Staff Pick
This book makes a clear and elegant argument for the correspondence between planetary alignments and patterns of human history. What do the French Revolution and the cultural revolution of the 1960s have in common? A Pluto-Uranus conjunction! This book is for historians, sociologists, et.al., and also for anyone interested in astrology’s big picture. Recommended By Marianne T, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Richard Tarnas's The Passion of the Western Mind?acclaimed by leading voices in philosophy, religion, psychology, and history?sets the stage for this major work, thirty years in the making, that dramatically reframes our understanding of the universe in the light of extraordinary new evidence.
Cosmos and Psyche is the first book by a widely respected scholar to demonstrate the existence of a consistent correspondence between planetary movements and the unfolding drama of human history. A vast and impressive body of evidence illuminates patterns of meaning and precise correlations between the universe and the world of human endeavor. With meticulous detail, Richard Tarnas takes us on a journey that begins with the ancient Greeks and culminates in our own era and its transformative potential, putting into perspective these chaotic, tumultuous times?from the sixties to September 11, 2001?and pointing the way towards the future.
In terms of planetary cycles, our present moment in history is most comparable to the period five hundred years ago?that era of ?extraordinary turbulence and creativity, ? the High Renaissance. Not since Copernicus conceived the heliocentric theory has the human community faced such a profound realignment of the way we think. Readers of every persuasion will be impressed by the vast canvas here, the wealth of research and analysis, and the profound conclusions that may be drawn?conclusions that reunite religion and science, and restore a transcendent dimension to the universe.
Review
Breathtaking in the scope and scale of its vision, this extraordinary book shatters our cosmological assumptions . . . Spellbinding, eloquent, compelling. (Christopher Bache, professor of philosophy and religious studies, Youngstown State University)
Majestic, sweeping, and profoundand#224; This will be a book for the ages. (William Van Dusen Wishard, author of Between Two Ages: The 21st Century and the Crisis of Meaning)
Review
Majestic, sweeping, and profound
This will be a book for the ages. (William Van Dusen Wishard, author of Between Two Ages: The 21st Century and the Crisis of Meaning)
Synopsis
A groundbreaking book that explores how astrology can inform our understanding of the events that have shaped our world--the inspiration for the docuseries Changing of the Gods.
In these pages, distinguished philosopher and cultural historian Richard Tarnas traces the connection between cosmic cycles and archetypal patterns of human experience. Based on thirty years of meticulous research, and on thinkers from Plato to Jung,
Cosmos and Psyche explores the planetary correlations of epochal events like the French Revolution, the two world wars, and September 11.
This brilliant book points to a radical change in our understanding of the cosmos, shining new light on the drama of history and on our own critical age. It opens up a new cosmic horizon that reunites science and religion, intellect and soul, modern reason and ancient wisdom. Whether read as astrology updated for the quantum age or as a contemporary classic of spirituality, Cosmos and Psyche is a work of immense sophistication, deep learning, and lasting importance.
Synopsis
From a philosopher whose magisterial history of Western thought was praised by Joseph Campbell and Huston Smith comes a brilliant new book that traces the connection between cosmic cycles and archetypal patterns of human experience. Drawing on years of research and on thinkers from Plato to Jung, Richard Tarnas explores the planetary correlations of epochal events like the French Revolution, the two world wars, and September 11. Whether read as astrology updated for the quantum age or as a contemporary classic of spirituality,
Cosmos and Psyche is a work of immense sophistication, deep learning, and lasting importance.
About the Author
Richard Tarnas is a Harvard-educated historian and professor of philosophy and psychology, and the author of The Passion of the Western Mind. He is the founding director of the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness graduate studies program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and also teaches on the faculty of Pacifica Graduate Institute.