Does God Exist ?
– ‘The Divine Spirit : 96% Proof’

All About Doubt (Early Excuses, Getting Retaliation in First)
Facts Behind Faith offers to make sense of religion under the slogan, ‘The Divine Spirit : 96% Proof.’ This is an exceedingly bold promise, even qualified with a dash of reality.

Epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, is a venerable branch of philosophy precisely because it is an eternally vexed question : no one knows the answer. No one knows how we can be absolutely sure we know anything.

Ultimately we have to admit we can only prove anything in a qualified way. This is true for purely scientific reasons as well for more human (less rational) considerations. We all know nothing will convince the man, or woman, who doesn't want to accept black is black. Science, and particularly philosophy, struggles with the same problem.

Ultimately we cannot even prove we exist.  Descartes’ famous maxim : ‘Cogito ergo sum,’ ‘I think therefore I am.’  This is really just a statement of faith which most rationalists will be happy to accept.  John Locke, the English philosopher, decided it was only our senses which we could rely on. It only demonstrates the desperate credos we are reduced to in order to solve this problem.  Perhaps it also underlines the importance and personal preference of  Jung's four functions, reason, feeling, the senses and intuition.  Ultimately it is impossible to ‘prove’ the white I see is not what you call black.

Enlightened Uncertainty
Ancient Tibetan Buddhist philosophy goes as far as to recognise nothing really exists as an 'independent entity' or fact. The existence and perception of everything is dependent on relative factors, inextricably interdependent. (Whether a table is a table, just an obstruction, a waste of space, or so much firewood, a dead elephant on its back or the remains of an oak tree, a collection of organic molecules, or a quadruplication of questionable quarks, depends on your relationship, attitude, point of view.)

This puzzle is the philosophical basis of the elusive but dazzling insight of enlightenment – when the indefinable essence, the common spirit of all things, the bright light of simply being, the brilliance of existence, shines through the fog and confusion of material conditions. When we stop seeing the different things and sense instead an essence present, a wonderful oneness, uniting everything. Relatively modern western philosophy has naturally not yet shaken its fundamental dependence on materialism. It hasn’t gone quite so far.

Look Before You Leap
The existence or otherwise of God is clearly a deeply-charged emotional issue for everyone. It goes to the heart of our philosophy of life. Yet it’s significance is so profoundly intrinsic to our life, we are naturally reluctant to even recognise this emotional element. We typically defend our views with unreasonable rationalisations. Inevitably our feelings affect our perception of any evidence for or against the existence of God or the spiritual world. This is only right and essential.

We cannot change our whole attitude to life with every new idea, argument or scrap of evidence which comes along. Generally we never change our minds on these big questions once we’ve decided and our initial decision is only partly rational. Much more it seems to be based on the company we keep.

Since the implications are so great, there has to be a healthy resistance in our beliefs which makes a formidable challenge for any new idea to overcome.

When the astrological evidence involved is anathema, high heresy, to most believers, one can expect an exceptional challenge ‘preaching to the converted.’

‘Proving’ the existence of God to any rationalist is an even greater challenge.  Astrology is usually recognised as a known nonsense and no rationalist wants to join the ranks of religious believers, another recognised nonsense.  Doubly damned.  Way beyond the pale of 'rational' thought.  What would one’s friends think ?   Only exceptionally is truth, or God, more important than one's friends.  Without friends life is dangerously diminished.

Presenting evidence which faces insuperable barriers on both sides, this challenge is not lightly undertaken.

Scientific Evidence, Scientific Jealousy
A greater challenge still must be recognised in the nature of the evidence and again, there is an emotional element involved. We are venturing on territory which is the jealously guarded preserve of modern science, modern material science… This second great challenge arises because modern science is not used to accepting the kind of evidence which is the only currency in this debate : human evidence.

It is not true to say modern science never accepts this evidence and psychology deals in this currency regularly but it is a peculiar kind of evidence which, like a Scottish pound note, is not widely recognised outside that territory. Which would not be accepted as payment in weighty affairs. Certainly this kind of human evidence is regularly refused in any question of the validity of the spiritual world.

