An Introduction to Psychological Astrology, by Clare Martin

Astrology is a form of imagination emerging from nature and having direct relevance for everyday life. It is an applied poetics, a vision of life on earth stimulated by movements in the heavens, which can take us into areas of self-reflection as no other system of symbols and images can.

Over the years of teaching introduction courses in astrology, I have often wondered why, in this day and age, when we should know better, so many of us continue to be drawn to astrology. When I ask a new group of students what brought them here at this time in their lives, I often get the impression that they have not chosen astrology but that it has chosen them. It is not uncommon to hear students say that they have been interested in astrology for years and, in a sense, have been resisting it for years, but have found that, in the end, it won’t go away. And so we eventually find ourselves in a class, not really knowing what it will mean to us, if anything, or where it will take us, because something in us has decided that it is time to learn.

These classes are for that ‘something’ in us which I have gradually come to think of as a kind of shamanic calling. Could it be that astrologers are actually ‘chosen for their role by the spirits of the universe’? [2] Certainly, many of us have experienced the standard signatures of the shamanic calling: that astrology comes upon us in spite of ourselves; that we often attempt to avoid making a commitment to astrology, for the very good reason that astrology is a demanding vocation which we sense will change our lives forever; that as we become mediators between the worlds, with one foot in the other realms, we can no longer live fully in the world. Ultimately astrology is not a technique but an initiation into a way of life which, because of its mysterious familiarity, often feels like a coming home.

Astrology is ‘a saving kind of knowledge, an apprehension of the mysteries which run deep in nature and in the individual, a transforming knowledge which can only be acquired through learning that is far beyond intellect alone.’

Astrology and psychological astrology are difficult to define exactly. Perhaps astrology can best be described as a mythical and magical language and, as with all languages, every astrologer will develop their own way of interpreting and communicating its meaning. This course draws primarily on the work of Carl Jung, who has given us a particular vocabulary which enables us to restore astrology to what I believe to be its rightful place, as one of the four great pillars of western esotericism, along with kabbalah, alchemy and magic. [4] In the esoteric traditions, the universe is perceived as ‘an organic, alive and sacred whole, in which everything is woven together in one cosmic web, where all orders of manifest and unmanifest life are related, because all share in the sanctity of the original source’.

For psychological astrologers the relationship between astrology and alchemy seems to be particularly significant. Historically, these twin sciences were not only strongly linked, but inseparable. The alchemists were practical people, and their approach is useful for the psychological astrologer since it encourages our active participation and personal engagement with the natal chart. In other words, there is a job to be done. The basis of alchemy is that nature, and natural humanity, are not created perfect. In our original state, we are ‘a confusion of spirit, soul and body’, unconscious of ourselves to a large degree, and therefore, according to Jung, capable only of collective functioning. The astrological birth chart remains exactly the same for our entire lives. There is no guarantee that we will be any more integrated, evolved, or conscious by the time we die than when we were born. In our natural state we live under the sometimes tyrannical dominion of the planets. But what we do with our birth chart, and how we choose to live it, is up to us. A psychological approach works against our natural state in the service of increasing consciousness. The alchemists were deliberately working against the natural order of things by helping nature do what she could not do for herself.

Nature does not produce anything that is perfect in itself; man must bring things to their perfection - this work is called ‘alchemy’...Things are created and given into our hands, but not in the ultimate form that is proper to them...In the seed is inherent from the beginning the purpose and function...For alchemy means: to carry to its end something that has not yet been completed; to obtain the lead from the ore and to transform it into what it is made for.

Alchemy is fundamentally optimistic. ‘The opus alchemicum not only changes, perfects or redeems Nature, but also brings to perfection human existence.’ Like the alchemist and the magician, the psychological astrologer participates actively in a dialogue with nature. A psychological approach is not unlike the ‘great work’ or magnum opus of the alchemists. Both involve a careful and deliberate cooperation in the task of creating consciousness. This is no easy option since it involves prolonged periods of self analysis, the courage to confront and integrate our own hidden darkness, to recognise our self righteousness, defensiveness and deepest fears, and the decision to take personal responsibility for ourselves, rather than being content to live as passive victims of what we suppose to be our pre-determined ‘fate’.

