An Astrological Triptych: Gifts of the Spirit, The Way Through, and The Illumined Road

by Dane Rudhyar

Rudhyar extracts from traditional Astrology a wealth of psychological and spiritual meaning. New interpretations of the zodiacal signs, houses, and planets are presented, shedding light on the three basic phases of the great ritual which constitutes the spiritual unfoldment of the human being. This is a book to read and re-read! Each chapter stands by itself, yet is a part in a vast symphony of revealed values and inspired imagery.

Genres: Astrology

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

French-American astrologer, one of the most noted and respected astrologers of the 20th century.

He was called a modern renaissance man for his ability to express himself in many fields; music, painting, poetry, philosophy and metaphysics.

He wrote for national magazines since the '30s and was the author of many books.

Reviews

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marc Lerner recommends these Dane Rudhyar books:

1 Astrological Signs
2 The Astrology of Personality
3 The Astrological Houses
4 The Lunation Cycle
5 Astrological Mandalas
6 An Astrological Study of Psychological Complexes (Advanced)
7 Triptych (Advanced)

[Gita Upreti · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's kind of funny to give five stars to a book you don't fully understand, but I'm not going to let that stop me. Kind of like some of the statistics books I've read (and will have to read some more), I understood SOME of what Rudhyar was explaining, but in the end just kept reading and let the words wash over me, certain that the explanation for their meaning would catch up to me someday. And, of course, I'm still waiting . . .

[Yitzchok · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Dane Rudhyar's approach to astrology and life. Some of his other books are from my all time favorite books. This particular book did not speak to me at all.

[Michaella Montana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently got back from a journey to Canada. It had been a little while since I had been on a long distance trip, but was reminded that we do have resources at our disposal to help. For instance, to handle the hours on the plane I downloaded many episodes of TV shows to help pass the time. In a similar way one can look at ones existence on earth as one long trip, there are certainly challenging tests but we also have gifts to help us through.

This book, called an Astrological Triptych, or “trip-tik” reminds us that we are each on a trip in our lifetime. Each sign has a journey to take but also gifts to help make it through that long trip.

And the gifts Rudhyar describes are so poetic and wonderfully specific to each sign! This is an amazing window into a way to read charts through the journey as well as what gifts each individual has both for their journey and to give to humanity. Will for sure be referencing these as an affirming offering in a chart reading. One can understand the signs by their gifts. And these gifts are meant to be given away- “give, that you may receive’ (p. 94)

Rudhyar then expands on the trip theme through the twelve houses of the chart and describes each one through the lens of a test. Another really interesting way to look at reading charts. This line on the fourth house is PURE poetry “to stop; to consolidate one’s gains; to establish one’s depth where one can still see the glow of noonday light” (p.131) It is beautiful how these are places, tests within us all.

Finally Rudhyar describes the planets as locations in a cosmic journey. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of Proserpine as a “planet” or the extension beyond Pluto. It brings the idea of cyclic consciousness into the animation of the journey in the chart and the transformation that can occur through one’s engagement with the chart.

The book itself is a gift as it not only describes the gifts that all signs have but also provides a guide for what one may experience and the challenges to which one’s gifts can be utilized. From this book I could really feel that the birthchart could be a map to an individual’s experience and would be honored to help interpret the map for an individual in a reading. At the risk of sounding corny Rudhyar really is a gift that keeps on giving :)

[Andrew Stangl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, very accessible and engaging, even for those without extensive experience/knowledge of astrology.