The Souls of the Stars—Universal Heliolatry

Editor’s Note: This text forms the third subsection of Section V of the surviving “Würzburg Manuscript,” occupying pp. 169–193 of the original manuscript pagination (pp. 93–103 in the 2014 Eastern School Press edition). Its principal later form appears, under the same title, as Section XXXVII of the posthumous third volume of The Secret Doctrine (1897), pp. 332–336. The later section preserves the manuscript’s main discussion of planetary Spirits, Kepler and astrology, the sevenfold divine hierarchies, Michael and Saturn, and the correspondences between Kabalistic, Gnostic, and Christian angelology.

The 1897 version is nevertheless considerably abridged. Large portions of the manuscript dealing with the Augsburg Jesuits, papal and Roman “Star-Spirit” worship, and later attempts to revive such cults were omitted; much of this material belongs to the same documentary complex as the separate Würzburg Appendix, “The Star-Angel Worship in the Roman Church,” which Blavatsky later published independently in Lucifer. A second extended digression on the Jesuits and Black Magic was also removed. The manuscript’s concluding paragraph on zodiacal symbolism, Taurus, Apis, and the future “City of the Gods” was likewise omitted. The surviving 1897 section therefore represents a substantially tightened recension of the Würzburg text, preserving its doctrinal core while removing much of its historical and polemical material.

3.—The Souls of the Stars. Universal Heliolatry.

Thus, in order to show that the ancients have never “mistaken stars for Gods,” and God, but have worshipped only the Spirit of ALL and revered the minor gods supposed to reside in the Sun and planets—the difference between these two has to be pointed out. Saturn, “the father of Gods” must not be confused with his name-sake—the planet of the same name with its seven moons and three rings. The Two—though in one sense as identical as—physical man and his soul, for instance,—must be separated in the question of worship. This has to be done the more carefully in the case of the seven planets and their spirits, as the whole formation of the Universe is attributed to them in the secret teachings. The same difference has to be shown again between the stars of the Great Bear, the Riksha and the Chitra Sikhandina “the bright crested” and the Rishis—the mortals and Sages who have appeared on Earth during the Satya Yuga. If all of these have been so far closely united in the visions of the Seer of every age—the Bible-Seers included—there must have been a reason for it. Nor need one go back so far into the periods of “superstition” and unscientific fancies to find great men in one epoch sharing in them. It is well known that Kepler, the Eminent Astronomer, in common with many other great men who believed the heavenly bodies ruling favorably or adversely the fates of men and nations—fully credited, besides this, the idea that all heavenly bodies—even our own earth—are endowed with living and thinking souls.

Le Couturier’s opinion is worthy of notice in this relation. “We are too inclined,[”] says that Savant, [“]to criticize unsparing[ly] everything concerning astrology and its ideas. Nevertheless, our criticism, to be one, ought, lest it should be proved aimless to know at least what are in truth those ideas? And when among men, that we so criticize there are those who bear the names of and who are known to the world as Regis Montanus, Tycho Brahe, KEPLER, etc. etc., there is some reason why we should be prudent. Kepler was an astrologer by profession, who became an astronomer casually, (accessoirement). He was earning his livelihood by genethliacal figures, which indicating the state of the heavens at the moment of birth of individuals, were a means which every one resorted to for horoscopes. That great man was a believer in the principle of astrology without accepting all its foolish results.[”]¹

But Astrology is nevertheless proclaimed a sinful science and tabooed together with Occultism by the churches. It is very doubtful, however whether mystic “Star Worship” can be so easily laughed down as people imagine—not at any rate by the Roman Church (see Appendix I to section IV). The hosts of her angels, cherubs and Planetary Archangels are identical with the minor gods of the pagans. As to their “Great Gods” if Mars has been shown—on the admission of even the enemies of the pagan astrologer—to have been regarded by the latter simply as the personified strength of the one HIGHEST impersonal Deity, Mercury, as its omniscience; Jupiter—its omnipotency and so on, then the superstition of the pagan has indeed become the “religion” of the millions of civilized nations—of the Roman Catholics, for one. For with the latter Jehovah is the synthesis of the seven Elohim, the eternal of all attributes and forces, the Alei of the Aleim, and the Adonai of the Adonim. And if with them Mars is now called St. Michael the “strength of god,” Mercury—has become Gabriel, the “Omniscience and Fortitude of the Lord” and Raphael “the blessing or healing power of God”—this is simply a change of names, the characters behind their masks remaining the same.

