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CHAPTER 1
The Twelve Mysteries of Love
Love is man's and woman's deepest need. It's not the threat of illness or poverty that crushes the human spirit, but the fear that there is no one who truly cares — no one who really understands. We all reach desperately for love, no matter how healthy, wealthy or wise we may be, because the alternative is loneliness. And so love is sought both in heaven and in hell, by both saints and sinners, wherever the search may take them.
The swingers and the idealists, the puritans and prostitutes, the frigid and the promiscuous, the male chauvinists and the feminists, whether they read Browning or Playboy, whether they watch Walt Disney movies or the latest erotica from Sweden, are all looking for the same thing. No matter which road they travel on their pursuit of happiness, the inner need that drives them on is love. Not to give it. Not to receive it. But to share it. To love and be loved in return.
Why is lasting, mutual love so elusive? To reach a complete and permanent union with the other half (the Twin Soul) man and woman must learn the lessons of the twelve Sun Signs. They must master the wisdom of these Twelve Mysteries of Love before they can achieve a final, perfect harmony between their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual natures.
As we make the trip around the astrological or karmic wheel of life, through the rebirth under the influence of the various Sun Signs, sometimes progressing swiftly, sometimes lingering, many times returning to a certain Sun Sign experience to relearn old lessons — we evolve, each at his or her own speed. We are forced, by our own Superconscious selves, to gradually perfect the positive qualities of all twelve signs and purge our natures of their negative qualities, so that we each may eventually become the refined gold of a totally evolved entity, worthy to join the other half — the Twin Self. In our longing for love — for our Twin Soul or Soul Mate — lies our latent metaphysical wisdom. The secret of life itself. Esoteric truth.
Every Sun Sign contains a strength that can be reversed into a weakness, and every Sun Sign contains a weakness that can be reversed into a strength, through the law of positive-negative polarity. What is Taurus stubbornness but Taurus patience turned upside down? What is Aries impulsiveness but the negative side of the Ram's positive Mars courage? Will Leo choose to use the great pride and nobility of the Leonine-Solar birthright for the positive purpose of protecting the helpless — or for the negative purpose of becoming an arrogant tyrant over the defenseless? Will the sensible Cancerian caution be turned into Lunar fears and phobias? Will Pisces compassion and humility be reversed to the negative Neptune aspects of deception, introversion and escape? The choice of our Sun Sign polarities is always ours to make. And if we make the wrong choice we must relive that Sun Sign experience repeatedly, until we master the positive strength of that sign.
The Twelve Initiations of Love
In each of the following experiences, man or woman is fully capable of giving and teaching others the first quality, but for the personality to learn the second quality is a struggle. When one's understanding of this second quality equals that of the first, he or she has then achieved mastery of a particular Sun Sign. The soul must pass more than once through the First Six Initiations of Love as:
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After achieving emotional maturity in these first six stages of development, man and woman must then pass through love's Final Six Initiations (more than once) to discover its deeper spiritual meaning in:
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Love Is Eternal
There is a deep and significant reason why the meditation upon the Twelve Mysteries of Love contained here is important to you and the one you love. The key is the number twelve. There are 12 basic mineral salts used in homeopathy (the most helpful of all branches of medicine). These 12 cell salts have a great power to influence a positive state of human health in each of their corresponding twelve Sun Signs, a fact comprehended by homeopathic practitioners, and a rare few orthodox physicians. Minerals of the Earth conform to the number 12, as do both the metric and duodecimal systems. Diamonds, for instance, possess 12 sides or axes, along which they must be cut to achieve brilliance. There were 12 governors of the Manichean System, 12 divisions of Solomon's Temple, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 Altars of St. James, 12 Greek Gods and so forth.
Long before the 12 sons of Jacob founded the 12 Tribes of Israel, the number thirteen (13) possessed a great mystical significance. As an example, there were 12 Knights of the Round Table, with King Arthur making the 13th member. The ancient Egyptian god-King, Osiris, was associated with 12 lesser kings, Osiris being their 13th member. Likewise did the Aztec god-king Quetzacoatl have 12 followers, he being the 13th of the group. In Christianity, Gautama Buddhism and Shiite Islam, there are also 12 followers (apostles or disciples) and one Master. The 12 disciples represent the twelve Sun Sign stages of learning — and the "Master" symbolizes the number thirteen (13) — or the purity of the perfect blend of all the other twelve into One Complete Whole.
As an example, each of the 12 apostles in the Christian Bible can be identified by esoteric astrologers with the Sun Sign quality embodied in that individual's particular attitude toward the teachings of Jesus. This interwoven Judaeo-Christian-Islamic religious truth is manifested in the mathematical harmony and beautiful synchronicity of the horoscopic wheel.
