Our creative energy links us to higher or lower vibrations, depending on the state of our mind and heart.
I Desire
The Scorpion and the Eagle
In the desert, the Scorpion hides in darkness, striking with a deadly sting. For the ancients, this behavior symbolized the destructive side of desire energy—passion that consumes, jealousy that poisons, and power misused for harm.
The same desire energy, when uplifted, becomes the creative force behind art, love, and spiritual growth. All energy is one; it simply expresses itself at different levels. When directed by selfish desire, it destroys. When guided by purpose and love, it creates beauty and meaning.
When desire is purified and turned upward, the Scorpion grows wings and becomes the Eagle—the symbol of spiritual vision and mastery.
Even across cultures, this dual nature has been recognized. For example, the Hopi Indians depict it as lightning and the Thunderbird—forces of destruction and renewal. Modern astrology reflects the same truth in Pluto, co-ruler of Scorpio, a planet of both creation and death, shadow and light.
The key phrase of Scorpio is “I Desire.” Desire drives all creation. It can lift us to the heights of the Eagle or pull us into the depths with the Scorpion. The outcome depends on the quality of our desires and the spirit with which we act.
When passion serves purpose and love, it becomes a force of illumination. When the Scorpion grows wings, it rises as the Eagle—the soul transformed by the mastery of desire.
Click here for more of this meditation and a companion exercise.
The 3rd Decanate of Scorpio (Scorpio/Cancer) — The Laurel Crown, Attainment
(November 12 - November 22)
Spiritual Text: A person’s value is measured not by birth, appearance, or background, but by the good they do for others. True greatness lies in selfless service to humanity.
The Adept’s Laurel Crown — The Attainment Decanate
Corona Australis
The Cancer decanate of Scorpio unites Scorpio’s willingness to confront what is difficult, hidden, or painful with Cancer’s instinct to protect and care for those affected. When these energies are directed toward uplifting humanity, without seeking personal gain, they become a force for spiritual growth—strengthening the spiritual body in this life and beyond.
In ancient Greece, the laurel wreath crowned victors of the Pythian Games. Today, it remains a symbol of achievement, often associated with academic honors. In the Brotherhood of Light tradition, however, the Laurel Crown represents something deeper: the attainment of spiritual proficiency through dedicated, unselfish service.
No person or committee can bestow this crown. It is earned through the effort to develop one’s capabilities and use them for the common good. The aspiring Adept seeks opportunities to uplift others and contribute to humanity’s spiritual progress. Good intentions alone are not enough; effective service requires knowledge, skill, and the willingness to keep growing. Every step toward greater understanding and ability brings us closer to Adeptship.
This decanate reveals how Scorpio’s DESIRE can be directed through Cancer’s impulse to NURTURE—turning personal power toward those who need a helping hand. The path to the Laurel Crown calls us to develop our abilities, recognize a worthwhile purpose, direct our energies toward it, and persist through obstacles until we can put our growing capacities to work for something greater than ourselves.
The Laurel Crown is not simply achieving personal greatness. It is discovering what our greatest powers are for.
Spiritual Astrology Insight for Ryan Gosling's Power Urges
Beyond Success: Discovering the Purpose of Our Powers
Gosling has said that he “hated” being a child. His family moved frequently, his parents divorced when he was thirteen, and he was bullied at school. He said he had no friends until he was fourteen or fifteen. Struggling to read by age ten, he was homeschooled by his mother for a year—a turning point he credits with fostering independence. After his parents separated, living with his mother and sister also helped him develop a perspective he considers an asset: learning to think like a girl.
With his sister’s encouragement, performing before audiences from an early age helped build his confidence. In 1993, he auditioned successfully for The “All New Mickey Mouse Club,” earning a two-year contract. Though he had limited screen time, he credits the experience with teaching him to focus. Later, as he pursued adult roles, he had to overcome being dismissed as merely a former child-TV performer. His willingness to persist through setbacks reflects the spirit of the ATTAINMENT decanate, the decanate of his Power Urges.
Professional success, however, was not his only ambition. Gosling also sought to make a difference in the lives of others. While continuing his acting career and nourishing a rich family life, he began directing some of his Scorpio Sun’s DESIRE energy, shaped by Cancer’s capacity to FEEL, toward people whose suffering often goes unseen. His first two documentary projects sought to draw attention to the plight of child soldiers and refugees. When those efforts did not come to fruition, he persisted, traveling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to create short portraits of people affected by the conflict-minerals trade, with the hope of developing them into a documentary.
The Laurel Crown is not simply the achievement of personal greatness. It is the discovery of what our greatest powers are for. In this sense, attainment is not having more power, but becoming more conscious of how power, talent, and opportunity are used for the greater good.
For greater insight into the decanates of spiritual astrology, click here for more about Scorpio and the ATTAINMENT decanate in Course VII or here for “The Second Eighteen Decanates Analyzed” in Course X-1.
