APPENDIX B: LIVES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE

All commentary on the lives of famous people found in this appendix is based on the principles of The Astrology of the Eight Fields of Living.

ADOLF HITLER: Historians have noted that even enemies of Adolf Hitler were temporarily won over by him, or at least in great awe of him, when they were in his physical presence. If you examine the content of his speeches, they don't show a style or depth which justifies the fanatical response he inspired in the German people. So what is the explanation for his magical hold over people?

Hitler had extraordinary physical charisma. Almost no one could say "no" to him, as they felt him to be invincible. His twisted spiritual nature was masked by his blinding charisma. And he instinctively knew how to use this charisma effectively in both giant rallies and one-on-one encounters.

J.R. KRISHNAMURTI: A teacher in the tradition of Gyana Yoga, despite his claim that he was not a teacher, and that there is no path to truth. Why didn't Krishnamurti teach in a more traditional way? Because Mercury, the planet governing his spiritual nature, is influenced by the Sun (within an eight degree orb). As a result, he had the profound discrimination of Mercury, combined with the open, liberal, "pathless path" of the Sun.

Why does Mercury govern his spiritual evolution? None of the traditional rules of astrology will be able to pinpoint the reason. This knowledge is structured in "siddhi", a special gift or power in some field of life. But do not accept what I say on faith; trust in your ability to find truth.

No one has done more to spread the tradition of Gyana Yoga in the West than Krishnamurti. His lucid writings can be found in almost any bookstore. For this we owe him a great debt. But for reasons I try to express in the dialogues, Krishnamurti's teaching fell short in many ways.

He, like most teachers, failed to clearly distinguish the various paths to God. He also didn't allow the tough type of questioning which could have exposed many flaws in his mode of expression. In this sense he was all too Indian, despite his attempts to distance himself from that tradition.

Furthermore, his brusqueness and flame-like intensity often intimidated others. Ketu, the South Node of the Moon, known for its cutting quality, played an important role in Krishnamurti's personality. At times this made him appear more as a dark avenging angel than a messenger of peace and love. In spite of his spiritual gifts, his personal style stifled meaningful interchange, so important on the path of Gyana Yoga.

Thanks to Krishnamurti's heroic efforts the path of Gyana Yoga is now much easier for all who follow in his footsteps. This we should never forget.

SRI AUROBINDO: As mentioned in the first appendix, Aurobindo allegedly gained enlightenment while in jail for his activities to free India from British rule . His enlightenment, however, seemed quite different from the traditional enlightenment of the more reclusive Indian yogi. He emphasized the need to bring spirituality into the physical through Integral Yoga. This puts his whole teaching more in harmony with western civilization.

In the dialogues I have suggested that Savitri, the subject of his epic prose poem of the same name, may be interpreted as the esoteric Christ, the being who sacrifices himself by leaving the Sun and coming to inhabit the earth for all ages. In this sense Aurobindo can be seen as a great bridge between eastern and western spirituality.

The great Tantric teacher Osho ridiculed the idea that Aurobindo was a great enlightened sage. The Astrology of the Eight Fields of Living confirms Aurobindo's enormous courage and his great contribution to preserving and restoring the true dharma of India and its culture. Aurobindo was a great Brahmin who taught original knowledge arising from the depths of his being, rather than knowledge handed down from others.

Whether this original knowledge was inspired knowledge is for each person to decide in his or her own heart. However, that it was a prolific knowledge with genius stamped on every word is beyond dispute; that it was a passionate, creative knowledge is also beyond dispute; that it soared to great heights is beyond question; that many spiritual seekers found great solace in each word also cannot be doubted. So why worry about what someone else thought of Aurobindo? Judge him by his work, not by someone else's opinion about his state of consciousness. In evaluating Osho's opinion of Aurobindo, please consider Osho's harsh attitude toward all modern saints, and the stark contrast between the Solar and Nodian spiritual paths. Also consider what a mess Osho made of his commune in Oregon.

Aurobindo disciples may not think of Osho as enlightened. Osho disciples may not think of Aurobindo as enlightened. Let us begin to reject such approaches to the spiritual life, especially when classic texts such as the "Bhagavad Gita" make it clear that enlightenment cannot be evaluated from one's behavior or appearance.

RUDOLPH STEINER: It is not possible to tell if someone is fully enlightened through their star configurations, because enlightenment is not a cause-and-effect relationship measurable through the human intellect. It is a gift from God. But in the case of Rudolf Steiner, all the astrological requirements signifying ripeness for such a gift are satisfied.

Steiner's gifts to the world are living proof of an extraordinary degree of enlightenment, although this may not be obvious to those whose spiritual path is not Gyana Yoga, or those who fail to make a serious study of Steiner's often imposing works.

RICHARD WAGNER: This great composer and dramatist is well known to the world. One of his unique gifts was the ability to create powerful motifs which create a philosophical and almost reverential mood in the soul.

Each planet stands for a certain aesthetic principle, and Mars indicates the ability to create prominent themes in any artistic development. Wagner's motifs are a perfect representation of this Martian skill.

Wagner not only had great creative gifts, he also had the dharmic nature of a great Brahmin. This enabled him to capture key themes in world evolution in powerful stories and images. His gift for musical motif reinforced his epic themes and created a continuous thread between scenes and even between operas. The great clairvoyant Rudolf Steiner said that the Akashic records confirm Wagner's thesis of the decline of the gods and the ascension of the human as a new hero.

It is doubtful that Wagner's great operas will remain popular with the general public. Few people today have the patience for such epic works.