Astrology Consciousness and Soul by Tapan Das

Article by Tapan Das 

Most of the scientific community does not consider consciousness different from the activity of brain. There are over a billion neurons in the brain and these neurons are connected by synapses that pass electrical signals between the neurons. Thus scientists believe that the feelings of love, anxiety, depression, ecstasy, etc. are all functions of the brain. This is based on the concept that consciousness is a part of the brain.

Soul, in some religions and philosophies is said to be the spiritual or eternal part of a living being, commonly held to be separable in existence from the body. Soul, termed in Christianity and Judaism, is called atma in Hinduism and Sikhism, atta in Buddhism, rooh in Islam, and jiva in Jainism.

Soul has no place in science. The distinction between soul and consciousness has been ambiguous in some publications treating the two as one entity. Consciousness is the interfacing media between the soul and the brain. Stars and planets communicate with the soul of a person. This is how astrology and soul are related.

Brain, Consciousness and Soul

Noble laureate John Eccles thinks that consciousness is separate from the brain. His experiment with the cerebral cortex, that controls movements in our bodies by sending signals to our muscles, found that neurons in the supplementary motor area (SMA) in the cortex act before the neurons in the cerebral cortex send signals to the muscles. Eccles concluded that conscious will, separate from the brain, must be present before the neurological events begin. Thus consciousness controls brain and not the other way round. Philosopher scientist Karl Popper describes consciousness and brain separate from each other, brain being a part of the body and consciousness motivating the body.

The brain is a supercomputer capable of doing very complex functions. But, can a computer have the wondrous feeling at the sight of Taj Mahal? Can it ever express love? Can it enjoy music?  The experience of love, feeling and enjoyment can not be measured by scientific theories or mathematical equations. But science breaks down everything in scientific theories and mathematical equations – if something cannot be handled that way, then out it goes through the window. Thus consciousness or soul has no place in science. A computer will register Taj Mahal as a figure of architecture without any feeling and Ravi Shankar’s sitar recital as wave patterns without any joy. Einstein was asked, “Do you believe that absolutely everything can be expressed scientifically?” “Yes, it would be possible,” he replied, “But it would make no sense. It would be description without meaning – as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation in wave pressure.”  Thus a person possesses something which is far beyond the ability of any computer.

Quantum field theory (QFT) is an extension of quantum mechanics where photons of light are not considered as little particles but as field quanta – ripples in a field. Similarly, electrons can be described as ripples in a field. In the end, according to QFT, particles are regarded as excited states of a field (field quanta). Taking the QFT approach to the brain within the cranium, the brain made of atomic constituents can be described as the spatial distribution of quantum electric dipoles. Thus brain is a quantum electric dipole field coupled with electromagnetic field. An interesting physical process for memory retrieval occurs in the brain in terms of QFT. (Subatomic particles are classified into fermions and bosons. Electrons are fermions and photons are bosons.) As long as memory is maintained in the geometric objects of the quantum electric dipole field, a type of bosons called Nambu-Goldstone bosons emerge from the geometric objects due to breakage of symmetry triggered by arbitrarily small incoming energy. Emergence of Nambu-Goldstone bosons is memory retrieval¹.

Our brain has roughly 100 billion neurons. The neurons communicate by sending electrical signals through specialized connections called synapses which are the junction areas between the axons and receiving dendrites. These Nambu-Goldstone bosons couple with the electrical signals of the neurons and form an interference pattern forming an image¹. This image is the consciousness created in the brain. This image of consciousness is imposed on the soul of a person for the soul to act. Thus consciousness is the coupling media between the soul and the brain.

Imagine a driver driving a car. Soul is the driver, the instruments in the dashboard are the consciousness, and the car is the brain. Both the driver and the car cannot function on their own; they both need each other. The instruments in the dashboard and the mirrors indicate to the driver the state and condition of the car – speed, torque, gas level, temperature, orientation, etc. The driver operates the car accordingly. If another car hits the car, then the driver will say, “You hit me.” The driver may not be actually hit, but he identifies himself with the car. Similarly, soul cannot function without the brain and consciousness, and vice versa. Soul identifies itself with the consciousness and brain although separate from it. The better the engine and body of the car, the smoother is the ride of the car. Similarly, better the brain the more advanced the person is. Slowly the scientific community is waking up to the reality of some other existence other than the brain to explain metaphysical phenomena.

Soul in Veda

From the Vedic literature, the supreme soul brahman appears as atma in the individual body. But this ignorance of brahman-atma is marked by the superimposition of “sheaths” (kosas) over the reality of brahman-atma. We identify ourselves with the kosas obscuring the brahman-atma. In the Vedanta, the kosas are considered as the layers of an onion with the reality of atma buried in the centre of the onion, so that by peeling away the layers of kosas and merging with the central core, atma results in the liberation. The outermost sheath or kosa is anna or materialism; the second sheath is prana or life energy; the third sheath is mano or mind; the fourth sheath is jnana or wisdom; and the fifth sheath is ananda or bliss of atma. Finally, when the fifth sheath is peeled away, the reality of the core atma remains merging with the supreme soul Brahman. This provides an excellent spectrum of life with the ultimate goal of realizing atma.

