Skyscript Astrology Forum

Hi there Skyscribes,

Did it ever happen to you that you came across a book that just sucked you in and refused to let you go anytime soon? And that had you constantly mumbling: "aha", "yeah, right", "hey, that's awesome!", etc while reading?

Well, I am continuously digesting loads of literature, but trust me, this kind of thing doesn't happen to me very often. However, Evolution of the Spirit - Our Journey Through the Universe, written by Astrolog creator and fellow Skyscript member Walter D. Pullen (a.k.a. Cruiser1), had just that effect on me!

So I feel compelled to share a few thoughts regarding this gem of a book, which I discovered quite recently, even though it was published already over ten years ago, back in 2011.

Due to Walter's background as a graduate of Morya federation's five year Quest Universal program (yeah, I googled that), Evolution of the Spirit is strongly founded on Theosophy. It provides full coverage of the basic tenets that comprise this metaphysical system. Early on, it lays out the latter's framework of planes, globes, rounds, and so on; in other words, the very stage where Spirit's evolution is taking place, both on a collective level and an individual level. It further explains various specialized terms, such as the seven rays, the antahkarana, the permanent atom, and what have you, in a mercifully transpicuous manner. So for one thing, it should be considered an excellent introduction to the intricasies of Theosophy's vast conceptual framework.

Now I've been delving into a number of works on Theosophy in the past (including those written by Helena Blavatsky, Annie Besant, C. W. Leadbeater, and most of all Alice A. Bailey) - and while much of what I read resonated with me, there was also plenty that I felt to be overly on the conjectural side, conforming to the morals of a different time, generally outdated, and so forth. So I am quite excited to finally have a book at hand that explores Theosophical topics from a more up-to-date and rationally sound perspective, while being wholly relevant to the questions and issues of the world today.

Walter truly knocks the dust off Theosophy's time-revered wisdom and makes it come to life! He manages to cast its light on a wide variety of subjects, seamlessly blended with profound insights he no doubt gained through personal experience in this and countless other lifetimes.

Whether he talks about reincarnation, nutrition, sexuality, different types of spiritual practice, or any other of the numerous topics addressed in this book, his words are evident of a spiritual perspective that is holistic, unjudgemental, balanced, and compassionate.

Honestly, you don't need to be a Theosophist in order to enjoy reading this book. You might want to do so simply for all the practical wisdom it contains regarding SO many things.

Without a doubt, Walter is known best for his contributions to astrology (being the author of the all-round freeware program Astrolog), however, this book does NOT treat astrological practice directly. And yet, it does go into astrology deeply in the context of its extended spiritual outlook, something that more esoterically inclined practitioners should find highly relevant and worthwhile.

Other esoteric topics included are divination, chakras, subtle bodies, spiritual experiences, the stages of spiritual development, long-lost civilisations, and even extraterrestrial cultures. Sure, some of this information may be considered rather speculative, but even if the reader may not quite agree on some occasions, he or she will likely find the presented material thought provoking nonetheless.

Is Evolution of the Spirit a New Age book? You bet!!! So if you are more into heavy and gloomy stuff lamenting about the miseries of our existence, this book is probably not the best choice for you. If, however, you find you could use a dose of spirited positive information, uplifting and encouraging, while at the same time philosophically sophisticated, go grab a copy while you can!

And here comes my only 'criticism'... The book seems to be out of print. I consider myself lucky to have found a copy at an affordable price. And no, I won't sell my copy to you!

In summary, I consider Evolution of the Spirit a true masterpiece of modern esoteric literature, presenting the best that classical Theosophy has to offer - and yet so much more!

Great to hear about this - here is a lnk that should go through to anyone's local Amazon:

Evolution of the Spirit Paperback – by Walter D. Pullen

That rings a bell Michael,

Walter's spirit shows up as you describe on his homepage with accounts on his many trips and interests.
https://www.astrolog.org/home.htm

I recently met an old astrologer who had studied with Willi Sucher when he was based in California and been practicing 'Astrosophy' (if it can be coined like this) his whole life. He has become my coach and mentor on the subject.
Another site I highly recommend for an introduction to Astrosophy hosted by Jonathan Hilton
https://www.astrosophy.com/
All the publications of Sucher can be found in PDF and he also writes sporadic articles very enlightening on the spiritual level.

