Astronomy and Astrology –  by Rudolf Steiner: In the Middle Ages, Astronomia – one of the Seven Liberal Arts – was as much about astrology as astronomy. In fact the two disciplines only parted company in the seventeenth century, as the materialistic world-view gained greater prominence. Where once human destiny was connected to stars and planets, and spiritual or soul qualities were associated with the natural world, now the cosmos is seen as consisting of gases, fire, and dead rock, all driven by soul-less mechanical forces with no meaning or purpose.

In his descriptions of both astronomy and astrology, Rudolf Steiner brings new spiritual perspectives to our understanding of the heavens and what they signify as the real nature of their being behind their external sensory aspect. Humanity, he says, is intimately connected to cosmic beings, who in turn are related to planets and stars. He shows that there is meaning in the arrangement of the cosmos. Although Steiner rejects the simplistic notion of the planets determining our lives in any fatalistic way, he makes a clear connection between the heavenly bodies and human beings, their natures and their activities. Whilst criticizing the superficial nature of much astrology, Steiner shows that as individuals, and under the guidance of higher spiritual beings, we choose an appropriate time of birth to match the destiny we would strive to fulfil in our lifetime.

This enlightening anthology, expertly collated by Margaret Jonas, features excerpts of Steiner’s work on the spiritual individualities of the planets, the determination of human characteristics by the constellation at birth, the cultural epochs and the passage of the equinox, cosmic influences on the individual and humanity, life in the planetary spheres between death and rebirth, solar and lunar eclipses, comets, and much more.