Spiritual ignorance, or blindness, causes the superstitious fear of the dread number "13." Hotel floors jump from "12" to "14," and few hostesses will invite thirteen people for dinner. Yet, the true meaning of this holy number is wisdom. If used for evil it can bring great destruction. But if used for good it can bring great regeneration. Used in its negative sense, it symbolizes the "Master," who is the blend of all twelve Sun Sign lessons, having become a "fallen angel," like Lucifer. Used in its positive sense, it means exactly the opposite — an "angel" who remains steadfast, to wield power and wisdom everlasting, tempered with justice and mercy — and above all else — love.
Numerology is an inescapable part of astrology. The subject is too vast and complicated to be fully covered in Love Signs. Meanwhile, however, the briefest mention of planetary numbers is necessary for a full comprehension of the Twelve Mysteries of Love. Each Sun Sign harmonizes with and is governed by a particular planet or Luminary (Sun or Moon). And each planet likewise harmonizes with and is governed by a particular number. For example:
The Sun (ruler of Leo) vibrates to the number Ten or One (10 = 1), which it equals when added via the normal mathematical process.
The Moon (ruler of Cancer) vibrates to the number Two (2).
Jupiter (ruler of Sagittarius) vibrates to the number Three (3).
Uranus (ruler of Aquarius) vibrates to the number Four (4).
Mercury (ruler of Gemini) vibrates to the number Five (5).
Venus (ruler of Libra and ruler of Taurus) vibrates to the number Six (6).
Neptune (ruler of Pisces) vibrates to the number Seven (7).
Saturn (ruler of Capricorn) vibrates to the number Eight (8).
Mars (ruler of Aries) vibrates to the number Nine (9).
You might have noticed the omission of a number that vibrates to Pluto (ruler of Scorpio) in this list. Many astrologers and students of numerology will tell you that Pluto vibrates to the number Nine (9), sharing this number with Mars (ruler of Aries). This is not true. Pluto, like all the other planets, vibrates to its own personal "number" — distinctly and individually its own — sharing it with no other planet or Luminary. Since we've already covered the numbers One (1) through Nine (9) — and Ten (10) as Leo's Sun vibration, bringing us back to One (1) again, full circle — you may wonder how Pluto can possess its own number. You will see.
First, it's important to realize that the Mars Nine (9) vibration is the Masculine vibration of the Universe, representing and symbolizing the ultimate MASCULINE principle in all of Life and Love. The Venus Six (6) vibration is the Feminine vibration of the Universe, representing and symbolizing the ultimate FEMININE principle in all of Life and Love.
Six and Nine. 6 and 9. The Feminine and Masculine vibratory numbers, or 9 and 6. Male and Female. Positive-Negative. Dark-Light. (Polarity.) Notice that when the Feminine number of Venus — Six (6) is turned upside down (reversing its polarity), it becomes a Nine (9). Likewise, when the Masculine number of Mars — Nine (9) is turned upside down (reversing its polarity), it becomes a Six (6).
Man and Woman then — are inseparable. Each is an equal part of the other. The Masculine-Feminine Principles are totally interchangeable. Yet, one is always aiming in a direction reverse from the other.
Notice that both the Six (6) and the Nine (9) when the "tail" is removed — become a circle. The circle is the secret of Twin Soul blending — the deepest mystery of the Sun Sign of Scorpio, and Scorpio's ruling planet, the awesome, powerful Pluto. For the number to which Pluto vibrates is — ZERO. The circle. The circle (0) represents Eternity, for it symbolizes the Serpent, eating its own tail. From the Masculine (Positive) head of the Serpent flows the male-positive energy force — into the Female (Negative) tail of the Serpent. Simultaneously, from the Feminine (Negative) tail of the Serpent flows the female-negative energy force into the Serpent's Masculine (Positive) head.
This is the secret of Scorpio, the Sun Sign of "sex" — and this is the energy behind the great Power of Scorpio's ruling planet, Pluto. Zero. The Circle. O. The Serpent, eating its own tail. The symbol of Eternity. For only when all polarities — male and female, youth and age, dark and light, night and day — thus feed energy simultaneously into one another, and blend their energies — rather than continue to oppose one another — can true power exist.
Pluto's vibratory Zero also contains the secret mystery of Christianity's Holy Trinity. "Father-Son-and-Holy Ghost." The "son" (humans, of both sexes) is masculine energy. The "Holy Ghost" (Christ spirit) is feminine energy. When each flows into the other simultaneously (instead of remaining in opposition), a Third Energy is created, which is both, yet neither — neutral and ALL-POWERFUL — i.e.: "The Father" (God). This Third Energy, composed of the Masculine and Feminine combined, flowing into each other, and not in opposition, creates many miracles: The Great Power of Divinity. The conception of a child. The conception of an idea (adding the "I" for love, this becomes an ideal).
