CHAPTER XVIII.

THE DOCTRINE OF DELINEATION IN A NUTSHELL,

STUDENTS of the Stellar Science will find the fol-
lowing Table very useful in delineating horoscopes
for though the planets confer many more character-
istics than there given, as shown in the general read-
ing which opens the chapter wherein the places and
aspects of each planet is given, the following key-
words give in a succinct manner the quintessence of
the characteristics conferred by each planet accord-
ing to whether it is well or ill aspected.

When the student has mastered the meaning of
the positions and aspects of the various planets as
given in the preceding chapters he may with the
greatest of ease give a good delineation of the effect
of each aspect by combining the key-words in this
Table and elaborating upon them. For instance, if
reading a horoscope where the Sun is trine Saturn,
put down the description given in the Table as fol-
lows :

"The vital, venturesome and authoritative Sun
trine the deliberative, persevering, tactful, cautious,
methodical and thoughtful Saturn" (then elaborate)
will give John a tenacious hold on life and endow him
with both courage and caution, so that while .he may
405

406 THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

seem venturesome at times he will always carefully
calculate the obstacles to be overcome and not attempt
anything foolhardy, but accomplish his object once
he has decided to go ahead. He will be systematic,
orderly and methodical, also persevering in whatever
he undertakes after due deliberation and forethought,
hence his efforts will generally be brought to a suc-
cessful issue. In dealing with others he will be"
thoughtful and tactful, hence usually able to obtain
his desires by diplomacy. On account of these quali-
ties he will be generally successful in life and he will
lay up a fair fortune, for Saturn is also the planet of
acquisitiveness.

In a similar manner students may combine the
key-words of all the other planets and aspects from
this Table and elaborate on them as they can. This
will enable them to give a good reading of any horo-
scope with a little practice. For further practical
demonstration of this method students are advised to
study the children's horoscopes in Rays From the
Rose Cross, where the writer makes use of it every
month. These horoscopes are a mine of instruction
which no student desiring to perfect himself in the
stellar science can afford to be without. The key-
words will bring to his mind what has been said about
the general nature of the planets under considera-
tion ; this he may combine with the nature of the signs
and houses where the planets are placed if a very
full reading is desired.

THE DOCTRINE OF DELINEATION 407

TABLE OF PLANETARY KEY- WORDS

O * A The vital, venturesome, dignified and author-
itative Sun.

O D 8 The lazy, ambitionless, despotic and cowardly
Sun.

9 * A The harmonious, artistic, beautiful, lovely,
cheerful and suave Venus.

$ n 8 The dissolute, sensual, vulgar, slothful, loud
and lazy Venus.

5 * A The quick-witted, versatile, eloquent, literary,
adroit and dexterous Mercury.

$ n 8 The restless, shiftless, profane, gossipy, dem-
agogic, dishonest, untruthful, forgetful, and
clumsy Mercury.

D * A The magnetic, imaginative, plastic and
changeable Moon.

D n 8 The negative, procrastinating, dreamy, vacil-
lating, visionary, frivolous, childish and wor-
risome Moon.

J? * A The cautious, deliberate, methodical, perse-
vering, tactful, thoughtful and thrifty Saturn.

408 THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

T? n 8 The malicious, materialistic, melancholy, pes-
simistic, avaricious, obstructive, secretive and
worrisome Saturn.

U * A The law-abiding, charitable, conservative,
reverent, optimistic, opulent and benevolent
Jupiter.

2f D 8 The indolent, procrastinating, bombastic, os-
tentatious, prodigal, dissipated and lawless
Jupiter.

$ * A The gallant, enterprising, energetic, enthus-
iastic and constructive Mars.

$ O (9 The coarse, combative, egotistic, discordant,
destructive, passionate, audacious, impulsive
and hot-tempered Mars.

J? * A The advanced, romantic, original, independ-
ent, liberty-loving and inventive Uranus.

¥ D <? The licentious, unconventional, fanatical and
irresponsible Uranus.

¥ * A The occult, prophetic, inspirational, spiritual,
devotional and musical Neptune.

W D S The fraudulent, vague, deceptive, dishonest
and mediumistie Neptune.

THE DOCTRINE OF DELINEATION 409

THE STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF THE PLANETS

Sliown by Elevation, Exaltation, Critical Degrees,
Etc.

The foregoing delineation of the effects and in-
fluences of the planets in the various houses and
signs, also by aspect and position puch as parallel
and conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposi-
tion, are subject to wide modification according to
the other configurations of the horoscope, and ac-
cording to whether the planets are essentially dig-
nified or in their detriment, exalted or in fall, or
placed in, critical degrees. The following table of.
planetary powers will show at a glance the signs in
which the various planets are strong or weak; and
when the student knows in what sign a planet rules
or is exalted it is only necessary to remember that
it has its fall or detriment in the opposite sign. Thus
the Sun rules Leo and is exalted in Aries. Hence
it is very powerful in those signs, and as the oppo-
site signs are Aquarius and Libra it is at once appar-
ent that when placed in these signs the Sun is com-
paratively weak. Another important factor which
it is necessary to take into consideration is elevation.
The closer a planet is to the Midheaven, the more
highly it is elevated and the more powerful it is.
Consulting the table of planetary powers we find that
Mars rules Aries and is exalted in Capricorn. Let
us suppose that in a horoscope, Mars is found placed
close to the Midheaven in Aries or Capricorn and

