Signs of the Times: Unlocking the Symbolic Language of World Events (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Imagine the world as it might appear from the perspective of an ant wandering onstage briefly during a performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream..." (more)
Key Phrases: kaleidoscopic principle, planetary lineup, jazz model, Citizen Kane, Great Ages, The Matrix (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

We are at a critical juncture in history, a "decision-window" where we face the danger of global collapse—and the opportunity for global renewal. Written by Ervin Laszlo, the founder of systems philosophy and general evolution theory, The Chaos Point provides a concise overview of the present world situation, showing where we are and how we got here.

According to Laszlo, for the next six to seven years—roughly until the end of 2012—we have the opportunity to head off trends that would lead to a critical tipping point. Beyond this "chaos point," we either evolve to a safer, more sustainable world, or the social, economic, and ecological systems that frame our life become overstressed and break down.

The 2012 chaos point need not be the end of the world, but it will certainly be the end of the kind of world we have created. In today’s decision-window we have a unique chance to break through to a new world. This pioneering book tells us what this new world can look like and how each of us can help to achieve it.

The Chaos Point is a healing book. It not only identifies the nature of the malady every person and every society now suffers from, but offers a cure.

From the Inside Flap

We may live in astonishing times, but they are not incomprehensible when you know how to read the signs.

Everybody says we're entering the Age of Aquarius, but when does it start, and how will we know what it looks and feels like? Ray Grasse deciphers the signs and correspondences of our nearing Aquarian future, using the tools of astrology, synchronicity, and mythology. He draws richly from contemporary religion, art, politics, science, even current movies, to show how the cultural signs of Aquarius and our likely future are already apparent and changing our world.

The Aquarian Age will be marked by its intensely mental quality, when information will be the driving force of society and the biggest challenges we face will be those of the mind. Decentralization will be the order of business, either the empowered individual will reign supreme, or the collective interests of globalized society will predominate. It could be both.

We are all participants in the global drama and all aspects of our inner and outer lives are bound up with the new Aquarian themes. ‘Signs of the Times' is the authoritative travel guide for the trip into our future – don't leave the present without it.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 299 pages
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Company (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157174309X
• ISBN-13: 978-1571743091
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #454,670 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astrological Insight, August 24, 2003

By	Dave Gunning (Lombard, Illinois) - See all my reviews

In his usual insightful manner Ray Grasse shows how the profound symbolism of the signs and planetary forces in astrology synchronistically link up to newsworthy events. What I found especially fascinating is his conveyance of the transition from the Piscean to Aquarian Age through cinema. It's a fresh and fun approach to symbolism and the astrological language. This book is every bit as good as his previous one,"The Waking Dream". Even non-astrologers can derive benefit from it.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Intricate Language of Omens and Cycles, October 4, 2003

By	OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This volume is a continuation of the author's work on the symbolist worldview. To the symbolist, there is inherent meaning to the cosmos. This meaning exists on many levels in an intricately interconnected web of correspondences. In this book, the great meaningful and predictable cycles of time are examined in light of astrology, synchronicity, and mythology. These tools are shown to provide the keys for connecting the cosmic to the contemporary.

Once one verifies the validity of the symbolist view for one's self (and synchronistic verification starts to present itself to your conscious mind) one never sees the world in the same way again. For instance, current events such as Mars historic proximity, wars and blood shed in the Near East, and the break up of a space shuttle over Texas all start to fall into a meaningful pattern.

The common thread through this book is the nature of the dawning Aquarian age. It is pointed out that there are both positive and negative aspects to Aquarian energies- and it is as yet far from certain as to which will prevail.

This book is a worthy successor to the author's The Waking Dream.