Human evidence is accepted daily in the weighty affairs of the courts, of course, and if someone testifies they have seen a crime committed this is generally taken as proof enough for a serious conviction.  If someone, normally sensible and level-headed, testifies they have seen a ghost, or had some psychic foreknowledge of an event, this is dismissed without a thought.

Where human evidence is accepted in support of spiritual phenomena, such artificial, inhuman laboratory conditions are imposed as to create an unnatural and inconducive situation which strongly militates against a proper, normal, natural result.  Even then, physically measurable results are required.

When it is a question of such fundamental significance, one cannot expect modern science to yield easily the veracity of human testimony, however well verified it might be.

Scientific Inhumanity and Prejudice
If we refuse human evidence we become inhuman and there is a growing consensus and concern this is precisely the fate modern science is suffering.  Just as the church would not accept the testimony of ordinary lay mortals as of much consequence against the learned and vested testimony of its own and other ‘men of consequence.’  This creates a blatant bias. We will find maintaining this modern prejudice in science is an untenable and historically damning attitude, already well past its ‘use by’ date.

There may be problems with this human evidence, as there was with the evidence of illiterates but then there are problems with every kind of evidence, as we have noted above, not to mention the evidence of ‘men of consequence’ who almost by definition had vested interests.  There is no question, as we shall find testified below, the ‘men of consequence’ in modern science have their own vested interests.  No one in academia would deny this powerful natural bias in any field when it comes to major challenges.  Finally no evidence is above suspicion, particularly the suspicion of being selective.

Proving the Existence of God : the Final Frontier for Modern Science, the Spiritual Science of Metaphysics
Proving the existence of God is one of the principal challenges of the Facts Behind Faith website in an attempt to present religion on an objective rational, scientific foundation. Within the astrological science of metaphysics.

The evidence here is largely historical and circumstantial but ultimately, since it rests on the ancient science of astrology, the human element is crucial.  We must have recourse to human evidence as the only possible endorsement of the validity of astrology but we must also recognise the depth and virulence of the prejudice against the very mention of astrology in any rational, let alone scientific context.  This raises another vital dependency on the human element which presents formidable obstacles for modern science, lying as it does largely outside its present purview, scope.  A tangled web of epistemology and psychology.

Compelling Evidence
Fortunately the evidence presents in itself a compelling case which will for some, overcome these obstacles, naturally according to disposition. If this creates a favourable tide, many more barriers may be overcome. It is surely high time.

The evidence for the science behind religion centres on the Tree of Life and the Kabbalah. This ancient, esoteric or secret Jewish Tradition readily reveals the Tree of Life as the foundation of biblical wisdom and even the ancient Hebrew alphabet. Beyond this, the wonderful preservation of the Kabbalah of the Tree of Life enables us to recognise the evidence of its similar role in all the great faiths worldwide, from the ancient Egyptian pantheon to the Chinese Taoist tri-grams and the pantheon and metaphysics of Buddhism and Hinduism.

This evidence is supported by the irresistible simplicity of the logic this should be so. If this science is true for one culture, it is true for us all. The ultimate knowledge and insight which the Tree of Life presents into the celestial metaphysics which rule all life on earth, this is not something for the wise of one culture to keep to themselves.

The sophisticated metaphysics of this universal Tradition of the Tree of Life is both theoretically objective and empirically scientific within a wide variety of fields. It is also remarkably consistent around the world. This sophisticated spiritual science provides the theoretical basis for the claim to prove the existence of God, the reality of the divine spirit within all Creation.  Ultimately it is a claim not very different from the claim of modern material science for the existence of quarks within all Creation.

Spiritual energy may be subtler than the quarks but many would argue its power is somewhat more in evidence.  Organising an extraordinary world in a manner which beggars genius to even explain and producing all sorts of extraordinary phenomena and solutions which science can’t even acknowledge.

It’s All Astrology
It is difficult to rationally resist the thesis the Tree is founded on the spiritual science or metaphysics of astrology even though this is a new and essentially heretical recognition.  It is not difficult to understand why the role of astrology should be denied and forgotten within Judaism but the evidence is more than impressive.

