Review of Elements & Evolution by Astrologer Andrew Smith

That astrology is largely practised by people for people, consciousness is often a forgotten component in both synthesis and interpretation of astrological techniques and doctrines. Not so with Elements and Evolution. In a lucid, free flowing and understandable manner, Eric Meyers has revisited the often overlooked building blocks of the Grecian influenced astrological tradition in an unapologetic transpersonal psychological manner, producing a seminal book that will not only inspire readers but will provide them with a spiritual lens to understand human psychology and relationships through astrology, written in an open, succinct and engaging manner.

Essentially the book is split into 3 sections. The first section starts off with a generic exploration of the meaning of the elements, covering their basic history and philosophy. Contained within this section is a ground-breaking notion of categorising the elements into being charged or neutral, which adds an entirely new angle to understanding the meaning, and subsequent manifestation, of the elements. This innovation is simply genius and is also central to Meyers psychological and ultimately therapeutic perspective.

Moving on from this foundation the second section is a thorough investigation of each of the potential relationships that exist between the charged and neutral elements through the 12 stages of cyclical growth. That Meyers has devised a series of succinct keywords to summarise each of the relationships means that he has laid a template for students of astrology to retain and to utilise in their interpretation of the psychological manifestation of planetary archetypes. That an entire chapter on the quincunx, a much overlooked aspect, is included adds to the brilliance of this book.

For those with a strong interest in placing the elemental framework in a deeper philosophical context, the third section is seminal, well written and stimulating. A deep discussion of the role of the Sun and Moon in terms of understanding consciousness is central to this section and Meyers take that the Moon reflects the autonomous ego is sure to raise several eyebrows. That the stance of a non-gender interpretation of planetary archetypes is derived from a transpersonal view of consciousness opens the way for an open discussion about the way in which people manifest their inherent potential. This is central to my own work as a consultant astrologer as I work on a daily basis with people and the issues of gauging the level to which a person operates and therefore manifests the archetypal potential of their reality is something that I have rarely found discussed by astrological authors. Meyers jumps straight in and really tackles the issue of consciousness head on stating on page 191 that "one of the major points of the book is that our quality of consciousness is the primary fact in determining how our chart manifests." This opens the way for a discussion about the inbuilt paradox in astrological thinking --namely that of fate and free will; choice or non-choice; living consciously or unconsciously; of living in the present, against actively engaging in apotropaic rituals to change the manifestation of what is to come. Meyers takes a novel, yet unsurprising, approach in discussing this dualistic paradox by exploring the issue via the dualism inherent within the categorisation of elements themselves, something many astrologers have not done.

There are those who will dissect and critique Meyer's thesis on the basis of a historical, philosophical, psychological and technical analysis, without really getting the point that is really up for discussion. Astrology does not exist independently of humans and therefore is a thoroughly human affair. As such humans are essentially spiritual and psychological in being and therefore need to be understood in those terms. Adding a transpersonal dimension to the interpretation and understanding of the elements, revolutionises and contextualises the quest to return back to Spirit, which is the ultimate telios of the human condition. Meyers, has produced a simple yet brilliant ground breaking work through this book. Whilst I use the term simple, this in no way is meant to demean the message contained therein. There exists a plethora of astrology books introducing new techniques to aid interpretation and prediction; as well as books rediscovering the techniques of our fore-bearers. However I believe that Elements and Evolution re-introduces the basic building blocks of astrology to a spiritually seeking audience and has reanimated the essence of astrology in doing so. He has ignited the fire within this reader and will inspire countless seekers, thereby ensuring that this book will be considered, in time, to be one of the most essential reads to anyone wanting to understand their life through the lens of astrology. In short, this is an outstanding read and essential reading.

Thank you for bringing the fire to earth.
--Andrew Smith