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Astrological Signs: The Pulse of Life
An intelligent metaphysical statement of the human experience expressed through the poetry of the zodiac. Free from the annoying fatalistic tone of some astrological writing, Rudhyar's book is all-inclusive, connecting the 12 astrological symbols to seasonal rhythms in a way that is both plausible from a scientific mindset and respectful of religious traditions.
- GenresAstrologySpirituality
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 1974
About the author
Dane Rudhyar
166 books86 followersFrench-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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 18, 2014
While on its face this book is only an exploration of the signs of the zodiac without reference to houses and many other factors in the reading of a chart, Rudhyar has invested it with a great deal more. The profundity of his discussions and explanations, the weaving in of esoteric wisdom... frequently I had to put the book down in awe and once I even wrote in the margin, "Has anyone ever put this better?"
Recommended for anyone deeply interested in astrology.
Recommended for anyone deeply interested in astrology.
October 19, 2017
I found this book rather randomly at a bookstore (nearby the public library) in Prague in September 2017. It is the first book on astrology I have ever bought, and my attitude when I began reading it was somewhat skeptical.
The book goes through all the signs of the Zodiaz starting from Aries, and ending in Pisces, and describes the elementary forces behind each sign. This book really changed my view on astrology, because for the first time I began to see signs of the zodiac as manifesting forces rather than as descriptions limited to one's personality. Dane Rudhyar is one of the most knowledgeable astrologers of the 20th century and predecessor for many progressive forms of astrological thought such as archetypal astrology and psychological astrology.
Quick, and a fun read. Was sad to finish it, and looking forward to reading more from Dana Rudhyar.
The book goes through all the signs of the Zodiaz starting from Aries, and ending in Pisces, and describes the elementary forces behind each sign. This book really changed my view on astrology, because for the first time I began to see signs of the zodiac as manifesting forces rather than as descriptions limited to one's personality. Dane Rudhyar is one of the most knowledgeable astrologers of the 20th century and predecessor for many progressive forms of astrological thought such as archetypal astrology and psychological astrology.
Quick, and a fun read. Was sad to finish it, and looking forward to reading more from Dana Rudhyar.
April 4, 2008
An intelligent metaphysical statement of the human experience expressed through the poetry of the zodiac. Free from the annoying fatalistic tone of some astrological writing, Rudhyar's book is all-inclusive, connecting the 12 astrological symbols to seasonal rhythms in a way that is both plausible from a scientific mindset and respectful of religious traditions.
June 1, 2026
Unless you have somehow found a way to live on a planet that does not rotate, it’s probable that you have most likely experienced both day and night. Day and Night are a wonderful feature of a planet spinning on an axis, and the variability in times of day and night a result of a distinct planetary tilt- yay for seasons! The alternation between day and night, along with the seasonal change, is therefore predictable and regular, in a way like a cosmic pulse experienced on a planet, hence the title.
What I found elegant about this book, (yet unfortunately also its weak point), is how Rudhyar describes the alternating seasonal metronome of zodiacal life with just two forces: day force and night force. He describes the day force as a personalizing force, while he describes the night-force as a collectivizing force. The amount of Day-force and Night-force balance at the Equinoxes, while one force triumphs over the other at the Solstices, as one force reaches the limit of its extension (longest day or longest night). With these forces as a framework, he describes each zodiac sign in terms of the amount of day force and night force in each of the 12 seasons. This book is largely a seasonal, tropical zodiac book, rather than planetary, lunar or galactic work. It is about the zodiacal archetypes seen through the relationship between the earth and the sun. As I said before, this description of day-force and night-force is also its weak point, because of this:
Major disclaimer: the book is largely from the perspective of those living from the 30° and 60° latitude on Planet Earth. Those living at the equator don’t experience changing lengths of day and night and therefore do not have the traditional four seasons. And those living at the poles experience half the year as day and half the year as night.
That being said, I don’t think Rudhyar meant for this to be a scientific proof that astrology “works.” This sort of proof still remains to be done, at least within the modern technological approach. Nonetheless, there is consistency in his symbolic system between day and night, and the mechanism is cyclically coherent even if his syntax seems a bit conclusive in some moments. For instance, sometimes it seems like he describes signs as if they were characters or stereotypical people. Perhaps this is due to a trend Rudhyar noticed from the charts he read, or perhaps it's due to the nature of language. One should therefore keep in mind that he is describing a cycle of changes throughout the year, and everyone experiences these as changes. When he refers to a sign as a he or she, it is all humanity at a given time, in a particular phase, not a category of people.
The book itself reads like an epic poem, symbolical journey, or adventure song telling a story in 12 movements through the lens of day and night. The chapters are vignettes as variations on the theme, showing Rudhyar as a musician as much as a philosopher. It is truly a suggestive work, inviting future questions almost as much as it beautifully articulates an energy. He points in a direction, showing there is much more room for discovery. For instance, in addition to wondering about how astrology “works” at different latitudes and longitudes, I’m also curious about how day-force/night-force is channeled through planets in signs, which might be relevant to those living at the equator where day and night are the same length yearlong.
For the majority of the colonized northern hemisphere, however, this book can feel true in the way poetry is true, or the way music speaks to us. And it shows that our planet does have a rhythm of its own.