Nor are the pagans to be so despised for having adopted the names and numbers of their planets for the days of their week and their appellation (the Arabs calling their week tsaba to this day)—since it is hardly 200 years ago, that the Ausburgian Jesuits clamoured to be permitted to do the same.²

Only as it was dangerous for their Church owing to reasons given in Appendix A of this chapter, to call them by the names of their “Seven Spirits[”] they proposed the plan as given in the footnote below. Yet they believe in these “Seven Spirits” all the same and notwithstanding they are identical gods worshipped by the Sabeans. They regard them as the Powers and representatives of God, his attributes, created by him for the purpose of manifesting himself through them. It thus follows that no Astrologer or occultist should be tabooed by His Holiness or any of the Faithful Sons of Rome, since it is admitted by every Roman Catholic that the “seven spirits of the Presence are represented by an equal number of planets, the living Entities called ARCH-ANGELS having a right to being designated as ‘Star-Spirits’ (Esprits-Etoiles), Anges des Planetes and Anges des astres[”] (Pneumatol. p. 335, et seq. Vol. III). The less so since Pope Pius the Vth (a saint) wrote in a Bull addressed to Spain when the Star Worship was granted to it, the following: “One could never exalt too much the SEVEN RECTORS of the worlds, figured (represented) by the SEVEN PLANETS . . . . It is consoling for this century (XVIth) to see by the grace of God, the worship (culte) of the SEVEN FLAMING (Ardoules) lights and their SEVEN STARS (astres) regaining all its lustre in the Christian Republic!”

The above is the textual translation from de Mirville’s Pneumatologie des Espirits (Vol. II, pp. 357-358) and therefore—no calumny.

In that same century—namely in 1561,—a special and privileged temple for the worship of the “Star-Spirits,” the church of [“]St. Mary of the Angels,” was built at Rome. Paul IV had commissioned Michael Angelo to draw the plan in 1558 after a terrible epidemic of POSSESSION, that had spread all over the “Holy City,” and three years after, the Romans had their Birs-Nimrod of the seven planets, whose Regents are known as the “seven Eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zechar., IV. 10). They are most decidedly—“the seven branches of the candlestick, the seven lamps of the sanctuary that St. Denys the Areopagite represents as placed in the hall of Supersubstantial Trinity, collo catos vestibule supersubstantialis TRINITATIS.”³ And as all the mysteries, from Trinity to upholstery, that exists in the Kingdom of heaven must be repeated in the church—“as above, so is it below,” says Hermes—“it is to these spirits that Rome dedicates her finest basilicas, and that the sovereign pontifs know by officiating in their temples certain days, surrounded with the seven candlesticks and the seven acolytes that we find again in all the pagan cults”—explains de Mirville. (Pneum. V. II. 328.)

The Dalai-Lama’s mitre has seven ridges in honour of the seven chief Dhyan-Buddhas. In the Ritual Funeraire of the Egyptians,⁴ the defunct is made to exclaim, “Salutation to you oh Princes, who stand in the presence of Osiris . . . send me the grace to have my sins destroyed as you have done for the seven spirits who follow their Lord . . .”