Psyche

In psychoanalysis and depth psychology, psyche refers to the forces in an individual that influence behavior, thought and personality. Psyche is composed of three components: the ego, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. The ego represents the conscious mind; the personal unconscious contains memories including those that have been suppressed; the collective unconscious is a collection of psychological inheritance containing all the knowledge and experience we share as a species.

Archetypes are models of people, behaviors and personalities. Archetypes exist in the collective unconscious. These are innate, universal and hereditary, and act to organize how we experience certain things. Car Jung identified four major archetypes, but also believed that was no limit to the number of archetypes that may exist. The four major archetypes are given below.

1. The Self:

The Self represents both the conscious and unconscious parts of an individual. The creation of the Self occurs through individuation by the integration of various personalities.

2. The Shadow:

The Shadow is the darker side of the psyche, and consists of life and sex instincts as part of the unconscious mind composed of repressed ideas, desires, weaknesses and shortcomings. The shadow can appear in dreams or visions in the form of a monster, dragon, snake or some other exotic figure.

3. The Anima and Animus:

The Anima and Animus are the true inner self rather than the image we present to others. Anima is the feminine image in male psyche and Animus is the male image in the female psyche.

4. The Persona:

The Persona is how we present ourselves to others derived from the Latin word mask.

Then what is the relation between soul and psyche? Carl Jung was a proponent of psyche and wrote much of his work in German. Difficulties arise in translation from German because the German word “seele” means both psyche and soul. Jung made a conceptual distinction between soul and psyche. “By psyche, I understand the totality of all psychic processes, conscious as well as unconscious. By soul, on the other hand, I understand a clearly demarcated functional complex that can best be described as a personality.”² The soul is an entity independent of a physical and mental existence. But it is the source and cause of all functions. The psyche has the potential to exist only in the mind but cannot function without the soul. We can only notice the symptom of soul. When salt is dissolved in water, the salt is invisible; yet, by tasting the water we know that the salt is there. Similarly in the brain and body, the soul exists, but we do not directly perceive it, only notice its effect.

Do psychologists believe in astrology?  In a letter written to Hindu astrologer B.V. Raman, September 6th 1947 – Carl Jung wrote:

“Since you want to know my opinion about astrology, I can tell you that I’ve been interested in this particular activity of the human mind since more than 30 years. As I am a psychologist, I am chiefly interested in the particular light the horoscope sheds on certain complications in the character. In cases of difficult psychological diagnosis, I usually get a horoscope in order to have a further point of view from an entirely different angle. I must say that I very often found that the astrological data elucidated certain points which I otherwise would have been unable to understand. From such experiences I formed the opinion that astrology is of particular interest to the psychologist, since it contains a sort of psychological experience which we call ‘projected’ – this means that we find the psychological facts as it were in the constellations.”

Psychology and Archetypes

Jung associated different archetypes with specific planets, and believed birth charts would generate archetypal images to him that told him something about the subject of the chart. He frequently looked at the birth charts of his patients, and believed that the symbols in the charts made suggestions to him from the collective unconscious about that person’s psyche.

Jung invented the term synchronicity to describe psychic coincidence. If you have ever experienced a time when something going on in your mind coincided strangely with something that happened in the physical world, then you have experienced synchronicity. You suddenly think about someone; the phone rings and they’re on the other end. You suddenly hear some friend’s voice who lives far away, and then learn that the person has died coinciding with the time you heard the voice. You dream about someone you haven’t seen in years, and find the person visiting you next day. You hear a name that you’ve never heard before, and suddenly you’re hearing it everywhere. Carl Jung believed that these types of incidents were more than coincidence, and that there is a connection between our psychological states and the physical world caused by the phenomena of synchronicity, and referred to it as an “A-causal connecting principle” meaning, essentially, that We Are One, and everything is connected, including our minds and inner states and the real physical world around us. Just as the physical world affects us, so our psyche also affects the physical world. A traditional scientific theory cannot explain the cause and reaction of synchronicity; we can only experience it and recognize that it happens.

Once we are aware of the existence of synchronicity, we begin to understand that there is a connection between our psyche and the physical world. This is not something that we can explain in terms of cause and effect, and it’s not useful to us to think about in those terms. It is the symbolic nature of the phenomena that is useful to us. Our unconscious reaches out to our consciousness with these symbols, which represent some knowledge contained in the collective unconscious. If we are open to recognizing and accepting these symbols, it becomes possible for us to consciously “experience” this knowledge.

Astrology and Archetypes

Astrology takes the concept of archetypes to the cosmic level with the collective unconscious embedded within the cosmos itself. Thus the planets and constellations of stars called zodiacs are the archetypes. Their movements, positions and patterns provide significant insight into a person’s potential. This awareness of the meaning of the archetypal structures and patterns in one’s birth chart enables to fulfill one’s full potential. If we are unaware of these potent forces then we are puppets of these archetypes. Our whole potential is suppressed without any self awareness. Astrology reveals which archetypes are important for each person, how their positions and patterns affect us, how they interact with each other, and when and how they are likely to be expressed in the course of one’s life.

