...Astronomy or Astrology? Have you ever finally just gave in to the temptation and read your horoscope in the newspaper on Sunday morning? Sure, we all have. For most of us, itís a curiosity, an amusement to see what they say our day will be like based on the sign of the zodiac that we were born under. Sometimes we forget that this little diversion is actually part of an ancient science called astrology that has had a powerful effect on many cultures dating back to centuries before Christ. That is not to say that astrology is a dead art today. It is easy to find astrology advocates in every town, advertising in the newspaper and on television trying to convince us that they can tell our fortune, our future and help cure our ills by exploring the mysteries of astrology. When you are a lover of astronomy, the confusion between astronomy and astrology by those who donít really understand the differences can get pretty aggravating. And in early civilizations, the two disciplines were not separate. Astrology was just the religious side of the science of astronomy. So what changed? The most significant shift that set in motion the separation of the two lines of thought began in the first century when Ptolemy wrote the very first book on astronomy called the Tetrabiblos. In it, he began to suggest that astronomy should be considered a separate science from astrology. It was quite a revolutionary book because it also was the first scientific document to suggest that...
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...Passage 6 – In Defense of Astrology 1[Astrology needs to be taken more seriously as an art and science that can contribute to human well-being.] 2[A great deal of evidence points to the truth of astrology.] 3[Astrology has been practiced for over six thousand years], and 4[millions of people have based their lives and life choices on it.] 5[Until the eighteenth century, astrology was even used as a form of medical diagnosis.] 6[Its diagnoses and prescriptions were considered at the time to be far more reliable and efficacious than those of the medical practitioners of the time.] 7[Since the middle of the twentieth century, countless scientific studies that have ultimately supported the basic principles of astrology have been conducted.] 8[Michel Gauquelin, a noted French statistician, spent much of his life using statistical methods to investigate astrology;] 9[he established the truth of a number of claims, including the Mars effect, which proved a relationship between the planet Mars and outstanding athletes.] 10[Every year at New Year’s, astrologers make predictions about what will happen in the coming twelve months.] 11[These predictions have a high rate of success.] 12[Jeanne Dixon, a noted astrologer, even predicted the assassination of President John F. Kennedy,] demonstrating that 13[those who claim that astrological predictions are vague are wrong.] Probably most important, 14[astrologers make analyses of individual personality traits based...
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...Claudius Ptolemy is a famous ancient scholar.Ptolemy is famous for his works and specialization in astronomy, geography, cartography, mathematics, and astrology. His works range from the Almagest, a series of thirteen books dedicated to astronomy. The use of mathematics to was used to prove his theories and observations of an Earth-centered universe. His works on astronomy, such as the Geocentric model, are well renowned for their Earth-centered theories. Ptolemy’s theories and works lasted for thousands of years until astronomers such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Kepler came into the picture to test their theories against the longstanding theory of Ptolemy’s geocentric model. Not only was Ptolemy famous for his works on astronomy and the Almagest but the famous Greek was also fond of astrology from a scientific view point. Astrology was an important study back in ancient Greece and Ptolemy’s skills did not leave that off of his knowledge. He published one of the most famous books in astrology named the Tetrabiblos. The addition of the Geographia by Ptolemy himself allowed the Greeks to excel their understanding of their environments geography. Claudius Ptolemy was born in Alexandria, Egypt around 90 AD. Some information differs on the originality of the name Ptolemy. For example, the name Ptolemy was a common name in ancient Greece. “Claudius” came from the first Roman rule of Egypt as a common name. Following the lost of Roman rule, Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian general of...
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...What was Astrology’s original purpose? How has it strayed and how authentic is it? Astrology is the study of different movements and placements of celestial objects in the universe and how these objects relate to human occurrences, and other earthly events. Astrology is a study that has been practiced for over thousands of years and is one of the oldest sciences. It was first used to predict seasonal shifts (such as the rain season or the dry season) but eventually adapted into telling certain terrestrial events by one’s movements and placements. The natural world and the happenings in it were always very important to many cultures, and ancient ethnic groups, such as the Egyptians, who used the stars and planets to foreshadow what would happen in the near future, and how it would affect the land, crops, and environment. (wikipedia)...