Brahma’s head is ornamented with seven rays, and he is followed by the Seven Rishis, in the seven swargas, etc. China has her seven pagodas. The Greeks have their seven Cyclopes, seven Demiurgi and the Mystery gods the Seven Kabeiri, whose chief was Jupiter—Saturn, and with the Jews—Jehovah. Now—the latter deity has become chief of all—the highest and the one God, and his place is taken by Michael (Michael). He is the [“]chief of the Host” (tsaba); the “Archistrategus of the Lord’s Army”; the [“]conquerors of the Devil.”—Victor Diabolis and the “Archisatrap of the Sacred Militia,” he, who slew the [“]great DRAGON.” Unfortunately Astrology and Symbology, having no inducement to veil old things with new masks, have preserved the real name of Mikael—“that was Jehovah,” Mikael being the angel of the face of the Lord⁵ “the guardian of the Planets” and the living image of God, or as well expressed in Hebrew מנאל,— who (is) as God or, who is like unto God—represents the deity in his visits to earth. It is he who cast out the Serpent.⁶ [“]Mikael”—exclaims de Mirville in a fit of pious rapture, [“]Mi-ka-el . . . is the most brilliant star of all the Angelic order . . . the guardian and defender of the CHRIST-SUN so near his Master that several heretics, Calvin among others, have completely confused him with him,” (that Master or Christ).⁷ At the same time, reviling the God of the Nabatheans, Saturn, [( ]he calls him Le Dieu Mauvais), the “bad,” the wicked God or Satan.

Nevertheless, Mikael, being the agent of the planet Saturn is—SATURN. His mystery name is Sabbathiel, because he presides over Sabbath—the Jewish day, as also over the Astrological Saturday. This accounts for the necessity in Rome, while reintroducing Spirit-Worship of having their real Jewish and Kabalistic names rubbed out from their picture, at “St. Marie des Anges” (see app. A). Once identified, the reputation of the Christian conqueror of the Devil is in a still greater danger through the further identifications. Biblical angels are called Malachim, the messengers between God, (or rather gods) and men. In Hebrew מנאל, Malach is also “a King” and Maleck or Meleck was likewise MOLOCK, or again Saturn the Seb of Egypt to whom Dies Saturne or Sabbath was dedicated. The Sabeans separated and distinguished the planet Saturn from its god, far more than the Roman Catholics do their angels from their stars; and the Kabalists make of the Archangel Mikael the patron of the Seventh work of Magic. “In theological symbolism Jupiter (the Sun) is the resurrected Saviour and Saturn—God the Father: Jehovah” says Eliphas Levi, who ought to know, having been an Abbé.⁸ Jehovah and the Saviour Saturn and Jupiter being thus one and Mikael called the [“]living image of God” it does seem dangerous for the Church to call Saturn—SATAN—le dieu Mauvais.

However, Rome is strong in casuistry and will get out of this as she gets out of every other identification, with glory to herself and to her own full satisfaction. But all her dogmas and rituals do seem like pages torn out from the history of Occultism.

And if, we are told, that “Star” or angel-worship in Rome happened in days of old, in the XVIth century and was abolished by the church—we say not at all and have the means of proving what we assert. We point to the year 1862, hardly twenty years ago. Most energetic efforts were made in those days by the whole Roman Catholic world, as at Rome, for the restoration of “Star and Angel worship.” The numerous and imposing associations formed in Italy, Bavaria and throughout all Germany for the reestablishment in Roman Catholic Europe of religious services in honour of our (Kabeirian and Kabalistic) seven spirit-planets—are well known to all, and need no corroboration.

But what is less known, is the extremely thin partition that separates the Kabalistic and Chaldean theosophy from Roman Catholic angelology and theodicy and which is now confessed to by the latter. One can hardly believe one’s eyes in reading the following. The reader will please notice the underlined passages:—

“One of the most characteristic features of our holy Scriptures is, the calculated discretion used in the enumeration of mysteries the less directly useful to our Salvation . . . Thus, beyond those ‘myriads of myriads’ of Angelic creatures just noticed, beyond the nine choirs (of Archangels and Angels)⁹ and all these divisions prudently elementary, there are, certainly many others, whose very names have not yet reached us:¹⁰ For, as says very excellently St. Chrysostomus, ‘There are doubtless sine dubio, many other orders of Virtues (celestial beings) whose denominations, we are far from knowing . . .The nine orders are not by a great deal the only populations in heaven, where, on the contrary, are to be found numberless tribes, inhabitants infinitely varied, and of which, it would be impossible to give the slightest idea through human tongue . . . Paul, who had learned their names, reveals to us their existence. . .’[”] etc. etc. (De Incomprehensibili naturâ Dei, 1. IV).