There is an obvious place for each of the planets in the Sephiroth where their astrological characters fit precisely the Kabbalistic character of the Sephiroth.  That this should extend to the distant planets, Uranus, Neptune and even tiny, ultra-remote Pluto, testifies an ancient science which should give us pause for thought.

The official explanation is the spiritual power of the Sephiroth has created the planets in their own image, in the image of the Tree, just as man is evidently created in the image of the Tree.  The overwhelming influence of the planets on our every moment, highlighted by the importance of our natal horoscope from the moment of our birth, tells a different story.  There may well be a universal pattern to which the astrology of the solar system somehow conforms.  But as far as we earthlings are concerned, the spiritual pattern and influence in our lives is unquestionably derived from the planets and they determine our lives and the spirits and humours of our lives like Gods.

The primary source for the ancients’ recognition of the patterns and spirits of the Tree of Life will have been astrology.

The twenty-two Paths of the Tree are designated for the ten planets and twelve Signs of a terrestrial horoscope and are the basis for the names of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  They also determine the character of the Major Arcana of the venerable Tarot cards. The astrological nature of the Tree is left in no doubt by the description in Revelation Ch.22. v.2 :
‘the Tree of Life which bare twelve manner of fruit and yielded her fruit every month ..’

This unmistakably refers to the monthly cycle of the moon around the twelve Signs of the zodiac and the Tree of Life is effectively a spiritual representation of the horoscope with its planets and Signs.
The twenty-two chapters of Revelation seem to be a tribute to the central importance of the Tree with its twenty-two Paths. The Tree is particularly prominent in the mystic symbolism of apocalyptic visions such as Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel which so dominate the biblical landscape.

Just as it is possible to recognise the esoteric insights of the Kabbalah in the portraits of the Taoist tri-grams and the Hindu gods, based on the major planets on the Tree, it is not difficult to make the same recognition for the Persons of the Trinity, as well as the Virgin Mary and the Devil.

This overwhelming and universal dominance for the planets in our religious life over the last two thousand years and apparently at least the two millennia before that, should persuade us beyond doubt or hesitation of the validity of the science behind religion and the objective existence of God. But we are all too human and far from the strictly rational creatures we like to pretend. Fortunately ! - whatever problems it may create in the present debate.

Impossible to Believe
When the essential evidence is so simple (though the detail can be as profound and complex as one wants) and adds up, culture to culture and millennium after millennium, to such a compelling case, we must question the cultural context which makes the acceptance of this evidence so difficult and virtually impossible for many.

We are always going to be cautious, to put it mildly, in a matter of such moment. It is not the matter of a moment. If we can recognise this natural inertia, we can also perhaps begin to recognise the role of other feelings, perhaps less legitimate feelings, albeit a very natural prejudice against the spiritual realm. Given the climate of our times. We might even be able to recognise the very natural, human impulse to denial of the possibility of such prejudice, in our own case.

For when we talk about the ancient science of astrology we are immediately talking about the spiritual realm. There is no denying that. There is no serious question the forces of astrology are beyond any physical dimension. This is why modern science dismisses out-of-hand any question of the validity of astrology. This is modern material science’s bottom line, it’s QED, quod erat demonstrandum, proven beyond question. If it’s not physical it simply can’t exist, it’s beyond rational consideration.

Not So Sure at the Top
We will discover below even the top physicists are not quite so sure about this ‘dropping off the edge.’  It appears to be more a final frontier which is a thought too far for all but a select few. But the evidence, human evidence perhaps, is unequivocal : this conclusion is unsustainable.  People who have studied it have found astrology does work, does operate on our lives, on human affairs, in a vital and recognisable way.  This recognition is as alive and scientific and responsible today as it has ever been during the last four millennia.  The evidence of the Tree of Life insists the ancient level of this science simply defies and surpasses our modern understanding.

If we want to judge modern astrology by the standards of the popular daily horoscopes in the press, we would have to compare this with wanting to judge modern science by the level of responsible science expressed in TV ads : shampoos, washing powders, cars.  Both are interesting for their success in responding to a need for popular knowledge, science, astrology, but still… As for the motivation in such a judgement, it has to be considered rather more dubious : if you’re convinced of guilt, you can usually find the evidence to ‘prove’ it.

