In three lectures given at the second phase conclave, Robert Schmidt shows that the fundamental concepts in logic, mathematics, and physics would need to be radically transformed in order to deal fairly with the phenomenon of astrology. Because of its foundations, modern scientific thought is committed to the sacrifice of aliveness, soul, and even consciousness itself for what it conceives to be logical rigor. Challenging the unquestioned assumptions on which the science of today is based, Schmidt demonstrates that other sets of assumptions lead in vastly different directions. In these lecutres he lays the foundation of an alternative philosophy that combines logical and philosophical rigor with "soul-friendly" principles, showing how it is possible to make room for soul, consciousness, and divinity in a philosophical framework that is plausible and compelling.
What is Intentionality? Intentionality as the defining characteristic of consciousness. Did the ancients aim their minds in the same way we do today? Primary and secondary modes of Intentionality in Cognition. The question of Moods. Sensation and Emotions in the Greeks & Moderns. Reflecting the problem of Intentionality into the syntax of natural language. Subject and Verb as Same & Other. Logos & Phasis. Derivation of the Five Worlds in terms of the Same & the Other. Intentionality in each of the worlds. The nature of the Collective Unconscious. Intentionality & Time in the Verb. Aspect Tense. Time as Stretch. Relationship to the Astrological Time-Lords. Intensive Magnitude. The relationship of Intensions to Intentions. The hypothesis of the temporal field and the nature of astrological influences. Planets as Consciousnesses with Intentions. Assignment of the Planets to the different worlds.
A new look at the nature of coincidence, and its bearing on astrology, science, and daily life. What kind of phenomena are astrological? Distinguishing different kinds of coincidence. The concept of an event in classical astrology. Chance & Heimarmene in Greek thought. Critique of Jung's concept of Synchronicity and of the modern scientific definition of Chance. Coincidence as repetition: a way of studying it "scientifically" based on the work of Paul Kammerer. The mesocosm as the proper stage for coincidence. The prevalence of coincidence in daily life. A criterion for distinguishing whether astrological events are synchronistic or causal. A new explanation of psycho-physical parallelisms. How Chance, Seriality and Synchronicity are related to each other.
THE problem of time for the ancients: distinguishing between time & change. How modern physics has obliterated the distinction. The Greek view: Time as number (Archytas, Plato & Aristotle), as moment (Corpus Hermeticum). The original modern mathematical views: Time as substance (Newton), as relation (Leibniz), as form of intuition (Kant). The ancient Indo-European conceptualization of time as stretch. Time in the verb (tense & tension). Time & Consciousness (intentionality). The dyadic character of time. Time & Eternality. The arrow of time. Clock Time. The filling of time and other modes of temporality. Relation of space to time. Time in each of the worlds (the Aion, mathematical time, moment, resentment & regret for the past and hope & anxiety for the future, aspect tense) and their planetary correlations. Astrological time-lords as lords of temporal modalities, entraining events. Spatial & temporal fields: "and" and "or" as "glue" for the manifold. The problem of astrological causation. Time & historical Consciousness.
Distinction of logos & phasis. Hellenistic Astrology as the juncture of logos and phasis traditions. Seeing vs. Hearing in the phenomena. Tracing logos & phasis back to Same & Other. Same & Other as common denominator for comparing Eastern & Western thought; also as tools for discussing distinction between masculine & feminine, active & passive, subject & object, the simple sentence. As introduced by Plato against the background of pre-Socratics; Pythagorean list of opposites. How the first principles cannot be contraries. Absolute and relative Same & Other. Connection between Same-as & Self; Other-than & Dyad. The Dyad in detail. The historical loss of the Dyad as principle. Problem of relating Same & Other, their irreducibility and non-numerability. The Dyad as Evil. Form & Matter and Aristotle's approach. Intensification and Intentionality. Qualities & intensive magnitude. The four kinds of opposites under the Dyad. Derivation of the Platonic worlds from Same & Other; the collective unconscious as a world. The imperfection of these worlds. The world of consciousness, or Logos as proper relating of Same & Other. Correlation of planets with the worlds. Analysis of world-schematism in terms of essence & existence; standing firm, standing under, and standing forth. Intertwining of essence & existence in connection with person as object of intention, and mask as final supported image. Complexity of male/female distinction in terms of world schematism. Correlation of faculties of soul with different worlds and planets. The experience of logos & phasis, and their interconnection. Stillness & Quietude and proper Logos.
The question of Being in ancient times and the problem of the zoidion.
