CUT

Continued in the Sampler

4 The Prime Algorithm

With Celestics, what you see is what you get. But how do you get what you are seeing? All is takes to interpret this data is one handy tool.

In Celestics you first encode the data and then decode it. The tool for encoding the data of the manifold is called the prime algorithm. StarBase software encodes automatically, but it is instructive to see how it does so. It creates a simple formula composed by pairing two factors: the entry in the manifold and a location in the zodiac.  Each entry is called an asset, meaning a resource or inner talent.  Each asset is located in visible constellation such as the Ram, Scales, Fishes (Whales), Lion, Twins and so on. In generic form, the prime algorithm looks like this: asset > constellation. That is the encoding formula. To apply it, you simply insert the specific data for each of the 16 code lines. In fact, the StarBase program already does this for you.  One line in van Gogh’s manifold is Earth > Virgin, another is Lunar apogee > Bull. These are examples of encoding the prime algorithm. It’s as simple as that.

The customized software for StarBase presents the encoded entries in your manifold  in the data table. INSERT

The encoded form will be one of 256 permutations: Uranus > Ram for van Gogh,  This is how the data-specific algorithms look in the complete table of code lines of all manifolds. Next step in the practice is to decode each line, in other words, translate it into descriptive language that tells you about your innate gifts and how best to express them to achieve specific aims. Notice I say descriptive language, not psychological language. What’s the difference?

The Life-Narrative

Forensics in criminology is the science of collecting and analysing evidence from a crime scene.  The prime algorithm is the forensic tool for doing likewise with the evidence of your own behaviour, your motives, dreams, and aspirations. It investigates the record of how you have acted in life and how you intend or wish to act.  Who is more qualified to assess that evidence than you, yourself?

The term “life-narrative” is crucial to understanding how Celestics works. The hyphen cues a common sense insight: not only do you live through a course of events in life, but you also run a narrative current with those events. The events in your life + the narrative running with them is the totality of evidence on the crime scene. Of course, it is not a crime to be born.  More like a riddle or a mystery.  The real crime is not living the life you are given to its optimal outcome in self-expression, success, and happiness.

You might be fulfilling who you are in the world, or believe you are doing so. So, how’s it working out for you? Celestics challenges you to consider that WHO you are, or think you are, is not the same as WHAT you are. The who is your social identity. The what is your deep authentic identity. That is the treasure to be discovered.

In brutal honesty, it’s obvious that what we do in life does not always match up with what we tell ourselves (and others) we are doing. Or why we are doing it. The crime of not being true to oneself is disingenuousness. It’s a common affliction, endemic to the species. You can define a self-aware person as someone whose narrative is consistent with their actions. Word matches deed, and you are as true as your word, an old saying goes. That is the code of honor in native societies of the past. It is also the moral standard of a sovereign, self-intending life.

Celestics fosters and supports the choice to be completely authentic, no matter the consequences. It is not a tool of psychology or therapy, although it can perform as good as one. In therapy, the analyst and patient talk about complexes, choices, and attitudes, with the intention to bring about change for the better. Celestics goes from talking about change to talk that actually changes action, alters behaviour. Due to the fact that your life unfolds by a course of action concurrent with a narrative, if the narrative changes, the actions you undertake will also change. This is common sense. But the trick is, talk that changes does not have to entail a gruelling exercise of psychological chatter. The habit of therapizing became widely popular at the close of the 20th century due to the introduction of psychology at the start of the century, and it has become a bad habit.  This is not to dismiss entirely the benefit of self-examination. It can be helpful and even necessary at times, in certain situations. But indulgence in therapy can become a terrible rut. What distinguishes the biographical approach of Celestics from therapy may not be evident at the outset, but it eventually it becomes so.

