Astrology and the Era of Uncertainty
Table of Contents
Front Matter
What People Are Saying About Astrology in the Era of Uncertainty
Other Books by the Author
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Preface
Introduction
Astrology's Sad Scientific Track Record
Gauquelin's Legacy
The Astrological Community's Ambivalent Embrace of Science
The Real Issue Underlying Scientific Research of Astrology
Astrology as a Participatory Sport
Multiple Astrologies Make for Superior Cloud Watching
Astrology's Kaleidoscopic Advantage
Leaving Science Behind
Why Astrology is Considered a Pseudoscience
Science's Reluctance to Do Boundary Work
Putting Our Quest into Historical Perspective
How Do We Know What We Know?
Notes
Part One: The Awkward Dance of Astrology, Science & Religion
Chapter One: The Direct Experience of Truth in the Mythopoetic Era
Animism
Participation Mystique
Participation Mystique and Archetypal Astrology
Participation Mystique and Mythopoetic Astrology
Mythopoetic Astrology and the Evolution of Consciousness
Mythopoetic Astrology and the Roots of Language
Shamanism
A Matrilineal Embrace of the Archetypal Feminine
The Integration of Masculine and Feminine in the Mythopoetic Era
Gylany
Notes
Chapter Two: The Intertwining of Astrology and Science in the Mystical Era
Divination
Divination, Intent and Recepetivity
Divination and Mysticism
The Mystical Roots of Eastern Religion
The Mystical Roots of Western Religion
The Gradual Transition to Written Language in the Mystical Era
Spoken Language and Whole-Brain Intuition
Spoken Language and Magic
The Socio-Political Impact of Written Language
The Origins of Astrology in the Mystical Era
The Confluence of Astrology, Science, Religion and Culture in the Mystical Era
Notes
Chapter Three: The Divergence of Astrology and Science in the Philosophical Era
The Milesian Evolution
Pythagoras
The Rising Importance of Rational Argument in the Discernment of Truth
Xenophon
Plato
Aristotle
Aristotle's Philosophical Support of Astrology
Stoicism
Ptolemy
Hermeticism
Vettius Valens
Neoplotinism
Imablichus
The Roman Era
Notes
Chapter Four: The Ascendancy of Science in the Logical Era
The Role of the Church in the Split Between Astrology and Science
Gnosticism
The Role of Islam in Preserving Astrology During the Reign of the Church
The Islamic Revival and the Primacy of the Imagination
Astrology and the Mundus Imaginalis
Scholasticism
Marsilio Ficino
Notes
Chapter Five: The Dominance of Science in the Empirical Era
Empiricism
Galileo Galilei
Francis Bacon
The Incompatibility of Inductive Reasoning and Astro-Logic
Isaac Newton
The Misguided Quest for Scientific Proof
Objectivism Versus Eclectic Fertility
Reductionism Versus Synthesis Within a Context
Astrological Context
Living Context
Replicability Versus Interpretative Flexibility
Positivism Versus Metaphorical Possibility
Determinism Versus Poetic Exploration
Notes
Chapter Six: The Deconstruction of Science in the Era of Uncertainty
The Impossibility of Accurate Measurement
The Critical Role of the Observer in the Act of Observation
The Scientific Study of Astrology in the Ear of Uncertainty
August Comte
Probability and Statistics
Statistics in the Era of Uncertainty
The Limitations of Statistical Analysis
The Evolution of Qualitative Research Methodology
Science's Credibility Crisis
Science's Complicity in Spreading Mis- and Dis-Information
Charting Astrology's Course in the Era of Mis- and Dis-Information
Notes
Chapter Seven: Knowing in the Era of Uncertainty
Psychoanalysis
Surrealism
The Changing Nature of Art in the Era of Uncertainty
Postmodernism
Jacques Derrida
Phenomenology
Hermeneutics
Post-Structuralism
Jacques Lacan
The Postmodern Invitation
The Psychedelic Revolution
Consciousness and the Development of Language
Astrology as a Language of Consciousness
The New Age
New Age Perspectives on Science
The New Age as a Postmodern Phenomenon
Notes
Part Two: Astrology's New Landscape in the Era of Uncertainty
Chapter Eight: The Spiritual Foundations of Psychological Astrology
Theosophy
Helena Blavatsky
Blavatsky's Attitude Toward Science
The Theosophical Influence on the Development of Astrology
Alan Leo
Alice Bailey
Alan Oken
Rudolf Steiner
Astrosophy
Elisabeth Vreede
Willi Sucher
The Work
George Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff and Astrology
Gurdjieff and Science
Rodney Collin
Dennis Elwell
Magick
Aleister Crowley
Crowley and Science
Crowley and Astrology
Notes
Chapter Nine: Psychological Astrology in the Era of Uncertainty
Depth Psychology
Carl Jung
James Hillman
Depth Astrology
Dane Rudhyar
Alexander Ruperti
Richard Tarnas
Astrology as a Postmodern Phenomenon
Astrology's Current Renaissance
The Upside and Downside of Astrology's Popularity in the Era of Uncertainty
Approaching Astrology as an Exploratory Language
Notes
Part Three: An Astropoetic Exploration of Psyche and Cosmos
Chapter Ten: Basic Principles of Astropoetics
Who Is It That Stands at the Astrological Threshold?
