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ABSAgrams
ABSAgrams
02 Welcome to the Pentad!
ABSAtask: Splitting, Dispersing Your Pentad
Things you need to consider:
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For this exercise, we will use: ABSAdomain02 (Chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo) and ABSAdomain10 (Horary Astrology).
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The views of Seth (ABSAdomain02 [Seth] regarding the fact that every person simultaneously exists in several times and places and whose progress is monitored by entities who no longer manifest as physical beings in localized time and space (i.e., Framework One).
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Insofar as possible, you should also divest yourself of the beliefs you have about time and space—or at least place them on hold.
One of the advantages of chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo is that both that chanting of the title of the Lotus Sutra, and brief prayers in ancient Japanese, taken from material from some commentary on the Lotus Sutra (my version, by Bunno Kato and Yoshiro Tamura, [1989, Kosei Publishing Co.], is simply titled, The Threefold Lotus Sutra—there are others) provide a multitude of information on noncorporeal advisors and overseers for whatever project you have in mind.
Anyway, I find that populating my Gohonzon area (please see the diagram below) with images from my family, and primarily with the Taiwanese side from my wife’s nuclear family, enables me to visualize my “team.” the realization during chanting that these individuals all possess different abilities upon which I can call on for inspiration and assistance. However, in addition to this cadre of my relatives, I regularly call upon (invoke, think about), during chanting, the other four entities in my pentad.
Now the reason this works is, first, that the soul, the essence, the personhood (to use Seth’s term—see ABSAdomain03) in fact consists of a number (usually five) entities widely separated in time and space. (This is the way Seth puts it and it is memorably chronicled in The Education of Oversoul Seven, a book dictated by Seth to Jane Roberts). The book (fictional?—you sometimes really never know with Seth) describes a complex world comprising teachers (oversouls) and students (those living their lives under the influence of their other “pentaders”).
One of our humble author, ABSAprime, comprises an entity of five separate individuals, one of which exists (somewhat!) in this time and space and which you will come to know me by, as ABSAprime; I refer to this five-entity configuration as a pentad. You can see at the Seth locale (ABSAdomain03) a table representing some findings from a horary astrology chart (see ABSAdomain10) that I asked one day, more of less on a whim (pro tip: questions formulated suddenly and "on a whim" frequently result in the clearest and most revealing charts!) horary (which differs considerably from the astrology most people are familiar with), you have to pose a question, so mine was, “What is my pentad like?”
Having perused a couple of very interesting contributions to the Seth material, The Education of Oversoul Seven, and The Further Education of Oversoul Seven [these are the ones I’d consulted at that time, though there was a third, Oversoul Seven and the Museum of Time, that I’ve not read), and based on numerous mental exercises, I have come to accept Seth’s notion that entities who seem separated in time and space are sometimes nevertheless associated with each other, often under the supervision of a incorporeal teacher (an Oversoul) who possesses seemingly awesome powers, such as the ability to create objects out of thin air to be placed in the hands of one or more of the pentad members.
If that seems bizarre, consider the large number of people who, regardless of religious affiliation, believe in angels (according to one 2023 survey, seven out of ten adults, regardless of religious affiliation). The main Oversoul in the Seth books is the ultimate teacher, borrowing from the experiences of the various “pentaders” to let them benefit from each other.
It really is kind of like a March Madness basketball team, five entities, under expert direction by an extraordinarily highly developed individual with super-powers. And all you have to do is open up your mind and, trust me, you will hear them speak and with practice, will also engage in various forms of discourse, from direct interaction to descriptions based on one’s grasp of contextual environmental data.
All of this involves the recognition that there are innumerable helpers for you to summon as needed—an infinite number, maybe. When, in the act of chanting, you allow images from these others, including (maybe especially?) those who have passed on to enter your consciousness. If you’re fortunate and with enough practice, you’ll get your cues about this situation from a still, small voice in your inner consciousness, which you will come to know intimately. Understand this: that still, small voice is (a) never, ever, wrong, and (b) will never deceive you. This is true because the voice is you, and you are not answerable to any other consciousness. Just trust yourself.
To return to the horary chart (for security purposes, I will not reproduce the entire chart, though I will summarize its salient points). I wish it were possible to convey how incredibly appropriate this chart is. Marc Jones has made the point that, prior to interpreting a horary figure, one must first “test the grain of the chart.” (***REF***) This chart was generated by a question which, to my knowledge, has never been posed as a horary question. After all, it relies on a view of the world that some might find objectionable, as it involves, among other things, patterns of reincarnation (or, perhaps simultaneous incarnations!), as well as the disturbing implications that arise from realizing that the world as you see it is just one manifestation of a multiplex universe. Other timelines (as they like to say in sci-fi movies!) have different circumstances and certainly different outcomes.
