Your points are well taken. Yes, the Scorpio/8-Aries/1 situation sounds as if it might, indeed, pertain to the subject of this discussion.

It's been a long time since I've read Bailey, but I do remember the paragraphs you so kindly reproduced in your post (above). Frawley deals with the fall of humanity astrologically, as well, albeit certainly not in connection with theosophy! Such a fall could well pertain to the redirection of one's path through the zodiac, in terms of involution and evolution.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Bailey material is its wealth of detail, coupled with its internal consistency (regardless of what one thinks of the material, itself). In the appendix to Bailey's The Unfinished Autobiography (Lucis Trust, 6th printing, c. 1987, p. 248), the Tibetan states (through Bailey) that "A.A.B. [Alice A. Bailey] knows nothing about astrology; she cannot even set up a chart, nor could she tell you the names of the planets and the houses which they rule. I am, therefore, entirely responsible for all that appears in this book" [A Treatise on the Seven Rays, of which Esoteric Astrology is one volume) "and all my books, except...The Light of the Soul." This makes the detailed astrological material within the Bailey works all the more remarkable.

Astraea,

Yes, the internal agreement of Bailey with its own detail is remarkable and compelling to read.

So if we put this all together. The manifesting and individualizing character of the dexter direction is one of spiritual involution, following the lunation of Ego, its varying states in accordance to the rising and setting of signs, is the path of humanity. This would include, retrogrades and the creation of the houses (Asc/MC), and it carries with it the "weight" of matter.
While the hidden, Solar/Saturn, sinister evolutionary direction of the zodiac is the path of the adept, perhaps unlocking the meaning of the 8th house. (Is it "death" that confuses these two directions, at one level a feared thing, at another the symbol of transformation)? Until there is further information, that is all that I can put together. I'll have to find that Bonatti reference that Hand leans on. If you find something let me know. It is very good to have your input.



Kevin

Kevin, I think you've summed up the indications very well. When it comes right down to it, there is probably no way for us to be certain about the precise astrological mechanisms associated with involution and evolution -- while astrology alludes to and describes those conditions, it seems to me that the most we mortals will be able to say about such ultimate issues is that "it is as if..."

Hand doesn't go into a great deal of detail about Bonatti in the book we've been discussing. He (Hand) defines sinister and dexter aspects relative to the solar and lunar "halves" of the zodiacal circle, presents an associated diagram (the one I verbally described in an earlier post), and goes on to quote Bonatti regarding the logic of "malefic" and "benefic" aspects (using this same diagram to illustrate Bonatti's points). Beyond stating that the translation is his own, Hand does not specify which work of Bonatti's he is quoting; it might be Tractatus II, On the Ninth House, which Hand credits in a footnote on page 6.

It's good to have your input, too, and I'm very glad that you raised this issue about involution and evolution relative to the order of the signs in esoteric astrology -- it has led me to correct an earlier error in my memory, and to think in a more cogent way about this subject, and more. Yes, if I learn anything new or come across something interesting in this area, I'll be sure and let you know -- and please let me know if you do, as well.

Astraea,

Well, I have just ran into this reference to The Timaeus, which in this person's summation deals directly with the directions of the zodiac, ascribing to dexter, the Monad and to sinister the Duad, following in general I suppose, Zoller's distinction. I don't have a copy of The Timaeus with me so I'll have to check this out. Perhaps Bailey contends that the evolution of the adept has to follow the Involution of Spirit, much as you suggested before, exploring the Duad.

In conjunction with the concept of fate we must also consider the inherently mingled philosophical "cosmology" model as described by Plato in his work "Timaeus".[8] In his Classic we are introduced to two essential motions that would later become an underlying rationale in understanding the content and strength of a house.

In his work Plato tells us that soon after the creation by the "Demiurge" (or the Creator - God), he created what are known as the "Circle of the Same" and the "Circle of the Other". The Demiurge made the "circle of the Same" to correspond to the celestial equator and so it corresponds to the diurnal motion, which creates day and night. When looking at the Zodiac it is the direction that the Houses/Signs travel (clockwise motion). The "circle of the Same" is similar in nature to the Monad [9] and "sameness" and is regular and unchanging. The Demiurge then set the motion of the planets on the "circle of the Other" to revolve in contrary motion to that of the motion of the "Same". This is what we know as planetary movement, that is, when looking at the Zodiac the planets move in a counter-clockwise direction. This was done to match the natures of the motions of these two circles to the contrariety between the Monad and the Dyad.[10]

Sincerely, Kevin

Wow, that is interesting! I don't know enough about Plato to comment, but he does seem to be talking about the same thing we've been discussing (or at least a close relation). Thank you for posting that, Kevin -- you've given me more food for thought.