Aries Full Moon
and
Easter Festival
For those of you who are not familiar with esoteric
philosophy – or do not know it well – I will remind
you that all is energy. Thus you should simply relax
and try to feel the energy rather then concern
yourself with understanding everything.
All is Energy!
During the lecture you can ask questions or make
comments. After the meditation you may also ask
questions.
Aries Presentation

The Sign of Aries

The Labour of Hercules in Aries

Easter Festival

The Aries Full Moon Chart
- Short Break -

Meditation
The Sign of Aries
Which sign is the Sun in?
The Sun is in Aries.
And which sign is the Moon in?
The Moon is in Libra.
What mode is
Aries associated with?
In
the cardinal
signs
TheAstrology,
word “ cardinal
” comes
are
first, French
fourth, seventh
fromthe the
“ cardoand
”
meaning
tenth
(Aries,
a hinge,
Cancer,
that Libra
on which
and
something turns.
Capricorn).
These
It issigns
the most
are
important part.by enterprise, or
characterized
starting things.
Aries and Libra
are
times
of
balance, but also
times of abrupt
change.
Cancer
and Capricorn are
times of extremes.
Cardinal
Sometimes Aries
The cardinal
and Libra
directions
are called
are the
equinox
north, south,
signs,
and Cancer east
andand
Capricorn
west. They
areare
called
the times
solstice
when
signs.
the
Equinoxes are
seasons
times of
change.
perfectAries
balance
forbetween
Spring;day
Cancer
and
night (day and
for night
Summer;
are 12Libra
hoursfor
long).
Autumn;
The solstice
and
times are theCapricorn
times of the
for longest
Winter.day
They
(Cancer)
therefore
and the
are
longest nighttimes
(Capricorn).
for a new beginning.
Associated with starting things, initiating things or
being “ enterprising ” . They are forceful and
aggressive and have the will to accomplish
something, often something new. They project into
the world. They are creative in the sense that they
cause things and start things.
What do we know about the
Cardinal mode?
Aries people will do this energetically and
urgently (or impatiently). They cannot wait
to do what they have in mind to do and that
which is motivated by their enthusiasm.
What element is
Aries associated with?
Raise
Fire cannot truly be confined
What do we know about Fire?
Associated with spirit
Sun and Stars
Raw
energy
vitalizing energy
High Spirits
Enthusiasm
Honesty
Openness
Freedom
Consumed
What about Fire people?
Why they must do what
they must do!
they are generous but egoistic
assertive
the most daring and
capable inspiring natural
leaders
They are always “on stage”
What else about Fire people?
energies can stimulate others
but they can also overpower and exhaust
them
that they fail to notice the
powers and abilities of others
So what happens when we put
the mode of cardinal together
with the element of fire?
We get Aries!
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Aries is the 1st sign of the zodiac.
As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries represents
the first stage in the evolution of man and his
place in the universe. The raw energy of life
itself, which is the first step in being part of the
universe, is evident in the character and makeup of Aries people.
It is the karmic responsibility of the Aries-born
to accept the idea that they are not the center of
the universe but part of the larger social order of
all men.
Aries people
are doers!
They must, however, learn the
difference between being
confidently aggressive—a
responsible “take-charge
person” on whom others rely to
get things moving—and being
rudely aggressive—a “know-itall” who is insensitive to the
feelings as well as the wisdom