My Astrological Story
Cosmos is Self and Self is Cosmos
Walking the Path Between Self and Cosmos is the Journey of the Soul
Knowledge of Astrology is an Aid to the Journey, Not a Substitute For It
To Be Useful Astrology Must Illuminate What We Don't Already Know
Astropoetics
The Origin of the Word
astro-
-poetics
astro-poetics
Fate Versus Evolutionary Opportunity
Signs Versus Symbols
Personality Versus Evolving Sense of Self
Causal Versus Relational Language
Alleviation of Suffering Versus Empowerment Within Suffering
A Living Example
Knocking on the Door
Notes
Chapter Eleven: Opening the Archetypal Eye
Astrology as an Innate Archetypal Language
Exploring Astrological Archetypes
Standing at the Threshold
Insights on the Threshold
Entering the Stories
The Near Rape at Cybele's Party
The Phallus in the Hearth
Hestia's Dual Birth
Hestia's Oath of Virginity
Controversy Surrounding Hestia's Place in the Greek Pantheon
Brigit
Shakti
Cinderella and the Cinder Biters
Calling in Vesta
The Queen of Wands
Opening Dialogue with a Living Archetype
Notes
Chapter Twelve: Getting Empirical
Astrological Empiricism
Exploring Vesta Empirically
Mapping My Vesta Returns
Taking a Cyclical History of Vesta Returns
Memoria as a Soul-Making Empirical Quest
Notes
Chapter Thirteen: Astrological Hermeneutics
Elaborating Archetypal Themes
Becoming a Cinder-Biter
Discovering the Fire Stick
Following a Golden Thread
Moving in and out of Liminal Space
Working at the Forge
Gestating Under a Cloak of Invisibility
Building a Temple
Becoming a Virgin
Recognizing Archetypal Presence
Taking an Awareness of Archetypal Presence Into the Present Moment
Astrological Hermeneutics
Two Complimentary Kinds of Hermeneutics
The Hermeneutics of Faith
The Hermeneutics of Suspicion
The Imbalance of Astrological Hermeneutics in Practice
Notes
Chapter Fourteen: Astro-Logic
The Logic of Astrology
The Logical Abstraction of the Zodiac
The Birthchart as an Archetypal Field
Entering the Archetypal Field of the Astrological Map
Vesta's Sign Placement
Vesta's House Placement
Becoming a Comfortable Minimalist
Vesta's Aspects to Other Planets
Vesta and Venus
Vesta and Jupiter
Vesta, Venus & Jupiter in the 2nd Chakra
Transits and Progressions to Vesta
Transiting Pluto Conjunct Natal Vesta
Notes
Chapter Fifteen: Examining Philosophical Assumptions
The Belief Systems Underlying and Influencing Astrological Practice
The Shaping Influence of Belief Upon Language
Asking Key Questions as a Point of Entry Into Your Basic Philosophy of Life
Pluto's Questions
Neptune's Questions
Uranus' Questions
Saturn's Questions
Jupiter's Questions
Mars' Questions
Venus' Questions
Moon's Questions
Mercury's Questions
Sun's Questions
Finding Your Own Seminal Questions
Vesta's Questions for Me
Becoming a Cinder-Biter
Discovering the Fire Stick
Following a Golden Thread
Moving in and out of Liminal Space
Working at the Forge
Gestating Under a Cloak of Invisibility
Building a Temple
Becoming a Virgin
Becoming a Comfortable Minimalist
The Art of Cultivating Astrological Koans
Using Outer Planet Transits as a Catalyst to Breakthrough Questions
Standing on Pluto's Precipice
Exploring Pluto's Function as an Agent of Transformation
Pluto Conjunct Saturn/Mars
Pluto Conjunct Neptune
Pluto Conjunct Sun
Pluto Conjunct Mercury
Feeling Pluto's Role in Vesta's Story
Pluto Trine Vesta
Pluto Square Vesta
Pluto Sextile Vesta
Formulating Questions for this Pluto Transit to Vesta
Notes
Chapter Sixteen: Entering the Archetypal Field as a Spiritual Practice
Approaching Astrology as a Spiritual Discipline
Namburbi, Magic and the Ongoing Work of Self-Transformation
The Work of Self-Transformation that Precedes Astrological Wisdom
The Work of Self-Transformation and the Saturn Cycle
The Work of Self-Transformation Understood as an Archetypal Quest
Approaching My Work with Vesta as a Spiritual Practice
Becoming a Cinder-Biter
Discovering the Fire Stick
Following a Golden Thread
Moving in and out of Liminal Space
Working at the Forge
Gestating Under a Cloak of Invisibility
Building a Temple
Becoming a Virgin
Becoming a Comfortable Minimalist
Opening to this Current Pluto Transit
Articulating My Spiritual Path in Allegiance to Vesta
Notes
Chapter Seventeen: Getting Intimate with the Cosmos
The Method to My Madness
Opening the Archetypal Eye
Astrological Hermeneutics
Orienting Within an Archetypal Field
Finding a Worthy Quest
Cultivating a Spiritual Practice
Participating More Fully in a Living Cosmos
Courting Vesta
Going Home
Entering the Defenseless Heart
Taking Astrology Back to Its Mythopoetic Roots
A Final Word
Notes
Postscript: My Pilgrimage to Bride's Mound
My Experience of Brigit in Glastonbury
Differentiating Brigit and Hestia
Bride's Mound and Well
Back Matter
Bibliography
Index
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