Colonising Beyond the Final Frontier : El Dorado Plus Some
A companion essay, ‘Towards a Metaphysical Unified Field Theory of Everything,’ explores beyond this final frontier into the realm of metaphysics, the science of the spiritual and we will find this is a science not lacking in theory or empirical evidence to match.

What we do lack is the language or map to distinguish precisely one feature of this alien, yet familiar territory from another. A gold rush of pioneers for the fabulous riches beyond this final frontier should provide these maps, this language. This is a veritable El Dorado or a Shangri-la on a continental scale which already has its brave, unnoticed colonists. There is plenty for all and we shall find the time is ripe for a world used to new wonders every day.

It is high time to discover a treasure which doesn’t turn to dry dust in one’s hands, which isn’t cursed with bitter death, as our materialistic nightmare is proving for far too many, for us all. This is the long promised Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and it is no false promise. It is the gift of God.

And we have no where else to go.

For all the modern colonists, it is not a realm which has been visited much by experienced cartographers, let alone under the guidance of a native. The native chiefs will have (had) maps, language, but where will we find them now ? Few natives of this vast continent still survive for they have been marginalized and decimated by a genocidal policy of materialistic attrition which continues apace today. Tribal shamans have died with their tribes because hard-headed economics determined they were worthless. Even in India money has corrupted too many. The wise are only human and must breathe the air which surrounds them.

We will not discover the full flowering of a sophisticated science in such circumstances but the bare bones of a once dazzling, always secret knowledge. Yet these are magical bones and their resurrection will make the story of the first Easter seem like a sleepy Sunday morning lie in.

An Ancient and Infant Science of the Stars
We have preserved a precise and sophisticated science of this spiritual realm which mocks claims it is all soft-headed nonsense.  That will do for a start.  The soft-headed nonsense may be found to be on the other side of the ramparts.

If we want to dismiss the spiritual forces of astrology and religion because we cannot understand or explain them, we are not being rational or scientific. Science has always been based on empiricism. Evidence. The unique human nature of the evidence for the reality and power of both astrological and religious forces may give pause for thought. Finally we will have to accept this testimony is both legion and impressive. Often it is incontrovertible, particularly in the science of astrology, though most spiritual phenomena have been established beyond reasonable doubt, by any open-minded measure of human testimony.

In his final essay, Answer to Job, CG Jung goes to some lengths to establish the objective importance of religion as representing deeply established psychological facts. He was keen to recognise astrology as a science and to address religion as the field of metaphysics. Yet he was writing in times where scientific prejudice was not less strong against spiritual issues and he was clearly concerned not to attract undue hostility towards his own fledgling science of psychology.

We shall see below Jung was determined to recognise the insistent evidence of spiritual phenomena with a scientific rationalisation, even if this theory seemed to deny all science stood for. Even if this theory dispensed with causality. In this he showed himself a true and tremendously courageous scientist. Instead of dismissing uncomfortable evidence, he accepted and embraced it and set about attempting an explanation.

In fact his explanation brilliantly begs a better. It cries out a signpost to a wider science which does not need to abandon causality at its self-imposed limits but is able to credit the evidence of its eyes and humbly accept the advice of its hoary grandfathers, astrology, literature and scripture : ‘There is more to heaven and earth, Horatio, than is dreamed of in thy philosophy.’ Shakespeare gets Hamlet to point out an eternal truth.

Given the evidence, the challenge is to find an explanation, not to demand an explanation before accepting the phenomenon, as tends to be the popular approach (if ‘approach’ is the right word for this determined retreat into denial !)

Only One Star Makes the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac
If we sincerely seek an explanation for the astrological forces, this is probably not beyond the wit of man. For example, there is no serious pretence among astrologers it is the influence of distant stars which creates the power of the zodiac Signs. This twelve-fold energy spectrum might better be sought as a projection of the overwhelming power of the course of the Sun which defines the ecliptic, the circle of the zodiac.

