THEWAKINGDREAM

THEWAKINGDREAMUNLOCKING

THESYMBOLICLANGUAGEOFOURLIVES

RAYGRASSEApublicationsupportedbyTHEKERNFOUNDATION

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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataGrasse,Ray.Thewakingdream:unlockingthesymboliclanguageofourlives/RayGrasse—1stQuested.p.cm.“QuestBooks”Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.ISBN978-0-8356-0749-01.Symbolism.2.Symbolism—History.3.Coincidence—Psychicaspects.4.Shamanisticsymbolism.5.Symbolism(Psychology)I.Title.BF1623.S9G721996

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTERONETheWorldasDream

CHAPTERTWOTheForgottenLanguage

CHAPTERTHREEALandscapeofSymbols

CHAPTERFOUROmensandDivination

CHAPTERFIVEAPersonalCastofCharacters

CHAPTERSIXKarmaandtheLawofCycles

CHAPTERSEVENLifeasGuru

CHAPTEREIGHTTheWayofRitual

CHAPTERNINETheAstrologicalUniverse

CHAPTERTENTheArchetypes—WithinandWithout

CHAPTERELEVENTheSongsofDismemberedGods

CHAPTERTWELVESymbolismandSynchronicityintheNewMillennium

ENDNOTESBIBLIOGRAPHY

ForJudith

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

During themore than twelve years spentwriting and researching this book,manypeopleprovidedhelpfulsupportandfeedback.Iwishtohereexpressmydeepestgratitudetoallofthem,including:myparentsCatherineandRaymondGrasse, JohnKranich,DavidFideler,AliceO.Howell,DavidFrawley, PeggyFirestone,RickTarnas,JodyPiro,ShirleyNicholson,GeorgeandLindaGawor,GaryLachman,MedicineGrizzlybearLake,RosemaryClark, andScottKorn.Thanks also to Scott Sterns, Tom Chapin, and Ruben Cabigting for theirtechnicalsupportduringthelatterstages.MyappreciationtoKarenRybackiforhelpingmetrackdownthemanyimageswhichgracethesepages.

My boundless gratitude tomy editors Brenda Rosen andVirginia Smiley,who proved invaluable in the final shaping and refining of this material, andespecially forBrenda’searly support inpushing toget itpublished in the firstplace.Also,tothemanyothersatQuestwhoplayedaroleintheproductionofthiswork, includingVija Bremanis,NancyGrace,KarenYates,DawnHicks,PattiHamilton,PamDemers,andgraphicdesignerBethHansen,whoskillfullybrought itall together.Lastbutnot least,mydeepestappreciation toGoswamiKriyananda of Chicago and Shelly Trimmer, without whose insight andgenerosityoftimeovertheyearsthisbookwouldnothavebeenpossible.

Thereisadreamdreamingus.

—KalahariBushmantoLaurensvanderPostThewisesaythatthetwostates,dreamandwaking,areone...thoughinfacttheobjectsofwakingexperienceappearasreal,stilltheyareunreal.

—Gaudapada

Recognizethisinfinitevarietyofappearancesasadream,asnothingbuttheprojectionsofyourmind,illusoryandunreal.

—TseleNatsokRangrolWearesuchstuffasdreamsaremadeon.

—Shakespeare

(Ourdreams), inasmuchas theyoriginate fromus,maywellhaveananalogywithourwhole lifeandfate.

—Goethe

IsallourLife,then,butadream...

—LewisCarroll

Ourlifeisbutoneofthedreamsofthatmorereallife,andsoitisendlessly,untiltheverylastone,theveryreallife—thelifeofGod.

—Tolstoy

Well,yes,onecouldalsosaythatwearenotsittingheredrinkingtea,butthatwe’redreamingallthat.

—NielsBohr

...theuniversebeginstolookmorelikeagreatthoughtthanagreatmachine.

—SirJamesJeans

INTRODUCTION

Thingsherearesigns.

—Plotinus

Whilepreparingforhisroleinthe1939filmTheWizardofOz,actorFrankMorgandecidedagainstusingthecostumeofferedhimbythestudioforhisroleas the traveling salesman Professor Marvel, opting instead to select his ownwardrobe for the part. Searching through the racks of second-hand clothescollectedbytheMGMwardrobedepartmentovertheyears,hefinallysettledonanoldfrockcoat thatwouldeventuallyserveashiscostumeduringfilmingofthemovie.Passing the timeoneday,Morgan idly turnedout the insideof thepocketofthecoatanddiscoveredthe“L.FrankBaum”sewnintotheliningofthe jacket. As later investigation confirmed, the jacket had been originallydesignedforthecreatoroftheOzstory,L.FrankBaum,andsomehowmadeitswaythroughtheyearsintothecollectionofclothingontheMGMlot.

Almost everyone, at some time or another, has experienced extraordinarycoincidences or synchronicities so startling they are compelled to reflect upontheirpossiblemeaning.Dosuchoccurrencesholdadeepersignificance?Mighttheyhintatahiddendesignunderlyingtheseeminglyrandomeventsunfoldingaroundus?Or are they, asmodern science suggests,merely the expression ofchance processes, completely explainable in terms of statistics and probabilitytheory?

Onewaytobeginansweringsuchquestionsistoconsidertheinsightsofanancient worldview. For thousands of years philosophers and mystics haveformulatedideasandesotericlawsthatattemptedtoexplainthehiddenworkingsofreality.Seenasawhole,thisnetworkofideasandlawsmaybedesignatedbythe term “symbolist,” in reference to the many symbolic systems—astrology,tarot,kabbalah,andothers—ithasfoundexpressionthrough,andasareferencetothebroadersymbolicvisionofrealityitreflects.Thissymbolicperspectiveisinstarkcontrastwiththemorematerialisticand“literal”worldviewpromotedbycontemporarysociety.

Although this body of thought is complex and multifaceted, it isneverthelesspossibletoidentifycertainrecurringthemesamongitsexpressions,which through different times and cultures have displayed remarkableconsistency.Abrieflistoftheseincludesthefollowing:

Theworld reflects thepresenceofagreater regulating intelligence,orDivineMind,thatbothpermeatesandtranscendsmaterialreality.All things partake in a greater continuum of order and design;consequently,therearenocoincidencesortrulyrandomevents.Inturn,any chance event or process can divulge greater patterns ofmeaningfulnesswithinthelifeofanindividualorsociety.Reality is multileveled in character, involving phenomena andexperiencesacrossawidespectrumoffrequenciesorvibration.Theworld is interwovenbyacomplexwebofsubtlecorrespondencesoraffinities,secretconnectionsthatlinkseeminglydiversephenomenathroughadeeperresonanceofmeaning.Allphenomenaaregovernedbyprocessesofcyclicchange,accordingtowhichthingsarise,grow,anddecay.All forms can be reduced to a basic set of universal principles orarchetypes. Described in various ways by different traditions, theseprinciples reflect the underlying language of both outer and innerexperience.Understoodattheirsubtlestlevel,thesearchetypesrevealthemselvestobe an expression of deeper numerological or geometrical principles,alsoexplainablethroughtheconceptofproportionorratio.

In short, the symbolist standpoint considers life to be a living book ofsymbols,asacredtextthatcanbedecoded.Throughapplyingtheproperkey,thepatterns of the world reveal hidden resonances and levels of informationoverlookedinourcontemporarypreoccupationwithliteralmeaningsandsurfaceinterpretations.

Thisbooktakesadeeperlookatthesymbolistworldviewanditsaspects.Itexploresthephilosophicalimplicationsofmanyofitskeyideas,andhowtheseideas have been understood and employed by men and women throughouthistory.Onamorepersonallevel,itoffersanumberofpracticalsuggestionsandexamples to help the reader understand the teachings and messages encodedwithin the people, places, objects, and events experienced each day. Taken

together, these approaches provide readers with a set of tools by which torevision theirworld. It is ironic, perhaps, that our culture accords great honorand prestige to the individual who devotes long years to acquiring higherdegrees,while granting nonewhatsoever to the personwho devotes even onedaytostudyingthesymboliclanguagepresentedbydailyexperience—themostimportantandprofoundtextinanyone’sworld.

There is profound value in recovering this traditional perspective. Thesymbolistwayof thinkinghasdeep roots in thehumanpsyche; itspersistencethroughmillenniaspeaksdramaticallytowhatonewriterhascalledthecommonhuman passion formeaning.1 In an agewhenmany people question seriouslywhether life may be empty or without significance, the symbolist perspectivetellsuslifeisnotempty,butisinfactrichinmeaning,purpose,andarchetypalresonance.Throughastudyofthevariedsystemsofthisancientwayoflookingat theworld, we can discover the different ways humans have sought to findmeaningintheirenvironmentand,inturn,learntounearththetreasureshiddenwithintheseeminglymundaneeventsofourdailylives.

SOURCESRather than codified in any single text or tradition, the insights of the

symbolistworldviewarefoundwithintheoralandwrittenteachingsofesotericschools around the world, both in the yogic traditions of the East and thehermeticandkabbalistic traditionsof theWest. Inaddition toabroadstudyofthe published literature in this field, my ownwork with this subject over theyearshas ledmeintodiscussionswithfiguresfromvarioustraditions,someofthem well-known (Chogyam Trungpa, Joseph Campbell), but most of themrelativelyunknownorevenobscure.Ofparticularvalueinthisprocesshasbeenmysixteenyearsof studywith twoAmerican-born teachers affiliatedwith theKriyaYoga tradition,GoswamiKriyanandaofChicagoandShellyTrimmer,adirectdiscipleofParamahansaYogananda.Throughthem,Iwasaffordedaccessto an oral tradition of great richness and complexity, with roots deep in theesotericsystemsofbothEastandWest.

The insights of the symbolist worldview in somewhat subtler and moreimplicitformareencodedwithinthegreatesotericsystemsofantiquity,suchasastrology,tarot,numerology,andotherformsofdivinationandmanticinquiry.As anyone who has ever worked with these systems knows, each of them

contains a unique array of overt and covert insights regarding reality and thepsyche, insights that divulge themselves only after extensive use of thesesystemsovermanyyears.Thisbookextrapolatesfromthesesystemstoprovideabroaderilluminationoftheessentialprinciplesofsymbolistthought.

Symbolistideascanevenbedetectedwithinthesuperstitionsandfolkbeliefsoftraditionalandmodernsocieties.Culturesthroughouttheworld,forexample,emphasizethenumberseven(sometimescalledtheperfectnumber)andbelievein the reality of omens and portents. Crude as their external formmay be attimes, such recurringmotifs reflect deep-seated patterns of the psyche, and tothat extent can sometimesbe read for the insight theyprovide into thegreateruniverseofwhichthehumanmindisareflection.

Yettheinterestofthisbookisnotsimplytoprovideanobjectivesurveyofsymbolist thought; rather, it is to offer a creative synthesis, drawing togethermany of itswide-ranging themeswith extrapolations and reflections frommyown experience, toward the end of imparting a broader sense of its essentialvision.

ALOOKAHEADThisbookhasbeenstructuredsoeachchapterunlocksadifferentdooronto

thesymbolistpointofview.Chapteronebeginswitha lookatsomeof itsessentialprinciples,focusing

especially on the universal laws described by mystics and philosophers sinceantiquityasgoverningtheuniverse.Justasthemodernworldviewissupportedby certain hidden presuppositions which guide and inform it, symbolistphilosophy conceals its own underlying presuppositionswhich characterize itsfar-rangingbeliefsandare thereforeessential toabroaderunderstandingof itsimplications.

Chapter two steps back to reflect on the historical context of symbolistthinkingand itsdevelopment through time. Itpoints towhysuch thinkingwascriticaltopastculturesandwhyithaslargelydisappearedfromourown.

Chapterthreepresentsawaytocategorizesymbolisteventsandarguesthatmeaning is not an isolated occurrence in our lives, limited only to the strangeandunpredictablecoincidence,butextendsacrosstheentirehorizonofpersonalexperience.

Chapter four examinesoneof themostpopular formsofmeaningful eventidentified by traditional societies: the omen. It includes a discussion ofdivination and the practicalwaysmen andwomen have sought to harness thesymbolicdynamicsofnaturetounderstandandinfluencethefuture.

Chapter five looks at human relationships. Like an ingeniously conceivedscriptwrittenexclusivelyforourselves,whenseenthroughtheeyesofsymbolistthought,ordinaryinteractionspresentuswitharichandmultifacetedmirrorofour own inner growth. Friend, enemy, spouse, parent, even the namelesspasserbyonthestreet—allcanbeprofoundteachersinourquesttounderstandourselves.

Chapterssixandseventakeacloselookatthebroaderforcespropellingtheunfoldmentofourdestinies,fromboththepastandfuture.InthesechaptersisadiscussionoftheEasternnotionofkarma(orspiritualcause-and-effect)andtheevolutionaryprincipleof telos (purpose).Inthedialectictensionbetweenthesetwo principles lies the most eternally gripping questions of the humanexperience:Is theworldareflectionofourcurrent thoughtsordesires?Dowecreate our reality, asmany claim?Are the fortunes or tragedies of our lives aformofrewardorpunishmentforouractionsinthepast?Oraretheytheresultofnaturalcycleswhichgoverntheunfoldmentofnatureinallitsmanifestations,regardlessofmerit?

In chapter eight, attention turns to the most deeply practical aspect ofsymbolistphilosophy, the roleof ritual.Wewilldiscover ritual tobe farmorepervasivethanwehadeverimaginedandlearnthatallactivitiesaremagicofasort.

Thelastthirdofthisbooklooksmorecloselyatthetheoreticaldimensionsofthesymbolistworldview,centeringonthequintessentialsymbolistart,astrology.Chapter nine asks, what possible mechanism underlies the operations ofastrology?Thesymbolistperspectivehintsatapossibleanswertothisquestion,andthisinturnprovidesapointofdepartureforrevisioningourrelationtotheuniverse.Could itbe,as iscommonlyheld inNewAgeandevennewsciencecircles, that everything is instantaneously connected to everything else?Additionally, this chapter examines the possibility that astrology may beproperly understood only as part of a broad network of interconnections, inwhichthestarsandplanetsarebutsmallparts.

Chapter tenstartswithadiscussionofarchetypes. If life is indeeda livingbook of symbols, then what is the language of that book? And what are the

components of that language? Here also is an examination of astrology’ssymbols and those found in anotherof antiquity’s great symbolic systems, theyogicphilosophyof thechakras.Astrologyandthechakrasystem,thischaptershows, are not truly separate, but deeply entwined in meaning and message.Together, they offer a way of unlocking symbolic clues and provide thefoundationforasacredpsychologybasedonarchetypesanduniversalprocesses.

Butwhatliesbehindthearchetypes?Chapterelevenintroducestheprincipleof proportion, or subtle geometry, as the source of meaning underlying alluniversal patterns. It examines the classical notion of the elements, and theintriguing possibility that symbols may arise out of the architecture ofconsciousnessitself.

Finally,chapter twelve reflectson the interconnectionsbetweensymbolistideas andcontemporaryculture. It beginswitha lookatCarl Jung’s theoryofsynchronicity, and how it contrastswith perennial symbolist ideas. It exploresthe ambivalent relationship between symbolist principles and modern scienceand examines the implications of the symbolist worldview in our continuingquesttounderstandandrelatetothephysicaluniverse.

Let us begin our exploration. Behind the door of coincidence is found aworldofarchetypalpresencesandmagicalconnections,adimensionofmeaningthatextendstoeveryaspectofordinaryexperience.Withasubtleshiftofvision,we can become fluent in a symbolic language both ancient and new, whichemergesfromourownpersonalwakingdream.

CHAPTER6

KARMAANDTHELAWOFCYCLES

Allbeingswhohavesimilarkarmawillhaveacommonvisionoftheworldaroundthem,andthissetofperceptions they share is called “a karmic vision” . . . never forget:Whatwe see iswhat our karmicvisionallowsustosee,andnomore.

—SogyalRinpoche

In the mystical traditions of the East, the understanding of life’s symbolicdimensions is inextricably associated with the philosophical notion of karma.Theessentialprincipleunderlying this ideacanbe found inmanyculturesandreligious traditions; as, for instance, in the Biblical teaching, “as you sow, soshall you reap.” Yet the doctrine of karma finds its most elaborate andsophisticatedformintheHinduandBuddhisttraditionsofancientIndia.

AQUESTIONOFBALANCESometimes misunderstood by Westerners as a doctrine of punishment or

retribution,karmaisanaturallawofbalance,wherebytheeffectsofallactionsorthoughtsareultimatelybroughttoastateofequilibrium,similartothewayapendulumpushed in one directionwill returnwith equal force in the oppositedirection,eventuallysettlingintoaconditionofstasis.Forthisreason,thelawofkarmahasbeenlikenedtoNewton’ssecondlawofmotion,whichholdsthatforeveryactionthereisanequalandoppositereaction.

However, in contrast with conventional theories of cause and effect thatoperateonavisiblelevelofphysicalresults,karmarepresentsafarsubtlerformofcausality.Bywayofillustration,sayamanisinvolvedinacaraccident.Hemaybeable to traceclearly thechainofphysicalcauses leading to thisevent:

the other car hit his after skidding on wet pavement; the wet pavement wascausedbya recent shower; the rainwascausedbyanatmosphericbuild-upofmoisture,andsoforth.Whenlookedat inkarmic terms,however, theaccidentmaybelinkedtoanentirelydifferentchainofeffectsextendingfartherintothepast, perhaps even to conditions createdwithin theman’s previous life. Somewouldtheorizethattheaccidentservedtobalanceoutanoccasioneitherinthislifetimeor inapreviousone inwhich themancaused injury toanotherbyhiscarelessness.However,theBuddhiststeachthatitisverydifficultforustoknowthekarmiccausesof any resultweexperiencewith certainty. Ifweaccept thedoctrine of karma, ourwisest coursemay be to live now in such away as tocreateasfewnegativekarmicresultsforourfutureaspossible,keepinginmindthateveryeventoractioninourlives—physical,emotional,ormental—islinkedtobothobviouscausesandtothesubtle,undergroundinfluenceofthekarmawehaveourselvescreated.

THEARCHETYPALCATEGORIESOFKARMAAccording toHindu yogic philosophy, a particular action creates a karmic

record which is stored as a causal potential in one of several archetypal“compartments,” which correspond to aspects of a person’s inner soul. Thenumber of these compartments varies in different systems, but they are mostconvenientlydescribedintermsoftwelveareasofkarmicconcern,whichsomeschoolsofHinduesotericthoughtseeascorrespondingtothetwelvehousesofthe astrological horoscope. For example, one aspect of the inner soulmay beconcerned with family; another with career; others with friends,communications, possessions, journeys, and othermajor categories of our lifeexperience.

Forexample,anargumentwithone’sspouseisrecordedvibrationallywithinthepartofthesoulrelatingtopartnerships.Ontheotherhand,lovingthoughtsoractions directed toward a friend are registered vibrationally within the soul-compartment relating to friends and associates. Because a given action orthoughtcanpartakeofseveralsymbolicqualitiessimultaneously,someactivitiesleave imprints in twoormoreareas, settingupacomplexnetworkofenergiesamongthedifferentaspectsofaperson’ssoul.

When the life conditions are right for a karmic imprint to ripen and beactualized as a result, energies are awakened within the corresponding soul-

compartment.Theresultoftenmanifestsasaneventlinkedsymbolicallytotheoriginal cause. The results experienced from a stored karmic imprint aregenerallysymbolicratherthanliteralbecausewhathasbeenrecordedonthesoulis thedeepermeaningor intentof theoriginalactionor thought rather than itssuperficial form. Thus, the same karmic imprint may ripen as results acrossdifferent centuries, taking on symbolic clothing appropriate to each time andplace.Forinstance,anoblewomanwhodistributedfoodtothestarvingpeasantsof a nearby village in medieval France may perpetuate the karmic pattern ofgenerosity in her current lifetime by donating large sums to an internationalreliefagency.Oramanwhocreatedthekarmicpatternofkillingbyservingastheheadbutcher for theChinese Imperial courtmight findhimself living in awar-torncitytoday,inwhich“butcher-like”atrocitiesarecommon.

THELAWOFCYCLESToeverythingthereisaseason.

—Ecclesiastes

Theprocessbywhichkarmicimprintsaresownandreapedisnothaphazardbut takes place according to ordered,mathematically defined cycles known inesoteric thought as the “principle of periodicity.” This principle holds that allforms and phenomena are subject to the influence of cycles, with alternatingphasesofgrowthanddecay,ebbandflow.Karma,too,issusceptibletothisrule.Howorwhenakarmicimprintunfolds,therefore,dependsinpartonthecycleassociated with its gestation. By analogy, how a seed grows depends on theseason of the year itwas planted.A seed sown inmid-winterwill takemuchlongertosprout,say, thanaseedplantedduringtheoptimalplantingperiodofspringtime.Indeed,asmanyfarmersbelieve,eventhephaseoftheMoon’scyclemaymakeadifferenceinacrop’sgrowthpattern.Hence,afieldofcornplantedwhiletheMooniswaxingissaidtogrowmoreabundantlyandrapidlythanoneplantedwhiletheMooniswaning.

Inasimilarway,whenanactionorthoughtisgeneratedhelpsdeterminetheintensity, quality, and duration of the karmic result that follows from it. Thusaccording to some systems of thought, an act of kindnessmay create amorepowerful imprint on the soul if it is “planted” during a sensitive andimpressionable period, such as a solar eclipse, than at some other time.Similarly, an outburst of intense anger may create far more lasting karmic

damageifitoccursduringthestartofanimportantcycle,suchasthefirstdayofanewyearoronone’sbirthday.

Ontheotherhand,theactivationoflatentkarmicimprintsalsotakesplaceinaccordance with the astrological cycles unfolding at the time. Like the time-releasemechanismon a bankvault, cyclic patterns can serve as the triggeringmechanisms by which karmic imprints are released into manifestation. Thusthinkingin termsofastrologicalcycles,karmicimprintsrelatedto thephysicalor earth-based aspects of life may be triggered by an important activation ofSaturn in one’s horoscope; imprints related to romance may come to fruitionduring a time when Venus is active in the chart; and spiritual karma by asignificantplacementofJupiterorNeptune.

The play of symbols in our lives often reflects a complex blend of manykarmiccyclessimultaneously.Thisaccountsforthesenseofdisparityweoftenexperienceasvariousareasofourlifecyclepassthroughpositiveandnegativeperiods. Just as a woman is experiencing an upswing of positive karmicripeningsinfinancialdealings,forexample,herrelationshipsmaybeenteringanegative downswing, and her work life might be leveling off after a chaoticperiod.Throughaclosestudyoftheongoingplanetarycyclesinrelationtotheareasofourhoroscope,wecanbegintounderstandthesymbolicphasesarisinginourlifetoaprecisedegree.