of others.
The astrological symbol for
Aries is the Ram and,
considering the sheer force of
energy and enthusiasm by
which they accomplish their
goals, it is not off the mark to
suggest that they “ram” their
They set out to
accomplish things
and are determined
to succeed one way
or another.
Theirs
That
is,isbefore
the astrological
they assesssign
the of
practicality
the soldierorbut
worth
in
of what
their
haste,
theythey
are forget
doing,the
before
practicality
they sortofout
being
their
true emotions,
adequately
armed
and,before
beforerushing
they take
headlong
time to into
reason
things out
physical
orintellectually,
verbal combat.
their tendency is to shoot
first and ask questions later.
Aries individuals react in a
physical way to everything
they experience in life.
Their
passionate
nature
is inspiring
and flattering
to
They quickly
forget
frustration
and anger.
Since theirs
others,
but unless
impatience
and
rashselfishness
behavior are
is essentially
a generous
nature,
their
is
curbed,
unbridled
enthusiasm
backfires
when
usually atheir
result
of carelessness
rather
than intentional
they lose interest just as quickly as they gained it.
unkindness.
Aries’ Astrological Symbol
Aries is symbolized by the ram. The ram has come to
represent male fertility, aggression, and courage. A ram’s
horn is part of a cornucopia, the “ horn of plenty ” ,
symbolizing abundance. In history, rams were often symbols
of leadership. Aries natives are said to be leaders and
pioneers.
Aries’ Constellation
Aries’ Constellation
Aries’ Astrological Glyph
The glyph for Aries is a straightforward one -- it depicts the
ram's horns.
There are two myths which epitomize Aries, one an
ancient one from Greece, the other, a medieval myth
which is still beloved in our own day and continues to
give rise to films, television series, and novels. We’ll
deal with the second one first.
The Aries Myth
Robin Hood is a
perfect Aries
character.
Consider first the
fact that he’s an
outlaw.
Robin Hood - the outlaw of
Sherwood Forest
In one way or another, Aries tends to take this stance, for he
stands for change and progress. So he often comes to blows
with established authority in one way or another—
sometimes literally, sometimes simply as the exponent of a
new set of ideas or a new method of propagating an idea.
Consider also that Robin Hood
has a band of Merry Men.
He’s not a dark, sinister outlaw skulking about in narrow
alleyways; he has a damned good time of it. This too is an
Arien quality; for Aries, being a fire sign, is determined to
enjoy himself.
The whole background in
which the Robin Hood myth is
embedded is also very Arien.
There
a King
nasty,
nasty,
vicious
Here isisaisanother
Good
- Richard
figure de
younger
inbrother
the - shape
- King
John
theCoeur
Lion
who
is of
away
eternalhas
who
archetype,
Richard's
fighting
a usurped
Crusadethe
forSheriff
the
of Nottingham,
rightful
throne.
representing
the
recapture
of theThere
HolyareCity
authority
oppressed
empty
poor,
of meaning,
and the
a
from
the Infidel.
law empty of and
overweaning
mercy,
arrogant
class
rich.
structure empty of rights.
You can see why this whole
myth is so Arien.
Even the lovely maiden
Marian fits into the Arien
dream; she always has to be
rescued. Many Aries play
Robin Hood in one way or
another
in
their
lives,
shamelessly robbing from the
oppressive enemy to succour
the underdog. And, of course,
at the end of the story, Good
King Richard returns.
Jason and the Argonauts - the
capture of the golden fleece.
Yes, of course it would be a
golden fleece, for the ram is
Aries’ symbol.
You can take it, if you like, as a symbol
