A newly released book "Transpersonal Astrology" begins with the statement that "transpersonal" means "beyond" the personal. Missing from this view is another, perhaps more important definition, first stated by Dane Rudhyar: The word ‘transpersonal,’ which I began to use in articles for a small magazine The Glass Hive(1) in 1930, can be confusing, for the prefix "trans" has a double meaning. It can mean "beyond"; but its more essential meaning is "through." A transpersonal attitude may be one involving a reaching beyond the personal – and "ascent" of consciousness and will seeking to attain greater heights and "peak experiences." It is mostly in this sense that the word is used by the transpersonal movement in psychology. But a transpersonal process may also imply a "descent" of spiritual power focusing itself through a person, as diffused solar light is focused through a clear lens; and it is in this sense that I have always used it in the past. (p. 38, "From Humanistic to Transpersonal Astrology", 1975)
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:05:59 +0000