Importantly, karmic ripenings will intensify, for better or worse, whenseveralcyclesoverlaporconverge—toborrowagambler’smetaphor,when“allthe tumblers fall intoplace”—thusproducinganunusuallyconcentratedperiodof change or psychological transformation. Frequently, periods of great goodluckormisfortuneinone’slifereflectjustsuchaconvergenceofcyclicpatterns,eachamplifyingtheintensityoftheotherinacumulativeway.

In short, thedoctrineofkarma suggests events andcircumstancesofone’slife are, to a great degree, influenced by momentums established in the past.Karmic energies unfold according to discernable cycles. To this extent, thesymbolsthatweperceiveintheeventswhichoccuraroundusmayattimesbelessrepresentativeofourcurrentstateofconsciousnessthantheresultofstatesoractionsinourpast,whichareunfoldinginconjunctionwiththecyclicpatternsoftheplanetsinourhoroscopes.Understandingwhatisgoingonduringaperiodofpainfulripeningsmaybeatbestcoldcomfort,butapersonexperiencingarunof bad luck can at least be sure of one thing: temporal cycles are alwayschangingand,intime,theconditionsthattriggeredthosedifficultconditionswill

passawayandnewand,perhaps,moreharmoniouscyclicconditionswillarise.

KARMAANDTHEDOCTRINEOFPLANESEsoteric traditions have consistently described reality as comprised of

severaldifferentlevelsor“planes”ofexistence,ofvaryingdegreesofsubtlety.In these systems of thought, the ordinary physical world with which we arefamiliar is seen as a lower rung on a great ladder of being. For the sake ofsimplicity, wemight divide reality into four essential divisions or planes: thematerial,astral,mental,andspiritual.

Onewayofdistinguishingthelowerplanesfromthehigherisintermsofthedualityexistingoneachplanebetweentheselfandtheworldoutside—betweeninnerrealityandouter.Thehighestorspiritualplaneischaracterizedbyasenseof undifferentiated unity, with no boundaries between inner and outer reality.Every plane below the spiritual is characterized by a perception of duality, anillusorynotionof an independent self set against a seemingly separate outsideworld. The further down on the scale one descends, the greater the feeling ofseparationbetweenouterandinnerreality.Thisismostdramaticallysymbolizedon thephysicalplaneby thehumanbody itself,which inonesense isnothingother than the separate self-sense made concrete. Likewise, the higher astral,mental, and spiritual planes are characterizedbybodiesof varyingdensities—the“astralbody”beinglessdensethanthegrossphysicalbody,forexample,butmoredensethanthe“mentalbody.”Likethephysicalbody,thesesubtlebodiesareinturnsymbolicexpressionsoftheseparateself-sensemadeexplicitateachlevel.

Realityasafour-levelpyramid.

Thismultitiered view of reality is critical for a fuller grasp of the karmicprocess, sincekarmaoperates fullyonlyon the lower levelsof thecontinuum.By its very nature, karma requires a dualistic framework in which to work,because it is based on the duality of cause and effect and on the notion of anindependentegowhichisseparatefromtheexteriorrealityitinhabits.Afterall,inaworldofabsoluteunitywithoutdistinctions,whatistheretoinfluenceorbeinfluencedby?

Moreover, because of the increasing density of the lower planes and theirintensifyingsenseofsplitbetweeninnerandouterreality,moretimemustelapseonthelowerplanesbetweenthesowingofakarmicseedandthereapingofitsresults,orbetweenathoughtanditsultimatecrystallization.Allthathappenstous is the result of allwehave thought, theBuddha said.However, in contrastwiththehigherlevelsofrealitywhere,accordingtoesotericteachings,athoughtmaybecomerealityinstantaneously,onthephysicalplane,thoughtsandactionswhichcreatekarmatakefar longer tomanifest theireffects inconcretereality.Thisisnottosayasynchronisticlinkcannotbefoundbetweeninnerstatesandouter results at the physical level; esoteric traditions clearly suggest there isalways a creative interplay between inner and outer reality on all levels ofexistence,buttheinnerconsciousnessisabletoaffecttheouterworldtoamorelimiteddegreeatthisgrosserlevelofbeing.

Fromtheesotericstandpoint, it isalsopossible toargue thatcertainevents

are more fixed, or karmically predetermined, than others, and thus lesssusceptibletotheinfluenceofpassingthoughtsoremotions.Accordingtosomeesotericschools,suchlifeeventsasdeath,marriage, illnesses,bodyshape,andparents may be relatively inflexible when compared with the karma thatdetermineswhatone’sconversationwillbewiththeneighboronagivenday,orwhich people one will pass on the street on such and such an afternoon.Experiencesofthislattersortmaythusbemoremalleableintheformtheytakeinourlives,andthereforemorereflectiveofone’schanginginnerstatesatanygiventime.

PERENNIALMISCONCEPTIONSWhyaresuchabstractdistinctionsimportantforus tounderstand?Because

thefactthattheyhaven’tbeenclearlyarticulatedorunderstoodhasgivenrisetoawide arrayof injustices and injurious notions in cultures throughout history.Thebelief that theouterworld isareflectionofone’s innerworld,orofone’sdegreeofpersonalmerit,hasbeenused indistorted form to justifydubiousorimmoralactionsonthepartofmanyindividualsandgroups.

Consider, for example, the preacher who tells his parishioners that theirmaterialaffluenceisanindicationofthehighregardwithwhichtheLordviewstheirwork,while the hard times besetting a neighboring congregation reflectsGod’sdispleasurewiththatgroup’sbeliefsorlevelofpiety.Similarly,theAIDSepidemichasbeenviewedbysomereligiousfundamentalistsasasignofGod’sdispleasure with the homosexual lifestyle, and victory in battle has beenregardedbywarringgroupsthroughouthistoryasanindicationthatGodis“ontheirside.”Thiskindofthinkingis,attheleast,simplisticanddisturbing.

The same misconception can be seen in the contemporary New Agesuggestionthatweeachcreateourownreality,andthatwhathappenstousisareflectionofourinnerbeliefsorlevelofspiritualmerit.Ifawomanbecomesillwithcancer,accordingtothisnotion,shehasinsomeway“created”or“wishedfor” the illness.Or amanwho is forced by circumstances to declare personalbankruptcyissaidtohave“prosperityissues,”whileamanwhowinsthelotteryhas created thewindfall by “abundance thinking.” I am remindedof awomanwhotoldmehowhappyshewasaboutthegiftsshehadunexpectedlyreceivedfrompeopleinrecentmonths,sinceitverified“justhowmuchGodreallylovesme”—leavingonetowonderjusthowlittleGodmustlovethestarvingpeoples

ofAfricaortheembattledrefugeesinanyoftheworld’spoliticalhotspots.Such views result from an inadequate understanding of both the karmic

processanditsgenerallyoverlookedcorrelate,thelawofcycles.Whileitisnodoubttruethatwehaveahandincreatingourownlives—afterall,wedoplantkarmic seeds for the future with everything we do and say—for the averageindividual,theextenttowhichwecaninfluencetheripeningofkarmicseedsislimited by the astrological cycles through which we are passing at any giventime.Our state ofmindmay play a part in unfolding events, but it is not theprimaryfactor.

For instance, a man may suddenly experience a run of good luck in hisfinances—a stock split, a larger than expected tax refund, and an inheritancefromadistant and forgottenuncle, for example—what in astrologywouldbecalleda“goodJupiteraspect.”Asaresult,themanbecomesmorebuoyantandprosperous in his general attitudes, which seems to lead to further prosperity.Later,theman’sfinancialweathermighttakeaturnfortheworse—themarketdrops, a client reneges on a loan, and his tax return is audited—and themanbecomes negative and depressed. In this state, if theman becomes convincedthat his negative thinking is to blame for his shift of fortunes, hemay set inmotion a feedback loopwhich reinforces and perpetuates the negative karmicenergyseveraltimesover.Onfirstglance,itmayappearthattheupsanddownsof theman’sfinancesreflecthisshiftsofmood.Butwhat ishappening tohimmay really be more akin to taking a roller coaster ride, going up when thefinancialcycleishigh,plungingdownwhenthefinancialcycleisinadownturn.Though theman’sstateofmindmayhavesomeeffectonhis financialaffairs,theunderlyingcycleshaveanevengreaterinfluenceontheupsanddownsofhisfortunes.

By the same token, a person’s success in utilizing such techniques asvisualization or positive thinking to change his or her circumstances will beinfluencedbythekarmicconditionsusheredinbytheunderlyingcyclesatwork.Forexample,ifawomanisatthelowpointofadifficultromanticphase—whatastrologers might call a challenging Venus cycle—it will be exceedinglydifficultforhertooverridethekarmicconditionsandcreateapositiveromanticsituation.Ontheotherhand,awomaninaneasykarmiccycleromanticallymayhavetodorelativelylittleintermsofvisualizationtoreapthebenefitsoftheselatent conditions. This does not mean that one cannot transcend karmicconditions,butitmaytakeagreatdealmoreworktodosoduringsomephasesofthecycle.Thebestwecando,inmanycases,istotrackthecyclesweseemto

begoingthrough—keepingajournalisavaluableaidinthis—whilekeepinginmind that karmicweather changes as often as the seasons. One’s astrologicalchartmaynotalwaysrevealindetailhowagivencyclewillmanifest—anymorethanaweatherforecastcanalwaystellwhethertherainwillbeheavyenoughtoruinaSundaypicnic—butbotharegoodindicatorsofprevailingconditionsandareusefulguidestowhatistocome.

Norisitonlyourpersonalkarmaandtheunderlyingcycleswhichconstrainanindividual’sabilitytoachieveagoal.Collectiveorgroupkarmaalsoplaysarole.Anindividualwomanmayhavethepersonaldesiretobeapriest,but thecollectivekarmaprevailingwithin theRomanCatholicChurchatpresentdoesnotpermit thatoutcome.Collectivekarmaoperateswithinanygroupofwhichanindividualmaybeapart—afamily,business,community,ethnicorreligiousgroup, nation, species—even the whole Earth itself. Like individuals, thesecollective groups are subject to karmic propensities and to the underlyinginfluenceofastrologicalandothercycles.Thusone’sindividualkarmaisalwaysmodified by the larger karmic contexts in which it is set, collectively orcosmically.

The relationship between the state of mind of a community or othercollectivegroupandthekarmicripeningsexperiencedbythatgroupiscomplex.Carl Jung used to enjoy relating the following tale to friends and associates,which illustrates one way of thinking about this relationship. Called “TheRainmaker ofKiaochau,” itwas told to Jung by the famedGerman sinologistRichardWilhelm,whosupposedlywaspresentatthetimeofitsoccurrence.

There was a great drought. Formonths there had not been a drop of rain and the situationbecame catastrophic. The Catholicsmade processions, the Protestantsmade prayers and theChineseburned joss-sticks and shot off guns to frightenaway the demonsof the drought, butwith no result. Finally, the Chinese said, “We will fetch the rainmaker.” And from anotherprovince a dried-up old man appeared. The only thing he asked for was a quiet little housesomewhere,andtherehelockedhimselfinforthreedays.Onthefourthdaythecloudsgatheredandtherewasagreatsnowstormatthetimeoftheyearwhennosnowwasexpected,anunusualamount,andthetownwassofullofrumorsaboutthewonderfulrainmakerthatRichardWilhelmwent to ask the man how he did it. In true European fashion he said, “They call you therainmaker,willyoutellmehowyoumadethesnow?”AndthelittleChinesemansaid,“Ididnotmakethesnow,Iamnotresponsible.”“Butwhathaveyoudonethesethreedays?”“Oh,Icanexplainthat.Icomefromanothercountrywherethingsareinorder.Heretheyareoutoforder,theyarenotastheyshouldbebytheordinanceofheaven.ThereforethewholecountryisnotinTao,andIalsoamnotinthenaturalorderofthingsbecauseIaminadisorderedcountry.SoIhadtowaitthreedaysuntilIwasbackinTaoandthennaturallytheraincame.”1

Thisstory implies that thedisharmony in theenvironmentwasactually the

reflection of an imbalance within the collective psyche of that region’sinhabitants. Through one individual’s efforts to bring himself into a state ofinward harmony (or Tao), a corresponding harmony was synchronisticallyachieved in theouterworld,and thedisorderedenvironmentwas returned toastateofnormalcy.FormanyJungian theorists, thisstoryhascome to illustratethemysteriousinterconnectednessbetweenouterandinnerconditionsthatexistsforallofus,andthewayoutercircumstancescancloselyreflectourinnerstate.If our outer lives are disordered (or out of the Tao), then clearly, some havesuggested,itisduetoanimbalancewithinourselves.Ifwebringourselvesintobalance,thislineofthinkingcontinues,ouroutersituationwillfollowsuit.

The view offered by this charming tale is appealing, but it seems tooversimplifywhatisreallyhappening.Foronething,wemustreflectonexactlywhat constitutes a “disordered” situation—what itmeans tobeoutof theTao.Shouldweconcludethatanysituationwhichfeelspainfuloruncomfortableisanegativeordisorderedone,andthereforeindicatesaconditionoutoftheTao?Ifone is experiencing difficulty at work, does it mean one is inwardly out ofbalance,orsimplythatoneisgoingthroughadifficultkarmiccyclerelativetocareer? Moreover, one’s personal difficulties, as we have shown, may be areflectionofalargerkarmicconditionthataffectsone’sentirecompany,ortypeofbusiness,oreventhecollectiveeconomickarmaofthecountryortheworld.Itwouldbepresumptuoustoconcludethatoneindividual’sinnerstatecouldbe“responsible” for such large-scaleeffects.Tociteanotherexample, ifapersonexperienceshealthproblems, is it always a signof inner imbalance, or simplythe reflection of difficult energy being activated in the area of one’s healthkarma as might be indicated by a challenging phase in this area of theindividual’shoroscope?Thereislittledoubtone’shealthcanbeareflectionofone’s emotionalormental state; but it is alsopossible thatpoorhealth simplyreflects thenaturalvicissitudeswhichbefallabodyduringcertaincycles,suchasoldage.

The same errors in reasoning often occur when thinking on the collectivelevel. It is foolish toconclude, forexample, thatbecause theNativeAmericanpeopleswerebrutallyandconvincinglyoverpoweredbyEuropeansettlers,andtheiroldwaysthrownintodisarray,theNativeAmericansmusthavebeenlessintheTao than theirconquerors.Thesimilar fate sufferedby indigenouspeoplesaroundtheglobeindicatethatlargercollectivekarmicfactorsmayhavebeenatwork. Perhaps, the currentmovement toward the restoration of native culturesand towardappreciationof theirwaysandbeliefsbymanydescendentsof the

former conquerors represents the cyclical movement toward rebalancing thekarmicscalesonagloballevel.

Tosumup,manysituationsnormallyregardedasnegativeoroutofbalancemaysimplybeexpressionsofnaturalorkarmiccycles.Wintermayarriveandsubjectthepeopleofaregiontoextremehardship,butthisdoesnotnecessarilymean they are less balanced or less spiritually attuned than their warmerneighborstothesouth.Similarly,itispossiblethatthedifficultieswhichbefallanindividual,acommunity,orevenaracecouldreflect thenatural, ifpainful,cyclesofgrowthanddecaywhichoccurforallbeings.TheBibleexpressesthistruthinJesus’sremarkthattheLord“makethhissuntoriseontheevilandonthegood,andsendethrainonthejustandontheunjust.”Alloflifeissubjecttoinevitablephasesof increaseanddecrease,expansionandcontraction,ebbandflow.Suchvariationsarenaturalandinevitable.Balanceintheuniverserequiressuchchanges,andwecannotpresume tounderstand fully thecosmic forcesatworkineachalteration.

The true test of spiritual attainment is not that one’s outer life goes onwithoutanyproblems,accidents,ortragedies,butthatoneisabletoexperienceeverything that happens—both positive and negative outcomes—as beingperfectlywhole and luminous, shearedof all judgments, andperceived fromastandpoint of balanced equanimity. “If useless thoughts do not hang in yourmind,” oneZenmaster has said, “any season is a good season for you.”2 It iseasytofeelhappyorupbeatwheneverythingisgoingourway,whenthekarmiccycles are in an upward cycle andwe have no real challenges or problems tocontend with. The real test, however, is whether we can retain our sense ofhumor and inner tranquility evenwhen things are not going smoothly.As theAmerican-bornyogiGoswamiKriyanandahasexpressedit,

NomatterhowfirmlyIkeepthe“Sun”inmyheadlit,theSunouttherewilleventuallygodown.Andnomatterhow tightly Ikeep the“Moon” inmyhead fulland lit, thatotheroneup therekeepswaxingandwaning.Idon’tknowwhatGodisdoing;allIhavetobeconcernedwithiswhatIamdoing.3

FREEDOMFROMTHEPASTYetifourlivesrepresentakindofkarmicdrama,asTibetanBuddhistshave

describedit, it isnatural toquestionthevalueofunderstandingthesymbolsofourpersonalplay.Inotherwords,ifthesymbolicpatternsarisinginourlivesare

rooted in karmic seeds planted in the distant past, then isn’t the effort tounderstand them a bit like poring over yesterday’s newspapers, or watchingrerunsofoldtelevisionshows,whichtellusnothingofvalueaboutourconditionhereandnow?

While the ideal state of mind may be one of balanced equanimity in thepresentmoment,detached from thekarmicenergiesbuffetingourpsyches, thefact is,mostofusareprofoundlyaffectedby thekarmicforcesatwork inourlives. As Carlyle wrote, “By symbols, accordingly, is man guided andcommanded,madehappy,madewretched.”Likeactorsplayingout roles fromscriptshandedus fromoffstage,wearegenerallyunaware thatweareutteringsentimentswe ourselves set intomotion in the distant past—often in previouslifetimes—andunaware aswell of thehiddencyclical forces that often triggertheir ripening. Becoming conscious of these karmic scripts is the first steptowardlearningtotranscendthem.Onceweacceptthateverythingwesayordocreates seeds that will ripen in the future, we inevitably strive to place morepositive imprints on our continuumof consciousness.Moreover, knowing thatourcurrentstateofmindcontributestotheripeningofimprintsfromthedistantpast encourages us to cultivate a state of inner harmony conducive to theripening of positive karma. Thus, the process of becomingmore aware of thepatterns underlying the events in our lives teaches us to navigate better thepsychologicalandkarmicseaswearesailing;bybecomingmoreawareofourkarma,wetakethefirststeptowardbecomingfreeofit.

Traditionally, there are severalways of becoming aware of the karma andcycles influencing one’s life. I have already mentioned astrology, with itssophisticated method of calculating subtle energies through a study of theplanetarypatternsbothat themomentofbirthaswellasthroughoutone’slife.Byunderstandingthecyclesoftheplanets,oneisabletobetterprepareforthembothexternallyandinternally.

Another commonly used method in the East centers around the ancientChinesebookofwisdom,theIChing.AlsoreferredtoasTheBookofChanges,thistextdescribesthemanyarchetypaltransformationstowhichallphenomenaaresubject,andthemyriadwaysthesegiverisetothecyclesandpatternswhichgovern the unfoldment of life. As mentioned in an earlier chapter, traditionallowsfortheactiveinvokingoftheinformationcontainedinthisworkthroughvariouschance-basedtechniques,suchascastingcoinsorsticks.Byinterpretingthe correspondences set down in this ancient manual of divination betweenparticularcoinorstickpatternsandthesixty-fourpatternsofchangeknownto

the ancient Chinese, a person can determine and reflect upon the archetypalpatternsatworkinhisorherlifeandbetterprepareforthecyclesahead.TheIChingexpressestheimportanceofkeepingtrackofthecyclicalpatternsinlifeinthefollowingwords:

TheSuperiormanorwomanSetsthecalendarinorderAndmakestheseasonsclear.

Theselinesarefollowedbyaparagraphofcommentary:

In the course of the year a combat takes place between the forces of light and the forces ofdarkness,eventuating in therevolutionof theseasons.Humanbeingsmaster thesechanges innaturebynoting theirregularityandmarkingoff thepassageof timeaccordingly. In thiswayorderandclarityappear in theapparentlychaoticchangesof the seasons,andhumanbeingsareabletoadjustthemselvesinadvancetothedemandsofthedifferenttimes.4

Other divinatory methods such as laying and interpreting Tarot cards orrunestonesworkonsimilarprinciples.Thereasonsuchmethods“work”—thatis,yieldusefulinformationaboutthekarmicpatternsandcyclesthroughwhichwearemoving—isthat,asIhavebeenshowing,everythingisconnectedwithinameaningfulpatternofdesign.InterpretingacrypticpassagefromtheIChingoraparticularspreadofTarotcardsisawayoflinkinginnerandouterreality.Theforcesof“chance”whichdeterminewhichsymbolswillbe turnedup inaTarot spread are, in fact, reflections of the underlying karmic patterns whichgovern life, as is the mind which interprets these symbols. Keeping track ofthese symbols in a journal, tracking how they reflect the ups and downsexperienced in various areas of life, brings into awareness how much eachindividual life isapartofall that there is.Themore thatweareawareof thisconnection,themorewecanusetheinformationprovidedbythesymbolswhichsurroundustoliveinharmonywiththeuniverse.

In the next chapter,we look at another formative principle atwork in ourlives, one concerned less with the influence of our past legacies and focusedmoreonthepotentialsofourfuture.

CHAPTER10

THEARCHETYPES—WITHINANDWITHOUT

Beneaththeaccidentalsurfaceeffectsofthisworldsit—asofyore—thegods.

—JosephCampbell

Central to the symbolist worldview is the conviction that underlying theapparentcomplexityoftheworldisadeepersimplicity—aprimarylanguageofsymbols which governs all experience. Just as all musical compositions arebased on a scale of notes, and all paintings are variations on a spectrum ofcolors,sophilosophersandmysticshavetaughtthatallformsorphenomenaarereducibletoasetofessentialuniversalprinciplesorarchetypes.

To ancient Chinese mystics, for example, all phenomena were seen asexpressions of the five cosmic elements and the sixty-four hexagramsof the IChing. For ancient Pythagoreans, the archetypes were described in terms ofdivine Numbers or numerological principles thought to lie at the heart of allexistence. Plato and his followers spoke of the transcendental Ideas, forms ofwhich everything in this world is a shadow or reflection. In Jewish esotericthought,theworldwasseenascomprisedofpatternssymbolizedbythetwenty-twolettersoftheHebrewalphabetandthetensephiroth,themysticalprinciplesofexistencewhichmakeuptheKabbalistTreeofLife.StudentsofTarotlooktothetwenty-twocardsofthemajorarcanaforsymbolsofthedynamicprocessesof reality. Astrologers past and present describe these universal through thesymbolismof theplanetsand the twelvesignsof thezodiac.Even in societieswhere the archetypal hypothesis may not have been explicitly articulated, itspresencecanstillbeglimpsedintheviewofaworldgovernedbyapantheonofgodsandgoddesses,eachofwhomrulesoveranaspectofreality.

