"A comet that suddenly brightened earlier this week has astronomers around the globe fascinated. And the show could go on for some time.
Comet Holmes, discovered in 1892, had in recent years been visible only through telescopes until a dramatic outburst made it visible to the naked eye. In fewer than 24 hours, it brightened by a factor of nearly 400,000.
It has now brightened by a factor of a million times what it was before the outburst, a change "absolutely unprecedented in the annals of cometary astronomy," said Joe Rao, SPACE.com's Skywatching Columnist.
The comet is now rivaling some of the brighter stars in the sky." More->
SPACE.com
Comets Through Time: Myth and Mystery
Video
Unexpected Visitors: The Theory of the Influence of Comets,
by Jonathan Flanery
"History records many portents in the Heavens. Recently we have seen a few as well. Comet Ikeya-Zhang a few years ago, the bright comets of the 90s, Nova 1987a and others. Brilliant meteor displays. We know a great deal about the physics and astronomical data behind these phenomena but little about their astrological and philosophical significance. To most they are merely a celestial light show. To some they are a source of fear and terror. To a very few, they are messengers of coming changes and events. Except for a few periodic comets and regular meteor showers, these apparitions are unexpected and we astrologers are usually at a loss as to what they signify except perhaps with hindsight." More->
Comets
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Mars Retrograde 2007
Astrology on the Web: Mars Retrograde
"On November 15, 2007, Mars reaches his retrograde station, in preparation for a period of retrograde motion which will last until January 30th, 2008. On top of that, the effects of the retrograde period will continue to be felt until he returns in direct motion on April 4th, 2008 to the degree where he first made his station (12° Cancer 27'). The first beginnings of the effect take place from October 20, as Mars begins to slow, so prepare for issues to cloud, especially if you have strong Cardinal Sign placements in your chart. The Cardinal Signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.
Mars turns retrograde only once every two years and two months, but the effects of each period differ, according to the sign in which it happens (see box for Mars Retrograde 2007)." More->
Mars Retrograde
"On November 15, 2007, Mars reaches his retrograde station, in preparation for a period of retrograde motion which will last until January 30th, 2008. On top of that, the effects of the retrograde period will continue to be felt until he returns in direct motion on April 4th, 2008 to the degree where he first made his station (12° Cancer 27'). The first beginnings of the effect take place from October 20, as Mars begins to slow, so prepare for issues to cloud, especially if you have strong Cardinal Sign placements in your chart. The Cardinal Signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.
Mars turns retrograde only once every two years and two months, but the effects of each period differ, according to the sign in which it happens (see box for Mars Retrograde 2007)." More->
Mars Retrograde
Friday, October 26, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Michael Lutin Interview
Vanity Fair astrologer Michael Lutin, talks about his new book, "Sunshines: The Astrology of Being Happy".
YouTube
YouTube
Monday, October 22, 2007
Wildfires Blaze Across California
"Wildfires burning out of control are continuing to threaten thousands of homes in the US state of California. At least one person has been killed and some 250,000 people evacuated as the fires spread, fanned by fierce winds.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven counties, with 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) burnt from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
Some of the worst damage is in Malibu, where many show business stars, among them Mel Gibson and Sting, have homes. Officials say the ground is tinder-dry after a record summer heat wave.
"It's a tragic time for California," said Mr Schwarzenegger, as he toured the charred shells of buildings in Malibu." More->
BBC News Article
Astrometeorologist Carolyn Egan shares her predictions.
Weathersage Blog
The CA Fires and the Meaning of Saturn-Ketu(South Node),
by Moses Siregar III
Article
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven counties, with 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) burnt from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
Some of the worst damage is in Malibu, where many show business stars, among them Mel Gibson and Sting, have homes. Officials say the ground is tinder-dry after a record summer heat wave.
"It's a tragic time for California," said Mr Schwarzenegger, as he toured the charred shells of buildings in Malibu." More->
BBC News Article
Astrometeorologist Carolyn Egan shares her predictions.
Weathersage Blog
The CA Fires and the Meaning of Saturn-Ketu(South Node),
by Moses Siregar III
Article
Friday, October 19, 2007
Bhutto Attack in Karachi
KARACHI, Pakistan: The death toll rose to 134 killed and 450 wounded Friday following explosions just feet from a truck carrying the returning opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Thursday night, in what regional authorities and Bhutto said was a suicide attack by Islamist militants.
