“Astronoeisis: such is the title of a remarkable book that endeavors to lay out-in no uncertain metaphysical terms-the philosophical foundations of astrology. Building upon Plato and (especially) Plotinus, Anthony Damiani offers a breathtaking vision wedding ontology, cosmology, and epistemology in an effort to found astrology anew upon the basis of ancient wisdom-principles. Daniel Polikoff had the honor of studying with Damiani for several years before the latter’s death in 1984. In this talk, he will attempt to present something of the gist of Damiani’s magnum opus, lending special attention to the manner in which a fresh understanding of the World Soul (anima mundi) and its characteristic act of Creative Imagination can help bridge critical differences between traditional Neoplatonic and contemporary depth and archetypal-psychological ideas of Soul or Psyche.”
Daniel Joseph Polikoff (Ph.D. Comparative Literature, Cornell) is a poet, translator, and internationally known Rilke scholar. He has guest taught at Sonoma State University and the PCC program at CIIS, and is currently an adjunct professor in the Jungian Psychology and Archetypal Studies program at Pacifica Graduate Institute In addition to his book on Rilke and archetypal psychology (In the Image of Orpheus: Rilke-A Soul History), he has published two books of poetry, a translation of Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus and a creative non-fiction work chronicling his linked relationships with Rilke and anti-death penalty work, Rue Rilke. He lives with his family north of San Francisco.
To learn more about Daniel visit danielpolikoff.com.
Filmed for the PCC Forum by Chad Harris at the California Institute of Integral Studies Feb. 21st, 2019.