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...major calendars that are used to predict and what they mean. Third I will explain the solar galactic and what happened at each time this has occurred. Fourth I will explain what the Mayan’s believe will happen in 2012 so you can make your own belief’s on the Mayan’s version of the world ending. I. Who are the Mayan’s? (http://www.indians.org/welker/maya.htm) A. The Mayan’s were an Indian civilization that first began between the times Period. Of 250 A.D. to 1500 B.C. and were Mesoamerican’s. 1. They were Mesoamerican’s between of their location in Central Mexico to Honduras’s and Niangua. B. The Mayan’s were one of the most advance early civilizations because of their information and accuracy in math, science, astronomy and human consciences. C. Downfall of this civilization was in 1542 due to the Spanish conquest but their ancestry still lives on in many...
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...Irp 2 Belief System Research Question What are superstitions and does it influence people? 1)Context : Belief systems are just stories that we tell ourselves in order to define our personal sense of "reality". Every person in the world has a belief system that they utilize, and it is through this mechanism that we individually, "make sense" of the world around us. Superstition is a belief—that one event causes another without any natural process linking the two events—such as astrology, religion, omens, witchcraft, prophecies, etc., that contradicts natural science. I have heard that various people of different parts of the world follow different kinds of beliefs. This made me very curious as this was quite new to me. So I decided...
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...Astronomy is a natural science that is the study of celestial objects (such as moons, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies), thephysics, chemistry, mathematics, and evolution of such objects, and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth, including supernovae explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cosmic background radiation. A related but distinct subject, cosmology, is concerned with studying the universe as a whole.[1]Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Prehistoric cultures left behind astronomical artifacts such as the Egyptian monuments andNubian monuments, and early civilizations such as the Babylonians, Greeks, Chinese, Indians, Iranians and Maya performed methodical observations of the night sky. However, the invention of the telescope was required before astronomy was able to develop into a modern science. Historically, astronomy has included disciplines as diverse as astrometry, celestial navigation, observational astronomy, and the making of calendars, but professional astronomy is nowadays often considered to be synonymous with astrophysics.[2]During the 20th century, the field of professional astronomy split into observational and theoretical branches. Observational astronomy is focused on acquiring data from observations of astronomical objects, which is then analyzed using basic principles of physics. Theoretical astronomy is oriented toward the development of computer or analytical models to describe astronomical objects and phenomena. The two fields...
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...Notes Muhurta (Electional Astrology) B. V. RAMAN [pic] Contents • Chapter I. The Importance of Muhurtha • Chapter II. General Hints • Chapter III. The Birth Star and the Birth Moon • Chapter IV. Influence of Constellations • Chapter V. Special Adverse Yogas and their Neutralisation • Chapter VI. On Certain Special Yogas • Chapter VII. Pre-Natal Ceremonies • Chapter VIII. Post-Natal Ceremonies • Chapter XI. Marriage • Chapter X. Elections Concerning General Matters • Chapter XI. Elections Pertaining to Education • Chapter XII. House Building • Chapter XIII. Agriculture and Farming • Chapter XIV. Travel • Chapter XV. Medical Elections • Chapter XVI. Public Matters • Chapter XVII. Miscellaneous Elections • Chapter XVIII. Summary [pic] Chapter I The Importance of Muhurtha The value of Time is inestimable. All objects in nature are produced in Time, developed in Time and destroyed in Time. The truth of these statements requires no further proof. It stands unchallenged. Here we have a grand problem for solution. If the creative, protective and destructive forces are embedded in the all-Powerful Time recognised as the great KALAPURUSHA in the astrological literature, then will it not be reasonable to study the influences of the various energies issued from the solar globe and from the other globes dependent upon the Sun for their supply of all vital energies and reflected by...
