Post by giovanni on Dec 13, 2005 11:35:16 GMT
THE ZODIAC AND THE CARDINAL POINTS
Bro. René Guénon
IN a book on castes, A. M. Hocart calls attention to the fact that 'in the organization of the city, the four groups are located at the different cardinal points within the quadrangular or circular precinct'. Moreover, this apportionment is not peculiar to India, as numerous examples of it are to be found among the most diverse peoples; and usually each cardinal point is matched with one of the elements and one of the seasons, as well as with a color emblematic of the caste situated at that point. (1) In India, the Brahmins occupied the north, the Kshatriyas the east, the Vaishyas the south, and the Shudras the west; thus there. was a division into 'quarters' in the strict sense of the word, which in the beginning obviously designated the fourth part of a city, although in modern usage this precise meaning seems to have been forgotten more or less completely. It goes without saying that this partitioning is closely related to the more general question of orientation which, as we know, played an important part in all ancient traditional civilizations, for the city as a whole as well as for each particular edifice.
Hocart is at a lass, however, to explain the proper place of each of the four castes, (2) and his perplexity ultimately stems from his error in 'considering the royal cast, the Kshatriyas, as the first, Thus, proceeding from the east, he cannot find any regular order of succession and, in particular, the placement of the Brahmins at the north becomes altogether unintelligible. On the other hand, there is no difficulty if we observe the normal order, that is, if we begin with the Brahmins, the caste which in reality is the first. Proceeding thus from the north, and turning in the direction of the pradakshina,(3); we find the four castes following one another in a perfectly regular order; and then it only remains for us to have a more thorough understanding of the symbolic reasons for this partition according to the cardinal points.
These reasons are based essentially on the fact that the traditional plan of the city is an image of the zodiac. Here we immediately recognize the correspondence of the cardinal points with the seasons; indeed, as we have explained elsewhere, the winter solstice corresponds to the north, the vernal equinox to the east, the summer solstice to the south, and the autumnal equinox to the west. In the division of the figure into 'quarters', each quarter will naturally correspond to the group formed by three of the twelve zodiacal signs: one solstitial or equinoctial sign, which can he called cardinal, and the two signs adjacent to it. Thus, three signs will be included in. each `each `quadrant' if the form of the precinct is circular, or on each side if it is quadrangular; this last form moreover is particularly appropriate to a city, because it expresses a notion of stability suitable to a fixed and permanent establishment, and also because it is not a matter of the celestial zodiac itself but only of an image and a sort of terrestrial projection of it. And let us recall in this connection that it was no doubt for analogous reasons that the ancient astrologers cast their horoscopes in a square form, in which each side was likewise occupied by three zodiacal signs, an arrangement to which we shall return in what follows.
It will be clear from the above that the distribution of the castes in the city exactly follows the march of the annual cycle, which normally starts with the winter solstice. It is true that certain traditions have the year begin at another solstitial or equinoctial point, but these involve traditional forms with a more particular relationship to certain secondary cyclical periods. The question does not arise in the Hindu tradition. which represents the most direct continuation of the primordial tradition and which, moreover, insists most particularly on the division of the annual cycle into its two ascending and descending halves, opening respectively to the two solstitial 'doors' of winter and summer, which is in fact the strictly fundamental point of vie in this regard. Moreover, as the north is considered the uppermost point (uttara) and thus marks the starting-point of the tradition, it quite naturally befits the Brahmins; the Kshatriyas are placed at the next point in the cyclical correspondence, that is, at the east, the direction of the rising sun. Comparing these two positions (we may quite legitimately infer that, while the character of the priesthood is 'polar' that of the royalty is 'solar', which many other symbolic considerations would confirm still further; and perhaps this 'solar' character is not unrelated to the fact that the Avataras of' historical times' have come from the cask of the Kshatriyas. The Vaishyas, coming in third place, take their position at the south and mark the end of the succession of the 'twice-born' castes; for the Shudras there remains only the west, which is every-where regarded as the direction of obscurity.
