Cosmos and Psyche Intimations of a New World View

by Tarnas, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780670032921
• ISBN10: 0670032921
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-01-19
• Publisher: Viking Adult

Summary

Richard Tarnas’s The Passion of the Western Mind—acclaimed by leading voices in philosophy, religion, psychology, and history—sets the stage for this major work, thirty years in the making, that dramatically reframes our understanding of the universe in the light of extraordinary new evidence.Cosmos and Psycheis the first book by a widely respected scholar to demonstrate the existence of a consistent correspondence between planetary movements and the unfolding drama of human history. A vast and impressive body of evidence illuminates patterns of meaning and precise correlations between the universe and the world of human endeavor. With meticulous detail, Richard Tarnas takes us on a journey that begins with the ancient Greeks and culminates in our own era and its transformative potential, putting into perspective these chaotic, tumultuous times—from the sixties to September 11, 2001—and pointing the way towards the future.In terms of planetary cycles, our present moment in history is most comparable to the period five hundred years ago—that era of extraordinary turbulence and creativity,” the High Renaissance. Not since Copernicus conceived the heliocentric theory has the human community faced such a profound realignment of the way we think. Readers of every persuasion will be impressed by the vast canvas here, the wealth of research and analysis, and the profound conclusions that may be drawn—conclusions that reunite religion and science, and restore a transcendent dimension to the universe.

Author Biography

Richard Tarnas is a Harvard-educated historian and professor of philosophy and psychology, and the author of The Passion of the Western Mind. He is the founding director of the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness graduate studies program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and also teaches on the faculty of Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
I The Transformation of the Cosmos	1	(36)
The Birth of the Modern Self	3	(2)
The Dawn of a New Universe	5	(6)
Two Paradigms of History	11	(5)
Forging the Self, Disenchanting the World	16	(10)
The Cosmological Situation Today	26	(11)
II In Search of a Deeper Order	37	(34)
Two Suitors: A Parable	39	(4)
The Interior Quest	43	(7)
Synchronicity and Its Implications	50	(11)
The Archetypal Cosmos	61	(10)
III Through the Archetypal Telescope	71	(68)
The Evolving Tradition	73	(7)
Archetypal Principles	80	(8)
The Planets	88	(14)
Forms of Correspondence	102	(7)
Personal Transit Cycles	109	(17)
Archetypal Coherence and Concrete Diversity	126	(9)
Assessing Patterns of Correlation	135	(4)
IV Epochs of Revolution	139	(68)
From the French Revolution to the 1960's	141	(8)
Synchronic and Diachronic Patterns in History	149	(10)
Scientific and Technological Revolutions	159	(7)
Awakenings of the Dionysian	166	(6)
The Liberation of Nature	172	(11)
Religious Rebellion and Erotic Emancipation	183	(5)
Filling in the Cyclical Sequence	188	(6)
The Individual and the Collective	194	(8)
A Larger View of the Sixties	202	(5)
V Cycles of Crisis and Contraction	207	(82)
World Wars, Cold War, and September 11	209	(10)
Historical Contrasts and Tensions	219	(7)
Conservative Empowerment	226	(8)
Splitting, Evil, and Terror	234	(5)
Moby Dick and Nature's Depths	239	(3)
Historical Determinism, Realpolitik, and Apocalypse	242	(15)
Moral Courage, Facing the Shadow, and the Tension of Opposites	257	(11)
Paradigmatic Works of Art	268	(17)
Forging Deep Structures	285	(4)
VI Cycles of Creativity and Expansion	289	(64)
Opening New Horizons	291	(5)
Convergences of Scientific Breakthroughs	296	(4)
Social and Political Rebellions and Awakenings	300	(7)
Quantum Leaps and Peak Experiences	307	(5)
From Copernicus to Darwin	312	(5)
Music and Literature	317	(9)
Iconic Moments and Cultural Milestones	326	(9)
Great Heights and Shadows	335	(14)
Hidden Births	349	(4)
VII Awakenings of Spirit and Soul	353	(100)
Epochal Shifts of Cultural Vision	355	(11)
Spiritual Epiphanies and the Emergence of New Religions	366	(9)
Utopian Social Visions	375	(5)
Romanticism, Imaginative Genius, and Cosmic Epiphany	380	(21)
Revelations of the Numinous	401	(8)
The Great Awakening of the Axial Age	409	(10)
The Late Twentieth Century and the Turn of the Millennium	419	(34)
VIII Towards a New Heaven and a New Earth	453	(38)
Understanding the Past, Creating the Future	455	(10)
Observations on Future Planetary Alignments	465	(19)
Opening to the Cosmos	484	(4)
Sources of the World Order	488	(3)
Epilogue	491	(3)
Notes	494	(41)
Sources	535	(10)
Acknowledgments	545	(4)
Index	549