410 THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

square to the Sun which is near the Ascendant. Then
the evil will be very much greater than if Mars were
in Libra or Cancer, the signs of his fall and detri-
ment, and the Sun placed in the Midheaven ele-
vated above Mars. Similarly, if the Sun were placed
in Aries, its exaltation sign, close to the Midheaven
in high elevation and trine to Jupiter in its own sign,
Sagittarius, then both planets are very strong and
their effect would be much more marked than if they
were placed in the signs of their fall and debility
By memorizing this table and bearing in mind the
matter of elevation, the student will be able to form
a much more accurate judgment of the effect of plan-
ets in any particular horoscope than if this is not
taken into consideration.

TABLE OF PLANETARY POWERS
Planet Rules Detriment Exaltation Fall
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THE DOCTRINE OF DELINEATION 411

CRITICAL DEGREES

Another division of the Zodiac which it is easy
to remember and important to take into consideration
is based upon the passage of the Moon from the first
degree of Aries through the twelve signs. It takes
the Moon about 28 days to go around the Zodiac and
she moves with an average velocity of 13 degrees.
Thus if we start with the first point of Aries and
measure one day's travel, the second day will com-
mence at the 13th degree and the third at the 26th;
the fourth commences at 9 degrees of Taurus and
the fifth day she starts at 21 degrees of the same sign ;
on the sixth day she reaches 4 degrees of Gemini ;
on the seventh day she starts at 17 degrees of Gemini
and completes the first quarter by reaching the cusp
of Cancer on the morning of the eighth day. It is
evident that she will strike the same degrees of the
.signs composing the other three quarters during the
three weeks it takes her to complete the circuit, and
thus we may easily memorize the critical degrees in
the folowing manner:

In the Cardinal Signs — Aries, Cancer, Libra and
Capricorn, the first, thirteenth, and twenty-sixth de-
grees are critical.

In tlie Fixed Signs — Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and
Aquarius, the ninth and twenty-first degrees are
critical.

In the Common Signs — Gemini, Virgo, Sagit-
tarius and Pisces, the fourth and seventeenth degrees
are critical.

412 THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

It has been found that when a planet is within
orb of three degrees of one of these critical points it
exercises a much stronger influence in the life than
it, would otherwise. Therefore students will also do
well to remember this and should a planet be in a
sign of fall or detriment, but in a critical degree,
it is thereby strengthened and will do more good or
bad according to its nature and the aspect it has.
On the other hand, if a planet is in its exaltation
sign, highly elevated and in a critical degree, its
aspects will be exceedingly powerful and make them-
selves felt much mere in the life than would other-
wise be the case.

Mercury Before and After the Sun

Another important point which is only too often
overlooked is the position of Mercury with regard to
the Sun. When Mercury is in a lower degree of the
same sign as occupied by the Sun, or in any degree
of a preceding sign, he rises before the Sun and, so
to speak, carries the rays of the Day Star forward.
But when he is placed in a higher degree of the same
sign as the Sun or in the sign following that occu-
pied by the Sun, then he rises after the Orb of Day
and is, so to speak, overshadowed. Therefore it has
been found that when Mercury, the planet of mind,
logic and reason, rises before the Sun, it gives a
keener, better intellect than when he follows the lu-
minary.

THE DOCTRINE OF DELINEATION 413

ARE You HELPING YOUR STARS?

One not infrequently hears ^tudents of Astrol-
ogy express their annoyance at the way the stars
work. They complain that the evil directions are
always on time and marked in their effect, while very
often the good directions seem to have little or no
influence and they wonder why. Have you ever real-
ized that you cannot possibly get something for
nothing, any more than you can create something out
of nothing. This holds good whether you want a loaf
of bread, a position, favors, or anything else. If at
any time you seem to get something without paying
for it, you will have to settle later, and settle with
interest, for it is nature's law of Justice that nothing
is given for nothing. There must be an equivalent
in one way or another; the scales may.be tipped in
one direction for a long time, but as surely as the
pendulum swing.s equally to each side of the neutral
point, so surely will the scales of justice swing, anu
swing until the balance is reached.

