Signs: Mutable Cross—Pisces

“I leave the Father's Home and turning back, I save”

Sensitivity with emotional resilience: the ability to give from strength

Pisces: esoteric meaning

Details to follow.

Pisces: rulers

• Orthodox: Neptune
• Esoteric: Pluto
• Hierarchical: Pluto

Orthodox: Neptune ⇧

Details to follow for Neptune as orthodox ruler.

Esoteric: Pluto ⇧

Details to follow of Pluto as esoteric ruler.

Hierarchical: Pluto ⇧

Details to follow of Pluto as hierarchical ruler.

Decanates

See the notes about the inconsistency of decanates as given in Esoteric Astrology. For comparison, Stephen Pugh’s decanate rulers are listed alongside the current orthodox rulers and those given in the book.

Esoteric/developmental: conscious development (annual signs from Aries via Taurus to Pisces)

0-9°: Jupiter F: Pisces, the seeing of the vision with which Jupiter rewards those undergoing conscious development

10-19°: Vulcan Z: Cancer, and the experience which Vulcan confers

20-29°: Mars E: Scorpio, the success which is incident to proved discipleship and consequent readiness for initiation

Exoteric/experiential: humanity in general (precession from Aries via Pisces to Taurus)

29-20°: Mars E: Scorpio, conflict and war on the karmic battleground

19-10°: Saturn G: Cancer, presenting an opportunity to work off karma

9-0°: Jupiter F: Pisces, and to be successful in so doing

• Orthodox: Neptune, Moon, Pluto (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio)
• EAst e/o: Jupiter, Vulcan (Moon), Mars / Mars, Saturn, Jupiter
• Pugh e/o: Jupiter, Moon, Mars / Mars, Moon, Jupiter

After the “reversal of the wheel” the esoteric decans are back to the familiar order, with the Moon as the central decanate (from Cancer) veiling Vulcan. The given exoteric decanates include Saturn, which reflects the Ray 3 “life experience” of Cancer. However, they are out of the expected order, which would reversed to Mars/Pluto, Moon (Saturn), Jupiter/Neptune (Scorpio, Cancer, Pisces). Finally, Ray 6 from Mars and Neptune (as the alternative exoteric ruler of Jupiter in Pisces) suggests emotional intensity as part of the learning-through-experience process.

At the first initiation. the habitual influences and pull of the past (the Moon and instinctive material existence) are replaced by the dawning will of Vulcan, which eventually gives way in turn to the “light of the soul” represented by the Sun as we approach the third initiation.

Both Leo and Sepharial give a list of the decanates … but there is, however, an important difference. Leo approaches the closer to the esoteric interpretation… whilst Sepharial is purely exoteric. According to Sepharial, the three decanates are governed by Saturn—Jupiter—Mars, presenting opportunity to work off karma and to be successful in so doing and indicating the method employed, that of conflict and of war. Leo gives us Jupiter, the Moon and Mars. He indicates, therefore, the success which is incident to proved discipleship and consequent readiness for initiation, the seeing of the vision with which Jupiter rewards the disciple, and the experience which Vulcan confers. Vulcan has been hitherto hidden, but its influence has steadily superseded all lunar control, for the personality or form side of life is lost to sight in the radiance of the Sun, the soul. The light of Vulcan and the light of the Sun are one light and these three—Mercury, Vulcan and the Sun—stand for a synthesis and a radiance which eventually dims the light of Mercury and it “falls” into the background and Vulcan too becomes invisible and only the Sun remains. We have consequently a vision of the Sun, the experience of the personality and effort, which is the mode of attainment governed by Mars. (EA 132-3)