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| The Destiny of the Nations - An Analysis of Certain Countries |
| In considering Great Britain,
we note first that the ruling sign is Gemini from the
standpoint of the soul of the people, and that Taurus governs
the material outer form of the nation; it is this factor that
has led her people to appear before the world under the symbol
of John Bull, expressive of the British personality. It has
been thought by certain astrologers that Great Britain is
ruled by Aries, and this is true of it, as far as that small
part which is called England is concerned; but I am dealing
with the empire as a whole and not with a fraction of it.
It is the Gemini influence that has led to the constant movement
and restlessness of the British people; which has led them
to cross and recross the ocean and to stage a constant going
out to the very ends of the earth, to return ever again to
the center from which they came. This is characteristic of
the race. It is the Gemini influence which has produced -
viewing the [81] work of the nation from the personality or
lower angle - the secret and oft devious diplomacy and subtlety
which has in the past distinguished Great Britain's political
activity. Gemini people are often distrusted, and the Gemini
effect along this line makes of Great Britain no exception.
Such distrust has been warranted in the past but is not as
justifiable now, for the nation is old and experienced and
is fast learning the lessons which she has had to master.
As yet, from the higher angle, Gemini does not entirely control,
for the soul of Britain is only now struggling for expression.
For long ages Taurus has led the way with his material aims,
his acquisitive desires, his arrogant will and his blind moving
forward towards the possession of that which has been desired.
Pervasiveness and movement are two qualities with which Gemini
and Taurus have dowered the race. London, the heart center
of the empire is ruled spiritually by Leo and materially by
Libra and it is, therefore, the soul factor which links Great
Britain to France and which should assist spiritually the
Leo nature of the French personality. It is not, however,
the spiritual quality of this sign which dominates British
policy, but primarily the Libra aspect. Great Britain regards
herself as the preserver of the balance of power among the
nations and as the one to mete out justice and indicate the
right methods of law and order; yet her Gemini nature at times
offsets this, whilst Taurus frequently blinds her to the real
issues. It is the Leo aspect also which links London to Berlin,
but it is Leo in its more self-assertive aspect and hence
some of the difficulty and hence also the close and not to
be evaded relationship between London-Paris-Berlin, a triangle
of force which conditions Europe most potently. It is between
these three that the destiny of the race, of men in the immediate
future lies, and again the question arises: Will the coming
[82] decisions be based upon the good of the whole or upon
the good of a part of the whole?
It was the Leo force in Great Britain which attracted originally the Leo force in France and led to the Norman conquest in the 11th century. I mention this because it indicates relationship and the demonstrated results of such relations, but not because that past event has any true repercussions at this time. There is a much closer relation between the United States of America and Great Britain than between any continental power, for Gemini is the ruling sign of both countries, and they have, in many ways, a synchronous vibration. There is however little of the Taurian influence in the States and consequently you have the attitude of frequent misunderstanding which exists between the two powers. They are very close to each other and the welfare of each means much to each of them, so much so that the tendency to misinterpretation of each other's actions and motives is not aided by the fluidity of Gemini. Nevertheless, the arrogance and self-will of the Bull must give way to the fluid understanding of the inclusive Gemini consciousness, and this is a hard thing for the British temperament at this time to grasp. They are so sure of their rectitude and so convinced of their wisdom that they are apt to forget that good intentions are oft offset by bad methods. The British are just and wise, but their self-sufficient technique and their blindness to other peoples' point of view has not aided world peace and is indicative of the control of Taurus. I would add here that the belief of the German race that they constitute the super-race, the intense nationalism of the French which leads them to feel that they have a superior culture to any other race, the sure pride of the British which leads them to regard themselves as eternally in the right, and the [83] noisy self-assertion of the United States which leads them to regard their country as the hope of the world have in reality little to choose between them and are all equally indicative of personality control. This is, as you know, a thing to be overcome in all nations and individuals. Governing Great Britain, therefore, are the following energies, working through the zodiacal signs and the ruling planets:
A study of the interplay of these energies and forces will account adequately for Great Britain and her activities; they indicate also certain definite lines of affinity and also point the way to imminent possibilities of adjustment, if the love which is the basic motivating power of the British soul is permitted expression. Hitherto it has been primarily Taurus and Leo as well as Libra which have colored British attitudes, decisions and activities. Can Britain change and - preserving the will-to-order and the balanced judgment which Libra confers upon her - eliminate the Taurian aspects which have led her blindly to seek that which she desires and because of her powerful personality to gain those ends? There is an ironic fate which determines that this great nation, having in past centuries been one of the major aggressors of the world, should now bring to an end, with the aid of France (which has a very similar aggressive tendency), the period of aggression, and so be used to inaugurate an age of cooperation, of understanding and of mutually shared responsibility. The future of the world lies at present largely in the hands of France and Great Britain, and the happiness of the world is assured if the soul energy of both these countries controls, and personality aims and ambitions are negated. |
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