by Milky Way Maid
My reading has uncovered a couple of candidates for the first-ever, first recorded anyway, astrological chart. How long ago would you guess that we have a chart, with or without interpretation?
Perhaps you guess the source might be Babylon or one of the Mesopotamian civilizations. Not a bad guess. Or perhaps one from ancient Egypt, where we know that the knowledge of astronomy was also rather advanced.
In fact we do have a chart which astrologer Joan Quigley claimed was the earliest known horoscope. It was cast in 2767 BC, and the astrologer was supposedly the great Imhotep himself. Imhotep has won lasting fame as the architect of the great pyramid of Saqqara. (SOURCE: Astrology for Adults, Joan Quigley, 1969, in which she cites an article by Cyril Fagan included in the Jan. 1954 issue of American Astrology.)
Annoyingly, no details are included in this mention, not even of what the subject of the chart was. Perhaps it was a horary to answer the question, “Where did I put my copy of This Old Pyramid?”
But luckily enough, inside the book “The Origin of the Zodiac” is an illustration titled, “The Original 'Horoscope of Eternity' 2767 BC.” No attribution, no story about the astrologer. But hey, how many charts do you think survived from 2767 BC?
This illustration still doesn't tell us what Imhotep wanted to know from this chart. But maybe a description of the image will give us some clues at least.
The image shows a map of the sky, with the constellations fanned out across the middle. The original is translated into English. From left to right appear Leo, Cancer, Gemini and Taurus. Major stars are indicated around the sky: Regulus, Praeseppe, Procyon, Sirius, Aldebaran, Rigel, Betelgeuse, Castor, El Nath, and the Pleiades. Along the right-hand edge are marked the latitudes, from 20 degrees north at the top and marked at 10 degree intervals down to 30 degrees south at the bottom right. The horizon is clearly marked along with the “Equator of 2767 BC”; the intersection is marked “Vernal Equinox, 2767 BC.”
Puzzlingly, two horizons are indicated; one is for 2767 BC (28 degrees Cancer), and the other is for 1300 BC (27 degrees Cancer). It seems extremely unlikely that anyone would draw up a chart for a present year (2767 BC) with another year about 1400 years in the future --- yet a comment on page 207 of the “Origin” book would seem to explain how that is. “The Egyptians had a traditional celestial diagram which they copied from century to century, and although it was more traditional than contemporary it did represent a particular moment from which time was counted.” The Egyptians were interested in knowing when the first day of the Wandering Calendar returned to its ideal position in the Sothic Calendar. In other words, the return of the Vernal Equinox to its IDEAL position marked the end or start of another cycle.
In other words, Egyptians were more interested in astrology or astronomy as indicators of omens for the prosperity of the people in general, and as indicators of cycles. They were not, surprisingly enough, interested in making observations on which to base predictions. The Babylonians aka Chaldeans were the opposite; they could not have imagined making a chart and NOT making some predictions about it.
The same “Origins” book states that the earliest personal horoscope was cast in 410 BC, with no details offered whatever. However I managed to dig up further details: it was a birth chart set for April 29, 410 BC in Babylon (HoroscopesWithin.com). A translation of the cuneiform horoscope says: “Nisannu, night of the 14th(?), ... son of Shumu-usur, Shumu-iddina, descendant [---], was born. At that time the moon was below the Pincer of the Scorpion, Jupiter in Pisces, Venus in Taurus, Saturn in Cancer, Mars in Gemini. Mercury, which had set was not vis[ible]. [-] (Things?) will be propitious for you.” (Rochberg 1998: 56)
Other “oldest” documents include a record dated around 668-626 BC of astronomical observations with calculations of solar and lunar eclipses (and predictions for same). This is the Cerberus Slab of Hatra dated to the reign of Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria. It shows the seven known planets with highly accurate calculations of planetary conjunctions and oppositions.
Older astrological records date to around 1645 BC in Babylon (Astrology.com). This probably refers to the Venus tables of Ammiza-duga, discovered in 1850 in Ninevah. This is a cuneiform tablet of observations of the rising and setting Venus that covered a span of 21 years – actually fragments of several tablets that science has had to reconstruct. You can browse a PDF about this discovery and how they dated the tablets on Caeno.org. Why only those 21 were recorded furnishes us with another mystery to solve.
The Chinese may have drawn up charts around 7500 years ago, but they can definitely point to a owning the longest lunar calendar in existence, dating back to 2637 BC. The first named Chinese astrologer was Sima Qian, who wrote a book titled, “Records of the Grand Historian” (OnlineChineseAstrology.com) about the second century BC. To quote, “His history included detailed information on various methods of fortune telling and related astronomy topics to include a catalog of star names.” http://www.onlinechineseastrology.com/doc/Chinese-Astrology-101.pdf In ancient China, only emperors and other members of the royal family had access to personal horoscopes. The lives of ordinary people were not important enough to analyze with a birth chart.
Ancient Indians created records that show a highly developed knowledge of astrology as far back as 6500 BC, actual manuscripts can be dated only to 3700 BC. (The older ones are copies of originals.) These records show continuous observations from 6500 BC. We even have what is possibly the name of the oldest known astrologer: Pita Maha Siddhanta, who lived about 3000 BC. Pita was the author of books on Vedic astrology (SurfIndia.com).
But there are other candidates, too. We may not recognize them as charts, per se, but the ancient ones placed stones and other markers as a kind of observatory and calendar. This includes the most famous of stone placements at Stonehenge. There are even older stone structures. Consider the one called Adam's Calendar in southern Africa, which dates to possibly 75 THOUSAND years ago. That date is selected because that is when three now-recumbent stones would have aligned with the Orion constellation --- an alignment that Andrew Collins disputes (AndrewCollins.com).
Adam's Calendar, in South Africa, has engendered a great deal of publicity and discussion. The original walls are over a yard wide in many places, and have eroded to knee-high or even to the ground. It is interesting that they lie amid nearly 2,000 ancient gold mines.
The famous El Caracol observatory in Chichen Itza, Mexico (Yucatan region) dates to about 500 AD.
You May Also Wish To Read or Watch:
You may wish to watch a clip about Adam's Calendar on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH1wgwe6udo
Several pictures of different ruins at the Adam's Calendar sites are offered at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sumer_anunnaki/esp_sumer_annunaki35.htm
Pictures and more theory are posted at http://www.andrewcollins.com/page/articles/txsa_4_adams.htm
A two-hour documentary about Adam's Calendar is embedded on this web page: http://projectcamelotproductions.com/interviews/adams_calendar_documentary/adamscalendardocumentary.html
“Echoes of the Ancient Skies” by E.C. Krupp (Dover Publications) has lots of information about ancient astronomy including El Caracol and other sites in Mexico, China, Chaldea, Egypt, Cahokia, Scotland, Ireland, Britain and more.
“Astrology in the Middle Ages” by Theodore Otto Wedel (Dover reprint) talks about medieval English, French and Arabian astrology.
“The Origin of the Zodiac” by Rupert Gleadow (Dover reprint) is too small a book for all the territory that the author tries to cover: China, Persia and Babylon, Egypt, Plato and the Greeks, Mexico, Tibet, India, and Medieval astrology.