It therefore encourages future understanding of our relationship to earth, seeing it as a being in itself. We can then hopefully see our part in the earth’s experience of day and night through the consciousness of cycles.
For, at the end of the day (no pun intended), “The essential thing about the zodiac is not the hieroglyphs drawn upon celestial maps; it is not the symbolical stories built up around Greek mythological themes- significant as they may be. It is the human (and non-human) experience of change.” (14)
What I found elegant about this book, (yet unfortunately also its weak point), is how Rudhyar describes the alternating seasonal metronome of zodiacal life with just two forces: day force and night force. He describes the day force as a personalizing force, while he describes the night-force as a collectivizing force. The amount of Day-force and Night-force balance at the Equinoxes, while one force triumphs over the other at the Solstices, as one force reaches the limit of its extension (longest day or longest night). With these forces as a framework, he describes each zodiac sign in terms of the amount of day force and night force in each of the 12 seasons. This book is largely a seasonal, tropical zodiac book, rather than planetary, lunar or galactic work. It is about the zodiacal archetypes seen through the relationship between the earth and the sun. As I said before, this description of day-force and night-force is also its weak point, because of this:
Major disclaimer: the book is largely from the perspective of those living from the 30° and 60° latitude on Planet Earth. Those living at the equator don’t experience changing lengths of day and night and therefore do not have the traditional four seasons. And those living at the poles experience half the year as day and half the year as night.
That being said, I don’t think Rudhyar meant for this to be a scientific proof that astrology “works.” This sort of proof still remains to be done, at least within the modern technological approach. Nonetheless, there is consistency in his symbolic system between day and night, and the mechanism is cyclically coherent even if his syntax seems a bit conclusive in some moments. For instance, sometimes it seems like he describes signs as if they were characters or stereotypical people. Perhaps this is due to a trend Rudhyar noticed from the charts he read, or perhaps it's due to the nature of language. One should therefore keep in mind that he is describing a cycle of changes throughout the year, and everyone experiences these as changes. When he refers to a sign as a he or she, it is all humanity at a given time, in a particular phase, not a category of people.
The book itself reads like an epic poem, symbolical journey, or adventure song telling a story in 12 movements through the lens of day and night. The chapters are vignettes as variations on the theme, showing Rudhyar as a musician as much as a philosopher. It is truly a suggestive work, inviting future questions almost as much as it beautifully articulates an energy. He points in a direction, showing there is much more room for discovery. For instance, in addition to wondering about how astrology “works” at different latitudes and longitudes, I’m also curious about how day-force/night-force is channeled through planets in signs, which might be relevant to those living at the equator where day and night are the same length yearlong.
For the majority of the colonized northern hemisphere, however, this book can feel true in the way poetry is true, or the way music speaks to us. And it shows that our planet does have a rhythm of its own.
It therefore encourages future understanding of our relationship to earth, seeing it as a being in itself. We can then hopefully see our part in the earth’s experience of day and night through the consciousness of cycles.
For, at the end of the day (no pun intended), “The essential thing about the zodiac is not the hieroglyphs drawn upon celestial maps; it is not the symbolical stories built up around Greek mythological themes- significant as they may be. It is the human (and non-human) experience of change.” (14)
January 23, 2021
Simply one of my all-time favorites. A life changing read. I never read any book more than once, but with this one I always come back and read it over and over. It’s pure enlightenment, and one of the Astrology fundamentals.
September 30, 2020
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)
January 19, 2025
Jesus this was a slog. Like reading self harm towards the end starting around Libra when it got impersonal. I like the idea of polarities, day force and night force, and how life is the cyclical interplay of polarities. So good questions are- what is waxing/waning? What stage am I at in the cycle? What is alive/natural in this season rn?
Shows me some of the yang signs I admired are just insecure and overcompensating.
I gotta stop forcing myself to read books I hate!!! So dense and so fucking draining!!!!!!
I really wanted to finish this before school to feel accomplished and also bc nervous about school and reading is comfy. And bc I am excited to read my next 2 books. But which to do first??? Ah!!!!
Shows me some of the yang signs I admired are just insecure and overcompensating.
I gotta stop forcing myself to read books I hate!!! So dense and so fucking draining!!!!!!
I really wanted to finish this before school to feel accomplished and also bc nervous about school and reading is comfy. And bc I am excited to read my next 2 books. But which to do first??? Ah!!!!
February 3, 2016
the VERY best astrological book,,
centering NOT on planets,
but day and night (representing the conscious and (collective)Unconscious..
which makes sense, as at night, we sleep.
The other factor, the seasons.
The pulse and rhythm of our earths' annual trip around her parent star-
as it affects the shifting emphasis on night or day.
This makes a kind of "infrasense"..
Stuff that is so obvious we overlook it.
a wonderful book i gave away and am eager to reacquire, and reread.
the BEST book on the subject, that even the most hardened skeptic will find nourishing
centering NOT on planets,
but day and night (representing the conscious and (collective)Unconscious..
which makes sense, as at night, we sleep.
The other factor, the seasons.
The pulse and rhythm of our earths' annual trip around her parent star-
as it affects the shifting emphasis on night or day.
This makes a kind of "infrasense"..
Stuff that is so obvious we overlook it.
a wonderful book i gave away and am eager to reacquire, and reread.
the BEST book on the subject, that even the most hardened skeptic will find nourishing
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews