Isis Sophia II
by Willi Sucher
Introduction to the 1981 Edition
It becomes increasingly apparent that the traditional approaches and methods of astrology no longer give modern humanity what it needs. Some people maintain that traditional astrology is simple and easy to grasp and should therefore appeal to present humanity. Yet, we must realize that simplicity does not always tally with the truth. The more sublime perspectives of human existence to which a star wisdom speaks are complicated. Furthermore, human consciousness and the position of the human being in the world have changed completely since the establishment of the old astrology. These facts demand a reassessment and a fundamental change in every detail; otherwise, the modern human being is judged and treated by standards that no longer apply.
A modern human being can easily come to the conclusion that in ancient times the connection between humanity and the stars was simple, even primitive. However, we must not overlook the fact that ancient humanity had a natural instinctive clairvoyance, which provided a much deeper insight and perspective of the cosmos than we now have with our modern intellect and scientific approach. The Earth and all its inhabitants, including the human race, once experienced themselves as guided and ruled by the cosmos of the stars. If we go back far enough, we find an astrosophy that recognized the starry heavens as the expression of the invisible spiritual world of the hierarchies of divine beings who had created the universe and all that exists in it. They were experienced as continually at work, continually re-enacting the creation. This activity was seen expressed in the rhythms and movements of the stars. Later on, humanity gradually lost the capacity of seeing the stars as the expression of the deeds of divine creative beings. Increasingly they saw humanity and all nature as ruled by the external stars. This was the moment when astrology was born and the ancient astrosophy was lost. In a certain sense this can be seen as a betrayal of the sacred mysteries, which were cultivated in the great ancient temple centers. Thus a conception gained ground over the centuries and millennia that came to regard the human being as ruled in all concerns of life by the stars. There existed relatively little inquiry into the reasons and explanations why this should be so. Most of the doubts, arising through the modern scientific attitude, were countered with the astrological assertions that the prognostications proved themselves correct by near-statistical evidence. The possibility that the human being may be able to change, to break through the laws of star lore hardly occurred. The claims of this kind of astrology became a matter of almost infallible and unalterable fate.
In the meantime the modern age arrived and with it the science of nature. Human beings demanded to know. They could no longer accept the ancient beliefs. This was one expression of the fact that humanity had stepped onto the road toward spiritual freedom; free from all bonds which in previous times were accepted without question. This was a justified step in evolution, although the means to attain healthy emancipation were not always satisfactory.
In the course of these developments traditional astrology began to be rejected, because it could not support its assertions on a strict scientific foundation. It is true that the great inaugurators of modern astronomy, such as Kepler, were preoccupied with astrology too, but it is just this kind of attachment that modern science holds against them. Even earlier, astrology was regarded by some as something detrimental, godless, and sinister, which had to be avoided by all means. It is documented that in 1108 AD the Archbishop of York was refused a Christian burial because a book on astrology was found under the pillow of his death bed.
In our search for a new star wisdom, or astrosophy, we must find the true relationship between the world of the stars and the human being, even all the beings and objects in nature, with strictly scientific methods. This can be accomplished by a healthy and congenial combination of the science of nature and the science of the spirit. On the basis of spiritual science, the significance of the heavenly configurations at the moment of the passing over of a human being into the spiritual world has been demonstrated. The stars, particularly the planets at the moment of death, reflect in detail the past biography of a human being. It is the soul and spirit of the human being that has become significant for the stars. In a sense, the stars are waiting for that which human beings have to bring to them as the fruits of their Earth experiences.
On such foundations is this research work carried forward. The guiding impulse is the idea to create the foundations for an astrosophy that clearly and scientifically recognizes our connection with the stars, yet fully respects our freedom and dignity. Thus, things have gradually shaped themselves. To speak of a connection of the human being with the stars in a general sense is no longer enough. Experience has shown that the human organism is shaped by the cosmos before and at the time of incarnation; but it has also become evident that one must distinguish between the different principals of the organism in order to form a true picture. The physical body, the life organism, and the consciousness organization all have their particular connection with the world of the stars. They must be distinguished sharply. These associations need not bind human beings or restrict their freedom as they did in ancient times. They constitute the tools and vehicles that human beings must acquire to accomplish their earthly sojourn. The crucial and decisive question is always how we will use these tools. Humanity can and must become free. A skillful craftsman must not be ruled by his tools if he wants to create a masterpiece. Skills are not given to us from the outset; we must acquire them. The eventual ability “to use our stars” properly must be prepared already in childhood during the educational years, not by making the child study the stars in the strict sense, but by evolving the dormant creative capacities of the child. Later in life in the years of independence, this working with the stars can become a scientific capacity. With such perspectives, we can see the fulfillment of a new astrosophy.
Willi O. Sucher 1981