Showing posts with label ancient astrology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ancient astrology. Show all posts
Monday, December 26, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
That Big Fat Royal Wedding, and Whether William will Ever be King
by Milky Way Maid
By now everyone's probably got their royal tea towels with the faces of the lovely bride and groom printed on it, so now we can all sit down at our respective couches and discuss the royal wedding, the succession, and whether our favorite prince will ever reign. In the paragraphs that follow, I will not be referring to any other articles than the ones from AstroAmerica; I did not want my interpretation to be colored by that of other astrologers. I respect the work of many other astrologers, but I just did not want my thoughts to get muddled and confused by those of others.
The impetus for this article is the two-parter that appeared in Dave Roell's AstroAmerica newsletter on May 3 and May 10 of 2011. To read those, just go to his newsletter page at http://www.astroamerica.com/newsletters/2011-june14.pdf, and when the newsletter page comes up, click on 'Archives' to pull the desired past issues. I recommend printing out the articles to make it easier to refer to key passages and to the charts themselves.
The Data: The royal wedding was final at 11:30 am BST, April 29, 2011 in Westminster. Prince William was born at 9:03 pm BST on June 21, 1982, in Paddington. The new bride was born at 11:33 pm GMT on Jan. 9, 1982 in Reading.
One of the main contentions of the article by Mr. Roell is that no astrologer would have chosen that day for an important wedding. For one thing, the Moon at 26 degrees Pisces is void-of-course. (making no more aspects until it changes signs)
Second, Saturn at 12 degrees Libra opposes Venus almost exactly, and opposes Jupiter by sign. Venus also squares Pluto at 7 degrees Capricorn.
I am not concerned by the Saturn-Jupiter opposition, which is very wide anyway. The two planets are SEPARATING, meaning that the influence of the aspect will tend to fade away over time. I AM more concerned about the Saturn-Venus opposition, which is APPLYING and will intensify for the first two years of the marriage (as progressed Venus reaches the exact opposition). This is the more troubling aspect. More problematic is that the wedding Saturn is conjunct Kate's Mars, making her feel very constrained inside the royal goldfish bowl, where her schedule (another Saturn word) is tightly controlled with hardly a minute to herself. Venus-Saturn aspects often come into play when a relationship is formalized (another Saturn word). Duty and affection can combine into a happy blend. Be happy in your work, to coin a phrase.
Venus is well past the square to Pluto and as with the Saturn-Jupiter opposition, as far as I am concerned it's history.
OK, on to the issue of the voc Moon. I have some personal experience with a voc Moon, having starting a job with that aspect. I held that position for six years until I left of my own volition. The job formally began on May 15, 2000 although I had begun performing that job a couple months earlier while still in the training phase. (I think the start time was 6 pm, if you are interested in trying to run a chart for this thing --- in Milwaukee, WI.) Six years is an eternity this day and age, and this job was the longest I've held any one position, second only to one that lasted about five years. So I think this assumption that this marriage is doomed solely because of the voc Moon is a mistaken one. They may elect to end it or not, but if so, it will be strictly because they choose to do so and not because of any complaints about third parties. Another key factor in evaluating voc Moons is whether the last aspect it made before going voc was positive or adverse. The last aspect to an actual planet was a semi-sextile to the Mars-Jupiter conjunction --- so they are out of the woods on that one. The Moon did square the nodes, also at 26 degrees, and it squared the Part of Fortune before that, at 24 degrees Gemini in the eleventh house (hopes and wishes). That may reflect all the good wishes tossed their way from the moment they announced their intention to marry.
Dave mentioned that the couple rushed through their vows. Well, with so much cardinal energy in the chart, it's a wonder they didn't finish before they started. Five planets in Aries, one in Libra, and one in Capricorn. Wow. They may be very rash to careen into this wedding, despite the fact they have lived together for some time. Cardinal energy jumps the gun in the rush to be first, or whatever it is. Besides living together, haven't they also jumped the gun in starting their family? I thought I read that Kate was pregnant when they made the engagement announcement. Or was that only a rumor? Only time will tell.
As least the succession will be secure.
So let us look again at the wedding chart and see what is good and strong about it. Mars is strong in Aries and conjunct Jupiter, near the midheaven. Yes, William dressed like a toy soldier in red. It also says to me that the rashness of Aries will be protected by Jupiter --- and it may be that William really needs it.
The Sun is at 8 degrees Taurus in the tenth house. (BTW Grandma is a Taurus, as is England supposedly.) This is significant because 8 degrees of a fixed sign is a critical degree. Much is riding on this wedding and the crucial Sun is very strong at 8 of Taurus. Taurus is a fertile sign, again, crucial to a royal marriage. The moon is in a fertile sign, Pisces. Well and good.
The North Node is in the fifth house of children, crucial to a royal wedding where the succession is the overriding concern. However, it squares the Moon at 26 Pisces. The fact that the Moon is voc is to me secondary to the fact that it squares the Nodes. Having children will be an issue that tries them within an inch of their sanity. Assuming that the bride is already pregnant, it could be that she loses this first pregnancy. Hoping I am wrong about such a trying event, but it could happen. We already suspect that the first two years are going to be difficult, because Venus is applying to that opposition to Saturn.
Once they get that behind them, they should be alright.
The wedding ascendant is two degrees off of the critical degree at 8 degrees of fixed signs. It may be activated, or it may be out of orb. We shall see. Likewise with the Midheaven of 15 Aries, which is also 2 degrees off the exact critical degree of 13 cardinal. Possibly progressions will contact these points, so keep these in mind for future reference. Critical degrees do work in progressed charts.
So in conclusion, with regard to the wedding or marriage, I see a difficult first two years or so. Other than that, I think the couple can survive and prosper.
Moving into the topic of synastry, Mr. Roell laments that there is so little resonance between the charts of the bride and groom. They were both born hours after eclipses (she after a lunar eclipse and he after a solar eclipse). That is extraordinary. It suggests to me that they are part of a new cycle, a new dynasty perhaps.
But there is something else about these charts that I notice. According to the Magi Society people, Chiron is often activated in the charts of married couples. In fact I believe that they used the charts of Diana and Charles as an example of Chiron aspects. (I don't know where to begin looking for that article, folks, but I swear that I read it.)
Charles' Chiron would be about 26 degrees Scorpio, near his Sun. Diana's Chiron would be about 6 degrees Pisces. Diana's Chiron opposes Charles' royal Saturn at 5 Virgo, trines his Mercury exactly, and is inconjunct his Neptune. Only Mercury is neutral, Saturn and Neptune are traditional malefics --- and look what happened. His infidelity (Neptune) was disclosed (Mercury) and led to the termination (Saturn) of the marriage.
Now here is where it gets a bit spooky. William's Chiron is about 24 Taurus; it is inconjunct Kate's Pluto at 26 Libra, and inconjunct Kate's Neptune at 25 Sag. That forms a Yod, suggesting that their alliance has a fated quality. We don't know yet what the saga of William and Kate will sound like or what twists and turns they will have to walk, but it may be a soul-growth experience that they signed on for before their births.
