THE MESSAGE OF THE STARS by Max Heindel And Augusta Foss Heindel
MARS THE PLANET OF ACTION
From the Bible we learn that Jehovah was the Creator of mankind for we find His angels announcing the birth of various notable personages. Thus the conclusion is inevitable that He and they preside over the generative function and impart the quality of fertility which at that time was looked upon as a token of the favor of God while barrenness was indicated as a sign of His displeasure. This is in accordance with the Western Wisdom Teaching which tells us that tin the earliest days when mankind was still in the making Jehovah and His angels guided them to great temples at the times of year when planetary conditions were propitious to generation, and men born under those harmonious conditions lived for hundreds of years without sickness of disease. It is noticeable that wild animals which are still entirely under the guidance of their group-spirits and mate only at certain seasons are also immune from sickness. Jehovah still retains control over the fertilization of the animals which are attuned to His lunar vibrations through their twenty-eight pairs of spinal nerves that correspond to the twenty-eight days of the lunar revolution and His vehicle the Moon still measures the period of gestation for men and beasts.
But the Bible also tells us of Lucifer and his Fallen angels who taught humanity to take the prerogative of creation into their own hands and instilled into them the passion that has caused sorrow, sin and death, because the holy function of generation which was intended only for temporary purposes of propagation and which works so well under propitious planetary conditions has been desecrated and made subservient to the lusts of humanity at all times regardless of the stellar rays. Yet it is a mistake to think of the Lucifer spirits as evil, for under the sway of the angels humanity neither good nor evil and having no choice or prerogative, but since though the martial Lucifer spirits we have learned to know good and evil we are also able to exercise of will power to shun the evil and choose the good, to flee from vice and cultivate virtue, thereby placing ourselves in harmonious co-worker-ship with God and nature and unfolding our divine possibilities so that we may become like our Father in Heaven.
While Jehovah and His angels are thus working upon humanity from the Moon the Lucifer spirits who rebelled against His regime are located on the planet Mars and from them also we have received and are receiving many valuable gifts, chief among them FIRE and IRON. It is well known that every LIVING body is warm, for the Ego cannot manifest in the physical world save through heat, or perhaps it should be said that heat is generated in the manifestation of the Ego. But without iron, which exists in the blood in the form of haemoglobin, there could be no oxidation and consequently no heat.
That was the condition previous to the fall, so-called, when man-in-the-making was mindless. But then the Lucifer spirits came and infused iron into the blood, which made it possible for the Ego to draw into its vehicles and from that time the Ego became an INDWELLING spirit capable of evolving individuality. Thus had it not been for the Lucifer spirits man could not have become man. It is their fire and their iron that has made the world what it is today, good and bad according to the use man has made of it. The solar force focused through the Moon imparts vitality and the faculty of growth but the rays of the Sun focused upon us by the martial Lucifer spirits give us dynamic power and are the source of all activity in the world.
Power may be latent for milleniums, as exemplified in coalbeds, which are reservoirs of solar force; a furnace and engine are required to transmute and make it available as dynamic energy, but, once the sleeping giant has been roused from latency to potency it knows no rest or peace till it has expended the last ounce of its prodigious strength. Under strict control, and carefully guided into channel of useful activity, this Martian force is the most valuable servant of mankind; the most powerful agent in the world's work, an incomparable boon to humanity. But if it escapes control the ser- vant quickly takes mastery, its inimical power of destruction and devastation is then as terrible as scourge as its beneficent use under guidance is an inestimable blessing. It is as precious as it is dangerous, eternal vigilance is the price of safety from its ravages, but without it the world would be wilderness.
Mars, as a focus for the latent solar life, transmutes it into desire, passion and what we may call animal spirits. It is a consuming fire, more dangerous than all the nitroglycerine every manufactured, but also more precious than any other blessing we can have or enjoy.
The Hindoo preacher, nurtured in a land governed by Saturn, the planet of obstruction, says: "Kill out desire." He dreams away his days in destitution, but as "temper" conserves the edge of the steel that carves its way through all obstruction, so the well-directed energetic desires of the mar- tial Anglo-Saxson have wrought a marvelous transformation in the earth; they have reared a civilization beyond all which preceded it, and through perhaps brutal in many respects, there is promise in that also, according to the proverb: "The greater the sinner, the greater the saint." Parents should take a lesson from a book of nationals and refrain from applying the Satur- nine wet blanket to the fiery Mars spirit of children. Saturn always says "don't, don't;" his aim is to repress and obstruct. A clear fire under proper control is useful, but death lurks in the smoke and noxious gases of a smothered fire; too many "don'ts" smother legitimate ambition and frustrate accomplishment; they may drive hapless victims into ways of evil, for the dynamic energy of Mars must and will have an outlet, so beware. The worst faults of Mars are impulsiveness and lack of persistence, but he breeds no hypocrites as does an afflicted Saturn.
