Table Of ContentAstrology In Theory & Practice
Your how-to manual for utilizing the greatest tool you
never knew you had
Bill Duvendack
418 Ascendant LLC
Copyright © 2020 Bill Duvendack
All rights reserved.
Cover & Layout: Asenath Mason
Edited by Laura Knight
The materials contained here may not be reproduced or published in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author and/or publisher.
This book is dedicated to the true practitioners of this timeless Hermetic subject.
Introduction
What can be said about astrology that hasn’t been said before? When
you’re dealing with a subject that is thousands of years old, there is truly
nothing new under the Sun. There are plenty of modern schools of thought
that are taking the principles of astrology into somewhat new and unfamiliar
territory, but everything comes down to fundamentals. However, what can be
addressed are new ways to apply astrology. After all, if one is not putting
astrology to work for oneself, then what is the point of learning it?
This book is written as a beginning compendium to help you learn
astrology. It is not meant to be a one stop shop like a lot of cookbook
astrology texts, but rather it is a working manual, full of exercises and a brief
holistic overview of the royal art. I hope you enjoy, and it is my intent that
this serves to carry you further into putting astrology to work for you. Be
warned though, there are no images in this book. There are other parts of the
brain to use other than the visual learning center. So, grab a pencil and a
notebook, and away we go! As always, ever discerning….
LVX,
Bill Duvendack
Winter Solstice 2017
Chapter 1: Foundation
In this chapter, I am going to give a very brief history of astrology, as
well as an explanation of why it works. I will keep this short because this is
not the intention of the book, but I do feel there are a few things that should
be considered as a working platform so all of us are on the same page. Let us
begin, and we will cover a few thousand years in a few pages.
Roots
No one truly knows the age of astrology. It can be argued that it is the
second oldest science on the planet behind agriculture. As long as humanity
has taken what could be considered elementary steps into scientific method,
humanity has been staring at the night sky asking questions. Let’s also
address the facts in the case because much has been discovered over the last
few decades, and much has been neglected as well in the face of dogmatic
history champions. Therefore, let’s address the facts in the case that can be
proven. I share them with the reader so that one can see for themselves.
These facts also serve as subjects of interest for those inclined to research, as
each point has been written about extensively.
Fact 1: There are cave markings that trace back to 25,000 B.C.E. They
cover a rudimentary outline of movements of the luminaries across the sky.
Usually, these are accompanied by other pictures and artworks that illustrate
principles and messages the artists were trying to convey.
Fact 2: The pyramids in Egypt trace back thousands of years, according to
recent scientific research. They are astrologically aligned, even to the point
that there are new patterns being found every day with the discovery of new
pyramids throughout the world. There are also still patterns being uncovered
at the site of the Great Pyramid. The view listed here conflicts with other
archaeological findings, though, and thus the time of creation of the pyramids
is in dispute. Some sources say the pyramids date back approximately 4,500,
years while other sources claim they are older.
Fact 3: The oldest known sky viewing artifacts we have are the stones
that are located at Nabta Playa plateau in southern Egypt. These stones trace
the movements of stars, and if liberal interpretations are to be believed, the
time it would take to track their movements are thousands of years. In other
words, the way the stones interact with what was actually happening in the
sky would have transpired over several thousands of years, meaning the
movements of those stars would have to have been watched over that same
duration! The stones at Nabta Playa date back to 6,400-4,900 B.C.E., even
though the movements of the celestial bodies being watched were longer
cycles.
Fact 4: Examples of electional astrology, also known as using astrology
to check favorable celestial conditions, exists in stone tablets in Sumeria,
dating back to approximately 2155-2140 B.C.E. It was also soon after this
time that the first horoscope was cast in the same area of the world. Until that
time, astrology had only been used to forecast the timing of events, and was
not used on a person by person basis as it is now.
Fact 5: The Bhagavad Gita, which is arguably India’s main holy book,
was written approximately 3000-1500 B.C.E., and it contains veiled
astrological references. It is a selection of a larger work known as the
Mahabharata, and it focuses on discussions between Arjuna and Lord
Krishna.
Fact 6: Stonehenge came into being approximately 3100 B.C.E., and as
we all know, is also arranged in alignment with celestial events.
Fact 7: The world’s oldest known calendar is located on the wall at Kom
Ombos in Egypt, but it only dates back to approximately 200 B.C.E.
