Number 12

Associations: The Hanged Man, Neptune-Pisces-12th House, Midnight and Noon, The Zodiac, The Trinity (1 + 2 = 3)

(Below) from http://www.ridingthebeast.com/numbers/nu12.php

* Twelve is the number of what is completed, which forms a whole, a perfect and harmonious unit. In the ancient civilizations, like Oriental and Judaic, it corresponds to the plenitude, the completion and the integrality of a thing.
* Represent the manifestation of the Trinity to the four corners of the horizon - 3 X 4.
* Symbol of material and spiritual food, because of the 12 breads which Jesus Christ broke to the Last Supper, Himself being the Bread of Life.
* Number attributed to the government of the world or the cosmos.
* It is the creative capacity, and in some religions, it expresses also the Divine Mother.

(Below) from http://www.usenature.com/article_numerology_12.html

The number 12 is the first number of the level 4 of spirit manifestation, which connects us with the cosmic karma. This is something that is experienced directly, and not in a roundabout way as it was with the number 11. On the level of the number 11, the individual is still largely unaware of his personal karma. He also does not know how his karma is connected with the cosmic karma of humanity as a whole. Since the number 11 goes out in the open space for the first time, the physical bodies of such individuals are largely unprepared to undertake the strong spiritual vibrations impacting them and the powerful influences coming from spiritual beings that reside very high in the spiritual hierarchy. For this reason, they experience the events in their life as shocks, traumas, and turmoil. On the level of the number 12, however, things get leveled out. Life is experienced (at least outwardly) as harmonious (12 is divisible by 3) and the individual feels his or her connection with the global plan for humanity and the cosmic karma.

The man of the number 12 feels and collaborates with the spiritual world more or less consciously, thus he feels and sees the immediate results of this collaboration in the material life. The man of the number 12 is confident, because he knows that collaboration with the spiritual world “works.” The last thing that he would like to do is to slide back from his comfortable position back to the energy of the number 11 of total social unacceptance. If nothing else, he will strive to climb up to the number 13, which is alluring him with vast matter-of-fact achievements on the material plane (although this might be a lie, but on the level of the number 12 there is no way to know that).

On a very high level, the person of the number 12 is able to withstand with easy the intensity of very high vibrations, thus willingly cooperating and collaborating with the spiritual world on variety of earthly problems, which ultimately leads to the minimizing of their negative karma and impact on the people. However, in order to be able to do this, the person in question should consciously get out of the limits, accepted as common ethics and norms by the society and be willing to regard and work with the above mentioned issues not from an earth perspective, but from a cosmic perspective. In other words, the person of the number 12 is asked the same, what the person of the number 11 is asked for, with two very important differences which are:

* Firstly the person should be able to withstand the high level of spiritual energy that is bestowed upon him or her and
* Secondly, the person is willing to participate consciously and willingly in the earth matters, however, not from an earthly but from a cosmic perspective.

Needless to say, such person should be to a fair degree free from selfishness and should be willing to be self-sacrificed for the common good if the need will be. However, on the level of the number 12 this process is much smoother, since the inner understanding and conviction of the benevolence of all earth events, makes the process harmonious, easy, and almost painless.

Some of the manifestations of the number 12 on the earthly plane are the arts, especially the music, since there are 12 major half-tones. It is obvious that music is very well implemented on the earthly plane, however, it originates definitely not from this world! No great composer ever wrote a single piece of music, without a divine inspiration. Another obvious manifestation of the number 12 is astrology. There are 12 signs of the Zodiac and 12 astrological houses, each one pertaining to one of the astrological signs. The 12 signs of the Zodiac can be regarded as the cosmic backdrop in front of which the planet of the Solar system perform their great show, and the 12 astrological houses are the areas of life, where the cosmic energies of the signs will be implemented in the earthly life, according to the planets in it. In this respect, one can say that the number 12 is revealed on earth more like an ideal concept. This ideal concept is seeking its way to be fully implemented into some practical, down-to-earth solution of the earthly problems, but it is nevertheless not fully achieving this. Its first manifestation (the music) is filling up the human soul with a harmony of a very high spiritual order and its second one (the astrology) is revealing to humans that their destiny is just a fragment of the cosmic evolution.

