by Milky Way Maid
Over the course of this year, four meetings at the Midwest Shamanic Gathering will culminate in the passing of the chief's bundle from a North American Indian to a South American Indian. It will be the first time that a South American holds the title and bundle of chief in the North American tradition.
This is said to be the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy that one day, the Condor (South American Indian) and Eagle (North American Indian) will fly together.
The Condor is represented by Don Valerio Cohaila (aka Freddy), a Peruvian Indian, and the Eagle is represented by Leonard Crowdog, chief of the Lakota nation (Sioux).
What is the meaning of this event? The prophecy states that there will come “a time when the Condor and Eagle fly together, then it will be a sign that the children of Mother Earth are re-awakening.”
The children of Mother Earth are represented at these shamanic gatherings by those who uphold many other spiritual traditions from around the world. Other attendees include practitioners and members of groups such as the Oneida, a Hmong shaman, a Norse staff carrier, and (North American) shamanic teachers.
Other Andean teachers and healers also attended; among them are Juan Gabriel Apaza, who calls on the spirits of the the mountains, animals and all of nature to connect North and South, and Mary Rutherford, a teacher of the Andean tradition.
The shamanic gatherings take place at Beaver Creek Reserve in Fall Creek, WI. The article about this event was so scanty on hard facts that I cannot tell when the last gathering was, not even what month it was. But since the latest ceremony was the second of four to take place over the span of a year, it seems reasonable to guess that they take place on the equinoxes and solstices.
The article appeared in the August 2010 issue of Essential Wellness. One may surf over to the MidwestShamanicGathering.com site to find out more and register with them.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Chinese Astronomy Recorded Comets and More
by Milky Way Maid
I was astonished when I attended a museum showing of Chinese astronomical artifacts, which toured a couple years ago to the Midwest.
One exhibit displayed a chart of the many different types of comets – 27 in all, according to an ancient chart. Their close observations noted not only the size and shape of the tail, but any discernible differences in the core of the comet. You can view this chart online at here. Thank you to the University of Maine for that.
Comets were called 'broom stars' (tui xing), named after their tails, which they duly noted always pointed away from the sun. They had no idea what the cause of that orientation was, but they made copious notes of that and other details. The Chinese are believed to have made the first observation of the legendary Halley's comet in 240 BC. On its return in 530 BC, they noted that “In September, it was one degree to the northwest of Xiatai (a star in Ursa Major).”
According to the folks at China.org, the Chinese noted in addition to comets, the lunar and solar eclipses (the ones visible in their region), novas, and more. They invented astronomical clocks, and a type of armillary showing the relative positions of the planets. [The Greeks and the Arabs also had armillaries.] Yet astrology as we know it today or even in medieval times was not part of Chinese astronomy.
The Chinese focused more on the constellations, creating one of the earliest star maps ever found. They gave their own distinctive names to our familiar constellations; for example, the Big Dipper was called The Plow. The North Star was Bei Ji. Another constellation was called the Winnowing Basket.
You can read a general overview of Chinese astronomy at http://www.china.org.cn/e-gudai/6.htm
Both the Chinese and the Greeks were fascinated by comets; the Greeks called them “bearded stars,” or aster pogonias. The ones with longer tails were called aster kometas, from which we get the name comet. The Greeks knew that comets were not planets, but were unable to determine their true nature.
However both the Greeks and Chinese read omens into the appearance of a comet. The Greeks tended to link drought and high winds with the appearance of comets, an idea that persisted into the Middle Ages when comets became heralds of disaster. The medieval people believed that comets were a “fiery corruption of the air” that brought earthquakes, disease, famine, etc.
The Chinese read into the appearance of comets something of karmic retribution. They believed that if an emperor was unjust, or had governed badly, that the heavens would make their displeasure known, with the appearance of a “guest star” (another name for a nova) or with other unpredicted changes in the sky.
This widespread folk belief may have been manipulated by parties hungry for power. On at least one occasion, the onset of an multiple-planet conjunction was used by one army to infer that the heavens were displeased with the current regime, and successfully overthrew it.
So keep an eye on the sky if you want to hold on to your throne!
I was astonished when I attended a museum showing of Chinese astronomical artifacts, which toured a couple years ago to the Midwest.
One exhibit displayed a chart of the many different types of comets – 27 in all, according to an ancient chart. Their close observations noted not only the size and shape of the tail, but any discernible differences in the core of the comet. You can view this chart online at here. Thank you to the University of Maine for that.
Comets were called 'broom stars' (tui xing), named after their tails, which they duly noted always pointed away from the sun. They had no idea what the cause of that orientation was, but they made copious notes of that and other details. The Chinese are believed to have made the first observation of the legendary Halley's comet in 240 BC. On its return in 530 BC, they noted that “In September, it was one degree to the northwest of Xiatai (a star in Ursa Major).”
According to the folks at China.org, the Chinese noted in addition to comets, the lunar and solar eclipses (the ones visible in their region), novas, and more. They invented astronomical clocks, and a type of armillary showing the relative positions of the planets. [The Greeks and the Arabs also had armillaries.] Yet astrology as we know it today or even in medieval times was not part of Chinese astronomy.
The Chinese focused more on the constellations, creating one of the earliest star maps ever found. They gave their own distinctive names to our familiar constellations; for example, the Big Dipper was called The Plow. The North Star was Bei Ji. Another constellation was called the Winnowing Basket.
You can read a general overview of Chinese astronomy at http://www.china.org.cn/e-gudai/6.htm
Both the Chinese and the Greeks were fascinated by comets; the Greeks called them “bearded stars,” or aster pogonias. The ones with longer tails were called aster kometas, from which we get the name comet. The Greeks knew that comets were not planets, but were unable to determine their true nature.
However both the Greeks and Chinese read omens into the appearance of a comet. The Greeks tended to link drought and high winds with the appearance of comets, an idea that persisted into the Middle Ages when comets became heralds of disaster. The medieval people believed that comets were a “fiery corruption of the air” that brought earthquakes, disease, famine, etc.
The Chinese read into the appearance of comets something of karmic retribution. They believed that if an emperor was unjust, or had governed badly, that the heavens would make their displeasure known, with the appearance of a “guest star” (another name for a nova) or with other unpredicted changes in the sky.
This widespread folk belief may have been manipulated by parties hungry for power. On at least one occasion, the onset of an multiple-planet conjunction was used by one army to infer that the heavens were displeased with the current regime, and successfully overthrew it.
So keep an eye on the sky if you want to hold on to your throne!
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