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...HISTORY Name Class Date During the early Middle Ages, magic was seen as a science that was practical and required certain intensive study and skills. Magic was, therefore, part of the culture, and there were professional magicians who were found all over even in king’s courts. The magicians even could take apprentices. They were a significant part of the society. As the European society became more self-conscious and articulate, the notion that magic was a science began to fade and was linked with heresy and other negative thoughts like sorcery. The society came to reject the notion of safe and learned magic. There was even a purge to get rid of all magicians that were in England. If one were caught, practicing magic, spiritual and temporal punishments was accorded to them. The magician became to be treated and known as the latter day witches. The book looks into the complex that came from the transformation from the magician, to the witch and the various laws that came into effect during the Medieval times about the two. The book aids us in placing our understanding of medieval magic that was later known as witchcraft. Although heresy was part of the bad image that magic was furnished with hearsay, another was the long-standing Christian teachings that were about magic especially the learned magic that was rampant during the time. This led to later developments of magic turning into witchcraft. The earlier magic was tied to the culture and the way a people...
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...Religion and Science: The relationship between science and religion up until the 6th century were one in the same. Philosophers believed that natural occurrences were due to a divine power. Earthquakes and thunderstorms were merely upset gods showing their wrath. Individuals sought to learn the language of the gods to comprehend these phenomena. After the 6th century, new ideas formed that excluded the gods. These philosophers did not personify nature. They believed the world to be orderly and predictable. This brought on a renaissance of thought. By examining everything up to this point in history, the distinction between science and religion became clear. This rift spawned modern thought and science as we know it. Primitive science originated from man’s desire to speak to the gods and learn about natural phenomena in the world. Almost all of the ancient civilizations (Egyptians, Babylonians, etc.) had myths and beliefs about the origin of the human race and the formation of major topographical features. Up until about the 6th century, people believed in demon possessions, ghosts, and a variety of other invisible ailment-causing entities. They also believed that magic rituals allowed one to control these anomalies. Such individuals were generally held in esteem amongst the community. The reason why such myths were taken as fact for so long is attributed to the notion of “oral tradition.” Oral tradition was a method of keeping culture alive before there was a written record...
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...Science and its Evolution Science which comes from the Latin word scire, to know, I would say is method of observing natural events and conditions so that we can discover facts about them and to formulate laws based on these observations. Another way of defining science is to say that it is the philosophy that the natural world can be known through human reason and that nature is rational, ordered and regular. When things seem irrational in human eyes, the scientific answer is to say that we don’t have enough data to solve the problem. Also, science has several branches under it such as biology, physics, geology, and astronomy, to name a few. Modern science has been evolving since the foundation was laid by the first scientists ways back then. It wasn’t always highly regarded; it emerged from the darkness of mysticism, alchemy, astrology, and better yet, sorcery. Metaphysics was the first attempt to give rational explanations for natural phenomena. Overall any field was used to try to give an explanation to unanswered questions, some people agree with these “answers” and some people don’t. Ancient civilizations practiced what we now refer to as applied science and mathematics. The discoveries made during these times were sought for practical uses. Counting could’ve been the fundamental beginning of recording information. (Isenhour, 2013) Babylonians, Egyptians and other ancient civilizations practiced astronomy and engineering. Astronomy was and is still useful for the...
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...Symbols of faith final paper Biblical Numerology Backstage | The world is composed of complicated mathematics. We often speak of its ability to expose and explain a number of beliefs and scientific happenings. Truth is, it has found itself to be both the ‘chicken and the egg’ to most arguments. Numerical significance can be both a proof, demonstration of an idea, or it can be the reason for the thought, concept, or philosophy. By definition, scholars believe that numerology is the placing of meaning on numbers in the Scriptures. Numerology is by no means restricted to Christianity, even though we choose to make it our focus for the purpose of this paper. Numerology attempts to explain the reason why God used numbers as he did, and what he was potentially trying to tell us. Thorough analysis and interpretation efforts have taken place along the years, in other to find meaning behind this scientific, most often philosophical, symbol use. “The Pythagoreans made number games philosophically respectable, and the great authority of Plato raised mathematics into theological realms. But at the lowest level, numbers remained magical.” The fall of the Roman Empire, caused a challenging transition for many, especially in terms of religion. From Paganism to Christianity, many had to look for a meaning, and be convinced, or understand, regardless of doubts that a new religion was to emerge. The early years of Christianity revolved around strong thinkers who were...