This holds good in Astrology; it is said that
"God helps the man who helps himself," you may
also say that the stars help the man who helps him-
self, for they are God's ministers and it should always
be remembered that the stars show tendencies, they
mark times when opportunities are ripe, but they
never under any circumstances compel anyone to act
in this, that or the other manner. But neither are the
directions haphazard events, they are lessons and ex-

414 THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

periences for us, of which we may avail ourselves, or
not, as we choose within certain limits. For instance,
the Moon comes to a square of Mars, and it will bring
to us an opportunity to lose our temper,and get into
trouble thereby, then when the trouble is over and
we sit down to reflect on the occurrence we will most
likely say to ourselves, well what fools we are to allow
a little thing like that to play havoc with our happi-
ness. On the other hand if the Astrological student
uses his knowledge in the proper manner, then he
should know what the effect of the Moon square Mars
will be, he should resolve to be calm beforehand and
say: Here is an opportunity for me to rule my stars,
I am going to keep my temper well under control
so that no matter what happens, I am going to main-
tain my equilibrium. Then, when the opportunity
comes along to lose his temper he may stand firm.
Although he may feel the passions surging within, he
may stand outwardly quiet, keep a cool head and
when the danger is past he will have gained a victory
and learned the lesson which it was intended he
should learn. Or suppose it is a square of the Moon
to Saturn, this will cause people to worry and look
upon the dark side of life,but the astrological student
may say to himself when such a configuration is ap-
proaching: No, I am not going to worry, worry will
not help matters, it hinders, because it takes from
me all my strength, wherewith otherwise I could over-
come conditions, I am going to look at the bright

THE DOCTRINE OF DELINEATION 415

side of the matter and see what I can do to remedy
this trouble.

As a matter of fact most of the things we worry
about never come to pass, and if the student can learn
under this planetary direction, to keep his equilib-
rium, to stop worrying, then he has ruled his stars
and learned an important lesson. Thus, if he helps
his stars by learning the lessons which they are en-
deavoring to teach him, the evil directions will not
have the same power over him as if he simply sits
down and folds his hands saying: "Well I cannot
help it, I am under the evil directions and naturally
things are bound to go wrong in every particular."
There is in the horoscope a dominant factor, namely :
the Individual will, bear in mind, that the horoscope
shoivs only tendencies and it has no power whatever
to compel you, compulsion is from within yourself.
You, in the final analysis, are the dominant factor
in that horoscope, and can by an exercise of sufficient
will power rule your stars. It is admitted that we
are all weak, and therefore not able to exercise the
necessary will power at all times, but that is exactly
what these evil directions are sent to us to cultivate,
a stronger and a firmer will to do the right thing at
the right time and it depends upon ourselves whether
we shall be compelled by circumstances from without
or by our own will from within. Surely that is the
proper way, and astrological students above all other
people ought to be able to guide their lives safely
amid the rocks and shoals of existence, because they

416 THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS

have proper warning, they know what is coming, and
they should prepare for it.

On the other hand it is asked : Why do the good
directions not bring a corrsponding measure of
benefit? And the answer to that question is, for the
same lack of co-operation, it is as absolutely necessary
to help our stars in the one direction as to hinder
them in the other. Are you out of a position with
perhaps the family exchequer running low and no
means in sight wherewith to replenish it, but your
hopes are centered upon a strong favorable direction
such as perhaps a trine of the progressed Moon to the
ruler of the Sixth House or the Sun! Under these
conditions you feel sure, from an astrological stand-
point, that you are going to obtain a good position
which will put you on easy street ? Very well, you may
be sure that the opportunity will come, but do not ex-
pect it to be laid in your lap without a single effort on
your part, if a thing is worth having it is worth going
after, it is worth making the very best efforts to get
it, do not neglect any detail, dress yourself carefully,
but not showily when you go to see the person who
has it in his power to bestow the favor, remember,
fir.st impressions are important ; have all your ammu-
nition ready in the shape of recommendations and
everything else that you would have were you not
depending upon an astrological aspect to help you
get the position. Use every proper means of impress-
ing the prospective employer with your ability and
you may depend that your effort will be successful,

THE DOCTRINE OF DELINEATION 417

for you have helped your stars, you have grasped
your opportunity. Or, are you about to embark in
a business venture with some one else and you feel
very confident because the Moon is trine to the Sun
and Venus in the Seventh House? Be careful that
you do not lay aside your caution on that account,
thinking that under such a direction no one can come
into your partnership who is not all right. If you
do, you neglect your part and you will have no reason
whatever to blame the stars if later on it is shown that
the person is not all you expected him to be. Nothing
is needed in the world today in the same degree that
we need common sense, and this applies to the depart-
ment of astrology, as well as to every other depart-
ment of life. Opportunity may be likened to a tobog-
gan slide between ourselves and our desires, it is
necessary for us to make an adequate initial effort
in order to launch our sled upon this incline, but
once we have done our part, then everything will go
along swimmingly under favorable directions, for
then the stars are .with us to impress others in our
behalf, or to strengthen our penetrative power so
that we may know what is best for us.

If you want to know positively the power of
directions, even transits, as we call the actual posi-
tion of the stars in the sky, take an ephemeris and
note moon's aspects for the current month. When
the Moon is in opposition to Mars you will find in
people a general lack of energy and ambition, they
would rather tear down than build. When we have

27

418 THE MESSAGE OF THE STAKS

a conjunction of Mars and the Moon, people will
be active and energetic, but impulse rather than
common sense will govern, hence they will accomplish
little good, and may do harm without intention. But
when the Moon and Mars are trine, there will be a
general desire among people to do something of a
constructive nature, and they will meet with success
in such efforts. And last, but not least, when the
Moon is square to Mars it will make people irritable,
quarrelsome, destructive, ready to fly at each other,
unreasonable and unmanageable.