The process of psychological differentiation is no light work; it needs the tenacity and patience of the alchemist, who must purify the body from all superfluities in the fiercest heat of the furnace.

The illusion that all our problems are caused by outside forces or can be blamed, for example, on our birth charts comes to an end when we start to take back our projections and to look at things from within. The process of individuation, of ‘deliberately working against the natural order of things’, leads to the creation of what Jung called the ‘Self’, an internal structure which gives us a ‘feeling of standing on solid ground, on a patch of inner eternity which even physical death cannot touch’.

The magnum opus had two aims: ‘the rescue of the human soul and the salvation of the cosmos’. This means that, however small and unimportant our individual efforts may seem, we will nevertheless be playing our own small part in helping nature do what she is unable to do for herself:

Once a vision of life as an organic whole is accepted in principle, humanity becomes in one sense a co-creator with nature, in so far as it can foster, ignore or destroy its identity with nature, for nature’s continued existence depends ultimately on the kind of consciousness we bring to bear on it.

Predetermination

It is difficult to understand the predetermination if you look at it, as a point in the future.

Imagine it, as a present moment.

Why?

First we must understand the nature of THIS place (The Universe)
So… If The Universe is (inter)RELATIONS*.
Relations come out from the motion of the thing which we call matter. Matter is motion. Matter is space. Light as a matter is everywhere in The Universe.
The (inter)relations between the processes of motion(matter) is TIME.
Time and Space are in relations and that is The Man Universe. (Which you can observe) (As you can see, Time appears from the relations in the matter, and as such it goes in relations with the matter from which it appears) There is no Time and Space as separate things. They exist only in relations, and this is what we call Universe. Time it self is product of The Consciousness. Space too.
Why do I say "product of The Consciousness"? Because the RELATIONS are mental appearances. The Universe as RELATIONS is mental appearance of The Consciousness, where it exists. Man is part of the relations. And as such he is dependant of them. Because RELATION is DEPENDANSY.
This is the bound put in the Universe - RELATIONS.
What is man? Man is that thing, which can interpret the relations. Man's brain does not think. It interprets the relations. Brain is receptor (perceiver) of The Consciousness, in which the relations appear. Interpreting, man grows as Self. Self is Will. Your will depends on the interpretations. If you follow this dependency, you will see that every present moment is a consequence of the previous moment. So it is predetermined moment.
Your will is predetermined from the sequence of moments. And that is your Life. Your birth is consequence of your parents will, which comes from their interpretations of the RELATIONS. Here in the RELATIONS, man can not see their end. But that end exists, because it is the last point of the sequence.
If you are able to avoid your mind from interpreting the RELATIONS, you will get out of their dependency, out of the Universe, and will be able to see future points in the line of the consequences. Some time I do get out of The Relations, and I can see future points. You can also do that. (At least try) The way is called MEDITATION.
And NOW… Predetermination is not in a future point of your life. It is in the present moment, which is predetermined from the previous one. This present moment is your will. Choice has the name "If". But "if" doesn't exist. It only exists the moment of the manifested will, which comes as a consequence of the previous moment. Your WILL is predetermined, and therefore your deeds are predetermined too.
Can you change it?
Everything is in your will, which means - PREDETERMINED.

What is 666 ?!?

 Have you ever wondered what stands behind that "damned" number - 666?  Where does it come from and what it means?  Well, this is what I found on the subject: 

666

Man is living in three of his natures,

The forth one is the truth and the Life.

ΚΏΣΜΟΣ, ΘΈΛΗΜA, ΈΡΩΤΑΣ

The forth one is your soul alive.

 

KOSMOS is the material (your body) and that is the first man’s nature. It is the first thing which is keeping him bound. It is the sin that man is born with, and in to. For bound is sin. It does not exist in God. God is Freedom.

TELIMA (Thelima) in Greek language is with six letters.   Telima is desire. Telima is I WANT. Telima is the mind that is ruling you. TELIMA is Thoughts, Materialistic Consciousness. Telima is man’s Will. And this is the other bound put in to man, which is blinding him for The Truth.

