Significance of Critical Degrees Degrees, Jesus, and Apostles It all started several years ago. I was sitting and patiently examining the texts by Max Heindel in his book The Message of the Stars. The comparison between Jesus Christ and the twelve Apostles and Sun and the twelve signs of the Zodiac drew my attention. Jesus is, Heindel says, in the middle of the chart and the twelve Apostles (signs) are around him. This is also the structure that every existing mystery school is following. I thought there was another fact that had to be highlighted and that was that Christ was present in everything, in both Jesus and in each of the Apostles. Its consequence would be particularly prominent points (degrees) within the zodiac circle, degrees which would represent some sort of a passage for transition to higher planes of existence. There is only one more step to reach the “thirteenth sign” of the Zodiac (no, don’t run away); it would not spoil the harmony and orderliness of the existing structure, but it would fit in it. Such and similar thoughts made me to pay attention to significance of particular degrees in the Zodiac. I started with the so-called critical degrees. I have read the available literature only to realize that explanations are very imprecise: “ ... Therefore, to put it in today’s language, the word critical should be interpreted as something that gives an additional emphasis and represents a sensitive point.” “... Belief in critical degrees comes from Indian astrology in which the Zodiac is divided in 28 parts, each having approximately 13 degrees, which is the average daily movement of the Moon.” It was obviously necessary to put some more effort and to seek information in somewhat older books. 28 or 32 Critical Degrees? In some older texts on medical astrology, some cusps of lunar houses were called critical or tempting degrees. It seems that some astrological schools were taking all cusps of such lunar houses as critical degrees, whereas other schools were taking only the cusps of the 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd house. These lunar houses originate from Indian astrology where the Zodiac circle is divided in 28 parts, each of them representing the average daily movement of the Moon which is 13 degrees (12 degrees 51 minutes and 25 seconds), starting from the 0 degree Aries. Therefore, the total is 28 lunar houses and 28 critical degrees: Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) - 1,13,26 Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpion, Aquarius) - 9, (15), 21 Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) - 4,17 As you can notice, the 15th degree of the fixed signs is in the brackets, as it is sometimes taken as a critical sign and sometimes it is not. I’ll explain the reasons later on in the text. The system of critical degrees unites two different approaches to astrology: lunar and solar. It is said that the planet within the orbit of a critical degree (normally 2-3 degrees, or better only 1 degree) has a strong impact on the life of a person in whose chart it shows. Apart from natal astrology, critical degrees can be used in all other areas (mundane, horary, and other disciplines of astrology). By further investigation I found an older book from Myrna Lofthus ("A Spiritual Approach to Astrology") giving insight into the significance of particular group of critical degrees. Here is their classification: 1. degree of cardinal signs - new beginning 13. degree of cardinal signs - frustration due to maladjustment 26. degree of cardinal signs - warning that plans are being overvalued before further progress is made 9. degree of fixed signs - faith in ability to overcome all obstacles and difficulties. 15. degree of fixed signs - attachment to the law of karma - possibility for an advanced soul to fulfil its destiny and to teach others 21. degree of fixed signs - agonies caused by purification of egoistic mind. 4. degree of mutable signs - overcoming all prejudices and accepting the unity with everything. 17. degree of mutable signs - rebirth through the contact with the knowledge form unconscious mind Here, I remembered the fact that in mystic and occult tradition it is said that within each of the elements (fire, air, water, earth), there are seven initiations. 7 x 4 = 28. I must admit that this sounds great, but let’s not fool ourselves and associate initiations with special rituals performed in temples. They are present in everyday life and most often in very banal activities. And what about the 15th degree of fixed signs? Yes, these degrees have actually a very particular role. They are central parts of each of the four squares where high energy concentrates. In spite of that, they are not critical degrees. We can consider them as an intermediate stage of the whole process. If other degrees are connected with active transformation, then here, we have domination of receptivity and letting go of what was accumulated during previous stages. Significance of the First and the Last Degree When treating the subject of particular degrees of the Zodiac, I will also mention the first and the last degree of each particular sign. Each planet that comes into contact with these degrees can have a very strong impact, although an unstable one. Liz Greene, in one of her books (The Outer Planets and Their Cycles) remarks that within one and the same sign, its characteristics are manifested most intensively at the beginning and at the end. Particularly interesting is the last degree of each sign. We are used to think that towards the end of a sign, its influence decreases, whereas the influence of the next sign starts to manifest. Here lies the surprise - at the end, its influence gets stronger again and manifests very intensively. It is as if at the last step, the sign wanted another opportunity to show its identity before the new quality starts to dominate. Igor Ognjenovic |