A Stunning Synchronicity
The fact the distant stars to a greater or lesser degree may trace the portraits of these Signs is a rather deeper mystery, defined by CG Jung as synchronicity. Jung defined synchronicity as a meaningful coincidence of events which are not directly related, which have no causal link.

Once we have established the active mechanism of spiritual or metaphysical forces, we have to admit the whole basis for astrology is nevertheless based on this mysterious principle of synchronicity. Perhaps it is not as ‘acausal’ as Dr Jung declared it because where we recognise a link of active energies, however rarefied, we can hardly rule out causality.

Dr Jung was forbidden by the prejudices of his times from recognising these non-physical energies despite using astrology in his practice. He was essentially declaring synchronicity to be a physically “acausal connecting principle.” The obvious oxymoron or contradiction in this phrase probably points to his own discomfort with how far he was able to express his thoughts. (On Synchronicity 1951)

The profound synchronicity involved in astrology is simply the fact we can see terrestrial events provide a comprehensive causality, a comprehensive explanation for every event on earth, even if we cannot always trace every detail of these causes. We know if we investigate any event, we can rely on tracing its causes. Even if the cause is a complex combination of feelings, the development of these feelings can be explained. They don’t suddenly come from nowhere.

Yet astrology is based on the observation it provides a comprehensive causality, a comprehensive explanation for every event on earth. The celestial events of astrology appear to cause events on earth, equally as much as terrestrial events provide a cause. There is a parallel causality.

This is the synchronicity which Jung noticed has a much wider resonance, a much wider involvement with life than just astrology’s parallel nature. Jung recognised synchronicity as effectively a principle of the world we live in : a continual baffling coincidence of meaningful events. He did not pretend to understand its mechanism but he refused to ignore the stunning evidence it continually presents us with.

Perhaps, in view of the mysterious complexity of this causality, which is so clearly terrestrial for every event on earth as well as celestial, we might term it at least ‘paracausal,’ or a parallel causality. Certainly it is utterly extraordinary. No less credible for that, it is no more extraordinary than the origin of the universe or even of life, or even the fact of life. And it is really no more deniable.

A Really Super Computer : Omniscience in the Planning Dept.
This kind of influence, including the subtlest synchronicities, involves a super-computer Plan which arranges everything so everyone is experiencing the influence of their own planetary arrangements at any time, in harmony with everyone else. Since we do not experience this influence except through appropriate events, usually in relationship to others, this takes some staging.

Essentially, everything is in perfect harmony. This is at once absurd and just what one would expect if an intelligent mind pervaded all Creation. If a great Spirit were immanent throughout the universe. This is the truism people have taken for granted because they believed in God.  It is also a truth many would claim to observe in profound glimpses of nature and life.

It is inconceivably complex but then the arrangements by which our computers operate, or even our printers print, would have seemed inconceivably complex not so long ago. In life we are dealing with a computer which not only comprises every atom and particle in the universe but also includes much subtler energy which is aware of, and forms, our very thoughts, feelings and sub-conscious awarenesses. This level of sophistication is not impossible but it is impressive.

If we can accept this concept of sublime planning, it is but a small step to take it to yet another level.
Beyond this basic mechanical order, we have to contend with the recognition this Plan includes a moral dimension, a subtlety of planning which embraces the doctrine of karma, without which life doesn’t make much sense. Karma is the underlying moral teaching of all religions, though in the east it has been developed into a sophisticated theory which is universally respected.

The law of karma explains every action will bear fruit according to the desire or motivation behind it. We can see this will be generally true, good people will attract good and so on.  But karma insists, rather like the law of energy conservation, no action fails to produce a precise reward, even though this may also spill over into the next life.  Over the centuries this has been observed by the observant to prove its truth.  Naturally this will recognise the rich man is not necessarily happy with the fruits of ill-gotten gains.  Perhaps it is just extending physical causality to the realm of our emotions where we cannot escape the judgement of our feelings, however deeply we suppress them.  Karma is known as the law of action or desire.

