Correspondence from Phyllis Seckler to Karl Germer

1411 So. Federal

West Los Angeles 25, Calif.

July 20, 1952

Dear Karl

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Thank you so much for the offer of a little financial help at this time, both in your letter to me and in one to Jane [Jane Wolfe]. She told me about it. Of course I refused. I appreciate this gesture very much but you have all the burden of managing the books and their distribution, and, if, as you hint, you are to come out to the west, there is the problem of moving all those materials. I really could not, in all seriousness, and for the sake of my own sense of honour, accept anything, at all. We are in this business together, all of us, about the books, that is. My small contribution of typing is not enough as it is, without my accepting any money from you. I always make ends meet, no matter how things get tight. So do not worry on that score. However, I would like to say that I am very grateful for this generous gesture.

I have been looking over your chart and I notice that the Dragon's tail is in the seventh house. According to my method of interpretation, this would mean that the seventh house, partnerships, marriage and sociability would be the sphere of least resistance, possibly the point of self undoing. On the other hand, the Dragon's head is in the first house, in conjunction with Uranus. This would give an unusual and surprising personality. Uranus in the first house gives you that New Aeon slant, so to speak. The curious thing about this planet is that it is one angle of a grand trine. Pluto is trining it from Gemini, and Sun and Mars from Aquarius. This could almost be unusable and too fortunate for occult expression if it wasn't for your Jupiter in the twelfth house of confinement and of the soul's growth in darkness forming a square to Pluto. This helps t o release the energies of this fortunate grand trine. You probably know that the Uranus and Pluto in the configuration are excellent for occult work. The fact that Pluto is retrograde makes its effect on you an inner growth of this power, instead of outer. It is a planet of rebirth, as a retrograde planet it would seem to indicate in our chart a protest against the old order of society. You probably know all this, I am wandering on through the various aspects of your chart, as though you were here to listen to my thoughts. Also, Pluto in the ninth house is connected with Philosophy and far-reaching thoughts. A master of the Royal Art id what comes immediately to my mind. Pluto quincunx to Venus and Mercury seems to indicate an adjustment and self-improvement of this power in the house of the home or of the soul. The home and fourth house matters of the subconscious and soul, etc. are sometimes upset by the effect of Uranus squaring them from the first house. Here is a challenge and a problem for you to work out at times. You may get a violent discord in the home because of your Uranian personality. Decision are forced upon you which you must meet. Quiet and confinement will at times smooth all things down, for Jupiter trines this fourth house Venus and Mercury. Your planets are so interwoven with each other, it is very remarkable. This would seem to indicate that one department of your life is extremely wound up in another. Nothing is cut off and left out, all works together in the wholeness of your nature.

This fact also makes it difficult for me to get a good picture of your chart. Well-integrated is my decision. You say Earth weighs it down. I don't quite think so, I think it is more this trine effect. Yet your challenges from the squares would make the trines go to work for you. Anyhow, with the addition of Pluto to your chart, this makes five planets for air or intellect. But it strikes me that there is sometimes difficulty in expressing the intellect, or to get it to work for you. It is as thought you had to build up some kind of steam pressure to make it go to work, and you would not always feel like doing this. It would be an effort. Given quiet and peace, free from the pressures of the Uranian personality and need for action, the intellect would probably flow more smoothly in its workings.

Uranus in conjunction with the North Node, or Dragon's Head has made you develop the personal self and has made this personal self extremely fortunate. Things drop into your lap like plums so to speak. Also this Uranus position in the grand trine and with the Node indicates your Destiny or position in occult matters. With this configuration it becomes a natural thing that you should now be in the present position as executor of A.C.'s will and as the gentleman we all look up to as our present leader here on the west Coast. It is a matter of Fate or Destiny. The growth of this destiny takes place in confinement or quiet. Again back to Jupiter in the 12th, you see.