It is in no way an accident that Kekule, who made the monumental discovery of the benzine ring structure, which paved the way for the theoretical aspect of organic chemistry, said that he dreamed repeatedly of "a snake, eating its own tail" before the concept occurred to him.
Therefore, all the mysterious Pluto-Scorpio "power" comes from a subconscious knowledge of this Zero principle that the perfect blend between Masculine and Feminine creates a Third Energy Force, which is both, yet neither — neutral and ALL- POWERFUL — because it does not oppose, but causes polarities to simultaneously blend and flow into each other.
ZERO, then, equals POWER. That's nice for all Scorpios to know — as long as they don't forget what causes the power. The Serpent, eating its own tail — Eternity's Secret.
An important building block to the comprehension of the Twelve Mysteries of Love, related to the secret of the circle, is the following. You'll come across the use of the term "co-Creators" many times in this book. To the skeptical, who find it difficult to image the "Old Testament God" with a Mate of His own, I offer this scholarly source, although the faithful and the spiritually wideawake need no proof, other than instinctive knowledge from within, regarding this or any concept of the truth of creation.
The following quotation is from a painstaking translation of the Septuagint, the earliest known (circa 250 B.C.) version of the Old Testament (our standard Hebrew MSS date only from the Renaissance). The translation was published by the Falcon's Wing Press in 1960, under the editorship of Dr. C. Musès. From Proverbs 8:3-31 (excerpts):
For at the gates of the Mighty, She hath taken a seat, and at the entrance thereof chanteth Her song: "In the beginning, before the Lord made the Earth When He furnished the Heavens, I was with Him; and when He set apart His throne on the winds When He set to the sea its bound, and the waters passed not the word of His mouth I was harmonizing with Him. I was the one in whom He delighted, and I was daily gladdened by His presence on all occasions."
Ecclesiastical Christianity, seeded by the Hebrew Old Testament distortion of truth through the "patriarch" image, has too long taught the falsehood that the Holy Trinity is entirely masculine. By such deception we have been deprived of a sublime and ennobling truth. But the unfolding of the Aquarian Age, foretold by all prophets of all religions, will bring the Light of the conscious restoration of the Golden Balance between the Feminine and Masculine energies on Earth. This Golden Balance is the eventual blending of all Twin Souls. Its concept lies ready to burst forth within all yearning, searching hearts. It's called by many names; yet its true name is the REAL SELF, as experienced through the union with one's own Twin Soul. And it begins with the recognition of the Male-Female truth hidden in the Holy Trinity and the symbol of Eternity — the Serpent eating its own tail — the secret "knowledge" given by the "Serpent" to Eve, who passed it on to Adam. That this eating of the "forbidden fruit" of the "Tree of Knowledge" was later called "Original Sin" reveals the desperation of the dark forces to hide the Light of Truth by a polarity distortion, channeled through the ancient patriarchs who feared losing the masculine superiority principle through sexual equality.
As man and woman evolve around the astrological karmic circle, absorbing the qualities of other Sun Signs into their own individualities — teaching some, learning from others — each has a spiritual obligation to retain the positive integrity of his or her own Sun Sign in this incarnation and also to respect that right in others. The Lion must have his dignity, as the Crab must cling to security. The Goat must honor tradition, as the Twins must demand their freedom. Each must follow the adage to "live and let live," to be yourself, and realize that others must be themselves too. The first step toward comprehending love's ultimate meaning — toward finally being permitted to enjoy its absolute fulfillment — is to learn to tolerate instead of condemning the Sun Sign qualities different from our own.
In exploring the interrelationships of the twelve Sun Signs, through both their harmonious and their conflicting traits of character as they relate to our own, we should always try to remember that the final goal of each soul is to give and receive the lessons of each Sun Sign to and from the others met along the way. This journey is a kind of growing of the spirit, from soul-infancy through soul-adulthood, middle-age, "old age" and death, then rebirth. The soul can be freed of this endless circle of birth and death only when we learn to free the physical or dense body, also, of death; a miracle I dare to predict will occur much sooner than we now believe.
The soul's symbolic journey through the twelve Sun Signs may be comprehended by imagining man and woman undergoing, with their minds and bodies, a matching journey. First, the soul enters the initial phase, similar to earthly birth, then advances through various further stages similar to earthly life, gaining spiritual experience from each, just as we gain mental and physical experience from a similar type journey of our dense bodies. The soul is "born" in the sign of Aries, the symbolic Infant, as reflected through the Sun's magnetic alchemy.
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The Aries Love Mystery
The soul, symbolically newborn in Aries (although not necessarily in its first earthly sojourn), relates to dawn, sunrise, spring and Easter — or the resurrection from its "death" in the previous sign of Pisces.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Linda Goodman's Love Signs"
by .
Copyright © 2011 The Linda Goodman Trust.
Excerpted by permission of RosettaBooks.
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