Taoist Astrology and the Structure of the Universe................................................... Chapter III
Taoist Astrology and
the Structure of the Universe
Origin of Astrological Information............................................................................
Thousands of years ago, people experienced the shimmering stars as their natural
connection with heaven. Society was organized in accordance with the laws of the uni-
verse and people viewed their relations as a reflection of the configurations of the stars.
Human arrogance, the drive for power and a growing disdain for nature led to the vision
that the earth was the center of the universe. Instead the earth is our temporary home and
is our central point from which we observe the universe.
At the same time, leaders began to rule their countries without being in touch with the
heavens. A mixture of power, ambition, desire for wealth and religious conditioning led to
an increasing disconnection from the natural receptivity to the energy from the universe.
Since then this self-created isolation has been growing and is dominant in present day
society. Although there is a longing to reconnect, many healers, therapists and practitio-
ners of meditation or astrology understand the ancient practices with their rational mind
but miss the subtle connection.
We should remember that the knowledge with which astrologists work now comes origi-
nally from a direct experiential connection with the universe and the understanding that
many masters cultivated throughout several thousand years. Many present day astrologists
are guided solely by this ancient information.
The question may be raised as to how the early astrologists, who wrote down their
experiences and transmitted them, gathered and collected their information? They had
no sophisticated equipment like telescopes. Through a combination of observing the uni-
verse and relating it to changes in the energy on earth, in nature and human beings and
through meditation or spiritual practices, they were able to assimilate their knowledge.
During the Tang dynasty many Taoist masters and students spent their whole lives in
kuans or watch places (observatories). The masters had selected these unique locations
in nature, based on the presence of strong cosmic energy. Most of the kuans were
located high in the mountains, sometimes in very inaccessible places. The interaction of
the strong natural forces with natural crystal antennas (mountains) and the planetary/star
observations (meditations) formed a perfect platform for the Taoist astral travel and spiri-
tual practices.
These masters clearly saw the cranium as our own bony planetarium. A key realization
was to break through the illusion of the separate realities of ‘inner’ and ‘outer’. Their
supernatural astrology helped them to realize the universe within the cranium and from
there, into the Tan Tien.