If the Sun is in Aries, then it indicates action, leadership, energy, aggressiveness, courage and arrogance in a person. Moon in Taurus indicates that the person is cautious, trustworthy, stubborn and stable. Mercury in Gemini indicates that the person is smart, inquisitive, perceptive, humorous, intellectual and adaptable. Venus in Cancer indicates that the person is kind, loyal, devoted, and clings to lover and friends. Mars in Leo indicates that the person is confidant, impassioned, energetic and arrogant, and creates excitement. Jupiter in Virgo indicates that the person is organized, perfectionist, intellectual and tense. Saturn in Libra indicates that the person is rational, reliable, diplomatic and committed in marriage. Uranus in Scorpio indicates intuition, strong will, charisma and resourcefulness. Neptune in Sagittarius indicates freedom, travel and caution in dealing. Pluto in Capricorn indicates persistence and pragmatism.

The relationship between two planets or aspect increases or decreases the strength of the planets. If the Sun and another planet are in conjunction, then the second planet will play a prominent role in one’s life and character. If the Sun and another planet are in opposition then the influence of the second planet will be subdued. The aspect pattern between the planets also has an important role in a person’s life. Grand Trine, when three planets are forming trines (120 degrees) to each other, creates an open and effortless flow of energy. Grand Cross with four planets, which form the four squares (90 Degrees) and two oppositions, is a stressful configuration with lots of challenges and problems. T-square with three planets, that includes two squares and one opposition, causes lot of difficulties in life but also provide necessary drive and action to achieve success.

Planetary archetypes are indicative of the cosmic forces at a certain time. It is based on correlation and correspondence, not based on linear causality. Just as the mercury in the barometer does not cause the atmospheric pressure, but indicates the atmospheric pressure, similarly the planetary archetypes do not cause the cosmic forces but correspond to the effect of these forces on our life. This is represented in the maxim, “as above, so below,” that reflects all parts of the universe integrated into a cosmic whole.

Astrology and one’s horoscope illuminate the path of a person’s life, showing the outline of the future³. Astrology never indicates that “this cannot be done” or “you are out of luck.” Rather, it shows our strengths and weaknesses, what can be done, and how and when. “Stars incline, but they do not compel.” If we are warned that we are prone to rash actions due to the influence of certain planets, then we can hold a check on our emotion and avoid rash action and catastrophic results. If we know that the position of the planets give a favorable condition, then we can take advantage of it by proper action. This is how astrology can help without giving specific answers to specific questions.

Astrology and Soul      

Soul is separate from the psyche/brain, but cannot function without them and vice versa. As mentioned earlier, soul is the driver, consciousness contains the control instruments, psyche/brain represents the car. As the driver starts the car, so the soul triggers the psyche/brain. The driver looks after the operation, maintenance and security of the car. Similarly, the soul keeps the psyche/brain functional with the help of consciousness. Even the most advanced computer needs an engineer to operate and maintain it. The engineer powers it up, monitors its operation, does regular maintenance and makes sure any failure or malfunction is properly repaired. In this case, the engineer is the soul and the computer is the psyche/brain.

What happens when a person dies? People cry and say, “Oh! He is gone.” But what has gone? The body is still lying there with all the organs, brain and body parts. It is the soul of the person that has gone. So soul is our true identity. Can science with all the modern technologies bring back life in to the dead body? The answer is irrevocably “No.” Soul cannot be created by science. Hence the brain as the source of soul is wrong. After all, the brain is still there in the dead body.

The cosmic forces symbolized by the planetary archetypes communicate with the soul of a person. The benefic and malefic cosmic forces indicated by the planetary archetypes influence the soul. Does it matter to a dead person whether he will be soon in a good time or bad time? It certainly does not. But to a living person it is very important to plan and act accordingly. Since the only difference between the living person and a dead person is soul, hence it is the soul which receives the cosmic communication and acts accordingly.

Conclusion

In astrology, planets and zodiacs are the archetypes that are indicative of the cosmic forces. Cosmic forces indicated by these archetypes communicate with the soul of a person. Soul accordingly monitors the function of the psyche/brain with the help of consciousness. This is how astrology and soul are related.

About Author: Tapan Das, Ph.D., P.Eng.  has 35 years of technical management experience in telecommunication, wireless, IP, WiFi and ASIC. He has worked as VP, Director and Technical Manager in SGNT Technologies, Kinaare Networks, Lucent, Nortel, and Plessey. He holds an M.Sc. in Electronics from the University Of London, UK and a Ph.D. in Microwave Electronics from the University of Bradford, UK. He also holds seven patents and has published a number of technical papers in International journals. He cultivates an active interest in astrology since a long time and has been researching astrology and cosmology for the last five years. He has published six papers on this subject in Research in Astrology with Media in Science (RAMS), International Society of Astrological Research (ISAR) and Journal of the Mindshift Institute. Recently, he has published a book Why Astrology is Science: Five Good Reasons.