"Star Wisdom is scientific, resting on a solid mathematical-astronomical foundation and a secure chronology of the life of Jesus Christ, while it is also spiritual, aspiring to the higher dimension of existence, expressed outwardly in the world of stars. The scientific and the spiritual come together in the sidereal zodiac that originated with the Babylonians and was used by the three magi who beheld the star of Bethlehem and came to pay homage to Jesus a few months after his birth." --
Robert Powell, PhD
Each volume of Star Wisdom includes articles of interest on star wisdom (Astrosophy) and a guide to the correspondences between stellar configurations during the life of Christ and those of today. The guide comprises a complete sidereal ephemeris and aspectarian, geocentric and heliocentric, for days throughout the year.
According to Rudolf Steiner, every step taken by Christ during his ministry between the Baptism in the Jordan and the Resurrection was in harmony with--and an expression of--the cosmos. Star Wisdom is concerned with heavenly correspondences during the life of Christ. It is intended to provide a foundation for cosmic Christianity, the cosmic dimension of Christianity--a dimension that has been missing from its two-thousand-year history.
Readers can begin on this path by contemplating today's movements of the Sun, Moon, and planets against the background of the zodiacal constellations (sidereal signs) in relation to corresponding stellar events during the life of Christ. This opens the possibility of attuning, in a living way throughout the year, to the life of Christ in the etheric cosmos.
Star Wisdom, volume 6, features a variety of articles that, although historical in many cases, are relevant to the present time, beginning with Joel Matthews' foreword, which focuses on the social and spiritual significance of the eclipse of 2024 ("the gateway out of the Age of Eclipse and into Apocalypse"), as well as eclipses of recent years and another that will occur in 2045.
Joel Park also brings part 3 of "The Sacrifices of Jesus and Christ," with a comprehensive view of several millennia of past and coming times of transformation. He also brings part 4 of "Returning to the Origin of the Houses: Practical Application and Summary," which aligns the Houses and Tarot. Julie Humphreys' article, "The Bull Hurls a Thunderbolt," discusses Uranus as it passes through the cusp of Aries and Taurus in June, in sync with the human biographical seven-year periods of life.
Also included is a lecture by Rudolf Steiner, "Individual Spirit Beings and the Constant Foundation of the Universe," from Secret Brotherhoods and the Mystery of the Human Double, discussing the influences of secret brotherhoods and the transition of human culture to a new era.
Krisztina Cseri's article, "One Hundred Years after the Karma Lectures by Rudolf Steiner," illumines "karmic relationships from an astrological point of view." Robert Powell's "Classics in Astrosophy" series revisits the concept of a lunar calendar for farmers and gardeners.
The ephemerides for this volume cover not only the months of 2024, but also most of the months during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, from December ad 29 to June 33, which may be used in conjunction with The Visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich.
Illustrated in color and black and white.Joel Matthew Park is a husband, father, and Christian Hermeticist based in Copake, New York. From 2011 to 2019 he was a life-sharing coworker at Plowshare Farm (a Camphill affiliate), farming and candlemaking with people from a variety of countries, ages, and developmental backgrounds. During this time, he earned a certification in Social Therapy from the School of Spiritual Science through the Camphill Academy. He has been living and working in Camphill Village Copake since 2019. After a time devoted to elder care, he has become increasingly involved in teaching in the Camphill Academy, on topics such as Stargazing, the Karma of Vocation, Theosophy, the Human Soul, the Festival Year, and Philosophical Perspectives. Joel has been a student of Anthroposophy since 2008 and a Christian Hermeticist since 2010. In 2014, he met Phillip Malone; together, the two of them have been investigating the Tarot of Marseilles since 2016. Since then, Joel has led two retreats on "Tarot and the Art of Hermetic Conversation" (2017 and 2019). The fruits of Joel and Phillip's collaboration in this realm can be found at the-unknown-friends.com. In 2015, he joined the Grail Knighthood, a group-spiritual practice offered through the Sophia Foundation. Through this, he met Robert Powell, whose work he had been studying since 2009. Since then, Joel has been working actively with him to continue the karma research Robert began in 1977 and exemplifies in works such as
Hermetic Astrology, volumes I and II, and
Elijah, Come Again. Joel's first contribution was to the
Journal for Star Wisdom 2018 (published Nov. 2017), after which he became editor for the journal's continuation, the Star Wisdom series. The first volume of this series was published in November 2018. A selection of Joel's writings can be found on his TreeHouse website, treehouse.live.
Robert A. Powell, PhD, is an internationally known lecturer, author, eurythmist, and movement therapist. He is founder of the Choreocosmos School of Cosmic and Sacred Dance, and cofounder of the Sophia Foundation of North America. He received his doctorate for his thesis
The History of the Zodiac, available as a book from Sophia Academic Press. He is the author and coauthor of numerous work, including
The Sophia Teachings (a six-tape series), as well as numerous books on star wisdom (
Astrosophy), the divine feminine (
Sophia), the Christian Mysteries, and sacred movement. He has also been a contributing editor of the annual journal
Star Wisdom. He translated the spiritual classic
Meditations on the Tarot and co-translated Valentin Tomberg's
Lazarus, Come Forth! Robert teaches a gentle form of healing movement: the sacred dance of eurythmy, as well as the Cosmic Dances of the Planets and signs of the zodiac. Through the Sophia Grail Circle, Robert facilitates sacred celebrations dedicated to the Divine Feminine. He has also offered numerous workshops in Europe and Australia, and with Karen Rivers, cofounder of the Sophia Foundation, and has led pilgrimages to the world's sacred sites since 1996.
Natalia Haarahiltunen studied singing and Anthroposophy at Snellman College from 1999 to 2003. She invited Robert Powell to Finland in both 2012 and 2013. She was the editor of Starlight from 2019 to 2021. In recent years, Natalia has been collaborating with Joel Park to develop the Footwashing service. Her interest toward Star Wisdom has been growing year by year, and she has been working with Krisztina Cseri.
Julie Humphreys is a graduate of Stanford and a former pediatric nurse and Waldorf mom. An early interest in astrology lay dormant for more than three decades until she was introduced to the sidereal system, the works of Robert Powell, and the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich. She has taken great joy in researching astrological phenomena for the Journal for Star Wisdom. Julie lives in Carmel, California, where shooting stars and the Milky Way are often visible.
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner's multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.
