The Inner Cosmos

(Picture: Henry Corbin, 1903-1978: Philosopher, Theologian and Expert of Ancient Islamic Sufism)

The history of astrology has produced two very different – and to my mind, contradictory – traditions.

The first tradition in astrology focuses on the visible reality of the cosmos and on the relationship of
cosmic cycles with events on Earth. In this tradition, it is clear how the astrologer obtains knowledge,
namely by observing these cosmic cycles and making connections with phenomena here on earth.

The second tradition in astrology focuses not so much on the visible cosmos, but on an inner
experienced connection to the cosmos (via astrological symbolism). In this tradition, in which many
modern astrologers place themselves consciously or unconsciously, the answer to the question of
how the astrologer obtains knowledge is less easy to answer.

In this article, I explore astrological knowing in this second tradition: what does the astrologer’s
connection with the inner cosmos entail? The focus is on a form of human knowing that may play an
important role in the application of astrology: the capacity for imagination.