THE LOCAL INFLUENCES OF THE SUN

The outer solar wisdom, on the other hand, is horizontal, rather than vertical. This means that the local luminous influences that come from the sun are highly dependent on the position of the Sun with respect to Earth.

These influences correspond not to the real electromagnetic waves emanated by the sun, but to the virtual electromagnetic waves that pervade the universe. Though these waves are virtual, they nevertheless have the potential to manifest local cause-effect relations and to influence locally the spontaneous emissions and quantum fluctuations displayed by every atom and elementary particle in creation. The sonic influences have a similar potential—but unlike luminous influences, they are nonlocal, and therefore have little to do with relative position.

The Vedic seers referred to the virtual light of consciousness as transcendental light (param jyotih). Therefore, the science of jyotih (light) was called Jyotish (pertaining to the light)—Vedic astrology. As in the Western traditions of astrology, with the twelve signs of the zodiac, the Vedic seers divided the apparent circular path of the sun around Earth into twelve divisions, each consisting of 30 degrees. In Jyotish, these twelve divisions were called rashis, a Sanskrit term meaning a “collection of rays.” These represent the rays of virtual light that emanate from the so-called fixed stars—the stars and galaxies that are so distant from the earth that they appear to be fixed or unmoving. According to the seers, the rays coming from the distant universe carry different qualities depending upon the region from which they come. These qualities were symbolized by the signs associated with each rashi: the bull, the lion, and so forth. In this regard, the Greek and Vedic astrologers were largely in agreement: Both used the same signs or symbols for the twelve divisions.

Although the qualities of the rays coming from the distant universe were viewed as static or fixed, these could nevertheless be modified by the transit of a celestial body, such as the sun, through that sign. In this case, the virtual light associated with the sun would mix with the virtual light coming from the distant universe and therefore give rise to a new, qualified form of light. The same holds true for all the planets and celestial bodies within our solar system, but because the sun is the chief of the celestial bodies, its modifying effect upon the universal light was deemed exceedingly important. Unlike that of the planets, the modifying effect of the sun extends over the full range of the twelve universal shaktis, which, as we have seen, correspond to the first twelve luminous layers below the half measure. Although these layers are organized vertically on different space-time scales, they have an outer or horizontal representation in terms of the twelve rashis, or divisions of the zodiac.