Ancient Tower Press is delighted to share with you this review by Mary Plumb which appeared in the Aug./ Sept. 2012 issue of The Mountain Astrologer. We highly recommend subscription to this well-respected magazine.
Tracking the Soul is the first volume in Joe Landwehr's Astropoetic Series. It is the author's original work on understanding the spiritual life through astrological symbolism. He cites "Yogi Bhajan, Swami Muktananda, Dane Rudyhar, and my grandfather" as his teachers. Joe Landwehr utilizes the chakra system in his approach. The author is well versed in the variations of chakra systems and their symbolic correspondences (e.g. colors, sounds), but he bases his approach on translations of Tantric texts, originally written in Sanskrit. He offers an extensive discussion of each of the seven chakras and the less well-known "Hindu concept of the five koshas, or levels of penetration of Spirit into matter."
Landwehr describes the planets (their position within the birth chart by hemisphere, angularity, etc.) and their aspects as corresponding to the levels of consciousness associated with the seven chakras and the five koshas. He gives case studies for each of the chakras and koshas, with charts and client stories. This is complex, but he obviously has a deep grasp of the subject, is clear and confident in his analysis, and writes in contemporary psychological terms. Along with his review of the chakra system, which goes back to yogic practitioners of 4,000 years ago, he refers to modern authors on the subject: Caroline Myss, Ray Grasse, Rosalyn Bruyere, Alice Bailey, and many others.
As mentioned, Landwehr works with a very detailed system: "In practice, one would look at the whole chart from the perspective of each chakra, and the interactions between chakras, as they are indicated astrologically by the most active of 35 potential derivative charts." Although each chakra is discussed in a separate chapter, he summarizes the work in "The System Applied," which examines Maya Angelou's birth chart as it corresponds to the entire system.
Landwehr is an engaging writer. Tracking the Soul is both comprehensive and easy to read. He includes personal stories from his own life, which reflect his familiarity with the themes suggested by the chakras. Throughout the text, he makes his ideas accessible in the language of ordinary human experience.
Astrologers with an interest in yoga or subtle energies are the natural audience for this book. Landwehr is open-minded and writes to "facilitate an introspective journey." Although his system is quite specific, he ends the book with an invitation for us all to keep exploring how the chakra system may intertwine with an astrological chart. He views astrology as "a kaleidoscopic way of knowing" and a "language capable of mirroring complex realities."
Tracking the Soul is a distinctive addition to the work currently being offered by astrologers who are well versed in complex realities and are also able to write skillfully. I look forward to the next books in this series.
Mary Plumb, Mountain Astrologer (issue #164)
More reviews of Tracking the Soul
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To purchase a copy of the book ...
ISBN-10: 097476261X
ISBN-13: 978-0974762616
Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
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