EROTAS is love. Not Love. EROTAS is man’s love which says “I love this, and I don’t love that” From EROTAS (man’s love) appear all the feelings like hate, jealousy, fear, satisfaction and so on.

EROTAS is man’s emotional feelings.

And that is the third bound put in to man.

 

The Forth One is your Soul, Which is One, but in everybody.

If you overcome the first three, you will come to the true One.

That is which is giving you your Real Self.

It is The Real One.

 

“We Are Not These Bodies”

Is there Life after Death?  Is there Rebirth? What is our Soul? What is Happiness and why is it always escaping us?

 These essays are short summaries of the book “Beyond Life and Death”  by Indias’s most renowned Vedic Authority Srila Prabhupada, who tells us how the soul travels from body to body, and how we can end the cycle of birth and death by reaching the ultimate abode.

 The very first step in self-realization is realizing one’s identity as separate from the body. “I am not this body but am spirit soul” is an essential realization for anyone who wants to transcend death and enter into the spiritual world beyond. It is not simply a matter of saying “I am not this body,” but of actually realizing it.  

This is not as simple as it may seem at first. Although we are not these bodies but are pure consciousness, somehow or other we have become encased within the bodily dress. If we actually want the happiness and independence that transcend death, we have to establish ourselves and remain in our constitutional position as pure consciousness.

 Living in the bodily conception, our idea of happiness is like that of a man in delirium. Beyond the combination of material elements, there is spirit, and the symptom of that spirit is consciousness. Consciousness cannot be denied. A body without consciousness is a dead body. As soon as consciousness is removed from the body, the mouth will not speak, the eye will not see, nor the ears hear. A child can understand that. It is a fact that consciousness is absolutely necessary for the animation of the body.

 What is this consciousness? Just as heat or smoke are symptoms of fire, so consciousness is the symptom of the soul. The energy of the soul, or self, is produced in the shape of  consciousness. Indeed, consciousness proves that the soul is present.

 The soul is different from the body, and as long as the soul is there, the body is animate. But there is no possibility of making the body animate in the absence of the soul. Because we cannot perceive the soul by our gross senses, we deny it.

 Actually there are so many things that are there which we cannot see. We cannot see air, radio waves, or sound, nor can we perceive minute bacteria with our blunt senses, but this does not mean they are not there. By the aid of the microscope and other instruments, many things

can be perceived which had previously been denied by the imperfect senses. Just because the soul, which is atomic in size, has not been perceived yet by senses or instruments, we should not conclude that it is not there. It can, however, be perceived by its symptoms and effects.

 All feelings of distress and happiness are due to the body. Under certain conditions the body and mind feel happiness and distress. Factually we  are hankering after happiness, for the soul’s constitutional position is that of happiness. The soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Being, who is sac-cid-änanda-vigrahaù [Bs. 5.1]—the embodiment of knowledge, bliss, and eternity.

 At present we are trying to attain eternity, bliss, and knowledge by means of an imperfect instrument. Actually, our progress toward these goals is being blocked by the material body; therefore we have to come to the realization of our existence beyond the body. Theoretical knowledge that we are not these bodies will not do. We have to keep ourselves always separate as masters of the body, not as servants. If we know how to drive a car well, it will give us good service; but if we do not know how, we will be in danger.

 The body is composed of senses, and the senses are always hungry after their objects. The eyes see a beautiful person and tell us, “Oh, there is a beautiful girl, a beautiful boy. Let’s go see.” The ears are telling us, “Oh, there is very nice music. Let us go hear it.” The tongue is saying, “Oh, there is a very nice restaurant with palatable dishes. Let us go.” In this way the senses are dragging us from one place to another, and because of this we are perplexed.

 It is imperative that we learn how to control the senses.  Bodily pleasure is flickering and intoxicating, and we cannot actually enjoy it, because of its momentary nature. Actual pleasure is of the soul, not the body. We have to mold our lives in such a way that we will not be diverted by bodily pleasure. If somehow we are diverted, it is not possible for us to establish our consciousness in its true identity beyond the body.