The number 12 can be divided into the numbers 2, 3, 4, and 6. This indicates that the energies of all these numbers are contained into the number 12 itself. This is best illustrated through the division of the 12 signs of the Zodiac in these respective numbers. If we divide 12 by 6, the result is 2. In such way, we get six pairs of two signs each. These are called masculine and feminine signs of the zodiac. They alternate in order, starting from Aries (masculine), Taurus (feminine), Gemini (masculine), Cancer (feminine) and so on.

Karmic Debt Numbers

Karmic numbers

Hitchcock singles out four compound numbers for particular attention and relates them to Tarot cards. These numbers, she suggests, represent the influences from actions in previous lives that have to be overcome in this life. The karmic numbers are 13, 14, 16 and 19. The problem here is that there are several different and conflicting orderings of the Major Arcana. My favourite deck, the Thoth Tarot starts at 0 for the Fool, for example.

Leaving aside these difficulties for a moment, here is Hitchcock's take on these numbers and their related Tarot cards:

Malefic or Karmic number thirteen

The Tarot card for arcanum thirteen is entitled "Death" or "The Reaper". It is symbolized by the skeleton, which is the accepted figure of death, taken figuratively. You fear death mainly because you fear the unknown beyond the grave. The actual interpretation is that death does not mean the end of life, but it constitutes change, motion, or transformation. Change is what we call death. In other words, death is a rebirth, renewal, and an inspirational beginning. The thirteenth card or karmic number signifies that death is merely a change of consciousness.

Through superstition the number thirteen came into ill repute. It really is a period of regeneration. The keyword is work on the material plane. The warning given is that there is danger of backsliding into laziness, negativity, and inefficiency. Trials and tests of proficiency will be given on the material plane, and work is the solution. It warns against being indifferent, discontented, and ill-mannered.

Malefic or Karmic number fourteen

Arcanum fourteen represents physical possessions. It warns of loss of property and failure in business. It is hard for a fourteen to learn his lesson, because he often tries to gain freedom by destructive methods or at the expense of others. This brings loss, sickness and death. You are too interested in physical physical senses. Fourteen has also been called the number of experience. If fourteen is found as the total vowel number, then you'll experience many emotional upsets and delays. If fourteen occurs as the total destiny number, many disappointments and losses will be encountered. If fourteen is the total of the birthpath, you must learn the lesson of detachment. This means to have and let go.

The basic message of the warning number fourteen is lack of understanding. Often we don't understand the motives of others, not even our own, for we act one way and think and feel in another. Through understanding we develop humility, compassion, and overflowing love. We should avoid going to extremes. Be temperate.

Hitchcock does not actually name the associated card, but it is pretty clear she is talking about the Temperance card; the last sentence is a bit of a give away.

Malefic or Karmic number sixteen

Tarot card number sixteen entitled the "The Tower"depicts ruin. The falling tower indicates the crushing of human pride and vanity. The structure was built of ignorance and wrong doing, through self-will and a self-centred life. Not until we understand the true nature of willpower do we destroy false ideas, and learn what is right.

Number sixteen warns of some strange calmity, defeat of plans, disgrace, accidents, deception, and adversity. It indicates the karma of former illegitimate love affairs. Number sixteen offers the test of optimism and faith. "If number sixteen is found as the total of the soul's urge, it shows false friends and broken dreams. If it appears as the destiny number, it warns of loss of name, position, fortune, and power. If it is the number of the total birthpath, then all the tragedies must be learned - love to lose, rise to fall. You must not cling to the material.

