A Language for A New Age

by Charles Harvey

A new revolution is about to burst upon the world: the astrological revolution. True astrology as it begins to emerge in all its beautiful simplicity, profundity and power can and will transform mankind from the inside out.

The great revolutionary ideas of Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud were essentially demoralising. (1)

They removed man from the apparent centre of the universe, showing him to be an evolving animal in thrall to his unconscious. By contrast the astrological revolution will prove to be a regenerative and transfiguring metamorphosis of consciousness. For the central thesis of astrology points man back to his essential source, which lies not in the primeval slime but in the Divine.

Stripped of its particulars, the universal idea behind astrology is that all unities are identical in essence, springing as they all do from the ONE Who is the ultimate ground and Final Cause of all that is: the Unity of unities. All things proceed from the One through the 'high gods' and down through a hierarchy of principles, into ever greater multiplicity. From super-galaxies down to sub-atomic levels, like the dividing cells within a growing creature every unity carries within it the "image of God" its Creator. Viewed in this perspective we can see all as part of one stupendous Whole. In Christian terms, "all are one in the Body of Christ". In the words of Proclus: "Every being entering into the ineffable sanctuary of its own nature finds there a symbol of the Father of all."

The Chain of Creation

Astrologically we of course concentrate our attention upon our space/time relationship with the next organising unity above us in the hierarchy, the solar system. But in doing this we are simply examining the workings of the divine archetypes at a level where they can be the more readily seen and measured. Indeed whilst most of our astrology has been derived from an understanding of micro-cosmic man in relation to our local macrocosm, the solar system, we must remember that the 'planetary gods' are in fact principles which operate at all levels in this great chain of creation.

And this is of course astrology's great power, for it is the language, the algebra, the symbolic logic, which deals directly with the workings of these principles, archetypes, and powers, which substand the universe. It studies and traces out the laws and processes of the high gods, those processions from the ONE, those ideas and ideals in the light of which the universe is created and sustained throughout all its levels of unity and wholeness.

We can use astrology equally to study and understand these archetypal principles and processes at work in the individual or the collective, in the errand boy or the emperor, in a family, a business, a town, a nation, or a civilisation.

Likewise we can see that from the planting of cabbages to the crowning of kings, man's volitional acts will be the more effective, the more 'in tune with the time', if we learn to harmonise the manifestation of our wills with the Divine Will as expressed in the outworkings of the archetypal processes, the cycles of the planets.

In terms of man's relation to the One we can see that astrology can have a vital role to play in encouraging us to the contemplation of the 'high gods' themselves as the root and source of all manifested things. These principles are after all the self same gods of all polytheistic religions. And it is fascinating to note that now as astrology begins to come once again more closely in contact with its real origins, there is appearing an immense upsurge of awareness amongst astrologers of the very great value to be had from the study of comparative religions and mythology when it comes to really understanding and using our astrology.

At the present time I know of no less than five major works in preparation on astrology and mythology by leading astrologers. Most recently the A.A.'s publication on Planetary Symbolism (2) is an indication of the powerful movement to re-establish contact with what are after all the very roots of our being. In its more formal sense we can see the future developing a new astrolatry, of which Leslie White wrote so eloquently in his recent article (3), the development of a devotional worship based not on superstition but on a true reverential awe.

Unparalleled Possibilities

In terms of the cosmos an astro-cosmology has yet to emerge but no doubt it soon will, as will an astro-geology. Meanwhile the first applications of our science and art in the realms of the physical world can be seen in such areas as seismology, with such studies as those of Prof. Tomaschek; meteorology with the studies of Donald Bradley; ionospheric studies such as J. H. Nelson; agriculture, notably the work of the bio-dynamic farming movement, and the work of such experimentalists as de Thun, Kolisko, Kollerstrom, Bishop and Best; chemistry, again the work of Kolisko et al. In palaentology and evolutionary studies the work of Christine Janis on astrological lines is of the greatest promise.

The application of astrology to the 'material world' is one which obviously holds unparalleled possibilities. It is already drawing bright students from the 'hard' sciences, who have a nose for where the really exciting 'new frontiers' of science now lie. Indeed one might reasonably predict that after Recent Advances (4) there will have to be a Recent Advances Year Book simply to keep pace with the way in which this area will soon be expanding! By comparison we might predict that micro-processors and bio-engineering will seem but minor ripples in the stream of science. The emergence of a real science of causes, able to employ deductive reasoning (which is at its highest level what astrology can potentially be) must inevitably eclipse in the final analysis all the sciences that grapple with the realm of effects, which are dependent on the inductive method.

But it is of course in astrology as applied to man, both individually and collectively, that our language holds its greatest promise. As society becomes increasingly conscious, at a high cultural level of the real powers of astrology, it must surely soak down into the very centre of all studies of the human psyche. From mass psychology, international affairs, politics, economics, companies, groups and families clown to individuals, astrology will find a key role.

Towards our Crown

And it is of course here with the inner revolution of the individual, with the transformation of you and me, that the work of astrology will find its crown. For astrology by tracing the workings of the Divine within the individual can enable him to rise to new heights of self, and actualise and perfect unimagined potentials.

