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Astrologically interpreted, Jacob represents the Sun and his twelve sons, the twelve signs of the Zodiac. When the attributes of these twelve signs are synthesized in an individual, he becomes one of the 144,000, the square of twelve, who qualify for entry into "the new heaven and the new earth."
The blessing which Jacob bestows upon his sons is made up of fragments from ancient hymns of Initiation. A study of these fragments gives clues to the zodiacal rulership of the several sons and to the development awaiting future humanity.
Jacob's admonition to his twelve sons is a description of the path of progress for the entire human race, and of the reactions of man under the influences of the twelve zodiacal signs. His blessing is as true and applicable today as when it was written.
Reuben represents the forces of Aquarius, sign of the marvels of God now being discovered through the element Air. The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power to which Jacob refers are the superphysical characteristics of the New Day being inaugurated under the Hosts of Aquarius. Conditions will then be such that the veil of darkness will be lifted, and men and Angels will commune together in one vast fellowship of love and peace.
Under Aquarius the passions of Mars are transmuted into the compassion of Uranus, ruler of Aquarius. The unstable, watery, emotional nature must be controlled by a mind that is illuminated by spirit. Not until this is done, declares Jacob to Reuben, will he excel. The personal must yield to the universal. This alone will bring about restoration of soul qualities that belonged to man before the fall. When these qualities have been recovered by the aid of the angelic Aquarian Hosts, they will not be the unconscious, subjective powers they were then, but consciously realized powers under the control of man himself.
Simeon and Levi, representatives of the Hosts of Gemini, brought division and separativeness into the consciousness of man that the human spirit or Ego might become more highly individualized. By the arousing of dual concepts of good and evil, "instruments of cruelty" entered "their habitations." The contact with All-Good was lost sight of temporarily. Man turned against man, and race against race. In the darkness and anger of this state of consciousness, a man (ideal) was slain and a "wall digged down; — that is, the celestial pattern of unity and All-Good was no longer discernible. Men and races were scattered in Jacob; pride and ambition for personal welfare were placed before universal good. An eventual reunion will come through Israel, when the divine unity "of each for all" once more becomes the goal of evolution. This work will again be under the direction of the Hosts of Gemini, the Seraphim.
Judah represents Leo, the heart sign. The love which Leo expresses must become the motive power of the Earth and its inhabitants before the highest meaning of Jacob's statement to his twelve sons can come to perfect fruition. All differences and divisions, all boundary lines of prejudice and hatred between men and nations, will be dissolved in the power and strength of the highest manifestations of Leo. Only love can place its hand upon the neck of enemies, and cause the spirit of brotherhood to prevail in praise. The Hosts of Leo await only man's readiness to flood the Earth with their mighty impulses of love — a love that will manifest in such rhythms of peace that war and disease and death can be no more. In his seership study of things that are to be, and eager for the culmination of these glorious events, Jacob asks, "Who shall rouse him up?" In other words, when will the pioneers be ready that these things may come to pass?
Shiloh, consciousness of peace, will be the focus for this inflow of love (Christed power). And it is there that the "gathering of the people" (pioneers of the New Day) shall take place.
Zebulun comes under Pisces, last of the twelve zodiacal Hierarchies. The Hosts of this sign impress upon man the image and likeness of God, Pisces is the sign of the fish, symbol of secret things. Being the last of the signs, it completes the cycle of Earth experiences through which an evolving spirit acquires ability to transform the rough ashlar into the perfect cube, and attains to the wisdom that qualifies him for promotion to a higher expression of life. With the completion of the cycle marked Pisces, Zebulun (humanity) comes at last to "dwell at the haven of the sea." Not only this, but having brought into manifestation the godlike image impressed upon him in the beginning, he will himself be "a haven of ships" to other beings on the upward journey through life.
Not until cycles of Earth experience have been completed and soul qualities have become preponderant, will man, the Ego, secure release from the wheel of life and death and "goeth no more out." Then shall his border be unto Zidon, the place of victory.
The ass, like the ox, is a burden bearer. It is also a symbol of wisdom. Taurus, symbolized by the bull, is the zodiacal Host under whose direction humanity learns that it must reap as it has sown. The two burdens typify man's karmic debts, and also the soul experiences which are to be his after liquidation of these debts. Then he sees that "the rest was good, and the land pleasant."
The development of wisdom under Taurus gives power to express the divine creative Word. This high spiritual quality of Taurus was represented by the ancients as a white bull with the Sun between its horns. The highest Taurian attainment leads to spiritual illumination like that of the great Compassionate Ones whose lives are translated in terms of service. Such a One has ever "bowed his shoulders to bear," and has become "a servant unto tribute."
