Amazon http://www.dearbrutus.com Amazon Category:  Spirituality Publisher: Dear Brutus Press ISBN-10:  0967731534 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 176 Copyright: 2000 ISBN-13: 9780967731537 A complete course in the theory and practice of magic for advanced students, based upon the astrological symbolism of Mercury's synodic cycle. Astronomical and astrological explanations of Mercury’s synodic cycle – its cycle of phases as it circles the sun, with tables 1900-2050.   Complete delineations for Superior and Inferior Conjunction, Greatest Eastern and Western Elongation, Stationary Retrograde and Direct, and their intervening phases in the natal, progressed, and transiting horoscopes.   Explanation of the astrological / magical view of mind (the theory of Thought Forms):  what consciousness is, how it arose, and whither it is going.   Basic course in white magic with detailed instructions on:  How to Channel and Banish Thought Forms; Creative Visualization; How to banish the Black Magicians in everyday life; How to Cast out Demons; How to use Tree Spirits.        “Bob Makransky is a knowledgeable, purposeful and entertaining writer.”   – Paul F. Newman, The International Astrologer        “Steady Diamond Fire readers are well acquainted with the genius of Bob Makransky.  Highly recommendable.”  – Joseph Polansky, Diamond Fire        “Readers have become familiar with [Makransky’s] fresh insights into different facets of  astrology.  In this book Thought Forms he is especially provocative and I strongly recommend its purchase and study.” – Ken Gillman, Considerations      “I will fully agree with the statement that ‘You’ve never read a book like this before!’  The  material is fresh and woven very skillfully to conclusion.  I look forward to his next installment of the trilogy.”  – Marion MacMillan, SHAPE            Excerpt Philosophers of language tend to be fond of extolling the glories of human language as our "triumph" over the animal kingdom. In point of fact, language is but a vestigial remnant of humans' primordial telepathic ability, which we moderns have been taught to repress along with our other senses. However, we modern humans still rely upon our latent telepathic powers when language fails us. For example: 1) Mothers know exactly what their babies want; some mothers even let their milk down a few minutes before their babies wake up. 2) Lovers know the exact instant that the decision is made to go to bed together for the first time. 3) In foreign countries, we usually know exactly what they're saying to us, even if we don't know a word of their language. 4) We often know when we're being observed from afar (lift our eyes from reverie to the exact spot from which someone is watching us); this awareness is a remnant from our hunting days. 5) We often recognize someone we know from way far away, long before we can make out their features, posture, or gait. 6) And, of course, prophetic dreams, precognition, intuitive hunches – the types of so-called ESP that practically all of us have experienced at one time or another but cannot consciously control, but which our forebears relied upon in place of thinking and language. To them it wasn't "E"SP – it was a normal part of SP. These sorts of telepathic communications are not a matter of body language or subliminal cues (as the rationalists would have it); rather, they are examples of true telepathy, which was a part of humankind's original equipment. The most important concomitant of the invention of agriculture was the invention of the lie. As long as people could communicate telepathically, lies were not within the realm of possibility, since everyone knew exactly what everyone else was feeling every minute. Similarly, even we modern humans are not as easily fooled when we're dreaming as when we're awake: in dreams we can sense exactly who or what is evil or to be avoided, in spite of superficial appearances. When mindlessness replaced mindfulness, thinking replaced feeling, and the inner dialogue replaced paying attention to the now moment, on a social level verbal communication replaced telepathy. And the gist of verbal communication is the lie: all thinking is a lie, in the sense that it is the denial of feeling, of not paying attention to the now moment. IT'S ALL A LIE. That's the gist of waking consciousness. All rationalism comes down to science; and all science comes down to mathematics; and all mathematics comes down to logic; and all logic comes down to a proposition known as The Law of the Excluded Middle, which states, in effect, that "either a statement is true, or else it is false." And that statement is false. The ability to lie – to ourselves, and other people – is what "elevates" us above the rest of the animal kingdom, and enables us to work hand-in-hand with demons. Demon consciousness is far more elaborate, refined, and aesthetic (you might say) than human consciousness. In fact, demons are as far above humans, consciousness-wise, as humans are above animals; and their opinion of us is about like our opinion of animals. On the other hand, they are even nastier and more uptight than humans are (further separated from the Spirit). Actually, they're pretty slimy and sleazy The point is that it's the demons who taught us how to lie, and the lie is what makes modern society, which is a pack of lies, possible. When good faith and mutual respect are gone, contracts and lists of duties and obligations are necessary. Humans, guided by their demon mentors, intuitively perceived that a greater degree of mind would result from a greater sense of separatedness. And so, over millennia, by painful trial and error, they tried different experiments in separatedness. Agriculture was the big move, and then it got into greater degrees of division of labor and social complexity. Humankind went on a rambling, meandering walk for several thousand years. And it discovered that any separatedness which depends upon denial of true feelings will only lead to self-hatred and self-destruction. And now, at this time, humankind has pretty much reached the limits of waking consciousness, having cut itself off from its very roots in dream consciousness. It will now enter into lucid dreaming. Dream consciousness is too erratic and mutable; waking consciousness is too ordered and routinized. Only in lucid dreaming do we have a healthy balance of mind and feeling working together (instead of one dominating the other). Lucid dreaming is the true union of reason and direct feeling – it is our true estate and destiny. It is the reason why humankind, at the time of the invention of agriculture, explored and refined waking consciousness. At that time waking consciousness was to humankind what lucid dreaming is to us today: a new frontier to explore and develop.