The Two Indexes

To decode a data-specific algorithm such as Saturn > Ram (van Gogh), the celestician relies on two indexing tools. One index stores explanatory data on the 16 assets, the other stores explanatory data on the 16 zodiacal locales. Newcomers do not have to create these data-bases. They are already prepared for ready for reference. Needless to say, each index is quite extensive. Moreover, each index can be expanded by continuous addition of new data. But every type of research has to begin somewhere and a good place to start is going to a file that contains a summary of the data-field in a particular index. This is called the inception file, the place where you look first to decode a primary algorithm. It appears in the print-out of the manifold in a second table that mirrors the data table but add new information. It looks like this:

INSERT

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The 16 assets in a column >Prescriptions for the assets >Thumbnail of the locations of the assets in the constellations > Activity where the asset can be mastered

There is, no kidding, a significant load of conceptual definition embedded in this layout. The novelty of the operative language of Celestics can be baffling at first encounter. It may look arcane or complicated but really, it is not.  As I have said before, everything fundamental to this method conforms to common sense. This method could be regarded a sophisticated elaboration of common sense. To verify that assertion, look at this short-form breakdown of the application table:

The 16 assets in a column : The register of the inherent capacities or latent talents common to everyone. Each asset matches a data-point in the systemic table; thus, this information is astronomically based. The Mercurial asset is one innate capacity, the Plutonian asset is another. (See below on semantic equivalence)

Prescriptions for the assets : A short-form view of the asset drawn from the larger index of expanded terms.  Each prescription is the inception file for the full index. It is called a prescription (preparatory writing) because it resembles a medical prescription for how to apply a certain cure to a condition. Here it prescribes the capacities and talents to apply to the last item, the constellation.

Thumbnail of the locations of the assets in the constellations : The graphic image from the Rimsite, reminding you to visualize the optics of StarBase.

The activity where the asset can be mastered : Each asset can be active in many ways in life, but there is a particular area of application, or field of interest, where it can be tested and proven to its optimal expression. Here is a unique concept in Celestics: the optimal bearing of a capacity of gift. The short-form content in the last column of the manifold explains how to apply each asset with a particular frame of activity to get the best result from it. It presents the inception file for the full range of elements in the constellation index, called the inventory, or mythography .

Everything being said here is common sense and there is no need for psychological acrobatics to understand it, or work it out. Even the spin of certain terms specific to Celestics conforms to the common sense of everyday experience. You have a latent talent you want to develop. You prescribe a way to develop it: if the talent is drawing, you prescribe a course of action such as going to art school, learning architectural design, doing public murals, doing charcoal portraits, constructing maps and charts, and so on. At best, you can match a creative choice with a career and earn a living on your asset.

The full index of assets expands the inception file so that you see how many ways a particular talent, be it Venusian, Lunar, Jupiterian, Uranian, etc, can be developed. Likewise for the inception file for the constellations, also called engrams. The full index for the engrams is an expanded repertory of all plots, themes, memes, narratives and actors comprised  in each constellation.  Consistent with the prime algorithm, asset > engram, each one of your assets is geared or predisposed to work optimally within a certain frame of  actualization where you can do your best. Framing is everything in life. Whatever inherent talents you have, you need to know how to apply them to the right frame, the appropriate endeavour or engagement.

Biographic Evidence

The engram identifies the frame of your asset. This is Celestics jargon. But again, it is simple common sense.  It highlights the necessity of correct framing in any project or endeavour. Take the example of a latent talent for firearms. That would be a Martial asset. You decide that you want acquire skill with firearms. (Remember, a capacity is latent, a skill is overt and demonstrable.) Where do you start? There are many situations in life appropriate for the use of firearms: law enforcement, the military, private protection of self and others, hunting, sharpshooting, and more.  The optimal bearing of Mars would then be shown by the zodiacal engram. You begin any endeavor in life by developing a talent within a certain frame.  Once you master the talent in that frame, you can transfer it to other activities. That is common sense.

Another example: Want to work with animals? What is the appropriate frame for developing and mastering that talent? You can start with veterinary training, domestic animals, animal communication, animal rescue, protection of endangered species. Animals include birds, fish, and insects. Training to communicate with dolphins is a specific frame of engagement. Working with bees is another. The disposition for working with animals rests on a combination of Venusian and Neptunian assets. Together they support inter-species rapport and what is called “animal magnetism.”

Alternative terms for engram are framing theme or scripting template. The frame is a narrative device. It enables you to imagine a theme or script to follow to achieve a chosen outcome. The asset > engram algorithm does not always directly read out in a literal way, but it can. More often, it gives you an inspirational cue that directs you to the appropriate way to make the best of your assets.