The adder that "biteth the horse heels" is Scorpio, the scorpion that pursues Sagittarius, the Centaur. The forces of carnal man, being now in the ascendancy, "biteth the horse heels" so that the rider "shall fall backward." Jacob is here reviewing the path humanity has elected to follow up to the present time. But Scorpio is not only the sign of the Scorpion bearing the sting of death. It is also the sign of the Eagle, symbol of immortality.
The Hosts of Scorpio are biding their time until man shall have progressed sufficiently for them to aid him in putting off the old and arraying himself in the new; that is, exchanging the terrestrial for the celestial. This lies within the province of man, not only after the transition called death, but while he is still functioning in a physical body on this planet. "Immortality Now" is the keynote of Scorpio. Those pioneers who make this so much a part of themselves that they manifest in their daily living will become, under Dan (Scorpio), a judge (teacher) among his people. All humanity will attain to the glory of this demonstration by the powers of the Lord, that is, by an inner realization of the working of spiritual law.
Gad represents the forces of Aries, powers of the mentality. Mind has been termed man's "good fortune." It is the force that places him on the evolutionary ladder nearest, of all Earth's creations, to the gods. When making his prophecy concerning Gad, Jacob's vision extended over aeons of time.
In his earlier stages man linked the newly acquired gift of mind to his desire nature, and desire became a stronger factor in his life than reason. Even in this day of considerable mental development, the masses are governed largely by impulse instead of reason. This, however, is only a traditional phase. The ultimate supremacy of mind over matter is certain and sure. When it is accomplished the Hosts of Aries will unleash forces so powerful that matter in its present state will be completely annihilated. The gods watch each man's efforts toward his spiritualization that they may add to him powers and forces as yet beyond the comprehension of the masses.
Jacob, man of inspired vision, referred to these steps in evolutionary progress when he uttered the words: "Gad, a troop shall overcome him, but he shall overcome at the last."
Asher represents Libra in the Zodiacal Wheel of Life. This sign was the balance wheel of the ancients, the place of testing and of decision. Its keyword is discrimination, that most important soul attribute. It can be cultivated only by the exercise of choice between good and evil, real and unreal. Making such a choice is the particular province of the Libran. Revealing the method by which decisions may be made with discrimination is part of the service that the celestial Hosts of' Libra render to man. They work especially on the formation of man's desire body and later, on its purification. Only when this work is completed will the prophecy of Jacob be realized in its fullness.
Asher (Libra) stands at the parting of the ways, where spirit and matter separate. This sign represents man's descent into the darkness of materiality; and also the new Adam who rises triumphant above all mortal concepts — the transcendent state of consciousness described by Jacob in the inspired words: "His bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties."
Napthali belongs to Capricorn, one of the mystery signs of the twelve. This sign marks a transitional epoch when there is an inner secret impulse for man to turn from the old and amalgamate with the new. This is Capricorn's insistent urge until the Christ principle within comes into its fullest expression. Only when this occurs do the powers of this sign manifest harmoniously. When one has attained to this state, his speech is made up of "goodly words" and his presence is a blessing. The powers of a mind in which the Christ has been made alive overcome the boundaries of mortal understanding, penetrate to cosmic knowledge, and glimpse vistas of indescribable splendor. Such a one is, in very truth, "a hind let loose." Heaven and earth become his domains. He may visit and investigate the mysteries and the glories of both.
Genesis 49:22-26
Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well;
whose branches run over the wall:
The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated
him.
But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were
made strong by the hand of the mighty God of Jacob; from
thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel; Even by the God of
thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall
bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessing of the deep that
lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb;
The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of
my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills;
they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head
of him that was separate from his brethren.
Joseph is Sagittarius, sign of aspiration and of ever increasing light. "Be ye renewed by the transforming of your mind" is the mantramic song of Sagittarius. That this attainment is difficult of accomplishment is indicated in many ways throughout the Bible. The insistent urge of the animalistic nature to dominate is voiced by Jacob when he says the adder "biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward." Also, in the words: "The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him. But his bow abode in strength."
Mind was given to man by the Hosts of Sagittarius. They make it their special mission to aid man in increasing its powers as soon as he is able to receive the help. Awakening of the powers of mind has only begun; its capabilities are illimitable, inexhaustible, infinite. The Hosts of Sagittarius stand ready to pour upon man the "blessings of heaven above" and "the blessings of the deep that lieth under." With the Christing of the mind comes access to the good possessed by the Christ, who testified that "All things are delivered to me of my Father." Mind is the means of all inner development. Mind is creative and, through a constructive use of its powers, man can emancipate himself from every limitation that binds him to old and mortal concepts. "Behold I make all things new," affirms the awakened or Christed mind. It was a vision of the New Day, when man will have become a conscious creator of all things good, beautiful and true, that made Joseph, representative of creative mind power, one of the two best-loved sons of Jacob. And a vision of this glorious time inspired Jacob to pronounce the blessing "unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills" as a "crown" for the head of Joseph.
