The unknown is a terrifying notion. Humans, as naturally curious beings, are afraid of the vague future and continually search for methods and beliefs that may combat this ambiguity. Ancient peoples of the great hearths of humanity – the Chinese, the Mesopotamians, the Indians, and the Egyptians – have relied on the universe for millenniums in attempts to decipher the unknown (Saliba). With hopes of somehow seeking validation from the universe, they have vigorously studied the motion of celestial bodies in relation to everyday life, making astrology, as American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson voices, “astronomy brought down to earth and applied to the affairs of men.” Since the stars and planets were first studied, scarily precise predictions …show more content…
The ancient peoples based astrology off religion, both polytheistic and monotheistic, as well as off scientific calculations to try and predict the unknown future (Schoener). Fundamentally, astrology stems from religion because only the enigmatic concept that nature is “guided by powers and forces from beyond … can [astrologers] assume that the stars have something to do with the course of our lives” (Shoener). According to Shoener, “All the events in the cosmos and on earth are linked together by an invisible magic bond,” which is believed to be a single divine figure, like God, or multiple religious entities, as believed in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Essentially, without a religious aspect, astrology would simply be astronomy. Scientifically, astrologers are uncannily similar to astronomers, studying and calculating complex “movements of the earth and the heavenly bodies” after meticulously splitting the sky into twelve identical thirty-degree segments for each birth month (Schoener). Other calculations, such as how fast specific stars move to determine their location at a certain time, are used to predict one’s future with the belief that those born under the same star will face a similar fate. Ultimately, it is the religious aspect of astrology that most critics target to uproot its
Ancient Pueblo Indians had a great understanding of astronomy. All of the pueblos in the canyon were aligned to match the movements of the sun and moon. Also, they marked their complexes with daggers and spirals to keep up with the moon cycles and sun movements. The film explains that the moon moves north for nearly ten years and then south for about ten years. To fully understand this cycle of the moon, Pueblo people had to study it for years in order to build their Pueblos in relations to it. The sun however, was different because it set and rose in the same position. The concept of building structures in an astronomical pattern this complex cannot be found anywhere else.
The surest foundation for the origin of science in its practical form is to be found in the ìco–rdination and standardization of the knowledge of common sense and of industry.î[1] One of the first occurrences of this co–rdination can be traced back to 2500 BCE in the form of edicts from the ancient Babylonian rulers, who issued royal standards of length, weight and capacity. Non-Semitic Sumerians also laid down the elements of mathematics and geometry at that time, making use of fractions, decimals, circles and radial angles. But knowledge as we know it today was tightly woven with magical notions, and as both spread westward they instilled in European thought a reverence for ìspecial numbers, their connections to the gods and the application of geometrical diagrams to the prediction of the future.î[2] As well, the ancient Babylonians were fascinated by the heavens. They were the first to make a map of the stars and associate them with animals like the Ram, Crab and Scorpion, names that we still use to this day. They also realized the periodicity and reliability of astronomical movement and phenomena, and were soon able to predict many of them. Tablets have been found dating to the sixth century BCE that predicted the relative positions of the sun and moon, as well as forecasted the occurrences of eclipses.[3] Out of all this knowledge the Babylonians built up a fantastic system of astrology, through which the starsówhich were thought to fix and foretell the course of human affairsówould give up their secrets.
Campion, N. "Prophecy, Cosmology And The new Age Movement: The Extent and Nature of Contemporary Belief In Astrology".(PhD Thesis, Bath Spa University College 2004)
Religion and Science are two conflicting forces that guide our rationality and our beliefs. Science takes a more practical and concrete approach to finding the answers to our questions through testing and evidence. Religion is centered on our minds and human spirituality and finding answers to things from our own perspective and ideology. However different they may be they serve the same purpose in our society; it is a means to answer some of the burning questions that we do not have answers to. The short story, “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke plays on the idea of the two vastly different ideas and intertwining and portraying the narrator as both a scientific and religious figure. The narrator firmly believes that the two ideas are truly connected but faces a revelation and that forces him to rethink about his ideology.
The basic astrological assumptions are not hard to grasp. For if astronomy is the study of the movements of the heavenly bodies, then astrology is the study of the effects of those movements. The astronomers of the ancient world assumed a division of the universe whereby the superior, immutable bodies of the celestial worlds ruled over the terrestrial or sublunary sphere, where all was mortality and change. It was assumed that the stars had special qualities and influences which were transmitted downwards upon the passive earth, and which varied in their effect, according to the changing relationship of the heavenly bodies to each other. They were led to postulate a single system in which the seven moving stars or planet shifted their position in relation to the earth and each other, against a fixed backcloth of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
The Aztec peoples culture revolved around agricultural and also equated religion to survival. Aztec priests and leaders researched movements of the sun and the planets in the sky. To do this they created and followed a set of calendars to track planetary and solar events to make important decisions such as when to plant crops and which season certain crops would produce the best harvest. These practices went with the lunar, solar, and planetary events were planned religious
I spent plenty of hours studying at night meditating in front of a bowl filled with water and herbs. It helped me see visions that were my predictions for the future. In 1550, I wrote my first almanac of astrological information and predictions for the future. The town loved my book because it helped farmers , merchants, and even entertained the locals. In 1555, I published Les Prophesies, a long-term predictions I saw of the up coming years. People thought I was working for the devil and others said I gone insane or I'm faking it. Catherine de Medici called upon me after reading my book. She wanted me to come to Paris so I can tell her the horoscopes for her son. I informed her that "young lion who would overcome an older one on the field of battle. The young lion would pierce the eye of the older one and he would die a cruel death.' I warned the king Henri that he should steer clear of ceremonial jousting. Years later, he died from what I
Conflict between science and religion has been around way before Charles Darwin’s published book, Origin of the Species, came to be (“The Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design Controversy”). Which is a book that is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology, featuring the idea of ‘natural selection.’ Some people believe that we as humans have evolved as the most intelligent and advanced species on the planet, while others think we have been placed here and designed for a reason. Many debates and court cases have come to be because of these two ideas of science versus religion. Although there are many debates between the two, the ideas overturn when the parties overlook the distinction between that which cannot be proven (faith), compared with that which has not been proven (theory) (Lipman, Robert M.). Theories, including evolution, can and should be investigated with appropriate scientific diligence (Lipman, Robert M.).