The three strata of Hellenistic Astrology: Ptolemaic (scientific), Stoic
(philosophical), Egyptian (divinatory like). The Aristotelean prime movers
move the planets by being loved. The number of planetary motions correlated
to number of Ideas. Can the Ideas be correlated to the constellations, providing
a link between Being & the zodiac? Exposition of zoidion as image, living
thing, place. Rulership as authority over planets in a sign, not the sign
itself. The meaning of the dignities for the Greeks, Arabs, and Roger Bacon.
Exposition of Stoic concept of familiarization (oikeiosis), the manner in
which a sign is related to a planet via dispositorship. The English word
"like" and how it shows the deep relationship between resemblance,
what is pleasing through familiarity, and a living thing. Exposition of
Greek word chrematistikos as active, negotiatory (useful), oracular; paralleled
by Greek words for astrological causation. Transformation of use-object
into something present at hand, the precondition of all scientific inquiry.
Signs can only be signs when they are places of listening. Phasis as the
appearance that speaks, its connection with poetic planetary names. The
proper characteristics of the signs according to Ptolemy: qualitative vs
quantitative considerations. Oracular appearance as a question. Planetary
indicator vs dispositor as phasis vs logos. The nature of the Aristotelean
primary qualities.
Discussion of some ancient views on fate: Heimarmene in Valens; Heimarmene
, Anangke , Pronoia, and Tuche in Corpus Hermeticum. Kleros, the Greek word
for Lot; Moira, the Greek word for an allotment. What is the connection
between allotment & decree? The root of the Latin word "fate"
signifies both saying and appearing, as does the Greek word phasis. Distinction
between logos & phasis. Givenness and announcement in our phenomenal
experience. How to learn to re-experience omens as appearances that speak,
four clues: chrema hinting at connection between use-object and oracle;
what is given in experience; Lots as indicators of topics, dispositors as
indicators of outcome and time; the Greek aspect word epimartureo. Lots
as transformers of logos into phasis. Astrological places (houses) as omens.
Prepositional adverbs as the key to understanding astrological spatiality
or the system of the houses. Ptosis (falling) in the lot algorithms and
as a grammatical term for case: the clue to the planetary joys. The philosophical
condition of the possibility of prediction. Heimarmene, Anangke & Pronoia
interpreted in terms of the appearance that speaks. Connection between Germanic
words for allotment and history; the problem of history as a object of inquiry.
The logoic and phasic significance of the poetic Greek names for the planets.
The language of omens & the Stoic language of perception.
Quantum Theory as science fiction according to Bell. The Heisenberg uncertainty relations and his assumption that our modern concepts of spatiality & temporality are natural. Rejection of modern attempts to link astrology with current developments in science. Discussion of classical views on astrological causation. Criticism of holism, "molecular" approach. The problem of the "lock-out" and the nativity. "Top down" approach and hypotheses to decide between different causal explanations. Consistency argumentation for validation. Elements of any future astrological science derived from an astrological context: house systems & spatiality; aspect temporality and philosophical condition for prediction, time-lords; identification of astrological phenomena; nature of astrological causality; astrological events defined by inception and outcome, ritualistic connection; indeterminacy and statistical considerations, problem of eminence; zoidia and the entities under consideration in astrological science. The hypothesis of the temporal field as a model incorporating these features.
An overview of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: the formal & material components in our knowledge and experience; that experience must conform to our knowing; table of judgments & pure concepts; spatial & temporal manifolds and schematism; aggregation & coalescence, homogeneity & heterogeneity; intensive magnitude as coalescence of homogeneous parts. Dimensionality, topology, geometry & curvature of as extensional characteristics of the spatial field; the intensive components of the spatial field. Temporal fields and fields of consciousness; their intensive & "extensive" (or intentional) components: emotions & moods, premises & conclusions, etc. Planetary consciousness and its unique synthesizing of the temporal manifold, where the events we experience must conform to that consciousness, time-lords; pertinence to the question of astrological causation. The nature of logarithms. Fractal dimension interpreted as measure of intensive magnitude using notion of coalescence; application to Koch curves and Cantor dusts. Light Metaphysics of Robert Grossteste and the original construction of a manifold. The manifoldness of the different worlds derived directly from principles of Same & Other; formal principles imposed on those manifolds to create fields. The two "mathematical" problems for a "scientific" account of astrological causation in terms of fields: distinguishing spatial & temporal fields; mathematizing intensification. The interaction of temporal intensification with intentionality in astrological causation.
The description of the motion of the Same & Other in the Timaeus as
a cosmological model for Celestial Grammar, with the motion of Same as Subject,
motion of Other as verb. Planets as imperfect logoi: "it Saturns."
Signs as imperfect logoi: "Capricorn is." Some grammatical considerations
and Greek grammatical terminology. Celestial grammar as the standard for
natural languages. The "is" and the proper characteristics of
the signs in terms of aspect temporality; modification of planets in signs.