Karmic number nineteen

Tarot card number nineteen symbolizes the "Sun" or "Reunion." It is not inanimate, but a living force. Nineteen is the equalizer or collector. It demands an "eye for an eye." We get out of life just what we put into it. Number nineteen warns you not to be domineering, but exercise tolerance. You formerly took something, and now you must pay it back. It is a test of endurance. If your soul's urge totals nineteen, then you'll have to face all of life's secrets which may have been hidden and are now dragged out. If nineteen occurs as a total of your destiny, you may find you have lost everything at the end of your life. If nineteen occurs as the total of your birth path, then you must meet your failings, and reap what you have sown. Even though you'd like to be free, you must now pay the piper. If nineteen occurs as the total of either your heart or destiny number, it means you brought this karma over from a previous life. It is a weakness in character which must be overcome by living up to the digits of the test number.

If you cast your eye over my name and date of birth, you will find that 19 in particular is relevant to me. My birth path can also add up to 19. I must say, many aspects of this number have surfaced over years, in particular during my Second Pinnacle (1+9=10 or 1). Nineteen gives an the opportunity to discover the reasons for events in life, a useful skill for a clairvoyant.

Helyn Hitchcock

Uranus - In the Beginning ...

Mythologically, Uranus is the eponymous planet of the ancient Greek god who was, in fact, the heavens as a place. Ouranos was never worshipped as a god, nor are there any shrines, emblems or evidence of temples and the usual indicators of an individual entity. That Ouranos was the sky, and not a sky god gives him a very special place in myth - not as a singular entity but as a realm of experience. This is very significant in considering the astrology of Uranus and the interpretation of its qualities both as a natal planet and in transit.

Ouranos came into being because Gaia - mother earth - created him herself to comfort her and be her consort. After she birthed many other earth and nature divinities on her own (or with the aid of Eros, according to the oldest myth) she grew lonely and wanted a mate. And so she created Ouranos, the heavens, to surround her and keep her constant company, and he enveloped the earth in all his aetheric power. Their union produced many offspring, such as the Cyclopes and the Titans.

Then, Gaia found herself pregnant with new offspring, the Hekatonchires, or the "hundred-handed ones". They were multiple and monstrous, but being a mother, Gaia loved them anyway. Ouranos did not. He was horrified at their monstrosity, their imperfect and fearful traits, and refused her birthing them. Naturally, Gaia grew uncomfortable and angry, and she employed the youngest of the Titan's, their son Kronos, in an act that would change the course of mythic history.

She presented Kronos with a scythe, made of adamant - obsidian - a clear, hard crystalline sickle and told him to reach up, "as Ouranos lay round Gaia, longing for love", and castrate him. Which he did.[1] Thus, forever separating the archetypal parents, as well as launching a new mythology.

We can view this myth variously, but with the ensuing battle of the Titans and the collapse of the unified male/female, and the polarization of "above and below", there issued a new archetype into life. The separation of heaven and earth, of male and female, the split of the archetypal parents into separate quarters, remains a strong and influential component in our collective and individual psyches.

We can view the "above/below" polarity in many ways. Not only does it symbolize the manifestation of conscious and unconscious behavior, it also represents the first inklings of dual perception - that there is something "outside ourself" or even deep within ourself that is in opposition or conflict.

Jung thought mediation of conflict was the stuff of life; that inner conflict resolution was the reply to the universal challenge toward wholeness. This is a powerful concept, and more often than not, resolution of inner conflict results in conscious peace of mind for individuals.

The function of Saturn and Uranus, the mythic father/son conflict as we experience it in mid-life, is about resolution of conflict and the need for change, even if it is a violent or disruptive act. As a psychic complex, or a dichotomy, Saturn can act as the severing function of our creative ideas. We might be so worried about our own creativity that it never actually is given birth, but is "castrated" before any idea, concept, action or experiment is enacted! In contrast to this suppression, if Uranus has the upper hand, so to speak, then we can be too outrageous, too eccentric and simply unable to get our point across or find an acceptable median for behavior or communication.

The urge for creative experimentation and individuation at midlife can be stuffed back down inside the psychic womb, just as Ouranos stuffed the Hekatonchires back into the womb of Gaia. And, it would then take an "adamant" personal attitude toward ones' own self to birth the inner urge for creative change.