My new mentor also gave me a copy of a book from Guenther Wachsmuth 'Cosmic Aspects of Birth and Death', first published in German 'Kosmische Aspekte von Geburt und Tol. Beiträge zur Karma-Forschung' in 1956. It shows how we are all connected with a family of ancestors from the past that have similar cosmic patterns in the constellations. And from which we can draw spritual forces.
And I am currently searching my zodiacal ancestors. For example, why is it Stephen Arroyo who opened me up to the language of astrology? He has a Mercury/Jupiter conjunction like me.
Simple but not simplistic as this book has opened me up to a whole new world.

Yesterday, according to Rudolf Steiner, was the day in the year where the deceased are closest to us.
Without knowing about it, I thought about my deceased father and mother.
On that day, the Sun is conjunct Fixed Star Toliman which lies in the Milky Way, 60° south of the celestial equator, culminating with Arcturus, but is invisible from north of the 29th parallel. It is of the greatest interest to astronomers, being, so far as is now known, the nearest to our system of all the stars. (Constellationofwords.com)

P.S. Another book 'Anthroposophy and Astrology : The Astronomical Letters' of Elizabeth Vreede. She played an important part in the Anthroposophical life in the Netherlands.

Blessings,
Ouranos

Hey Ray,

There is a valuable book in two volumes called Astrosophie, written by Arthur Schult. It's in German, though, and has not been translated to English, as far as I know.

Also, I am familiar with most of the Anthroposophical authors you mentioned. I keep finding interesting things in Anthroposophical literature in general. As you probably know, Anthroposophy grew out of Theosophy, which is one of Walter's areas of expertise, of course.

My own background is primarily Hermetism (which also includes Pythagoreanism and Platonism for me). However, both Theosophy and Anthroposophy have Hermetic roots anyway, and I am not nitpicking when it comes to esoteric truth.

Whatever traditional or even non-traditional system they choose to explore, I strongly encourage any astrologer to get involved with metaphysics in some form, because without that kind of framework, astrology is missing its essence; its no more than an empty shell, in my view.

That's one of the reason I truly recommend reading Walter's book!

That's one of the reason I truly recommend reading Walter's book!

Wise man! Thanks for the recommendation.

I recently met an old astrologer who had studied with Willi Sucher when he was based in California and been practicing 'Astrosophy' (if it can be coined like this) his whole life. He has become my coach and mentor on the subject.
Another site I highly recommend for an introduction to Astrosophy hosted by Jonathan Hilton
https://www.astrosophy.com/
All the publications of Sucher can be found in PDF and he also writes sporadic articles very enlightening on the spiritual level.

My new mentor also gave me a copy of a book from Guenther Wachsmuth 'Cosmic Aspects of Birth and Death', first published in German 'Kosmische Aspekte von Geburt und Tol. Beiträge zur Karma-Forschung' in 1956. It shows how we are all connected with a family of ancestors from the past that have similar cosmic patterns in the constellations. And from which we can draw spritual forces.
And I am currently searching my zodiacal ancestors. For example, why is it Stephen Arroyo who opened me up to the language of astrology? He has a Mercury/Jupiter conjunction like me.
Simple but not simplistic as this book has opened me up to a whole new world.

Yesterday, according to Rudolf Steiner, was the day in the year where the deceased are closest to us.

P.S. Another book 'Anthroposophy and Astrology : The Astronomical Letters' of Elizabeth Vreede. She played an important part in the Anthroposophical life in the Netherlands.
Blessings,
Ouranos[/quote]

I have also read Sucher, Vreede and anthroposophical books, which have strong micro-macrocosmic links, based on theosophy. I had - almost decade or over it- astrosophical computer program, which I gave away. They have different zodiac as currently used, based on constellations - and as I have undertood, there are at least two different constellational zodiacs, one with equal constellations, another without! Robert Powell is proponent of equal constellational astrology with his "hermetic astrology". So, there are plenty to select between different zodiacs