Bhutto had retreated inside the armored truck a few minutes before the attack and was unhurt, but scores of people were killed among the huge crowds of perhaps 200,000 or more. It was a bloody end to the triumphal tenor of her homecoming after eight years in exile. She was returning to lead her party in the parliamentary elections scheduled for January.
Accounts of the attack differed somewhat: local security officials blamed a lone suicide bomber, but Bhutto was quoted by The Associated Press as saying that there were several attackers.
"We believe democracy alone can save Pakistan from disintegration and a militant takeover," she added. "We are prepared to risk our lives and we are prepared to risk our liberty, but we are not prepared to surrender our great nation to the militants."
Article
The horoscope of Pakistan's independence from British rule is set for Aug. 15, 1947, at midnight in Karachi- the former capital. This chart has nebulous Neptune currently opposing the Sun- symbol of the nation's leadership, from May 2006 until Dec. 2008. President Musharraf's hold on power has been tenuous of late, and he continues to face uncertain times ahead under the influence of Neptune.
On Nov. 15, 2007, fiery Mars stationing near Pakistan's Progressed Ascendant(13 Cancer), suggests a fleeting period of heightened violence. But the major transit on the horizon, is dark Pluto moving into opposition with the nation's Mars(1 Cancer) in Feb. 2008, which initiates a long-term period of extremely, intense power struggles.
The Aries ingress(Spring Equinox) chart for 2008, shows a t-square between the Sun, Mars, and Pluto. And thus many world leaders(Sun) will be engaged in violent, power struggles to maintain their control. Clearly, President Musharraf and Dubya Bush fall into this category.
Both solar eclipses in 2008 appear relevant to the rule of Musharraf in Pakistan. The Feb. 7 annular solar eclipse(18 Aquarius) opposes his natal Sun(18 Leo), with a violent Mars-Pluto opposition on the angles(points of manifestation) in Islamabad. And the total solar eclipse of Aug. 1, 2008, falls on Musharraf's Jupiter-Pluto conjunction- the planets mainly responsible for his rise to power. This latter eclipse is especially significant for the United States, where it rises in D.C., and hits Bush's chart dead on. The solar eclipse may be the final nail in the coffin of his disastrous reign- God help us. Furthermore- the contact from this eclipse to the U.S.(July 4, 1776) Nodes, suggests a major turning point for the nation's collective sense of manifest destiny.
Mundane Horoscope of Pakistan:
Pakistan
Bhutto had retreated inside the armored truck a few minutes before the attack and was unhurt, but scores of people were killed among the huge crowds of perhaps 200,000 or more. It was a bloody end to the triumphal tenor of her homecoming after eight years in exile. She was returning to lead her party in the parliamentary elections scheduled for January.
Accounts of the attack differed somewhat: local security officials blamed a lone suicide bomber, but Bhutto was quoted by The Associated Press as saying that there were several attackers.
"We believe democracy alone can save Pakistan from disintegration and a militant takeover," she added. "We are prepared to risk our lives and we are prepared to risk our liberty, but we are not prepared to surrender our great nation to the militants."
Article
The horoscope of Pakistan's independence from British rule is set for Aug. 15, 1947, at midnight in Karachi- the former capital. This chart has nebulous Neptune currently opposing the Sun- symbol of the nation's leadership, from May 2006 until Dec. 2008. President Musharraf's hold on power has been tenuous of late, and he continues to face uncertain times ahead under the influence of Neptune.
On Nov. 15, 2007, fiery Mars stationing near Pakistan's Progressed Ascendant(13 Cancer), suggests a fleeting period of heightened violence. But the major transit on the horizon, is dark Pluto moving into opposition with the nation's Mars(1 Cancer) in Feb. 2008, which initiates a long-term period of extremely, intense power struggles.
The Aries ingress(Spring Equinox) chart for 2008, shows a t-square between the Sun, Mars, and Pluto. And thus many world leaders(Sun) will be engaged in violent, power struggles to maintain their control. Clearly, President Musharraf and Dubya Bush fall into this category.
