Helen Hope - The Destiny Book

P lato once said, in describing the human condition, that it is as if we are sitting in a cave, wherein there is a great central fire, but that we sit entranced by the flickering shadows cast by the flames on to the cave wall. Plato goes on to say that the huge fire within the cave is fed by a gigantic Sun beaming down from outside and above the cave through an aperture over the fire. This is an obvious reference to the human capacity for becoming trapped in the illusory worldthe Maya of eastern understanding, the veil of darkness in the hermetic understanding. This propensity to becoming trapped in the fleeting experience of the material world, and the bodily sensations associated with it, has been humankinds greatest hurdle. It has been written that legions of cosmic hierarchies watch on in compassion, and sometimes bewilderment, as the human race seems utterly unable to get it, to even realise there is a huge interlinked universe of which we are a living, creative part.

According to Plato what we must do as humans is turn to face the fire, and so truly claim our inborn power, instead of living the less than half life that many of us do. However, this great philosopher of ancient Greece, whose words continue to influence our civilisation right down to today, said that to turn around and face the fire is not an easy thing to do. Therefore inertia and ignorance continue to hold humankind in thrall to the extremely limited and insubstantial flickerings on the wall, which have become the accepted reality.

In these times of travail for many, and of essential promise unfulfilled for most, it is clear that we must face the fire in order to call in our birthright, thus rejuvenating ourselves, our lives and our world, as we grow into new powers. The Destiny Book has been written to help facilitate your turning as you glimpse the power of your fire within, and awaken to the great potencies in the universe who would assist us.

The time has come to tune into your inner strength, and find the real power you have: to discover your inborn and destined potential as depicted by the Nodes of the Moon. This very ancient area of astrology pertains to the deeper, more spiritual dimensions of the human being. The Nodes of the Moon (The Moon crossing the ecliptic from south latitude into north latitude forms the North Node, and vice versa for the South Node) point to the soul path that has been chosen. The Ayavedic and Hindu Sidereal astrology tend to base the interpretation of an individuals birth chart mainly around the Moons Nodes: Rahu (the North Node) and Ketu (the South Node) as they are known in these systems.

Classical western astrology referred to the North Node as the Dragons Head, and the South Node as the Dragons Tailhighly apt symbolism for the power represented by the Moons Nodes. Generally speaking, the North Node represents what an individual is striving to achieve, in other words, their future, their destiny this time around and the South Node represents the past the individual is coming from on their soul journey.

Shakespeare said All the world is a stage (And he wasnt the first), and implicit in this is that everyone has a meaningful part to play. Every human being has a special place (and value) in the greater scheme of things. Go to the table on page 7 to discover the placement of your nodal position, and then read on to awaken your soul and discover your stairway to heaven.

In ancient wisdom the Sun was understood to be a living symbol, a potently active agent of the Source of Life itself. Forgetting the mysteries side of it for the moment, even logically this makes perfect sense. Because if the Sun did not rise and set every day where would life be on this planet? Life, as we know it could not exist without the vital force of the Sun. Furthermore, our whole solar system owes its existence, and takes its bearings from the mighty power of the Sun.

The Sun is vast in energy, scope and operations (e.g. a recent scientific study revealed the Sun was emitting almost as much energy interrelating with the greater universe as it was into keeping the Solar System revolving and evolving) and vastly beyond the comprehension of most of us. (Especially for those who are fully conditioned into thinking of life as some kind of random accident, and are blind to both the miracle of life and the interconnectedness of all things.) However, the laws as above, so below, as within, so without bespeak of another way of understanding the majestic Sun. Arcane wisdom sees the position of the Sun in the birth chart as signifying the god-head, the inborn spark of divine life that keeps the physical system functioning, and the incarnate entity evolving.

It is no simple coincidence that the heart is governed by the Sun in medical astrology. We all know what happens when a heart stops beating. Life ceases. (Interestingly, medical research has found that every human heart creates its own unique note as it beats, adding an interesting slant on the symphony of life.) And it is no coincidence that many religions place the seat of the soul in the heart. In classical Sanskrit, for example, the Atman, centered in the heart, was seen as the soul or selfhood; the spark in man emanating from divinity, and also as the spirit or highest principle of life in the universe. (Helping us to make great sense of Honour the highest thing in the Universe; it is the power on which all things depend; it is the light by which all of life is guided. Honour the highest within yourself; for it too is the power on which all things depend, and the light by which all life is guided. Marcus Aurelius)

The last word on elucidation of the relationship of the external Sun and the internal Sun belongs to one of the first that gave it, the great teacher Thoth. Who from his quest to bring wisdom and freedom to humankind says, Know ye, o man, whatever form ye inhabit, surely it is one with the stars. Thy bodies are nothing but planets revolving around their central Suns.

Ones star path as signified by the Moons Nodes (which, incidentally, the Sun has a major role in forming astronomically), showing the colour and direction of ones destiny this time around, is driven by the position of the life-giving and purposeful Sun in your birth chart. Hence this book would not be complete without understanding the interrelationship of your Sun Sign (a.k.a. Star Sign) and your Destiny Point (The North Node). Your consciousness is then better equipped to attain the purposes you are here for, and to richly survive in this changing world. Given that the Sun is now discharging more energy into the Solar System, and onto Earth, a quickening which indicates universal evolution, that ancient Greek admonition to any who were seeking the truth of truths, to know thyself may never have been more relevant.