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Going beyond traditional astrology

© Jeanine Berry

Up to now, I have written about an astrology I know fairly well -- western traditional astrology. But in this article, I would like to embark on a voyage into more uncharted seas to explore the strange and enchanting world of esoteric astrology.

Esoteric astrology claims to be a higher level of traditional astrology. In the past few months, I have talked a lot about the goals and purposes of the inner self as seen in the birth chart. By the inner self, I mean that which endures through incarnation after incarnation. As with most things in life, you will find disagreement among different writers about the definition of the self, the soul, the spirit, etc. Esoteric astrology believes that traditional astrology reveals mostly the workings of the personality -- the temporary manifestation of the inner self in this life -- while esoteric astrology concentrates on the soul.

If you look up esoteric in the dictionary you will find a definition that refers to "that which is hidden." Esoteric knowledge is knowledge that has been hidden from the majority of humankind and given to a select few. In some cases this knowledge is said to come down from ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians or the Babylonians. In other cases, this knowledge is said to have been imparted in some supernatural way --through telepathy or channeling, for example.

Some of you may have no problem with such concepts and others of you may be skeptical. If you are wondering what I believe, count me among the skeptical. Whenever you are talking about knowledge secretly handed down through the ages, or knowledge imparted in such unorthodox ways, you are venturing onto Neptunian ground --mystical, uncertain, perhaps illusionary.

Having said that, I have to add, in all fairness, that I have never made an in-depth study of esoteric astrology. Its concepts do not particularly appeal to me, but they may to you. In order to truly study and understand esoteric astrology, you do need to accept these underlying beliefs about how the universe is structured. If you do not subscribe to these beliefs, esoteric astrology will be basically meaningless to you. The same, of course, can be said about traditional astrology, but traditional astrology has a more solid basis in the -- if you will indulge me in the use of this word -- "real" world.

Esoteric astrology is based on the western mystery tradition. These ancient mysteries are believed to have originated in Egypt and Greece with cultural influences from Tibet and Chaldea. In more recent times, esoteric astrology is associated with the theosophical movement. One of the founders of this movement, H.P. Blavatsky, wrote a book entitled "The Secret Doctrine," which addresses the issues of life and death, good and evil, karma, evolution, and human transformation. This book propounds an entire worldview on how the universe came to be and how it operates, and much of this worldview is found in esoteric astrology.