Once again, I’d recommend to your attention the (fairly) recent, multiple-Oscar-winning film, Everthing, Everywhere, all at once. The view of an infinitely diverse universe, constantly splitting off into different versions, represents some of the latest thinking on cosmology and the origins of the universe (see ABSAdomain06 [Cosmology]), and even though the film presentation is necessarily over-the-top and sensationalistic (and the film is really good at this), the science on which this view is based is quite solid…at least as far as we know now.
So: what happened? This introduces you to what is probably the key essential work product of ABSApundit: the merging of the ABSAdomains. From one ABSAdomain (ABSAdomain02, Seth) linked to another (ABSAdomain10, Horary Astrology) we posed our question.
This is exciting, because to our knowledge, that connection has never been forged, one would guess that because horary astrology (actually, all astrology) is based upon a linear, geocentric, space-limited view of the universe. Astrologers “read” the “stars” and make predictions on the basis of what is likely to occur in that particular version of the universe: that’s the one that produced the astrology computer program I use (www.astro-seek.com) as well as all other physical features of the predictive work.
The point is that it is very unlikely (once again, in this universe, not necessarily others) that anyone will link these two realms of knowledge: the overwhelmingly fascinating multiplex nature of your "real self," and the frankly restrictive, qualificatory iconography of horary astrology. But that is the breathtaking significance of what we are doing here. We move away from the unitary, single-point focus and we drag systems of thought into the daylight where they can be illuminated, admired…and if necessary, rejected.
I said earlier that the chart I generated was incredibly appropriate; if we responded to the implied request from Marc Jones, the “grain” of the chart tests out very precisely: in other words, for the question, this chart “works.” Why do I say this? In horary astrology, the planet ruling the rising sign (Ascendant) is said to represent the person asking the question (the querent).
The ruler of any sign is said to be the planet (or the Sun or Moon) whose meaning corresponds most closely to the sign. For example, the planet Mercury (which rules both Gemini and Virgo) represents brief messages and elementary education; hence, where we find Mercury in the horary chart is where one would use Mercurial (rational) intelligence to function best.
As it happens, the ascendant in this chart is a little more than zero degrees of Cancer. Now, in “regular” horary work (which we quickly realized this is not!) if you have an Ascendant that is less than 3 degrees, or more than 27 degrees, it is said to exhibit a stricture against judgment (there are four or five of these in horary), because the matter is either too early or too late for one to analyze appropriately. With strictures present, the chart is deemed unreadable.
Fine: but are we really dealing with that rule in this particular chart? If you conceive of the chart as a tool to understand an infinitely multiplex universe, then what use is it to judge something as “too early” or “too late”? In the framework implied by the Seth material, all time and space are experienced as a whole, undifferentiated (like the movie, everything, everywhere, all at once). See what’s happened? By asking if the conditions are different for this entirely new application of knowledge about horary astrology, we have opened up a vista of possibilities. And that is what we’ll be doing constantly throughout this training: linking up disparate (pardon me, seemingly disparate) realms of knowledge to bring each into service with the others.
So, the first thing: the Ascendant or rising sign (since I am asking the question [the querent], this is my house, and it is a little more than zero degrees Cancer on the cusp(each sign has 30 degrees, so this very early in the sign), I am represented by the Moon, which rules the sign Cancer). Even though it's only a little more than zero degrees, it is still the Ascendant, or rising sign.
Were I judging the chart in conventional terms, the first thing to note would be that a major, major transition is involved here. The change (as the Ascendant moves from Gemini to Cancer) is from a primarily conventionally rational mode of perception (matters symbolized by Gemini, the preceding sign, and its ruler Mercury) toward an emotional, affective approach to life (matters of Cancer and the Moon).
That’s just perfect: you’re venturing from the realm of the rational, into the realm of emotions and subjective perception. Also, we can say that what gave rise to asking the question reflects a situation that had gone on far enough and needs a fresh start. As a rationale for ABSApundit, we can’t think of better phrasing.
The Moon (my ruler, though in horary, the Moon is always considered as co-indicator of the person asking the question) traverses every chart in about two-and-a-half days. As it happens, you are able to predict future events simply by noting which planets (and the Sun: incidentally, for convenience, I sometimes refer to “the planets” and also include the Sun and the Moon, even though the former is a star and the latter a satellite) the Moon forms angular relationships with. These angular relationships are referred to aspects, and there are basically five of them: the conjunction (0 degrees [more or less]; sextile [approx. 60 degrees]; square [90 degrees]; trine [120 degrees]; opposition [180]. One such aspect (the conjunction) can be considered fortunate or unfortunate, while two of them (the square and the opposition) usually denote misfortune, and the other two (sextile and trine) usually mean good fortune.
