Customer Reviews

Astronoesis (Star Wisdom): Philosophy's Empirical Context, Astrology's Transcendental Ground

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I know it's not good practice to comment on other reviews; but the mis-information contained in "Obscure" has been at the top of the review list for just too long now. Anyone who has actually read Plotinus, rather than an encyclopedia article summary, will attest to the fact that throughout his work can be found many references to the relationship between human experience and the astrological cosmos. In fact, three treatises are specific to the problem: II.1 "The Heavenly System", II.2 "The Heavenly Circuit", and II.3 "Are the Stars Causes?"

Plotinus affirms the freedom of the Soul while at the same time explaining universal necessities that intimately connect each of us to the world we experience. In "Astronoesis", Anthony Damiani reveals and hones our understanding of that connectedness in really quite astounding detail. Paul Brunton, Anthony's long time mentor, wrote something to the effect that the Sage can truthfully say, "I am the Universe". This book, Astronoesis, is an initiation into a journey of understanding the Soul, its beauty and freedom, its grandeur, in that context.

Finally an astrology book that actually presents astrology and its philosophical foundations. "Astronoesis" provides the most comprehensive foundation available -- using the traditional wisdom of East and West.

The author draws upon the philosopher-sage Plotinus extensively, using Plotinus' vision and astrology's symbolism to create a dynamic philosophy, as well as a philosophical basis for astrology. Astrology comes alive and presents itself as the theurgy it was to the ancients.

It's the best book on astrology I have read -- by far! Also, one of the most beautiful books -- with over 400 diagrams. "Astronoesis" is a "must" for everyone interested in philosophy and/or astrology.

After reading Astronoesis, I realize that astrology will never be the same for me again -- neither will philosophy or my own life! Damiani really has created a creative synthesis by using astrology to outline philosophy and philosophy to illuminate astrology.
If there is one book you need on a lonely island, Astronoesis is the one book. It bears re-reading many, many times -- because each time something new becomes illumined and clear.
It's worth every single dollar both for its great content and also for a superb design and layout in a nice hardcover.

This book is an incredibly ambitious piece of work. But I kept falling asleep during it, probably because neo-platonism doesn't quite resonate for me. The metaphysics are just a bit too elaborate for my zen-ish tastes. One of these days I'll get back to it and give it what it deserves in terms of attention, but not anytime soon. I've been doing astrology for 32 years, and generally don't shy away from the intellectually demanding bits. This one was just too rarified for me. Call me stupid, graduate degrees aside. If you get my drift...

This book is difficult reading. It is not particularly well written and is often dense and obscure. Though I'm no expert on Plotinus, I'm not sure that Damiani is accurate in his reading of that ancient philosopher. For example, let me quote from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Neo-Platonism:
"Plotinus argued that since the individual soul is one with the All-Soul, it is in essence a co-creator of the Cosmos, and therefore not really subject to the laws governing the Cosmos -- for the soul is the source and agent of those laws! Therefore, a belief in astrology was, for Plotinus, absurd, since if the soul turned to beings dependent upon its own law -- i.e., the stars and planets -- in order to know itself, then it would only end up knowing aspects of its own act, and would never return to itself in full self-consciousness. Furthermore, as we have seen, Plotinian salvation was instantly available to the soul, if only it would turn its mind to "essential being"; because of this, Plotinus saw no reason to bring the stars and planets into the picture."
It would appear then that Plotinus saw no need for astrology as an essential part of his philosophy, yet Damiani cites Plotinus as the source of his ideas on how to explain astrology in his own philosophy. It turns out that it was Porphyry who took the ideas of Plotinus and returned to the study of astrology. Maybe Damiani meant to say he was grounding himself in Porphyry and not in Plotinus?
In any case, I will continue to struggle with this book to see if I can make more sense of it. Given its obscurity and level of difficulty, I cannot recommend it for the average astrologer.