Both solar eclipses in 2008 appear relevant to the rule of Musharraf in Pakistan. The Feb. 7 annular solar eclipse(18 Aquarius) opposes his natal Sun(18 Leo), with a violent Mars-Pluto opposition on the angles(points of manifestation) in Islamabad. And the total solar eclipse of Aug. 1, 2008, falls on Musharraf's Jupiter-Pluto conjunction- the planets mainly responsible for his rise to power. This latter eclipse is especially significant for the United States, where it rises in D.C., and hits Bush's chart dead on. The solar eclipse may be the final nail in the coffin of his disastrous reign- God help us. Furthermore- the contact from this eclipse to the U.S.(July 4, 1776) Nodes, suggests a major turning point for the nation's collective sense of manifest destiny.
Mundane Horoscope of Pakistan:
Pakistan
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Worlds Oldest Wall Painting
Worlds Oldest Wall Painting Unearthed in Syria
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - French archaeologists have discovered an 11,000-year-old wall painting underground in northern Syria which they believe is the oldest in the world.
The 2 square-meter painting, in red, black and white, was found at the Neolithic settlement of Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates, northeast of the city of Aleppo, team leader Eric Coqueugniot told Reuters.
"It looks like a modernist painting. Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by (Paul) Klee. Through carbon dating we established it is from around 9,000 B.C.," Coqueugniot said." More->
Ancient Wall Painting
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - French archaeologists have discovered an 11,000-year-old wall painting underground in northern Syria which they believe is the oldest in the world.
The 2 square-meter painting, in red, black and white, was found at the Neolithic settlement of Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates, northeast of the city of Aleppo, team leader Eric Coqueugniot told Reuters.
"It looks like a modernist painting. Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by (Paul) Klee. Through carbon dating we established it is from around 9,000 B.C.," Coqueugniot said." More->
Ancient Wall Painting
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The Astrology of Burma & Myanmar
Michael O'Reilly shares some interesting observations at the
NeptuneCafe
NeptuneCafe
Saturday, October 06, 2007
The Origins of Astrology
Extract taken from "An Introduction to the History of Astrology",
by Nick Campion
"The Origins of Astrology To all astrologers and astronomers before the 17th century A.D. the terms ‘astrology’ and ‘astronomy’ were often interchangeable, although sometimes the emphasis applied to each was different. Astronomy was considered more mathematical and astrology more philosophical, but in general the practitioner of one was also a practitioner of the other. Thus the twin sciences share a common origin sometimes before the advent of recorded history in the third and fourth millennia B.C.
We may assume that the earliest astronomical observations were made by people who were anxious to plan their lives for the year, and who felt it necessary to know when the solstice was due, or the equinox, or perhaps the next full moon. Such activities presuppose an ability to perceive that physical events on Earth were linked in some way with events in the sky, and also mean that in some places at least, human society was approaching a measure of conscious organisation. It therefore follows that any society which wishes to regulate itself in some way must do so according to celestial phenomena. The fact that we still do this today has been obscured by our use of watches and calendars to tell the time and the date, but all human life is basically regulated by the movement of the Sun and the Moon, and the rotation of the Earth. The recognition of this was a central part of the process of the development of early civilisation.
To our ancestors it was imperative to know when flood and drought, heat and cold were due, so that migrations might take place, and crops might be planted. All these activities could be regulated with reference to the stars, and were so, even in countries such as ancient Egypt which never developed their own astrology. Evidence of the recording of lunar phases has been revealed by notches carved on animal bones dating back to about 15,000 B.C., during the old stone age, and before the development of agriculture. Such recording would have become far more important as a result of the development of agriculture between 10,000 B.C. and 5,000 B.C., and evidence from many early cultures shows that the heliacal rising of the stars was used by 2,000 B.C. to give a more precise timing to the agricultural year.
Such pragmatic reasons were not the sole ones behind the development of astrology, the history of which is also intertwined with the history of religion. At the same time as practical correlations were made between such events as the Sun’s annual rhythm and the seasons, symbolic connections were made between events which were not so obviously linked. The human pattern of life, moving from birth to death, was equated with the daily motion of the Sun in the sky, bringing with it the transition from darkness to light, and the annual cycle of vegetation throughout the seasons. Thus the observance of the calendar became, as it still is, an object of religious ritual, and there was a measure of interchange between heavenly sky deities and earth-bound vegetation deities.