Forensic astronomy is based on the hard data in the systemic table above, but in practice is reveals the artistic and creative options that will bring you the highest fulfilment of purpose in life, and perhaps provide a livelihood.  When you know your optimal bearing, the opportunities and challenges of life fall into a different perspective. The cues, themes,  and associations of the engram do not always, or immediately, translate into literal options, but they can.

Look at Jupiter > Snaketamer in van Gogh’s manifold. One factor of the Jupiterian asset is the cultivation of higher mind,  including the study and dissemination of philosophy and religious doctrines. Before he realized his optimal talent for painting, van Gogh wanted to be an evangelist. He went around preaching Christian doctrine to the poorest people in the land. In southwest Belgium, he lived among miners. His passion to convert was so strong that he actually went down into the darkness of the mines with a candle to read Biblical passages to them. In his letters to his brother, van Gogh described how descending into the bowels of the earth, in complete absence of light, inspired his innate gift  for seeing colors! When he emerged, he abandoned the course of action previously framed in evangelism. He went to France and became a truly illuminated artist. He discovered the optimal bearing of his Jupiterian asset in the Underworld where the telluric force of the planet is concentrated. The treasure he discovered in total darkness erupted into the genius for painting light with heavy pigment on the canvas. Two framing themes of the Snaketamer are descent into the Underworld and the acquisition of shamanic powers of vision.

Line 11 in the manifold of Don McLean, known world-wide for his song about van Gogh, is Jupiter > Virgin. More precisely, at the Grail cup in the right hand of the Virgin. That engram was the optimal bearing for his Jupiterian asset.

 

Planetary Grammar

Each planet has more than one element in it semantic array. Equivalence can be expressed by using by the infinitive of the verb to signify motivation. Venus :: to share, to attract, to enjoy, to appreciate. In some cases, the passive voice also applies: to be enjoyed, to be appreciated.  At first sight, the grammar appears to be psychological. Mars :: to anger, to defy, to confront; Saturn :: to respect, to trust, to commit; Moon :: to belong, to emerge, to adapt and maladapt. And the significations can be diverse and seemingly incompatible. Neptune :: to enchant, to wonder, to dissimulate, to betray. These grammatical tropes are examples of polysemy (poll-IS-sem-us, from -semion,  a verbal or visual signal, and poly-, many.) Signals can be read in different ways depending on the intent. The motives translated by infinitives can be enacted in different ways, for different purposes. The Martial asset of anger can arise due to disappointment, betrayal, insight etc. The Neptunian asset cited is perplexingly polysemous as are the other two outermost planes, Uranus and Pluto. The lunar asset is also strongly polysemous :: to adapt and maladapt.

If you follow me so far, you might wonder how can anger or trust function on the trajectory of purpose leading to chosen outcome. Again, use common sense. E-motion is the fuel of motivation. Every emotion, wish, desire, and compulsion can support a course of action. Without the driving power of emotion, the human animal is impotent. Every motivation carries emotional charge, every expression of language does as well.  Polysemy is rampant in human communication. Commitment does not mean to a man what it means to a woman. The emotional charge is different in each case. Thank of the many obvious examples.

Success in small tasks and great achievements of art come from emotions that drive behaviour. Anger has produced great works of art. The experience of betrayal, likewise. In Celestics, no emotion is off the table or discounted and condemned. Each asset is an emotional-motivational driver of behaviour, but the outcome of the behaviour depends upon intent.

(The data table in the manifold lists a selection basic semantic equivalents of the 16 assets. They are called prescriptions.)

Scripting Templates

When it comes to the zodiacal engrams, semantic equivalence applies in the same way but with a difference.  Learning the connotations (memes, themes, plots, mythic characters, lessons) of the zodiacal images is a bigger challenge. It is a deep study that takes time and determination. Working on Celestics for five decades, I can assure you that learning how to decode the engrams is by far the steepest challenge. It still is, even for me, in some instances. There are two reasons why this is so. First, even though all human activity runs on plots encoded in stories, we do not usually pay direct attention to what they are. The plot-lines unfold internally, subliminally, while all the drama occurs outside. The external drama is obvious, what makes it happen is not. To detect and take responsibility for the plot-lines that run your life is the hallmark of the self-aware individual. One of the most difficult and exasperating aspects of human behaviour is the way people come at you with intensity and conviction, but all too often they don’t know where they are coming from. Think of some examples you have encountered.

