Well, this is a surprise! Another TYL forum!
Carrying on from a recent Ken Haining thread, "Is Astrology a science?", posted on the 'old' forum, I'll simplify my recent contribution by stating: it will be recognised as part of a living reality in the not too distant future. The time is right, it feels right, at least in part due to Pluto's ingress into Aquarius. That's my experience, at least; a time for revisiting long-held ideas about the nature of life, science, religions and, of course, Astrology. My own position is that Astrology tells us quite a lot about the nature 'Life' and the dynamics of creation.
My main focus is on the nature of reality, not on chart analysis, so I'm not "an astrologer" in the usual sense of the word. Many of you will already be aware that I have an upcoming book publication, working title 'The TruthSeeker's Guide to Reality' where I use my experience (of decades) in working with Astrology, and the so-called 'spiritual world', to develop a logical basis for Astrology - in other words, I supply what is missing from this ancient art, and in the process, solve many of Astrology's outstanding problems - as I see it, of course.
The short story is that Astrology is a self-consistent system of description based on the logic of organisation - The Logic of Life, as I call it. Astrology is about the framework through which the forces of creation do their work. This implies that current ideas on the nature of Astrology are, at best, incomplete. It is no surprise that the scientific community laughs at astrologers, most of whom are working with the effects of Astrology without any understanding of its causal basis.
That causal basis cannot be fully illuminated at the present time; my successful modelling of astrological structure requires a link between gravity and, what I have labelled as, the Life Field, the connection of all living things through a collective unconscious. Science has yet to uncover the secrets of gravity in relation to the quantum description of reality. The necessity of using complex numbers to model astrological structure at least implies that the Life Field may be quantum in nature. The fact of this deep connection is demonstrated by experience of the psychic world.
So, that briefly sums up my position on the reality of astrological effects. We will, ultimately, need the scientific community to fully understand the nature of the living world.
"If it be true that Spirit is involved in Matter and apparent Nature is secret God, then the manifestation of the divine in himself and the realisation of God within and without are the highest and most legitimate aim possible to man upon earth."
The Life Divine
p.6
Hello Harry,
Glad to see you are still working toward birthing your opus; eventually sharing it with the world.
I've always liked the framework of "sacred science" to describe astrology. There is in that phrase an acknowledgement of the limitations of both the sacred, and the scientific. In the modern era we tend to aggrandize one or the other which is in keeping with the limitations of mind power. A scientific skew especially represents the mind power raised to an infinite exponent that is merely shrouded in ego. Fundamentally, this encasement of ego cannot attain the goal described, of a greater reality. Similarly for the "spiritually" minded whose interpretation of reality is illusory, or "Maya." This classic divide between Spirit and Matter I think is embedded in the question, but the question cannot be answered by coming at it from one direction. Science alone will not provide the answer. Neither will spirituality alone provide the answer.
Noel delved into some of these questions in his earlier writings, but really only made mention of them as they appear to be more of a distraction to the goal of counseling. Your writing is informative and technical, using specific but unique terminology related to astrology and philosophy. I would categorize your work as specialized, but like all specialties in astrology, each has something to say, and each in their own way may be very well be relevant. I can't say I fully understand your treatise, but can say the effort is impressive, challenging.
Sri Aurobindo, Pierre Theilhard de Chardin, and yes, Noel Tyl, all discussed some version of the "collective unconscious," your "Life Field." An interconnectedness, that moves toward the "Omega Point," and collects along the way in the form of the "Noosphere," in the case of Theilhard. Aurobindo's conception was in some ways even grander, more vast. His Integral Yoga was evolutionary and extended beyond the individual, and probably why he dropped astrology as an avenue for his work. He had studied astrology for about a decade before moving on. Tyl's work seems to have introduced astrology as a tool to reveal the interconnections of various aspects of a person's life, which can and does facilitate growth and awareness. This is some incredible and rarified company within which to insert yourself.
The "reality of astrology," as a statement, is like saying "the reality of evolution," or the "reality of growth and awareness." I'm not really sure what the point of the question is to be honest. The reality of astrology is self-evident irrespective of a person's level of development, to one degree or another. What drew me to Noel's work is the word Synthesis. My understanding is that he was not only explicitly encouraging a synthesis of sign and symbol, but also applying the synthetic model of astrology to the lived experience, where the symbol is the thing symbolized, and in consultation this only revealed as it emerges within discussion.
Always a thought provoking post from you my friend.
Good luck with the book.
HVA
Obviously, we are men of many names!
When I stumbled upon this site, I didn't know if it was fully functioning and the last individual I expected to be talking with was yourself, HVA. But ... here we are!
A few points of clarification concerning your post. The term 'Life Field' is based on my personal experience and is not entirely described by the term 'collective unconscious', although I do use that term to give a flavour of what the Life Field is. I don't fully understand the nature of this deeper reality, no one does, but i have felt its power, to overwrite individual consciousness, to direct individual actions and to offer glimpses of the future - all for a purpose that is not individual. The generic term 'spiritual world' is larger in scope, so that the Life Field is the local connection to that so-called spiritual world. All these descriptive terms are really just placeholders to be illuminated as time goes on - and not just by Henry McArthur. This is just another step towards reality.