All this is perfectly logical, therefore, on condition that there be no misapprehension co concerning point of departure, and in order to justify more thoroughly what we have said concerning the 'zodiacal' character of the traditional layout of cities, we will now cite several facts which show that, although the division of cities principally corresponds to the quaternary division of the cycle, there are instances where a twelvefold subdivision is clearly indicated. We have an example of this in the foundation of cities according to the rite that the Romans received from the Etruscans; the orientation was marked by two roads at right angles, the cardo, running from south lo north, and the decumanus, running from west to east; at the extremities of these two roads were the doors of the city, which were thus placed exactly at the four cardinal points. In this way, the city was divided into four quarters, which, however, in this case did not correspond exactly with the four cardinal points as in India, but rather with the intermediary points; it goes without saying that we must take into account the difference in traditional forms, which requires diverse adaptations, but the principle of the division is nonetheless the same. Furthermore, and this is the point that must be emphasized here, superimposed on this division into quarters was a division into 'tribes, that is, a ternary division according to the etymological sense of the word; each of the three 'tribes' comprised four 'curias' distributed in the four quarters, so that altogether there was really a twelvefold division.
Another example is the Hebrews, which Hocart himself cites, although he does not seem to take note of the importance of the number twelve. He writes (4) that the Hebrews were familiar with social division into four quarters; their twelve territorial tribes were divided into four groups of three tribes, one of each being a principal tribe: Judah camped to the east, Ruben to the south, Ephraim to the west, and Dan to the north. The Levites formed an inner circle around the Tabernacle, and were also divided into four groups placed at the four cardinal points, the main branch being to the east. (5)
In truth, it is not a matter here of the organization of a city, but initially of a camp, and later of the allotment of the territory of an entire land, but obviously this makes no difference from our present point of view. The difficulty in establishing an exact comparison with what exists elsewhere results from the fact that apparently no definite social functions were ever assigned to each of the tribes, so that they cannot be identified with castes in the strict sense of the term; nevertheless, on one point at least there exists a very clear similarity with the arrangement adopted in India, for the royal tribe of Judah was also placed to the east. On the other hand, there was also a remarkable difference: the priestly tribe of Levi, which was not counted among the twelve, had no place on the sides of the quadrilateral, and consequently no territory was assigned to it for its own. Its position in the inner part of the camp can be explained by the fact that it was expressly attached to the service of a single sanctuary, which was originally the Tabernacle, the normal position of which was at the center. However that may be, what is important in the present instance is to note that the twelve tribes were distributed by threes on the four sides of a quadrilateral, facing respectively toward the four cardinal points; and it is known that there was indeed a symbolic' correspondence between the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve signs of the zodiac, leaving no doubt as to the character and significance of the distribution in question; we will add only that the chief tribe on each side obviously corresponds to one of the four 'cardinal' signs, the two others corresponding to the adjacent signs.
If we now refer to the apocalyptic description of the 'Celestial Jerusalem', it is easy to see that its plan exactly reproduces that of the Hebrew camp just described; and at the same time this plan is also identical to the square horoscope figure mentioned above. The city, which is in fact built in a square, has twelve doors on which are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; and these gates are distributed in the same way on the four sides: 'three doors to the cast, three to the north, three to the south, and three to the west.' It is obvious that these twelve doors correspond to the twelve zodiacal signs, the four principal doors, that is, those in the middle of each of the four sides, corresponding to the solstitial and equinoctial signs; and the twelve aspects of the sun relate to each of the signs, that is, to the twelve Adityas of the Hindu tradition, appearing under the form of the twelve fruits of the 'Tree of Life' which latter, set in the center of the city, 'yields its fruits each month,' that is, precisely following the successive positions of the sun in the zodiac in the course of the annual cycle. Finally, in one of its meanings at least, this city 'descending from heaven to earth' quite clearly represents the projection of the celestial 'archetype' in the constitution of the terrestrial city; and we think that enough has been explained to show quite well that this 'archetype' is symbolized essentially by the zodiac.
1. Les Castes, (English translation, Caste, a comparative study, New York 1968)
2. Ibidem, p. 55
3. This term refers to the ritual circumambulation of a sacred object in which one keeps the object on one's right in a 'clockwise' movement.