To purchase, Click here for Course VII, Spiritual Astrology, or here for Course X-1, Delineating the Horoscope.
Mental Alchemy:
Prayer for Harmonizing Mars and Pluto Energy
Discordant Mars—Aggressive Urges: For use at times when strife, haste, and waste of energy, harshness, temper or, violence enter our life.
Constructive Aggressive Urges express as Initiative in the use of energies for constructive work and action, building up instead of tearing down.
Discordant Pluto—Universal Welfare Urges: For use in times when you experience group turmoil, are feeling coercion, and excessive negativity.
Constructive Universal Welfare Urgesexpress as Spirituality by lively, energetic, and resourceful action with others for the Welfare of All.
O Thou Eternal Spirit, in Whom I live, move, breathe and have my Being! Temper my aggressive activity with gentleness in all that I do and say. Direct my love into channels of care and protection for others. Let the chief interest of my life be constructive service to the weak and helpless.
In this classic series, Elbert Benjamine explores the astrological significance of the sign Scorpio and its relationship to the Sovereign tarot card...to be a Sovereign is to act from one's Divine Nature.
The Sovereign card expresses:
In the spiritual world—the REALIZATION of participating in the continuously unfolding powers of the Absolute Being that follows a natural and higher order with never-ending potential.
In the mental world—REALIZING and developing ideas of existence through four mental processes: affirming, denying, analyzing, and resolving.
In the physical world—the REALIZATION of actions driven by knowledge of truth, love of justice, force of Will, and the use of our abilities.
ADMONITION paraphrased from The Sacred Tarot:
Remember, nothing can stand in the way of a firm Will supported by truth and justice. Fighting for its REALIZATION isn't just right—it's a duty. Triumphing in this struggle fulfills your earthly purpose. Devoting yourself to it gains immortality. If the Sovereign appears in your horoscope, it means your success depends on someone with more power than yourself. REALIZATION of your hopes depends upon a being more powerful than you. Seek to know this Being and you will find support.
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The Brotherhood of Light Lessons and the Aquarian Age
A new spiritual dispensation is at hand, where the love and compassion of the Piscean Age are enhanced by the wisdom that comes from a deeper understanding of the Nature of Reality brought by the new Aquarian Age and thus Religion is wed to Science. Our Brotherhood of Light lessons are the bridge that caries us into this New Age by combining the best of the Ancient Teachings with the wonders of our new discoveries. Nothing stays the same we must all adapt to the flood of new information.
Why Astrology and the Tarot are so important to understanding Traditional Knowledge
The word Kabala signifies traditional knowledge. It thus refers to the Oral Law, as handed down from antiquity; and embraces the occult traditions of all lands and all peoples. Often it is used merely as referring to the esoteric doctrines of the Jews; but in its broader sense it includes also the secret doctrine of other races. This secret doctrine, common to many lands, was jealously guarded from the profane, and was never permitted to pass into writing except in such ambiguous terms as to baffle the uninitiated as to its true purport. In this sense the sacred books of the world, including the Avesta, the Vedas and the Bible are largely kabalistical; for they set forth traditions that are capable of an inner, or esoteric, interpretation. In fact, there are usually several interpretations possible, each more inner version revealing a deeper truth to those who have advanced along the path far enough to comprehend it.
And this seems the proper place to point out that the unwritten kabala, like the written kabala, is set forth in symbolical language, with purposeful blinds and subterfuges to confuse the uninitiated; so that of the few who undoubtedly exist at the present day who have received it, most remain in as much ignorance of its true interpretation as the majority of students do after studying the more accessible written kabala. This unwritten kabala has been transmitted only through certain secret schools. Those receiving it well merit what is given to them. They are left to their own devices in the matter of interpretation. And because the real keys to its interpretation—astrology and the tarot—have been largely ignored, or distorted, they have floundered sadly in arriving at its meaning. Whether written or unwritten, the kabala is a philosophy correlated to esoteric astrology as exemplified by the tarot; and it can only be comprehended fully by those who perceive the true relation between astrological energies and their pictured tarot exemplification.
Excerpts from The Sacred Tarot by C. C. Zain
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Astrology of World Affairs by Hermetician Dennis Sutton
ancient wisdom — modern science
Sharing knowledge of Hermetic astrology, the birth chart, astrodynes and global astrology
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What does the Holographic Theory of the Universe and Quantum Theory have to do with our Hermetic teachings?
In this article we will attempt to present aspects that pertain to the Hermetic Teachings of the Church of Light. We also encourage you to investigate these theories for yourself...
The Brotherhood of Light lessons encourage us to study the Book of Nature...
Nature manifests through Diversity.
Diversity is the key to survival..mastering its many facets is the means by which we thrive.
Fear of the unknown and that which is different from self manifests throughout nature.
Through Cooperation we express the Will of Deity,
gain the freedom that results from transformation,
and achieve a sense of personal fulfillment, harmony, balance ... spirituality.
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