Howard Sasportas, in The Twelve Houses, says:"Uranus' house may show where we rashly disrespect the limits of our human-ness'. Presuming we can automatically transcend the restrictions of the physical body or 'rise above' the instinctual components of our nature, we commit the sin of hubris and invite punishment to fall on us." [2]

Saturn is the planet that held domain over the entire solar system until 1781 CE, the period of both the French and American revolutions, inaugurating the Industrial Revolution and involved the whole of western civilization as it was then. Prior to that era, social life existed within the bounds of family and cultural limitations. In synchrony with the advent of the "new planet" sighted by astronomer Herschel, there followed decades of phenomenal innovation and discovery. The flourishing of science, technology, philosophy, literature, music, social opportunities and, in virtually every aspect of human life, exploded Western civilization toward liberation, freedom and choice.

Uranus has become the standard bearer now for such terms as liberation, freedom, choice, individuality, uniqueness, innovation, challenge and breaking out of old ways and challenging the status quo. Saturn was and remains the criterion in astrology for the opposite of those values, indeed, is often relegated to a kind of "prison guard" realm. So, it may seem curious that I equate the overthrow of Ouranos/Uranus by Kronos/Saturn with liberation and freedom according to the rote astrological definition of each planet - and call that act the beginning of a new way of being.

With respect to Saturn and Uranus as "celestial sacred" symbols, they are both heavenly in position (in the sky), but are quite different in symbol. As I mentioned above, Saturn is to do with the realm of the world and its forms. While Uranus is to do with the ideal of the world and its forms. To propitiate both is the trick. How to acknowledge the perfection of the Ideal, while humanly existing in the realm of the Real? Essentially, we are required periodically to give birth to ourselves as if it were a new idea, a new culture, a new mythology.

Naturally, there is an underbelly - a shadow - of the Uranian attribute which also refers back to the origin myth: if we don't trust our ability to render a creation or idea into form (Saturn) we abandon it, abort it, before it can be given birth. In other words we refuse birth of the creation due to its imperfection - just like Ouranos and the Hekatonchires.

In Creation Myths, Jungian analyst Marie Louise Von Franz says about crossing the threshold from the Ideal possible to the Real thing,"People sometimes resist becoming creative because one's would be creativeness is always so much more impressive and important than the little egg one lays in the end when birth takes place!"

One might think that the principles of Uranus overpowering Saturn would be the "new way", but rather the opposite is what happens in our inner life.It is in this paradox that the astrological and therefore psychological struggle for identity lies.

As psychic components, both Saturn and Uranus are needed for wholeness. For innovation to become manifest it requires the adamant sickle of old Kronos - the discipline of matter over mind. The eidolon itself is simply the archetype of Uranus while the Idea takes form with the effort and adamant labor of Saturn. An harmonious equilibrium between both is the substance of progress, evolution and the development of consciousness.

by Erin Sullivan
http://www.erinsullivan.com/

Pluto ~ The Purification

As the outermost known planet, Pluto symbolizes the end of the process Uranus began: that of breaking down the reality structure of normal consciousness. If Uranus breaches the normal reality structure and Neptune exposes us to the ultimately real, then Pluto symbolizes the radical transformation of consciousness and being that must result. Pluto is the archetype of death and resurrection: it breaks down the old and outworn entities into their component parts, and then reassembles them into new being.

It does this at every level of life. As with Uranus and Neptune, PLuto may be experienced by people of any level of consciousness, but, also like these other planets, Pluto is hard to handle if one is bound up in the universe of Saturn. Pluto operates with extreme power, and, being a force beyond the ego, when it manifests it usually causes one to feel out of control. While Uranus interrupts normal reality and Neptune confuses ordinary reality by exposing one to to other realities, Pluto can symbolize a complete breakdown in ordinary reality. Such a breakdown forces one not only to deal with an alternate reality, but even to build a new day to day reality out of it.