Omnipotence, Predestination and Freewill
This super-computer view of the universal Spirit explains the mechanics of the fabled and dogmatic omnipotence of God. The universal Spirit is in total control and every cell and breath is a vital part of the perfect Plan. Nothing is impossible and the sublime harmony of everyday life is merely the impossible and miraculous made mundane, recreated daily. The spiritual dimension and integration of all matter makes any miracle feasible, easy, if the spirit is truly willing. This explains why miracles are recorded every day. Perhaps it explains why they are constantly ignored.

This Fifty Billion Year Plan which is written down to the sub-atomic detail and far beyond, this Fifty Billion Year Plan may seem to exclude momentary ad hoc interventions to miraculously solve this or that pressing problem. The evidence is it doesn’t and the theory specifically rules ‘can do’ omnipotence in.

This sense of order, a Plan, or Fate, is again a central theological idea in all religions. Not quite as old as the hills. Yet modern man cannot accept this idea. Of all the spiritual principles, fate is the one at which modern man baulks most commonly. Women find it almost as difficult. The obvious problem is, Where does this leave my freewill ? How can I feel I am doing anything which matters ? It is easy to dismiss this as mere vanity and there is a natural element in this. We have learnt an inevitable conceit in our miraculous material progress in the last century. It is a bit galling to be told this was all arranged ‘before the foundation of the world.’  When we take a less proud view, we might find that message more comforting.   It helps us to forgive ourselves.

Beyond the immodesty, there is a greater question.  How can this be ? How can everything be arranged ? We can recognise a limited process of cause and effect in everything we do but the infinite geography of every event requires a level of organisation which confounds our comprehension. This is the realm of synchronicity, where everything is perfectly arranged, not just to harmonise with our own life and actions but with a Plan which embraces every life on earth, not just today but since the beginning of time and long past its End. It is an idea which has impossible written all over it and yet the concept of God instantly brings it so close we can feel quite comfortable with it.  A universal Spirit within British things insists we think the unthinkable.

It is this impossible logic of our world which determines we are wholly free to do as we will and take the consequences accordingly but whatever we do is not only known in advance, it is factored in to the Great Plan, ‘before the foundation of the world.’

We do not have total free will. Free will is always relative. We are born and live according to our natal horoscope from the moment of our birth, or according to the worldly circumstances of our birth. This subtly and with invisible steel threads shapes our character and our life, even our love but this is itself the result of the karma of our previous births, according to the universal doctrine, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu ….

Just as when we build walls we are not free to walk through them. We need to use the door : this can be predicted. Cunning plans have been built on just such predictability. If we take the principle a little further, we can imagine a great deal more may be foreseen : he will do this in that situation… Yet we are only beginning to comprehend foresight and predestination. Even fate. We are still a long way from the quintessential wonder of synchronicity. Such is our world.

Hints from the Blueprint : Reading the Signs
Jung would not exclude at least the principle of auspices, auspicious signs. The ancients would look to the flight of certain birds as a prognostication on future events. It seems preposterous but it is precisely the same principle as the whole Taoist system of divination where the future is read on the ‘chance’ division of a bundle of yarrow sticks, on the toss of coins. We can dismiss this without a moment’s thought but the results have been impressive enough for the system to survive for three millennia among an always sceptical, rarely gullible humanity.

This system of divination, the I Ching, the Book of Changes, has proved immensely popular among modern western seekers, all deeply immersed in a scientifically sceptical culture. CG Jung himself wrote an Introduction to Richard Wilhelm’s pioneer translation of the I Ching, explaining this divination was based on the principle of synchronicity.  Explaining his conclusion this was how the world worked : inexplicable in a causal sense but empirically undeniable.  A fact of life.

The significance of the term divination is unmistakable. It signifies divine inspiration, a glimpse into the mind of God. It is only this concept of God which allows us to accept this impossible wonder.  The inconceivable harmony in which the future can be written in microcosmic signs of the present.

This represents an extraordinary coming together of circumstances, which is only the epitome of the whole system of cosmic harmony we are presented with through astrology, or in religious belief. We all know times when everything seems to come together positively with great good ‘luck,’ good fortune. And when it’s the opposite we naturally say, ‘There seems to be a message here’, or ‘This isn’t meant to be.’ Instinctively we get the message but our rational understanding naturally can’t cope with the immense implications.