The next step I wanted to cover was critical degrees in the charts of William and Kate. The critical degrees are zero, 13, and 26 of cardinal signs; 8 and 22 of fixed signs, and 4 and 17 of the mutable signs. Planets at these degrees will be strong, and house cusps activated by progressions, for instance, will see more eventful years. For example, Diana had Neptune at the critical degree of 8 Scorpio. She will forever be famed not only for her glamor and charisma, for her charitable work, but also for being the victim (of a deceptive husband as well as of a car wreck), and even more importantly for her great compassion for victims of AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses.
So now let's see what critical degrees William has. His Sun is at zero Cancer, exactly on a critical degree. He has been in the public eye since the moment he was born not only because he is a royal, but because of his great resemblance to his mother. I think that he will become a key figure in British life, that he will institute changes through his efforts in public as well as behind the scenes. His views and his suggestions will be taken up. He will initiate (that's a key cardinal word) all kinds of programs or policies. Recall how he suggested to his mum that she auction off her dresses for charity, a venture that was quite successful.
Next is his North Node which is at 14 degrees Cancer, one degree off the exact but I'll take it. Again, we have a cardinal energy. The North Node suggests that his own spiritual growth will have a great effect on others around him. Then there is Saturn, two degrees off the critical degree of 13, at 15 degrees Libra. I am not sure if I can stretch these critical degrees this far, but certainly the issues of marriage and partnership are going to be key matters to him, coming from a broken home like he does. Even if the marriage went kaput, the manner in which he conducts the relationship is key to him.
Next up is Kate. Her Pluto at 26 degrees Libra is right on a critical degree. I feel that Pluto has to do with the generative powers. Queen Elizabeth's Pluto is at 12 degrees, 42 minutes of Cancer, on a critical degree, too. I think that Kate will succeed in producing not just one but several heirs to the throne, just like her mother-in-law.
Kate has Jupiter at 7 degrees Scorpio, exactly square Venus at 7 Aquarius. They are both just one degree off of the exact critical degree of 8 degrees of fixed signs. Venus is not necessarily weak just because it is retrograde, it just means that she has some lesson to learn about Venus as a result of past life experiences. Granted, the Venuses are not very strong; wedding Venus is not at home in Aries, and her natal Venus is weakened by being retrograde. BUT her natal Venus is strengthened by being at or near a critical degree. The square to Jupiter is troubling; perhaps she will prove to be a spendthrift.
Then she has Uranus at 3 degrees of Sag, just a degree off from the critical degree of 4 mutable. A strong Uranus finds one's own way of doing things, honors one's own uniqueness. She may be a bit of a rebel and with all the palace protocols to follow, she will find plenty to rebel against. The fact that she is a commoner married to the heir to the throne is unique enough.
Is Kate's Sun weak due to the conjunction to the South Node? I have read that this aspect means that the men who are attracted to you tend to reject you as 'not good enough' for them. So that is the most astonishing thing about Kate. IN ANY OTHER CENTURY, an heir to the throne would have rejected her for being a commoner. She would have been used and tossed away with the trash, like Anne Boleyn's sister.
Lastly the issue of whether Charles or William will reign. Mr. Roell thinks that neither one will reign. But I am going to look at their Saturns for a hint about that. Just as when we evaluate presidential candidates in this country to see if they have an elevated Saturn, I am going to take that as a cue to check the Saturns of both. Charles has Saturn in his second house (5 degrees Virgo), well below the horizon. By contrast, William has his Saturn at 15 degrees Libra in the ninth house. Fifteen degrees of cardinal signs is the world point, isn't it? And the ninth house is suitable for global politics. The bad part is that his Saturn squares his nodes at 14 degrees of Cancer and Capricorn. Saturn rules kings and kingdoms, royalty and the tremendous responsibilities that come with a crown.
When might he reign? If we take Mars as the ruler of his tenth house representing the father, then Mars progresses to his natal midheaven at age 46 or 47. But if we take Jupiter as the ruler of his grandma the queen (Sag being the fourth from the tenth), then it might come a couple years earlier. I am looking at the transits from his birthdate and counting a day for a year. Only time will tell if this interpretation comes through.
Mr. Roell's May 10 issue has some interesting notes on the contacts between Kate's chart and that of Diana. Of course it is a truism that men marry their mothers, but this is a bit spooky. Example: Diana's Sun is conjunct Kate's Midheaven. Read the whole article by Dave to learn more.
Well, I have rambled on enough about this. One could write whole books but let's wait a bit till we see how things are going for them. Wishing them the best,
Yours Truly,
Milky Way Maid
By now everyone's probably got their royal tea towels with the faces of the lovely bride and groom printed on it, so now we can all sit down at our respective couches and discuss the royal wedding, the succession, and whether our favorite prince will ever reign. In the paragraphs that follow, I will not be referring to any other articles than the ones from AstroAmerica; I did not want my interpretation to be colored by that of other astrologers. I respect the work of many other astrologers, but I just did not want my thoughts to get muddled and confused by those of others.
The impetus for this article is the two-parter that appeared in Dave Roell's AstroAmerica newsletter on May 3 and May 10 of 2011. To read those, just go to his newsletter page at http://www.astroamerica.com/newsletters/2011-june14.pdf, and when the newsletter page comes up, click on 'Archives' to pull the desired past issues. I recommend printing out the articles to make it easier to refer to key passages and to the charts themselves.
The Data: The royal wedding was final at 11:30 am BST, April 29, 2011 in Westminster. Prince William was born at 9:03 pm BST on June 21, 1982, in Paddington. The new bride was born at 11:33 pm GMT on Jan. 9, 1982 in Reading.
One of the main contentions of the article by Mr. Roell is that no astrologer would have chosen that day for an important wedding. For one thing, the Moon at 26 degrees Pisces is void-of-course. (making no more aspects until it changes signs)
Second, Saturn at 12 degrees Libra opposes Venus almost exactly, and opposes Jupiter by sign. Venus also squares Pluto at 7 degrees Capricorn.
I am not concerned by the Saturn-Jupiter opposition, which is very wide anyway. The two planets are SEPARATING, meaning that the influence of the aspect will tend to fade away over time. I AM more concerned about the Saturn-Venus opposition, which is APPLYING and will intensify for the first two years of the marriage (as progressed Venus reaches the exact opposition). This is the more troubling aspect. More problematic is that the wedding Saturn is conjunct Kate's Mars, making her feel very constrained inside the royal goldfish bowl, where her schedule (another Saturn word) is tightly controlled with hardly a minute to herself. Venus-Saturn aspects often come into play when a relationship is formalized (another Saturn word). Duty and affection can combine into a happy blend. Be happy in your work, to coin a phrase.
Venus is well past the square to Pluto and as with the Saturn-Jupiter opposition, as far as I am concerned it's history.
