Derivative Images

More closely associated with astrology than any other zodiacal sign is the section of the heavens which Uranus rules, Aquarius. To portray among the constellations the application of the stellar science to human life and its problems, it is pictured in the sky as a man, one who gives the impression of having a more than ordinary degree of intelligence. With his left hand he raises the 24 hour gauge to the vaulted dome above, measuring, in connection with time, the various relations or aspects between the heavenly bodies. With his right hand he pours down upon the children of the earth the influence of the stars and the knowledge of their power from an urn which rests against his shoulder.

Such is a clear symbolical pictograph which explains that all things here below are influenced by streams of energy flowing down upon us from the stars; and the wavy nature of this stellar tide, depicted as water flowing from an urn, suggests the influence that thus inundates man and other creatures is of a vibratory nature. And the raised gauge, held by the Man of the zodiac, gives most explicit instruction that the highest function of that intelligence which the Man is used to symbolize, is in measuring these vibratory forces, especially those from the stars, and from these measurements and compiled observations formulating a science which shall be the surest guide of human conduct.

When those who thus traced the high significance of stellar wisdom in outline among the stars desired to indicate the same general thought in brief hieroglyph, what more natural than that they should choose an emblem which at once suggests the means by which the orbs of heaven exert their influence! The wavy lines by which we indicate Aquarius, the astrological sign, is as definite a picture of vibrations as it would be possible for anyone to draw.

Yet there was more which was well worth explaining which is not apparent in the constellation, as unusually informative as it is, and which is not more than suggested in the wavy-line hieroglyph. And to give expression to, and to perpetuate to a far later posterity the most important of these thoughts, the old-time Masters designed Major Arcanum 9 of the tarot cards. It is called The Sage.

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It depicts a man of age, who has traveled widely and seen much. This wanderer, an old explorer of Nature’s mysteries, leans upon a staff. The staff, which presents the serpent’s form, is no less a symbol of vibration than are the wavy lines of the Aquarian hieroglyph, for it is through an undulating movement that all such creatures travel. Thus do we have explained to us that the Sage, at the end of all his researches, has learned to place sole reliance upon the science of vibration; and it is counseled that those who also wish to live in wisdom shall likewise lean upon it and employ it in all their knowledge-getting travels.

The cloak which this wise man wears is of square form, symbolizing the physical world in which man experiences that which he calls good and evil. The lamp which he holds is the emblem of intelligence, shedding its rays over the past, present and future. Being concealed by the mantle indicates the limitations which the physical three-dimensional plane places upon his powers of perception. To the extent he can lift his intelligence above these cloaking limitations, and observe the actions which take place in the four-dimensional realm, does his knowledge of the underlying reality of things increase.

Now let us see just what the ancients intended when they thus gave counsel that wherever man’s footsteps might lead him in the search for knowledge he should ally the Aquarian knowledge of the stars with the science of vibration, on which the pictured Sage is wont to lean. It is true that the planets in their courses influence man through the vibrations of four-dimensional astral substance. These planetary broadcasts are picked up by individuals according to the aspects which, in the birthchart or by progression, map aerials tuned specifically thus to gather particular vibratory rates. How the individual responds to the vibrations thus reaching him depends upon the thought-cell composition of his unconscious mind. And this in turn is mapped by the signs and planets in his chart of birth.

But planetary vibrations are not the only ones which when they reach the thought-cells within man’s unconscious mind give them the added energy which they need to work from the four-dimensional plane to attract some event of corresponding harmony or discord into the life. Events out of the ordinary, as has been demonstrated in thousands of lives where the birthchart is known and the progressions have been calculated, are only attracted into the life when additional energy of the required kind is added to the thought-cells responsible for attracting the specific type of event. Yet energies of somewhat less volume, but of greater persistence, are being added to the thought-cells at all times, from other than planetary sources. The character-vibrations of objects and the thoughts of people also are four-dimensional energies which affect those closely associated with them in precisely the way planetary vibrations do.

Thus can man, through associating with Mars thoughts, or with objects ruled by Mars, intensify the activity of the thought-cells within his astral body ruled by Mars. And this intensified activity of the Mars thought-cells will reflect itself in his own thinking, in his behavior, and in the type of events which customarily are attracted to him. That is, through their influence upon the factors of his unconscious mind the vibrations from objects and the vibrations from thoughts affect an individual’s fortune in a manner quite marked. But how a certain vibration will affect a given individual cannot be determined from the vibratory rate alone. Additional Mars vibrations, for instance, may be just what one person needs to make him prosperous, while they may attract accident or death to another.

If we are to use the knowledge of vibratory influences as the staff upon which to lean in all our research and practical endeavors, we must understand the vibratory quality not merely of the energy added, but also the vibratory quality of that which is affected by it. And this is possible, even as the science of vibration as explained in the tarot is wedded to Aquarius, the sign of astrology, only by in each instance signifying the nature of the vibratory rates in astrological terms.

