Theos-Talk Archives (December 1994 Message tl00077)

Dear Baha'is, Theosophists, and friends,

Having posted a brief interpretation of Baha'u'llah's natal chart
to Baha'is, and earlier one of HPB's chart to Theosophists, I
decided to cross-post this set of reflections on the two.

They were exact contemporaries, traveled in some of the same
places, and both saw their role as the reconciliation of
conflicting religions through a renewal of genuine spirituality.
It is fair to say that Baha'i and Theosophy both see themselves
as agents of harmony and cyclical change.

Ignoring everything in the two charts except for the Sun/Moon
polarities-- which are the most "personal" elements-- makes it
easier to focus simply on how the personalities of these
individuals would be likely to color the movements they founded.
The outer planet aspects are rather similar, but would be too
complex and possibly boring to discuss here.

Simply comparing the outlook of a Scorpio Sun/Capricorn Moon to
that of a Leo Sun/Libra Moon says a lot about the differences
between Baha'i and Theosophy.  Henceforth, the former
(Baha'u'llah) will be referred to as S/C and the latter, HPB, as
L/L.

An S/C who is attempting to define a spiritual movement toward
international and inter-religious reconciliation will have
predictable strengths and weaknesses.  On the plus side, he will
be able to build solid and functional institutions, and will have
a profound understanding of how to weld people together in unity.
On the minus side, he will be much too concerned with rules and
regulations, believing that there is no such thing as too much
control, and having little respect for freedom and spontaneity.

An L/L attempting to do the same thing will, on the plus side,
have a very wide range of interests and contacts, a strong sense
of individualism, an ability to influence people through charisma
and charm.  On the minus side, there will be more breadth than
depth to her relationships, and a love of attention that produces
excessive flamboyance and exaggeration.

Bringing this down to cases, one can argue that Baha'u'llah was
too tradition-bound, too narrowly focused, to build a movement
that could effectively embrace the entire range of human
spirituality.  But he was powerfully effective in creating a
sense of unified commitment to building a community among those
who did respond to his message.  On the other hand, HPB was
broad-minded enough to create a much more universal synthesis;
more intellectually daring, better informed, and much more
respectful of individual freedom.  But she was not at all a
builder of community, evoking rather shallow commitments from
people who were more impressed by her own knowledge and charisma
than by any sense that the TS was a solid foundation on which to
work together toward unanimous goals.