When does the mystical life of man begin? At his initiation, at his enlightenment, perhaps at his birth, or already in a previous life? Life is mystical in any case, and the great secret of existence is an inexplicable miracle. The world keeps silent about it, but the universe bears witness to it…
How much is allotted to man – much, or little? Life is at once short and immensely long, endlessly long and as short as the blink of an eye. The striving spiritual man is expected not to squander his time, but to use it rightly.
Man's physical body develops in nine months, but this cannot be counted a full cycle, for the full round of the year would be twelve months. The remaining three months are added to the span of foetal existence in the perinatal period, and perhaps that is why they may be called the golden months. Beyond this, the first seven years are spent in developing the personal aura, the etheric body, and their fruit is independence, the grounding of existence. In the second seven years, up to the age of fourteen, the field of reason, the astral body, unfolds; this is the time of coming to consciousness, and by twenty-one emotional wholeness is attained, when the search for happiness appears. When the first great Saturn cycle is complete at twenty-eight, a man's character is formed. If he has not married by then, he has lost nothing but his first divorce and his first heart attack.
Three peaceful years, thoughts of conquering the world, and then comes the age of Christ. Do not think that your fate is cruel to you, that everything has conspired against you personally. It is no accident that you are put to the test; it is only that no one told you about it. After thirty comes the real stress test. The great ones – prophets, scientists, artists, true exemplars – all begin their work at about this time. Whoever begins later finds a resounding success harder to achieve. The spell of success draws everyone, of course, but in the example of Christ there is not only resurrection. Without crucifixion there is no resurrection. This is the weighing in the balance, the stress test, and by withstanding it you may enter the creative, fruitful and productive stage of your life.
What can you expect? Successes, certainly. But you know well that the shadow of success is failure, and once the second Saturn cycle has run its course by the age of fifty-six, you may prepare for all that you have built to collapse; for all that you have achieved to be lost; for all that you have gathered to slip through your fingers. What is more, after sixty craving comes back to greet you, and a host of complications. But do not worry, for it is reckoned that one has only thirty hard years in all, and not even those in one stretch…
Whoever is not pure by ten, beautiful by twenty, clever by thirty, strong by forty, rich by fifty, wise by sixty and holy by seventy will not become so later on either…
It is said that in the life of the individual the first four years, under the influence of the Moon, bringer of change, are given to personal development. In the next ten years the child's reason begins to open, so this is the time of upbringing, study and training, under the sign of Mercury. Between the ages of 15 and 22 the young person opens to love, and this is the stage of emotional unfolding, under the sign of Venus. Youth and maturity, from 23 to 42, are the stage of fulfilment under the sign of the Sun, and after this, between 43 and 57, comes the stage of ambition flaring up once more, under the sign of Mars. This is followed, from 58 to 69, by taking stock and meditation under the sign of Jupiter, and finally, past seventy – if all goes well – comes peace, in the light of the stern judge, Saturn. For it is more fortunate if you arrive weeping but depart happy, than if you come smiling but go away grieving…