You are, currently, the only astrologer who has access to a (fairly recent) draft of my book. You think of the work as "specialized" whereas I see it as fundamental. Of course, I have been working on this for a very long time and not without some 'spiritual assistance'.
As I stated in the text, people build models of reality from parts they can understand, leaving aside those elements that are too difficult to integrate. There is much in my experience that I cannot integrate, but it doesn't stop me trying - The TruthSeeker never rests!
One of my more recent updates includes an astrological example of 'reverse causation'. In the appendix on 'The Personal Ages', I describe the effects of transits to my fifth age chart planets (12th December 2024), in particular, Uranus conjunct Pluto in Aquarius. A point in time in the future that has had effects in the late 90s, and just perhaps, in the whole of my life. There is a 'precognitive dream' example of a similar effect in the draft you have. In other words, the future is affecting 'here and now'. History is full of prophets that have seen the future for a specific evolutionary purpose.
In short, Astrology is, currently, incomplete, and not just missing its logical basis!
Time will tell how these matters work out, but my work should make these ideas testable - at least by astrologers.
Henry.
Hey Henry,
Thanks for that... I will give The Book a proper shake. As it goes, I've been paddling my canoe or more like standing with one foot in two canoes to paraphrase the old Donald Rumsfeld joke, so I've not given it the old college try. But it is a challenging read, whether one considers it specialized or fundamental, and I think brilliant.
"...people build models of reality from parts they can understand, leaving aside those elements that are too difficult to integrate."
This is so true. And more so most models are dependent on or born from an educational system which inculcates a certain amount of conformity in thinking, so that the influences are institutionalized in a sense and not far apart. I think Chomsky went to great lengths to write about this. An example is American politics where people get their panties in a bunch over which red or blue candidate is a elected as if it matters, when in reality nothing much changes. So while the "model" you are building may be "fundamental" to the Logic of Life, my personal struggle, my laboring through it if you will, is the excessive mentalization, perhaps the influence of an education earned by an accomplished engineer, turned astrologer. I'm glad you mentioned 'spiritual assistance,' but I'm surprised that influence doesn't immediately grab my attention. I think I have a sensitivity to that sort of influence so not sure why it doesn't come through... not withstanding some of the incredible anecdotes. My initial run through told me I was reading a white paper, not a channeled document. Maybe just the fact that you kindly shared it means something, AND that I too randomly came over to see "what Noel was up to" and punched in the url, then lo and behold yours was the first name I saw.
Still learning to drive the new platform.. again thanks for sharing. I think my mention of specialized was a compliment to such a unique and original perspective. Astrology has evolved continuously, so I don't see why someone couldn't make new and revelatory contributions to the art; and there is no reason why it couldn't be you I suppose.
Call me by whatever name, but don't call me late for dinner.
Have a great night.
HVA
HVA,
Keep in mind that you are a Piscean and I am a Gemini - a practical-minded, hands-on problem solver. When I look back at my interactions with the 'realms spiritual' I seem to have been allowed to see the nuts and bolts of spiritual activity. 'The Divine' is very much at work in the here and now, and just not some nebulous concept operating on the grand scale, separate from ordinary lives. I see creation at work in many mundane theatres - the Spiritualist Church, the Masonic Lodges, Jehovah's Witnesses, each catering to differing groups of 'ordinary folk' - and, of course, that includes Astrology!
I've been given many clues along the way, clues that have allowed me to 'fix' the broken bits of Astrology and to provide the astrological 'big picture' - in other words, the spiritual roots and purpose of Astrology - a practical way for individuals to 'see' the divine at work.
Looking out at today's world, I see evil on the march. Not just the current war in the Ukraine, but the general social unrest and anti-social behaviour. There's very little of 'The Divine' on show. During my final stint in psychic development, the medium in charge, Christina (Tina) Wylie, told me that they had been asked to treat me with respect. It was clear, from early on, that I was not 'one of them', I was doing my own thing; I was there for a purpose that both they and I did not really understand. I thought I was a truth-seeker, ferreting out 'The Truth'. It's taken quite some time for me to work through all that I experienced during that intense period, and it has left me somewhat ambivalent towards 'The Divine'. My understanding is partial, but not because I haven't asked for the full story.
Part of the purpose of Astrology is to create multiple perspectives - my own seems to be quite unique. Hope this explains some of my personal approach.
Best Wishes,
Henry.
Astralcore and forum,
I think my last post needs elaborating. The first Uranus conjunct (fifth age) Pluto in Aquarius occurred in May of 1995 less than two weeks prior to my rejoining a 'psychic development circle' at the White Feather Psychic Centre. One of the first instructions given to me by my spiritual teachers was to begin a journal to record all that happened to me in the circle and in related events - "This is the way we will teach you." I also used this series of journals to record my progress in Astrology, testing what worked. An invaluable source of information.
Look at the planetary symbolism - future Pluto representing the resources I would need to enable my research into Astrology. The only exact conjunction occurred on 21st January, 1996, a day when I felt totally frustrated with recent developments in the circle - "Wrong direction for me" was noted on that day.