But here’s an interesting thing about this chart: the degree the Moon is in has already gone past all aspects that have been made previously: in other words, it makes no major aspects that have not yet materialized at the time the question was asked. Following me here? This condition is known as a void-of-course Moon (VOC) and it is often taken as a stricture against judgment, in the same category as referred to previously, where we encountered a stricture due to an invalid Ascendant (either fewer than three or more than twenty-seven degrees rising [ascending]). The common interpretation of VOC Moon is that nothing is going to happen in the future with respect to this question; in fact, my mentor, Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson, says that this means “nothing to worry about” and hence is not unreadable in the chart but a very positive sign.
However, as the famous (frequently misquoted) movie line has it, “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore!” Remember that this method has seemingly never been tried before, hence…no real pre-existing rules for interpretation. So what could it mean that the Moon doesn’t make any applying aspects? That there is no future, which is absurd (or is it--more than one "future")? No, it may mean that we’re in a different reality (“not in Kansas,” right?) and—this is an important part—what was working as background before (under the waning degrees of Gemini-the-rational, and just into the beginning of Cancer-the-emotional) is—as a result the position of the Ascendant—in a major transition, one in which we venture from the cut-and-dried, rather surface, realm of Gemini and Mercury, and into the deeper, more introspective world of the Moon and Cancer). And, folks, as you're about to learn, we are no longer in that particular head-space.
Okay, so if there is no future activity, would it not be reasonable to suppose that there would be information about this world based on what aspects the Moon made in the past? Of course it would, especially since, remember, we are in an entirely different world, so in essence, we can make up our own rules, provided they are reasonable and commonsensical.
Immediately we are confronted with another astounding configuration that also confirms the appropriateness of this chart and the process that produced it. The Moon makes five previous aspects prior to the chart being drawn, precisely the number of entities (five) in a pentad. When I first saw this, I was overjoyed, because, remember, I did not consciously embark on this with any idea of what, or how many, aspects I would find. That act was intuitive, and arose out of a deep yearning whose dimensions I was largely unaware.
So, who are they? Before we go down this road, keep in mind that each of these entities is ensconced in their own pentads. (Let me pause here to emphasize something: realize that the asking of this question occurred spontaneously (those being the only ones that succeed!) so the emergence of not one, but two, dramatic confirmations (invalid Ascendant plus five past aspects) is too remarkable to ignore.
Forward, into the past...
To go into the past let’s begin with listing the aspects in order from most in the past (please refer to the table below): [1] conjunction to Mars (18 time-units ago); [2] trine to the Sun (17 units ago); [3] square to Neptune (6 units ago); [4] trine to Saturn (4 units ago); and [5] quincunx to Pluto (1 unit). That last aspect is not a major one (there are scads of minor aspects, but these, imho, are of less use in horary astrology). The quincunx (also known as an inconjunct) describes an angle of 150 degrees and to be valid the aspect has to fall within one degree one side or the other of the exact angle.
It’s an unusual aspect (my natal Sun and Moon are in quincunx aspect—yikes!, and more on that later). Despite its status as a rare aspect, it is certainly not prominent, as a rule, in horary interpretations. the planet Pluto’s placement by house (8th, which it naturally rules) and its usual meaning has to do finding oneself isolated as one amongst the many, these "many" often organized into secretive, sometimes subversive or violent groups (Plutonian groups are assemblages like the early American labor unions).
Once I’d determined the five entities (please consult table below), I consulted my memory palace (more on that later) for various, previously unorganized, images from dream journals, written accounts of chanting projects (for more on chanting, please refer to ABSAdomain02 [Lotus Sutra]), and similar inputs. I “knew” of my "pentaders" from fragments of visual and auditory images I’d gotten through application of the various ABSAdomains. Having cast the horary chart, I now had a framework and elements of a system to pin onto upon whose “hooks” I would have sites to elaborate. Once again, I was astounded at how well this worked out, the elements of the chart matching so well with what I’d already encountered through dreams and meditation. But why wouldn’t they be? They're my creations, as yours will be if you try this technique!
Now, to see more about the pentad (including what I think they might look like :-) please go here.
"As Below, So Above"
[Graphics by Descript's Overlord and Microsoft's Powerpoint. Background videos by Wix.com].
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