The argument is that some people question why the description of the sign does not fit them. The answer is that there are three parts to the birth chart: the sun, the moon, and the ascendant. The sun (fast) travels through all 12 zodiac signs during the course of approximately a year. The moon (faster) travels through all 12 zodiac signs during the course of approximately a month, and the ascendant (fastest): travels through all 12 zodiac signs during the course of a 24 hour day. Also, a birth chart and interpretation or either a horoscope and compatibility report cannot be accurate for everyone born under a specific zodiac sign unless the astrologer has accurate information about the time of birth, date of birth and place of birth. Sometimes the time is not known and an astrologer will use 12:01 P.M. which, while not as accurate as it should be, will put one as close to the target as possible. Without this information everything one reads about one’s sign anywhere will be generalized information.
At first glance, many facets of science and religion seem to be in direct conflict with each other. Because of this, I have generally kept them confined to separate spheres in my life. I have always thought that science is based on reason and cold, hard facts and is, therefore, objective. New ideas have to be proven many times by different people to be accepted by the wider scientific community, data and observations are taken with extreme precision, and through journal publications and papers, scientists are held accountable for the accuracy and integrity of their work. All of these factors contributed to my view of science as objective and completely truthful. Religion, on the other hand, always seems fairly subjective. Each person has their own personal relationship with God, and even though people often worship as a larger community with common core beliefs, it is fine for one person’s understanding of the Bible and God to be different from another’s. Another reason that Christianity seems so subjective is that it is centered around God, but we cannot rationally prove that He actually exists (nor is obtaining this proof of great interest to most Christians). There are also more concrete clashes, such as Genesis versus the big bang theory, evolution versus creationism, and the finality of death versus the Resurrection that led me to separate science and religion in my life. Upon closer examination, though, many of these apparent differences between science and Christianity disappeared or could at least be reconciled. After studying them more in depth, science and Christianity both seem less rigid and inflexible. It is now clear that intertwined with the data, logic, and laws of scien...
Since the first Egyptian farmers discovered the annual reappearance of Sirius just before dawn a few days before the yearly rising of the Nile, ancient civilizations around the Mediterranean have sought to explain the movements of the heavens as a sort of calendar to help guide them conduct earthly activities. Counting phases of the moon or observing the annual variations of day length could, after many years' collection of observations, serve as vital indicators for planting and harvesting times, safe or stormy season for sailing, or time to bring the flocks from winter to summer pastures. With our millennia of such observation behind us, we sometimes forget that seeing and recording anything less obvious than the rough position of sun or nightly change of moon phase requires inventing both accurate observation tools (a stone circle, a gnomon used to indicate the sun's shadow, a means to measure the position of stars in the sky) and a system of recording that could be understood by others. The ancient Greeks struggled with these problems too, using both native technology and inquiry, and drawing upon the large body of observations and theories gradually gleaned from their older neighbors across the sea, Egypt and Babylonia. Gradually moving from a system of gods and divine powers ordering the world to a system of elements, mathematics, and physical laws, the Greeks slowly adapted old ideas to fit into a less supernatural, hyper-rational universe.
Astronomy dates back to ancient times when peoples such as the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Chinese kept written records of astronomical events and occurrences. Today’s seven day week originates from the Babylonians’ seven important bodies in the night sky: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. The ancient Egyptians used the stars to align their pyramids and many of their corridors in almost perfect north-south or east-west directions. The Chinese were experts at predicting solar eclipses. They believed that a solar eclipse was a dangerous warning. Chinese astronomers were executed if they failed to predict an eclipse.
The relationship between science and religion has been debated for many years. With strong personal opinions and beliefs, it is not surprising that no progress has been made in this argument. In my opinion, I feel as though religion and science have to be related in some way. There is no possible way people can separate two things that attempt to prove the same facts. My belief is that a metaphorical bridge has to be formed to connect the two. Personally, I feel as though science can be a compliment to religion, and that the scientific discoveries can and should be used to prove that God exists, not disprove it. If science did this, then the relationship between science and religion could be a friendly one. If that happened, people could stop debating and fighting over the two, allowing priests and scientists to talk and work together peacefully.
In " An Astrologer’s Day", an astrologer meets a stranger and tells his fortune. Surprisingly, the "fake" astrologer managed to tell what was true for the stranger. Then, it is only when the astrologer reveals his secret, did we know how his "magic" worked.