OK, on to the issue of the voc Moon. I have some personal experience with a voc Moon, having starting a job with that aspect. I held that position for six years until I left of my own volition. The job formally began on May 15, 2000 although I had begun performing that job a couple months earlier while still in the training phase. (I think the start time was 6 pm, if you are interested in trying to run a chart for this thing --- in Milwaukee, WI.) Six years is an eternity this day and age, and this job was the longest I've held any one position, second only to one that lasted about five years. So I think this assumption that this marriage is doomed solely because of the voc Moon is a mistaken one. They may elect to end it or not, but if so, it will be strictly because they choose to do so and not because of any complaints about third parties. Another key factor in evaluating voc Moons is whether the last aspect it made before going voc was positive or adverse. The last aspect to an actual planet was a semi-sextile to the Mars-Jupiter conjunction --- so they are out of the woods on that one. The Moon did square the nodes, also at 26 degrees, and it squared the Part of Fortune before that, at 24 degrees Gemini in the eleventh house (hopes and wishes). That may reflect all the good wishes tossed their way from the moment they announced their intention to marry.
Dave mentioned that the couple rushed through their vows. Well, with so much cardinal energy in the chart, it's a wonder they didn't finish before they started. Five planets in Aries, one in Libra, and one in Capricorn. Wow. They may be very rash to careen into this wedding, despite the fact they have lived together for some time. Cardinal energy jumps the gun in the rush to be first, or whatever it is. Besides living together, haven't they also jumped the gun in starting their family? I thought I read that Kate was pregnant when they made the engagement announcement. Or was that only a rumor? Only time will tell.
As least the succession will be secure.
So let us look again at the wedding chart and see what is good and strong about it. Mars is strong in Aries and conjunct Jupiter, near the midheaven. Yes, William dressed like a toy soldier in red. It also says to me that the rashness of Aries will be protected by Jupiter --- and it may be that William really needs it.
The Sun is at 8 degrees Taurus in the tenth house. (BTW Grandma is a Taurus, as is England supposedly.) This is significant because 8 degrees of a fixed sign is a critical degree. Much is riding on this wedding and the crucial Sun is very strong at 8 of Taurus. Taurus is a fertile sign, again, crucial to a royal marriage. The moon is in a fertile sign, Pisces. Well and good.
The North Node is in the fifth house of children, crucial to a royal wedding where the succession is the overriding concern. However, it squares the Moon at 26 Pisces. The fact that the Moon is voc is to me secondary to the fact that it squares the Nodes. Having children will be an issue that tries them within an inch of their sanity. Assuming that the bride is already pregnant, it could be that she loses this first pregnancy. Hoping I am wrong about such a trying event, but it could happen. We already suspect that the first two years are going to be difficult, because Venus is applying to that opposition to Saturn.
Once they get that behind them, they should be alright.
The wedding ascendant is two degrees off of the critical degree at 8 degrees of fixed signs. It may be activated, or it may be out of orb. We shall see. Likewise with the Midheaven of 15 Aries, which is also 2 degrees off the exact critical degree of 13 cardinal. Possibly progressions will contact these points, so keep these in mind for future reference. Critical degrees do work in progressed charts.
So in conclusion, with regard to the wedding or marriage, I see a difficult first two years or so. Other than that, I think the couple can survive and prosper.
Moving into the topic of synastry, Mr. Roell laments that there is so little resonance between the charts of the bride and groom. They were both born hours after eclipses (she after a lunar eclipse and he after a solar eclipse). That is extraordinary. It suggests to me that they are part of a new cycle, a new dynasty perhaps.
But there is something else about these charts that I notice. According to the Magi Society people, Chiron is often activated in the charts of married couples. In fact I believe that they used the charts of Diana and Charles as an example of Chiron aspects. (I don't know where to begin looking for that article, folks, but I swear that I read it.)
Charles' Chiron would be about 26 degrees Scorpio, near his Sun. Diana's Chiron would be about 6 degrees Pisces. Diana's Chiron opposes Charles' royal Saturn at 5 Virgo, trines his Mercury exactly, and is inconjunct his Neptune. Only Mercury is neutral, Saturn and Neptune are traditional malefics --- and look what happened. His infidelity (Neptune) was disclosed (Mercury) and led to the termination (Saturn) of the marriage.
Now here is where it gets a bit spooky. William's Chiron is about 24 Taurus; it is inconjunct Kate's Pluto at 26 Libra, and inconjunct Kate's Neptune at 25 Sag. That forms a Yod, suggesting that their alliance has a fated quality. We don't know yet what the saga of William and Kate will sound like or what twists and turns they will have to walk, but it may be a soul-growth experience that they signed on for before their births.
The next step I wanted to cover was critical degrees in the charts of William and Kate. The critical degrees are zero, 13, and 26 of cardinal signs; 8 and 22 of fixed signs, and 4 and 17 of the mutable signs. Planets at these degrees will be strong, and house cusps activated by progressions, for instance, will see more eventful years. For example, Diana had Neptune at the critical degree of 8 Scorpio. She will forever be famed not only for her glamor and charisma, for her charitable work, but also for being the victim (of a deceptive husband as well as of a car wreck), and even more importantly for her great compassion for victims of AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses.
So now let's see what critical degrees William has. His Sun is at zero Cancer, exactly on a critical degree. He has been in the public eye since the moment he was born not only because he is a royal, but because of his great resemblance to his mother. I think that he will become a key figure in British life, that he will institute changes through his efforts in public as well as behind the scenes. His views and his suggestions will be taken up. He will initiate (that's a key cardinal word) all kinds of programs or policies. Recall how he suggested to his mum that she auction off her dresses for charity, a venture that was quite successful.
Next is his North Node which is at 14 degrees Cancer, one degree off the exact but I'll take it. Again, we have a cardinal energy. The North Node suggests that his own spiritual growth will have a great effect on others around him. Then there is Saturn, two degrees off the critical degree of 13, at 15 degrees Libra. I am not sure if I can stretch these critical degrees this far, but certainly the issues of marriage and partnership are going to be key matters to him, coming from a broken home like he does. Even if the marriage went kaput, the manner in which he conducts the relationship is key to him.
Next up is Kate. Her Pluto at 26 degrees Libra is right on a critical degree. I feel that Pluto has to do with the generative powers. Queen Elizabeth's Pluto is at 12 degrees, 42 minutes of Cancer, on a critical degree, too. I think that Kate will succeed in producing not just one but several heirs to the throne, just like her mother-in-law.
Kate has Jupiter at 7 degrees Scorpio, exactly square Venus at 7 Aquarius. They are both just one degree off of the exact critical degree of 8 degrees of fixed signs. Venus is not necessarily weak just because it is retrograde, it just means that she has some lesson to learn about Venus as a result of past life experiences. Granted, the Venuses are not very strong; wedding Venus is not at home in Aries, and her natal Venus is weakened by being retrograde. BUT her natal Venus is strengthened by being at or near a critical degree. The square to Jupiter is troubling; perhaps she will prove to be a spendthrift.
Then she has Uranus at 3 degrees of Sag, just a degree off from the critical degree of 4 mutable. A strong Uranus finds one's own way of doing things, honors one's own uniqueness. She may be a bit of a rebel and with all the palace protocols to follow, she will find plenty to rebel against. The fact that she is a commoner married to the heir to the throne is unique enough.
