart, macrocosm of every factor in the chart; it radiates its divine
blessings throughout the contents of the wheel.   
  But, your "personal Sun" (like any planet) can be "squared" or "opposed" and it
means that, in such cases, your consciousness of Light-Power as Love and Wisdom tends,
to a degree, to be limited, dull and ineffectual. The cusp of your chart carrying the sign
Leo (as "matrix" of Light in your consciousness) will tell the story of persons, who serve
to alert you to the existence of your Light; the placement of the "personal Sun" by
sign-position points to the microcosmic planetary vibration (unless the Sun is in Leo)
from which you tend to distill your Light consciousness; the house-placement of your
personal Sun is the command from the Most High (within yourself) to express light in
that particular experience-chapter or relationship-chapter during this incarnation.

           
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     The astrologer belongs to one of those many groups of people who, motivated by
impersonal love, seek to add to the betterment of human conditions. He has come to a
point in his development when his inner resources, distilled from past incarnations, are
of such quality and scope that they "must out;" in other words, a part of his
consciousness can no longer find satisfaction in the purely personal--or
biological--levels of experience. (Of course, his impersonal service is an expression of
his development and experience as a human being, but its purposes are for the world of
human beings at large.)

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