The most famous figures December 22, 2008
Posted by egabriel in History of Magic.Tags: acceptance, ancient, belief, concept, condemnation, deeds, descent, divine, famous, figures, generation, influence, magic, magicians, musician, mysteries, mythical, period, personages, singer, underworld, voice, wife
add a comment
I was always anxious to find when was the rise of positive concept of magic in ancient Greece. While doing my web analytics research, I discovered that this even, possibly took place somewhere in the sixth century b.c. Among the most famous of these figures between Homer and the Hellenistic period, are the Orpheus, Pythagoras, and Empedocles.
Orpheus is a mythical musician and singer, said to have lived in Thrace a generation before Homer. Orphic Mysteries, seems also to have been central to the personages of Pythagoras and Empedocles who lived in the sixth century b.c. Pythagoras for example is said to have described Orpheus, as, the father of melodious songs. Later Aeschylus describes him as the guy who haled all things by the rapture of his voice. This suggests belief in the influence of song and voice in magic. Orpheus is certainly associated with a great many deeds.
The most famous is his descent to the underworld to bring back his wife, Eurydice. Orpheus’ deeds are not usually condemned or spoken of negatively. This suggests that some forms of magic were more acceptable. Indeed the term applied to Orpheus to separate him from magicians of ill repute is a divine man. This fact shows, that there was a fine line between acceptance and condemnation.
Read more …
The use of spirit mediums October 24, 2008
Posted by egabriel in History of Magic.Tags: ancient, circle, class, components, cultural, curious, documents, expectations, influence, instances, magi, magic, magicians, mediums, mysterious, origin, papyri, power, practice, priests, religion, reputation, research, ritual, sources, spells, spirits, symbols, tools, wands, word
add a comment
I was always curious about the origin of the word magic. Through my research for local funeral home directory I learned, that the prototypical “magicians” were a class of priests. These priests were known as the Magi of the ancient religion Zoroastrianism. The reputation of Magi in ancient Persia together with that of Ancient Egypt influenced to a great degree Hellenistic religion. The ancient Greek mystery religions had strongly magical components, and in Egypt, a large number of magical papyri, in Greek, Coptic, and Demotic, have been recovered. These sources contain early instances of much of the magical lore that later became part of Western cultural expectations about the practice of magic, especially ceremonial magic. For example, among all, they contain early instances of the use of “magic words” said to have the power to command spirits. They also first describe the use of “magic” wands and other ritual tools. In these documents we also encounter the use of a magic circle to defend the magician against the spirits he is invoking or evoking and the use of mysterious symbols or sigils thought useful to invoke or evoke spirits.
These ancient documents also in details tell about the use of spirit mediums. For example, many of the spells call for a child to be brought to the magic circle to act as a conduit for messages from the spirits. In the time of the Roman emperor Julian, marked by a reaction against the influence of Christianity, there was a temporary a revival of magical practices. And, of course, all those practices mentioned, above, happily moved into our horror movies and became a great part of sci-fi thrillers and even action movies.
Human ability to control the natural world October 15, 2008
Posted by egabriel in History of Magic.Tags: ability, ancient, ascetics, belief, competition, conceptual, control, cultures, curses, events, forms, history, human, influence, magic, magician, means, meditation, miracles, mystical, objects, paranormal, people, perspective, phenomenon, powers, practices, sorcery, spells, spirituality, Supernatural, system, terms, texts, wizards, world
add a comment
I was always interested in the ancient belief in magic from the perspective of history. It was always amazing to learn how different cultures tried to attach to natural phenomenon supernatural powers. After all, magic, sometimes also known as sorcery, was formed as the whole conceptual system that asserted human ability to control the natural world, including events, objects, people, and physical phenomena, through mystical, paranormal or supernatural means. The term can also refer to the practices employed by a person asserting this influence, and to beliefs that explain various events and phenomena in such terms. Even today, as well as in the past, in many cultures, magic is under pressure from, and in competition with, scientific and religious conceptual systems. As a web analyst I had to go through so many Internet documents to understand how ancients view magic. I learned many things about magic when I was doing a new salvo of researches for local funeral home directory too.
So, let’s start with the land of magic, India. All in all, it has been often stated that India is a land of magic, both supernatural and mundane. Hinduism is one of the few religions that has sacred texts like the Vedas that discuss both white and black magic. There are Vedas that deals with mantras that can be used for both good and bad. The word mantrik in India literally means “magician” since the mantrik usually knows mantras, spells, and curses which can be used for or against forms of magic. Many ascetics after long periods of penance and meditation are alleged to attain a state where they may utilize supernatural powers. However, many say that they choose not to use them and instead focus on transcending beyond physical power into the realm of spirituality. Many wizards, called siddhars are said to have performed miracles that would ordinarily be impossible to perform.