4. Les Castes, 127
5. Num. 2 and 3
Bro. René Guénon
IN a book on castes, A. M. Hocart calls attention to the fact that 'in the organization of the city, the four groups are located at the different cardinal points within the quadrangular or circular precinct'. Moreover, this apportionment is not peculiar to India, as numerous examples of it are to be found among the most diverse peoples; and usually each cardinal point is matched with one of the elements and one of the seasons, as well as with a color emblematic of the caste situated at that point. (1) In India, the Brahmins occupied the north, the Kshatriyas the east, the Vaishyas the south, and the Shudras the west; thus there. was a division into 'quarters' in the strict sense of the word, which in the beginning obviously designated the fourth part of a city, although in modern usage this precise meaning seems to have been forgotten more or less completely. It goes without saying that this partitioning is closely related to the more general question of orientation which, as we know, played an important part in all ancient traditional civilizations, for the city as a whole as well as for each particular edifice.
Hocart is at a lass, however, to explain the proper place of each of the four castes, (2) and his perplexity ultimately stems from his error in 'considering the royal cast, the Kshatriyas, as the first, Thus, proceeding from the east, he cannot find any regular order of succession and, in particular, the placement of the Brahmins at the north becomes altogether unintelligible. On the other hand, there is no difficulty if we observe the normal order, that is, if we begin with the Brahmins, the caste which in reality is the first. Proceeding thus from the north, and turning in the direction of the pradakshina,(3); we find the four castes following one another in a perfectly regular order; and then it only remains for us to have a more thorough understanding of the symbolic reasons for this partition according to the cardinal points.
These reasons are based essentially on the fact that the traditional plan of the city is an image of the zodiac. Here we immediately recognize the correspondence of the cardinal points with the seasons; indeed, as we have explained elsewhere, the winter solstice corresponds to the north, the vernal equinox to the east, the summer solstice to the south, and the autumnal equinox to the west. In the division of the figure into 'quarters', each quarter will naturally correspond to the group formed by three of the twelve zodiacal signs: one solstitial or equinoctial sign, which can he called cardinal, and the two signs adjacent to it. Thus, three signs will be included in. each `each `quadrant' if the form of the precinct is circular, or on each side if it is quadrangular; this last form moreover is particularly appropriate to a city, because it expresses a notion of stability suitable to a fixed and permanent establishment, and also because it is not a matter of the celestial zodiac itself but only of an image and a sort of terrestrial projection of it. And let us recall in this connection that it was no doubt for analogous reasons that the ancient astrologers cast their horoscopes in a square form, in which each side was likewise occupied by three zodiacal signs, an arrangement to which we shall return in what follows.
It will be clear from the above that the distribution of the castes in the city exactly follows the march of the annual cycle, which normally starts with the winter solstice. It is true that certain traditions have the year begin at another solstitial or equinoctial point, but these involve traditional forms with a more particular relationship to certain secondary cyclical periods. The question does not arise in the Hindu tradition. which represents the most direct continuation of the primordial tradition and which, moreover, insists most particularly on the division of the annual cycle into its two ascending and descending halves, opening respectively to the two solstitial 'doors' of winter and summer, which is in fact the strictly fundamental point of vie in this regard. Moreover, as the north is considered the uppermost point (uttara) and thus marks the starting-point of the tradition, it quite naturally befits the Brahmins; the Kshatriyas are placed at the next point in the cyclical correspondence, that is, at the east, the direction of the rising sun. Comparing these two positions (we may quite legitimately infer that, while the character of the priesthood is 'polar' that of the royalty is 'solar', which many other symbolic considerations would confirm still further; and perhaps this 'solar' character is not unrelated to the fact that the Avataras of' historical times' have come from the cask of the Kshatriyas. The Vaishyas, coming in third place, take their position at the south and mark the end of the succession of the 'twice-born' castes; for the Shudras there remains only the west, which is every-where regarded as the direction of obscurity.
