Richard Tarnas on Beliefnet

Many of you already know that Richard Tarnas has written an astounding book called Cosmos and Psyche about the integration of science, astrology, and world history.  Tarnas is a gifted writer and brilliant academician, and it's a great read for anyone including those who don't "believe" in astrology.

I found this interview Shelley Ackerman did with Tarnas and it must have been a few years ago because she refers to Cosmos and Psyche as his "new book."  I love the way Tarnas describes astrology in this article:

Most cultures, including our own prior to the modern era, had some kind of astrology as part of their world view, for they understood the cycles of the moon, sun, and planets as deeply meaningful. The astrological perspective sees the universe as both meaningful and unified. Instead of the modern division between the purposeful, meaning-seeking human consciousness and a random, meaningless universe, astrology points to a universe that is integrated at all levels: outer and inner, macrocosm and microcosm, celestial and terrestrial. As was said by the ancients, "As above, so below."

The image that Tarnas evokes is that of a universe that is alive and conscious, where synchronicity is more than just an idea or an accident but an actual living and breathing dynamic. In Cosmos and PsycheTarnas argues that the "rationality" of the modern scientific world has forced humans to give up the magic of a meaningful universe. In this interview he says,

Modern civilization pays a high price for living in a universe that it believes is random and spiritually meaningless. Nature is not honored but is instead exploited for short-term benefit. And a purposeless universe creates a sense of deep spiritual emptiness inside, which people try to fill with endless consumer products, so that the industrial technology producing those products is cannibalizing the planet. But as we know, you can never get enough of what you don't really need. A new vision of nature and the universe as ensouled, as spiritually significant, would give a better ground for both moral responsibility and a sense of spiritual belonging.

Astrology of course gives us much more than just a sense of meaning and awareness of an underlying magic to the universe.. It gives us practical tools through which we can maximize our potential and achieve greater harmony with our life's purpose. Truly an incredible gift!

Read more of this interview.!