AS ABOVE, SO BELOW

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AS ABOVE, SO BELOW

“The wise man rules his stars, the fool obeys them” – Claudius Ptolemy

Happy Halloween weekend and have a peaceful Samhain! Here we are at the end of harvest, when the veil is thin, in the depths of Scorpio season, with Mars in Scorpio, under Pluto’s transformative probing powers, with the Sun squaring Saturn and a Sun opposing Uranus on Nov 4th.

This is my second in a series of weekly posts mostly around a new series: astrology – through a lens about exploring the psyche, as a means to joy. Healing, via astrology, archetypes and reframing with positive psychology and resilience tools – as ways to be H.A.PP.Y.

Our psyche oozes out everywhere: in astrology, Hermetics, ancient texts, Sidereal and Vedic, fixed stars, mundane, predictive forecasts to the more transpersonal analysis, history, cartography, therapies such as counselling and coaching, archetype work, dreams, and apocalyptic visions.

Let’s look at fixed stars – I am learning many things but know that according to the ancients, these placements are incredibly powerful in defining one’s personal journey or soul mission and makeup.

For example, I have the Venus-Saturn star of Alphard. This is known as the ancient star of occult talents – oft found in the psychological map of all those who’ve an instinct for things of the astrological, magical, priestly, secret knowledge and esoteric wisdoms craft. It’s written in the stars.

My Jupiter-Mars ‘leadership’ star of Anatares fits my strategist professional persona. Altair in my Aquarius sun connects me to a higher power as does Sirius to all thing’s spiritual. Gemma brings me respect in my roles. The meaning I take from these Jupiter-Mars leadership stars is an inherent DNA or mystic mission to be a Spiritual Warrior. To pour the healing waters. 

Then there is Scorpio - my rising sign. She is my alchemist, the constellation through which I experience (often traumatic, painful, life-changing, and never dull) reinvention, deep exploration of the dark night of the soul, plundering taboo depths, examining life's mystery like a dogged investigator, decoding secrets with unflinching detective's rigour, and seeking transformation. How about you?

I’ve chosen to focus on astrology as my jam this year, like magic last year, as another alchemical art – perhaps the ultimate hermetic science – to explore our human healing and soul development. I’ve chosen to focus study, will, courage and intent on this path like a North Node Sagittarian archer’s arrow – laser-sharp, eye on the bullseye, narrow-casted trajectory, singular focus, and deep dive of adventure.

There’s a famous saying that “Millionaires don’t use astrology, billionaires do” – this is attributed to the tycoon JP Morgan. Director of the London School of Astrology, the amazingly awesome Frank Clifford, tells us that JP pulled out of a trip on the Titanic (just in time) on the advice of his astrologer. Old interview with the late Jonathan Cainer tell us that astrology is a “recession-proof industry” and there are certainly fascinating insights into the psychology of the apocalyptical “the world is ending” bell-ringer protagonist which can be found in Professor Nick Campion’s lectures at the Sophia Centre on YouTube and in his academic books. I often get sucked-in, drawn to the archetype with predictions and fin de siècle Nostradamus-like apocalyptic foreshadowing: David Palmer the Leo King, Joni Patry, and (sometimes but only if Gordon is having a tell-it-like-it-is anarchist day) Austin Coppick on Rune Soup (although not when he’s on Chris Brennan’s The Astrology Podcast). Why do we seek answers to it all? Why does the doom & gloom attract? What is it in us that responds? We seek to be happy, yet we are magnetised by the dark – why is that? We want to go into the cave that we fear, to find our treasure perhaps. Lately I am pulled also by more of The Astrology Hub, Penny Thornton, Steve Judd, Kelly Surtees and Rick Levine - staying on the ‘light’ side of the dark cave within.

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Yet as well as caves we must also follow our bliss – another Campbellism. So, for me, healing modalities of esoteric knowledge and modern western Astrological systems bring me the light at what lies at our hearts, our purpose, a calling.

I begin my studies with Steve Judd and LSA, I’ll share more on my journey here as I progress. As usual my obsession with books and learning is clear. Astrological authors on my Abe Books wish list now are Howard Sasportas, Frank Clifford, Robert Hand, Penny Thornton, Nicholas Campion, Liz Greene, Stephen Arroyo, Steven Forrest, Melanie Reinhart, Richard Swatton, Michael Baigent, Charles Harvey, Brian Clark, Noel Tyl, Mark Jones, Wendy Stacey, Lois Rodden, Bernadette Brady, Darby Costello, Dane Rudhyar, Richard Tarnas, Sue Tompkins, Sue Farebrother, Kim Farley, Jeff Mayo, Alan Leo, Patrick Curry, and André Barbault. There’re also the Astrological Magic fields by practitioners such as Christopher Warnock, Austin Coppock, tomes like The Picatrix, the texts of Hermes Trismegistus and a whole world of Tarot (with a Jungian archetype viewpoint and astrological correspondances). Then there's all the depth psychology teachings i love by Hillman, Moore and Corbin - taking me deeper.