All this is perfectly logical, therefore, on condition that there be no misapprehension co concerning point of departure, and in order to justify more thoroughly what we have said concerning the 'zodiacal' character of the traditional layout of cities, we will now cite several facts which show that, although the division of cities principally corresponds to the quaternary division of the cycle, there are instances where a twelvefold subdivision is clearly indicated. We have an example of this in the foundation of cities according to the rite that the Romans received from the Etruscans; the orientation was marked by two roads at right angles, the cardo, running from south lo north, and the decumanus, running from west to east; at the extremities of these two roads were the doors of the city, which were thus placed exactly at the four cardinal points. In this way, the city was divided into four quarters, which, however, in this case did not correspond exactly with the four cardinal points as in India, but rather with the intermediary points; it goes without saying that we must take into account the difference in traditional forms, which requires diverse adaptations, but the principle of the division is nonetheless the same. Furthermore, and this is the point that must be emphasized here, superimposed on this division into quarters was a division into 'tribes, that is, a ternary division according to the etymological sense of the word; each of the three 'tribes' comprised four 'curias' distributed in the four quarters, so that altogether there was really a twelvefold division.
Another example is the Hebrews, which Hocart himself cites, although he does not seem to take note of the importance of the number twelve. He writes (4) that the Hebrews were familiar with social division into four quarters; their twelve territorial tribes were divided into four groups of three tribes, one of each being a principal tribe: Judah camped to the east, Ruben to the south, Ephraim to the west, and Dan to the north. The Levites formed an inner circle around the Tabernacle, and were also divided into four groups placed at the four cardinal points, the main branch being to the east. (5)
In truth, it is not a matter here of the organization of a city, but initially of a camp, and later of the allotment of the territory of an entire land, but obviously this makes no difference from our present point of view. The difficulty in establishing an exact comparison with what exists elsewhere results from the fact that apparently no definite social functions were ever assigned to each of the tribes, so that they cannot be identified with castes in the strict sense of the term; nevertheless, on one point at least there exists a very clear similarity with the arrangement adopted in India, for the royal tribe of Judah was also placed to the east. On the other hand, there was also a remarkable difference: the priestly tribe of Levi, which was not counted among the twelve, had no place on the sides of the quadrilateral, and consequently no territory was assigned to it for its own. Its position in the inner part of the camp can be explained by the fact that it was expressly attached to the service of a single sanctuary, which was originally the Tabernacle, the normal position of which was at the center. However that may be, what is important in the present instance is to note that the twelve tribes were distributed by threes on the four sides of a quadrilateral, facing respectively toward the four cardinal points; and it is known that there was indeed a symbolic' correspondence between the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve signs of the zodiac, leaving no doubt as to the character and significance of the distribution in question; we will add only that the chief tribe on each side obviously corresponds to one of the four 'cardinal' signs, the two others corresponding to the adjacent signs.
If we now refer to the apocalyptic description of the 'Celestial Jerusalem', it is easy to see that its plan exactly reproduces that of the Hebrew camp just described; and at the same time this plan is also identical to the square horoscope figure mentioned above. The city, which is in fact built in a square, has twelve doors on which are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; and these gates are distributed in the same way on the four sides: 'three doors to the cast, three to the north, three to the south, and three to the west.' It is obvious that these twelve doors correspond to the twelve zodiacal signs, the four principal doors, that is, those in the middle of each of the four sides, corresponding to the solstitial and equinoctial signs; and the twelve aspects of the sun relate to each of the signs, that is, to the twelve Adityas of the Hindu tradition, appearing under the form of the twelve fruits of the 'Tree of Life' which latter, set in the center of the city, 'yields its fruits each month,' that is, precisely following the successive positions of the sun in the zodiac in the course of the annual cycle. Finally, in one of its meanings at least, this city 'descending from heaven to earth' quite clearly represents the projection of the celestial 'archetype' in the constitution of the terrestrial city; and we think that enough has been explained to show quite well that this 'archetype' is symbolized essentially by the zodiac.
1. Les Castes, (English translation, Caste, a comparative study, New York 1968)
2. Ibidem, p. 55
3. This term refers to the ritual circumambulation of a sacred object in which one keeps the object on one's right in a 'clockwise' movement.
4. Les Castes, 127
5. Num. 2 and 3