Is Kate's Sun weak due to the conjunction to the South Node? I have read that this aspect means that the men who are attracted to you tend to reject you as 'not good enough' for them. So that is the most astonishing thing about Kate. IN ANY OTHER CENTURY, an heir to the throne would have rejected her for being a commoner. She would have been used and tossed away with the trash, like Anne Boleyn's sister.
Lastly the issue of whether Charles or William will reign. Mr. Roell thinks that neither one will reign. But I am going to look at their Saturns for a hint about that. Just as when we evaluate presidential candidates in this country to see if they have an elevated Saturn, I am going to take that as a cue to check the Saturns of both. Charles has Saturn in his second house (5 degrees Virgo), well below the horizon. By contrast, William has his Saturn at 15 degrees Libra in the ninth house. Fifteen degrees of cardinal signs is the world point, isn't it? And the ninth house is suitable for global politics. The bad part is that his Saturn squares his nodes at 14 degrees of Cancer and Capricorn. Saturn rules kings and kingdoms, royalty and the tremendous responsibilities that come with a crown.
When might he reign? If we take Mars as the ruler of his tenth house representing the father, then Mars progresses to his natal midheaven at age 46 or 47. But if we take Jupiter as the ruler of his grandma the queen (Sag being the fourth from the tenth), then it might come a couple years earlier. I am looking at the transits from his birthdate and counting a day for a year. Only time will tell if this interpretation comes through.
Mr. Roell's May 10 issue has some interesting notes on the contacts between Kate's chart and that of Diana. Of course it is a truism that men marry their mothers, but this is a bit spooky. Example: Diana's Sun is conjunct Kate's Midheaven. Read the whole article by Dave to learn more.
Well, I have rambled on enough about this. One could write whole books but let's wait a bit till we see how things are going for them. Wishing them the best,
Yours Truly,
Milky Way Maid
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Secret Meanings of the Names of the Planets
by Milky Way Maid
The esoteric meanings of the planets' names is mostly a lost body of knowledge. Even very good astrologers have no idea what the names of planets or even of the zodiac signs mean. But the ancients had very clear meanings attached to all of these. By drilling down to the traditional meanings of the phonemes that make up the names, we can begin to understand more about what values and ideas they attached to these symbols.
Jupiter --- “the ever-existent Father” The French je means ever-existent; it also occurs in Jahweh or Jehovah, in Jove, and in the Finnish Jumala (All Father). He is identified with wind, rain and thunder --- and of course the thunderbolt. The zigzag of lightning was believed to be Jupiter herding the other planets about.
Venus --- from Vannus, meaning a fan or shell. The terms are equivalent because they refer to her shell-like or fan-like car which is pulled by doves. This is also why her emblem is the dove. Incidentally, the Paphians worshipped her as a white pyramid.
Uranus --- Ur-ray, “the Light of Ra” Also, as Kronos it resolves into Ak-Ur-On-Os, “The Great Fire” or “The One Light” Ur is the Semitic root meaning fire or light. Shouts of Hurray or Hurrah greet the sunrise. Ra, the Egyptian sun-god, would seem to be linked to Uranus, but the root syllable is found in several cultures. Sanskrit for a prince is rajah. The Semitic Ra means Time, or the Ancient of Days. The Mayan Ra or La means “that which has existed forever.” Ra appears in our English words ray and radiant.
Earth --- Ea, mother of Ishtar
Mercury --- “Fire of Merak” (Merak was the Great Mare). Mercury's emblem the caduceus is encompassed by a winged horse or mare. Mercury was symbolized by a variety of animals: the lizard, the cock, a pregnant sow. Also the hare, because it makes regular trails in the meadows it frequents. Mercury is the god of ways (roads or streets), and many statues of Mercury marked the crossroads. So numerous were these markers where three roads intersected (tri-via) that the word took on the meaning of commonplace. Mercury as the god of commerce and the market has his name as the root of related words: market, merchandise, merchant, commerce. The Greeks symbolized Mercury as a square stone.
Saturn --- Saturday, or Seaterdag, means day of the Seater or Sitter, the day when the Great Workman sat himself down and rested. Saturn was linked to Stonehenge, which was also known as Caer Sidi (the seat or fort of Sidi). Caer resolves into root syllables meaning Great Fire. Saturn, or the sitter, therefore seems to have made Stonehenge his throne. Note the design of Stonehenge which incorporates not only circles but an inner horseshoe-shape which perhaps outlines his throne seat. In the words of the Wlsh poem Taliessin: “Perfect is my chair in Caer Sidi,/ Plague and age hurt him not who's in it./ About its points are oceans' streams,/ And the abundant well above it,/ Sweeter than white wine the drink in it.”
The esoteric meanings of the planets' names is mostly a lost body of knowledge. Even very good astrologers have no idea what the names of planets or even of the zodiac signs mean. But the ancients had very clear meanings attached to all of these. By drilling down to the traditional meanings of the phonemes that make up the names, we can begin to understand more about what values and ideas they attached to these symbols.
Jupiter --- “the ever-existent Father” The French je means ever-existent; it also occurs in Jahweh or Jehovah, in Jove, and in the Finnish Jumala (All Father). He is identified with wind, rain and thunder --- and of course the thunderbolt. The zigzag of lightning was believed to be Jupiter herding the other planets about.
Venus --- from Vannus, meaning a fan or shell. The terms are equivalent because they refer to her shell-like or fan-like car which is pulled by doves. This is also why her emblem is the dove. Incidentally, the Paphians worshipped her as a white pyramid.
Uranus --- Ur-ray, “the Light of Ra” Also, as Kronos it resolves into Ak-Ur-On-Os, “The Great Fire” or “The One Light” Ur is the Semitic root meaning fire or light. Shouts of Hurray or Hurrah greet the sunrise. Ra, the Egyptian sun-god, would seem to be linked to Uranus, but the root syllable is found in several cultures. Sanskrit for a prince is rajah. The Semitic Ra means Time, or the Ancient of Days. The Mayan Ra or La means “that which has existed forever.” Ra appears in our English words ray and radiant.
Earth --- Ea, mother of Ishtar
Mercury --- “Fire of Merak” (Merak was the Great Mare). Mercury's emblem the caduceus is encompassed by a winged horse or mare. Mercury was symbolized by a variety of animals: the lizard, the cock, a pregnant sow. Also the hare, because it makes regular trails in the meadows it frequents. Mercury is the god of ways (roads or streets), and many statues of Mercury marked the crossroads. So numerous were these markers where three roads intersected (tri-via) that the word took on the meaning of commonplace. Mercury as the god of commerce and the market has his name as the root of related words: market, merchandise, merchant, commerce. The Greeks symbolized Mercury as a square stone.