of the ultimate goal of Aries—whether
it’s the realization of his own
individuality, or the achievement of his
quest, or the rescue of the damsel, or
whatever. Never mind. Jason, like a
true Aries, hears about this fantastic
fleece and is delighted to find that it’s
impossible to find. That only
encourages him.
In order for Jason to capture the
golden fleece, he must enlist
the aid of a sorceress-princess,
Medea.
Now Medea, daughter of the King of
Colchis, falls wildly in love with Jason.
He’s so bold, so heroic, so brave, so
courageous, so noble. She is even willing
to sacrifice the life of her brother to help
him, so deeply in love is she. Everything
goes well enough until they return.
Medea is not the woman to put
up with this sort of treatment.
She
was
probably
a
Scorpio. Instead of retiring
gracefully to make way for
the new favorite, she
slaughters her two children
by Jason, poisons the young
bride with a cloak that has
been steeped in some
dreadful witch’s brew, and
escapes in her chariot drawn
by winged dragons.
Jason’s luck goes downhill
from there.
In a sense, you can say that he underrates or overlooks the
power and value of the feminine. And many Ariens do; to
them, the world is populated by heroes and noble deeds,
but Aries can often overlook the power of gentleness,
patience, sympathy, compromise, adjustment. Aries
women too, do this: remember that Joan of Arc insisted on
wearing men’s clothes. So our Jason comes to a bad end—
not because he failed to capture the golden fleece, but
because he wouldn’t take into account anything except his
own wishes, his own vision, his own values. And incurred
some pretty nasty vengeance as a result.
How do these myths relate to Aries?
Both of these myths touch on the deeper needs and
motivations in Aries’ nature. There is a need to
have a goal—without the goal, like for Aries is
meaningless. It can be a long-term or a short-term
goal, but there must be a goal. There is a need for a
quest—either some journey that takes one into
danger but ends with a coveted but almost
impossible prize, or some battle which runs many
risks but defends the ideals and the visions that
have given it birth. Aries is a sign of new ideas and
a sign of change—and the need to promote change,
to look to the future, to conquer the enemy is
embedded deep in the sign.
We can, if we like, look at the twelve signs
of the zodiac as a cycle, beginning with
Aries and ending with Pisces, describing the
round of life and the cold and barren
winter. All of nature heralds the spring with
a burst of life and color, sometimes
precipitate, sometimes rash, sometimes
premature, but a reminder that everything
has a new birth, that no matter how dark or
limiting or depressing the winter, it always
ends with the spring. The whole world
responds to the new hope and new life of
the spring.
For Aries, it’s a constant spring, a constant
challenge to end the grip of winter, a constant
effort to bring new life up through the frozen
ground. However impatient or irascible and
clumsy he may be, the Knight in Shining Armor
makes it possible for life to progress and change
and grow in a way, he must be a little crude or
forceful or insensitive to do it; and perhaps in a
more sober age, where we have forgotten knights
and chivalry and courtly love, where we have
learned to compromise too much, the voice of
Aries is worth a little closer listening.
We’ll now mention some of the
challenges to Aries. Remember
though we are talking about
the energy of Aries and there
are many types of energy.
Aries
Non-Challenging Energies
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