Now I am going to be very frank, which I probably shouldn't be in a letter, but as I talk to you. However, I hope you will forgive me. I see in this grand trine of yours extremely great energy for the Royal Art or for a Magick approach to life. Do you know what I mean? Why do I say great energy? Because Mars and the Sun are conjunct. This gives great energy tied up with the individual Self, they trine Uranus, the inventive and explosive planet, and again trine Pluto on the other side, the regenerative power of Sex in its highest form and working. But this power does not work out through the house of marriage satisfactorily because of the Dragon's Tail in that position. It is challenged by the 12th house Jupiter and by the fourth house Venus and Mercury and is forced to work through these channels by their very nature of obstacle set in the way. But Venus and Mercury are quincunx to Pluto, an aspect of adjustment and expansion and self-improvement. Again pointing to the fact that this growth has a lot to do with the fourth house of soul and home, etc. Sun and Mars make another quincunx to Jupiter in the 10th house. Self-improvement with confinement and through fifth house matters of outward expression, loves and children Children? none of your own because of the powerful Sun and Mars in the fifth. But an interest in them.

Saturn makes an quintile aspect to Jupiter, which gives mastery over your affairs and great creative power. Moon is sextile, giving harmonious action from the 7th house of legacy through women. Moon—woman. Also emotional life harmonious with the practical affairs, and their settling, also moon forms a sextile to Mars, which makes a harmonious aspect to help further the fifth house martial energy. Which energy is tied up in the grand trine with Pluto and Uranus. Moon square Mercury, another obstacle to using the intellect. Intellect challenges the world of emotions and vice versa.

This is by no means all, I have just begun to scratch the surface so to speak. Perhaps my analysis has gone wide in some places. If so, please let me know. I am such a young Astrologer, I like to know if I get it correct. It is a check on my mode of working. But I am going to stop this reading of your chart, for it is taking up so much of this morning and I know very well I should get to work on the Vision [The Vision and the Voice]. I haven't even gone into the position of Neptune, nor into finding any parallels, if there are any. Will you forgive me if I stop and you like I will continue this in future letters.

If you are really coming out to the West I think it would be a very good thing. W.T. has become a problem to me, at least. I very much feel that a person with higher knowledge than mine should analyze the situation and act accordingly. I don't think I aught to tell you my thoughts on the matter, for they might bear some influence, and I may not be really qualified to judge. Further, the problem is up to someone above my position and above his. It really has nothing to do with me except that having met him again there is an equation to work out on this score, but not so far as the Order's decision is concerned. This sounds terribly involved, I hope you gather what I mean.

You mention "the fact that you have risen to or above Tiphereth". And you surprise me exceedingly. I had never thought of it this way. If anything, I thought my position would be indicative of aspiring towards Yesod. To me there is a path stretching before and behind with no landmarks on it. A judgment saying I have risen to Tiphereth belongs to the outside world and not to me at all. If it is really true, then perhaps it is only an emanation on the outer of an inner state of soul. I can hardly describe what has happened to me, but something has, that is certain. I have changed from what I was in the past. There is an "unheard voice". But there are no visions such as one would expect with Tiphereth. It is like going to sleep and dreaming and gradually growing, and then waking up when somebody throws cold water in your face and says "Tiphereth". One wonders which is truth and is inclined to believe in the quietness of the dark more than the cold water.

As for the voice, in this way I reason it. One can act in one way or another, one can go this road or another, and in the end it does not matter in the least. One is a mote of sunlight dancing in the sun and all that matters is that Light which is one's source and one's object of love. How can one road or another possibly make any difference then? So why not follow that unheard voice? If intuition speaks, one might just as well follow its dictates. For any direction is the same, as long as there is the Sunlight. The spiritual Sun, that is. All experiences are necessary in the long run, they are emanations of Nuit, they are the possibilities of Nuit experienced by Hadit or the point of light that each one of us is. The only thing necessary is the Love of Nuit's possibilities. I am apt to call it passion for experience, or for existence. But passion anyway, no matter what happens.

I am appreciating the "Vision" very much. It is unbelievable how several years ago I could not understand it, and now so much becomes clear.

Yes, I have a typewritten copy of the Tao Teh King. Mildred [Mildred Burlingame] gave it to me not so very long ago. I thank you for your offer of one. I hope you are serious about coming out West. The feeling is personal, I must confess. I do not know whether this is really the best thing for you financially or otherwise. I do not know the first thing about how good for the Order it would be, or for such matters as storage and distribution of copies of the books, or so on. So you see I can only say that I hope you will come out here from a personal angle.

Now I must really stop, I have been all morning and the children have been milling around for something to do. Kwen [Kwen Parsons] is visiting us this week. I like him very much and think he has possibilities.

Love is the law, love under will.

Fraternally

Phyllis

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