STRUTH THE BLOODY TRUTH

A debut book offers an eclectic collection of reflections and predictions fueled by a deep belief in astrology. 

After the end of his marriage and the traumatic separation from his children, Pernell experienced a nervous breakdown and turned to astrology and meditation as sources of spiritual healing. The author has studied astrology for more than 30 years, and this wide-ranging assortment of ruminations functions like a compendium of what he has learned. Although the book is interspersed with personal remembrances, it’s not structured like a chronological memoir; rather, Pernell furnishes a series of essays largely devoted to explaining the basic principles of astrology. What emerges is a radical determinism: the whole cosmos—including the Earth and its solar system as well as the constellation of stars—is responsible for individuals’ energies. There is no chance or coincidence but rather destiny or fate, or what the author prefers to call karma. Karma—somewhat confusingly—also appears to be the sum result of humans’ youthful programming, a dumping ground for the phobias and prejudices of their parents and a repository of accumulated spiritual baggage from all their previous lives. Once individuals have learned all that is possible from their karma, they are reincarnated into new bodies more suitable for their present stage of evolution. Pernell decries the vulgar materialism of modern times and predicts a financial catastrophe (he provides a specific date) but also foresees a new age of spiritual awareness. The author leaves no room to doubt his mastery of astrology, and he writes with passionate conviction about the impact it had on his life as the centerpiece of a spiritual practice (“I’ve found the heaven which we all yearn and I didn’t have to follow any rules or fear any retribution to get here”). But the book is riddled with inconsistencies. On the one hand, Pernell insists repeatedly on the ultimate subjectivity of opinion—there is no right or wrong. On the other hand, he touts the objectivity of science, the irrationality of biblical belief, and the “absolute truth” of his own perspective. In addition, the tone remains gratingly peremptory—readers will likely feel as if they have been scolded for asking inopportune questions. 

A philosophy of spirituality stymied by contradictions and stridency.