Energetic
Enthusiastic
Curious
Spontaneous
Group-leader
Direct
Selfless
Helpful
Risk-taker
Extraordinarily
exciting

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

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

Frank
Strong-willed
Optimistic
Courageous
Stimulating
Confident
Assertive
Persevering
Independent
Aries Challenging Energies
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Brash
Restless
Lustful
Fool-hardy
Head-strong
Quirky
Self-centered
Hot-headed

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Bossy
Blunt
Argumentative
Impulsive
Brazen
Impetuous
Impatient
Jealous
Who are some Aries?

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


J. S. Bach
Pat Robertson
Howard Cosell
Gloria Steinem
Aretha Franklin
Sandra Day O’Connor
Alan Arkin, Eugene McCarthy, Vincent Van Gogh,
Warren Beatty, Herb Alpert, Buddy Epsen, Doris Day,
Wayne Newton, Colin Powell, Harry Houdini, Ram
Dass, Elizabeth C. Prophet, Betty Ford, Hugh Hefner,
Harry Reasoner, Tiny Tim, Charles Chaplin, Clarence
Darrow, Jane Mansfield, Henry Mancini. etc.
Mars rules and controls the
physical vehicle.
It embodies sixth ray force
which leads to idealism,
destructive fanaticism, struggle,
strife, war, effort and evolution.
The Exoteric
Ruler
of Aries is Mars
Through these fiery processes,
brought forward by the
influence of its exoteric
planetary ruler Mars, god of
war, purification occurs in
The same purification
comes to the disciple
through the activity of the
esoteric ruler, Mercury,
which illumines and
releases the mind,
enabling the disciple to
become aware of the
divine Plan which
underlies all experience.
Through Mercury,
Aries is related to the
fourth ray.
The influence of
Mercury, stepped
down to the earth by
Aries and Gemini,
initiates a series of
beginnings in order to
produce certain
planned and definite
effects upon our planet,
influencing the
kingdoms in nature
and individuals. A
conflict is initiated that
ultimately brings to
The fourth ray energies propel
the disciple around the wheel of
life as it illumines the mind and
through experiences of conflict,
eventually produces unity and
beauty.
The Esoteric Ruler
of Aries is Mercury
As a Messenger of the Gods,
Mercury mediates between the soul
and personality, producing
opposition between spirit and matter
and a long battle. Victory is finally
won by illuminating the lower mind,
thereby dispelling illusion
Rays 1 and 7 express through
Aries. Being the highest and the
lowest, the combination
demands a point of balance
upon the wheel, which is
provided in Libra.
Aries - Rays 1 & 7
Rays 6 and 4, from Mars and Mercury,
bring to this balancing process the
energy of the second ray, the major
building ray which allows disciples to
build anew and provides a spiritual
body of manifestation.
The Labours of Hercules
The Labour in Aries
For the first of his Labours, Hercules is instructed to
capture wild horses in the land of Diomedes, son of
the God of war. So evil and destructive have they
become that they are killing all whom they
encounter and devastating the land.
Hercules completes his task
Hercules, confident that he can capture them, enlists
the help of a friend. Together, and with careful
planning, they successfully corner and tether the
beasts. With delight in his own prowess, Hercules
leaves his friend to finish the task of driving the
horses through the final gate. Fearful and unable to
control the terrifying beasts, the friend falls victim to
them and is killed, the horses escaping to continue
their rampages against the populace. Grief-stricken,
but wiser, Hercules must repeat the task, his
eventual success being purchased at the great price
of his initial failure.
Interpretation of the myth
The sign Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac, a sign of
beginnings and cosmically speaking, the sign of creation.
All beginnings start in the mind of the creator, whether it is
God or the soul of man. Aries starts the path on which
form is taken and dominates, and likewise, on which
begins the life of inner unfoldment of subjective Being. Reorganization, re-orientation and regeneration characterize
this stage. Each of these characteristics depends upon the
state of mind, divine or human, with the same force
impelling the journey, but with this force either being preoccupied with form, or with it being focused on treading
the path of liberation.
Interpretation of the myth
Three urges characterize this sign—firstly, the urge to
begin life restricted by form or, reversing the process, to
begin to achieve freedom from form; secondly, the urge to
create, including that of the soul when taking a body, or of
a human being when engaged in constructive activity and
thirdly, it is the urge to resurrection. Aries is a sign of
strong impulses and often of violent fluctuations—a sign of
