This list is not a test. A person's soul, personality and bodies may be on different rays, and the qualities of a ray look very different at different stages of development. Still, it is a good door through which to begin observing.
- 1Will and Power. Strengths: power to govern, courage, steadfastness, independence, synthesis, liberation and fearless truthfulness. Shadow: domination, hardness, arrogance, impatience, obstinacy and anger. Typical fields: leadership, management, government and politics.
- 2Love-Wisdom. Strengths: loving understanding, compassion, patience, intuitive insight, the power to teach and heal. Shadow: oversensitivity, fear, inability to say no, excessive attachment to people. Fields: teaching, therapy, spiritual work, human development.
- 3Active Intelligence. Strengths: abstract thought, strategy, planning, handling complexity, adaptability and resourcefulness. Shadow: intellectual pride, manipulation, scattering, thinking without acting, constant busyness. Fields: business, finance, philosophy, academia, communication.
- 4Harmony through Conflict. Strengths: mediation, bridge-building, love of beauty, artistic sensitivity, imagination and quick wit. Shadow: indecision, inner conflict, too much compromise, swings of mood. Fields: the arts, mediation, entertainment, design.
- 5Concrete Knowledge and Science. Strengths: precision, accuracy, perseverance in research, technical mastery, clear explanation. Shadow: narrow and critical mind, scepticism, lack of sympathy, separativeness. Fields: science, engineering, research, technical expertise.
- 6Devotion and Idealism. Strengths: high ideals, loyalty, the power to inspire, vision of the goal, self-sacrifice. Shadow: fanaticism, bigotry, jealous love, blind faith, fits of anger. Fields: religious work, causes and activism, charity.
- 7Order and Ceremonial Magic. Strengths: creating order, organisation, a sense of rhythm and timing, giving ideas their best form, the power to renew. Shadow: formalism, rigidity, perfectionism, enslavement to routine. Fields: administration, design, building, programme planning, ritual.
How to begin observing
You can ask yourself a few questions. Does my mind express power easily, seek balance among many viewpoints, or turn to detail and impartial observation? Is my emotional nature calm, or closer to the stance of a passionate advocate? Does my body love activity and doing many things at once, or does it prefer an organised, rhythmic pace?
These questions are a beginning. Determining the ray structure accurately requires long observation of character, circumstances and recurring problems. The Tibetan also says the astrologer must be sure of a person's rays before interpreting the chart.