Saturn --- Saturday, or Seaterdag, means day of the Seater or Sitter, the day when the Great Workman sat himself down and rested. Saturn was linked to Stonehenge, which was also known as Caer Sidi (the seat or fort of Sidi). Caer resolves into root syllables meaning Great Fire. Saturn, or the sitter, therefore seems to have made Stonehenge his throne. Note the design of Stonehenge which incorporates not only circles but an inner horseshoe-shape which perhaps outlines his throne seat. In the words of the Wlsh poem Taliessin: “Perfect is my chair in Caer Sidi,/ Plague and age hurt him not who's in it./ About its points are oceans' streams,/ And the abundant well above it,/ Sweeter than white wine the drink in it.”
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!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Chicken-Soup Sign Cancer: The Crab, The Scarab, Other Shelled Critters, and The Crib
by Milky Way Maid
It may crush native Cancerians' sensitive feelings to learn that the the brightest star in the constellation Cancer, Lucida, is only a fourth magnitude star. It takes a sharp eye, or a telescope, to track the passage of Cancer across the summer sky. Come to think of it, four is both the magnitude of its star and the house of the zodiac which it rules. So there may be a certain apropos quality to the number four here.
Yet dim as it was, the Egyptians used Lucida to mark the summer solstice from about 2000 BC to 1000 BC. The Egyptians did not call it the Crab, they called it the Scarab, or actually Scarabaeus. The Scarab is the sacred beetle that rolls a ball of dung around, a ball in which it has laid its eggs for the next generation. Other Egyptian sources may have called it the Stars of the Water, or the Two Turtles, according to Rupert Gleadow in The Origin of the Zodiac. (Egypt does have river turtles, which are hard shelled critters just as crabs are.)
By the time the Greek astronomer Eratosthenes wrote of this constellation, it was called the Crab. He described it as being made up of two asses and a crib. The crib portion lies near the top, between the two asses, and is named Praesepe which is Latin for "the manger". The nebula in Cancer is known as the Beehive, flanked by the two donkeys, Asellus Australis (the southern donkey) and Asellus Borealis (the northern donkey).
The image of the manger and asses was transformed into one of a Nativity scene, a manger where the baby Jesus was laid, during the Christian era.
The Cancer native might not like to show their feelings outwardly. They retreat inside their shells, or cocoon inside their homes, and watch TV or surf the web. They may sublimate them into eating or overeating. They may become toxic people who poison the atmosphere around them with their unexpressed/suppressed, unprocessed feelings.
And yet they can be the most understanding and supportive friends and parents, who soothe your brow and offer chicken soup (either literal or metaphorical). They do not generally try to solve your problems for you, though they often offer the best advice you ever got.
They are the homemakers and hoteliers and restaurateurs of the world. They know just what will make a place feel like home, and they know how to make a cold impersonal hotel room liveable when THEY are travelling. They pack a few family pictures along, and maybe a special pillow, and some tea bags, and they'll be alright.
All too often Cancer is short-changed when one is evaluating the special skills of each sign. His or her executive ability is too often unrecognized. After all, one of the biggest skills a successful homemaker has is time management. What else? Well, there's people skills, akin to personnel management or supervisory experience. Often they set budgets and weekly menus. They actually do so many tasks that there is not enough space in this column to list them all, and I don't want to give myself a headache trying to do so.
Rulerships and Keywords: Feminine. Receptive. Watery. Parts of body: stomach, breasts, nutrition, digestion, uterus. Bakeries, boats, buildings, lakes, ocean, pools, plumbing or sinks. Country, home, mom, apple pie. All water creatures but especially the tortoise, blue topaz, lychnis, green jasper, euchite, agate, chalcedony, amber, the lotus flower. The Greeks, at least according to a list by Manilius*, assigned Mercury (Hermes) to rule over Cancer. The Greeks assigned it the herbs comfrey and mandragora oficinalis.
*The full Manilius list, as recounted by Plato, is as follows: Pallas rules the woolly Ram, and Venus guards the Bull,/ Apollo has the handsome Twins, and Mercury the Crab,/ Jove, with the Mother of the Gods, himself is Leo's lord;/ The Virgin with her Ear of Corn to Ceres falls; the Scales/ to Vulcan's smithy; while to Mars the warlike Scorpion cleaves;/ The Hunter's human part Diana rules, but what's of horse/ Is ruled by Vesta, with the straitened stars of Capricorn;/ Aquarius is Juno's sign, as opposite to Jove,/ And Neptune owns the pair of Fish that in the heavens move.
It is interesting that under this regime, Libra is given to Vulcan the smithy, since it is the only man-made object among these constellations. Pallas seems apropos to Aries, since she sprang fully formed from the head of Zeus her father, and was usually clad in full armor. Venus to Taurus, and Mars to Scorpio, and Neptune to Pisces, are as we have it now, and I can understand Apollo for the Twins (His chariot is pulled by TWO horses) although Apollo's sister was Pallas Athena. Jupiter as ruler of Leo seems odd but then again Leo is the kingly sign. It's really kind of cute that they assign Ceres to Virgo; it seems so obvious. Diana also seems an obvious choice for Sag, tho we have no idea what they were thinking of by assigning Vesta to to either Sag or Capricorn. What does Vesta have to do with goats or horses or any livestock?? Tis a puzzlement indeed. And what about this Mercury rulership over Cancer? Well, Cancer's many 'hands' make her a multi-tasking demon. Other than that, nothing comes to mind.
It may crush native Cancerians' sensitive feelings to learn that the the brightest star in the constellation Cancer, Lucida, is only a fourth magnitude star. It takes a sharp eye, or a telescope, to track the passage of Cancer across the summer sky. Come to think of it, four is both the magnitude of its star and the house of the zodiac which it rules. So there may be a certain apropos quality to the number four here.
Yet dim as it was, the Egyptians used Lucida to mark the summer solstice from about 2000 BC to 1000 BC. The Egyptians did not call it the Crab, they called it the Scarab, or actually Scarabaeus. The Scarab is the sacred beetle that rolls a ball of dung around, a ball in which it has laid its eggs for the next generation. Other Egyptian sources may have called it the Stars of the Water, or the Two Turtles, according to Rupert Gleadow in The Origin of the Zodiac. (Egypt does have river turtles, which are hard shelled critters just as crabs are.)
By the time the Greek astronomer Eratosthenes wrote of this constellation, it was called the Crab. He described it as being made up of two asses and a crib. The crib portion lies near the top, between the two asses, and is named Praesepe which is Latin for "the manger". The nebula in Cancer is known as the Beehive, flanked by the two donkeys, Asellus Australis (the southern donkey) and Asellus Borealis (the northern donkey).
The image of the manger and asses was transformed into one of a Nativity scene, a manger where the baby Jesus was laid, during the Christian era.
The Cancer native might not like to show their feelings outwardly. They retreat inside their shells, or cocoon inside their homes, and watch TV or surf the web. They may sublimate them into eating or overeating. They may become toxic people who poison the atmosphere around them with their unexpressed/suppressed, unprocessed feelings.
And yet they can be the most understanding and supportive friends and parents, who soothe your brow and offer chicken soup (either literal or metaphorical). They do not generally try to solve your problems for you, though they often offer the best advice you ever got.
They are the homemakers and hoteliers and restaurateurs of the world. They know just what will make a place feel like home, and they know how to make a cold impersonal hotel room liveable when THEY are travelling. They pack a few family pictures along, and maybe a special pillow, and some tea bags, and they'll be alright.