The literature of astrology tends to dwell on the seamy side of Pluto, and its association with unchecked power, decay, corruption, and death. Yet Pluto stands for something much higher. It is the purifying fire that an entity must go through in order to pass from one level of being to another. Ultimately, Pluto purifies and makes more nearly perfect; but to do this it must first completely destroy anything gross or imperfect that holds an entity back. When we confront Plutonian energies, we often see aspects of ourselves with which we cannot deal, because we have buried them in the process of creating our reality systems. So when a crisis comes in which nothing that is true can remain hidden, we have to confront our personal garbage and finally do something about it. Only then can we move on. What appears to us as the negative energy of the symbol Pluto is nothing more than a mirror image of our own negativity staring back at us.

from Horoscope Symbols by Robert Hand

Neptune ~ The Ultimately Real

Neptune can be understood in part by defining what it is not. Even more than Uranus, it is an energy that negates everything that Saturn stands for. If Saturn is reality, Neptune is unreality. If Saturn is an aspect the ego, Neptune is denial of the ego. If Saturn is our notion of time and space, Neptune is outside time and space, in either a non-dimensioned or an infinitely dimensioned universe. Neptune symbolizes the truth and divinity perceived by mystics. At the highest level, Neptune is Nirvana, where all individuality is merged into an infinite oneness of being and consciousness.

To b able to handle Neptune and Saturn at once is difficult. One must be able to play he game of reality completely and with total conviction, exact as if it were real in the ultimate sense, while at the same time knowing in one's heart that is not. one must be able to live in the universe of Saturn, being responsible and aware of its laws, while at the same time not require it for support. The addiction to structure that we referred to under Saturn is not permissible with Neptune. This is what is called detachment: playing the game for real yet knowing that it is not.

One cannot even be attached to oneself, because the ego, the form one's being that one calls oneself, is also not ultimate real. This is why Neptune is an ego-denying energy. In the presence of Neptune, the illusion of the ego becomes clear. The illusion is not so much the awareness of having an ego, as it is of being an ego. On a low level, Neptune represents experiences that becloud the ego, which, in order to function, needs a sense of a secure ultimate reality. Thus Neptune symbolizes illusion, mystery, confusion, and crises in which one's ego is severely defeated.

Neptune is the next stage beyond Uranus in the encounter with the transcendent aspects of existence. If Saturn represents normal reality and the consciousness that deals with that reality, and Uranus represents those energies that break through normal reality so its structures cannot become too deadening, then Neptune represents the total negation of all the principles of normal reality. Neptune is often described as illusion, while Saturn is said to represent truth. The relations is actually the reverse: Saturn is the illusion that there is a reality that is truth; Neptune is the truth that there isn't. In some respects, Neptune is more truly chaotic than Uranus, in that Neptune can be the formless void before any structure is imposed upon it. Yet on closer examination we could say that Neptune symbolizes the universe in which all truth is simultaneously true, even the contradictions!

In its manifestations in ordinary life, Neptune can represent either illusion or mystical illumination, depending on one's level of spiritual evolution. For this reason, Neptune can represent the highest and lowest aspects of human experience, the most beautiful and painful of human emotions. The task of mastering Neptune's energies is one of the most difficult, and very few do it completely. I suspect this is so because to master the energy that Neptune represent requires being able to accept all its truth at once. To do this means that one cannot perform the acts of exclusion and selection that are require in order to create - that is, to incarnate into - a physical universe under Saturn. If one really masters Neptune, one probably does not incarnate into this world. The mere fact of such incarnation suggest that Neptune has not been mastered and probably will not be in this lifetime, except for the occasional Bodhisattva who incarnates totally realized for the sake of guiding others to the truth. We should not be sorry about this; we should simply go about doing what is to be done and learning what is to be learned.

