Dane Rudhyar facts for kids

Dane Rudhyar (born Daniel Chennevière on March 23, 1895 – died September 13, 1985) was an American writer, a composer of modern music, and an astrologer. He was known for creating a new way of looking at astrology called "transpersonal astrology." This approach focused on personal growth and understanding.

About Dane Rudhyar's Life

Dane Rudhyar was born in Paris, France, in 1895. When he was 12, a serious illness made it hard for him to move around easily. Because of this, he focused on music and learning. He studied at the Sorbonne and the Paris Conservatoire. He believed that everything in life happens in cycles.

In 1916, Rudhyar moved to New York City because of his music. His orchestral music was played there in 1917. This music used "polytonality," which means it used many musical keys at once. This was one of the first times such music was played in the United States.

During this time, he met Sasaki Roshi, a Zen teacher from Japan. Rudhyar learned about Eastern philosophy and occultism (hidden knowledge). He also changed his name to "Rudhyar," which comes from a Sanskrit word. He became interested in Theosophy, a spiritual movement. In 1926, he became a citizen of the United States.

In 1930, Rudhyar married Marla Contento. Through her, he met Marc Edmund Jones, who taught him about astrology.

How Rudhyar Changed Astrology

Rudhyar also studied the ideas of Carl G. Jung, a famous psychologist. Jung's ideas are called "Jungian psychology." Rudhyar wanted to combine astrology with psychology. He thought that stars do not force things to happen. Instead, he believed they show us the psychological forces at work inside people. He said that people still have the freedom to choose how they react to these forces.

At first, he called his ideas "harmonic astrology." Later, he renamed it "humanistic astrology." His big book, The Astrology of Personality, was published in 1936. His friend, Alice A. Bailey, who created the term "New Age," helped him publish this book.

In the 1970s, the New Age movement became popular. This helped Rudhyar's writings become more widely known. He started the International Committee for Humanistic Astrology in 1969. He also began to explore "transpersonal psychology," which looks at higher states of mind. By the mid-1970s, he developed "transpersonal astrology."

Dane Rudhyar passed away in San Francisco, California, in 1985.

Dane Rudhyar's Books on Astrology

Rudhyar wrote over 40 books and many articles about astrology and spirituality. His first astrology book, The Astrology of Personality (1936), made him famous in the field. He argued that astrology is not about predicting the future. Instead, it helps us gain insights and understand ourselves. This book was very important for "free-will" astrology, which says people have choices.

His astrology books were popular during the New Age movement in the 1960s and 1970s. He believed that the early "hippies" could help bring about a New Age. In 1972, Dane Rudhyar predicted that the "Age of Aquarius" would begin in 2062. The Age of Aquarius is a concept in astrology that suggests a new era of peace and enlightenment.

Fiction Stories by Dane Rudhyar

Dane Rudhyar also wrote several novels:

• When Cosmic Love Awakens – A Transpersonal Love Story (1952): This story is about two men and a woman who work at a science fiction magazine. They meet a mysterious Mr. Ramar, who shows them how to travel to planets inside themselves. When Cosmic Love Awakens:

• Rania – An Epic Narrative (written 1930, published 1973): This is an intense story about a woman's journey to grow spiritually. Rania's difficult search helps her in her final fight against dark forces. Rania:

• Return from No Return (1973): This novel is set in the 22nd century. Earth has one world government that wants to explore space peacefully. A poetic astronaut goes on a dangerous mission to travel beyond a certain point in space. Previous explorers who tried this disappeared. He plans to talk to his wife on Earth using telepathy (mind-to-mind communication). The book is a mix of a global crisis, a love story, and deep spiritual ideas.

Transcendental Art

Dane Rudhyar joined the Transcendental Painting Group in New Mexico in 1938 and 1939. This group wanted to paint or draw images of "Jungian archetypes." These are universal symbols or patterns that Carl Jung believed exist in our minds.

Transcendental painting is similar to surrealist art, which explores dreams and the unconscious mind. It also led to cosmic art, psychedelic art, and visionary art. Throughout his life, Rudhyar kept painting and drawing transcendental artwork. He often used his art to illustrate his books about astrology.

You can see examples of his art here:

• Black and white reproduction of the 1938 transcendental art painting "Storm Gods" by Dane Rudhyar:
• Color transcendental art painting called "Creative Man" painted in 1947 by Dane Rudhyar:
• A gallery of color reproductions of several transcendental art paintings by Dane Rudhyar:

Music and Musical Writings

Dane Rudhyar also wrote many books about music. Some of his books include Dissonant Harmony (1928) and The Magic of Tone and the Art of Music (1982).

Rudhyar's own music often used "dissonant harmony." This means the notes sounded clashing or tense, rather than smooth. He believed that composers were like "mediums" or "magicians." He thought they should let the music flow through them, rather than just following strict rules.

His most famous music was for the piano. These include his Tetragram (1920–67) and Pentagram (1924–26) series. His pieces are usually short. He felt that long pieces could become too abstract and lose their connection to the actual sound.

Rudhyar influenced other composers in the early 1900s, like Ruth Crawford and Carl Ruggles. He was also part of a group called the "ultra-modernists." Another composer, Henry Cowell, even wrote a piano piece called A Rudhyar in his honor.

Later in his life, Rudhyar's music was rediscovered by composers like James Tenney. [1]