 Enjoyment is our birthright, for it is the characteristic of the spirit soul, but the spirit soul tries to enjoy materially, and this is the mistake. Everyone is turning to material subjects for enjoyment and is compiling as much knowledge as possible. Someone is becoming a chemist, physicist, politician, artist, or whatever. Everyone knows something of everything or everything of something, and this is generally known as knowledge. But as soon as we leave the body, all of this knowledge is vanquished. In a previous life one may have been a great man of knowledge, but in this life he has to start again by going to school and learning how to read and write from the beginning. Whatever  knowledge was acquired in the previous life is forgotten. The situation is that we are actually seeking eternal knowledge, but this cannot be acquired by this material body. We are all seeking enjoyment through these bodies, but bodily enjoyment is not our actual enjoyment. It is artificial. We have to understand that if we want to continue in this artificial enjoyment, we will not be able to attain our position of eternal enjoyment.

 The body must be considered a diseased condition. A diseased man cannot enjoy himself properly; a man with jaundice, for instance, will taste sugar candy as bitter, but a healthy man can taste its sweetness. In either case, the sugar candy is the same, but according to our condition it tastes different. Unless we are cured of this diseased conception of bodily life, we cannot taste the sweetness of spiritual life. Indeed, it will taste bitter to us. At the same time, by increasing our enjoyment of material life, we are further complicating our diseased condition.

 Actually, material enjoyment is not enjoyment at all. Real enjoyment does not cease. To establish ourselves on the pure spiritual platform, above the three modes, we must take up the method of Kåñëa consciousness. The gift of Caitanya Mahäprabhu, the chanting of the names of Kåñëa—Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare—facilitates this process.

 This method is more simply called bhakti-yoga or mantra-yoga, and it is employed by the highest transcendentalists. How the transcendentalists realize their identity beyond birth and death, beyond the material body, and transfer themselves from the material universe to the spiritual universes are the subjects of the following posts.

Our Picture of the universe - Aristotle

A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: “What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.” The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, “What is the tortoise standing on.” “You’re very clever, young man, very clever,” said the old lady. “But it’s turtles all the way down!”

Most people would find the picture of our universe as an infinite tower of tortoises rather ridiculous, but why do we think we know better? What do we know about the universe, and how do we know it? Where did the universe come from, and where is it going? Did the universe have a beginning, and if so, what happened before then? What is the nature of time? Will it ever come to an end? Can we go back in time? Recent breakthroughs in physics, made possible in part by fantastic new technologies, suggest answers to some of these longstanding questions. Someday these answers may seem as obvious to us as the earth orbiting the sun – or perhaps as ridiculous as a tower of tortoises. Only time (whatever that may be) will tell.

As long ago as 340 BC the Greek philosopher Aristotle, in his book On the Heavens, was able to put forward two good arguments for believing that the earth was a round sphere rather than a Hat plate. First, he realized that eclipses of the moon were caused by the earth coming between the sun and the moon. The earth’s shadow on the moon was always round, which would be true only if the earth was spherical. If the earth had been a flat disk, the shadow would have been elongated and elliptical, unless the eclipse always occurred at a time when the sun was directly under the center of the disk. Second, the Greeks knew from their travels that the North Star appeared lower in the sky when viewed in the south than it did in more northerly regions. (Since the North Star lies over the North Pole, it appears to be directly above an observer at the North Pole, but to someone looking from the equator, it appears to lie just at the horizon. From the difference in the apparent position of the North Star in Egypt and Greece, Aristotle even quoted an estimate that the distance around the earth was 400,000 stadia. It is not known exactly what length a stadium was, but it may have been about 200 yards, which would make Aristotle’s estimate about twice the currently accepted figure. The Greeks even had a third argument that the earth must be round, for why else does one first see the sails of a ship coming over the horizon, and only later see the hull? Aristotle thought the earth was stationary and that the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars moved in circular orbits about the earth. He believed this because he felt, for mystical reasons, that the earth was the center of the universe, and that circular motion was the most perfect.