Recently I’ve acquired - also second hand from Abe books - some new great astrology titles. Mixed in with some existing tomes on my bookshelves, here’s a current reading list I dip into for satiation:

·         Parkers’ Astrology - Derek & Julia Parker

·         Astrology Decoded - Sue Farebrother

·         A History of Western Astrology vol 1 - Nicholas Campion

·         Hellenistic Astrology - Chris Brennan

·         The American Ephemeris 2001 to 2050 (or 1950 to 2050) at Midnight - Neil Michelsen

·         The Passion of the Western Mind - Richard Tarnas

·         The Soul’s Code - James Hillman

As part of the LSA recommendations I’m also using a great study text/field guide:

·         The Contemporary Astrologer’s Handbook - Sue Tompkins

Second-hand bargains inspiring this October also are: 'Astrology, Psychology, and the Four Elements: An Energy Approach to Astrology and Its Use in the Counselling Arts' by Stephen Arroyo and 'Psychology, Astrology and Western Magic: Image and Myth in Self-discovery' by Luis Alvarado.

But then there is also (still part of my dogged fixed Archer’s bow & focus) the psychological. And moreover, the marriage of the two parts into a syncretic synthesis, an integrated holistic individuated whole. This marriage, this union – fascinates me most. This is my chosen way to re-enchant the world. 

We once lived, as Max Weber said, in a world that was magical and alive. Our ancestors believed in the stars and spirits. Old Catholics loved their angels and demons (before the reformation got rid of all the fun). Like Jung imparts, we need our bogeymen and fairies – like we need a cosmic meaning in our lives, in our therapies, a window to a metaphysical world of purpose.

From Stonehenge to Giza, from Aztec temple to Babylon text, Platonian schools of ancient Greece and Aristotelian thought, to Egyptian seers and Medieval Kings, from Chinese 12 animals to Indian Vedic doshas, Feng Shui to psychoanalyst’s symbol, from Freud in Manhattan to Anu in Mesopotamia, from West African voodoo, the Orishas to South Pacific animism, from St. Augustine and the Christians all the way to Sagan and Dawkins, Judaism to Islam, Tibetan Buddhism and Taoism to Latin American anthropologies, from Inanna-Ishtar goddess traditions to Old Testament End of Days stuff, from Persia through to Roman era then Italian Renaissance, from Archetype logic to Mithras cult all the way to the depth psychologies of Jung and James Hillman, from the Space program to the Royal Families, Agrippa to Pullman, Ficino to Picatrix, Copernicus and Culpepper to Blavatsky and Alan Leo, and from crystal ball and tarot to reincarnation, from Holy Roman Empire to Bloomberg and Elon Musk, karma and the south node Ketu to a palm readers prophecy – all is here in this cosmic soup of space and time, playing it out again and again Sam. The stars and planets – as above so below, in the skies and in our hearts and heads – hold us in their light and shadow, in their energetic magnetism, cause and effect.

“That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above, working the miracles of one. As all things were from one.” – The Emerald Tablet, Hermes Trismegistus

(With thanks to Nick Campion’s ‘What Do Astrologers Believe’)

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Plato said (as did Jung then James Hillman) that we all have an immortal soul within us, originating from the stars. That each soul chooses to incarnate on earth, yet forgets it’s mission, that the planets spin the destiny of our fates through our charts, yet do not define those choices. Freewill within a fatalistic predetermined system. God as supreme mind, physical reality as ‘illusion’, the aliveness of the planet’s World Soul, the celestial order of Time. This is Hillman’s acorn and oak, our daimon on its great hero’s journey of self-discovery or re-awakening, programmed towards a certain end. In the fusion of the psychological and astrological maps, we can each of us acorns become (or 'un-become' depending upon your view) and “grow down” into the end game's beautiful cosmic masterplan plan of becoming each of us a fabulous fated mighty Oak.

Let the Aquarian healing waters of life pour on down over soil. Little seeds grow big...

Photo by Simon Wilkes via Unsplash

Let's hope COP26 on Halloween (!) and held on a ley line (in Glasgow just like G8 was in Cornwall - infact I think it is two ends of the same ley line across Britain) brings some hope for oak daimons of all kinds this day as might G20 in Rome (Rome! talk about homage to holy empire) - although Astrolada's and Joni Patry's fearful astrology predicts not. But as Robert Anton Wilson says, the thinker thinks and the prover proves. Whatever you think you start to bring into being, your mind will look for as it's reticular activating system goes hunting like a bloodhound. So we might as well try to prove something good and in the light. Anyways, until next weekend, see you in November straight after that portentous - but hopefully HAPPY - new start of a new moon in the month of that eclipse.