Different cultures have explained these universal principles in different

ways.Atthesubtlestlevelofunderstanding,archetypesarenotstaticsymbolssomuchaslivingprocesses—inlinguisticterms,akinmoretoverbsthantonouns,activeprinciplesratherthanobjects.Becauseoftheiressentiallydynamicnature,anarchetypalsymbolcannotbelimitedtoanyparticularform;ratheritmanifestsin many ways, on every level of experience. The ancient Greeks describedarchetypes as a kind of “prime imprinter,” an original text from which latercopies could be derived. Like the letters of an alphabet, archetypes can becombined inamultitudeofways toproduce thevarietyof familiareventsandexperiences.

Forthemystic,knowledgeofthesearchetypesisvaluableonseverallevels.Anunderstandingoftheseprinciplesisaskeletonkeytodecodethepatternsofeverydayexperience. If life isa sacred text, archetypesare its language,andafamiliarity with their meaning, the key to reading its hidden messages. Aknowledge of the archetypes reveals the hidden connections linking disparatephenomena,allowingustodiscernthehiddenshapeunderlyingtheunfoldmentof our personal and collective lives. Philosophically, understanding archetypalqualities also permits us to recognize the commonalities uniting the symbolicsystemsofdiverseculturesandtouncoverthedeepertruthinformingthemall.

Letustakeacloserlookatarchetypesastheyhavebeenviewedwithintwoimportantsystemsoftraditionalsymbolism,astrologyandtheyogicphilosophyof the chakras. On the surface, these systems seem quite different, astrologylargelyconcernedwiththeouterworldormacrocosm;thechakrasdescribingtheinner,psychologicalrealmormicrocosm.Infact,thesephilosophicsystemsareconnected in importantways, andblending themcanhelpusunderstandmorepreciselyhowtheouterworldreflectstheinner.

THEARCHETYPESWITHOUT:THEPLANETSAsaphilosophicalsystem,astrologyisbestunderstoodasanexpressionof

sacred cosmology. Traditional societies saw the universe as a living presence;celestialbodieswereensouled,eachwithauniquemeaningandsetofqualities.Theancientsclothedtheseassociationsinmyth,viewingeachcelestialformastheembodimentofagodorgoddess,andthemovementsoftheheavenlybodiesas the actionsofdivinebeings.While thepersonifications associatedwith thismythic perspective have long since disappeared, except for the names still

associatedwithmanyplanetsandstars,astrologershavekeptalivetheirancientmeanings.ThusthoughtheplanetMarsisnolongeranembodimentofthegodofwar,astrologystillseesitassymbolicofdynamic,aggressiveenergies,justasVenus is symbolic of life’s alluring, harmonizing, and tranquilizing energies.Understoodesoterically, then, eachplanet represents an archetypalprinciple, areflectionwithintimeandspaceofatypeoftranscendentalenergy.

Eachplanet governs a class of symbols,whichdespite differences in formarelinkedbyadeeperresonanceofmeaning.Thesesymbolsintermeshtoyieldacomplex language which informs our lives. Just as the ancient Greeks andRomansviewedpersonalfortuneasreflectingtheinfluenceofoneormoregods,astrologersviewtheunfoldmentofpersonaldestinyaslinkedtothemovementsoftheplanetaryarchetypes.Tobetterunderstandthisrelationship,letuslookatthemeaningsandcorrespondencesassociatedwith the sevenvisibleplanetsofancientastrology,beginningwiththeslowestofthe“greatwanderers.”

SATURN

Ofall theplanetsinthesolarsystem,Saturnexhibitsthemostvisibleanddramaticringsystem.Symbolicallyunderstood,thisfeaturereflectsthisplanet’slong-standing association with the archetypal principles of limitation, matter,structure,andtime—inalltheirconstructiveanddestructiveaspects.Withoutitsinfluence, nothing would have structure or shape, all growth would proceedunchecked; yet when overemphasized, structure becomes constriction andconfinement, strangling life and preventing development. In our lives, Saturnthusgovernsalleventswhichprovidelimitsandstructuresortestusinanyway,includinggovernmentalfiguresorlawenforcementofficials,parents,delays,orconstricting conditions of any sort. In the body, Saturn is associatedwith thestructuralelements,suchasthebones,back,andknees.Becauseof itsconcernwithmatter,italsogovernsscientificandeconomicprofessions.Noteaswellthesimilarity of this planet’s name with the word Satan— a linguistic reflection,some have argued, of the darker aspects of this planet’s limiting or selfishinfluence.

Metaphoric qualities associated with Saturn: Dry, Cool, Hard, Slow, Heavy,Old.

JUPITER

The largest planet of the solar system, Jupiter is associated with thearchetypal principle of expansion and the transcendence of limitations.WhenJupiter is absent, things cannot grow; life lacks enthusiasm. If too much inevidence, however, expansion turns projects or experiences toward excess. Inourlives,itisassociatedwithallconditionsorsymbolsofanexpansivenature,including long journeys, religious figures and institutions, gifts,winnings, andschools of higher learning.WhereasSaturn is the scientistwith amaterialisticperspective, Jupiter is the priest or philosopher, with an eye to the higherprinciplesunderlyingmatter.For this reason,Jupiter is related to thenotionofdivine providence and good luck—and in its flip side with the abuse of luckthroughgambling.Becauseofitssize,Jupiteralsodeterminesgravitationallytheplane of the ecliptic for the entire solar system; hence, it is the quintessentiallaw-giver, symbolically governing all situations involving the law, judicialsystems,moralorreligiousdogma.

MetaphoricqualitiesassociatedwithJupiter:Moist,Warm,Light,Expansive.

MARS

The mythological god of war, Mars governs the archetypal principle offorce or power. As applied toward constructive ends, Mars relates to theexpression of strength and courage; but when destructively expressed, itproducesviolenceandconflicts.Inourlives,itsinfluenceisassociatedwithallsituations or symbols relating to dynamic energy and forcefulness, such asathletes,competitiveencounters,fires,“heated”exchanges,assertiveindividuals,and crusades for constructive or destructive change.At itsmost extreme, it isassociatedwithweapons,wars,battlefields,andcriminals.AlthoughtheenergyofMarsispredominantlymasculine,itexpressesitselfinthelivesofwomenaswell, most clearly seen in the lives of women who champion causes, fightbattles, or pioneer change, such asHillaryClinton,Amelia Erhardt and,moretraditionally,JoanofArc.

MetaphoricqualitiesassociatedwithMars:Hot,Dry,Fast,Hard,Sharp,Rough.

VENUS

The mythological goddess of love and desire, Venus embodies thearchetypal principles of beauty, harmony, and allurement in all their forms. Incontrast tothecoarseandabruptqualityofMars,Venusbringsrefinementandpleasure to all that she touches. In our lives, this archetype expresses itselfthrough situations or symbols that involve beauty, love, or pleasure, includingromantic encounters, art or art museums, luxurious or refined environments,money,andrichorexpensivefoods.Onourbodies,Venusgovernsallbeautifulfeatures and adornments. And whereas Mars seeks to divide and createboundaries,reflectingitsroleasthesymbolofego,Venusattemptstounifyandbring harmony to all things. Thus this archetypal energy governs socialinteractions, including parties and other entertainment and occasions ofmediationanddiplomacy.However,justasthebeautyofthisplanetconcealsaninferno of raging heat at its surface, so the hedonistic pleasures ofVenus canincinerate the unwary in its fiery crucible—note, for instance, its associationwith theword venereal. Thus this archetypemust be approachedwith greatercautionthanplanetslikeMarsorSaturn,whichexhibittheirdangersupfrontforalltosee.

MetaphoricqualitiesassociatedwithVenus:Moist,Cool,Soft,Slow,Sweet.

MERCURY

The planet closest to the Sun, Mercury is symbolic of the mind, whichlikewiseservesasmessengerbetweenspiritandsoul,consciousnessandmatter.Through theprincipleofMercury(inGreek,Hermes),weunderstandmeaninginall itsforms.Forthisreason,Mercury/Hermesgovernsallsymbolicsystemsand their study. The word hermeneutics, the art of symbolic interpretation, isbasedonthisassociation.Thefastestoftheplanets,Mercuryhintsatthespeedandchangeabilityofthemind’soperations.Inourlives,Mercuryexpressesitselfthrough situations involving communication and knowledge, including books,media, libraries, conversations, teachers, classrooms,aswell as short journeys.On the body, Mercury is linked to those areas most associated withcommunicationandthought,includingthebrain,hands,tongue,andvocalcords.This archetype is also associatedwith themythological trickster, a figurewhosurprisesorupsetsuswithclownishorunpredictablebehavior.

Metaphoric qualities associated with Mercury: Like quicksilver, itscorrespondingmetal,thisarchetypeparadoxicallymergesthepolaritiesofMoistandDry,CoolandWarm,FastandSlow.

THEMOON

RadiantwiththereflectedlightoftheSun,theMoonisassociatedwiththeprinciple of reflectivity and the archetypal feminine in all her aspects. In ourlives theMoongovernswater,mirrors,women, and the emotions.As theSunrules over the daytime, the Moon archetypally governs the night side ofexistence, when we retreat from the glare of the marketplace into our ownprivate world. Thus the Moon expresses itself symbolically through ouremotionallife,aswellasallfamilyanddomesticsituations.IncontrastwiththeharshclarityoftheSun,theMoon’slightissoftandnurturing.Thisarchetypeisthegreatnourisher,caringforallwhocomeintoitssphere.Thusitgovernsallsituations involvingnourishment of any type, includingprovidingor receivingfood, restaurants, mental or health care figures, babies and, in particular, themother. On the body, the Moon governs those parts that provide or receivenourishment, including the stomach, breasts, and mouth. In reflection of theconstantly changing phases of the Moon, this archetype also governs theprocessesofcyclicalchange—thenaturalcyclesofgrowthanddecay, lifeanddeath.

Metaphoric qualities associated with the Moon: Moist, Cool, Soft, Fluid,Changeable.

THESUN

Symbolizedbyacirclewithadotatitscenter,theSunisthecentralforceof our solar system, and thus is the archetype of eminence and rulership. Intraditionalsystems, theSunisassociatedwithkings, lions, theheart,andgold,the incorruptiblemetal—all symbolsholdingacentralplace in their respectiverealms.Astheorbwhichilluminatesthedaytimeworld,thisarchetypegovernstheouterworldingeneral,andthuspublicself-expression.Inourlives,theSunis linked symbolically to fathers and other prominent individuals—those wemightcall“stars”—alongwithallcreativeortheatricalinstitutionsandsituationsinvolvingpublicexposureorrecognition.JustastheSunisthesourceforalllifeandenergyinthesolarsystem,soinourownlifethearchetypalSunrepresentscreative gestation,withoutwhich life cannot begin.Yet like the desert Sun atnoon,inexcessitcanproducealifelessheatwhichmakesnourishmentorevensurvival impossible. When overemphasized the Sun’s archetypal forceencouragesconcernwithoutervalues,suchascareerandachievement,withoutthecounterbalanceofreflectivityorinnercultivationofsoul.

MetaphoricqualitiesassociatedwiththeSun:Warm,Dry,Bright,Loud,Regal.

Together, the Sun and Moon express the fundamental masculine andfeminine polarities inherent in all phenomena.1 Of the two, however, the Sunassumes a certain preeminence as the unifying principle underlying allarchetypes;forjustastheplanetsshinebythereflectedlightoftheSun,soallotherarchetypalprinciplesdrawmeaningfromthereflectedlightoftheunitarysolarsource,orpureconsciousness.FortheancientPythagoreans, theSunwastherefore associated with the number One, the root of all other numbers, andwiththemythologicalgodApollo,supremeinhisbrilliance.

When viewed symbolically, our lives reveal themselves as reflecting theinfluenceof allof thesearchetypalprinciples, invaryingdegreesof emphasis.Foroneperson, Jupitermaybe themost influential symbol,manifestingas anassortmentofexpansion-relatedsymbolsandexperiences,suchaslongjourneys,involvementswithchurchesorcolleges,orpossiblyexcessappetites;whileforanother person, the primary archetype may be Mercury, leading to a lifeemphasizing communication, thinking, or teaching. Commonly, an individuallife will reflect a blend of several archetypes, such as a mixture of Saturn(structure)andMars(force),whichmightleadapersontoalifecenteredaround

lawenforcementorleadershipinthemilitary.Oncewearefamiliarwiththesymbolicmeaningoftheplanets,wecanbegin

to discern the influence of the archetypes in the transitory circumstances ofeveryday life aswell.Over the course of several days, for instance, awomanmight find herself surrounded by a series of notable Mercury symbols—herplanstopublishabookaredelayedbylegalproblems,severalpenssheisusingcoincidentally run out of ink, and a letter to an old friend is returned due toinsufficient postage. Since Mercury is the planet of mind, this confluence ofproblematic symbolsmight suggest thather thinking ismoreprone to errorormistakes during this time, and that she might need to be more cautious thannormal in communicating with others or signing contracts. Ideas or plansformulatedduringthistimewouldbenefitfromcloseinspection.Byrecognizingthe network of correspondences associated with the planetary archetypes, thehiddenthreadsofmeaningconnectingeventscanbebetterunderstoodandtheirhiddenmessagesandimplicitwarningsdecodedandused.

Moreover,perceivingthearchetypaldimensionofcircumstancesallowsforadeeper insight into the lessons unfolding in one’s life. For instance, awomanmayhaveaseriesofdramaticlossesordisappointments,suchasthedissolutionof a long-term business arrangement and the ending of a marriage or otherrelationship. Looking at these events through the lens of the planetaryarchetypes, she might discover that she is under the influence of a powerfulSaturnenergy.AlthoughSaturncanbuildupnewstructures,itcanalso,liketheGrim Reaper, act to break down or cut away old patterns or personal “deadwood” thatmay be obstructing one’s growth and, by so doing, revealwhat isvaluableinone’slife.ThroughrecognizingthesignatureofSaturn,thewomanmayrealizethatthelossesshehasexperiencedarenotmeaninglessoraccidentalbutarefacetsofalarger—albeitdifficult—restructuringprocesswhichissettingthestageforanewlifedirection.

THEPLANETSTHROUGHTHESIGNSYet the planets represent only one of several layers of interpretation in an

astrological analysis. Astrologers also speak of secondary celestial patternscalledsignsandhouses.Simplyexplained,thesefactorsderivefromdividingthesky into twelve segments, each of which serves as a kind of “filter” for theplanetaryarchetypes.

Letusbrieflyconsiderthefirstoftheseindicators.Mostofushaveheardtheterm “Sun sign.” Traditional astrology holds that the Sun takes on a certaincoloring or emphasis as itmoves through each of the twelve segments of thezodiacal year. Thus a person born in May while the Sun is in the segmentassociatedwiththesignTaurusissaidtohave“SuninTaurus,”whileapersonborn in October has the Sun in Libra, and so forth. In fact, at the time of aperson’sbirth,alloftheplanetsaremovingthroughoneoranotherofthetwelvezodiacalsigns.Thus,whileawoman’sSunmaybeinAries,leadingtoapublicidentityorientedtowardassertiveorimpulsiveself-expression,herVenusmightbe in Pisces, giving an artistic, sensitive, or imaginative cast to her socialexpressions.Together, thearrangementofplanets throughout thevarious signscombinetocreateacomplexpictureofarchetypalqualitiesinaperson’slife.

Theenergiesofthetwelvesignsarecomplexandmultifaceted,butasenseoftheirflavorcanbeexpressedthroughafewkeyadjectives.Belowisabrieflistofkeywordsforeachsign.Amongtheassociationslistedforeachplanetisoneof the four traditional elements: earth, water, fire, and air. These relatesymbolically to the four primary modes of experience through which theplanetary archetypes manifest in our lives: earth to practicality, water toemotionality,firetodynamicexpressiveness,andairtointellectuality.

Aries(fire):assertive,impulsive,daring

Taurus(earth):practical,comfortable,beautiful

Gemini(air):communicative,variable,entertaining

Cancer(water):maternal,sentimental,protective

Leo(fire):creative,expressive,egotistical

Virgo(earth):analytical,methodical,mental

Libra(air):interpersonal,indecisive,harmonious

Scorpio(water):passionate,secretive,transformative

Sagittarius(fire):expansive,enthusiastic,adventurous

Capricorn(earth):authoritative,public,ambitious

Aquarius(air):innovative,independent,social

Pisces(water):inspirational,vague,emotional

Importantly, theancientssaweachplanetascloselyalignedinqualitywithone ormore zodiacal signs.A planetwhose qualitiesmatched those of a signwasassigned the“rulership”of thatsign.Thus thesevenvisibleplanetsof thetraditional solar systemwere said to govern the twelve zodiacal signs: SaturnrulingbothCapricornandAquarius;JupiterrulingSagittariusandPisces;Marsruling Aries and Scorpio; Venus ruling Taurus and Libra; Mercury rulingGemini and Virgo; the Moon ruling Cancer; the Sun ruling Leo. In theaccompanying chart, the signs are arranged in a wheel, with the traditionalplanetaryrulersalignedwiththesignsthey“govern.”

Aswehaveseen,eachplanetinaperson’shoroscopeislocatedwithinoneofthesesigns.Sometimes,severalplanetswillcongregateinasinglesign,whileinothercaseseveryplanetwillinhabitadifferentsign.Theoverallblendingoftheplanets in thesigns,alongwithother factorsnotexploredhere,determinesthegeneralcharacterofthehoroscopeandthepersonalitybornunderit.Inshort,the astrological chart could be described as a snapshot of the universe at themomentofaperson’sbirth.Interpretedsymbolically,thechartoffersaglimpseinto thearchetypalpatternsatplayat the timeofbirth,whichmaymanifest insuchareasascareer,money,health,family,romance,friendships,andjourneys.

Thetraditionalrulersofthezodiacalsigns.

READINGANASTROLOGICALCHARTToillustratehowthesevariousfactorsmightcometogetherinanastrological

reading, let us consider the natal horoscope for a man I will call John. (Forclarity, I have omitted the more recently discovered outer planets, Uranus,Neptune,andPluto;inamorefullyrenderedreading,thesewouldbetakenintoconsiderationaswell.)

AstrologicalchartforJohn.

There aremany thingswhich an astrologermight consider in looking at a

chart like this one; let us for now consider only the most prominentcharacteristics. First of all, notice the concentration of planets within thezodiacal sign of Virgo (circled here for emphasis). As we have noted above,Virgo,whichisruledbyMercury,ischaracterizedbythekeywordsanalytical,methodical,andmental.Thusinbroadterms,thisconfigurationtendstoindicateanindividualwhoselifewillbeinvolvedwithmentaldevelopment,analysis,andcommunication. Virgo is also associated with the constructive channeling ofmentalenergiesintosuchareasaspublicserviceandhealing.SinceboththeSun(public identity) andSaturn (authority figures) are included in thegroupingofplanets in Virgo, the configuration in this chart might indicate a person whowould be regarded as an authority in these areas. Note also that the heavyconcentration of planets is near the very top of the chart, indicating that theywereliterallypositionedoverheadintheskywhenJohnwasborn.Becausetheupperandlowerhalvesofthechartsymbolizethepublicandtheprivateaspectsof a person’s life, with the main horizontal line cutting across the chartrepresentingthehorizonoftheEarthasseenfromthebirthplace,thepositionoftheplanets inVirgodirectlyoverheadfurtheremphasizes that John's talentsorambitionsmightexpressthemselvesinapublicway,possiblythrustinghimintoapositionoffameorrecognition.

Infact,themanwhosechartchartIamusingasanexampleisasuccessfulwriter in thespiritual field,specializing inworksofphilosophy,astrology,andorientalhealing.Hiswritingisprecise,conservativeinflavor,andinsightful initsanalysisofphilosophicalconcepts,withabiastowardtraditionalsystemsandvalues.Hefrequentlylecturesonthesetopics.Ofcourse,aconfigurationsuchasthe one in this chart couldmanifest inmany otherways, includingwork as adoctor,publicservant,orevenalibrarian.

In short, the horoscope is an archetypal diagram of our lives; within thesymbols of the sky, we find a reflection of our own unfolding potentials. Anastrologicalchartisnot,Imustemphasize,ablueprintforarigiddestiny.Rather,itisamapoftheintricateandultimatelyilluminatingsetofinterconnectionsthatexist between an individual life and the cosmic forces and archetypes of theuniverse. As such, astrology seems to illustrate well the traditional symbolistmaxim,“Asabove,sobelow.”

Ifastrologyteachesustofindmeaningfulsymbolsinthelargeruniverseormacrocosm, the yogic philosophy of the chakras teaches us to find symbolicmeaning as well in the interior energies of our own body, a microcosmic

universe.Asweseebelow,thearchetypalenergiesexpressedbytheplanetsandsigns of the outer universe have inner, psychological correspondences in thechakrapointsof thebody.Toexplore thisconceptmore fully,we turnnowtotheyogicsystemofthechakras.

THEARCHETYPESWITHIN:THECHAKRASJust as external phenomena are linked symbolically with the planets, so

psychologicalexperiencescanbeassociatedwithinnerarchetypesinasystemofsacredpsychology thatholds that individualmentalandemotionalexperiencesare expressions of cosmic energies and universal principles. In many ancientsocieties, an emotion—desire, for example—was not simply a hormonalresponsetoastimulus;rather,itreflectedtheinfluenceofadivineforce,suchastheclassicalgoddessof love,Venus,oroneofhercognategoddesses inothertraditions,liketheEgyptianHathorortheHinduLakshmi.Thustheexperiencesofthepsycherepresentedtheinteractionsofdivineprinciplesinvaryingstatesofharmonyordiscord.

The inner archetypes are described in many traditional sources, but theirmost sophisticated expression is in the Hindu yogic system of the chakras.Literally translated from the Sanskrit as “wheels,” the chakras are psycho-spiritual centers of consciousness located within the subtle body, along thelengthof the spine.There are thousandsof chakricpoints in thebody, thoughyogic philosophy chiefly emphasizes seven or, in some schools, eight. Eachpointcorrespondstoaparticularareaofpsychologicalconcern,rangingfromthemost basic drive for survival to the most elevated impetus towards self-realization and divinity. The interaction of the energies of these centerscomprisesthechangingtexturesofhumanpsychologicalexperience.