All too often Cancer is short-changed when one is evaluating the special skills of each sign. His or her executive ability is too often unrecognized. After all, one of the biggest skills a successful homemaker has is time management. What else? Well, there's people skills, akin to personnel management or supervisory experience. Often they set budgets and weekly menus. They actually do so many tasks that there is not enough space in this column to list them all, and I don't want to give myself a headache trying to do so.
Rulerships and Keywords: Feminine. Receptive. Watery. Parts of body: stomach, breasts, nutrition, digestion, uterus. Bakeries, boats, buildings, lakes, ocean, pools, plumbing or sinks. Country, home, mom, apple pie. All water creatures but especially the tortoise, blue topaz, lychnis, green jasper, euchite, agate, chalcedony, amber, the lotus flower. The Greeks, at least according to a list by Manilius*, assigned Mercury (Hermes) to rule over Cancer. The Greeks assigned it the herbs comfrey and mandragora oficinalis.
*The full Manilius list, as recounted by Plato, is as follows: Pallas rules the woolly Ram, and Venus guards the Bull,/ Apollo has the handsome Twins, and Mercury the Crab,/ Jove, with the Mother of the Gods, himself is Leo's lord;/ The Virgin with her Ear of Corn to Ceres falls; the Scales/ to Vulcan's smithy; while to Mars the warlike Scorpion cleaves;/ The Hunter's human part Diana rules, but what's of horse/ Is ruled by Vesta, with the straitened stars of Capricorn;/ Aquarius is Juno's sign, as opposite to Jove,/ And Neptune owns the pair of Fish that in the heavens move.
It is interesting that under this regime, Libra is given to Vulcan the smithy, since it is the only man-made object among these constellations. Pallas seems apropos to Aries, since she sprang fully formed from the head of Zeus her father, and was usually clad in full armor. Venus to Taurus, and Mars to Scorpio, and Neptune to Pisces, are as we have it now, and I can understand Apollo for the Twins (His chariot is pulled by TWO horses) although Apollo's sister was Pallas Athena. Jupiter as ruler of Leo seems odd but then again Leo is the kingly sign. It's really kind of cute that they assign Ceres to Virgo; it seems so obvious. Diana also seems an obvious choice for Sag, tho we have no idea what they were thinking of by assigning Vesta to to either Sag or Capricorn. What does Vesta have to do with goats or horses or any livestock?? Tis a puzzlement indeed. And what about this Mercury rulership over Cancer? Well, Cancer's many 'hands' make her a multi-tasking demon. Other than that, nothing comes to mind.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The Zodiac Signs and the Twelve Tribes of Israel; also the Babylonian Zodiac
by Milky Way Maid
If you doubted that the ancient Jewish people were ever astrologers, then this will give you something to think about. The twelve signs of the zodiac can be correlated with the twelve tribes of Israel. Check out the following list as derived from lines in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 49.
Aries- Gad, 'a troop shall press upon him; but he shall press upon their heel,' is Aries the Ram. Aries, being the first sign of the zodiac, 'presses upon their heel' in the circular zodiac. Gad is described as “a warrior, chief of his army,” very apt for the sign ruled by warlike Mars.
Taurus- Issachar, 'a gelded donkey lying down in the cattle pens'. Personally, I am not sure how a donkey equates to a bull. But both are beasts of burden.
Gemini- Simeon and Levi, 'the brethren,' are Gemini, the Twins. (Note: Others place them in Pisces, as the two fishes.)
Cancer- Benjamin, 'ravening as a wolf, devouring his prey by morning, dividing the spoil at night,' is Cancer the Crab. Cancer may viewed here as either food-oriented, acquisitive, or both.
Leo- Judah, 'the lion's whelp,' is obviously Leo the Lion.
Virgo- Virgo is 'veiled,' and is correlated with Dinah, Jacob's daughter, who is described in Genesis 30:21.
Libra- Asher, 'the weigher of bread,' is Libra, the Scales or Balance.
Scorpio- Dan, 'a serpent in the way,' is Scorpio, who is variously pictured as a Scorpion, Snake, and Eagle. Llewellyn quotes Pike in regards to this sign: “Dan, bearing as his device a Scorpion, he compares to the Cerastes or horned Serpent, synonymous in astrological language with the vulture or pouncing eagle; and which bird was often substituted on the flag of Dan, in place of the venomous scorpion, on account of the terror which that reptile inspired, as the symbol of Typhon and his malign influences; wherefore the Eagle, as its paranatellon, that is, rising and setting at the same time with it, was naturally used in its stead.”
Sagittarius- Joseph, 'whose bow abides in strength,' is of course the sign of the archer Sagittarius.
Capricorn- Nephtali, 'a hind let loose,' is Capricorn the Goat.
Aquarius- Reuben, 'boiling over with water,' is Aquarius, who holds a vase or cup and pours out the waters of the New Age.
Pisces- Zebulon, 'who shall dwell at the beach of the sea,' is Pisces, the two Fishes. How many beachfront parks are named Zebulon? Oodles, that's how many.
The Llewellyn website, among others, has an article on the subject at http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/472 Llewellyn lists various correlations, some of which are based in descriptions in Deuteronomy rather than Genesis. But I rather prefer the list I have copied out and given to you readers above. For one thing, it logically gives two names for the Twins.
While I am at it I may as well tell you that the Babylonians had a list of 18 zodiac signs. Most of the 12 Greek constellations that make up the Zodiac that we know today, can be found in a “Babylonian star-list from the 7th century, known as the MUL.APIN, but which is thought by scholars to have been compiled around 1000 BCE. The list consists of 17 or 18 ecliptic constellations through which the Moon was seen to pass.” The Zodiacal constellations found in Greek astrology are among them, although six have different names. In The Origins of the Zodiac, Rupert Gleadow lists them as follows:
Zappu, meaning tuft of hair = Pleiades
Gud-an-na, meaning bull of heaven = Hyades
Sib-zi-an-na, meaning faithful shepherd of heaven = Orion
Sugi, meaning charioteer = Perseus
Gamlu, meaning scimitar = Auriga
Mas-tab-ba-gal-gal, meaning great twins = Gemini
Al-lul, meaning crab(?) = Praesepe
Ur-gu-la, meaning lion or lioness = Leo
Ab-sin, meaning furrow = Virgo
Zibanitu, meaning horn or scales = Libra
Gir-tab, meaning scorpion = Scorpio
Pa-bil-sag, meaning unknown = Sagittarius
Suhur-mas, meaning goat-fish = Capricorn
Gu-la, meaning giant(?) = Aquarius
Zibbati, meaning tails = Pisces
Sim-mah, meaning great swallow = southern fish
Anunitum, meaning a goddess = northern fish
Hunga or agru, meaning hireling = Aries
I might note that dividing the solar year by 18 signs gives roughly twenty days per sign. Gee, where have I seen a period of twenty days before? In the Mayan calendar system, which used a system of 20 days overlaid by another system of 13 in order to reconcile the solar and lunar years. Very interesting.
