The Zodiacal Template
By: Walter Cambra The author of The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri, employs the astrological zodiacal wheel in his work and refers to the zodiac as “the twelve-toothed cogwheel” (Purgatorio, Canto IV, v. 64). Dante mentions that his realization of having strayed from the true way came in his thirty-fifth year as “the sun was climbing […]
The Sunless World of Chaucer’s “Knight’s Tale”
Under the cover of a standard medieval romance, Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale is a grim and astrologically-rich contemplation of human passion, fortune, and destiny. This article ponders the purposes of the Knight’s Tale’s uses of astrology and astrological symbolism in the context of these larger issues. Why do gods and humans take on qualities of astrology’s […]
Dracula: Quite a Card
By: Walter Cambra The character of Dracula in Bram Stoker’s enduring classic has occult associations with the astrological zodiac as well as the Tarot deck designed by Miss Pamela Colman Smith. It should be mentioned that Miss Smith traveled with the stage acting Company of Sir Henry Irving whose stage manager was none other than […]
The Foundations of Hindu Sacred Literature
By: Carol Tebbs, MA Over 4000 years ago, nomads sprung from the soil of northeastern Europe and entered the Indus Valley of ancient India. They called themselves Aryans, or noble ones, and the religion they brought with them comprised the first practice of Hinduism. The centerpiece of Aryan religion was a fire sacrifice to the […]
The Myth and the Mundane: Reflections on Women in Society
By: Inga Thornell As her senior project and final paper for her East/West major, BA graduate Inga Thornell wrote a research paper on the role of women and myth in society. The study of mythology and literature can be a useful means of determining the paradigms of a culture. This paper will examine examples of […]
The Bard and the Stars: Astrological Debate in Shakespeare’s King Lear
By: Carol Tebbs, Rhonda Busby, Kathy Kipp Sometimes it is easy to forget that the great books of literature are riddled with astrological references. Contrasting views about astrological fate are important in understanding the interactions of characters in Shakespeare’s play, King Lear. The older characters place great stock in the influence of the stars on […]