Accordingtoanumberofprominentteachersandmystics,eachchakracanbe linked with a planetary symbol; thus the chakra system comprises a solarsystem within in reflection of the planetary bodies without. The ChristianPlatonicphilosopherOrigen,writinginthethirdcenturyafterChrist,concurredwiththiscorrespondence:“Understandthat thouartanotherworldinlittle,andhastwithin thee theSunand theMoon,andalso thestars.”An importantkey,then, to a whole system of symbolic analysis is the realization that sacredpsychology reflects sacredcosmology.Thus, thequalities associatedwitheachchakra canbe aligned to the qualities of a particular planet.Onpage204 is a

table illustrating the links between these systems, along with other importantcorrespondenceswhichwillbeimportantasthediscussiondevelops.

Traditionalastrological-chakriccorrespondences.

Tobeginexploringsomeof the linksbetweenthesesystems, letus lookinmore detail at the symbolicmeanings of the chakras, startingwith the lowestenergycenteron the spinal tree.The associations citedhere aredrawn largelyfromthephilosophicsystemofKriyaYoga,butcloselymatchthosedescriptionsfoundinotherschoolsofthought.

(1)MULADHARACHAKRA

Located at the base of the spinal column, this chakra governs a person’srelationshipwithmatterandallearthlyconcerns.LikeitsplanetarycounterpartSaturn, it concerns the awareness of structure and limitation in all situations.Psychologically,itrelatestosuchstatesasworldlyambitionorstatus,aswellasaperson’scapacity for innerstructure,self-discipline,andperseverance.Whenoveremphasized, it can cause a person to be depressed, greedy, or heavy.Underemphasized, it can lead to impracticality or spaciness. In general, thischakraisintegrallyrelatedtoanindividual’ssenseofbeinggrounded.Expressedintheimageryofsubpersonalities,wemightimaginativelythinkofthischakraastheInnerArchitectorInnerDisciplinarian.

(2)SVADISTHANACHAKRA

Located at the small of the back, the second chakra constitutes adevelopmentalleapbeyondthematerialorsurvivalconcernsofthebasechakra.Itconcernsanindividual’sawakeningtotheworldoffeelingsandvalues.JustasJupiteristhelargestofalltheplanets,sothischakrarelatestotheexpansionofconsciousnessbeyondlimitations,andthustosuchstatesasdevotion,religiosity,and enthusiasm. Whereas the first chakra is classically associated with theprincipleofearth,thesecondchakraissymbolizedbytheelementofwater,andthuswithouremotions.AswithJupiter,whenimbalancedthischakraproducesatendencytowardindolenceorexcessinone’stastesandself-expression.Alongwiththethirdchakra,it islinkedtotheexperienceofpassionandsexuality.Initshealthyexpression,wemightdescribethesecondchakraimaginativelyastheInnerOptimistorInnerCheerleader;initsunbalancedform,itcanbetheInnerEscapistortheInnerEvangelist,becauseofitspotentiallydogmaticenergy.

(3)MANIPURACHAKRA

The third chakra, located at the level of the solar plexus, concerns thequalitiesofforcefulnessandenergygenerally.RelatedtotheplanetMarsandtheelementoffire, it isassociatedwithourdynamicemotionsorpassions.Atthischakriclevelweawakentotheegoandourseparateself-sense;thusitisstronglyconnected with such issues as power, competitiveness, and the forging ofboundaries. When imbalanced, it produces anger or defensiveness; but whenbalanced,itconfersstrengthandresolve.Personified,thischakramaybethoughtofastheInnerWarriororInnerAthlete.

(4)ANAHATACHAKRA

Attheleveloftheheart,consciousnessturnsfromtheanimalisticdrivesoftheegoandascends toward theupliftingexperiencesof loveandbeauty.LiketheplanetVenus,thefourthchakragovernsaperson’sbasicsenseofharmony,andthusthecapacityforromanticorsocialinteraction.Linkedtotheelementofair, it represents the first movement beyond basic emotionality toward reasonandintellect.Althoughpotentiallyasourceofgreatunselfishness,theenergyoftheheartchakracan,whenimbalanced, lead tonarcissismor,as in thecaseofthesecond,Jupiterchakra,excessivepleasure-seeking.Whenunderemphasized,

itcanleadapersontobecoldordistanttowardothers,whetherromanticallyorsocially.Imaginatively,thefourthchakramaybethoughtofastheInnerLover,InnerArtist,orInnerHedonist.

(5)VISHUDDHACHAKRA

The throat chakra is intimately bound up with the expression anddevelopmentofthemind.LinkedtotheplanetMercury,thiscenteriscentralindetermininganindividual’sabilitytoformulateandarticulatethoughtsthroughverbalorwrittencommunication.Anoverlyactivatethroatchakracanproduceahyperactivemind or tendency toward verbosity,while an underemphasized orblocked throat chakra can cause difficulty with creative thought or clearcommunications.Classically, the fifthchakra is associatedwith theelementofether,thesymbolforpuremind.ThethroatchakramaybedescribedastheInnerCommunicatororInnerThinker.

(6)CHANDRACHAKRA

Rarelymentioned inpublishedwritings, thiscenterat thebackof theheadwasdescribedbyYoganandaas the feminine counterpart of the solar, or thirdeyechakraatthefrontofthehead.2JustastheMoonshinesbythereflectedlightof the Sun, so this chakra relates to a person’s capacity for reflectivity andresponsiveness, and thus to such faculties asmemory and psychic sensitivity.The energy of this chakra relates to a person’s capacity to give or receivenurturing and is thus linked to such symbols as family, the mother, babies,cooking,home,andwomengenerally.Personified,thischakracanbedescribedastheInnerMother,InnerNurturer,orInnerQueen.

(7)AJNACHAKRA

Locatedat thecenterof theforehead, thesolarchakraor“thirdeye” is thesourceofourspiritualawareness.ReflectingthedynamicpropertiesoftheSun,thischakrarepresents thearchetypalmasculine,governingsuchfactorsaswill,higher rationality, creativity, and one’s sense of purpose or vision. As thefountainhead of personal consciousness, it concerns an individual’s self-expression and essential personality.Mystics have claimed that at the heart ofthis chakra is a five-pointed star, the quintessential symbol of our personal

divinity. In some respects, this chakramaybedescribedas theonlygenuinelyautonomous chakra of the entire chakric system; for in the sameway that theplanetsinoursolarsystemallshinebythereflectedlightoftheSun,soallthechakrasbelowthispointcanbesaidto“shine”ordrawconsciousnessfromthereflected light of theAjna chakra, the seat and source of personal awareness.ThischakracanbesymbolicallyexpressedastheInnerFatherorInnerKing.

(8)SAHASRARACHAKRA

Beyond the Sun and Moon chakras, yogic mysticism also describes achakra at the top of the head. Sometimes referred to as the “thousand-petaledlotus”or the “crownchakra,” thispoint canbeviewedas the culminationandperfectionof thesolarand lunarprinciples immediatelybelow it, analogous totheupperpointofatriangleinrelationtothetwopointsofitsbase.Whereasthethirdeye,orsolarchakraattheforeheadrelatestotherealizationofourpersonalselfhood,theSahasrarachakrarelatestotheawakeningoftranspersonaldivinity,or “God consciousness.” Since the crown chakra lies beyond the archetypalframework of the lower seven chakras and their planetary correlates, it issometimesreferredtoasthe“SunBeyondtheSun”orthe“SunBeyondTime.”Formost individuals, thecrownchakra is essentiallydormant; additionally, itsenergiesare transpersonal rather thanpersonal.Hence, its influenceonchakricpsychologyandsymbolismisindirect.

Byunderstandingthesymbolsassociatedwitheachchakra,wecanbegintounderstand other ideas discussed in traditional esoteric systems as well.According to some schools of thought, for example, each of the chakras andtheircorrespondingplanetscanbeassociatedwithametal:leadwiththelowestorfirstchakra; tinwith thesecondchakra; ironwith the third;copperwith thefourth;mercury (or quicksilver) with the fifth; silverwith the sixth; and goldwith the seventh. This set of correspondences gives insight into the ancientmystery of alchemy, the announced purpose of which was chemicallytransmuting lead intogold.Since lead represents the lowest, orSaturn chakra,andgold,thehighestorSolarcenter,thetransformationofleadintogoldcanbeseenasametaphorfordrawingconsciousnessupfromthegrossmaterialplanesto its spiritual source. Incorruptible and immune to rust, gold is the perfectsymbol for the timeless state of enlightenment. Expressed in esoteric terms,throughthealchemicaltransformationofbaseleadintospiritualgold,theKing

regains his crown and throne and order is restored to the kingdom of one’spersonaluniverse.

NotethattheAjnachakraandtheChandrachakrarepresentdualexpressionsof the same basic level of being, namely, consciousness, in its active andreflectiveaspects.Thusthegoalof theascentof innerenergies isnot theAjnachakra by itself, but rather the balanced merging of masculine and feminineenergies, symbolically expressed as the “marriage of the Sun and theMoon.”Viewed esoterically, the head is the “land ofmilk and honey”—milk being asymbol of the Moon, and honey, of the Sun. The state of consciousnessassociatedwiththeheadchakrasisthepromisedlandofenlightenmentweseektoenterthroughspiritualawakening.

Just as our outer lives reflect the influence of the various planets of ourastrological horoscope, so our psychological states reflect the combinedinfluenceofthevariouschakrasofoursubtlebody.Leavingthetranspersonalorcrown chakra aside, varying degrees of emphasis among the seven personalchakrasmanifest asdifferent typesofpersonalities.For example, anathleteorcareersoldiermighthaveahighlyactivated thirdchakraasa life-longpattern,whereas an artist would be more likely to have an emphasized heart center.Considerablymorecomplexcombinationsofenergyamongthechakriccentersare possible as well. Both Plato and Aristotle, for example, could becharacterizedasfifth-chakraor intellectualpersonalities.However, in themoredown-to-earth and scientifically-minded Aristotle, the energies of the fifthchakrawouldhavebeenlinkedclosely to theearthyfirstchakra, incontrast tothemorepurelyrationalPlato,whorepresentedarelativelydirectexpressionofthethroatchakra.

TheMarriageoftheSunandMoon.

THETWELVECHAKRICSUBCOMPARTMENTSUntilnow,wehaveconsideredthesymbolismofthechakrasonlyinitsmost

general and simplified form. Yet as with astrology, a more comprehensiveunderstandingisuseful.Thearchetypesandsymbolsofchakricpsychologyarecomplexandmultidimensional,witheachchakrapossessingthreedistinctmodesof expression: masculine, feminine, and balanced. Thus, the energy of eachchakracanbedivertedtoitsrightside,toitsleftside,orexpressedinabalancedwaywithinthecenterofthespine.Initsmasculineaspect,achakra’senergywilltend to be mental in nature and relate to events in the external world. In itsfeminine aspect, a chakra’s energy will be largely internal or emotional inexpressionand relate toevents in theastralordreamworld. In itsbalancedorcentral expression, the energy of each chakra will be spiritual and may beexpressedthroughsubtlefeelingstates.

Thestatesofconsciousnessassociatedwith theperipheralenergiesofeachchakra can be linked to the symbolism of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Forexample, the lowest or Saturn chakra is concerned with materiality and theprincipleofstructure. In its feminineandinternalexpression, thisenergyoftenmanifestsinasenseofstructurerelativetoone’spersonalstatusandpositioninthe world, which in astrology relates to the sign Capricorn; while in itsmasculine and extroverted form, the Saturn chakra governs the awareness ofstructuresorpatternswithinthecollective,impersonalsphere,asinthestudyofscientificorsocialpatterns,whichinastrologyislinkedtothesignAquarius.

A similar pattern of correspondences can be found for each of the otherchakras.ThesecondorJupiterchakraconcernstheawakeningofenthusiasmandexpansive perception. On the masculine side, this manifests as an outwardlydirectedspiritofexplorationorevangelism,whichisexpressedinastrologybythesignSagittarius.Initsfeminineandemotionalexpression,thesecondchakraconcerns themovement toward inner explorationorpossibly escapism, relatedastrologically to the sign Pisces. The third orMars chakra concerns the vitalforce of one’s personality. In its masculine mode, it manifests as outwardlydirectedaggressionorforcefulnesslinkedtotheastrologicalsignAries;whileinitsfeminineorintrovertedexpression,itgovernsthecontrolorevenrepressionof internal emotions and energies related to the sign Scorpio. The fourth orVenus chakra manifests on the masculine side as outer social or artistic

harmony, or Libra; while in its feminine or introverted expression, as theawarenessof innerpeaceor harmony, orTaurus. In itsmasculine, extrovertedexpression, the throatchakraexpresses its intellectualityascommunicationsormentalcreativityintheouterworld,linkedastrologicallytoGemini;whileinitsfeminine expression, as the internal analysis and digestion of informationsymbolizedastrologicallybyVirgo.Thesixthandseventhchakras,feminineandmasculineexpressionsoftheenergyofpureconsciousness,areeachrelatedtoasingle sign. The sixth or Moon chakra is linked astrologically to Cancer, orreflectiveawarenessoftheinnerworld,andtheseventhorSunchakra,toLeo,orexpressiveawarenessintheouterworld.

The accompanying diagram shows the chakra centers and the astrologicalsignsthatcorrespondtotheleft-sideandright-sideexpressionsoftheirenergy.Thecentralexpressionofeachchakra’senergyisitsmostbalancedorspiritual.Notethatthemasculineandfeminineexpressionsoftheenergyofeachchakrashiftsidesasonemovesupthespinaltree.ThusthemasculineexpressionoftheSaturnchakra ison the left side,while themasculineexpressionof theJupiterchakraisontheright.

Theinnerzodiac

Thischartshowshowtheclassicalplanetaryrulershipsforthetwelvesignscan be transposed onto the chakra system. Thus, for example, the fourth orVenuschakraislinedupwithitsfeminineexpression,Taurus,anditsmasculineexpression, Libra. Mystics such as Paramahansa Yogananda regarded thisarrangement of the zodiacal signs as the “Cosmic Man.”3 Symbolically, itexpresses the complex weave of interconnections between our inner,psychological universe and the outer cosmos. It illustrates that just as theplanetary bodies of the solar system move through a twelve-stage zodiacalcircuit,sothesubtleenergiesofourconsciousnesstravelthroughthepathwayofaninnerzodiac,incontinualandrestlessunfoldment.

Onone level, theright-and left-handaspectsofeachchakracanbeseenas

repositories for an individual’s karmic imprints and samskaras, themental oremotionalhabitpatternsacquiredovermanylifetimes.Theinnerzodiaccanthusbe regarded as an elaborate filing system for memories and karmic energiesincurredovertime.Karmicseedsrelatedtotheintellect,forexample,arestoredwithin the “compartments” of the throat center related to Gemini and Virgo;while karmic imprints related to material or Earth-plane energies are storedwithinthetwincompartmentsof thebasechakrasymbolizedbyCapricornandAquarius. Over many lives, these patterns are built up and reinforced in ourunconscious, predisposing us in a cumulative way toward specific sets ofbehaviorsandmodesofreaction.

Although yogic philosophy traditionally tends to discuss this subject inliteral terms—karmic “seeds,” and the like—it is more likely that karmicenergies are not actually stored at specific points in the body, but simply findtheir greatest degree of resonance within particular chakric locations. Byanalogy,adiseasedliverwouldberegardedbyaholistichealernotasaproblemonlyof the liver,but asa systemiccondition thathas itsgreatest focus in thatorganofthebody—indeed,sincetheliverisassociatedbyastrologerswiththeplanet Jupiter,wemight even say symbolically that a person’s liver conditionextendsouttoencompassJupiteritself!Similarly,itisperhapsmoreaccuratetosaythatkarmaisafieldphenomenonwhichextendsthroughspaceandtimeonmany different levels of consciousness, but which resonates to certain nodalpointsinthechakricsysteminparticularlyintenseways.

An individual’s psychology represents a complex combination of chakricenergies. For example, a woman might exhibit an especially powerfulcombinationofenergyat thefourth(heart)andfirst(base)chakras, thecentersrelatingtoaestheticsensibilityandtopracticalityandstructure.Thisblendmightmanifest in a career as an artist, sculptor, or architect. A man might have apreponderance of karmic energies in the masculine side of the throat chakra(Gemini)andthemasculinesideof thenavelchakra(Aries).Thiscombinationcouldmanifestinanassertivecommunicationstyle,asmightbeseeninthelifeofapublicspeaker,critic,orlawyer.Awiderangeofvariations,manyofthemfar more complex than those mentioned here, are possible among the twelvechakricstates.

The essential point is this: an intimate correspondence exists between thearchetypalpatternsunfoldingoutside and insideof eachperson.Schopenhaueronce asked, “Is a completemisadjustment possible, between the character and

the fate of an individual?Or is every destiny on thewhole appropriate to thecharacter that bears it?” The symbolist tradition holds that misadjustmentbetweencharacterandfateisimpossible;eachperson’sdestinyis—onthewhole—appropriate.

THEHOROSCOPEASCHAKRICDIAGRAMWehavebeenexploringhow the interlockingkeys that symbolist tradition

suppliesallowustodecipherthedestinypatternsofourinnerandouterlife.Ifweknowhow to interpret the symbolismofouterexperience,wecan read theenergiesofourinneruniverseandintuitwhichofourchakricenergycentersaremostactiveandpsychologicallyinfluential.Thusifaperson’souterexperiencereveals an abundance of Jupiter symbols—religious figures, gambling, longjourneys—itsuggestsaswelladominantsecondorJupiterchakra.Whetherthisenergy will express itself in constructive or destructive ways can often bedetermined from examining the specific symbols involved. The wife of aministerwhoselifehasbeendevotedtochurchwork,forexample,enjoysaverydifferent relationship with the archetypal energies of Jupiter than, say, a manwho spends every weekend gambling at the race track or casino. Thus theactivitiesandeventsunfoldinginourdailylivesmirrorourinnerpsychologicalandspiritualenergies,and theobstaclesandopportunitiesweencounter in lifeprovideimportantcluestothearchetypalforcesunfoldinginourinnerbeing.

The same holds true for the patterns indicated in our horoscope as well.Chapterninesuggestedthattherelationshipoftheouteruniversetothehumanpsyche was essentially synchronistic. In other words, planetary configurationsoccur in tandem with psychological experiences, as joint expressions of anunderlyingpattern.Theastrologicalchartcan thusbeused togive insight intoinner energies and influences.4 By examining the distribution of planetsthroughout the zodiac at themoment of someone’s birth,we obtain importantinsightsintotheenergypatternsoftheirchakrasaswell.

To illustrate this point, let us look again at the astrological chart analyzedearlier in thischapter and seewhat it revealsabout John’schakricenergies. Ifthecircularastrologicalchartshownonpage201isrotatedsothatthesignsLeoandCancer—corresponding to theSunand theMoonchakrasat the topof thespinal tree—are at the top of the chart, a fascinating set of parallels emergesbetweentheastrologicaluniversewithoutandthechakricenergieswithin.

AstrologicalchartforJohntransposedontochakrasystem.

Notice that the heavy concentration of planets in this diagram, which weearliersawinthesignofVirgo,arelocatedhereatthelevelofthefifthorthroatchakra. As in the astrological analysis, this placement indicates that John hasgenerated considerable karmic momentum over many lifetimes towarddevelopingthemind,perhapsintheareasofcommunication,writing,teaching,orevenhealing—theconstructiveapplicationofmind.Asmentionedpreviously,such activities are indeed features of John’s life.A clairvoyantmight actually“see”thisconcentrationofenergiesatJohn’sthroat,andJohnmightperceiveithimselfinmomentsofheightenedsensitivity.

Amongother things,applying thehoroscope to thechakricenergies in thiswayallowsustostepoutsideoursubjectiveperspectiveandlookatourpsychicconditionsfromanobjectivevantagepoint.Superimposingourastrologicalchart

onto the body gives us new insight into the archetypal forces which, incombination with our karma, shape both personal behavior and externalcircumstances.Ifwechoosetoremainignorantoftheseforces,wepermitthemthem to influence us unconsciously. Recognizing karmic patterns is thus animportantfirststeptowardthecultivationoffreewillandtheabilitytodirectourdestinybyconsciouschoiceratherthanthroughblindreactivity.

THEPATHOFBALANCEOur discussion to this point has focused on the expression of chakric

energies through their masculine or feminine modes. However, the mostbalancedandspiritualexpressionofanychakra’senergyiswithinthecenterofthespine.Forexample,thethroatchakra,associatedwithMercury,canexpressitselfoutwardlyascommunicationskillsor inwardlyas reflectiveanalysis;butonlyinitsbalancedstatedoesitfunctioninitshighestformasthe“messengertothegods”—thataspectofintellectthatcommuneswithspirit.Tounderstandwhythis is so, we must look briefly at the anatomy of the body’s subtle energysystem.

Weaving their way through the chakras are three energy channels, callednadisinSanskrit.Themasculinechanneliscalledpingala;thefemininechannelida; and the central, neutral channel sushumna. Like highway systems, thesechannelsconnectthechakriccenters,movingenergythroughoutthesubtlebody.Below is a simplified diagram of these channels. Note the similarity of thedoublespiralshapeoftheinterweavingchannelstothecaduceus,thesymbolofthe Western medical profession. The shape is also reminiscent of the spiraldoublehelixoftheDNAmolecule,thebuildingblockofalllife.

In general terms, the “right-hand” or masculine channel relates toconsciousnessof thewakingexternalrealmanditssymbols; the“left-hand”orfeminine channel concerns consciousness of the astral or dream realm and itssymbols. By contrast, the central channel or sushumna is the “crack betweenworlds,” where consciousness exists in the form of balanced, blissful self-awareness.Thischannelistheonethroughwhichkundalini,theyogicenergyofenlightenedconsciousness,travels.5

The peripheral channels, ida and pingali, are closely involved with karmaand the mental and emotional imprints stored in the subcompartments on theright and left sides of the spine. Throughmost of our lives, our energies arediverted to one side or the other, asweoperate under the influenceof fear ordesire, subject to karmic patternswhich compel us to act inwayswhich havetheir roots in the past. Mystics refer to this state as “life on the wheel,” anunsatisfactoryexistencecharacterizedbythesufferingoflivingundertheswayofthearchetypalforcesofthephenomenalrealm.

Thethreesubtlechannels.