initial failure but always of ultimate success.
Further Interpretation
do theHercules
horses symbolize?
What does
friend symbolize?
Hercules
As
the new
hasdisciple
to beginbeginning
to gain mental
his work
control
in Aries,
and to
Hercules
learn
the potency
is set the
of task
thoughts
of capturing
as well aswild
the harm
horses,
they
symbols
do
when they
of intellectual
are uncontrolled.
activity.
Initially,
This he
picture
fails to
illustrates
realise
theirthe
power
unruly
and leaves
activitythem
of in
thethelower
care oforthe
concrete
lower
selfmind,
or personality,
with its harmful
symbolised
ideasby
and
histhoughts,
friend. The
contrasting
lesson
he finally
strongly
learnswith
is that
thetheconstructive
soul, with the
andcoredemptiveof emanations
operation
the personality,
fromisthe
needed
soul toorguard
higherand
consciousness.
control
the wild horses of the thought-life.
Easter Festival
The name Easter comes from an
ancient European goddess of the
dawn called Eostre by the AngloSaxons and Ostara by the
Germanic peoples.
She is also known
as Eostra, Eostrae,
Eostar, Eastre,
Easter, Estre,
Eástre, and Austra
by various
European peoples.
History of Easter
Her name means “movement towards
the rising sun" and is related to the IndoEuropean root word Aus which means
"to shine".
One story has her
entertaining children by
performing a trick that
changed her pet bird into a
rabbit. This rabbit then laid
colored eggs that she gave
to the children.
She was considered the
goddess of the growing light
and spring, associated with
fertility and celebrated with a
festival of rebirth.
History of Easter
An egg laying rabbit? Pagans have worshiped rabbits as sex
and fertility gods, and have looked upon them as symbols of
lust, sexual vigor and reproduction. Eggs also have been
symbols of fertility, sex and new life, also with celebrations in
the Springtime. The egg was a sacred symbol among the
Babylonians. The ancient Druids (noted more for Halloween)
bore an egg as the sacred emblem of their idolatrous order.
There
is evidence
that Christians
originally
One point
of contention
was whether
the daycelebrated
should be the
on
resurrection
of Christ
everyon
Sunday,
with
observances
such
Jewish Passover
no matter
what day
that
falls, or should
as
Scripture
psalms,
and a prohibition
against
it always
fallreadings,
everywhere
else insisted
on the latter.
The
kneeling
prayer.
At some
pointand
in the
first two
centuries,
eminent in
church
fathers
Irenaeus
Polycarp
were
among
however,
became customary
celebrate
resurrection
the Asiaticit Christians,
and theyto
claimed
the the
authority
of St.
specially
one day
ManyNevertheless,
of the religious
John the on
Apostle
for each
their year.
position.
the
observances
of thisofficially
celebration
were taken
theshould
Jewish
church majority
decided
that from
Easter
Passover.
always be celebrated on a Sunday.
Date for Easter
The specific day on which the resurrection
should be celebrated became a major point of
contention within the church.
This second issue was decided at the Council of Nicea in
325, which decreed that Easter should be celebrated by
all on the same Sunday, which Sunday shall be the first
following the paschal moon (and the paschal moon must
not precede the spring equinox), and that a particular
church should determine the date of Easter and
communicate it throughout the empire (probably
Alexandria, with their skill in astronomical calculations).
Date for Easter
With this issue resolved, the next problem was to
determine which Sunday to celebrate the resurrection. The
Christians in Syria and Mesopotamia held their festival on
the Sunday after the Jewish Passover (which itself varied a
great deal), but those in Alexandria and other regions held
it on the first Sunday after the spring equinox, without
regard to the Passover.
Esoteric Easter
This is the festival of the risen, living Christ, when
we celebrate the indomitable nature of spirit on the
upward arc of its long journey into, through, and
out of the tomb of matter. It is spring in the
northern hemisphere, a time when nature actively
embraces the living Christ principle in its push
against the forces of gravity and drive towards the
sunlit sky. It is also a time of levity - that
psychological force of well-being that infuses us
with the lifting power of hope and good humor,
inspirations and aspirations, new directions and
fresh ideas.
Esoteric Easter
To understand the esoteric significance of Easter we need
to place Easter within a broader context. Easter falls at the
full moon of Aries and esoterically considered is the first of
a series of twelve Solar Fire or Full Moon Festivals that
constitute the energetic year. There are three major
spiritual Festivals which make up the high point in the
annual cycle. These are the Festival of Easter at the full
