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$4.95 A HANDBOOK FOR THE HUMANISTIC ASTROLOGER MICHAEL R MEYER PREFACE BY DANE RUDHYAR L A HANDBOOK FOR THE HUMANISTIC ASTROLOGER Michael R. meyer is Director of the International Committee the for a Humanistic Astrology and for many years a student of astrology and occult philosophy. His articles h...

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A HANDBOOK FOR THE

HUMANISTIC

ASTROLOGER MICHAEL R MEYER PREFACE BY DANE RUDHYAR

$4.95

L

A HANDBOOK FOR THE HUMANISTIC ASTROLOGER

meyer

Director of the International Committee and for many years a student of astrology and occult philosophy. His articles have appeared in every leading astrological periodical, including Horoscope, The Aquarian Agent, and Aquarian Astrology. He is currently living in Berkeley, California.

Michael

R.

is

the

for a Humanistic Astrology

a han6Book

the humanistic astRoLoqeR

MICHAEL R. MEYER

ANCHOR BOOKS ANCHOR PRESS/DOUBLEDAY GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK

L

isbn: 0-384-05729-6 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 73-83657 1974 by Michael r. meyer Copyright All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America

©

BOOK DESIGN BY BENTE HAMANN

Illustrations

by Michael R. Meyer and Nancy Kleban

For VIOLET UNDINE

may you fulfill the splendor of your innermost being

Digitized by the Internet Archive in

2012

http://archive.org/details/handbookforhumanOOmeye

CONTENTS

Foreword Preface

Part One:

xiii

by dane rudhyar Astrological Philosophy;

Astrology as a Discipline of 1.

2. 3.

4.

Part

Two:

xvii

Mind

THE ORIGIN OF ASTROLOGY WHAT IS ASTROLOGY FOR? TWO APPROACHES TO ASTROLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OPERATIVE PRINCIPLES

3

7

12 15

Astrological Principles;

Astrology as a Symbolic Language 1.

2.

THE BIRTH-CHART AND ITS IMPLICATIONS THE AXES OF INDIVIDUAL SELFHOOD AND THE CIRCLE OF HOUSES

3.

4. 5. 6.

7.

8.

9.

THE ZODIAC AND ITS SIGNS THE 360 DEGREES AND THEIR SYMBOLS THE PLANETS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS THE QUESTION OF PLANETARY RULERSHIP PLANETARY ASPECTS: THE FORMATION OF RELATIONSHIP PLANETARY ORBS! THE QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIP PLANETARY MID-POINTS: THE RELEASE OF RELATIONSHIP

21

26 46 64 67

78 81

103

110

CONTENTS

Viil

10.

11.

PLANETARY NODES AND PARTS: THE SYNTHESIS OF RELATIONSHIP SYSTEMS OF HOUSE DIVISION

Part Three:

114 120

Technique and Procedure of Astrological Interpretation;

Astrology as an Instrument of SelfActualization 1.

THE PROCESS OF ASTROLOGICAL INTERPRETA-

2.

WHOLE PLANETARY PATTERNS

139

3.

FOCAL POINTS PLANETARY FORMATIONS THE LUNATION CYCLE: THE ARCHETYPAL CYCLE OF RELATIONSHIP PLANETARY GROUPING:

151

133

TION

4. 5.

6.

166 191

THE REALM OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL INTEGRA203

TION 7.

DIRECTIVE faculties: GUIDES TO LIVING

8.

219

SYNTHETIC POINTS: INDICATORS OF STRENGTH AND SENSITIVITY

THE BIRTH-CHART AS A WHOLE

9.

Part Four:

240 254

The Birth-Chart and Time: Techniques of Astrological Time Analysis

1.

THE CONCEPT OF ASTROLOGICAL TIME ANALY-

2.

TECHNIQUES OF SYMBOLIC TIME ANALYSIS THE STUDY OF TRANSITS IN ASTROLOGICAL TIME

SIS

3.

275

ANALYSIS

Epilogue:

The Personal

259 266

Significance

of Astrological Study

279

CONTENTS

IX

Appendixes: I.

H. HI. IV.

V. VI.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CASTING THE BIRTH-CHART ANALYSIS OF ASTROLOGICAL EQUIPMENT

TABLES CALCULATIONS FOR SYMBOLIC DIRECTIONS BIRTH DATA FOR SAMPLE CHARTS ASTRONOMICAL DATA

Bibliography

284 319 327 342 347 350

357

SAMPLE CHARTS

1.

JANIS JOPLIN

128

2.

MARC EDMUND JONES

138

3.

ALICE BAILEY

141

4.

SIGMUND FREUD

142

5.

RICHARD M. NIXON

143

6.

J.

KRISHNAMURTI

144

7.

JOHN BRZOSTOSKI

145

8.

MARIA MONTESSORI

147

9.

C. G.

JUNG

149

10.

BOBBY SEALE

150

11.

BOB DYLAN

153

12.

ANNIE BESANT

162

13.