Diamond Fire Magazine – Joseph Polansky
Steady Diamond Fire readers are well acquainted with the genius of Bob Makransky. He has been a steady contributor for years. At times he is iconoclastic, at other times infuriating – but always, invariably, illuminating. This is someone who does his homework and knows whereof he writes.

Thought Forms is an interesting mixture. It starts off as a treatise on the planet Mercury and winds up taking us on an excursion through the psychic and mental worlds. The book should appeal to astrologers and non-astrologers alike.

Chapter I – The Synodic Cycle of Mercury, is a must reading for the astrologer or serious astrological student. After reading this, you will never look at Mercury in the horoscope in the same way. One Mercury conjunction (even in the same sign and house) is not the same as another; Mercury oriental is read differently from Mercury occidental; Mercury at his greatest eastern elongation is not the same as at his greatest western elongation; Mercury at stationary retrograde is not the same as stationary direct. All of these nuances of the Mercury cycle are discussed in depth with interpretations given. This is meaty “essence knowledge” that is worth taking into meditation and testing. Of itself, this chapter is worth the price of the book.

The rest of the book is devoted to an analysis of our mental functions – both conscious and subconscious. Here the book would appeal to non-astrologers as you don’t need much astrological knowledge to understand it. It’s a beautiful description of the inner world. He deals with thought forms and how to deal with them, active imagination, visualization, black and white magic and exorcism. It is all vintage Makransky – written in an original and often iconoclastic style. We might not agree with every little thing he says, but we sure enjoy the read.

Highly recommendable.

Considerations Magazine – Ken Gillman
The author discusses the theory of thought forms from four very different perspectives: astrological, psychological, metaphysical and magical. He interprets the different phases of Mercury’s synodic cycle in terms of the natal chart and its progressions and transits. Six major signposts of Mercury’s cycle are distinguished: the Inferior and Superior conjunctions, the western and eastern greatest elongations, and the direct and retrograde stations. There are clear explanations of how different people tend to react, particularly how they think and make decisions, when born within a degree or two of these important markers, and also for those born between each pair in the sequence – producing twelve different thinking types. There are also clear instructions for determining which type an individual is, together with a listing of the times and dates of the six marking points over the period 1900 – 2050.

Over the years Considerations has been please to publish several articles by Bob Makransky. Readers have become familiar with his fresh insights into different facets of astrology. In this book Thought Forms he is especially effective and I strongly recommend its purchase and study.


American Astrology Magazine – Kenneth Irving
Having just witnessed, along with the rest of the world, a confusing period that started at a key point in Mercury’s cycle, it’s interesting that the book on top of the review pile just happened to be about that planet. Though it’s the planet of communication, Mercury doesn’t seem to be very good at public relations, as we would guess there are few books written about it relative to other planets. Along with that, books about Mercury tend either to be overly theoretical or threaded together out of astrological cliches (of which there are many) about the planet.

Makransky’s effort is quite a bit different than the usual Mercury book, however, as it is based on some rather deep philosophical considerations – which nevertheless Makransky gives a practical spin – as well as some things which are unique to the planet. As one example of how the author’s approach is on a different track than most writings about Mercury, consider the fact that there is little if anything mentioned about sign or house positions, and the aspects considered are not of the “Mercury trines mean such and such” variety.

The real subject of this book, at the astronomical level, is Mercury’s synodic cycle. At an astrological level, it is the effect this cycle has at the interpretive level. At the philosophical level, however, the book is concerned less with giving the reader hints and tips on using Mercury in a practical everyday sense than it is about placing Mercury configurations in larger context.

Where the purely astronomical matter is concerned, Makransky provides a thorough explanation of key points in Mercury’s cycle – stations direct and retrograde, superior and inferior conjunction, and greatest eastern and western elongation – and provides a complete listing of the dates, times and zodiacal positions for these phenomena from 1900 through 2050. Along with this, he also gives instructions for using an ephemeris to find approximate dates for years before 1900. This makes it easy to go through an existing chart file and mark either people or notable events according to where their birth falls in relation to this synodic cycle.

By the way, I’d like to take time aside to thank the author and publisher for including something in this book that’s often missing from astrology titles: an index. The Thought Forms index is not only complete, it is also clear and easy to access.

In its most practical astrological aspect, Makransky offers interpretations for those born at key points in the Mercury cycle, using a time orb to determine which dates fall within the range of those events. For inferior conjunction and for the retrograde and direct stations, that orb is plus or minus two days, while for superior conjunction and greatest eastern and western elongation, the time orb is plus or minus five days. As an example of how such configurations are interpreted, the author says that people born near Mercury IC (inferior conjunction) are “ .. quick to take the offensive, but in the most defensive manner. IC women are often extremely alluring – not in a crassly coquettish or flirtatious way, but with a primal sexual openness and intimacy – a naïve vulnerability which disarms men and invites them to submission. IC men often project an image of honorableness, reasonableness, punctiliousness, disinterestedness, and high-minded seriousness of purpose, which invites the trust and confidence of others … .”

This might seem to the reader of this brief review as if it were simply grabbed out of thin air, but this is only because the context, the philosophical level at which the book is written, is difficult to show here. The title is not simply metaphorical, but rather points to the thoughts behind such interpretations. We will, however, have to leave it to the reader to explore that. Thought Forms is both highly readable and highly informative, and is very definitely worth checking out.