Earth Center of the Universe

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Earth Center of the Universe
Psychologically Speaking

We've now known for several hundred years that the earth is not the center of the universe. Yet astrology (for the most part) continues to act as if nothing happened and stubbornly continues to promote a “geocentric” image of a universe where the Sun, Moon, and all the planets revolve around the Earth.

Are scientific skeptics right? Does astrology require the average adherent to have a “screw loose” in order to believe in such an arcane, outdated system such as astrology?

No, it's not necessary to have a “screw loose” in order to believe astrology works. Granted... it does help to have a reality view which allows for a belief in God, a higher power, or an entity of a higher purpose. If believing in such an entity means that you have a “screw loose,” then the vast majority of humans on our planet seem to have several “screws loose.” In the USA, Gallup Polls taken over the past half century have consistently shown 9 out 10 people report praying to some sort of a supreme being.

Stand Up And Be Counted
In recent years... many otherwise reasonable, rational people from all walks of life have (so to speak) "come out of their metaphysical closets" in defense of astrology. By way of a few examples from the scientific community...

The visionary English astronomer Percy Seymour "threw his hat into the ring" by publishing Astrology: The Evidence of Science, appearing in April 1989. In his groundbreaking book – Dr Seymour, a chartered member of the Institute of Physics and Fellow member of the Royal Astronomical Society, explained his revolutionary theories of celestial harmonics in regard to why astrology may work in the first place.
In 1995, environmental scientist (originally trained in mathematical physics), Dr William Keepin, published the article "Astrology and the New Physics: Integrating Sacred and Secular Sciences", in the astrology magazine The Mountain Astrologer, (August/September, 1995).
Then there's Victor Mansfield, astrophysicist and author of Synchronicity, Science, and Soul-Making in 1995. In 1997, when Dr Mansfield was a featured speaker at a major astrology conference (the Cycles and Symbols Conference San Francisco 1997), he caused quite a stir.

It appears that while one needn't be a rocket scientist to believe astrology works, it apparently doesn't hurt, either.

Geocentric model
Ancient geocentric sky watchers such as the famous Ptolemy (85-165 AD) served in dual roles as both the scientifically minded mathematical astronomer searching out the skies and as the metaphysically minded astrologer divining the purposes of the heavens.

But why is astrology in the 21st Century still based on Ptolemy's geocentric model of the universe (where the Earth is considered to be the center of the universe)? It's really rather simple. Astrology is still based on a geocentric model of the universe, because psychologically (and practically) speaking the geocentric model still works for the purposes of astrology.

Here's my theory on why…

Greek Mythology
In ancient Greek mythology, each of the seven known bodies spinning around the Earth were associated with a different metal:

Sun – Gold
Moon – Silver
Mercury – Mercury
Venus – Copper
Mars – Iron
Jupiter – Tin
Saturn – Lead

The ancients mythologized that as the planets spun around the Earth, they (the planets) each spun their individual metals (influences) into the depths of the Earth.

Here's a short quote from Jungian author Edward F. Edinger:

"Psychologically we can understand this image as referring to the archetypal constituents of the ego. The building blocks of ego are divine qualities stolen from the gods or products of dismemberment of a deity – earthly representatives of transpersonal principles."

Astro-psychologically
Applied astro-psychologically – we understand the imago myth of the planets revolving around the Earth to refer to the human ego's stance (our sense of "I") in life.

Based on this image our individual life journeys place each one of us (subjectively speaking) in the center of the universal, archetypal energies of the planets spinning 'round us.... and each one of us is then cast in the starring role of our special life journey.

Heck! Don't you remember when you were a kid and your parents asked you, "Okay, mister! So who died and left you the Center of the Universe?"

Back To The Astrology and Jung Index

Related off site links:

"Modern Cosmology"
as Metaphor and the Double Nature of Soul by Victor Mansfield Department of Physics and Astronomy Colgate University.

Passion of the Western Mind
Excerpt from the book by that name by Professor Richard Tarnas

"The Magus of Magnetism"
An Interview with English astronomer Dr. Percy Seymour on his Magnetic Theory of how astrology works.

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