I?d like to recommend this article which I have just uploaded to the site:

Cosmic Harmony of Time & Space by Nunzia Coppola

My introduction on the home page reads as follows:

Treating astrology as one of many valid ways to understand the meaning of life and 'universal harmony', Nunzia Coppola reviews such diverse topics as the music of the spheres, superstring theory, and the ancient art of symbolic hand gestures. Her wide-ranging survey makes a compelling case for the need to "think in complexity" in order to appreciate the richness of diversity, increase knowledge and evolve the processes of perception.

To add a little to that, one of the reasons I like this article is the sense of value which it gives to astrology, (and other ancient symbolic philosophies), as disciplines which are still able to enrich the modern mind. It doesn?t treat astrology as something which stands against, or is conflicted by, modern science, but as a truly complimentary field, which holds an equal amount of respect, and which should be allowed to run freely alongside it ? with the two interpenetrating and perhaps informing each other in appropriate places.

It is a long article and it touches briefly upon quite a number of complex issues so it is hard for me to put my finger on what I really liked about this article, but at the end of it, I felt reminded of all the reasons I feel good about being an astrologer. It is worth the read for that reason alone ? because it brings back to mind the realisation that life is enchanted and precious.

Also, I very much like the message that we should all continue to expand our minds by considering new thoughts and new approaches. The author wasn?t aiming her comments at astrologers, but it was easy for me to see how they could be applied to some of the internal debates that take place between the extreme adherents of ?modern? or ?traditional? astrology. Here?s a couple of comments that struck a chord on that issue:

• A fertile attitude towards research will consider a plurality of theories, including those which are furthest in time and space. For example, the discoveries and the hypotheses of modern physics demand a place in the planetary cultural heritage, in the same way that the Copernican Revolution permeated the Renaissance culture.
  
  Often, that which is not markedly scientific or traditionally religious or culturally familiar, especially if it detaches itself from the standards of the dominant organisations, upsets the homeostatic process of some people. On the other hand, affinities confirm and satisfy, while diversities transform and throw into crisis. The human being often resists change, fearing the transformation of what has been consolidated: he does not want to lose what he has acquired with great effort. He therefore refuses the unknown concepts which could annihilate the beliefs or the mental routines which have been followed for years and which are therefore reassuring: the stronger the refusal, the more hostile, and in some cases more dangerous, they appear to him.
  
  This resistance to change, if pushed to extremes, could create a fundamentalist mentality, determined never to change an idea and to entrench itself stubbornly behind its own convictions. Yet crossing the frontiers of new knowledge and assimilating novel information does not weaken one's roots; it merely strengthens and enriches them, while the cultural mould resonates in the background as a source of security.

I can't think of a better way to put that. I once wrote an editorial in the Traditional Astrologer magazine, to express my view that the tradition of astrology is a living tradition, which stretches out into the future as well as being rooted in the past, constantly adapting itself in small ways so that it always seems relevant and fresh to each new generation. But the core principles remain secure because the consensus always goes back to them, and the closer we get to the essential principles of astrology (planets and aspects, and the communication of light), the more consistency we find. Certain principles are timeless and universal, but astrologers are constantly playing with new ways to systemise the logic, which is constantly generating internal debate which will probably never be resolved, but which is also probably constantly resolving individual doubts and questions, as astrologers keep throwing out questions and looking for answers. As the general thrust of this article shows ? that?s the important thing: not to expect that there will ever be a final answer that explains everything from string theory to astrology, but to just keep questioning and probing, gently stretching the mind, and enjoying the process of the puzzle.

So that?s something of the reasons why I enjoyed this article so much, and wanted to personally recommend it.

Deb

Very inspiring article. Certainly gave me something to think about

Matt

matt23z wrote:Very inspiring article. Certainly gave me something to think about

Matt

Sorry, I missed the thread.

Just to say I know Meskalila and she is a wonderful woman, very wise. Her lectures are always very beautiful and it is a pleasure to hear her.

margherita