From Mars we receive a number of our highly-prized virtues as well as some of our worst faults. When well-aspected he gives a strong constitution and physical endurance, a positive, independent and self-reliant nature, determined and proud, generous and energetic, resourceful and quick to learn, especially when in Aries, Leo, Scorpio or Capricorn, but when he is weak by sign as in Taurus, Cancer, Libra or aspected by squares or oppositions he makes the person quick-tempered, obstinate and spiteful, inclined to drunkenness and criminal acts, cruel and hard, a bully and braggart.
People who have Mars prominent in their horoscopes are eminently practical and play an important part in the world's work. They are especially proficient in occupations where iron and fire are used for constructive purposes or where sharp instruments are handled. Soldiers, surgeons and butchers, machine workers and iron founders, engineers and man in kindred occupations are of the martial nature. They also excel in other positions where courage and intrepidity are necessary qualities.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mars (pronounced /ˈmɑrz/) is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. It is also referred to as the "Red Planet" because of its reddish appearance as seen from Earth.
Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth. It is the site of Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain in the Solar System, and of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon. In addition to its geographical features, Mars’ rotational period and seasonal cycles are likewise similar to those of Earth.
Until the first flyby of Mars by Mariner 4 in 1965, it was speculated that there might be liquid water on the planet's surface. This was based on observations of periodic variations in light and dark patches, particularly in the polar latitudes, which looked like seas and continents, while long, dark striations were interpreted by some observers as irrigation channels for liquid water. These straight line features were later proven not to exist and were instead explained as optical illusions. Still, of all the planets in our Solar System other than Earth, Mars is the most likely to harbor liquid water, and perhaps life.
Mars is currently host to three functional orbiting spacecraft: Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This is more than any planet in the Solar System except Earth. The surface is also home to the two Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity). Geological evidence gathered by these and preceding missions suggests that Mars previously had large-scale water coverage, while observations also indicate that small geyser-like water flows have occurred in recent years.[6] Observations by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor show evidence that parts of the southern polar ice cap have been receding.[7]
Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregularly shaped. These may be captured asteroids, similar to 5261 Eureka, a Martian Trojan asteroid. Mars can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Its apparent magnitude reaches −2.9,[4] a brightness surpassed only by Venus, the Moon, and the Sun, though most of the time Jupiter will appear brighter to the naked eye than Mars.
Mars is named after the Roman god of war. In Babylonian astronomy, the planet was named after Nergal, their deity of fire, war, and destruction, most likely due to the planet's reddish appearance.[95] When the Greeks equated Nergal with their god of war, Ares, they named the planet Ἄρεως ἀστἡρ (Areos aster), or "star of Ares". Then, following the identification of Ares and Mars, it was translated into Latin as stella Martis, or "star of Mars", or simply Mars. The Greeks also called the planet Πυρόεις Pyroeis meaning "fiery". In Hindu mythology, Mars is known as Mangala (मंगल). The planet is also called Angaraka in Sanskrit, after the celibate god of war, who possesses the signs of Aries and Scorpio, and teaches the occult sciences. The planet was known by the Egyptians as "Ḥr Dšr";;;; or "Horus the Red". The Hebrews named it Ma'adim (מאדים)—"the one who blushes"; this is where one of the largest canyons on Mars, the Ma'adim Vallis, gets its name. It is known as al-Mirrikh in both Arabic and Persian, and Merih in Turkish. In Urdu it is written as مریخ. The etymology of al-Mirrikh is unknown. Ancient Persians named it Bahram, the Zoroastrian god of faith. Ancient Turks called it Sakit. The Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures refer to the planet as 火星, or the fire star, a name based on the ancient Chinese mythological cycle of Five elements.
Its symbol, derived from the astrological symbol of Mars, is a circle with a small arrow pointing out from behind. It is a stylized representation of a shield and spear used by the Roman God Mars. Mars in Roman mythology was the God of War and patron of warriors. This symbol is also used in biology to describe the male sex, and in alchemy to symbolise the element iron which was considered to be dominated by Mars whose characteristic red colour is coincidentally due to iron oxide.[96] ♂ occupies Unicode position U+2642.
