In 2023 pop astrology is wedded to the zodiac signs and it’s easy to think of the zodiac as a celestial zoo. There’s Aries the ram, Taurus the bull, Cancer the crab, Leo the lion, Scorpio the scorpion, Capricorn the goat and Pisces the fish.
The zodiac is actually a belt of energy that encircles the Earth and each sign has its visible equivalent in a constellation that pictorially depicts its traits and qualities. But the zodiac also has a little known moral dimension. It provides humanity with a complete treatise on spirituality.
Hermetic astrology teaches that the 48 traditional constellations in the sky correspond to the 12 zodiac signs and their 36 decanate subdivisions; and each constellated pictograph conveys practical and spiritual information pertaining to its corresponding sign or decanate.
Pictography is the world’s oldest method of sending messages and in 2023 the sky is a message board emblazoned with practical and spiritual truths. The first astrologers are talking to you and Elbert Benjamine knew they had to communicate in the way that you spoke today.
He knew that remote astro-science had to be embedded in your normal human experience so the ancient knowledge and wisdom had to be made culturally relevant and easy to understand. And in spiritual astrology he explained and retold the ancient sky wisdom as myths, stories and legends.
Humanity’s spiritual storytellers
The zodiac pictures animals, a waterbearer, human twins, a virgin holding a sheath of wheat, a centaur and a set of scales; and their decanates are pictured by heroes, heroines and animals.
There’s Perseus – the champion of truth – who singlehandedly fought falsehood, corruption, greed and selfishness; Orion the warrior who fought oppression and materialistic tendencies; Hercules who performed 12 strenuous labors; Ophiuchus who wrestled with the serpent of sexual desire; and King Cepheus, his wife Cassiopeia and their daughter Andromeda.
There’s a rabbit, eagle, swan, dolphin, whale monster, raven, dog, bear, serpent, dragon and wolf. There’s even a triangle, ship, river, arrow, harp, altar and crown. And they all have a spiritual story to tell.
The zodiac signs tell stories that allow people to learn about themselves.
Aries people can learn from the story of the ram of the Golden Fleece. Its decanates reference the Passover ceremonies in the Bible; triangulation and the measurement of angles; the celestial river, Eridanus, that holds the secret to immortal life; and Perseus who fought the frightful monster Medusa and won.
Taurus people can learn from the story of the Golden Calf and the misguided worship of wealth. Its decanates reference the good luck of the rabbit’s foot; King Arthur and the knights of the round table; Jason of Argonauts fame, who slew a brazen-footed bull while searching for the Golden Fleece; and Elijah who flew heavenward in a chariot of fire.
Gemini people can learn from the stories of Damon and Pythias, Jonathon and David and Castor and Pollux, after whom the heavenly twins are named. The first decanate references Goldilocks and the three bears and tells how the innocent girl obeyed her intuition and escaped the evil wolf.
And the third decanate references Electra, who went beyond mere desire for the tangible things of life and formed such an intimate and persistent longing for material things that she lost sight of their transitory nature. Like many who are overly attached to the physical she wandered in the region of cold intellect and ended up in the lair of the icy giant, reason.
Cancer people can learn from Jacob’s dream-story about a ladder that reached to heaven; Leo people from the story of Samson who had a disastrous love affair with Delilah; Virgo people from the story of Adam and Eve and how Eve, by partaking of an apple that grew on the tree of knowledge, learned to distinguish good from evil; and Libra people from the story of Solomon who used wisdom and the threat of a sword to discern the child’s real mother.
Scorpio people can learn about themselves from the destructive sexual impulses of the female Scorpion and the high flying Eagle that ascends to exalted spiritual heights; Sagittarius people from the bow of bright promise, Jezebel, and the luck of the rabbit’s foot; Capricorn people from the story of Jacob who deceived his parents; and Aquarius people from the laws of astrology, horse sense, and Jonah who had a dreadful experience with a monster whale.
Pisces people can learn from the story of Venus and Cupid and how two souls and their ego form a soul-mate system that can accomplish mighty tasks through the love each soul has for the other. Its decanates reference Joseph and his coat of many colors; King Cepheus and his association with the astral plane; Queen Cassiopeia and her misguided arrogance; and their daughter Andromeda who, after being chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the sea monster Cetus, was saved by Perseus.
Your keynote stories
Your birth chart is a portal into another world and secreted away in its keynote decanates are stories that are fundamental to your nature. They play a special role in helping you understand yourself and provide insights into your spiritual nature. They could be the most important stories you ever read.
Your keynote decanates – the one’s occupied by your dominant planet, the Sun, Moon, Mercury and ascendant – tell binding archetypal stories that help you make sense of your life and how you should live it.
So you read the stories to learn about yourself. They illuminate your reason for being. They expand your self-understanding. They’re not shallow and forgettable. They have eternal relevance and add a deeper dimension to your existence.
The stories are associated with something real that’s within you. They speak to you of your nature, put you in touch with personal reality and are linked to your character, character building through experience, and your role in universal society.
When you read your keynote stories you’re tuning in on your true nature but making sense of what they mean may take a little time. Understanding and getting involved is a slow learn, but when you connect you’ll find yourself. You should be receptive and submit to their wisdom wisely.
Your birth chart is the word of God so you can view the stories it tells as sacred. They’re personal treasures that are rich in meaning. They add a practical and spiritual dimension to your daily life. They reveal your role in universal society and provide you with a formula for living. And when you read a story in the right way you’ll feel emotionally elevated and intellectually enlightened.
The stories are there to help you make sense of your function and purpose in God’s great evolutionary plan; and the symbolic information can be transformed into self-knowledge through the application of your intuition and imagination.
That’s how you’ll bring the stories your birth chart tells to life.
Working with your chart’s keynote stories
God said let there be light and the spiritual messages encoded in the constellations provide guiding lights. The stars in the sky are your friends. They’re looking down on you sending you their hope, love and wisdom.
Your chart’s keynote stories are about you. They’re talking to you in the sacred language of the stars and through these stories you can learn what God wants from you.
Maybe you’ve reached that important tipping point. You’ve got to work out – what am I here for, what’s my best-good life and how should I live it? And you can find the answers in the stories your birth chart tells. They’re all about your reason for being and spiritual destiny.
The key to your success as a human soul requires you read the stories in context. You should ask: how is this story going to help me shape myself into who I am – now and in the future?
You can liken your life journey to a sea voyage. It can be calm and smooth or stormy and tumultuous and at each stage your keynote signs and decanates provide stories and guiding lights to steer by.
Spiritual Astrology by CC Zain aka Elbert Benjamine is a complete treatise on spirituality. Best buy is the kindle version from Amazon. There’s a chapter devoted to each zodiac sign and its three decanates. A casual read/browse of the information serves no useful purpose and is a complete waste of time. You need to work out your keynote decanates and deep read the sections that provide personally relevant information. It’s only when you personalize a story that you can know yourself through the stories your birth chart tells.
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