Although Pisces is the twelfth and last sign of the zodiacal circle, Jacob does not close his blessing in words addressed to Pisces. His final prophecy is directed to Cancer (Benjamin). The reason for this lies in the fact that Jacob is referring, not to twelve individual sons, but to the development of twelve attributes of soul to be awakened in the human race under the direction of the twelve zodiacal Hierarchies.
Jacob begins with the qualities that will characterize the coming Aquarian Age in his words addressed to Reuben. The principal deterrent to the establishment of this New Age lies in an acceptance of the reality of evil as well as of good. This duality in man's consciousness is pointed out in the patriarch's words to Simeon and Levi. The amalgamating, synthesizing force of love (Leo-Judah) follows. Then the ideal of perfected man at the end of the Piscean cycle is envisioned. Final liquidation of past wrong living is referred to in relation to Issachar (Taurus); and the effect of regeneration to Dan (Scorpio). The illumination of Napthali (Capricorn) follows. with the final and complete Christing of the mind in the statement relative to Joseph (Sagittarius).
Cancer (Benjamin) is the doorway to Initiation. It is here that mind (Joseph, Sagittarius) and soul (Benjamin, Cancer) are united, giving birth to true wisdom and the unfailing light of spirit. Joseph, higher mind, was drawn close to his younger brother, Benjamin, the soul, and bestowed upon him his loving, protecting care.
Joseph and Benjamin, his only two sons by his best loved wife, Rachel, occupied a place of special affection in the heart of Jacob. They represent the highest attributes to be unfolded in man, and point to the high attainment awaiting humanity in time to come. It was for these reasons that Jacob placed them together at the end of his twelvefold, prophetic blessing.
Before the spirit can know the ecstasy of Cancer or enter through its Gates of Light, the Dweller on the Threshold must be subjugated. This is the prey that is to be devoured. It is symbolized by the wolf, an ancient symbol of Mars, ruler of the desire nature. The accumulated evil of past life cycles must not only be overcome, but transmuted into powers that give wings to the spirit and elevate consciousness to levels wherein it functions in unbroken continuity. A life of service then goes on uninterruptedly. The soul has attained to a larger measure of independence, being able to consciously function in the body or out of it at will.
A deeper reading of Jacob's twelvefold blessing reveals how the heavens anticipate the spiritual progress of man. The path of Initiation is marked out in the heavens where he who learns to read spiritually may decipher its successive steps in the alphabet of the stars. Genesis and Revelation, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end of man's progress and attainment, are inscribed upon the skies in flaming letters for all to read who can.
The twelve sons of Jacob represent twelve divisions which, in their entirety, embrace the whole of humanity. To every one "according to his blessing" did Jacob bless them. The number twelve carries cosmic emanations which manifest in extended, expanded and elevated conditions and states of consciousness which pertain to the twelve in the twelvefold blessing. Each and all of the individual blessings are prophetic in import and universal in meaning.
The closing chapter of Genesis deals with the passing of Jacob. It tells of consciousness transcending mortal limitations and rising into a state of Illumination (Initiation). It is a ritual, not of death and annihilation, but of life and immortality.
Attention has been drawn to the numerological significance of the forty-day periods repeatedly used throughout the Bible. They signify a time of preparation. In this instance they mark the fulfillment of Jacob's earthly probation and his entrance into another and higher condition of life. For three score and ten days the Egyptians mourned for him. The lower nature, symbolized by the Egyptians, grieved over its subjugation by the higher self, as represented by Jacob. It had lost its control over the personality; its power had been spent; the carnal man came to an end.
When a candidate is ready for promotion he is first subjected to the threshing-floor, where the wheat is separated from the chaff. Solomon's Temple (Initiate body) was built on a threshing-floor and, according to masonic symbology it was on this same floor that Hiram Abiff, master workman, was murdered by three ruffians — that is, powers of the physical body, the desire nature and the mortal mind. In other words, the Egyptian forces of darkness ever seek to destroy the powers of spirit.
Amid this "grievous mourning of the Egyptians," Joseph made a lamentation for seven days as his father passed through the seven steps or degrees of purification requisite to the transition that carried him "beyond Jordan." He had attained to the victorious life, and his sons (attributes of character) "did unto him as he had commanded them." Jacob passed from the seen to the unseen; he entered into "the house not made with hands" but "eternal in the heavens."
— Corinne Heline
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