The "it" and spatial reference; connection with signs as places
(houses). Dispositorship and the Form/Matter distinction. Discussion of
meanings of eidos and oikos. A better approach via familiarization, which
properly relates Capricorn to Saturn. Its connection with prime mover discussion
in Aristotle. Familiarization as prototypical middle voice activity, and
the proper relating of Same & Other in logos. Special essences of the
planets in familiarization. Dwelling as familiarization. Acknowledgment
of signs by planets; meaning of "thank you." Decans as grammatical
person in the complete conjugation of verb. Appropriation of Being &
Man to each other in Heidegger. Philosophical grammar. The "it is,"
and transition to phasic grammar.
In spite of its title, Robert Schmidt presents new material not discussed in previous talks. He reveals his motives behind introducing the philosophical material into the discussion of astrology and explains why the theoretical frameworks are important for astrological work. This slightly less formal talk presents a collection of ideas, such as the Stoic theory of perception, Kant's Pure Concepts of the Understanding, and Schmidt's unique concept of phasis, as ways to stimulate thinking about the broader picture in which astrology plays a key role.
Should history be studied astrologically? And vice versa, how can historical
principles be applied to the nativity? Vico and the new science of history
- 'two eyes of history'. Distinction of certes and commune. Natal chart
as hypostasis. Plotinus's' hypostasis as overflow of one world to create
next world. Valens' katebole or throwing down. Radix as root of something
which develops not a Hellenistic description for the natal chart. Antigenesis
charts compete with natal. Conception charts as arche, natal chart as katarche,
transits as apotelesmatics. Temporality of astrology - aspect tense. Natal
chart as possibilities, timelords as more possible (probabilities) and transits
as actualities. Natal astrology vs general (natural) astrology. Planets
as consciousnesses which impose form on time and space. Kepler's organ of
perception in the soul. Fates - fortune as that which accompanies intentional
activity. Aesclepius - necessity acts as ordering principle. Stoic concept
of free will as assent or refusal. Remembering vs recollection. Astrological
topics constituting historical space. Hegel's criticism of astrology. Synthetic
activity of the mind and tuche/order. Should the nativity be understood
to have a history or a destiny?
Logos and phasis - point of contact between scientific and esoteric traditions. First and last appearances of ideas (heliacal rising/setting). Asking questions of the chart. Grammatical case for omens. Stoic theory of perception - linguistic component. True phasis and apparent phasis. Different appearances and speakings of the planets. Poetic names of the planets. Plato's Timaeus - Motions of same (diurnal) and other (ecliptic) of the planets. "It is" - diurnal and ecliptic motions together; relating of Same and Dyad. Appropriation as relation of signs and planets. Deriving Person out of logos. Person - decanates as prosposon (face, person). Ptosis - 'falling' or grammatical case. What does it mean to "decline" a noun? Articles - place where entity makes its first announcement. Lot as announcement by first appearing at Ascendant. Heidegger's "It" is, appropriation (familiarization, same like). Nature of questions. Who, where, when, why are derived from what. 'What' creates time and place for phasic appearance and announcement. Houses are the "what" and "it". Astrologers' relation to the Celestial Animal mirrors significator to indicator relationship.
Hypothesis of temporal fields. Fields existing in medium vs fields as primary relativity. Fields as form imposed on manifold. Discrete and continuous magnitudes. 'Or' as temporal and 'And' as spacial. Intensification of consciousness as analog to extension in space. Planets as consciousnesses. Alternative to Kant's view on matter involving Same and Dyad. Familiarization. Aristotle's four kinds of opposites. Case relationships - falling/ptotis - as the way planets related to signs. Houses as 'cases' relative to Ascendant. Heidegger's four basic problems of phenomenology. Appropriation / familiarization relation of Being to man, signs to planets. Difference between standing forth of zoidion and a non-living thing. Essence/existence problem. How is familiarization? Is there something such as Logos prior to Same/Other? Being recedes leaving gifts (est Gibt). Historic principle addressing astrology. Ritualistic connection between events. Cause/effect related to ritual. Articulating original experience of the heavens.
Robert Schmidt parallels the Heideggerian model of the relation of Being
and man through appropriation to a model of the relationship of Signs (Zoidia)
and Planets. The Hellenistic word used for this relation, familiarization
(oikeosis), is akin to Heidegger's appropriation. Astrology as a celestial
language (logos and phasis) may be the vehicle for the relation of Being
and man. The listeners/participants of this magnificent talk are lead into
the concepts of Being and Time, presence and absence, the gifts of Being
as beings (for philosophers of the ages these are concepts such as Logos,
Idea, One, Energeia, Immanent Will, etc.) and the gifts of the zoidia through
planets' temporal course.
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