ARCHETYPES OF THE ZODIAC

AS A GIFT to myself after passing my National Counselor's Examination up in Fayetteville yesterday, I wandered back to some of the old favorite places of mine which I frequented back in my college days. One of these is the Dickson Street Bookstore, at which my father and I spent $40 in fact. The same old bespectacled and bearded fellow I encountered back when I was a lowly undergrad was still running the place. One of the books I purchased is this one here to the right. I remember seeing it long ago and wanting to have it but, of course, not wanting to pay full price. I spent most of this morning's early hours engrossed in it, and it's absolutely wonderful.

This work reflects the very best of the ancient practice of astrology and all the reasons that I hold it dear - the realization of archetypal forces upon the mind of man. As for me personally, my sun's in Leo, my moon's in Virgo, and Aquarius is rising. Each chapter of the book tells of one particular Zodiacal sign and the old stories which support it, and reading Leo and Virgo so far have greatly illuminated the quest for my own self-knowledge. I've studied this stuff for years and have come across most of it some time or another in the past, but this book really brought it together for me and put it all in perspective. I am reminded, for instance, how often overshadowed by Virgoean self-doubt and some of the other Mercurial strengths and weaknesses.

Some people may have reservations about engaging the Western Mystery Tradition in any fashion, looking on it as a sacrilege conflicting with Christian sensibilities. To me, however, it is our heritage - a wealth of inner knowledge which demands to be explored by any serious psychonaut or person interested in psychology. One has to know one's self and thereby gain a sense of being genuine before he or she can go out and do meaningful works bourne of true spiritual purpose.