As an instance of what is meant take numerology: in most systems of numerology the name is used as a divinatory instrument. And because divination may be approached from so many angles and yet give good results, it does not follow that any of the different systems of numerology are valueless. No more so than that Horary Astrology, which is a method of using astrology for divination, is valueless. Divination of various orders has its proper function in giving otherwise inaccessible information. But the use of the name as a vibratory influence that affects the individual wearing it in a particular way is not related to divination. Nor can there be more than one interpretation which is correct, of the vibratory force exerted by a particular name as affecting a given individual. The vibration of a name, or of a number, is a positive thought-force of a definite quality; as much so as that light-vibrations of a certain frequency give rise to the color blue. You cannot correctly call blue red, yellow, green or some other color.

You will note that I am here speaking not of the three-dimensional sound vibration of a name, for the name vibration is quite as potent when it is merely thought as when it is spoken. When people think of us by name, whether that name is spoken, whether it is a matter of reading our signature at the bottom of a letter, or merely that our name flashes into their minds, they usually, at least vaguely, visualize us. Or if they do not know what we look like the reading of a letter from us serves the similar purpose of focusing their minds so that their thoughts travel directly to us.

When speaking or reading our name people think about us, either clearly or vaguely, and the vibratory rate of the name is radiated from their minds to our own. Thus we receive a thought-wave coming directly because at the moment their minds are trained on us. And whatever the vibratory rate of the name thus wafted to us may be, the impact of it adds energy to thought- cells within our unconscious mind which have a similar vibratory key.

Thus, quite apart from its sound, a name has a definite four-dimensional vibration which is radiated to the individual by everyone who thinks of him by that name. If different people think of him by different names, they thus bombard him with different types of thought-vibration. But because an individual usually thinks of himself by the name he customarily uses as his signature, and because the thought-vibrations of the person wearing the name probably have more influence upon him than the combined thought-vibrations of all others who think about him, the way an individual signs his name becomes very important as a vibratory influence in his life.

If such a signature were something unalterable this would be an interesting but not very useful fact. But as a matter of observation, it is quite common for people in all walks of life to use a different signature at different periods in their life: using an initial instead of a given name, dropping the use of a middle name or initial, or even changing the spelling of the name. A woman when she marries, and therefore coincident with a marked change in her fortune, commonly changes her name. Others also, who change the spelling of their names, or alter their signatures, are discerned to change in fortune coincidentally. A change in name is nearly always accompanied by a change in life.

Writers quite commonly use a pen name, and actors more frequently than not use a stage or screen name. And these names by which they are known to the public not only influence them according to the key of the name, but also from a divinatory standpoint often markedly differentiates their public life from the private life in which they are known by another name.

Thus, as Arcanum 9 pictographically implies, the practical application of the knowledge of thought-vibrations, character-vibrations and astrological-vibrations is in selecting those invisible influences which assist to bring into the life the things which are desired, and which prevent attracting events and conditions which are undesirable. Yet one cannot know, by a positive method, what types of astral vibrations will prove beneficial and what types detrimental, and in what way this benefit or detriment will manifest, without a map of the unconscious mind such as is furnished by the astrological birthchart. But with the astrological birthchart at hand it can at once be seen just what the effect will be upon the life of stimulating into unusual activity any particular section of the astral body, or any particular group of thought-cells within the astral body. Even the connecting aerials, or aspects, between such groups of thought-cells are there clearly shown, so that the effect upon other departments of life through secondary influences can also be determined in advance.

A scrutiny of an astrological birthchart will reveal to anyone who has even a slight acquaintance with astrology just what zone of the astral body, or what thought structure, it is advisable to give added force. If the individual wishes to attract favorable conditions in some special line, a glance at the birthchart will reveal what influence there shown most pronouncedly is beneficial to it. Then by stimulating this influence, by using a name having the same key-tone, and by having things in the environment which radiate the same key-tone, the activities of this favorable influence can be built up in a manner that will markedly attract the condition desired into the life.

The changing of the name, it will thus be seen, if the change causes the name to vibrate to a different thought-key, adds the thought-energy of all those who think of this name in connection with the individual, to some different section or center in the astral body, and this causes a change in the fortune commensurate to the transfer of energy thus affected. Unless the individual wishes especially to stimulate some one thing in his life in a favorable manner, the best plan in selecting a name or the objects and people of the environment is first to find what influence in the birthchart is most fortunate. It may be desirable to give the added intensity to a section of the astral body not occupied by a planet because the department of life it rules may be deemed more important. When this is the case, the favor or disfavor that may be expected from such stimulation is determined by the strength and harmony of the planet ruling the sign governing the zone thus selected. Thus in seeking what influence will conduce most to the general good fortune the best planet in the chart should be selected.

If possible the name should then be spelled, abbreviated, or otherwise altered, so as to have the same key as the best planet or zodiacal sign thus selected. If the sign is occupied by a planet, however, accentuating the sign chiefly increases the influence of the planet in the sign, and the influence of this planet should thus be given first consideration. Usually without much alteration a name may be given such spelling or abbreviation as to cause it to vibrate to the key which has been selected as most desirable. And while at first thought it may seem that using a name in business, for instance, different from that conferred at birth is exceptional other than in a few professions, yet a little reflection will indicate that most people in business abbreviate, or otherwise alter the name, in using it as a signature.