The popular idea that Mars was populated by intelligent Martians exploded in the late 19th century. Schiaparelli's "canali" observations combined with Percival Lowell's books on the subject put forward the standard notion of a planet that was a drying, cooling, dying world with ancient civilizations constructing irrigation works.[97]
Many other observations and proclamations by notable personalities added to what has been termed "Mars Fever".[98] In 1899 while investigating atmospheric radio noise using his receivers in his Colorado Springs lab, inventor Nikola Tesla observed repetitive signals that he later surmised might have been radio communications coming from another planet, possibly Mars. In a 1901 interview Tesla said:
“ It was some time afterward when the thought flashed upon my mind that the disturbances I had observed might be due to an intelligent control. Although I could not decipher their meaning, it was impossible for me to think of them as having been entirely accidental. The feeling is constantly growing on me that I had been the first to hear the greeting of one planet to another.[99] ”
Tesla's theories gained support from Lord Kelvin who, while visiting the United States in 1902, was reported to have said that he thought Tesla had picked up Martian signals being sent to the United States.[100] However, Kelvin "emphatically" denied this report shortly before departing America: "What I really said was that the inhabitants of Mars, if there are any, were doubtless able to see New York, particularly the glare of the electricity."[101]
In a New York Times article in 1901, Edward Charles Pickering, director of the Harvard College Observatory, said that they had received a telegram from Lowell Observatory in Arizona that seemed to confirm that Mars was trying to communicate with the Earth.[102]
“ Early in December of 1900, we received from Lowell Observatory in Arizona a telegram that a shaft of light had been seen to project from Mars (the Lowell observatory makes a specialty of Mars) lasting seventy minutes. I wired these facts to Europe and sent out neostyle copies through. The observer there is a careful, reliable man and there is no reason to doubt that the light existed. It was given as from a well-known geographical point on Mars. That was all. Now the story has gone the world over. In Europe it is stated that I have been in communication with Mars, and all sorts of exaggerations have spring up. Whatever the light was, we have no means of knowing. Whether it had intelligence or not, no one can say. It is absolutely inexplicable.[102] ”
Pickering later proposed creating a set of mirrors in Texas with the intention of signaling Martians.
The depiction of Mars in fiction has been stimulated by its dramatic red color and by early scientific speculations that its surface conditions not only might support life, but intelligent life.
Thus originated a large number of science fiction scenarios, the best known of which is H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, in which Martians seek to escape their dying planet by invading Earth. A subsequent radio version of The War of the Worlds on October 30, 1938 was presented as a live news broadcast, and many listeners mistook it for the truth.[103]
Also influential were Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, in which human explorers accidentally destroy a Martian civilization, Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series and a number of Robert A. Heinlein stories before the mid-sixties.
Author Jonathan Swift made reference to the moons of Mars, about 150 years before their actual discovery by Asaph Hall, detailing reasonably accurate descriptions of their orbits, in the 19th chapter of his novel Gulliver's Travels.[104]
After the Mariner and Viking spacecraft had returned pictures of Mars as it really is, an apparently lifeless and canal-less world, these ideas about Mars had to be abandoned and a vogue for accurate, realist depictions of human colonies on Mars developed, the best known of which may be Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy. However, pseudo-scientific speculations about the Face on Mars and other enigmatic landmarks spotted by space probes have meant that ancient civilizations continue to be a popular theme in science fiction, especially in film.[105]
Another popular theme, particularly among American writers, is the Martian colony that fights for independence from Earth. This is a major plot element in the novels of Greg Bear and Kim Stanley Robinson, as well as the movie Total Recall (based on a short story by Philip K. Dick) and the television series Babylon 5. Many video games also use this element, including Red Faction and the Zone of the Enders series. Mars (and its moons) were also the setting for the popular Doom video game franchise and the later Martian Gothic.
In Gustav Holst's The Planets, Mars is depicted as the "Bringer of War".
Mars was the Roman god of war, and the son of Juno and Jupiter. As the word Mars has no Indo-European derivation, it is most likely the Latinised form of the agricultural Etruscan god Maris. Initially the Roman god of fertility and vegetation and a protector of cattle, fields and boundaries, Mars later became associated with battle as the growing Roman Empire began to expand, and he was identified with the Greek god Ares. He was also a tutelary god of Rome. Unlike his Greek counterpart, Mars was generally well liked and rivaled Jupiter as the most honoured god. As he was regarded as the legendary father of Rome's founder, Romulus, it was believed that all Romans were descendants of Mars.