3. Cultural Cycles and Climate Change – Cultural Cycles
A Cultural Cycle
What prompted the reference to a cultural cycle was the initial work of Sheila Rosenberg, an English historian and educator. She was for a time in the 1980s the editor of the Times Education Supplement. Her study of history revealed what she called a 900-year cultural cycle. At the time I was part of a group studying the Indian system of Astrology called Jyotisha. The basic premise of Jyotisha is that it is a mathematical science showing the influences that the planets have on humanity at various times according to their relative position in the heavens. The most interesting element of the Indian approach to the study is that it proclaims that the human being, and only the human being, can neutralise the effect of planetary influences by being fully present - in the moment, now. Consciousness is the sovereign force i.e. when one acts consciously in the present moment and not from memories of the past or imagination about the future, then the power of consciousness prevails. When negative conditions prevail, usually based on habitual patterns of behaviour, we can, if we wake up and look afresh at the situations facing us, then we are more likely to make good decisions, ones that help bring about a more positive result.
Astrology, like Astronomy, clearly shows that the measurable rotation of the earth, its revolution around the sun, and the movement of the planets around the sun create cyclical patterns. The added dimension of Astrology is that the position of the planets at any time have an impact on the inhabitants of earth. An obvious example is the impact of the full moon on the ocean and river tides which are at their highest during the time of the full moon. Recognition that the qualities prevailing in our society vary according to a measurable cycle is a big step in being able to look afresh at patterns of history.
Detailed figures are readily available on the relative positions of the planets in the heavens for the past 5000 years. In our research we found a unique pattern of planetary movement that manifests in an 854-year cycle, which has become the basis for our analysis. Those of us involved in the project became full of awe and wonder as our historical investigation continued to reveal a close correlation between historical events in four cultures, not only the 854-year cycle, but also with the four stages that make up each cycle. In the next blog we will look at the details of this cycle.