As a diagramof karmic patterns, the astrological chart reveals the path ofleast resistance, the tendencies of destiny contained in the peripheral channelsthatwillunfoldifwesurrendertotheflowwithoutexertingresistance.Butthechartcannotshowthedegreetowhichapersonwillresistthecompulsiveforcesof karma, by choosing instead tomaintain a condition of balanced perceptionwithinthecentralchannel.Initsmostprofoundform,spiritualitycanbethoughtofasaqualityof freedomrelative toall experiences,both subtleandgross. Ifordinary life is characterized as one in which we act largely out of karmiccompulsion, spiritual life is based upon free will. The spiritual adept may beaware of the archetypal cycles unfolding in his or her life, but has learned tomaintainabalancedstateofself-awarenesswhichallowsforgreaterlatitudein

respondingtothosepatterns.Thequestionattherootofspiritualconsciousnessis not whether the energies of the chakras and planets are good or bad, butwhetheranindividualisawareoftheirinfluencesandisstrivingconsciouslytoovercometheircompulsiveaspects.

Towards this end, the mystic aims to cultivate a deepening sense ofawareness within the central channel, what Yogananda referred to as the“highway to the Infinite.” Within this middle pillar, awareness of our truespiritual nature dawns, and an individual becomes free of the influence of thearchetypes—andoftimeitself.AsexpressedinthespiritualwritingsofancientIndia,

Sun[ida]andMoon[pingala]establishtimeintheformofdayandnight.Thesushumnaistheconsumeroftime.Thisissaidtobea[great]secret.6

Howdoesoneenterthisstateoffreedom?Yogicmysticismgivesusseveralclues.Asaresultofnaturalcycles,weautomaticallymovethroughthisbalancedstate numerous times over the course of our lives, during the daily crossoverpointsbetweenwakingandsleep,oratthethresholdbetweenlifeanddeath.Atthesenaturalbalancepoints,whenourenergiesshiftfromphysicaltoastral,wemomentarily glimpse this state of balance.7 Yet amidst the noise andemotionality of everyday life, we remain largely unaware of this subtle andfleetingcondition.Asimilarstateofbalanceoccurswithinthecollectivepsycheat those seasonal crossover points which occur during the spring and fallequinoxes,consideredtobepowerfultimesforpersonalorcollectivemeditation.

However,yogicmysticismaimstobringaperson’sawarenessconsciouslyinto the center channel rather than reaching this stateofbalance as a result ofnatural processes. Conscious control is achieved through such techniques asstilling the body, identifying andmastering the emotions associatedwith eachchakra, and increasing attunement to the sushumnic state through meditation.Theyogiworkstobalancethechakricenergiesonebyonebeforeascendingtotheseatofspiritualawareness in thehead. InShellyTrimmer’swords,“Theseseven[chakriccenters]becomethesevenstatesofawarenessbalancingthemaze[of Self] so that the spiritmight climb back unto itself. But each centermustgrow stronger than the maze to maintain its balance; this can only beaccomplishedthroughself-discipline.”8Havingestablishedhim-orherselfwithinabalancedcondition,themysticisfreetoutilizetheenergiesofthehoroscopeandchakrasbychoice,ratherthansimplythroughblindreactivity.

Theenergiesofourinneruniversecanmanifestinuniquelydifferentways,simultaneously, in any of the three channels we have been discussing. Forinstance,amanmayenjoyanenormous tideofgoodfortune inhiscareerandworldlypursuits,correspondingtotheripeningofpositivekarmicenergiesinthemasculinesideofhischakricfields.Atthesametime,hisdreamsmaybefulloftroublesomesymbolsandhisemotional statemaybedepressed,correspondingtodifficult karmic energies ripening in the feminine sideof his chakric fields.Sometimes, the symbols which appear in both the outer environment and theinner or dream life will be the same, either strongly pleasant or stronglyunpleasant.

In essence, however, no matter what karmic energies are ripening at aparticular time, thepersonobserving these symbolshasone recourse:Keep inmindthemiddlepathofbalance,inwhichtheenergiesofeachchakramanifestin theirpureandspiritual form.Watch thesymbolsappearing in theouterandinner universe with as much interested detachment as possible, and with thesensethatallpatternsofmanifestation—intheouteraswellastheinnerworlds—are,fromaholisticperspective,cyclicalandever-changing.Intheend,itisacertaincomforttoknowthatweareeachworldsinminiatureandthat,toquoteDante,“thelovethatmovesthesunandtheotherstars”movesusaswell.

CHAPTER12

SYMBOLISMANDSYNCHRONICITYINTHENEWMILLENNIUM

Everythinginthisworldhasahiddenmeaning.Men,animals,trees,stars,theyareallhieroglyphics....Whenyouseethem,youdonotunderstandthem.Youthinktheyarereallymen,animals,trees,stars.Itisonlylaterthatyouunderstand.

—NikosKazantzakis,ZorbatheGreek

Inthesechapterswehaveexploredthesymbolistperspectivefromanumberofangles,usingavarietyoflenses.Nowletussummarizetheessentialideas,thistime employing a slightly different framework of classification. In itsfundamentalsense,thesymbolistworldviewincludesfourinterrelatedideas:

(1)Centraltothisperspectiveisacosmology,orviewoftheuniverse.Thisviewconsidersthattheworldpossessesaninnatesymbolicdimensionandthatordinaryphysicalrealityispartofamultileveledorder,withallmanifestformsreflectingsubtlepatternsofconsciousness.Fromthiscorebeliefarisesaseriesofsecondaryprinciples,includingcorrespondence,contagion,condensation,cyclicity,compensation,conception,polarity,karma,andtelos(orpurpose).

(2)Thesymbolistperspectivealsocomprisesthecollectedwisdomofhumanityencodedwithinsuchdisciplinesasastrology,numerology,sacredgeometry,thechakras,theIChing,theKabbalah,andtheTarot.Eachofthesesystemsisalanguagebywhichpeoplehaveattemptedtounderstandtheworldandtheforcesofdestiny.Forthisreason,thesemethodscanbestudiednotonlyfortheirdivinatoryinsightsbutfortheintuitivephilosophicaltruthstheycontain.

(3)Atitsmostpractical,thesymbolistperspectiveincludesthetheoryandtechniquesofritual.Throughritual,humankindhastriedtomanipulatenature’ssymbolicdynamics,whethertowardexternalandmaterialends(thaumaturgy)orinternalandspiritualends(theurgy).Underthiscategoryisalsoincludedalltraditionalknowledgeconcerningthepracticeofdivinationandmagic.

(4)Atroot,thesymbolistperspectivenecessitatesauniquemodeofthinking,anepistemology,orwayofknowing.Ratherthanreasoninginfacts,thesymbolistengagesthelanguageofthesoulthroughsymbolsandmetaphors.Withoutmetaphoricthinking,allphenomenawouldbeperceivedasflat,literalforms.

We also saw how each of these four aspects of symbolist thought can beappliedonthepersonallevel,inthelifeofindividuals;collectively,intheeventsandactivitiesofsocieties;anduniversally,intheformsofnatureandthelawsofgeometryandmathematics. In thisbookwehave focusedourattention largelyonthesymbolistviewasappliedtothepersonallevelofexperience.

With this foundation,we turn inconclusion to therelationshipbetween thesymbolist worldview and several contemporary models of reality. First weconsiderCarlJung’stheoryofsynchronicity,whichsharesbothsimilaritiesanddifferences with the symbolist view presented here. Then we look at theambivalentrelationshipbetweensymbolistideasandcontemporaryscience.Weclosewith a brief discussion ofwhat the symbolistworldview has to offer ustoday.

SYMBOLISTTHOUGHTANDJUNG’SSYNCHRONlCITY

In1952SwisspsychologistCarlJungpublishedSynchronicity:AnAcausalConnectingPrinciple,oneofthemostcontroversialworksofhiscareer.Inthisshortvolume,Jungsummarizeddecadesofresearchandreflectiononthesubjectof coincidence, concluding that such phenomena hold important secrets aboutthedeepernatureofrealityandthehumanplacewithinit.

Citingawidelyknowncase fromhis files, Jungdescribed the timehehadbeen working in therapy with a female client who had become blocked inresponse to the work they were doing. Concerned over this standstill, Jungwondered what it would take to break through her resistance. One day thewomanwasdescribinganunusualdreaminvolvingascarabbeetle,whenJungnoticed the sound of tapping coming from the room’swindow.Lookingmoreclosely, Jung discovered a beetle trying to get into the room. Jung caught thebeetle,theclosestequivalenttothescarabfoundinthoselatitudes,andhandeditto thewoman, saying, “Here is your scarab!” Surprised by the timing of thiseventinrelationtoherpresentdiscussion,thewomanwasabletobreakthroughherresistancetothetherapy.1

The joining of these seemingly unconnected events occurred at amomentwhichprovedtobeofgreatsignificanceinthewoman’slife,andtherefore,Jungfelt,couldjustifiablybecalledameaningfulcoincidence,orsynchronicity.The

timingofsucheventsseemedtoJungtoprovideimportantmessagesconcerningthe compensatory relationship between the outer world and the unconsciouspsyche. Jung also believed that such coincidences reflected an archetypalfoundation, since they seemed to arise in conjunction with key transitions inpeople’s lives, such as changes in career, falling in love, marriage, divorce,death,illness,orspiritualtransformation.Inthecaseofhisblockedpatient,Jungpointedout that inancientEgypt, thescarabwasassociatedwith rebirth.Thusthebeetleat thewindowsuggestedapotential rebirth in the lifeof thewomanwhowasdiscussingbeetlesat themoment it appeared. In the sameway, Jungsaid, synchronistic events often serve as vehicles through which meaningfularchetypesexpressthemselvesinourlives.

Morebroadly,Jungfeltthatsynchronisticeventssuggestedtheexistenceofalawofnaturewhichdifferedmarkedlyfromconventionalprinciplesofcausality.Whereasclassicalphysicsexplainedphenomenalargelyintermsoflinearchainsof cause-and-effect, synchronistic events seem connected without a physical,causalrelationship.Theappearanceofthebeetleatthewindowandthewoman’sdream were in no way caused by one another, but appeared to arisesimultaneouslyoutofanunderlyingpatternofmeaningofwhichtheeventsweremutualexpressions.ThisconvictionledJungandmanytheoristsinhiswaketosuggest the presence of an all-encompassing acausality which exists at rightangles to ordinary cause-and-effect, and which serves not only to connectexternal phenomena, but to unite the outer and inner worlds of experience,givingrisetotheunusmundus,or“oneworld”describedinantiquity.

In many respects, Jung’s theory represents a modern resurrection oftraditional symbolist principles—a fact Jung himself acknowledged in hisprimary essay on the subject. In discussing the roots of synchronistic thought,Jungoffered a brief surveyof thehistorical precedents for his theory, rangingfrom the medieval theory of correspondences to the ancient Greek notion ofsympatheia.As Jungnoted, although the notion of acausally connected eventsmay seem strange to us now, it would have seemed commonplace in pre-scientifictimes.

Despiteobvioussimilarities,howdoJung’stheoryofsynchronicityandthesymbolist view really compare? As explanatory models of reality, I wouldsuggestthatthereareseveralimportantdifferences.Letuslookatthreeofthese.

ThefirstconcernswhatJungandhisfollowersconsideredtobetherelativeinfrequencyof synchronistic phenomena.While there is reason to suspect that

Jungmay have privately entertained amore comprehensive view, he formallyprofessedtheopinionthatsynchronisticeventswere“relativelyrare.”Jungtookgreatpainstodistinguishmeaningfulcoincidencesfrommoreconventionalones,whichcouldbedismissedaschancegroupingswithoutdeepersignificance.ToJung,thetrulysynchronisticeventisfrequentlycharacterizedbyaconfluenceofeventssostartlingthat“their‘chance’concurrencewouldrepresentadegreeofimprobabilitythatwouldhavetobeexpressedbyanastronomicalnumber.”2

Inthesymbolistperspective,bycontrast,coincidenceisthevisibleaspectofamorepervasiveframeworkofdesignwhichundergirdsallexperiences.Takingthebroaderview,thecircumstancesofanentirelifecomprisearichtapestryofmeaningful connections, both outer and inner. The events in our lives areconnectedbyanintricatechainoflinkedanalogies,involvingthebody,events,actions,dreams,andeventhecontentsofourdailyimagination.Theoccasionalanddramaticcoincidenceinanindividual’slife—whatwascalledinchapteronea literal correspondence—is simply a particularly obvious cross-connectionbetweenseparateeventsorstatesofmind.“Thewholeworldisanomenandasign. Why look so wistfully in a corner?” Emerson asked. “The voice ofdivination resounds everywhere and runs towasteunheard, unregarded, as themountains echowith the bleatings of cattle.”3 The esoteric perspective furtherholdsthatsymbolismandsynchronisticconnectionsextendfarbeyondpersonalexperiencetoincludethecollectiveanduniversallevelsofreality.Onanyoneofthese three levels, one can find important symbolic messages which are notnecessarilyentwinedwithinreadilyobviouscoincidences.

A second and equally important distinction between symbolist philosophyandJung’ssynchronicitytheoryliesintheirunderstandingof timing.Jungsawsynchronisticphenomenaasessentiallyunpredictable; inasense,onecouldnomorepredictwhenasynchronicitymightoccurthanforetellwhatapersonmightdreamonagivennight.Indeed,Jungbelievedthatifonecouldsomehowpredictcoincidences, they would reflect the operation of causal processes and wouldthus no longer be synchronistic or acausal. Psychologist Ira Progoff, a formerstudent of Jung’s, echoes this view decisively: “. . . archetypes cannot bepredictedinadvancewithrespecttothespontaneouseventsoflife.”4Symbolistsystems like astrology, however, offer a model in which the events andphenomenainourlivesarerecognizedtobeunfoldingaccordingtoaregularsetofcyclesandrhythms.EvenJung’sraremeaningfulcoincidencescanbesaidtooccurinaccordancewiththesecyclessothateventhoughitmaynotbepossibletopredict the exact forman impending coincidencewill take, one can loosely

forecast the timesacoincidence is likely tooccurandwhatgeneralarchetypalqualitieswillaccompanyit.It is ironicthatJungheldastrologyinhighregard,yetdidnotappropriatetheseimplicationsforhisownmodel.

The traditional symbolist perspective offers a further modification tosynchronicitytheory,specificallywithregardstoitsemphasisupontheelementof simultaneity. Whereas Jung’s predecessor in this field, Paul Kammerer,placed a greater emphasis on sequential coincidences—hence his term“seriality”—Jung focused his attention primarily on acausal connectionsinvolvingasimultaneouslinkbetweeneventsorstatestakingplaceinthesamemomentoftime.Jungwrote:“Thesynchronicityprincipleassertsthatthetermsof ameaningful coincidence are connectedby simultaneity andmeaning.”5Atthesametime,Jungwasawarethathistime-basedmodelcouldnotadequatelyaccountforthefullrangeofeventswhichmightbetermedsynchronistic,asinthecaseofapersonwhoseesanomenpointingtowardaneventwhichoccursinthe future or who dreams of an event which occurs shortly afterwards. Junghimself summed up this problem: “Synchronicity, a term for which I am toblame,isanunsatisfactoryexpressioninsofarasitonlytakesaccountoftimephenomena.”6 In the final analysis, Jung concluded that synchronicities couldsometimesinvolveeventsthatweren’texactlysynchronous,butwhichwerestillrelatedbymeaning.7

Jung’s attempts at clarificationdidnot prevent students of his theory fromidentifying it almost exclusively with the idea of simultaneity. Thecomplications this posed were most apparent in the field of astrology, sincemany astrologers had come to believe that Jung’s theory represented themostlikely explanation for astrology’s mechanism. However, as we have seen,researchers like Michel Gauquelin demonstrated that astrological connectionsarenotbasedona“grandsimultaneity,”sincehisstatisticssuggestacorrelationbetweenthemomentofascientist’sbirthandtheperceivedlocationofSaturn,ratherthantheplanet’sactuallocationinspace.

Yetoncewejettisonsimultaneityasthedefiningmarkofsynchronicityandadopt instead a broader approach which incorporates both simultaneous andsequentialacausalconnections,suchasisimpliedbythesymbolistperspective,such paradoxes and problems disappear. Moreover, the symbolist viewpointallowsforthephenomenologicalpossibilitythateachpersonmaybeconnectedtotheuniverseonseverallevelsatonce.RecallourearlierexampleoftheCrabNebulanova,whichoccurredsixthousandyearsago,yetdidn’tappeartohuman

observers until A.D. 1054, because of the time needed for the light from theimage to travel across space to earth. I suggested that humans might beconnectedtoeventsofthissortatbothstagesoftheprocess:subliminallyatthemoment the event occurred and, more consciously, when it became visiblemillennia later. In short, the dynamics of meaning in each person’s life arecomplex ones, involving several different types of relationship operatingsimultaneously.

Without in any way diminishing the pivotal role Jung’s theory ofsynchronicityhasplayedincallingattentiontothestudyofcoincidence,whichhefelttobe“philosophicallyofthegreatestimportance,”8acloserexaminationofhistheoryrevealslimitationsthatcanbehelpfultobearinmindindevelopingamorecomprehensiveunderstanding.Foronething,sinceJung’stheoryfocusedon isolated coincidences, it lacks the wide scope necessary to appreciate thepervasivenessof symbolpatterns inour lives. Imagine,bywayof analogy, anoceanographerwhosetsout tostudy thePacificbyanalyzing thepropertiesofonly the visible waves on its surface. After decades of collecting data, theoceanographer would be no closer to comprehending the richness of the vastworld below, with its multilayered currents, its countless life forms living inintricatesymbiosis, thevaried landscapeof theoceanfloor,not tomention theproperties and compositionof seawater itself. In a comparableway, trying tounderstand synchronicity by focusingon isolated coincidences, or evenon theideaofacausality, limitsonetocomprehendingonlythemostobviousfeaturesof the greater ocean of meaning that encompasses the archetypal structuresdynamicsofconsciousnessitself.

Andthemodeofconsciousnessusedtoperceiveeventsmayitselfbethekeyto this broader conception.Aswe have seen, symbolist epistemology requiresand encourages a shift of perception which makes it possible to perceive themetaphoric levelsofphenomena.Thinking in termsof concrete factsor literalqualitiesallowsonetoseeonlythemostobviouscoincidencesindailylife,suchastheuncannyrecurrenceofanobscurenameseveraltimesoverthecourseofaday,orabookfallingfromastoreshelfandopeningtothepagecontainingtheanswertoaproblemwithwhichonehasbeenstruggling.Suchconnectionsareindeedunusual.Butoncetheshifttowardrecognizingmetaphoricnuancestakesplace, suddenly, likedonningnight-visionglasses inadarkenedcountryside,anewworldofsubtleties,cross-connections,andarchetypalsubtextsrevealsitselftoconsciousness.Inthisnewworld,alleventsofeverydaylifearemeaningful,notjustitsremarkablecoincidences.

ANCIENTWISDOM,MODERNSCIENCEWe turn now to another contemporary model of reality with possible

connections to symbolist thinking. As we saw earlier, the decline of thesymbolistworldviewoccurred in tandemwith theadventofmodernscience inthe seventeenth century. In recent decades, however, a series of importantscientific theories have emerged which bear striking resemblance to keysymbolist principles. Some writers have even gone as far as to suggest thatsciencemaybeonthevergeofexplainingtraditionalsymbolistnotions,aswellas Jung’s theory of synchronicity.We looked in chapter nine at the problemsinherentinapplyingBell’sTheoremtotheworkingsofastrology.HereIfocuson three other contemporary scientific theories which are often employed indiscussionsofthemechanismunderlyingsymbolicconnections:theholographicprinciple,fractalgeometry,andRupertSheldrake’stheoryofmorphicresonance.Eachof these, in its ownway, invitesprovocative comparisonwith aspectsofsymbolistthought.

THEHOLOGRAPHICPRINCIPLE

Among the many developments that resulted from the discovery of lasertechnology was the advent of holography, or three-dimensional photography.Perhaps themost compelling feature of this newmediumwas the uniquewaythatafragmentofaholographicimageappearedto“contain”thewholeimage.Ifonetearsoffapieceofaconventionalphotographicprint,thepiececontainsonly a portion of the complete image. However, an entire holograph can bereconstructed from a portion of a holographic image, although in diminishedresolution. Since its discovery, researchers in many fields have used thisprinciple to model or explain a wide range of phenomena, from the deeperworkingsofthebrain(KarlPribam)tothecharacteristicsofspaceitself(DavidBohm).9

The holographic principle can be likened to the symbolist notion ofcondensation,whichholdsthatapartcanreflecta largerwhole.Wehaveseennumerousexamplesofthisprinciple,asinthetraditionalbeliefthattherulerofasociety(suchasemperororpharaoh)embodiestheentiresociety,orthenotionthat a single event can encapsulate larger trends in a person’s life. In essence,every act of divination invokes this principle, in holding that the moment ofinquirycancapturetheimageofabroaderfieldofconcernsandlifechoices.

FRACTALGEOMETRY

Closely related in principle to the holograph, a fractal is a form whichdisplaysqualitiesofself-similarityinthattheshapeofthewholeisrepeatedinoctave fashion throughout all of its details. This principle can be seen, forinstance, in the patterns of snowflakes,where the design of thewhole repeatsitself in decreasing size within the patterns along its edges. In fact, it isincreasinglyapparentthatfractal-likefeaturespermeateallofnature,suchasintheshorelinesoflargerivers,wherethesmallerinletsandtributariesbranchingoffthemainwaterwaysmirrorthemeanderingpatternoftheentireriver.10

The underlying principle of the fractal has been correlated with thetraditional notions of condensation and vertical correspondence, as mostsuccinctlyexpressedintheaxiom,“asabove,sobelow.”Inthesamewaythatasmalldetailofafractalreflectsthelargerdesign,soesotericistshavedescribedthewaythatpatternsinourlivesrepeatthemselvesatincreasinglyhigherlevelsor“octaves.”Thisprincipleisfoundintheancientideaofthemicrocosm,whichholds that each person is a reflection inminiature of a larger universal order.Indeed, all symbols express this principle in their ability to imply subtlerprocessesormeaningsacrosshigherlevelsofexperience.

MORPHICRESONANCE

For centuries scientists have puzzled over the way organisms acquire anddeveloptheirspecificforms.Tociteoneaspectof thisproblem, ifeachcell inourbodycontainsthesamegeneticinstructions,howdoesonesetofdevelopingcells know it should become a leg, and another set, an arm, and another, aneyeball?

