Our Philosophy

The nature of this School has been referred to as a ‘Mystery School’ in the past. Such a School consists of two basic aims. It is to present to the student a holistic approach that includes both physical and metaphysical models while simultaneously training that student to be able to experience both higher states of consciousness along with the ability to receive and understand higher levels of information.

A ‘Mystery School’ concerns itself with wisdom and philosophy. But what do these terms mean? It is not helpful to assume anything about what is meant here since I am using terminology that is not often used in these modern times. Thus, this is where we must begin.

Let’s start by looking at the root of the word ‘philosophy’ itself. This is important because our culture has, for the most part, distorted the original meaning in such a way as to cause most of us to either be intimidated by the prospect of entering any sort of philosophical study or to regard it as an irrelevant and impractical concern. Many believe that it is mere intellectual debate that does not lead anywhere. But, when we understand what philosophy actually was at its inception, we find that nothing could be further from the truth. The word ‘philosophy’ is formed from the two words – ‘philo’ and ‘logos.’ It has often been translated to mean the love (philo) of wisdom (logos). Does this suggest that it is valuable to consider opening up to the importance of actively engaging in this pursuit.

The approach this School takes to philosophy is that it has great practical importance and can help us discover clarity in many areas of our life. Further, that the pursuit of wisdom can lead to higher and deeper understandings of both ourselves and the world in which we live. This can not only lead us to higher states of consciousness, but also help us develop a bridge that can enable us to reach those states and experiences. Why should we even attempt to seek wisdom if we cannot ever reach it?

Clearly, we are referring to a process of discovery, or perhaps even more clearly, the traveling of a journey. In fact, the journey of which I speak is the exact same thing that Joseph Campbell called the ‘Hero’s Journey.’ The reader may be asking the following question at this point. “So, tell me where does philosophy and the pursuit of wisdom lead?” This type of question is important indeed, but how can it be answered before we reach the destination? Certainly, it can be answered in words, but can words without experience be regarded as an answer? Will we have to experience wisdom before we can know what it is? These questions are examples of philosophy in action and can clarify issues and inform us about where we must begin.

Now we are finding that there is more that is needed. Not only must we begin to understand that there is a journey to be taken towards the experience of wisdom, but that we also must learn how and where to begin that journey. So, where might it begin? The view of this School is that it begins with us, who we are here and now, and that we will do best if we are armed with a deep desire to discover more, until the way ahead appears, a path that we are able to actually sense or see. But it must start at the only possible place…. it begins with us.

The beginning of any transformational path starts, ironically, when we admit that while we ‘feel’ or ‘believe’ that there is somewhere to go and something to discover, we also do not know where it will lead. Anything that is truly new must remain a complete mystery to us, until we discover more. This may bring up fear, doubt, suspicion and many other feelings and thoughts. Can this fact help us? Does it begin to show us where we must begin? Yes, it can do just that, for we see that we may need to begin by looking at the nature of our thoughts and feelings themselves. What are they, where do they come from, and can they be changed, etc.? Thus, the educational philosophy of this School is that we need to start this journey by discovering more about the nature of thought itself. It is this that describes the first level of what we are calling meditation/contemplation and why it is so important.

You may want to read more about our philosophy in the Foundational Articles section here.

Philosophy of Astrology & Metaphysics

Many of the readers of my website and blogs know that in the past the name of the school focused solely on astrology. However, my students know that while that was indeed the primary subject of my courses, I often connected astrology with psychology, spirituality and transformation. This is how it has been for me from the very beginnings of my study of astrology.

When we begin to set out to learn astrology, we may find that we have discovered a wondrous journey where we can discover many things about ourselves and the world we live in. Historically, astrology has gone through many shifts in its focus, especially in the last few years. Originally, the focus of astrologers was on prediction. It was not concerned with psychology, self-actualization, or individual growth of any kind. It was concerned with what people cared the most about and that was survival. As the conditions of life began to improve a bit, this allowed for a greater emphasis on personal growth and even a return to the study of the ‘great secrets’ held and protected in monasteries, occult societies, and other forms of wisdom in our past.

In many of those ‘societies’ astrology was considered to be only one part of a much broader holistic system of correspondences that had the purpose of training the student to comprehend and even experience the ‘mysteries’ beyond any single system. For example, in the Golden Dawn, five systems were combined into one system. Each of these was considered to be valid systems of study in their own right but also subsets of a much bigger system that, when experienced, put the ‘Initiate’ into a state of ‘Enlightenment.’ That’s what was meant by it being a ‘Mystery School.’ The five fields of study in that system is astrology, Tarot, numerology, the Hebrew alphabet and the Tree of Life. This was considered to be the Kabbalah in its fullness.

And yet, astrology remains as the primary field of study for the School. This is not only because it is the field I love so much, but also because astrology assists the student to go deeply into discovering what people are like and in what ways they can grow and transform. By engaging in a process where one’s deepest needs and motivations are discovered, we can develop our hidden potentials and find new ways of solving life’s problems. It is superficial to define the planets and signs – and ultimately yourself – solely in terms of behaviors and characteristics. When one’s real needs and motivations are discovered and accepted, the spirit within springs forth to claim the path that is aligned with the world in which we live.

As each of us act on our deepest needs and motivations, something else amazing occurs. Having discovered our life’s purpose for being here, we begin to live it and find that the world we are in rises to support us and gives striking direction to our lives. For this to happen, astrology must be combined with meditation, contemplation, and other information that will enable us to find out that the true purpose for all of us is to discover ourselves as immortal Beings working to evolve the quality of our consciousness.

 

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