[“]It would thus amount to a gross mistake to see merely errors in the angelology of the Kabalists and Gnostics, so severely treated by the Apostle of Nations” explains the Marquis de Mirville now coquetting with those whom he generally designates “as demon-worshippers.”—[“]For his (Paul’s) imposing censure reached only their exaggerations, vicious interpretations, and what is more, the application of those handsome (beaux) titles, to the miserable personnel of DEMONIACAL USURPATORS.¹¹ Often, nothing so resembled each other as the language of the Judges and that of the convicts (of Saints and Occultists). One has to penetrate deeply into this dual comparative study (of creed and profession) and what is still better, to trust blindly for it, to the TRIBUNAL (the Church of Rome, of course) to make oneself to seize precisely the difference that constitutes the error . . . . The Gnosis condemned by St. Paul remains nevertheless, for him as for Plato, ‘the Supreme Knowledge[’] of all truths and of THE BEING, par excellence, ὁ ὄντωϛ ὤν (Repub. I. VI). The Ideas, types, ἀρχαί of the greek philosopher, the Intelligences of Pythagoras, the æons or emanations the occasion of so much reproach to the first heretics, the Demiurge, the architect of the world under his father’s direction (of the pagan), the Logos or Verbum, chief of those Intelligences, the Sophia or Wisdom, the unknown God, the EnSoph, or the It of the Infinite (of the Kabalists), the angelical periods—¹² the seven spirits, the depths of Ahriman, the World’s Rectors, the Archontes of the air, the God of this world, the pleroma of the intelligence, and down to Metraton the angels of the Jews, all this is found word for word, as so many truths, in the works of our greatest doctors of divinity and IN ST. PAUL.”¹³

If an Occultist eager to charge the church with a numberless series of plagiarisms were to write the above could he have written more strongly? And have we, or have we not the right after such a complete confession to reverse the tables and say of the Roman Catholics and others, what is said of the Gnostics and Occultists. “They used our expressions and rejected our doctrines.” For it is not the “promoters of the false gnostics” who had all these expressions from their archaic ancestors, who helped themselves to our (your) expressions, but verily the “fathers[”] and your theologians, who helped themselves to our nest and have tried ever since to soil it.

All this is of a piece with the regular tactics of the Jesuits, who are, in fact, the Roman Catholic church, and not the Pope and Cardinals as is commonly supposed. We say the Jesuits are the Roman church in the sense that a parasite twining itself round a tree and living a vampire life upon it may be said to be the tree itself. This militant or Military Ecclesiasticism fastened itself upon Popery, because in its Subtle wisdom, it perceived in it the likeliest tool to enable it to carry out its vast designs of Universal dominion, in which its predecessors, the Knights Templars, so signally failed.

Avoiding their mistakes, they have had a great, though not [un]alloyed success.¹⁴ The attempt that is detailed above of substituting the material worship of the starry and Planetary Host is a mere subtle device to bring the popular mind back to that state of ignorance and abject dependence upon priestly craft and domination which prevailed when the true Kabeiric and Spiritual worship was perverted, corrupted and made gross, sensual and materialistic, in place of the Ancient Wisdom.