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...MATHEMATICS has played a significant role in the development of Indian culture for millennia. Mathematical ideas that originated in the Indian subcontinent have had a profound impact on the world. Swami Vivekananda said: ‘you know how many sciences had their origin in India. Mathematics began there. You are even today counting 1, 2, 3, etc. to zero, after Sanskrit figures, and you all know that algebra also originated in India.’ It is also a fitting time to review the contributions of Indian mathematicians from ancient times to the present, as in 2010, India will be hosting the International Congress of Mathematicians. This quadrennial meeting brings together mathematicians from around the world to discuss the most significant developments in the subject over the past four years and to get a sense of where the subject is heading in the next four. The idea of holding such a congress at regular intervals actually started at The Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893. This exhibition had sessions to highlight the advancement of knowledge in different fields. One of these was a session on mathematics. Another, perhaps more familiar to readers of Prabuddha Bharata, was the famous Parliament of Religions in which Swami Vivekananda first made his public appearance in the West. Following the Chicago meeting, the first International Congress of Mathematicians took place in Zurich in 1897. It was at the next meeting at Paris in 1900 that Hilbert...
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..."Nevertheless the sands have destroyed only the body of ancient Egypt Civilization; its spirit survives in the lore and memory of our race" Some major contributions of Ancient Egypt to world culture are the inventions of pyramids, glass, linen, paper, ink, the calendar, the clock, arts, crafts, geometry and the alphabet. Ancient Egypt was big on Architecture by designing handmade Pyramids. Such as Kufu’s Pyramid, which was so complex in design elements that it still remains a mystery. Astronomy, Astrology and time helped the world distinguish the two. Observers did time keeping, and prediction of future and fate was something they called single “ science”. Astronomers calculated the length of a solar year with an accuracy of six minutes, then divided the year into twelve month, a month into four weeks, and a day into twenty-four hours. This system the astronomers came up with proved to be accurate and successful, as it is reflected now in the cycle of seasons. Today we use that system in everyday life. Before spring arrives we set our clocks forward due to change in seasons and daylight savings. The arts and crafts of the Egyptians, was the design of huge pyramids, sculptures of items that were placed in the pyramids and tombs when people died. The jewelry and clothing was very unique and stylish. Especially those of upper class or hierarchy. Egyptian climate with its hot summers and mild winters required light clothing made from plant fibers, predominantly linen. The Kings...
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...Famous Creative Thinkers PHL 458 April 2, 2015 Famous Creative Thinkers Carl Sagan was known as an American Scientist and was born November 9, 1934 and died December 20, 1996. Carl Sagan was a pioneer in many countries scientific realm and is known throughout the world as the renowned astrophysicist of our known generation. He was also an achieved astronomer, cosmologist, astrobiologist, author, scientist, and writer. Dr. Sagan published more than 600 scientific papers and over 20 books during his lifetime. Dr. Sagan spent most of his professional career as a professor of astrology at Cornell University. Dr. Sagan grew up as a young boy in Brooklyn, NY in the early 40's. His mother was very religious and his father a Ukrainian immigrant who worked in a garment industry. Carl was an avid reader of science fiction and did not play sports. Carl Sagan was an avid science researcher, and many of his books and writings clashed with the religious groups. Carl often would talk about life on other planets or solar systems and how could Earth be the center of the Universe if we as a species had never experienced or seen other beings or worlds. The religious sect of society had their negative views of Dr. Sagan and fought to reduce funding of his program on PBS Known as "Cosmos". They eventually won these funding arguments, and the program was discontinued. “Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion...
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