Divination through the planets and stars October 15, 2008
Posted by egabriel in History of Astrology.Tags: advancement, ancient, astrology, astronomy, basis, charlatanry, deception, developing, divination, equinoxes, expression, fate, function, influence, knowledge, manner, planets, precession, proof, science, signs, stars, subject, suspicion, synonym, teachings, theory, wisdom, work, zodiac
add a comment
Under the Greeks and Ptolemy in particular, the planets, Houses, and Signs of the zodiac were rationalized and their function set down in a way that has changed little to the present day. Ptolemy’s work on astronomy was also the basis of Western teachings on the subject for the next thirteen hundred years.
Around 130 B.C. another ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus created the theory of the precession of the equinoxes, for a knowledge of which among the Babylonians we find no definite proof; but such a single advancement in pure science did not prevent the Greeks from developing in a most elaborate manner the theory of the influence of the planets upon the fate of the individual. Ancient Greeks identified Babylonia or Chaldea with astrology. The expression Chaldean wisdom became among Greeks and Romans the synonym of divination through the planets and stars, and it is perhaps not surprising that in the course of time to be known as a Chaldean carried with it frequently the suspicion of charlatanry and of more or less willful deception.
Development of horoscope astrology October 15, 2008
Posted by egabriel in History of Astrology.Tags: astrology, astrological, astrologers, planets, horoscope, works, influence, stars, ancient, system, position, nation, occupation, rule, trace, birth, significant, contribution, ascendant, measure, teachings, perfection, additions, essential, character, development, astronomer, basis, tradition
add a comment
So the question arises – what nation introduced ancient Europeans to astrology? Guys from our local funeral home directory are sure that it was no other but ancient Greeks. They say that it happened right after the occupation of Egypt by Alexander the Great. As you may know, in 332 B.C., Egypt came under Greek rule and influence, and it was in Alexandrian Egypt where horoscope astrology first appeared. The endeavor to trace the horoscope of the individual from the position of the planets and stars at the time of birth represents the most significant contribution of the Greeks to astrology. This system can be labeled as horoscope astrology, because it employed the use of the ascendant, otherwise known as the horoskopos in Greek. Although developed under Hellenistic rule, it was in large measure derived from the teachings of the Babylonians and the Egyptians.
The system was carried to such a degree of perfection that later ages made but few additions of an essential character of drawing up of the individual horoscope by the Greek astrologers. Particularly important in the development of horoscope astrology was the astrologer and astronomer Ptolemy , whose works laid the basis of the Western astrological tradition.
Read more …
Mayan calendar and Mayan astrology September 19, 2008
Posted by egabriel in History of Astrology.Tags: ancient, astrologer, astrology, beginning, calendar, constellation, curious, cycle, evidence, horoscope, influence, life, mayan, movements, observatory, planets, priest, profession, ritual, rulers, solar, superstitions, system, victim, warfare, year, zodiac
add a comment
Ancient astrology. It is an interesting subject. Call me superstitious, but where do we turn in the times of crisis? Recently I read curious stuff about Mayan astrology. It turns out that the distinctive Mayan calendar and Mayan astrology have been in use in Meso-America from at least the 6th Century BC. There were two main calendars, one plotting the solar year of 365 days, which governed the planting of crops and other domestic matters; the other called the Tzolkin of 260 days, which governed ritual use. Each was linked to an elaborate astrological system to cover every facet of life.
On the fifth day after the birth of a boy, the Mayan astrologer-priests would cast his horoscope to see what his profession was to be: soldier, priest, civil servant or sacrificial victim. A 584 day Venus cycle was also maintained, which tracked the appearance and conjunctions of Venus. Planet Venus was seen as a generally inauspicious and baleful influence, and Mayan rulers often planned the beginning of warfare to coincide with when Venus rose. There is evidence that the Maya also tracked the movements of Mercury, Mars and Jupiter, and possessed a zodiac of some kind. The Mayan name for the constellation Scorpio was also ’scorpion’, isn’t it something?
There is evidence for other constellations being named after various beasts, but it remains unclear. The most famous Mayan astrological observatory still intact is the Caracol observatory in the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in modern day Mexico.
Influence of stars September 12, 2008
Posted by egabriel in History of Astrology.Tags: ancient, astrological, astrology, astronomy, belief, branches, connection, cosmos, crisis, cultures, history, human, influence, lives, matters, nations, report, research, science, stars, study, superstition, time
add a comment
While working on my research for funeral home directory, I started thinking more about the influence of stars, in general, and astrology on our lives. I know, what you are going to say – this is not a real science, it is a superstition, etc, etc. Well, a lot of people would agree with you and then in the time of crisis would check in privacy of their homes astrological reports. And I am not an exception, at least I admit this.
As you may well know, the history of astrology encompasses a great span of human history and many cultures. The belief in a connection between the cosmos and terrestrial matters has also played an important part in human history. Basically, there are three main independent branches of astrology: Western, Indian, and Chinese. The study of Western astrology and the belief in it, as part of astronomy, is found in a developed form among the ancient Babylonians; and directly or indirectly through the Babylonians, it spread to other nations. It came to Greece about the middle of the 4th century B.C., and reached Rome before the advent of the Christian era. In India and China, astronomy and astrology developed largely independently.