GEORGE SAND

167

14.

MARIE CURIE

169

15.

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

171

16.

ROBERTO ASSAGIOLI

173

17.

LEWIS CARROLL

175

18.

ADELLE DAVIS

176

19.

TIMOTHY LEARY

177

20.

MEHER BABA

178

21.

WILLIAM BLAKE

179

22.

KARL KRAFFT

183

23.

SARAH BERNHARDT

185

SAMPLE CHARTS

Xll

DUNCAN

24.

ISADORA

25.

GEORGE GURDJIEFF

187

26.

RAM DASS HERMANN HESSE HERMANN HESSE (2ND NEW MOON CHART) hermann hesse (new-moon-before-birth

188

27. 28.

29.

BAB A

chart)

186

269

270

272

FOREWORD

Astrology today offers significant answers to the very

critical

ques-

posed by contemporary men and women in search of a deeper meaning of life; at the same time, it is regarded with blatant prejudice by large segments of the academic and scientific communities. This situation, of course, is not entirely new. Astrology has probably been the most controversial, disputed, and maligned system of knowledge of the historical era. Much of the intolerance to astrology stems from simple misunderstandings and misrepresentations about its operative tions

and the way in which astronomical data may be related to and free wills of human beings. The most detrimental point of contention is the popular misconception (widely believed by many astrologers and laymen alike) that astrology is founded upon principles

the destinies

the belief that the positions of celestial bodies determine specific events,

on an individual

as well as collective scale— a belief naturally

unacceptable to modern science and religion.

To my mind, cyclic process of

astrology should be primarily concerned with the

unfoldment as

it

is

operative within

all

forms of

it can be observed by the annual cycle of seasons and by the cyclic motion of the planets; as it is observable in the most basic and inevitable cycle of human existence: birth to death to re-

existence— as

birth into a

new phase

of existence.

By

correlating the cyclic motions

and the phenomena associated with their motion and interrelationship to the growth process (beginning with birth) of inof the planets

dividual

human

astrology

beings,

is

able to reliably describe the

unique potential focused within each of us and decipher the "instructions" for setting into motion the process of their fuller actualization.

Less than a century ago Sigmund Freud encountered hysterical criticism

and resistance

chology by formulating

in his effort to legitimatize the it

into a scientifically accurate

study of psy-

body of knowl-

FOREWORD

XIV

edge. In

much

the

of values, meaning,

There

birth.

is

a

same way, though hopefully dissimilar in terms and goals, astrology is today experiencing a re-

new approach

traditional concepts

new meaning and

to astrology which is re-examining the and principles and reformulating them around a

purpose. This

new

and women meaning of their individual selfhood tive, and global significance.

astrology hopes to assist

in fulfilling their individual potential

My

and

men

realizing the

in terms of individual, collec-

Dane Rudhyar and

his astrological work was living in Berkeley, California. I had been interested in astrology and had studied it for some time before then, but the traditional and sometimes sensational initial

came during

contact with

the early part of 1968, while I

quality of nearly

all

available astrological literature during that time

had discouraged my intense involvement. It was during a visit to the San Francisco Theosophical Library that I first noticed a copy of Rudhyar's newly published The Lunation Cycle, among a small assortment of books offered for sale. I realized, after reading

nificant

it,

that Rudhyar's approach represented a sig-

break with traditional values. Rudhyar happened to be giving

a series of lectures around the San Francisco

me to hear him New York.

which enabled returning to

On

East Ninth Street, on

Bay Area

summer,

that

speak and casually meet him before

New

York's Lower East Side,

I

opened a

small astrological-theosophical bookshop, in 1969, while at the same

time reading, researching, teaching, and practicing astrology. Al-

though several of Rudhyar's books were becoming available

at that

and concise textbook of astrology from the new approach Rudhyar was introducing would be of value. After another two years of intense preparation, I began the mundane work on the project— at the Spring Equinox of 1971. Working

time, I thought a complete

was able to complete much of the organization work for the text in a few months and began the actual drafts during the early summer of the same year in New York. Work conwith the vernal energies,

I

tinued in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the

and

in Berkeley, California,

20, 1973.

midsummer

from September 1971

until

of 1971

now,

May

FOREWORD I

XV

have attempted to present the subject of astrology here in a man-

more experienced student of The "cookbook" type of presentation (which gives a "meaning" or, more traditionally, "delineation" to every planet in each

ner useful to both the beginner and the astrology.

sign, house, aspect, etc.) has been purposely avoided to discourage dependence upon an extensive memorization of combined astrological factors and to encourage an organized understanding of the basic tools and frames of reference employed by astrologers, beginning with their most basic or essential meanings and progressing to an application of these meanings to all levels of personal existence, but

essentially to the process of the fulfillment of

The

text has

for the convenience of the reader. Part

One

sophical basis of astrological thought. Part tion

and

human

potentialities.

been divided into four parts with several appendixes, presents the deriva-

A scheme of and a presentation of various tech-

significance of astrological cycles

interpretation for birth-charts

introduces the philo-

Two

and symbols.

niques related to the process of astrological interpretation are given in Part Three, while Part Four discusses the use of progressions and transits in the practice of astrology. In addition, I

and interesting persons to of certain configurations and factors throughout the charts of well-known

have chosen birthexamples

illustrate text.