RupertSheldrake’s answer to suchproblems canbe summarized in simpleterms as follows:At root, every form in nature is linked to other forms of itskind by means of a subtle web of relatedness, which Sheldrake calls amorphogenetic field. This field operates not according to ordinary laws ofcausation, but through a process of similarity or resonance, extending throughbothspaceandtime.Everynewformthusderivesguidanceinitsdevelopmentfrom the accumulated experiences of its predecessors throughout history, asembeddedwithin the archetypal field of that form. Thus a specific species ofbirdwill,initsgrowthanddevelopment,beinfluencedbythemorphicfieldofthatspecies,whileat thesametimecontributing to thatpoolofstoredpatternswhichwill continue to influence all futuremembersof that species.The sameprinciplealsoholdstrue,Sheldraketheorizes,withmodesofbehaviorandideas.This view helps explain why scientists working independently often come upwith identical theories or discoveries, or why today’s children have an easiertimelearningtousecomputersthantheirparentsdid.11

For some, Sheldrake’s model bears obvious resemblance to the esoterictheoryofcorrespondences,which likewiseholds thathiddenconnectionsunitesimilar formsor ideas across time and space.For the symbolist, all things arelinkedbysecretchainsofaffinityonall levelsofexperience,acrossboth timeandspace.Itshouldbenoted,however,thatdespitewidespreadinterestandevenenthusiasm, the scientific evidence for Sheldrake’s theory remains amatter ofheateddebatewithinthescientificcommunityitself.

Aswe have noted, each of these scientificmodels recalls key elements ofsymbolist philosophy. Yet as with Jung’s synchronicity theory, there arelimitationstosuchcomparisons.Firstofall,itisimportanttonotethat,inandofthemselves, these ideas do not constitute proof of the symbolist worldview,which impliesamultileveledcosmology thatcannotbeprovedordisproved inconcrete terms.Nor do these theories verify the existence of the esoteric laws

theymostcloselyresemble.Forexample,ascientistmightfullyaccepttheroleof fractal geometry within nature, as seen in the branching patterns of trees,rivers, or snowflakes, without accepting the varied ways this principle mightoperateonpsychologicalorspirituallevelsofexperience.

Indeed, to the extent that these modern models resemble their esotericcounterparts, they tend to do so in an essentially one-dimensionalway.Recallour discussion in chapter one of the distinction between the literal andmetaphoric forms of symbolist laws, which illustrated the subtle and grossexpressions of correspondence, contagion, and condensation. Generallyspeaking,modernscientificparallelsresemblesymbolistprinciplesonlyintheirgrossorobviousform.Forinstance,Sheldrake’stheoryofmorphogeneticfieldsdescribes theway formsor ideas canbe linked to relatedpatterns bymerit offormalor functionalsimilarity. It isquitedifferent fromtheesotericclaimthatapparentlydissimilarobjectssuchasfire,sex, thecolorred,passion,andramsarerelatedinthateachisgovernedbytheastrologicalprincipleMars.Thustheseobjectsorqualitiesshareaconnectionlessofsurfaceformthanofarchetypalormetaphoric resonance. Sheldrake’s theory does not exclude the possibility ofsuchconnections;itsimplyisnotdesignedtoaddressthem,sincetheybelongtoan entirely different order of relatedness.Of the scientific theoriesmentioned,perhaps the most purely symbolic in nature is the fractal, with its geometricdepictionofself-similarityuponincreasingordecreasinglevelsofmagnitude—asimple yet clear echo of condensation or vertical correspondence.Yet aswithour other examples, extending this idea to other levels of consciousness isbeyondthescopeofscientificverificationorevenconcern.

To summarize, while each of the scientific theories offers an intriguingparallel tohigheresoteric ideas, theyarenot identical inevery respect,nordotheyconstituteconclusiveevidenceforthem—indeed,itisonlyinconjunctionwith the philosophical framework of symbolist philosophy that such physicalmodels reveal their deepest implications as esoteric laws resonating across alllevels of experience, from the gross physical plane to the level of puremind.Whatcanbesaidaboutthemwithouthesitationisthattheseemergingscientificmodels represent developments more compatible with classic symbolistprinciples,and to thatextent representan important shift from themechanisticmodelsofpre-twentieth-centuryscience.

SCIENCEANDMYSTICISM—ALLIESORENEMIES?

ENEMIES?Thisdiscussiondrawsattentiontoaprobleminthephilosophicalstudyof

modernphysics:whethersciencecansupportorconfirmmysticaltruth.Inrecentyearsthispointhasbecomeasourceofincreasingdebate,withonesideclaimingthatmodernsciencehasinsomesensevindicatedancientwisdom,andtheotherarguingthatscienceandmysticismcannotbeintegratedwithoutinjusticetotheaimsandintegrityofeach.Thisquestionisworthexploring,asitshedslightonour ability as moderns steeped in the scientific worldview to adopt and useaspectsoftheancientwisdomassetforthinthisbook.

Aswehavenoted,inrecentyears,awiderangeofwritershavelookedtotheNewPhysicsbecauseitseemstoofferhelpfulinsightsintotheideasofmysticalthought.According to thisperspective, the lawsor formsofnatureareseenasmirroring the experiences of higher states; so that, for example, holographyimages the mystical relationship between the part and whole. Critics of thisview,however,havearguedthatthislineofthinkingmixesapplesandoranges;whereasscienceconcerns itselfwith the truthsandfactsof thephysicalworld,mysticismconcernsalevelofexperienceutterlybeyondtherealmoftransitoryforms and manifestation. For this reason, science cannot reveal anythingimportant about higher truths. As this position is sometimes expressed, wecannothopetounderstandrealityinitsspiritualrichnessfromthebottomup—by examining the properties of atoms or the laws ofmatter.While the higherlevels of reality enfold and contain the lower levels, the lower levels do notenfoldandcontainthehigher.

Butwhileitmaybetruethatlowerlevelsofrealitydonotcontainthehigher,thereisampleprecedent intheperennial traditionsfor thefact that theycanincertainrespectsreflect them,bymeansofsymbolism—asabove,sobelow.Bywayofanalogy,theprintedsymbolsonapieceofsheetmusicforBach’sMassin B Minor do not “contain” the music or the higher aesthetic or spiritualexperiences it evokes; yet in some sense these written notations accuratelyreflect the intricacies ofBach’smusical statements and serve as useful guidestoward evoking them.Moreover, even if we accept that the highest levels ofspiritual experience lie beyond all forms and symbolic representation, thisdoesn’tmean that physical-plane forms cannot tell us a great deal about thoselevels of reality just short of theAbsolute and thus about the architecture anddynamicsoftheDivineMind.

Anotherpointwhichcriticshavecitedisthefactthatscientificknowledgeisinastateofconstantflux,andthusunreliableasatoolforunderstandingeternalspiritualtruths.Fromagetoage,humanity’sknowledgeofnatureandherlawshas given way to newer and seemingly more accurate theories, such that thesolidandindestructibleatomofoneeragavewaytotheenergeticandspaciousatomofanotherand to theuncertainquantumrealitiesof thecurrentmodel. Ifwebaseaspiritualphilosophyoncurrent-dayscientificknowledge,thesecriticsargue, what happens to that spiritual truth when our scientific knowledge ismodifiedordiscarded?AsparticlephysicistJeremyBernsteinhasremarked,“IfIwere anEasternmystic the last thing in theworld Iwouldwantwouldbe areconciliationwithmodernscience,[because]tohitchareligiousphilosophytoacontemporaryscienceisasureroutetoitsobsolescence.”12

However,Ibelievethereisamoremoderateapproachtothisissue.Whilescientific truth is in general subject to change, certain aspects of empiricalknowledge are demonstrably more timeless and “fixed” than others. Thusalthough Aristotle’s natural laws have not weathered the centuries well, thesymbolicallypotentdiscoveryinourowncenturyoftherelativenatureoftimeisunlikelyever tobeprovenwhollywrong.Similarly, in the fieldofastronomy,theories concerning the evolution and origins of the universe are continuallybeingupdated,yetthediscoveryin1846oftheplanetNeptunewillpresumablynever be revoked as amistake. geometry andmathematics, such fundamentalideasastherelationshipofacircle’sdiametertoitscircumference(orpi),orthemathematicalpropertiesofwholenumbers,areprobablyeternalanduniversalintheirapplication,andthususefulmirrorsofhigherprinciples.Ibelievethesamewillprobablyprovetoholdtrueforthecontemporarytheoriesmentionedearlier;each of these may indeed be modified in the years to come, yet will likelyremain fixtures of our conceptual understanding of theway nature works. AsNickHerbertwroteconcerningBell’srevolutionarycontributiontophysics:

Physics theories are not eternal.Whenquantum theory joins the ranks of phlogiston, caloric,andtheluminiferousetherinthephysicsjunkyard,Bell’stheoremwillstillbevalid.Becauseit’sbasedonfacts,Bell’stheoremisheretostay.13

Insomecases,too,scientificmodelsarenotactuallyoverturnedasmuchasreframed.For instance,Newtonianphysicshas inmanywaysbeen supersededby quantum physics; yet it is not entirely accurate to say thatNewton’s ideashave been provenwrong—indeed,wewould not have been able to fly to theMoonwithout them. Itwouldbemoreprecise tosay thatNewton’s lawswere

found to exist within a broader context which now includes relativity theory,quantumphysicsandnon-locality,andchaosdynamics.Thesamereframingisconstantly occurring within spiritual thought. Astrology itself provides anexcellent example. The relatively recent discoveries of Neptune, Pluto, andUranus, for example, have not overturned traditional models of planetaryarchetypal rulership so much as complexified them, giving contemporaryastrologers new influences to work with in creating and interpreting charts.Finally, humanity’s changing models of the world, even when shown to be“wrong”bysubsequentgenerations,arguablyretainacertainsymbolicmeaningrelative to their own level of reference.As creative products of the collectiveimagination, overturned theoriesmay stillmerit study as synchronistickeys tothecollectivemind,justaswouldanyworkofart,historicevent,orsociologicaltrend.

Another,andpotentiallymoreseriousproblemintheefforttomergescienceandmysticismcentersaroundtheinabilityofsciencetodirectlyaddressmattersof meaning. Science is a quantitative process, confined to the study ofmeasurable properties in phenomena.By contrast, the symbolist perspective isalmostentirelyqualitativeormetaphoricinnature.Toillustratethisdistinction,consider the way each of thesemethodsmight approach a rose. The scientistmightbeginbyexaminingtheflowerandnotingitscharacteristics—thenumberandarrangementofpetals,theirrelativesizeandcolor,thebranchingofleaves,thorns,androots.Otherrelevantdatamightincludetherose’sgeneticheritage;its internal cellular structure; its ideal soil conditions, temperature, and waterneeds.Nowcontrastthiswiththewayanesotericistorsymbolistmightexaminethe same rose. His or her first consideration might be aesthetic—the play ofcolor between petals and stem, the design and proportion of each element, aswell as the flower’s size and placement relevant to other aspects of itsenvironment.Asasymbol,arose’smostcommandingfeatureisitsbeauty;thustheroseevokestheenergiesoftheheartandofthegoddessVenus,orAphrodite,manifestinplantform.Atthesubtlestarchetypallevel,plantsinbloomexpressthe principle of unfoldment, thus resonating with such ideas as growth,awakening,and the realizationof latentpotentials—corresponding to theyogictheoryofthechakras,forwhichpetaledflowersarefrequentlyusedassymbols.

Thesymbolicapproachoftheesotericistcanbetermedhermeneutic,atermwhichrefers to theartofsymbolic interpretation.Tothescientist,on theotherhand, the symbolic properties of an entity tend to be ignored as irrelevant.Because of its emphasis on such factors as measurement and quantification,

science seldom ventures into the dimension of meaning. Yet the level ofmeaningisthemostimportantoneinsymbolistthinking,foritisuponthislevelthat one encounters such vital factors as subtle correspondences, archetypalsymbolism, elemental properties, proportionalities, and the other qualitativeelements which comprise the symbolist intellectual universe. As important astheseare,noscientificmethodormodeliscapableofcapturing,inanydefinitiveway,suchelusivedimensions.

This same problem underlies any argument that science might somedayprovide a full explanation for Jung’s synchronistic phenomenon.Over the lastseveraldecades,anumberoftheorists(includingJunghimself)haveexpressedoptimismthatthenewphysicsmayeventuallyunlockthedeepermechanismbywhichmeaningfulcoincidencesoccur inour lives.AsRobertAntonWilson,aprominentwriterinthisfield,expressedit:

Jungwasontherighttrack.Hekeptinsistingthatsomehow,somewhereinquantumtheory,theactualmechanismof synchronicitywouldbe foundanddefined. In the late1980s it begins tolookasifwehavestartedtounderstandit.14

Yet to the degree that we fail to see the true heart, or “mechanism,” ofsynchronicity to be one of meaning rather than acausality, any such hope ismisdirected.Nostrictlyphysicalmethodcanexplainthesubtlesignificanceofasynchronisticeventanymorethanitcanmeasurethebeautyofaflowerorthemeaningofadream.Hence,eventhoughscientistsmaybeabletoverifythewaydistant objects are linked across time and space (as does Bell’s Theorem, forinstance), it cannot show us how this linkage occurs on subtler levels ofmeaning; nor can it ever provide us with a physical method of examiningdirectlythearchetypalqualitiesunfoldingthroughoutourlives.Forthat,whatisrequiredisnotanotherscientificmodel,butanentirelydifferentworldview—amultileveledcosmology,withanunderstandingofrealitybeyondphysicalfacts.

Taken to its farthest extreme, however, the hermeneutic argument has ledsome to charge that since meaning doesn’t easily lend itself to scientificexamination, meaning is not only irrelevant, but nonexistent. For the mostskeptical,anysuggestionofinherentmeaningfulnessisregardedasthefancifulprojectionofhumanvaluesontoanessentiallyneutralworld.Fromthisextremevantagepoint,scientificmodelscannotbevehiclesofhighermeanings, for thesimplereasonthattherearenohighermeaningsinthefirstplace!

However,oncloserexamination, thispositiondoesnotholdup.First, the

factthatsciencecannotdirectlyexaminemeaningdoesnotprovethatmeaningdoesn’t exist; asCarlSaganhasnoted, absenceofevidence isnotevidenceofabsence.More important,neitherdoes itmean that thepresenceofmeaning intheworldisnotsubjecttoverificationofanysort.AsKenWilberhasargued,ifwedismissmysticalorhermeneuticconcernsforlackofconcreteevidence,thenwemustsummarilydismissallnonempiricalendeavors,from

...mathematicstoliteraturetolinguisticstopsychoanalysistohistoricalinterpretation.Nobodyhas ever seen,“out there” in the sensoryworld, the square root of a negative one.That is amathematicalsymbolseenonlyinwardly,“privately,”withthemind’seye.Yetacommunityoftrainedmathematiciansknowexactlywhat thatsymbolmeans,andtheycansharethatsymboleasily in intersubjective awareness, and they can confirm or reject the proper and consistentusesofthatsymbol.15

Inthesameway,onemightarguethatwhilethe“private”and“subjective”models of reality entertained by symbolists may not lend themselves toverificationalongconcretescientificlines,theyarenonethelessopentorelativeconfirmationorrebuttalbyexpertsconversantwiththeideasandexperiencesofthis philosophical perspective.On the personal level, yogis have long stressedthatanindividual’sprocessofinvestigationshouldplayavitalroleinastudent’sacceptanceorrejectionofanyimportantphilosophicalviewpoint.Noexternallyderivedmodelofreality—whether taughtbyascientist,preacher,orastrologer—should be blindly accepted as true without first carefully examining it in agenuine“scientific”spirittoseewhetheritsquareswithone’sownexperience.

Inthisspirit,weeachmightobservethepatternsofeventsinourownlives,puttingasideallpreconceivednotions,anddecide forourselves ifoutereventsdo indeed reflect inner ones, or if subtle connections between separate eventssuggestthemselves.Astrologyoffersanespeciallyusefultoolinthisregard,byproviding a systematic way to monitor the symbolic patterns andinterconnectionsarisingthroughoutone’slife.Forexample,onemightcomparethecyclesandsymbolspredictedinone’shoroscopewiththeeventsthatactuallytranspireduringaparticularperiodoftime.Asonewhohasexperimentedwiththis discipline for over twenty years, I find it hard to imagine that anyoneapproaching such a study with an open mind would not be impressed byastrology’s accuracy in mapping the archetypal and synchronistic patterns ofpersonallifeorthecultureatlarge.

Yet it may be possible to take this verification process one crucial stepfurther.Forevenifsciencecannotdirectlyconfirmthepresenceofmeaningin

ourlives,itmaybecapableofindirectlyvalidatingitspresence.Toexplainthedistinction between direct and indirect validation, consider the followinganalogy: Imagine an astronomer discovering and photographing a new planet,which is then confirmed by other astronomers; this is an example of directevidence. On the other hand, suppose the same astronomer notices subtleperturbations in the orbit of an already known planet, apparently caused byanotherplanetbeyonditwhichistuggingonitgravitationallyeachtimeitpassesby.Thiswouldbeanexampleofindirectevidence,inwhichaclaimisstronglysuggestedbytheavailablefacts,yetisn’tprovenconclusively.

In this spirit, I would argue that the ground-breaking research of Frenchstatistician Michel Gauquelin provides us with compelling evidence for theexistenceofmeaninginourworld.Asnotedinchapternine,Gauquelin’sworkdemonstrated statistically the correlations between certain planetary positionsand the professional inclinations of men and women born under thoseplacements. This aspect of his work proves, in a direct way, a relationshipbetween thepositionsofplanets and the livesofhumansonearth;butwhat itindirectlyprovesissomethingpotentiallymoremomentous—therulershipsandcorrespondences traditionally associatedwith theplanetsbyastrologers.Basedupon years of research on the effects of planetary influence on thousands ofindividuals, Gauquelin’s work suggests that Saturn is indeed related to apredisposition for the physical sciences (Saturn showed up prominently, forexample,inthechartsofeminentprofessorsofmedicineataratethatexceededoddsof10,000,000to1);Marstomartialandathleticinvolvements(Marswasprominentinthechartsofathletesagainstoddsof500,000to1);andJupitertopoliticians—just as would have been expected based traditional astrologicaltheory.16

Whyisthissoimportant?BecauseGauquelin’sresearchclearlysuggeststhatthe planets hold qualities of meaning. After all, what physical force mightconceivablyconnectMarswithahumanpredispositionforsportsinsteadof,say,thearts?Whileitisn’tinconceivablethatresearchersmighteventuallyuncoveramechanicalexplanationforthesecorrelations,thiswouldseemunlikely.Intheirimplicationsfortheprevailingscientificworldview,Gauquelin’sconclusionsarenothing short of revolutionary in that they strongly suggest an organizingprinciplebeyondphysical causality.Oncewevalidate the essentially symboliccharacter of astrological correspondences—whether through personalexperimentation or controlled tests like those of Gauquelin—the materialisticworldviewcomes“crashingdownlikeahouseofcards,” touseJohnAnthony

West’saptmetaphor.

TOWARDRECONCILIATION:SCIENCEINASYMBOLISTKEY

Seenasawhole,theseideasprovideuswithafoundationforrevisioningtherelationshipbetweensymbolistprinciplesandscientificinquiry.Inthiscontext,thequestionofwhetherscience“proves”thetruthsofesotericismbecomeslessimportant than understanding the ways science and symbolic thinking canusefully illumineoneanother.Tousea simple analogy, abookcontaining themysticversesofRumidoesnotbyitselfconstitute“proof”forthepoet’shigherspiritualrealizations,yetthishardlymeansitcannotprovideusefulinsightsintospiritualmatters—onceoneacceptsthepremisethattherearespirituallevelsofawareness in the first place. Presuming ameaningful universe, the theories ofscience—Newton’s, Bell’s, Einstein’s—likewise provide informationconcerning the higher truths of consciousness,when seen anew in the light ofsymbolistperception.

The scientific and symbolist approaches lead to complementary types ofknowledge.Inthesamewaythatadjustingapolarizingfilteronacamerarevealsdifferent ranges of colors and contrasts in the scene being viewed, so thequantitativemethodofscienceandthequalitativemethodofesotericismextractdifferent orders of information from the world.17 Scientific inquiry may shednew lightonmattersofgreat interest tomysticsandphilosophers. In turn, thecomprehensivevisionofrealityimpliedbythesymbolistmightbeemployedtoinfuse scientific inquirywithadimensionofmeaning that evokesa richerandmore complete understanding of the world. The end result of such cross-fertilization might be a more philosophically resonant science and moreobjectivelygroundedspirituality.

Ironically, in historical times, this fusion of science and meaning was acommon one, as scientists were generally philosophers, and philosophy wasconsideredabranchofscience.Pivotalfiguresinthesedisciplines,fromancientGreeks like Pythagoras and Plato, through the Renaissance theorists Galileo,JohannesKepler,andSirIsaacNewton,tothegreatGermanthinkersGoetheandHegel,sawinnature’spatternsasourceofimportantinsightsintospiritualandpsychological principles.AsGalileo commented, “Philosophy iswritten in thebook which is ever before our eyes—I mean the universe—but we cannot

understanditifwedonotlearnthelanguagetograspthesymbolsinwhichitiswritten.”18 The modern Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr echoes theimportantcontributionsymbolistthinkingcanmaketoscience:

Thetraditionalsciencesofalltraditionalcivilizations...arebasedonahierarchicvisionoftheuniverse,onewhichseesthephysicalworldasthelowestdomainofrealitywhichneverthelessreflectsthehigheststatesbymeansofsymbolswhichhaveremainedaneveropengatetowardtheInvisible....Thepsycho-physicalworld,whichpreoccupiesmodernscience,isseeninthetraditionalperspectiveasareflectionoftheluminousarchetypes.19

Even some contemporary scientists have begun to realize the potentiallyimportant role meaning might play in understanding our world. The latephysicist David Bohm theorized that meaning might represent the subtleorganizingprinciple for bothmatter and energy.Meaning, hewrote, is “a keyfactorofbeing,notonlyforhumanbeingsindividuallyandsocially,butperhapsalso fornature and for thewholeuniverse.”20He speculates that theremaybe“cosmic meanings, beyond any human individual, or even the totality ofhumanity. . . .”21 Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman, too, sees a new eracomingforscientificinquiry:

Thenextgreateraofawakeningofhumanintellectmaywellproduceamethodofunderstandingthequalitativecontentofequations. . . .TodaywecannotseewhetherSchrödinger’sequationcontainsfrogs,musicalcomposers,ormorality—orwhetheritdoesnot.Andsowecanallholdstrongopinionseitherway.22

Thereintroductionofmeaningwouldhaverevolutionaryimplicationsforallscientificdisciplines, fromchemistry, astronomy,physics, andmathematics, to“soft” sciences like psychology, anthropology, and medicine. With thisreconciliation in mind, let us consider a specific example of the symbolistcontributionwithinthefieldofastronomicalexploration.AsIhopetoshow,thesymbolistviewoffersthepossibilityofnewlevelsofmeaningandinformationconcerningthecosmos.

