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Kabbalah:
Kabbalah is a way of understanding all aspects of ourselves and is a rewarding
guide for personal and spiritual development.
Based on a map of consciousness called the Tree of Life, Kabbalah, or Qabalah
(an alternative spelling), is relevant to modern everyday life, offering
greater freedom and fulfillment through including the experience of both
our spirit and shadow sides.
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Tree of Life?
What is the difference between Kabbalah
and Qabalah?
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or not?
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about Kabbalistic topics?
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and parenting?
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and Christianity?
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does Kabbalah describe them?
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or channeled material?
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Qabalah and related topics?
Want to know more
about Psychosynthesis?
Psychosynthesis brings together the two traditions of psychology and mysticism.
Psychology is then infused with a sense of soul and meaning, whilst the
mystery traditions benefit from the grounding and reflective qualities of
psychology.
Psychosynthesis is a practical system which is not about the application
of techniques, but learning to live with a vision that comes from deep within
oneself.
What is Psychosynthesis?
(a longer answer)
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about Psychosynthesis topics?
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Psychosynthesis:
The Elements and Beyond
everything ypu need
to understand and use
the visions and technques
of psychosynthesis
He will unite the white rose and the red:
Smile heaven upon his fair conjunction. -Shakespeare.
When I was asked to write a piece for Conjunction (the astrological journal
of API), I thought a good starting place would be to look up exactly what
conjunction means. I knew in astrology it refers to two planets being closely
aligned, and I knew grammatically it means a word that connects other words
together but my investigation of the word threw up some deeper ' and more
interesting ' meanings and connections. Before we go any further, though,
I'd like to ask you to hold my hand whilst you are reading this article,
in imagination if not in reality.
In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, phrases,
or clauses together. Of course, the best known conjunctions in this sense
are 'and' and 'but'. The definition can also be extended to idiomatic phrases
that function in the same way, for instance 'as well as' or 'provided that.'
From logic we can find a slightly different way of making a conjunction,
such as, for instance:
Everyone should study astrological conjunctions.
Huber is the best system of astrology.
Therefore, everyone should study Huber astrology.
You might well agree with these statements, or not as the case may be, but
in the real world they may not be the whole truth as the concluding statement
in no way challenges the assertions in the original two sentences. Yet how
often do we put things together and assume they are connected when actually
the link might be very tenuous. A classic example, of course, is an astrologer
who discovers a positive aspect between, say Jupiter and the Sun on a particular
day, then a sum of money arrives in the post which appears to prove that
the aspect is having its effect.
To get beyond such mistaken logical conjunctions we have to hold the paradoxical
position of both not being attached to a linear time model, and at the same
time looking closely at cause and effect. Then we can see that there may
well be a real connection between, in our example, the aspect and the arrival
of the money, but not because one 'caused' the other but because they coincided
or were synchronous.
This is very relevant to astrology in a way that becomes clear when we consider
a conjunction. A conjunction is a term used in both positional astronomy
and astrology and it means that, as seen from some place (usually the Earth),
two celestial bodies appear near one another in the sky. From our particular
temporal and geographical location they are conjoined but, of course, if
we take a wider perspective, they are not close at all (Mars and Pluto may
appear conjunct but really there may be many millions of kilometres between
them.) Are they associated? Yes, but only in the same way the two statements
were in our 'logical conjunction'.
That is not a put down of astrological conjunctions because we have to now
bring in the most important factor in all this ' the observer. Without the
observer there would be no conjunction at all (Mars does not naturally align
itself in the heaven with Pluto.) It is equally real, therefore, to assert
that the conjunction does exist because it is being observed. Indeed, such
is the power of observation that many astrologers (and others) will argue
that an aspect is most definitely real not because they are observing it
at all (how can you see these distant objects anyway?) but because they
feel or at the very least experience its effect. Yes, well, the postman
did arrive today with that money so that proves it, doesn't it? Or does
it?
Never mind what might have been or what is, let's consider what might be?
If we enter into the realm of the future, what is still potential rather
than actual, then we might expect to find ourselves on even shakier ground.
Yet some events in themselves are most definitely predictable. In my research
I discovered that there is a very remarkable planetary/galactic configuration
due to occur on the 23rd and 24th December 2007. The 23/12 configuration
(as it might be termed) involves Mars, Earth, Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Galactic
Centre, and is even more remarkable in that it will be joined (or triggered?)
by the full Moon (conjunct Mars) at about 2 a.m. on December 24th when a
simultaneous Venus square Neptune occurs. To cap it all, the Pluto/sun conjunction
appears exactly on the Winter Solstice, just past a conjunction with the
Galactic Centre.
That sounds amazing indeed. I imagine as we get closer to this conjunction
many people will come up with theories and ideas about its significance.
Informed astrologers may well be best placed to understand what it might
mean, having many thousands of years of research on which to base their
conjectures. What I would like to suggest to you, however, is not to become
caught up with other peoples' explanations, however wise they may be, but
to find your own understanding of this grand conjunction and for that matter
all other conjunctions. Remember it will only be happening (for you anyway)
because you are observing and experiencing it, so rather than looking at
it from the perspective of others, or in books and charts, observe it closely,
and deeply, from your own position. Sure, make any astrological calculations
you may wish, but also be there at the time of the conjunction, sense it
in your body, feel it in your heart, watch carefully the effects it has
on your being and your nature. Then the conjunction can become an experienced
reality rather than just an abstract concept.
I asked you at the beginning of this article to hold my hand whilst reading
it. I don't know if you took me seriously and if any of you 'held my hand'
but it certainly made a difference to me, having a sense of you, the reader,
as well as of myself. Now being hand in hand with someone, even in imagination,
never mind in the 'real world', is truly being conjoined. I'd like to end
with a little image that might aid you whenever you are considering any
conjunctions in your clients' charts, that all heavenly bodies in conjunction
go 'and in 'and with one another. When we are considering relationships,
which are after all not only the basis of all astrology but all life, we
could all do well to learn more about being 'and in 'and with one another.
No buts, thank you!
First published in the Conjunction Journal, 2005.
Will Parfitt is a UKCP registered psychotherapist and an experienced
and innovative group leader. Trained in Psychosynthesis, he has more than
thirty years experience of working with psychospiritual development, and
he travels internationally to run courses on a variety of subjects including
kabbalah and psychosynthesis. Will is author of several books
including 'Kabbalah for Life' and 'Psychosynthesis: the Elements and Beyond'.
© Will Parfitt 2006 (v7.1)