And because people become familiar with this signature it becomes more strongly associated in their minds with the person using it than any other name. The person signing himself in a given way, because he writes his name thus, and both makes and sees the signature, comes to think of himself according to the signature as written. And the name by which an individual thinks of himself, because his own thoughts are more powerful to influence his life than others’ thoughts, is commonly the most important name of all.

Therefore, because the business signature determines the thought- vibrations sent him by those who see this signature, and the thought- vibrations which he generates when he thinks of himself by name, it should be selected with an end in view of stimulating some department of life as desired in a favorable manner. This is done by selecting for a business signature a name the vibratory key of which corresponds to the sign or planet in the birthchart most favorable to the department of life it is wished to strengthen.

The vibratory key of either an object or a thought is the same as the vibratory key of one of the twelve zodiacal signs or one of the ten planets. Although the ancients were unable to see the three upper-octave planets with their physical eyes, they nevertheless maintained, and fully recorded in the tarot and in their mythological stories left to us, that there were ten distinct influences in the planetary chain. The tenth planet, Pluto, however, closes the previous sphere of influence and commences a new gamut. Neglecting this transitional influence of Pluto, there are 9 root planets.

These 9 root planets express themselves also by virtue of overtone qualities, in keys that are denoted by the 12 zodiacal signs, in addition to the transition function of Pluto. Thus the principle expressed by Venus expresses also in a distinctive manner through two other key influences, the sign Taurus and the sign Libra, and the principle expressed by the Moon expresses in another key influence, through the sign Cancer. But the number of such key influences is not unlimited, as shown by the fact that all things which we are able to discern can readily be correlated to one of 22 distinctive keys. That is, everything we contact, including names, numbers, colors, birth stones, people and environments, correspond in vibratory rate to one of the ten planets or to one of the twelve zodiacal signs.

It is true that the vibration of a planet has some influence on the department of life mapped in the birthchart by the signs it rules, and that the vibration of a sign has some influence on the department of life mapped in the birthchart by the house containing its ruling planet. But the chief influence of either a thought or the vibration of an object which belongs to a definite astrological sign is upon the section of the astral body mapped by that sign; and the chief influence of either a thought or the vibration of an object which is ruled by some planet is upon the thought-cells mapped in the unconscious mind by that planet. Therefore the ancient wise ones who designed the tarot pictures to explain how astrological forces operate, while recognizing 9 root influences, insisted that due to what we call overtone effects on the four-dimensional plane, which is the plane from which thought-vibrations, planetary-vibrations and the character-vibrations of objects exert their influence, there are 22 distinct keys.

Consequently to determine how any four-dimensional vibration will affect a given individual it must be determined to which one of these 22 vibratory keys it belongs. Then by an inspection of the birthchart it can be seen from the harmony or discord of the thought-cells of the same key within his astral body, as mapped by a sign or planet, what the effect will be of adding more of their own kind of energy to them.

This four-dimensional vibratory key, which is that of the sign or planet ruling them, is known for a great many things. Research is from time to time adding to such knowledge. We know, for instance, that the key of New York is 18 (the sign Cancer), that the manufacturing section of any city has a key of 13 (Aries), that the key of the country France is 19 (Leo), that banks, safes, vaults, cash registers, and places where money and securities are kept have a key of 14 (Taurus), and that land devoted to grain fields, orchards or other crops has a key of 2 (Virgo). Any definite train of thoughts, can by one versed in astrology, be allocated its particular key. Those of love, for instance, belong to the key of 6 (Venus) and those of war and destruction belong to the key of 16 (Mars).

But when we come to names of individuals and to such abstractions as numbers, we can determine their keys only by reducing their component parts, not to a number relation below 10, but to permit of the overtone effect on the four-dimensional plane, to a number relation below 23. The square formed letters of the Chaldeans and the square formed letters of the Egyptians were numbers as well as letters; and these numbers and letters had had their vibratory key determined by those who first used them. In fact, the 22 letters of those alphabets were designed to form characters which should express in writing the influence of the 12 zodiacal signs and the 10 planets of the chain.

The letters of modern languages have their equivalents in these old square-formed letters and numbers, so that we can, without difficulty, determine to which sign or to which planet any letter belongs, and this gives us it vibratory influence. Or in the case of a name, by adding the numerical equivalent of the letters, which due to the function of the decave is not so arbitrary as it appears, and perhaps adding the digits again, until a number is obtained below 23, the vibratory key of any name can be obtained. Or by repeatedly adding the digits of a number until a number is obtained below 23, the vibratory key of the number may be had.

In this place I am not attempting an explanation why this is true; merely pointing to the method which should be followed. Furthermore, tones, colors, minerals and various other things also have an influence through their four-dimensional vibratory rates which can be determined by their vibratory keys.

And in addition to relating this unusually important matter of the vibratory key, through which human life is influenced, each one according to the vibratory factors already incorporated in his character, to the astrological sign Aquarius, these wise men who designed the picture of the Sage most appropriately also correlated it with the number 9. For, as will be explained in the next article, it is through the peculiar attributes of the number 9 that the key for such intangible things as names and numbers can be calculated.

C.C. Zane

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