ASTRONOMICALEXPLORATION—ASYMBOLISTAPPROACH

Humanity’sexplorationoftheMoonisapowerfullandmarkinthehistoryofscienceandtechnology.Asnoted,theMoonhastraditionallybeenassociated

bymystics and astrologerswith the feminineprinciple andwith thequalityofdivinereflectivity.Inmoderntimes,however,symbolicthinkingaboutcelestialbodies has been replaced by a quantitative approach concerned strictly withmeasurable properties. In his philosophical study of space explorationApproaching Earth, Daniel Noel contrasts the clinical way scientists viewedsamplesoflunarrockbroughtbackbyastronautswiththereactionsofpoetsandwriters to the same rocks. As an example of the poetic approach, Noel citesNormanMailer’sFireon theMoon, inwhichMailer says thatMoon rockshesawondisplayinHoustonpossessedfemininequalitiesunacknowledgedbythescientists on hand. Looking at the universe with the soul of a poet, Noelsuggests, offers away to unlock the deepermysteries of the cosmos.QuotingMailer, he underscores the importance of exploring the universe scientificallywithoutlosingsightofsymbolistvision:

...yes,wemighthavetogooutintospaceuntilthemysteryofnewdiscoverywouldforceustoregardtheworldonceagainaspoets,beholditassavageswhoknewthatiftheuniversewasalock,itskeywasmetaphorratherthanmeasure.23

Inmany ways, themerging of astronomywith symbolist values is not somuchanewdevelopmentasacontemporary revitalizationofanapproach thatusedtobestandard.EvenGalileo,thefatherofmodernscience,suggestedthatMars and Jupiter had decidedly masculine qualities, exactly as Chineseastrologers had declared millennia earlier. In studying any newly discoveredplanet or celestial body, we must broaden our scope. Instead of concerningourselves only with such quantifiable factors as topography, chemicalcomposition, ormagnetic fields, the symbolist perspectivewould oblige us toask:Whatdoesthisplanetorcelestialbodymean?

Isuggest, infact, thatweconsiderastronomicalorscientificdiscoveriesonthreelevelsofsignificance:universal,collective,andpersonal.Ontheuniversallevel,wemightask:Whatisthearchetypalmeaningofthisdiscoveryinitself,asareflectionofhighertruth?Atthecollectivelevel,thequestionbecomes:Whatisthesymbolicorsynchronisticimportanceofthisdiscoveryforsocietyatthistime? Finally, on the personal level, each person might ask: What is thesignificanceofthisdiscoveryformylifeatthistime?

Toillustrate,imaginethediscoveryorexplorationofanewplanet.Wemightfirstconsiderthesignificanceofthisbodyintermsofitsuniversalsymbolismormeaning.Thiscouldbedeterminedthroughavarietyofmethods.Ononelevel,thearchetypalsignificanceofaplanetmightbeglimpsedthroughreflectionon

the name assigned to it by astronomers, amethod based on the belief amongastrologers that the names chosen for newly discovered celestial bodies aresynchronisticallyappropriatetotheirmeaning—whetherrecognizedconsciouslyby scientists or not.24 Themost recently discovered planet in our solar systemserves as a useful illustrationof this idea. In ancientmythology thegodPlutowasruleroftheUnderworld;bycorrespondence,theplanetPlutohascometobeassociatedwith thepsychological “underworld” and thedynamic forcesof thesubconscious mind. These include deep-seated emotions, the will to power,emotionaltransformation,andtheprocessesofdeathandrebirth.

Anotheraspectofthemeaningofanewplanetisrevealedbyexaminingthehistorical events taking place at the time of its discovery, to see whatsynchronistic insights these provide into this planet’s archetypal energy. Forexample, the period surrounding the discovery of Pluto in 1930 witnessed anumber of important historical developments, such as the rise of Fascism, thediscoveryofatomicpower,aswellasthespreadofthecriminal“underworld”inAmerica—alldisplayingfeaturesofthePlutonianarchetype,asithascometobeunderstoodbyastrologers.

Next, on the collective level, the discovery or exploration of a newplanetoften holds profound meaning for society during that time. As shown above,planetary discoveries have been accompanied by dramatic cultural changescorrespondinginmarkedwayswiththesymbolicmeaningsassociatedwiththeplanetoritsmythologicalnamesake.Manyastrologerstakethistomeanthatthetiming of such discoveries is not accidental but synchronistically connected tochangestakingplaceinthecollectivepsyche.Wefindexamplesofthisnotonlyin the area of planetary discovery but in all aspects of space exploration.ConsidertheperiodsurroundingthefirstMoonwalkin1969.Thelate1960ssawthe rise not only of the women’s movement, but of other elements of thecollective feminine as well, as reflected in the exploration of the humanunconscious via psychedelic drugs and the rise of aDionysian or emotionallyunrestrainedexpressivenessinthearts.Withinhoursofthelunarlandingitself,two other stories occurred with possible synchronistic links: Ted Kennedy’sinfamousChappaquiddick incident, resulting in thedrowningdeathofayoungwoman (water, women, and alcohol, or liquid “spirits,” all having lunar orfeminineassociations);andthediscoveryofAphrodite’smostimportantancienttemplebyarchaeologistIrisLoveinpresent-dayTurkey(theMoonhavingbeenassociatedbytheancientGreekswiththeworshipofAphrodite).IfwereadtheMoonmission asmirroring an opening to the feminine principle taking place

withinsocietyat the time, thensynchronicities like thismayprovideimportantinsights intothespecificstateofourcollectiverelationshipwiththearchetypalfeminine—Kennedy’s scandal illuminating the darker underside of thatconnection, and the discovery of Aphrodite’s temple accentuating its moreaestheticaspectandunderscoringtheMoon’ssymbolicassociationwithmemoryandthepast.

Finally, on the personal level, the synchronistic effects of any importantdiscovery canbe expected tomanifest in differentways for individuals acrosstheplanet.Anastrologermightdeterminethisbyexaminingthezodiacaldegreeinhabitedby thecelestialbodyat themomentof itsdiscovery, then looking toseewhatpartofanindividual’spersonalhoroscopethiscorrespondsto.Itmaybe further assumed that any significant correlationswould be amplifiedmanytimesoverforthoseindividualsactuallyinvolvedinthediscovery.Itiscurious,forexample,thatthenameofthefiguremostresponsibleforPluto’sdiscovery,PercivalLowell,hadinitialscloselymatchingthoseoftheplanetitself,andthatthe woman who uncovered Aphrodite’s temple had the last name Love! In asimilarvein,astrologershaveoftenpointedouttheimportantroleoftheMooninNeil Armstrong’s horoscope, as if to suggest a vital connection between thisenergyinhispersonallifeandthefactthathewasthefirsthumantosetfootonthisbodyinspace.

This symbolist-inspired approach can be applied to any area of scientificinquiry.Looselyappropriatingtheterminologyoftheirtraditionalcounterparts,wemight envision the following set of conversions: Geology and geography,understoodsymbolically,wouldevoketheancientartofgeomancy,thestudyofthe symbolic dynamics of environmental forms and energies. Infused withsymbolic meaning, chemistry would revitalize alchemy, the study of matter’ssubtle energetic properties and qualities, and their psychic equivalents.Geometry,seenqualitatively,wouldfeedintosacredgeometry,thestudyofpureforms and their higher significance. Read symbolically, mathematics wouldenhance our understanding of numerology, the study of spiritual qualities ofnumericalpatterns.Approachingthehumanmindsymbolicallyandarchetypallygives rise to sacred psychology, the understanding of humanmotivation in itscosmicdimension,asexemplifiedbyyoga’schakrapsychology,theKabbalistictreeoflife,andmodern-dayarchetypalpsychologyassociatedwiththeoristslikeJamesHillman.Meaning-basedhealthanddiagnosticsystemswouldgiverisetosacredmedicine, the study of themetaphoric and energetic dimensions of the

body and mind and the deeper significance of illnesses. And astronomyinterpreted symbolically yields new insights into astrology, the study of themeanings and dynamics of celestial phenomena. In this same vein, theapplication of symbolist principleswould permitmodern researchers to gain adeeperinsightintoeachofthesetraditionalsystemsandtheirideas,suchastheChinesemedical belief that physical health requires a balance between female(yin)andmale(yang)propertiesinthebody;astrology’sbeliefinthesymbolicdimensionofcelestialbodies;alchemy’semphasisontheelementalpropertiesofmoist, dry, cool, and hot; or sacred geometry’s speculations on the highermeaningofvisibleshapes.

Morebroadly,thesymbolistperspectiveraisesthephilosophicalquestionasto whether any purely scientific method can ever wholly explain nature’sworkings. In recent years, prominent scientists like astrophysicist StephenHawking have suggested that science may eventually answer all the greatquestions concerning nature’s laws and functions—a sentiment strangelyreminiscentofnineteenth-centuryclaimsthatonlyminorproblemsremainedforscientists to solve before our knowledge of nature would be complete. Thesymbolist perspective suggests the inherent vanity of such claims; one can nomorehopetoobtainacompleteunderstandingoftheworldwithoutconsideringitsqualitativedimensionthantounlockthefullimportanceofaroseusingonlyscientificinstrumentsormethods.Throughthelensofmetaphorandsymbolism,scientistsand,indeed,allhumanbeings,haveaccesstoamorecompletepictureofourworldthanispossiblethroughapurelyquantitativeapproach.

THERITUALDIMENSIONOFSCIENCEInadditiontorevealinganewhorizonofknowledgeinourunderstandingof

the world, the infusion of science with symbolist perspectives may haveimportantpracticalramifications.Earlierwereflectedonthepossibilitythatouractions may have synchronistic or “magical” effects on the world, since allforms of activity engage subtle dynamics within the larger network ofcorrespondencesaroundandwithinus.Applyingthisideatoscience,wemightask,whatsubtleinfluencesdoourcollectiveactionsrelativetothenaturalworldhavebeyondwhatisreadilyapparent?

For instance, when human beings landed on the Moon, we necessarilyaffected its environment in subtle and gross ways, changing its atmosphere,scattering assorted debris, and even planting a flag into its surface. Whatsymbolicorgeomanticeffectsmightthishavesetintomotioninconnectionwiththelunarfieldofmeaning?Andhowdothoseeffectsextendsynchronisticallytoour own inner universe, the domain of our “inner Moon”? Since the Mooncorrespondswithourcollectivefemininenature,isitpossiblethatourintrusionsupon the lunar surfacehave subtlycolored thequalityofour emotional life inways we can’t yet comprehend? Likewise, when we eventually capture andanalyzeanorbitingasteroidforitsminerals,whatsubtlestrandsoftheuniversalfabric are we affecting? If the asteroid holds an objective meaning and isentwined with the life streams of all beings, what chords within the greatsymphonywouldbealteredbyourinvestigations?

It is worth noting that since the earliest days of space exploration, eldersfromvariousindigenouscultureshavecautionedscientistsagainstinsensitiveorthoughtless tampering with the celestial environment, as exemplified by ourcareless littering of Earth’s surroundings with defunct satellites and otherhardware.Suchconcernsarisefromanawarenessnotonlyofthesacrednessofnature,butasensitivity to theunforeseenside-effects theseactivitiesmightsetinto motion. For instance, Hopi spokesperson Thomas Banyaca warned anaudience in Los Angeles as a NASA mission returned from the Moon thathumantamperingwiththeMoonandstarscouldcreateanearthquakeoratidalwave.Afterdeliveringthisprophecy,Banyacaleftthearea,sayingthatthedireconsequences he predicted “might come tomorrow.” At six o’clock the nextmorning,theSanFernandoearthquakerockedLosAngeles.25

Understandably, coincidences like this may not convince the hardenedskeptic, but they should at least give us reason to reflect on the deepersignificance of our actions, not only in space exploration but everywhere innature. When a forest of old-growth trees is leveled, or a species of animalhunted to extinction, what is the synchronistic impact of our carelessness onhumankind’s inner ecology? When we detonate nuclear devices beneath theEarth’s surface, what repercussions are triggered in the subtle web ofrelatedness,beyondwhatcanbemeasuredonscientificinstruments?

Taking symbolist ideas seriouslywould compel us to adopt new protocolsregarding future scientific undertakings.Thismethodologywould consider notonlythesacrednessofalllifeandenvironments,buttheroleofeachspeciesandlocaleinthegreaterfieldofinterconnectedness.Scientistscouldbenefitfromacareful examination of the beliefs of Native Americans and other indigenouspeoples,whoapproachallundertakingsinthespiritofhumilityandsacramentalreverence.Ratherthansettingfootonanewplanetinaspiritofdominanceandexploitation,onemightenvisiona timewhenexplorersfirstseektoestablishaspiritual communionwith the newenvironment, through ritual attunement andconsecration.Ritualactionswouldadditionallyservetoseedtheinitialmomentsofnewendeavorswithauspicioussymbols,sincethesymbolistviewholdsthataharmoniousbeginninginfluencesasuccessfuloutcome.

To think in this way is to move beyond conventional ecological notionstowardtheperceptionthateverythinghasauniquequalityofmeaningandsubtleinterconnectionwith all other things.As themystical poet Frances Thompsonwrote,

Allthingsbyimmortalpowernearorfar,HiddenlytoeachotherlinkedareThatthoucanstnotstiraflowerWithoutthetroublingofastar.26

THEPROMISEOFSYMBOLISTTHOUGHTThe symbolist perspective represents a radical shift in the way we think

abouttheworld.Inthisbookwehavetouchedonafewofitsimplications.Onthepersonallevel,theseincludethediscoveryofnewdimensionsofmeaningintheeventsofourlivesandthesuggestionthatlifeisasacredtext,tobeunlockedthrough the key of metaphoric knowing. Thus understood, life events yieldinformation about our personality, our karma, and even our future potentials,pointingthewaytowardgreaterlevelsofawakening.

Extended to the collective sphere, the symbolist perspective holds thepromiseofanewunderstandingoftheuniverse,throughascienceinformedbyqualities and values rather than concrete facts. It promises the fulfillment of adreamlongheldbyesotericists—forgingagrandscienceofcorrespondencesbywhich to interpret and correlate phenomena. More fundamentally, symbolistthought suggests a radical revision of how we view knowledge itself. Thisexpanded vision further asks us to question the ramifications of all actionsrelativetotheworld,bothbyindividualsandbyengineersandscientists.

Yet themost far-reaching consequence of the symbolist legacy is also thesimplest—therealizationthatthecosmosissuffusedwithmeaning.Whyisthissoimportant?Theprevailingscientificworldviewtellsusthatlifeisadynamic,yetessentiallymeaninglessaffair.Itholdsthatwhateversymbolicsignificanceitholdshasbeenprojectedontoitbythehumanmind.Tothesymbolist,theworldis a realm of magic and mystery which the mindset of science cannot fullyexplain.Thesymbolistvisionshakes thematerialistconceptionof reality to itscore and shows themanifest phenomena of thisworld to possess a ground ofmeaningbeyondpurelyphysicalexplanations.

Theholisticworldviewwhich somecontemporary theorists have related totheNewScienceandtoJung’ssynchronicitytheorymovesinthisdirection,butdoesnotsucceedinoverthrowingmaterialism.Junghimselfbackedofffromthemetaphysicalimplicationsofhistheory.Inhisoriginalworkonthissubject,heemphasizedmeaningasthedefiningmarkofsynchronisticevents;ifmeaningisinherentincoincidences,atranscendentaldimensionbeyondthematerialworldseemsunavoidable.YetasAnielaJaffépointsout inTheMythofMeaning, inhis later writings, Jung shifted his emphasis from the idea ofmeaning as thedominant characteristic of synchronistic phenomena to the more objective

concept of acausal connectedness—a decidedly less radical position, from theacademicperspective.ThisshiftofemphasisultimatelyledJungtoconcludethatthe explanation for synchronicity lay not in philosophy or mysticism but inempiricalscience.27

In the final analysis, the deeper message of symbolist thought is that theworld is a rich and multidimensional place in which, as Plotinus said manycenturiesago,“Allteemswithsymbol.”Untilweacknowledgelife’squalitativedimensions,weare like fliescrawlingacross theceilingof theSistineChapel,ignorant of the archetypal drama unfolding around us. Like proponents of anold-timereligionwho insiston readingbiblical storiesas literal truth, ignoringtheir metaphoric and mystical possibilities, we are too often experientialfundamentalists,blind to thedepthsofmeaningpresented tous everyday.Thesymbolistperspectiveoffersthepossibilityofatransformedvision,restoringlostdimensions of significance to our lives. Having regained this insight, we canrevisionourpersonaldramasinanarchetypalcontext.

Towards this end, this book has suggested the value of re-examining thephilosophicalandsymbolicsystemsofantiquity,inwhichweglimpseadeepertruth about the universe and our place in it.This is not simply to champion areturn to a golden age of the past, in which esoteric knowledge supposedlyflourished in pristine form. On the contrary, we today find ourselves at anespeciallyprivilegedvantagepoint in the studyof symbolist ideas, becauseofour unprecedented access to the esoteric systems and teachings of manyhistoricalcultures.Inthisspirit,whathasbeenpresentedhereisintendednotasascholarlysurveysomuchasatapestryofthethemesofthesymbolistlegacy,modifiedforourowntimeandsensibilities.

Perhapsthedeeperstudyofsymbolismandsynchronicityinourlivesisbestseen as part of an emerging Sacred Science, incorporating insights from bothancientandcontemporarysources.This integrativeapproachwoulddrawuponknowledge from such traditional disciplines as sacred geometry, astrology,mathematics,yogicchakrapsychology,mythology,geomancy,andritualtheory,as well as the findings of modern science and psychology. These approacheswould, in turn, be framed by the insights into consciousness presented by theworld’sgreatmysticalandmeditativetraditions.Seeninthisway,themessageofmeaningfulcoincidencewouldassumeitsrightfulplaceasafacetofagreaterframeworkof perennial philosophical and spiritual thought. It ismyhope thatthisbookhascontributedtowardsthisend.

ENDNOTES

INTRODUCTION1MichaelGrosso,TheMillenniumMyth(Wheaton,IL:QuestBooks,1995),9.

CHAPTER11RalphWaldoEmerson,“Nature,”fromTheWritingsofRalphWaldoEmerson(NewYork:Modern

Library,1940),15.2ArthurSchopenhauer,quotedbyJosephCampbellinTheMasksofGod,Vol.IV:CreativeMythology

(NewYork:VikingPress,1968),193-194.3ForaconcisesummaryofLeibniz’stheoryof“pre-establishedharmony,”seeIraProgoff,Jung,Synchronicity,andHumanDestiny(NewYork:DellBooks,1973),67–76.

4JohnMaynardKeynes,“NewtontheMan,”inNewtonTercentenaryCelebrations(Cambridge,England:CambridgeUniversityPress,1947),27-29.

5CarlJung,“Synchronicity:AnAcausalConnectingPrinciple,”inCollectedWorks,vol.8(Princeton,NJ:PrincetonUniversityPress,1969).

6QuotedbyArthurKoestlerinTheRootsofCoincidence(NewYork:RandomHouse,1972),87.7Concerningomens,theDalaiLamahasremarked:“We[alltheBuddhistschools]believeinoracles,

omens,interpretationsofdreams,reincarnation.Butthesebeliefs,whichforusarecertainties,arenotsomethingwetrytoimposeonothersinanyway.”“TheDalaiLamainconversationwithJean-ClaudeCarriere,”inViolenceandCompassion:DialoguesontheWorldToday(NewYork:Doubleday,1996),20.

8“RingingDowntheCurtainonJoyce’s100thYear,”BookWorld,ChicagoTribune,Dec.26,1982.9RobertAntonWilson,Coincidence(Phoenix,AZ:NewFalconPress,1991).10AnielaJaffé,TheMythofMeaning(NewYork:Putnam,1971),153.11MirceaEliade,ImagesandSymbols(NewYork:SearchBook,1969),177-178.12LinYun,ascitedbySarahRossbach,FengShui:TheChineseArtofPlacement(NewYork:E.P.

Dutton,Inc.,1983),101.

CHAPTER21MirceaEliade,TheSacredandtheProfane;TheNatureofReligion(NewYork:HarperandRow,

1961),165.2Anotherwayofunderstandingthehistoricalcontextofsymbolistthoughtisintermsofthedistinction

betweenmysticismandoccultism.Strictlyspeaking,mysticismrepresentsthepathofdirectunionwithGod.Bycontrast,occultismistheefforttounderstandcreationanditsinnerworkings,withaneyetowardthepracticalapplicationofthatknowledge.Onewaytoillustratethedistinctionbetweenthesetwopathsisasfollows:Ifrealitywereaskyscraper,withthedifferentfloorsrepresentingvariouslevelsfromgrosstosubtle,thenthemysticistheindividualwhosesoleconcernisfindingtheelevatorandridingdirectlytotheuppermostfloors.Theoccultist,bycontrast,isinterestedinfindingoutwhatisoneachofthefloors,andmightthereforestudythearchitectural,plumbing,andelectricaldiagramsofthebuildingtounderstandthelayoutandenergy-gridpatternscharacterizingitsoperations.Accordingtothisbasicdistinction,symbolistphilosophytheoreticallyfallsundertheheadingofoccultismratherthanmysticism,itsfocusbeingunderstandinghowthecosmosoperates,ratherthanitsultimatetranscendenceorintegration.Inreality,ofcourse,onerarelyfindseitherofthesepathsintheirpureandunadulteratedstate,withmanymysticsthroughhistorypossessingconsiderableoccultknowledge,andmanyoccultistshavingadeepmysticalsensitivity.Inmythologicalimagery,theidealmergingofthesedualpathscanbeseenintheArthurianfigureofMerlin,whoembodiesbothspiritualinsightandmysticalknowledge.

3O.R.Gurney,“TheBabyloniansandHittites,”fromOraclesandDivination.MichaelLoeweandCarmenBlacker,eds.(Boulder,CO:Shambhala,1981),142-173.

4W.Y.Evans-Wentz,TibetanYogaandSecretDoctrines(London:OxfordUniversityPress,1967),165.5CitedbyWendyDonigerinDreams,Illusions,andOtherRealities(Chicago:UniversityofChicago

Press,1984),18.6Foranin-depthdiscussionofthemultileveledcharacterofEgyptianhieroglyphics,seeSergeSauneron’sThePriestsofAncientEgypt(NewYork:EvergreenProfileBooks,GrovePress,1960),132-135.

7AsummationofbothSchwallerdeLubiczandJohnAnthonyWest’sideascanbefoundinWest’sSerpentintheSky:TheHighWisdomofAncientEgypt(Wheaton:QuestBooks,1993).

8ParaphrasedfromMythologies,vol.I,compiledbyYvesBonnefoy,translatedbyGeraldHonigsblum,underthedirectionofWendyDoniger(Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,1991),591.

