Influences Of The Forces Of The Zodiac On The Cultural Development Of Mankind

A book that offers a whole new range of view points on astrology, astronomy and the cultural history of mankind. The author first describes the origin of the zodiacal images according to Rudolf Steiner's statements. Then he discusses why these images do not correspond either with the signs of the zodiac in traditional astrology or with the physically visible constellations of the stars, and what role the astronomy of the ancient Greeks plays in this. Another topic is the varying duration of the ages and what questions this raises for modern astronomy. Finally, using the example of European cultural development over the last thousand years, it is shown that each age is divided into twelve smaller cultural periods, which in their characteristics correspond exactly to the series of the forces of the zodiac.

"The Future of Astrology" is a selection of essays written by some of the foremost astrologers in the world today. Topics explored include astrology and scientific research, psychology, biology, and economics; science versus astrology; the professionalism of practitioners; the politics of astrology; the insights offered by esoteric astrology; astrological organizations; astrology as a science; the role of counseling; and astrological predictions about the future of our world.

Whether you are interested in astrology or not, this is a book that will amaze you. It is concerned not so much with personality as with the soul, the inner dimension. It rejects planetary influence and points out the beautiful patterns of planetary synchronicity. Using the symbolism of Earth, the Solar System, and the Degrees of the Zodiac in their relationshp with the human organism, it identifies the soul and points the way to Spiritual fulfilment.

The scientific, historic, and popular basis behind the ancient art of astrology is explored in this comprehensive reference. The guide also includes a table of astrological glyphs and abbreviations, a section on casting a chart, and a chapter that explains and interprets every planet in every house and sign.

The enigmatic and richly illustrative tarot deck reveals a host of strange and iconic mages, such as The Tower, The Wheel of Fortune, The Hanged Man and The Fool: over which loom the terrifying figures of Death and The Devil. The 21 numbered playing cards of tarot have always exerted strong fascination, way beyond their original purpose, and the multiple resonances of the deck are ubiquitous. From T S Eliot and his 'wicked pack of cards' in "The Waste Land" to the psychic divination of Solitaire in Ian Fleming's "Live and Let Die"; and from the satanic novels of Dennis Wheatley to the deck's adoption by New Age practitioners, the cards have in modern times become inseparably connected to the occult. They are now viewed as arguably the foremost medium of prophesying and foretelling. Yet, as the author shows, originally the tarot were used as recreational playing cards by the Italian nobility in the Renaissance. It was only much later, in the 18th and 19th centuries, that the deck became associated with esotericism before evolving finally into a diagnostic tool for mind, body and spirit. This is the first book to explore the remarkably varied ways in which tarot has influenced culture. Tracing the changing patterns of the deck's use, from game to mysterious oracular device, Helen Farley examines tarot's emergence in 15th century Milan and discusses its later associations with astrology, kabbalah and the Age of Aquarius.

While the physical sciences are a continuously evolving source of technology and of understanding about our world, they have become so specialized and rely on so much prerequisite knowledge that for many people today the divide between the sciences and the humanities seems even greater than it was when C. P. Snow delivered his famous 1959 lecture,

In this book, Daniel Dubuisson analyses the long history of the dichotomy between religion and magic, as well as the great stakes of power which it has concealed over the centuries.