Planets revolve around the Sun at varying rates of speed, the smaller planets, which are the closest to the Sun, moving much more rapidly than the larger ones which, in addition, describe wider circles.
Mercury makes orbital revolution in: 88 days
Venus makes orbital revolution in: 224.5 days
Earth makes orbital revolution in: 365.25 days
Mars makes orbital revolution in: 1 yr. 322 days
Jupiter makes orbital revolution in: 12 years
Saturn makes orbital revolution in: 29.5 years
Uranus makes orbital revolution in: 84 years
Neptune makes orbital revolution in: 165 years
Pluto makes orbital revolution in: 248 years
The hourly motion of the planets in their orbits is as follows:
Miles: Mercury: 104,000
Venus: 77,000
Earth: 65,000
Mars: 53,000
Jupiter: 29,000
Saturn: 21,000
Uranus: 15,000
Neptune: 12,000
Besides revolving in their orbits around the Sun, the planets also revolve upon their axes in the same direction as they revolve in their orbits; that is, from west to east. This movement is called the diurnal rotation. The time occupied by the diurnal rotation of the planets is as follows:
Hours:
Mercury: 24.5
Venus: 23.5
Earth: 24
Mars: 24.5
Jupiter: 10
Saturn: 10.5
Uranus: 9.5
Neptune: Unknown
The Sun also rotates upon an axis but requires about 608 hours or 25 1-3 days to complete one rotation.
The axis of a planet may be either perpendicular or oblique to its orbit. The present approximate inclinations of the axes are as follows:
Degrees:
Jupiter: 3
Earth: 23.5
Mars: 25
Saturn: 26
Venus: 60
Mercury: 72
Uranus: 102
Neptune: 155
The inclination of the axis of the Sun to the plane of the ecliptic is about 7 1/2 degrees.
The above inclinations of the axes do not in all cases coincide with the figures given by physical science, neither do we endorse their view that these inclinations remain practically unchanged, save for a slight vibratory movement called nutation. There is an exceedingly slow third movement of the planets whereby that which is now the North Pole of the earth will in the future, as it has in the past, point directly towards the Sun. Later it will be in the position where now the South Pole is, and in due time it will reach again its present place. Thus tropical climate and glacial epochs succeed each other on all points of each planet. In addition to this gradual movement of about 50 seconds of space per century, whereby a whole revolution of the earth's axis is completed in about two and onehalf million years, there have also been sudden changes at a time when that which is now the North Pole pointed directly towards the Sun. The southern hemisphere was then continually in darkness and cold.
Resulting conditions caused a sudden overtopping of our globe the last time. Since that time, however, the Spirit which previously guided the earth from without has drawn into the sphere and such a happening will be impossible in the future.
Mr. Pierre Bezian, a French mechanic, has constructed an apparatus demonstrating this third movement. He is said to have received his idea from a study of the teachings promulgated among various ancient people by priests possessed of mystic learning, particularly from the Egyptians. He shows how such a third movement will account for the tropical flora and fauna found in the frozen North, which can be accounted for in no other way. He also shows that when in the course of this third movement in the inclination of a planet's axis becomes greater than 90 degrees and its North Pole commences to point toward the south, the satellites of that planet will seem to turn in the opposite direction from the satellites of the other planets, as is the case with Uranus and Neptune's satellites; a fact which astronomers are puzzled to explain.
On Uranus and Neptune the Sun also rises in the west and sets in the east for the same reason: the inversion of their poles. As a last difference between the teachings of modern science and the Western Wisdom Teaching of the Rosicrucians, we may note that astronomers of today speak of Venus and Mercury as inferior planets because they always appear close to the Sun; Venus is seen only as a morning or an evening star; Mercury is rarely seen because it keeps so close to the Sun.
The other planets are called superior because they are seen at all distances from the Sun, being even at the very opposite point of the horizon from the Sun. This appellation, inferior and superior, the mystic would reverse, for him it is clear that the Sun is the embodiment of the highest spiritual intelligence in our system.At the beginning of our present phase of evolution all that is now outside the Sun was inside, but not all beings could continue to vibrate at the immense rate which obtained there; some fell behind, crystallized and, in time, became a clog on other classes.
They started to crystallize at the pole, where motion is slow, but gradually their increased weight brought them to the equator, where motion is most rapid, and they were thrown off from the Sun by centrifugal force.
Later, other beings failed to keep up the vibratory movement, lagged behind, and were thrown off at a proper distance so that the solar vibrations may give them the rapidity necessary to their development.
The most advanced spirits stayed longest with the Sun and consequently, if the appellation inferior and superior is to be applied at all, it should be used in reverse manner.
In order to avoid all misunderstanding, it may be well to state that Jupiter was thrown off and given its enormous bulk of fiery substance because the Jupiterians had arrived at a very high state of development, where they needed both high vibrations and independent motion. Jupiter is therefore in some aspects an
exception to the rule; a case where a higher law supersedes a lower.
In conclusion we reiterate that the planets in our solar system are the visible embodiments of the Seven Spirits before the Throne of God, the Sun, and that just as it is possible to us to transmit by wireless telegraphy the force which moves the telegraph key, lights a lamp, pulls a lever, etc., so may these Great Spirits exercise an influence upon human beings in proportion to our stage of individuality. If we aim to act in harmony with the laws of Good, we rise above all other laws and become a law unto ourselves; co-workers with God and helpers in nature. Ours is the privilege, ours the loss, if we fail to live up to our highest possibilities.
Let us therefore, strive to know, that we may do, and, above all let us beware of prostituting the science of the stars to the gutter of fortune-telling. Gold of Mammon may be ours if we do, but the "peace of God which passeth all understanding" will bring us lasting joy if we use our knowledge in unselfish service to others.