This is the principle which St Paul affirms when he declares, ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate ...’ (Romans Ch.8 v.28,29) What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander and this essential principle applies to us all. After all, we are all ‘chosen’ and ‘called.’ It’s just a matter of degree, how clearly we hear the call.

Planet Gods : The Metaphysical Mirrors the Physical
This is not the place to detail the reasons for recognising the planets as the basis for our recognition of the Gods. The evidence for the coincidence of the divine characters with the astrological and Kabbalistic characters of the planets on the Tree of Life is extensive. It would be simply incomprehensible for the ancients to ignore the spiritual influence of the planets, acknowledged as divine by so many ancient faiths, to propose other Gods which would have no foundation in metaphysics or our spiritual life. The evidence of the Tree of Life insists the there was no such quixotic ignorance among the sages of Israel.

It is perhaps worth noting here, nevertheless, the close parallels of the physical characters of the planets with their ruling zodiac Signs, the parallels of physics and metaphysics. This is very much as the ancient science of metaphysics would have predicted but it is wonderful and impressive to recognise this evidence as it has been sensationally revealed by modern space probes.

Mars is an ideal example where his ruling Signs of fixed water and cardinal fire are based on large frozen water reserves at the poles and, we now believe, underground, highlighted by the famous ‘canals,’ all the very definition of fixed water.  Mars’ molten core, much like Earth’s, and producing vast volcanoes, is ample physical foundation for a powerful spirit of fire.

Venus seems to be a surprisingly young planet, rather like a young earth, which is certainly appropriate for the earth Sign of Taurus. Unfortunately our information is limited by her impenetrable modesty, her voluminous veils of clouds. We do know this highly developed, rich atmosphere enjoys extremely powerful winds, all graphically defining an elemental character of cardinal air, usually described in the physical metaphor of winds.

Jupiter’s stormy nature, where earth shattering thunderbolts are quite normal, is another remarkable confirmation of his ancient stormy reputation which has gone surprisingly unremarked.
Saturn’s ruling spirits of Aquarius and Capricorn are again graphically materialised in the images we have received from up to a thousand million miles away. The baffling and incredible dynamics within the aerial circus of fantastic wave patterns which is Saturn’s ring system is an eloquent demonstration of the electro-magnetic forces which define the character of Aquarius, as his vast cloudy atmosphere also bespeaks this air Sign. His huge, dry, cold, dusty volume and massive rocky core give us a fascinating definition of the sprit of Capricorn, which we typically image in the raw, barren rocks of earth’s myriad mountains or recognise in the dry, sere speech of weighty windbags.

Does the Sun Love Us ?
Facts Behind Faith recognises the Sun as the One God for us and it is particularly interesting to recognise the relationship of this physical floating furnace with the Spirit of the Creator, the One God of Love and Life.

It is hardly worth noting the correspondence between this fixed fire of Leo, the Lion, and the Sun’s great ball of fire, fixed forever in the firmament.  Similarly we are not surprised to find personal warmth and star qualities are this Sign’s outstanding characteristics : the centre of attention, radiating good humour and benevolence.  These we take for granted for Leo, the Sun Sign which outshines all Sun Signs.  Still it is wonderful to watch the fire come down to earth and take up his abode in man, or woman : to watch a sunny personality enthroned centre stage, the lioness holding her satellites in thrall.  

And it is not just on the beaches a touch of the Sun will bleach her hair blonde.   A strong touch of the Sun at the moment of birth is likely to leave a more lasting dye when it connects to the Ascendant, the House of our mask : our physical features and our personality.  If the Sun warms the Ascendant, it will equally shine brightly on the Descendant, often a girl's special realm : the House of Venus, close relationships and partners.  Do blondes have a reputation for warmth ?

It is hardly a matter of revelation to recognise the physical role of creator for this supreme planet. Not only is the Sun recognised as the origin of all the other planets in the Solar System but its warmth and light are certainly the source of all life on earth. Every cell trembles with the resonance and presence of the great creator and sustainer of life whose loss spells death, whose kiss is happiness.