Second reason: Although the concept of a scripting template is easy to understand by reference to a novel, film, or even a song, it becomes more difficult to fathom in the guise of a myth. For instance, how are you living out the myth of the Scales or the Whales? If your manifold has the data-specific code line “Saturn >Twins” (like DonMcLean), what does that tell you about how to make the best of your Saturnian asset? How do you decode that line?

The Archetypal Idiom

I have struggled long and hard to find the correct, user-friendly language for the constellations. I don’t use “archetypes,” although it is practically impossible to avoid this notion. (My argument here, framed with mu objections to Jungian psychology, can be found in Origins.) The archetypal  interpretation of individual and collective behaviour is an idiom of modern psychology. An influential and convincing one at that. Work with the equivalence of archetype :: constellation notion if you like, I won’t beat you with a bundle of wet noodles. I know from decades of practice that archetype is a go-to notion in pop psychology and therapy. Some correlations to the zodiacal engrams are too obvious to ignore: Bull :: Great Mother, Virgin :: Celestial Virgin or Sky Goddess, Archer :: Warrior. Fine, but my research shows — and this is an important point — that there is nop way to work out a complete set of consistent correlations between real-sky constellations anre archetypes. Some astrologers claimed to have done it by matching the twelve signs to twelve archetypes. IMO the results are not convincing. The correlations are too contrived and over-determined. I strongly advise not to rely on such models.

As for Jung — and this is also an important point — he based his work (analytical psychology)  on four pseudo-archetypal notions: the shadow, the animus, the anima, and the mechanism of projection (scapegoat archetype).  Again, I strongly advise to keep those notions out of you way when you come into Celestics.

The Inventory

Eventually, if the unique syntax of Celestics sinks in, the notion of the archetype will fade out in preference to scripting template. How can I be sure of that? The original German word for archetype was urbild, “ground image, or primordial picture.” A scripting template is a tool you use to picture to yourself in a course of action or something you want to achieve. It is like script direction in a screenplay that establishes the setting where certain action will occur — in a car or hotel, at the seashore, etc. To enact the latent capacities of your assets, you need a setting appropriate to testing and proving them. The constellation is that setting which you picture imaginatively so that you can manifest the asset.

Van Gogh has Venus in starless sign 29 Pisces in the 10th House of his horoscope. In the manifold, he has Venus in the Whales. The scripting template of the Whale was the setting where he tested and proved his Venusian capacities. Each engram is not not confined to a singular setting for self-actualization. Each one is a repository of  memes, themes, plots, mythic characters, lessons (as I noted above), called the inventory or mythography. The scope and diversity of the inventory is staggering. That is why learning the engrams takes time. In practice, you select from the inventory that particular theme  that resonate with you. For instance, if your manifold shows Jupiter in the heart of the Lion, that cue may resonate. Or Mars in the Scales, or Earth in the Bull. Learning Celestics unfolds differently for everyone and each at their own pace. Some algorithms may deliver an immediate hit to your psyche. Others may take longer. You may draw a blank on some but over time they will reveal how they mirror the dynamic creative forces in your life.

The innate creative disposition of an engram might be compared to the config.sys code in an operating system. Config.sys is a text file containing disk operating system (DOS) commands that tell the operating system (OS) how the computer is initially set up. It manages memory device drivers and programs that control hardware devices, enable or disable system features, and set limits on system resources. Just so, each engram holds various resources in a data-base and you select those appropriate to your course in life and your goals. You construct your unique psychic constellation by decoding the engrams signalled in your manifold, and configure it to support and direct your course of actions.

That may sound like a complex proposition, and it is. But in practice it is more simple than it looks. Remember that the theory and techniques of Celestics all conform to common sense. Of course, I cannot convince you of that in this introduction.  But you can prove it for yourself if only you have the will to learn the method. Even for a narcissist, the method can work. After all, what are you learning is all about yourself. It really makes one wonder, How deep can narcissism go?

Moral Bearing

 

A Life in Beauty