It is important to learn that all the energy that comes with being alive has its origin in the universe of Neptune, and that if we cut ourselves off from Neptunian energy with walls of Saturn, wee ultimately cut ourselves off from life. Uranus makes the break in what armors us against the ultimately real, while Neptune gives a glimpse of the ultimately real itself.

from Horoscope Symbols ~ Robert Hand

The Devil XV

The Devil is an interesting card with several meanings. It mainly represents bondage, and self-imposed limitations. If you spell Devil backward is lived. This is a contrast of values, for while the Devil prohibits and limits, the purpose of living is expansion and freedom.

The Devil is a creation of our imagination. The reality however is that what we believe in our minds may soon come to pass. Especially if we believe strongly enough. We create situations where w are chained to our fears. Greed,, hostility, revenge, and envy, are the types of emotions that will sustain our fears. With the introduction of negative thoughts we are setting the path for terrible nightmares. We are prejudging outcomes and manipulating the pure intentions of otherwise good intentions.. The Devil does not care about good intentions. His focus is fixed on the material, the mundane and lower levels of life. He is always subject to the imposition of temptations. Like the Devil, when our actions are designed by greed the outcome will certainly work against the propagation of higher values.

There is an important reason we have encountered the Devil, just as things were moving with such progress. After we have internalized the spiritual values of the Hierophant, mastered the courage of the Strength, and realized the victories of the Chariot, we encounter the Devil. The lessons in life are never ending. They will continue to appear as long as we are alive. With every victory, or with every defeat, there is a new lesson to be learned. Perhaps it is an old lesson restated in a different way with a new application.

At first glance, this cared present a frightening image, very much the way the death card does. Keep in mind, that each of the 22 steps offers growth and development for us along our journey. Each offers a helping hand to make sure the way is constantly lit, and that we do not lose our way. The devil has the horns of the goat. A stubborn, but sure footed animal of great perseverance. The goat will succeed under the most adverse conditions, long after everyone else has given up. He refuses to be stopped by any physical limitations. His eyes reflect the intensity and seriousness that is often needed to overcome adversity. The pentagram, affixed to his head, tells us that he can either use his powers of the benefit of humanity or he can become a part of Satan-like activities. He has eh wings of the bat, and will no doubt seek the cover of night to perform his deeds. The night hours will limit the vision of those who would confront him about his negative deeds. The Devil is a living contradiction. The right hand is raised as if to stop something from moving forward. It motions a halt, while the right hand of the other tarot cards signals the beginning of something. Attached to the necks of the man and woman is a chain. Their hands are free. If they should choose to leave, they may. As the moment they appear to be just realizing the negative power of the Devil and will momentarily begin a motion to be set free. In the Tower they will actually assert their will for this freedom. Perhaps they have misused their intentions and have become captive of their own greed, malice, or bad intentions. Whatever the reason, they have created bondage as a result of their own negative actions. Both are nude, a carry-over from the Lovers card, where they began to explore the aspects of loving relationships. Perhaps something has gone wrong. There is a lesson on or both must learn before the relationship will succeed. The colors in this card are not bright and happy. In fact they do not contain the inspiration of the many of the other cards. It is for this reason that you must study this card t see the hidden meanings.

Persons born December 21 - January 21 are born under the sign of Capricorn. It is through our associations with them that we will learn the values of patience, hard work, and stability.

Somewhere along the path, something or someone has entered our space and presented a temptation. The Devil has presented the possibility that we may accept this temptation and forget all the knowledge learned in the previous lessons. His lesson is direct and powerful. Either you do or you don't. The choice is up to you. Will you go for the Devil or will you go for LIFE? Will you allow yourself to be depressed and sad, or will you surround your life with sunshine and light? I t is necessary to confront and place negative issues on the table in front of you if you are going to overcome them. If you choose not to confront them, they will overtake your better judgment and hold you captive - a slave to our own fears - limiting you, and the people around you.

The Devil is a card of administration and organization. It will show us the way to restructure our inner fears.

from TAROT ~ 22 Steps to a Higher Path, by D. Balotti Lawrence

Sketch of The Sun, Moon, Earth & Planets