moon of Aries, the Festival of Wesak at the Taurus full
moon, and the festival of Goodwill at the Gemini full
moon. Through the steady meditative efforts of individuals
and groups around the world these subjective energies are
being anchored in the consciousness of humanity. They
offer an approach to the Divine, to the Greater Life, to
God—call it what you will.
Esoteric Easter
The three major festivals establish the “ divine
aspects” of:
• Will – Aries (Ray 1) – Festival of Easter
• Love/Wisdom - Taurus (Ray 2) –
Festival of Wesak
• Creative Intelligence - Gemini (Ray 3) –
Festival of Goodwill
The nine lesser Festivals celebrated at the other
months, build in “attributes” or divine qualities—
all twelve energies are used to stimulate
evolutionary growth in all the kingdoms of
nature of which the Human kingdom is one.
Esotericist’s see Christ as an embodiment of the quality of
Love/Wisdom who overshadowed that great identity who
was Jesus. He is seen as having opened a channel in
consciousness between the human sphere and the sphere of
Divinity. The Bible speaks of “a great rent in the veil of the
temple” referring to a rent in our ignorance, a shift in
human consciousness. He showed the next evolutionary
step ahead. Throughout the centuries, our minds have been
directed to Jesus dying on the Cross. This is the message of
Pisces, death sacrifice, suffering. We are to fix our minds on
the living Christ, on life, on resurrection not on death.
Livingness is the key to this Festival of Easter, livingness as
a process of spiritualization as opposed to death, the
process of materialization. Christ’s gift was the gift of
resurrection as a great vision, penetrating into human
consciousness, setting the fires of aspiration toward new
values, towards victory over matter
Esoteric Easter
When Christ rolled away the rock covering his tomb, he
rolled away our imprisonment in the matter aspect by
demonstrating the falsity of death, “leading us from death
to immortality” as the saying goes. We are immortal spirits.
Just as the chicken emerges from the egg, we move in and
out of form-life. In many respects the moon represents the
form life, the Great mother, the feminine and we are
reorienting towards the Solar Life, the life of the Soul and
the Life of the Spirit. We are both, but we need to know
that. Just as Christ rose from the tomb so will humanity rise
from the tomb of our degenerate civilization — degenerate
when seen in terms of the pollution of the earth, and in the
light of our negative non-sharing ideologies of greed and
separativeness, our dense materialism and our limited
mental conceptualizations of Life.
Esoteric Easter
The Aquarian era into which we are slowly moving could
be called the Age of Resurrection and the Piscean Age out
of which we are coming slowly can be called the Age of
Decision and we have had to decide between hated and
love, between life and death, between forces of materialism
and the higher forces, between matter and spirit. Christ’s
message was a message of love and inclusiveness at the
core, but moreover a message of “ life more
abundant” which is an esoteric term meaning the life lived
from the perspective of the spirit or according to the Will of
the Father with Father being synonymous with the Spirit
aspect.
Esoteric Easter
The deepest response to these energies is of course
to burn with the flame of higher realization, where
the vision of Inner realization ignites the Inner
Spark and we awaken to New Life. So in Aries the
Idea is indrawn, in Taurus it is clothed in
substance, given form and rendered magnetic and
in Gemini it is distributed and given out. This is
the sequence of the three Festivals and whilst true
at every level, it refers in the highest sense to
human awareness, to conscious evolution and is
planetary in its scope.
Current Full Moon
Astrology Sign Full Moon
Day, Month Date, Year
Time GMT
Placeholder
for current
full moon. Next Astrology Sign Full Moon
Day, Month Date, Year
Time GMT
Placeholder for current full moon
astrology chart.
Place holder for the
astrology aspects.
Place holder for current full moon
astrology chart.
Why are we here tonight?
The time of the full moon there is a direct alignment
between the energy of the sign the sun is in and the
affairs of the sign the moon is in.
Sun - Aries - Resurrected Life
Moon – Libra - precipitates decision
In our meditation this evening, let us visualize a
common goal for humanity. Groups of men and
women of goodwill bonding together to support
right-human values. Let us use our magical powers of
manifestation, and see this happen. Leaders and
ordinary people alike, afire with goodwill and
humanitarian vision, acting in concert for the good of
mankind as a whole.
Seed Thought for Aries
I come forth, and
from the plane of
mind I rule.