A classic work on sacred science
Titus Burckhardt's 'Mystical Astrology According to Ibn'Arabi' is a seminal work on 'sacred science' - which, in sharp contrast to modern 'profane' science, ties knowledge to a higher reality. The subject matter is the astrological doctrine of Sufi master Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi.
Be warned that despite its brevity, this slim volume is a dense and difficult work. Before attempting to tackle it, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the traditional worldview that Burckhardt takes as a given. Given the crass nature of contemporary astrology, people tend to conceive astrology as saying that this-or-that star or planet 'causes' events 'down here.' Since it is difficult for most of us to honestly believe that the planet Mars is affecting our moods, most of us naturally regard astrology as superstitious nonsense. However, those who have not yet grasped the significance of the difference between the modern worldview and the traditional worldview of antiquity (especially the ideas of cyclical time) will be at a loss when attempting to grasp the significance that astrology had to ancient peoples.
Burckhardt wrote in his essay 'Traditional Cosmology and the Modern World' (found in _Mirror of the Intellect_) that 'the man of antiquity, who pictured the earth as an island surrounded by the primordial ocean and covered by the dome of heaven, and the medieval man, who saw the heavens as concentric spheres extending from the earth to the limitless sphere of the Divine Spirit, were no doubt mistaken regarding the true disposition and proportions of the sensible universe. On the other hand, they were fully conscious of the fact - infinitely more important - that this corporeal world is not the whole of reality, and that it is as if surrounded and pervaded by a reality, both greater and more subtle, that in its turn is contained in the Spirit, and they knew, indirectly or directly, that the world in all its extension disappears in the face of the Infinite.'
Traditional man was concerned with a higher spiritual reality, which gives meaning to the notion that the Earth is the center of the universe. '...given that the human being occupies a central position in the cosmic atmosphere which surrounds him, and that he has a right to consider this position, since he is obliged to make of it as a starting point for his spiritual realization, as he is situated on the axis itself which unites the poles of the universe, passing from the lowest centre of 'material' gravity up to the supreme centre of 'First Intellect'. (p. 43)
To traditional man, the universe was not just a collection of molecules, but rather material evidence of the divine. To ancient seers, man possessed all of the faculties necessary in his five senses in order to correctly perceive the nature of cosmos and his role in it; modern astronomy has not made a bit of difference in man's ability to make sense of his place in the world despite all of the knowledge it has gleaned. Burckhardt states that the 'celestial space in which the planets describe their revolutions represents in some ways the extreme limits of the sensible world, and these limits are inversely analogous to the centre which is man himself...' (p. 28). In this context, to give but one example, the relationship between Sun and Moon are indicative of divine aspects of man, which embody themselves in the differences between the sexes: 'The relation between the Sun and the Moon is analogous to that which holds between the Pure Intellect and reflection in the human form.' (p. 30) When the true significance of the earth as the 'centre' is grasped, the meaning of the precession of the equinoxes also takes on a different significance; Burckhardt does not discuss this particular subject explicitly in this book, but anyone interested in the notions of cyclical time will find a lot of food for thought in these passages.
In close, 'Mystical Astrology According to Ibn'Arabi' is highly recommended for serious students of esoterica and traditional cosmology, and it is difficult to recommend too highly (although the same can be said for all of Burckhardt's works.)