*

would like to warmly thank all those who helped in making this book a reality. Nancy Kleban was an invaluable help to me in preparing and illustrating the manuscript. My appreciation also goes to Robert Grantham, Marcia Poole, Pat Crawford, and F. Emptysky for their perceptive comments and helpful suggestions, and to Susan MeyerBear who first encouraged me to pursue the study of astrology. I'm particularly indebted to Dane Rudhyar, whose inspiration and I

guidance are the foundation of this book.

PREFACE

The inner urge istic

to start the International

(ICHA) came

Astrology

to

me

Committee

for

evening of February 26, 1969. The immediate incentive to

move was

a

Human-

rather unexpectedly in the late

make such

the reading of printed material that emphasized the need

and indirectly if not downgraded any other approach to astrology. I realized that the time had come to publicize the fact that the scientific analytical and "event-oriented" approach to astrology was not the only and most significant one, even though it was most specifically appealing to the modern mentality, carrying an official stamp of "respectability," as well as (in the form of fortunetelling) most appealing to the general for using the scientific tool of statistical research, explicitly

public.

the situation resembled in many ways the one emergence of humanistic psychology, under the leader-

I also realized that

that led to the

ship of

Abraham Maslow, Anthony

Sutich, etc.— a psychology tracing

immediate origin to the work of Carl G. Jung, which in turn had

its

ancient

European and Asiatic

roots.

The humanistic

spoke of their movement as a "third force" relation to Freudian psychoanalysis

psychologists

in order to situate

it

in

and the experimental laboratory

psychology developed in universities especially since the behaviorists and, in Russia, Pavlov. In a similar sense, my approach to astrology differs

from the

traditional type of predictive fortunetelling

and the

movement based on empirical and statistical techniques. As a result, after some hesitation because of the (to my thinking) unfortunate concepts associated with classical humanism as a

recent research

life

philosophy,

The

I

decided to use the term "humanistic astrology." my initiative, and to the booklets I sub-

general response to

sequently wrote— published with the enlightened co-operation of

O'Neal, director of the

CSA

Press, in

Ed

Lakemont, Georgia— has been

PREFACE

XV111

my expectations. Some of the most progressive-minded and leaders in the research movement gave me their moral support, and gradually an unceasing stream of applications for membership in ICHA reached my wife and me, warmly and often eloquently testifying to the interest of young people in my ideas and style of presentation, and in the approach to astrology I was promoting. The appearance in paperback editions of my earlier books, The

far

beyond

astrologers

Astrology of Personality, The Planetarization of Consciousness, The

Lunation Cycle, Practice of Astrology, and my latest work, The Astrological Houses: The Spectrum of Individual Experience, has made possible for the new generations to become acquainted with what had been writing since 1932, and now a number of humanistic astrologers between the ages of twenty and thirty-five are, according to their own often outstanding abilities, spreading out and adding to what Marc Edmund Jones and I envisioned and formulated. Michael Meyer is one of the most gifted exponents of the humanistic approach, and his textbook is a remarkable work which I commend highly. Though during the time he wrote this book we met only briefly, as he attended some of my seminars and lectures, he has been able effectively to organize, condense, and formulate the main body of my astrological thinking and other relevant material. He has added original and pertinent ideas to what he learned in books, and, it

I

particularly in view of his youth,

we can

expect that he will play a

valuable and important role in fecundating the

mind

of his generation

and of the one now in its teens. This does not mean, naturally, that I completely agree with every statement and idea in this large volume, which covers the whole field of astrology in its humanistic aspect; but I believe he has performed a very real service to astrology. He has simplified and made clear much that to young students often seemed too abstract and, to older and

more

fairness

and "mystical." Michael and mind and are demonstrated in every page of this book. I warmly thank

him

work

matter-of-fact

Meyer's for

clear,

readers,

organizing

too poetic his

intellectual generosity

well done.

Dane Rudhyar

A HANDBOOK FOR THE HUMANISTIC ASTROLOGER

1

astrological philosophy? ASTROLOGY AS

A

DISCIPLINE OF MIND

THE ORIGIN OF ASTROLOGY [Astrology

man's

is]

first

attempt to understand the apparent

confusion and chaos of his life-experiences by referring them to the ordered pattern of cyclic activity which he discovers in the sky.

Dane Rudhyar

THE EMERGENCE OF ASTROLOGY Astrology

is

a functional application of the awareness of the active

between the microcosm (smaller whole) and the macrocosm (greater whole). At the time when human consciousness was initially emerging from its primordial condition of undifferentiated consciousness, the mind sought to bring order and harmony to the relationship existing

apparent meaninglessness and conf...