Considering man in terms of Spirit, Soul, and Body, we can see that astrology has the power to bring new enlightenment on all these levels. As we have already seen, man can be helped to orientate himself spiritually to his higher unity through the contemplation of the celestial hierarchies. Equally astrology holds a key to man's lower unity - his relationship with the body and its wholeness and health. Astro-medicine is one of the oldest and most well-established aspects of our science and art.

With the growth of alternative medicine there is already a rapidly accelerating interest in astrology, and not only from the fringe practitioners. The orthodox medical establishment is increasingly turning to astrology to see if it can offer solutions to such problems as compatibility in spare part surgery, the diagnosis of diseases, and the aetiology of certain conditions. That no less than three major teaching hospitals in London are now co-operating with the A.A. [Editor's note: Astrological Association] on research projects is itself a sign of things to come. Who would now dare to say that astrology will not be as essential to the practice of medicine by the end of the century as it always used to be from Hippocrates down to the late Middle Ages? That it will need to be a new astro-medicine goes without saying but its shape is already beginning to emerge.

A Transforming Tool

Traditionally the Soul has three main faculties: Heart, Mind, and Will. And it is clearly at the level of Mind, of the self-conscious, reflective intellect that much of contemporary astrology is practiced. Yet it is undoubtedly in that region where Mind and Heart fuse that the enormously exciting growth of astrology is beginning to take place. At the inter-face between 'height' and depth psychology and astrology we find the great growth of new ideas and applications of astrology as a tool for personal transformation. Here with a marriage with the works of the Jungians, with Assagioli's psychosynthesis, with the emergence of a transpersonal astrology I psychology we find the indications of a species of astro-alchemy at work.

Those with their ears to the consulting room and 'workshop' doors know that there is a process of fusion going on between astrology and individual psychology (in the non-technical sense) in which both are likely to be re-born. The publication next year of Prometheus by Dr. Rick Tarnas of California's Esalen Institute is likely to form a landmark in the development of this process and spark astrology and psychology into a wedding the like of which has not been seen since the Renaissance. And as mentioned earlier this is only one of several vitally important books that are approaching completion.

In terms of the Heart, astrology has always delighted man by its revelations and veilings of the central mystery of life. Any who have attended the discussions of charts of great creative artists in recent times will have witnessed the way in which astrology is bringing a new and living dimension to our understanding of the act of creation. Whilst astrology may not inspire a new Holst every day its powers to inspire creative artists grows ever and anew, judging by the numbers that join the A.A. And even at the level of academic literary appreciation one of our members confided that he owed his Ph.D., he was certain, to his clandestine use of astrology as a tool to gain insight into the workings of certain French writers. In terms of the human Will there can be no doubt that all of us can benefit in our volitional choices by increasingly improving our understanding of the cycles of heaven and the art of astrological 'timing' by which we accommodate our own wishes to the unfolding scheme of Heaven.

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

There is indeed a time to sow and a time to reap . . . and equally there are ideas "whose time has come".

Astrology is such an idea. As Victor Hugo said, such an idea is more powerful than all the armies of the world. We might add and mightier than all the neutron bombs. For it would be no exaggeration to say that astrology can potentially give man both individually and collectively a revelation as to his own true nature, a revelation which can stop him in his path, deflect him from the downward spiral and face him about back to the heights where is our true home.

If you have followed me this far you will begin to realise just what a power, what a potent tool, we astrologers hold in trust. What for many of us may be simply a 'fascinating hobby' is in fact one of the master keys to the New Age. Indeed I would go so far as to say that it is the master key without which the Aquarian Age can hardly be born.

References:
1. Addey, John, Astrology Reborn.
2. Gilchrist, C., Planetary Symbolism in Astrology.
3. White, Leslie, Astronomy, Astrology and Astrolatry. A.J., Summer 1981, Vol. XXIII No. 3 p. 125.
4 Dean, Geoffrey, Recent Advances in Natal Astrology 2 due to appear early in 1983.

Image sources:
Galaxies: Public Domain CC0, by skeeze via pixabay
Clouds: Public Domain CC0, by geralt via pixabay
Future: Public Domain CC0, by Polarityflow via pixabay
Faces: Public Domain CC0, by geralt via pixabay
Meditation: Public Domain CC0, by VivitoArt via pixabay

First published in: The Astrological Journal, Autumn 1981

Author:

Charles Harvey (1940 - 2000) was a British astrologer, teacher, organizer, author, researcher and counselor, an integral part of British astrology for more than 30 years. He has worked as a full-time pro since 1966 at which time he earned his diploma for the Faculty of Astrological Studies. In 1973, as President of the British Astrological Association, he oversaw its growth to 1,500 members. He is the co-author of "Mundane Astrology," and "Working With Astrology." With Liz Greene, he directs the Center for Psychological Astrology in London. In 1994 he stepped down as the AA President. In 1999, Harvey dealt with a form of lymphatic cancer that restricted his activities. After a heavy treatment of chemotherapy, he died peacefully on 2/22/2000 at his home in England.

© The Astrological Journal / The Astrological Association of Great Britain 1981

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