Elbert Benjamine and Hermetic astrology

In many respects Piscean Age astrology was simply mystical fortune-telling.

During this Age of blind belief and simple fundamentalism there was little progress in understanding the birth chart, its role in life and the scientific classification of astrological data.

But Aquarius demanded a new understanding of astrology, the birth chart, and their role in life.

It demanded a new evidence-based understanding of the birth chart that clearly explained what the chart represented and what the astrological symbols it displayed stood for.

The cause of everything was human behavior and the birth chart needed to be explained in terms of psychological events – thoughts, feelings, desires, urges, impulses, attitudes and motivations – and their functionality.

Aquarius proclaimed that astrology was the royal road to self-discovery and the birth chart was the means to self-understanding and self-development.

It just needed someone to evaluate all the old data – match the astrological markers in the chart with their psychological equivalents – and develop a new scientific astrology for the Aquarian Age.

Aquarius brings rapid scientific change but…

In 1922, when the Age of Aquarius was 41 years old, life on Earth was experiencing rapid scientific change, but most of the astrological community was still marching to the mystical beliefs and fanciful notions of Pisces.

There was little precision in astrological work and vague, incoherent explanations only resulted in confusion and uncertainty.

The Sun and its sign had taken center-stage and this simplicity seemed to satisfy most people.

Elbert Benjamine and Hermetic astrology

Then in May 1922 Elbert Benjamine – writing as CC Zain – published Natal Astrology – Hermetic System.

For the first time ever he not only explained the chart as a psychological dynamic – the planets as dynamic psychological urges and the zodiac signs as attitudes and motivations – he presented a systematic procedure for interpreting the astrology code, pictured in the chart, into self-information that provided a basis for self-understanding and self-development.

He explained that your soul or not-conscious mind was an organized system of thoughts, feelings and character traits and that your birth chart was a map of your soul’s thought-structure.

The birth chart gets a psychological makeover

Elbert explained that each planet in your birth chart represents a dynamic psychological urge within your psychological landscape; that the zodiac signs represent attitudes and motivations that give these psychological urges distinct modes of expression; that the angular relationships formed by the planets identify not-conscious thought-complexes that have constructive or destructive functionality; and the houses represent your local environment – the life-matters, activities and people that influence what happens and what you do.

Elbert identified and explained the psychological urge corresponding to each planet in your chart.

He explained the attitude-motivation corresponding to each zodiac sign and he identified each sign’s best and worst qualities.

He classified people as astrological types and explained how to judge stature, temperament, mental ability, health, finances, vocational prospects, marriage prospects and the relations with siblings, children, work mates, partners, bosses, superiors, friends and enemies.

There were no generic interpretations.

Here for the first time was precision that made self-discovery and self-understanding possible.


Author: DW Sutton

Astrology for Aquarius – sharing our knowledge

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