ALDEBARAN: Watcher in the East
Author: Joe Polise
ALDEBARAN: Watcher in the East
9 Gemini 38
The Bull's Eye
Coulees Tauri
The Taurus constellation fixed the Spring Equinox from approximately 4,000 to 2,000 B.C. Taurus contains both notable stars and star clusters, including the Hyades and Pleiades, as well as the Royal Star, Aldebaran. During the Age of Taurus cults of the bull were a central form or ritual activity. In Egypt priests regularly selected a special bull to represent Apis, the god of the Underworld. With the death or sacrifice of this bull, the people went into a lengthy period of mourning until the body was entombed and a replacement found. The sacrificed Osiris was another Egyptian character often represented with the head of a bull. A solar disk between the horns of the bull, Osiris symbolized the power of life over death.
In Rome the bull was also a central feature of Mithraism. The tauroctony, or "bull-slaying scene" depicts a young Mithras killing a bull whose blood falls to the Earth. Mithraic initiates gathered in caves, known as Mithraeums, where the tauroctony scene was sometimes accompanied by pictures of two genii. One genie held an upturned lamp (Spring Equinox) while the other held a torch pointed straight down (Autumn Equinox). Arranged in an arch over the tauroctony were the twelve zodiac signs. All these facts help us to recall why his followers called Mithras "the all-conquering Sun" who symbolized the rebirth of light over darkness. For Mithrasians this ascent was also a path of moral discipline.
Aldebaran means "the Follower" in Arabic as it follows the Pleiades cluster. As Tishtar, the Watcher in the East, Aldebaran was the equinox star c. 3,000 B.C. Aldebaran is almost exactly opposite Antares in zodiacal longitude and Right Ascension; in fact, certain Mithraic drawings show a scorpion gripping the genitals of a dying bull, "adding castration to the fate of the ritually slain bull of life."(18) As the Holy Watcher Uriel, Aldebaran embodies qualities in man leading to salvation.
Aldebaran stands for the generative force within life itself. It is that aspect of the tetramorph giving rise to form and substance in the order of things. If "thoughts are things," Aldebaran challenges us to consider the quality of our thinking and the words and deeds that issue from our ideas. Aldebaran will clarify the expression of natal planets by aiding the individual to use the planet's energy along creative, life-enhancing lines. As a Royal Star, the creativity of Aldebaran may well have to contend with forces which cheapen its expression.
The astrological consensus on Aldebaran connects it to creative versatility. Aldebaran wants to articulate its ideals through clear and vigorous expressions of word and deed. Brady links Aldebaran to the principles of integrity and honor. For Brady, Aldebaran recalls Mithras as "the lord of contracts" whose followers were to be scrupulously honest and ethical in all their transactions. The nemesis of dishonesty must be avoided if someone wants to be in tune with the highest Aldebaran has to offer.(19) Rosenburg gives Aldebaran the positive traits of "intelligent, eloquent, multi-talented" along with the negative traits of "self-destructive, with ferocity overcoming the sense of honor or integrity. (20)
John F. Kennedy had Aldebaran conjoining the Sun in the eighth house. In his life we see the dismemberment myth of Osiris played out on a modern stage. Kennedy's Aldebaran helped him to become known for his energy, intelligence, and eloquence during his presidency. The versatility of Aldebaran is evident in Kennedy's career in the military, writing, and politics. His actions during the Bay of Pigs crisis are indicative of the contests a Royal Star can bring. When he was assassinated on November 22, 1963, it must be noted that transiting Mercury was at 8 degrees of Sagittarius, on the Aldebaran/Antares axis
Author: Joe Polise
ALDEBARAN: Watcher in the East
9 Gemini 38
The Bull's Eye
Coulees Tauri
The Taurus constellation fixed the Spring Equinox from approximately 4,000 to 2,000 B.C. Taurus contains both notable stars and star clusters, including the Hyades and Pleiades, as well as the Royal Star, Aldebaran. During the Age of Taurus cults of the bull were a central form or ritual activity. In Egypt priests regularly selected a special bull to represent Apis, the god of the Underworld. With the death or sacrifice of this bull, the people went into a lengthy period of mourning until the body was entombed and a replacement found. The sacrificed Osiris was another Egyptian character often represented with the head of a bull. A solar disk between the horns of the bull, Osiris symbolized the power of life over death.
In Rome the bull was also a central feature of Mithraism. The tauroctony, or "bull-slaying scene" depicts a young Mithras killing a bull whose blood falls to the Earth. Mithraic initiates gathered in caves, known as Mithraeums, where the tauroctony scene was sometimes accompanied by pictures of two genii. One genie held an upturned lamp (Spring Equinox) while the other held a torch pointed straight down (Autumn Equinox). Arranged in an arch over the tauroctony were the twelve zodiac signs. All these facts help us to recall why his followers called Mithras "the all-conquering Sun" who symbolized the rebirth of light over darkness. For Mithrasians this ascent was also a path of moral discipline.
Aldebaran means "the Follower" in Arabic as it follows the Pleiades cluster. As Tishtar, the Watcher in the East, Aldebaran was the equinox star c. 3,000 B.C. Aldebaran is almost exactly opposite Antares in zodiacal longitude and Right Ascension; in fact, certain Mithraic drawings show a scorpion gripping the genitals of a dying bull, "adding castration to the fate of the ritually slain bull of life."(18) As the Holy Watcher Uriel, Aldebaran embodies qualities in man leading to salvation.
Aldebaran stands for the generative force within life itself. It is that aspect of the tetramorph giving rise to form and substance in the order of things. If "thoughts are things," Aldebaran challenges us to consider the quality of our thinking and the words and deeds that issue from our ideas. Aldebaran will clarify the expression of natal planets by aiding the individual to use the planet's energy along creative, life-enhancing lines. As a Royal Star, the creativity of Aldebaran may well have to contend with forces which cheapen its expression.
The astrological consensus on Aldebaran connects it to creative versatility. Aldebaran wants to articulate its ideals through clear and vigorous expressions of word and deed. Brady links Aldebaran to the principles of integrity and honor. For Brady, Aldebaran recalls Mithras as "the lord of contracts" whose followers were to be scrupulously honest and ethical in all their transactions. The nemesis of dishonesty must be avoided if someone wants to be in tune with the highest Aldebaran has to offer.(19) Rosenburg gives Aldebaran the positive traits of "intelligent, eloquent, multi-talented" along with the negative traits of "self-destructive, with ferocity overcoming the sense of honor or integrity. (20)
John F. Kennedy had Aldebaran conjoining the Sun in the eighth house. In his life we see the dismemberment myth of Osiris played out on a modern stage. Kennedy's Aldebaran helped him to become known for his energy, intelligence, and eloquence during his presidency. The versatility of Aldebaran is evident in Kennedy's career in the military, writing, and politics. His actions during the Bay of Pigs crisis are indicative of the contests a Royal Star can bring. When he was assassinated on November 22, 1963, it must be noted that transiting Mercury was at 8 degrees of Sagittarius, on the Aldebaran/Antares axis
For References and Notes:
Please review Royal Stars in Astrology: REGULUS: Watcher in the North By Joe Polise
Please review Royal Stars in Astrology: REGULUS: Watcher in the North By Joe Polise
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