Astronomy, Astrology, Chemistry and Alchemy - I

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

-- Arthur C. Clarke

A progression is the evolution of an idea or set of ideas. The first progression we list is the evolution of an idea or concept from myth to philosophical idea to science or technology. We express this as: Myth :: Philosophy :: Science & Technology, read as Myth to Philosophy to Science and Technology.

Another major model for a progression, into which many instances fit, is Hypothesis :: Theory :: Law or Reality. The hypothesis is the idea. One might state a hypothesis as, "It appears that A. is the way it is because of B." A hypothesis is simply an idea or concept based on observation or, as Albert Einstein liked practice, thought experiments. A theory, on the other hand, is an internally testable and consistent set of rules that describe the behavior. Reality, on the other hand, is the way things are. It may or may not prove to be consistent with the theory. At some point, current convention in science is to call a theory, proven correct over time, a law -- such as the law of gravity.

Some interesting Progressions:

• Myth :: Philosophy to Science :: Technology
• Hypothesis :: Theory :: Law or Reality
• Alchemy :: Chemistry :: Quantum Mechanics (Physics of subatomic particles)
• Astrology :: Astronomy :: Cosmology (Physics of space & the universe)

It is interesting that physics tells us that the universe progresses from order to disorder through a process known as entropy. Why is it that we, as humans, view a progression of reality that is counter to entropy? We see the progression from myth to science. We see the progression from viruses to single celled plants and animals to very large, complex beings such as humans. We see the progression from rocks containing iron to steel to millions of components to a finished automobile. How is it that our perception of the universe, our perception of reality stands in such stark contrast to entropy and physics?

Specific Programs.

Now that we understand the concept of a progression, there are two particular progressions that are fascinating. The first is the progression Alchemy :: Chemistry :: Quantum Mechanics(Physics of subatomic particles) and the second is the progression Astrology :: Astronomy :: Cosmology (Physics of stars, planets and galaxies).

Believe it or not, the evolution from alchemy or astrology to physics has not relegated either alchemy or astrology to extinction. In fact, even in the 21st century, both alchemy and astrology continued to be practiced. Alchemy is largely underground, hidden from public view. Astrology, on the other hand, has its popular conception such as those daily newspapers snippets with which we are all familiar, which largely obscure the practice of astrology as a serious, semi-scientific practice.

Both alchemy and astrology are alive and well. However, the general public has very little understanding of these ancient studies. Many organizations today still exist which study alchemy. However, what we have discovered is that at one time alchemy was described as the science of turning lead into gold.

What we have learned in the years since is that alchemy evolved from a science, with its own language, to a language unto itself, a code, a cipher to express concepts and ideas that were persecuted by the population at large. The same can be said for astrology.

For many years I studied the modern implications of alchemy. It is only recently that I've learned that astrology has a similar, parallel history. Studying these histories and the evolution of these quasi-sciences, or perhaps better described as philosophies, gives us some interesting glimpses into reality. For when we look at reality through the lens of the branches of physics called cosmology and quantum mechanics, the science of physics becomes as strange, as weird and as unbelievable as the general concepts of astrology and alchemy.

The world, reality, science is stranger than we could ever possibly believe!