We need make no excuse to our readers for bringing in what may appear, at first sight, an apparent digression from the Secret Doctrine, which is now, to some extent being declared coram populo. The history of the Jesuits is intimately bound up with that of Occultism. It is that Protean and all pervading organisation which has, for its own purposes kept back the great truths of Occultism, making its name synonymous with charlatanism, fraud and demon worship. To this purpose was the Inquisition organised. Every imaginable device has been unscrupulously put in operation to keep the more secret laws of Nature entirely to themselves and the rest of the world in servile submission and fear. To use this knowledge and great power for such a purpose is necessarily a perversion of the laws of Nature and becomes what is known as BLACK MAGIC. When once the human mind has descended to this desecration of holy things and mental degradation there is no crime too great or too black for it to commit. It can then contemplate the greatest human misery, individual or Natural, caused by its machinations with the utmost sang-froid and complacency as they would upon a stepping stone to their advancement. The history of Jesuitism is the history of assassinations and poisonings, underhand dark plottings against Kings, Princes, Churches, States and Solitary individuals who consciously or unconsciously cross their path. Many a maniac in a mad house owes the calamities which drove him there to their contriving. Their horrifying Principles are described at length in Chap. VIII. Vol. II. of Isis Unveiled. With the Jesuits murder, adultery, perjury—are condoned. To gain his aim, a Jesuit may become an idolator, has a right to kill the husband of the wife, by him seduced, and a son to kill his father (see p. 363. Isis, Vol. II), or even whom he (the Jesuit) regards as his calumniator.

We pretend not to give proofs of this as being inconsistent with the plan of this work. The reader who would want fresh instances is asked to turn to the “Appendix” of this INTRODUCTION and read “On Jesuits and their Policy.” Besides which, this military and despotic Ecclesiasticism has brought the art of secret crime to such perfection, that it is next to impossible to give the proofs necessary to satisfy the rigorous demands of either Legal or Mathematical Logic. It is a vulgar error to suppose that “murder will out” always. The average and ignorant criminal is, as a rule, found out and brought to justice. The more knowing instigators and therefore the more guilty, mostly escape. If our readers will look into the history of the Jesuits as connected with that of Europe for the last 300 years and more, with an impartial mind, they will every where find the evidence leading up to the inference of what we assert. There is abundance to satisfy the Court of Equity residing in a well balanced and pure human mind.

It is to the Jesuits, unmistakably that the millions of pagan-populations, the modern Gentiles owe the volumes of the Marquis de Mirville, who, under the inspiration of his superiors makes short work of the Wisdom of the Ancients. But, we have said enough and shown sufficiently for our purposes that we, Occultists, could be hardly blamed for claiming our own property and showing our rights to it.

After de Mirville’s confession no Christian will have any right to cast it into our teeth charges of blasphemy. They explain, the hitherto inexplicable, and give a reason for the strange rites of early Christendom in which so late as the fifth and sixth centuries A.D. such words as “Our Lord, the Sun” were embodied in the Liturgy, altered later on, into Our Lord, the God!

The early Christians painted on the walls of their subterranean necropolis Christ, as a shepherd in the guise of, and invested with all the attributes of Apollo, driving away the wolf Fenris, who seeks to devour the “Sun and his Satellites.”

Verily those who will understand the real mystic signification of the figures of the old Indian and Egyptian Zodiacs¹⁵ will have a key to every religion including the creed of the so called “Superior, civilized nations.” It is neither “chance or prophecy” which marked with the asterisk a the figure of the Bull, Aleph or the first, many millenniums before the birth of him who is now called the Alpha; nor is it chance or prophecy again that placed that bull’s head on the throne in certain spheres, pointing to a dragon, his horns decorated with the ansated or JAINA cross, the tau and swastica. Because the constellation of Taurus was never the “lamb,” and that is sacred in India as well as in Zoroastrian Cosmogony, but has nothing to do with the Mosaic. The Secret meaning, among several others, of this constellation was, indeed “the divine City,” the “Mother of Revelation,” and also the “Interpreter of the voice of God,” as the sacred bull Apis had always delivered oracles. But when other grotry [Grotry?] and his coreligionists want people to believe that the Bull Apis pacis of Heliopolis proferred [proffered] prophecies relating to the birth of Christ, we say it was not so. Our Solar system may gravitate toward the constellation of Taurus without necessarily Landing [standing?] for it in the “city of God” in John’s Revelation. There is another prophecy concerning “a city of the Gods” that is in store for the humanity of the Seventh Race in the Seventh Round. The Occultist and the theosophists must understand the meaning of it.

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