So why is all of this important? These are the actual proven facts that
have to do with astrology, period. These are the pieces of proof that exist
when it comes to validating the longevity of astrology as a working science.
By knowing the facts, we can put ourselves in a position to split fact from
belief, which also puts us in a position to understand how astrology is both a
soft science and a hard science, just like any other science in the world that
ends in –ology. These are not the only facts, though, as more and more
evidence is being uncovered all the time and in ever increasing severity.
These could easily be seen as the evidence of the use of astrology, and from
astrology was born astronomy.
The Metaphysics of Astrology
The study of metaphysics is the study of physics that are currently beyond
our understanding, and is thus a very broad and diverse subject. There are
many layers to metaphysics and many different perspectives. These cover
everything from the twelve laws of karma, and their kith and kin the
universal laws, all the way to understanding how to tune one’s vibration into
the spirit world, which is related to mediumship. The dimension of
metaphysics that astrology most visibly interacts with is the branch of
metaphysics that is related to interaction with the world around us. It can thus
be summarized by what is known as the butterfly effect, which teaches us that
everything is related, even though we may not be able to physically see it.
This knowledge has been passed down through the aeons through mystery
schools, and until recently, was secret knowledge. With the rise of occultism
over the last 200 years, this information has become more publicized and is
now common knowledge for most seekers. From the Emerald Tablets to the
Butterfly Effect, science has proven that all things are connected. We will
come back to the Emerald Tablet later in this book.
There is also the fact that on a cellular level all of us are composed of
stardust, and hence all of us are cosmic with cosmic ties. Once again, this has
been proven by science to be true. This is worth noting because it reinforces
the potency of astrology. A good perspective is that when one chooses to put
astrology to work for them they are tapping into an energy field that is
vibrant, alive, and very fluid, yet is also as tangible as any of the four classic
elements. For example, we do not know the technical rate at which Mercury
vibrates, but we do know that it is fast acting on us because its orbit is so
quick, and due to its location. It is amplified by the Sun to a certain extent.
Hence speed and vibration are tied together as well. We may know how long
it takes for Mercury to go around the Sun. We also know how long it takes
for Mercury to revolve on its axis, but as to its actual vibration, that is still an
unknown quantity. We also know that other planets such as Uranus or
Neptune, affect us in different, usually broader ways because of their distance
from us, and how long it takes them to move through space in the same way
that Mercury does.
Often time metaphysics is not looked at in the same light as other
sciences, but that is a large mistake. To have a category that is more or less a
catch-all of observed phenomena that mainstream science cannot explain is a
brilliant manifestation of scientific method being imprinted on the collective
subconscious of the human species. Over the years, metaphysics has grown
and become more refined, making it more technically sound. It has received a
huge boost in the last three hundred years or so, ever since the Christian
Mysticism movement of the 18th century C.E. Due to this, a clearer
understanding is constantly occurring regarding astrology, and thus there are
many new dimensions to it that are constantly being addressed. As our
collective consciousness is elevated, so, too, is our understanding of our place
within the cosmos and our interaction with it.
In the last few years there has been a lot of information that has come to
light that further cements the scientific basis for astrology. The first point is
the discovery of gravity waves. Early in the twentieth century, Albert
Einstein posited the theory of gravity waves, but like many of his ideas, this
was put on the shelf for the indefinite future due to scientific culture.
However, in 2016, it was discovered that they do exist. In short, gravity
waves have been detected reaching earth from a distant source deep in space,
and it is believed they originated from a major event in deep space. Basically,
think of it like ripples in a pond with the gravity waves being the ripples.
There are a few major points this reveals to us. The first is the obvious:
space/time can ripple when a major event occurs. The second is that our
scientific instruments are still being refined and developed, which means that
gravity waves are proof that there are many different types of energies out
there modern science cannot detect. The third point is that we now know
these exist, correct? Well, if these exist, how many other forms of energies
that move like waves through space exist? Obviously, I don’t know the
answer to that, but neither do scientific “authorities.” What this means is that
we can now view aspects between planets and space bodies in a more
scientific way; ironically enough, validated by gravity waves. For example, if
Mars is one kind of energy, then Venus would be another, and sometimes
they flow together, and sometimes they don’t. I emphasize this here because