9SeyyedHosseinNasr,TheNeedforaSacredScience(Albany:SUNYPress,1993),100,132-133.10CitedbyAnthonyAveniinConversingwiththePlanets(NewYork:KodanshaInternational,Inc.,

1994),170-171.11EdwardHoffman,TheHeavenlyLadder:AJewishGuidetoInnerGrowth(SanFrancisco:Harper&

Row,1985),98-99.12Itwouldbeanexaggerationtosuggestthatthesymbolistperspectiveevercompletelydisappeared.Apart

fromitsvestigialsurvivalthroughpopularsuperstition,itispossibleaswelltotraceavarietyofhistoricalstreamsthroughwhichitsmoresubtleexpressionshavecomedowntous.Inthephilosophicalworld,ashortlistofitsmostinfluentialproponentswouldincludeEmmanuelSwedenborg,RalphWaldoEmerson,H.P.Blavatsky,ManlyPalmerHall,andCarlJung.Asitconcernsthelevelofcosmic,ornaturesymbolism,wemustalsonotethehistoricalroleplayedbyEuropeanRomanticismingeneral,andtheNaturphilosophiemovementinparticular,asrepresentedbyNovalis,Goethe,Schelling,H.

Steffens,andG.H.vonSchubert.Intheliteraryfield,seminalinfluencesincludeHermanMelville,JamesJoyce,AugustStrindberg(Inferno,OccultDiary),ThorntonWilder(TheBridgeatSanLuisRey),andthemovementofsymbolistartandpoetryasepitomizedbytheFrenchpoetBaudelaire.HeavilyinfluencedbybothSwedenborgandtheearlierAmericansymbolistssuchasEmersonandPoe,Baudelaire’spoem“Correspondences”arguablyrepresentsthecenterpieceofnineteenth-centuryliterarysymbolism:“Natureisatemplewhoselivingcolumnssometimesyieldconfusingmessages;manpassesthereacrossaforestofsymbolswhichcasttheirfamiliarglancesathim.”Finally,onthepopularlevel,perhapsthemostinfluentialchannelthroughwhichsymbolistnotionshavepersistedintomoderntimeshasbeenthedivinatoryarts,includingsuchdisciplinesasastrology,tarotandtheIChing.

13CarlJung,“TheSymbolicLife”inCollectedWorks,vol.18(Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress,1980),255.

14ColinWilson,TheOccult(NewYork:RandomHouse,1971),46.15MirceaEliade,ImagesandSymbols:StudiesinComparativeSymbolism(NewYork:SearchBook),12.

CHAPTER31Severalbooksprovideausefulintroductiontoapsychologicalapproachtobodysymbolism.These

includeKenDychtwald,Bodymind(LosAngeles:J.P.Tarcher,1986);A.Lowen,LanguageoftheBody(NewYork:CollierBooks,1971);andDebbieShapiro,BodymindWorkbook:ExploringHowtheMindandtheBodyWorkTogether(London:Element,1990).

2Untilfairlyrecently,theprimarysourceforEnglish-speakingreadersonPaulKammerer’sworkoncoincidencehasbeenArthurKoestler’sTheRootsofCoincidence(NewYork:RandomHouse,1972)andTheCaseoftheMidwifeToad(NewYork:RandomHouse,1972).Recently,however,anintriguingnewinterpretationofKammerer’sworkhasbeenundertakenbyRobSchmidtandJohnTownley(asofthiswritingunpublished),basedonSchmidt’stranslationfromtheoriginalGerman.TheyarguethatKammerer’stheoryofsynchronicity(termed“seriality”)differsfromJung’sconceptioninitsdisavowalofbothnon-causalityandmetaphysicalnotionsof“meaning”asexplanatoryprinciplesforthisphenomenon.

3GretelErlich,AMatchtotheHeart(NewYork:Pantheon1994),28.4ArthurSchopenhauer,citedbyJosephCampbellinTheMasksofGod,Vol.IV:CreativeMythology

(NewYork:Viking,1968),193-194.5GeorgFeuerstein,TheMysteryofLight(SaltLakeCity,UT:PassagePress,1994),28-29.

CHAPTER41CorneliusAgrippa,ThreeBooksofOccultPhilosophy(St.Paul,MN:Llewellyn,1993),160.2Plutarch,TheLivesoftheNobleGreciansandRomans,translatedbyJohnDryden,revisedbyArthur

HughClough(NewYork:TheModernLibrary),802-803.

CHAPTER51PaulReps,quotedbyWilliamSegal,Tricycle,vol.1,no.1,53.2ArthurSchopenhauer,quotedbyJosephCampbellinTheMasksofGod,Vol.IV:CreativeMythology,

344.3CorneliusAgrippa,TheThreeBooksofOccultPhilosophy,163.4CitedinTrueRemarkableOccurrences,compiledandannotatedbyJohnTrain(NewYork:ClarksonN.

Potter,Inc.,1978),36.5GerhardAdler,“Reflectionson‘Chance,’‘Fate,’andSynchronicity,”PsychologicalPerspectives,vol.

20,no.1,Spring-Summer1989,18.6Ibid.,30.7AgooddiscussionofJung’sviewof“compensation”inrelationtohistheoryofsynchronicitycanbe

foundinRobertAziz,C.G.Jung’sPsychologyofReligionandSynchronicity(Albany,NY:SUNYPress,1990),16-18,160-166,207.Thoughsomewhatacademicinstyle,AzizoffersmanyusefulobservationsandplacessynchronicityinthelargercontextofJung’spsychologicalandreligiousphilosophy.

8ArthurSchopenhauer,quotedbyJosephCampbellinTheMasksofGod.Vol.IV:CreativeMythology,344.

9CarlosCastaneda,TheFireFromWithin(NewYork:Simon&Schuster,1984),25-43.

CHAPTER61C.G.Jung,“MysteriumConiunctionis,”CollectedWorks,Vol.14(Princeton.NJ:PrincetonUniversity

Press,1970),419-420.2QuotedbyPaulRepsinZenFlesh,ZenBones:ACollectionofZenandPre-ZenWriting(GardenCity,

NY:Anchor,Doubleday,1961),106.3TranscribedfromalecturebyGoswamiKriyanandaattheTempleofKriyaYoga,Chicago,1982.4IChing,translatedbyRichardWilhelm,renderedintoEnglishbyCaryF.Baynes(Princeton,NJ:

PrincetonUniversityPress,1950),190.

CHAPTER71SirEdwinArnold,TheLightofAsia(NewYork:Dodd,Mead&Co.,1926),110.2Althoughtheimageofanacorn-as-potential-oak-treeisusefulindescribingtheprincipleofteleology,it

shouldnotbetakentooliterally.Wespeakoftheacornasbeing“drawnforward”towarditspotentialasanoaktree,asifthatfuturestatealreadyexistedandwasexertingitsinfluencebackwardthroughtime.However,asRupertSheldrakehaspointedout,onecaneasilydestroyagivenacorn,therebypreventingitfromreachingitsendgoal,thuseffectivelyrefutingtheargumentthattheacorn’s“destiny”asanoaktreeexistsinanymetaphysicalsense.Thuswhateverdestinyanacornholdsappearstobeasetofgeneticpossibilities,whichmay—ormaynot—everreachfruition.

3CitedbyGlennMullin,“PersonalGlimpses,”TheQuest,Winter1993,96.4ParaphrasedfromHeinrichZimmer,MythsandSymbolsinIndianArtandCivilization(Princeton,NJ:

PrincetonUniversityPress,1962),159.5MedicineGrizzlybearLake,NativeHealer(Wheaton,IL:QuestBooks,1991),27.6CitedbyJamesHillmaninRe-VisioningPsychology(NewYork:HarperandRow,1975),195-196.7ArthurSchopenhauer,quotedbyJosephCampbellinTheMasksofGod,Vol.IV:CreativeMythology,

193-4.8EdwardWhitmont,“TheDestinyConceptinPsychotherapy,”Spring,JamesHillman,ed.,Analytical

PsychologyClubofNewYork,1969,73-92.9IhaveparaphrasedandcondensedthistalefromTalesoftheDervishes,IdriesShah(NewYork:E.P.

Dutton&Co.,1969),72-74.10ElisabethKübler-Ross,interviewedbyWilliamElliott,TyingRockstoClouds(Wheaton,IL:Quest

Books,1995),39.11SogyalRinpoche,TheTibetanBookofLivingandDying(SanFrancisco:HarperSanFrancisco,1992),

134.

CHAPTER81FlowerOrnamentSutra,translatedbyThomasCleary(Boston:Shambhala,1985),317.2DudjomRinpoche,citedbySogyalRinpocheinTheTibetanBookofLivingandDying(SanFrancisco:

HarperSanFrancisco,1994),82.3CitedbyJeromeBuckleyinTennyson:TheGrowthofaPoet(Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversity

Press,1967),15.4CarlJung,TheSymbolicLife(Princeton,NJ:PrincetonUniversityPress,1980),273-274.5TheseexamplesaredrawnfromSarahRossbach,FengShui:TheChineseArtofPlacement(NewYork,

E.P.Dutton,Inc.,1983).6Forahighlyreadableintroductiontotheritualisticpotentialsofthehomeenvironment,seeScott

Cunningham,TheMagicalHousehold(St.Paul,MN:Llewellyn,1993).7ElisabethKübler-Ross,inWilliamElliott,TyingRockstoClouds,33.8QuotedbyStephenMitchellinTheGospelAccordingtoJesus(NewYork:HarperPerennial,1991),46.9Foramoredetaileddiscussionoftherelationshipofhathayogaposturestothechakras,seeTheSpiritualScienceofKriyaYoga,byGoswamiKriyananda(Chicago:TheTempleofKriyaYoga,1988).

10GoswamiKriyananda,inconversationwiththeauthor.11TheHymnsofOrpheus,translatedbyR.C.Hogart(GrandRapids,MI:Phanes,1993),39.12CitedbyJohnDaidoLooriduringatalkatZenMountainMonastery,1987.Alsocitedinslightly

differentforminLoori’sTheEightGatesofZen(Mt.Tremper,NY:DharmaCommunications,1992),179.

CHAPTER91PercySeymour,Astrology:TheEvidenceofScience(LutonBeds,England:LennardPublishing,1988),

13.2H.P.Blavatsky,CollectedWritings,vol.Ill(Wheaton,IL:TheosophicalPublishingHouse,1968),192.3ForanexcellentworkonthedetailsandimplicationsofnonlocalityasderivedfromtheworkofBell,

seeTimMaudlin,QuantumNonLocalityandRelativity:MetaphysicalIntimationsofModernPhysics(Cambridge,MA:Blackwell,1994).

4PercySeymour,Astrology:TheEvidenceofScience,79-80.Infact,theuseofBell’sTheoremtoexplainastrologicalinfluenceisproblematiconseverallevels.InadditiontoSeymour’sobjection,Bell’sversionofnonlocalityextendsonlytoparticleswhichhavepreviouslybeenincontactwitheachother;inastrology,bycontrast,aninterconnectednessispostulatedbetweendistantbodies(humanandcelestial)forwhichnopreviousrelationshiptrulyexists.

5SeeMichelGauquelin,CosmicInfluencesonHumanBehavior(SanteFe,NM:AuroraPress,1985)andNeo-Astrology:ACopernicanRevolution(NewYork:Arkana,1991).

6PeterRoberts,TheMessageofAstrology(Northamptonshire,England:AquarianPress,1990),72-73.7MichaelHarding,HymnstotheAncientGods(London:Arkana,1992),23-41.8Plotinus,TheEnneads,translatedbyThomasMacKenna(Burdett,NY:LarsonPublications,1992)

EnneadII.3.7,108-109.9Plotinus,EnneadVI.9.10RalphWaldoEmerson,“Nature,”TheCompleteWritings(NewYork:WilliamH.Wise,1929),913.11ArthurSchopenhauer,TheMasksofGod,Vol.IV,344.

CHAPTER101WhiletheSunandtheMoonembodytheprimarypolaritiesofarchetypalmasculineandfeminine,we

shouldneverregardtheSunaspurelymaleortheMoonaspurelyfemale.Justasallwomencontainaninnermasculineandallmenaninnerfeminine,sothesetwoarchetypescontaintheiroppositequalitiesaswell.IntraditionalChinesethought,thispointisconveyedbythesymbolofyinandyang,inwhicheachhalfofthecirclecontainsasmalldotbearingtheshadingoftheoppositehalf—therebyillustratingthespiritualtruththateverythingcontainstheseedofitsopposite.

2AccordingtoVedicscholarDavidFrawley,whilethereisnodirectsourceinYogicliteraturefortheChandrachakraasdescribedbyYogananda,itcouldberelatedtotheclassicalideathattheAjnachakra(“thirdeye”)hastwo“petals,”whichrelatetotherightandlefteyes,governedbytheSunandtheMoon.

3SeeParamahansaYogananda,AutobiographyofaYogi(NevadaCity,CA:CrystalClarityPublishers,1994),234.

4Foramoredetaileddiscussionoftheartofchakricallyinterpretedhoroscopes,seemyarticle“AstrologyandtheChakras:TowardaSacredPsychologyoftheHoroscope,”TheMountainAstrologer(April1996).

5IntraditionalYogicthought,Kundalinienergy,whichinitslatentstateisdescribedasacoiledserpentatthebaseofthespine,whenawakenedbyspiritualpractice,issaidtoriseupthespinetothechakracentersinthehead.ManywarningsaregivenaboutthedangersofactivatingKundalinibytheunpreparednovice.Mostofthedifficultiesarisewhentheawakenedenergiesveeroffintotherightorleftchannels,ratherthanbeingcontainedwithinthebalancedorcentralchannel.Thebestadviceistoconsultaqualifiedteacherbeforeengaginginmeditativepracticesdesignedtoactivatethisenergy.

6The“HathaYogaPradipika,”stanzaIV.7,citedbyGeorgFeuersteininWholenessorTranscendence(Burdett,NY:Larson,1992),273.

7Formoreinformationontherelationofthesushumnicchanneltothesymbolsexperiencedinthenear-deathexperience,seemyarticle“AYogicPerspectiveontheNear-DeathExperience”inTheQuest,Summer1994,35.

8ShellyTrimmer,EsotericAstrology(unpublishedmanuscript).

CHAPTER111SeeHansJenny,CymaticsI&II(Basil,Switzerland:BasileusPress,1972).2SeeTheManWhoTastedShapes,RichardCytowic(NewYork:Tarcher/Putnam,1993).Cytowic

arguesthat,initsphysiologicalform,synesthesiaisdifferentfromthemetaphoricsynesthesiadescribedbypoetsandmystics.Testsperformedonbiologicallysynestheticindividualssuggestthatthisprocesstakesplacelargelyinthelowerlevelsofthebrain,thelimbicorreptilebrain.Bycontrast,testsrunonindividualsinastateofpoetic/metaphoricthoughtindicateaninvolvementofthehigher,rationallevelsofthebrain’sneocortex.Thissuggeststhatasapurelymedicalcondition,synesthesiaisnottrulya“proportional”cross-referencingofsensorydatasomuchasagenuinemisinterpretationbythebrainofinformationreceivedthroughthesenses.Iftrue,thismeansthatclinicalsynesthesiamaynothaveanythingmetaphoricormysticalaboutitatall.

3JohnAnthonyWest,SerpentInTheSky(Wheaton,IL:QuestBooks,1993),113-114.4Thenotionthatpsychologicalstatesmaypossessaproportional,orgeometricdimensionfindssupport

inProf.ManfredClynes’theoryof“essenticforms.”Clynesdevisedtestswhichaskedlaboratorysubjectstolinkemotionalstateswithvariousaudialorvisualforms.Aconsistentsetofrelationshipsemerged:angercorrespondedtosharperforms,sensualitywithundulatingforms,etc.WhiletheramificationsofClynes’researcharestilldebated,theyillustratehowsomethingasintangibleasmoodcantranslateintoproportionalpatterns.ForamoredetailedexplanationofClynes’work,seeDonCampbell,Music:PhysicianforTimestoCome(Wheaton,IL:QuestBooks,1991),121-145,337-355.

5RalphWaldoEmerson,TheCompleteWritings,vol.II(NewYork:WilliamH.Wise,1929),949.6FrenchphilosopherGastonBachelardhasexploredtherelationshipofelementalqualitiesto

psychologicalstates,demonstratinghowtheoutwardphenomenaofnaturesharesimilaritieswithstatesofthesoul.ForageneralintroductiontoBachelard’sthought,seeRichardLeviton,“TheBarefootPhilosopher:GastonBachelard’sReverieoftheElements”inTheQuest,Spring1995,58-63,78-81.

7MythanksheretoEricKleinforintroducingmetothemetaphoricmethodofunderstandingplanetaryqualities.

8CitedbyAnthonyAveni,ConversingwiththePlanets(NewYork:KodanshaInternational,Inc.,1994),46.

9ShellyTrimmer,EsotericAstrology(unpublishedmanuscript).10Ramprasad,asquotedinLexHixon,MotheroftheUniverse:VisionsoftheGoddessandTantricHymnsofEnlightenment(Wheaton,IL:QuestBooks,1993),77.

CHAPTER121CarlJung,“Synchronicity:AnAcausalConnectingPrinciple,”inTheStructureandDynamicsofthePsyche,Vol.8,CollectedWorks(Princeton,NJ:BollingenSeries,PrincetonUniversityPress),par.843-845.

2CarlJung,par.843.ThequestionastothetruefrequencyofsynchronisticphenomenabecameamatterofconsiderabledebatebetweenJungandhiscolleague,SwissanalystC.A.Meier.MeierpointedouttoJungthatifsynchronicityisaphenomenonat“rightangles”tocausality,thenbydefinitionitmustmanifestascommonlyinourlivesascausality,notsimplyasanoccasionalfeature.Concedingthispoint,Jungaddedafootnotetothiseffectinthebook’snextedition—failing,however,tociteMeier’sroleinclarifyingthispointforhim.OnbeingangrilyconfrontedbyMeierforthisoversight,Jungmodifiedthefootnote(number70)tocreditMeier’scontribution,whichinsubsequenteditionshasreadasfollows:“Imustagainstressthepossibilitythattherelationbetweenbodyandsoulmayyetbeunderstoodasasynchronisticone.Shouldthisconjectureeverbeproved,mypresentviewthatsynchronicityisarelativelyrarephenomenonwouldhavetobecorrected.Cf.C.A.Meier'sobservationsinZeitgemässeProblemederTraumforschung,p.22.”

3RalphWaldoEmerson,TheCompleteWritings,vol.II(NewYork:WilliamH.Wise,1929),955.4IraProgoff,Jung,Synchronicity,andHumanDestiny:NoncausalDimensionsofHumanExperience

(NewYork:DialogHouse,1985),134.5Jung,par.916.6CarlJung,citedbyIraProgoff,inJung,Synchronicity,andHumanDestiny,159.7Jung,par.849.8Jung,par.816.9Agoodoverviewoftheholographicprincipleanditsimplicationsfordifferentdisciplinesispresented

inMichaelTalbot’sTheHolographicUniverse(NewYork:HarperCollins,1991).10SeeBenoitB.Mandelbrot,TheFractalGeometryofNature(NewYork:W.H.FreemanandCompany,

1983).11SeeRupertSheldrake,ANewScienceofLife(Rochester,VT:OneParkPress,1995).12JeremyBernstein,quotedbyKenWilberinQuantumQuestions(Boulder,CO:Shambhala,1984),27.13NickHerbert,QuantumReality:BeyondtheNewPhysics(GardenCity,NY:AnchorPress/Doubleday,

1985),227.14RobertAntonWilson,“Synchronicity,Isomorphism,andtheImplicateOrder,”Gnosis(Winter1989),

50.15KenWilber,Sex,Ecology,Spirituality(Boulder,CO:Shambala,1995),266.16SeeMichelGauquelin,Neo-Astrology:ACopernicanRevolution(NewYork:Penguin,1991).17Infact,thereareseveralothermodesofinterpretingrealitybesidesthescientific(collective-rational)and

symbolist(archetypal),whichextractdifferentkindsofinformationfromtheworld.Theyinclude:theaesthetic(eventsastheymightbeseenbyanartist);thesubjective-emotional(eventsasfilteredthroughpersonalmemoriesandassociations);theconcrete-sensory(eventsasseenintermsofrawdata,muchasacameraorinsectmightperceivethem);andthe“luminoussuchness”(wheretheeventisseendivestedofallconceptualoverlays,asintheconcrete-sensorymode,butenhancedbyawakenedself-awareness).Thoughitistemptingtorankthesemodeshierarchically,fromlessertogreaterimportance,thetruthis

thatdifferentmodesareappropriatetodifferentcontexts.EvenaZenmasterwillemploydifferentcognitivemodesdependingonwhetherheisbiddingfarewelltohismotheronherdeathbed,interpretingadream,staringatthewallinmeditation,ortryingtodecipheranowner’smanualforaVCR!

18QuotedbyJohnRobinsoninAnIntroductiontoEarlyGreekPhilosophy(NewYork:Houghton-Mifflin,1968),69.

19SeyyedHosseinNasr,TheNeedforaSacredScience(Albany,NY:SUNYPress,1993)97.20DavidBohm,fromTheSearchforMeaning,ed.PaavoPylkkänen(Wellingborough,GB:Crucible,

1989),43.21Bohm,TheSearchforMeaning,60.22RichardFeynman,TheFeynmanLecturesonPhysics,vol.II(PaloAlto,CA:AddisonWesley,1964),

41-42.23NormanMailer,quotedinDanielNoel,ApproachingEarth:ASearchfortheMythicSignificanceoftheSpaceAge(Amity,NY:AmityHouse,1986),23-24.

24Someastrologersfeelthereareexceptionstothisrule;forexample,seeRichardTarnas’discussionofthenamingoftheplanetUranusinPrometheustheAwakener(Woodstock,CT:SpringPublications,1995),11-16.

25See“AnInterviewwithRichardKastl,”inEast-WestJournal(December1977),40.26From“TheMistressofVision,”byFrancesThompson,inColumbiaGranger’sWorldofPoetry,CD-

ROM(NewYork:ColumbiaUniversityPress,1991-2).27AnielaJaffé,TheMythofMeaning(NewYork:Putnam,1971).

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RayGrassehasstudiedtheesoteric traditionsof theworldforover twenty-fiveyears, includingKriyaYoga,astrology,andZenBuddhism.HeworkedontheeditorialstaffsofQuestBooksandTheQuest

magazine for ten years. Grasse is author of Signs of the Times, and contributor toEastern Systems forWesternAstrologers.HeholdsadegreeinfilmmakingandpaintingfromtheArtInstituteofChicago.Hisarticlesandessayshaveappearedinnumerousanthologiesandjournals.

AuthorphotobyJudithWiker