What is worth noting is the revelation of the meaning of love this brings us. We can readily understand the physical reality which unites all life in dependence on a single source of warmth and light. This understanding is easily extended to the sublime physical harmony of nature where nothing lives for itself alone but serves the earth and its ecology in countless ways, in life and death.

This interdependence and willing gift of life and support to another is perhaps the physical definition and expression of love, essentially a joyful unity in sharing one life together. This joy is not an anthropomorphic projection or a poetic conceit : the exuberant beauty of nature duly, dewily, jewelly proves this joy. There is no beauty without joy, no joy without beauty. All creation clearly enjoys itself at every opportunity, and loves being alive. And being alive, loves.

God is Love, God is Good : Theoretical and Practical Proof, 96%
Extending this physical oneness to the metaphysical level, we recognise a common Spirit within each of us which actually unites us in a single supreme Plan. We have already seen how this single common Spirit acts as a super-computer which arranges everything in the most extraordinary harmony. The essential goodness and warmth of this Spirit is simply the higher spiritual dimension of the physical qualities we readily recognise in the Sun. Equally this goodness and warmth is the divine dimension of the more personal qualities astrologers recognise in the Sun and its Sign, Leo, where the spirit of the Sun is commonly identified with our hearts.

This is the metaphysical basis for the age old recognition God is Good, God is Love. It is interesting to note both of these qualities would be readily recognised in the term ‘warmth.’

This enables us to attribute a purpose and quality to this Great Plan. We can expect it should carry a spirit of goodness and love. This is certainly the theological dogma on God’s Design and observers have affirmed over the years plenty of evidence.

More profoundly the law of karma points beyond a simple principle of retribution to a supremely sophisticated university of life where we learn the ultimate lessons of the consequences of our actions. Good comes from good, evil from evil, nothing from nothing. Even the hardest of hearts cannot fail to be impressed by these relentless lessons, eventually. Especially when they follow us from lifetime to lifetime.

If we can learn the difference between good and evil over a few lifetimes, even a few thousand years, the time will have been well-spent and short enough in hindsight : these harsh lessons will be richly rewarded. (We all recognise we only learn the important lessons the hard way.) We can look forward to a future heaven instead of hell. Here in this paradise garden of a planet.

This metaphysical analysis proclaims a Plan in which the best benefit and ultimate ideal for each of us is a constant factor. Yet it goes hand in hand with a collective progress towards the greatest good of all, essentially the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, whatever that may actually mean. Something like the very best possible education experience conceivable by a divine mind, not just for the final end but moment by moment.

If we are prepared to see life in these terms, the evidence is plentiful.

At Heart There’s Only Love
This is the Spirit of divine love which unites all hearts and all minds and all creation. Our own human love instinctively recognises our common bond, our common purpose and our common lot. Our common life. This is the spirit we find in our hearts and it is no different to the Spirit of God, except it is our bit of it.

This is why love conquers all. When we find the language and manners of love we speak to every heart and every heart opens to us. More, we speak the language of the divine universal Spirit and all Creation loves us and ‘all things work together for good to them that love…’ This is how things are meant to be, how things work best, bringing the best out of everyone, working together for good…

What is good for one is good for all and when one suffers it afflicts us all. This is true in countless ways. Unconsciously we are all united by one Spirit and feel for one another in our hearts, often consciously. Then there is the obvious economics of goodness : this is the most open-handed wealth generation and it benefits everyone. But also in a subtler practicality, as we judge others, or treat others, with human dignity and appreciation, or as something less than human, so we will be treated ourselves, and so we will treat ourselves. We set the tone and it’s infectious. Double standards are only on the surface. We only have one heart, one mind and we either open them to our humanity or not.

This is not something we calculate intellectually with our minds. It is something our hearts, our whole being instinctively feels, knows, does. Or we die inside. Love is life, and life is a spirit which unites.

If we can appreciate this universal oneness with our minds, we might give our hearts a freer rein, a freer reign.

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