If you doubted that the ancient Jewish people were ever astrologers, then this will give you something to think about. The twelve signs of the zodiac can be correlated with the twelve tribes of Israel. Check out the following list as derived from lines in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 49.
Aries- Gad, 'a troop shall press upon him; but he shall press upon their heel,' is Aries the Ram. Aries, being the first sign of the zodiac, 'presses upon their heel' in the circular zodiac. Gad is described as “a warrior, chief of his army,” very apt for the sign ruled by warlike Mars.
Taurus- Issachar, 'a gelded donkey lying down in the cattle pens'. Personally, I am not sure how a donkey equates to a bull. But both are beasts of burden.
Gemini- Simeon and Levi, 'the brethren,' are Gemini, the Twins. (Note: Others place them in Pisces, as the two fishes.)
Cancer- Benjamin, 'ravening as a wolf, devouring his prey by morning, dividing the spoil at night,' is Cancer the Crab. Cancer may viewed here as either food-oriented, acquisitive, or both.
Leo- Judah, 'the lion's whelp,' is obviously Leo the Lion.
Virgo- Virgo is 'veiled,' and is correlated with Dinah, Jacob's daughter, who is described in Genesis 30:21.
Libra- Asher, 'the weigher of bread,' is Libra, the Scales or Balance.
Scorpio- Dan, 'a serpent in the way,' is Scorpio, who is variously pictured as a Scorpion, Snake, and Eagle. Llewellyn quotes Pike in regards to this sign: “Dan, bearing as his device a Scorpion, he compares to the Cerastes or horned Serpent, synonymous in astrological language with the vulture or pouncing eagle; and which bird was often substituted on the flag of Dan, in place of the venomous scorpion, on account of the terror which that reptile inspired, as the symbol of Typhon and his malign influences; wherefore the Eagle, as its paranatellon, that is, rising and setting at the same time with it, was naturally used in its stead.”
Sagittarius- Joseph, 'whose bow abides in strength,' is of course the sign of the archer Sagittarius.
Capricorn- Nephtali, 'a hind let loose,' is Capricorn the Goat.
Aquarius- Reuben, 'boiling over with water,' is Aquarius, who holds a vase or cup and pours out the waters of the New Age.
Pisces- Zebulon, 'who shall dwell at the beach of the sea,' is Pisces, the two Fishes. How many beachfront parks are named Zebulon? Oodles, that's how many.
The Llewellyn website, among others, has an article on the subject at http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/472 Llewellyn lists various correlations, some of which are based in descriptions in Deuteronomy rather than Genesis. But I rather prefer the list I have copied out and given to you readers above. For one thing, it logically gives two names for the Twins.
While I am at it I may as well tell you that the Babylonians had a list of 18 zodiac signs. Most of the 12 Greek constellations that make up the Zodiac that we know today, can be found in a “Babylonian star-list from the 7th century, known as the MUL.APIN, but which is thought by scholars to have been compiled around 1000 BCE. The list consists of 17 or 18 ecliptic constellations through which the Moon was seen to pass.” The Zodiacal constellations found in Greek astrology are among them, although six have different names. In The Origins of the Zodiac, Rupert Gleadow lists them as follows:
Zappu, meaning tuft of hair = Pleiades
Gud-an-na, meaning bull of heaven = Hyades
Sib-zi-an-na, meaning faithful shepherd of heaven = Orion
Sugi, meaning charioteer = Perseus
Gamlu, meaning scimitar = Auriga
Mas-tab-ba-gal-gal, meaning great twins = Gemini
Al-lul, meaning crab(?) = Praesepe
Ur-gu-la, meaning lion or lioness = Leo
Ab-sin, meaning furrow = Virgo
Zibanitu, meaning horn or scales = Libra
Gir-tab, meaning scorpion = Scorpio
Pa-bil-sag, meaning unknown = Sagittarius
Suhur-mas, meaning goat-fish = Capricorn
Gu-la, meaning giant(?) = Aquarius
Zibbati, meaning tails = Pisces
Sim-mah, meaning great swallow = southern fish
Anunitum, meaning a goddess = northern fish
Hunga or agru, meaning hireling = Aries
I might note that dividing the solar year by 18 signs gives roughly twenty days per sign. Gee, where have I seen a period of twenty days before? In the Mayan calendar system, which used a system of 20 days overlaid by another system of 13 in order to reconcile the solar and lunar years. Very interesting.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Is the Taurus Bull Really an Auroch?
By Milky Way Maid
Recently I picked up an old novel called Sarum, about the long overview of southern British history centered on the cathedral town of Salisbury. One of the episodes in the more ancient segment was the hunting of an auroch.
An auroch was, according to bestuff.com, "The aurochs or urus (Bos primigenius) was a very large type of cattle that was prevalent in Europe until its extinction in 1627." It stood about two meters high at the shoulder; this was the height of a rare skeleton found in a Danish bog in 1905. The last of the breed died in Poland in 1627. The closest descendants of the auroch include the gaur, the bantang, the zebu, and Spanish fighting cattle. The horns were very distinctive, sweeping forward and up.
The description of the horns matches the traditional images of a Taurus bull, doesn't it?
The auroch is believed to be the ancestor of all domesticated cattle, which are much smaller in size. Attempts to breed a new aurochs from cattle with atavistic characteristics have not been a complete success. A herd was created, but the horns pointed to the sides like with a Texas longhorn, or a water buffalo. Also the colors were not accurate. The bulls were almost always black, and the cows were a reddish color. The recreated herd had more color variety.
The aurochs have been identified as the breed depicted in cave paintings from all over the world. Aurochs ranged from Britain, across Europe and into parts of China. A somewhat different variety was found in India.
Paste the URLs below to read more about this giant breed of cattle.
http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/aurochs.htm
Recently I picked up an old novel called Sarum, about the long overview of southern British history centered on the cathedral town of Salisbury. One of the episodes in the more ancient segment was the hunting of an auroch.
An auroch was, according to bestuff.com, "The aurochs or urus (Bos primigenius) was a very large type of cattle that was prevalent in Europe until its extinction in 1627." It stood about two meters high at the shoulder; this was the height of a rare skeleton found in a Danish bog in 1905. The last of the breed died in Poland in 1627. The closest descendants of the auroch include the gaur, the bantang, the zebu, and Spanish fighting cattle. The horns were very distinctive, sweeping forward and up.
The description of the horns matches the traditional images of a Taurus bull, doesn't it?
The auroch is believed to be the ancestor of all domesticated cattle, which are much smaller in size. Attempts to breed a new aurochs from cattle with atavistic characteristics have not been a complete success. A herd was created, but the horns pointed to the sides like with a Texas longhorn, or a water buffalo. Also the colors were not accurate. The bulls were almost always black, and the cows were a reddish color. The recreated herd had more color variety.
The aurochs have been identified as the breed depicted in cave paintings from all over the world. Aurochs ranged from Britain, across Europe and into parts of China. A somewhat different variety was found in India.
Paste the URLs below to read more about this giant breed of cattle.
http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/aurochs.htm
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