No precise dating can be applied to the history of human religion, but it seems likely that some religious motive lay behind the construction of the Megalithic monuments of north-western Europe (c 4,000 - 2,000 B.C.). Recent archaeological research indicates that the builders of these monuments had reached a level of astronomical and mathematical sophistication which equalled that of Renaissance Europe, but the communal effort and concentration involved in the construction and maintenance of a building such as Stonehenge (c 2,600-2,000 B.C.) suggests some common ritual purpose. This society was clearly obsessed by the need to regulate the calendar and predict eclipses. It is only with the aid of computer technology that modern archaeologists have been able to understand the design of these monuments, which litter the countryside of large areas of western Europe, but we still have no means of understanding the full intentions of the society which constructed them.
It seems probable that the learning which was acquired in the Megalithic cultures was communicated to Mesopotamia, perhaps between 3,000 and 2,000 B.C. and it was in Mesopotamia just after this last date that we find evidence of the emerging combination of astronomy, mathematics and mythology which was to become the basis of astrology."
by Nick Campion
"The Origins of Astrology To all astrologers and astronomers before the 17th century A.D. the terms ‘astrology’ and ‘astronomy’ were often interchangeable, although sometimes the emphasis applied to each was different. Astronomy was considered more mathematical and astrology more philosophical, but in general the practitioner of one was also a practitioner of the other. Thus the twin sciences share a common origin sometimes before the advent of recorded history in the third and fourth millennia B.C.
We may assume that the earliest astronomical observations were made by people who were anxious to plan their lives for the year, and who felt it necessary to know when the solstice was due, or the equinox, or perhaps the next full moon. Such activities presuppose an ability to perceive that physical events on Earth were linked in some way with events in the sky, and also mean that in some places at least, human society was approaching a measure of conscious organisation. It therefore follows that any society which wishes to regulate itself in some way must do so according to celestial phenomena. The fact that we still do this today has been obscured by our use of watches and calendars to tell the time and the date, but all human life is basically regulated by the movement of the Sun and the Moon, and the rotation of the Earth. The recognition of this was a central part of the process of the development of early civilisation.
To our ancestors it was imperative to know when flood and drought, heat and cold were due, so that migrations might take place, and crops might be planted. All these activities could be regulated with reference to the stars, and were so, even in countries such as ancient Egypt which never developed their own astrology. Evidence of the recording of lunar phases has been revealed by notches carved on animal bones dating back to about 15,000 B.C., during the old stone age, and before the development of agriculture. Such recording would have become far more important as a result of the development of agriculture between 10,000 B.C. and 5,000 B.C., and evidence from many early cultures shows that the heliacal rising of the stars was used by 2,000 B.C. to give a more precise timing to the agricultural year.
Such pragmatic reasons were not the sole ones behind the development of astrology, the history of which is also intertwined with the history of religion. At the same time as practical correlations were made between such events as the Sun’s annual rhythm and the seasons, symbolic connections were made between events which were not so obviously linked. The human pattern of life, moving from birth to death, was equated with the daily motion of the Sun in the sky, bringing with it the transition from darkness to light, and the annual cycle of vegetation throughout the seasons. Thus the observance of the calendar became, as it still is, an object of religious ritual, and there was a measure of interchange between heavenly sky deities and earth-bound vegetation deities.
No precise dating can be applied to the history of human religion, but it seems likely that some religious motive lay behind the construction of the Megalithic monuments of north-western Europe (c 4,000 - 2,000 B.C.). Recent archaeological research indicates that the builders of these monuments had reached a level of astronomical and mathematical sophistication which equalled that of Renaissance Europe, but the communal effort and concentration involved in the construction and maintenance of a building such as Stonehenge (c 2,600-2,000 B.C.) suggests some common ritual purpose. This society was clearly obsessed by the need to regulate the calendar and predict eclipses. It is only with the aid of computer technology that modern archaeologists have been able to understand the design of these monuments, which litter the countryside of large areas of western Europe, but we still have no means of understanding the full intentions of the society which constructed them.
It seems probable that the learning which was acquired in the Megalithic cultures was communicated to Mesopotamia, perhaps between 3,000 and 2,000 B.C. and it was in Mesopotamia just after this last date that we find evidence of the emerging combination of astronomy, mathematics and mythology which was to become the basis of astrology."
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