Babylonian Star Lore An Illustrated Guide To The Star Lore And Constellations Of Ancient Babylonia

This book is the first of its kind, specifically written for the layman, to explore the constellations and star-lore of ancient Babylonia. The introduction describes the structure of the archaic cosmos, then goes on to reconstruct the Babylonian constellation figures, and finally gives an overview of the whole star-map.The main body of the book is comprised of an A-Z gazette, which explores the names, appearances and associated lore of each constellation in greater detail.A set of appendices furnishes additional background information on the history of star-lore, the calendar, the cuneiform writing system and the use of the stars in divination.Beyond the familiar figures of the zodiac, the Babylonian constellations have laid in almost total obscurity for the last two thousand years. Here for the first time the complete star-map is reconstructed and many of its secrets revealed, so that now the whole system of celestial symbolism can be restored to something approaching its former glory.

Captivating retellings of the origins and histories of ancient star groups include Pegasus, Ursa Major, Pleiades, signs of the zodiac, and other constellations. "Classic." — Sky & Telescope. 58 illustrations.

1911 a Collection of Myths, Legends, and Facts Concerning the Constellations of the Northern Hemisphere - with 50 text illustrations & 64 full page illustrations. Contains an extensive bibliography and appendix, index to constellations.

A detailed study of the earliest forms of astrology in Mesopotamia and their far-reaching hermetic influences from the Renaissance to the present day • Reveals the roots of modern astrology in the Babylonian science of omens, which was concerned not with individuals but with the state and king • Explores Mesopotamian mythology as it relates to the planets and to astrology • Traces the hermetic transmission of this knowledge over the centuries from Mesopotamia to Egypt to Renaissance Italy Among the many significant discoveries excavated from Assyrian king Ashurbanipal’s royal library in Nineveh were tablets documenting the development of Mesopotamian astrology, now recognized as the earliest astrological science. Drawing upon translations of the Nineveh library tablets as well as many other ancient sources, Michael Baigent reveals the roots of modern astrology in the Babylonian science of omens. He explains how astrology in the Babylonian and Assyrian empires was concerned not with individuals but with the king and the state. He shows that by the first dynasty of Babylon, around 1900 to 1600 BC, astrology had become a systematic discipline, the preserve of highly trained specialists intent upon interpreting omens from the movements of planets and stars. He explores Mesopotamian mythology as it relates to the planets and to astrology as well as to Mesopotamian religion, magic, and politics--for the mythology of Babylon and Assyria served the state and thus changed as the state changed. He shows how this ancient form of astrology uniquely represents both Sun and Moon as masculine entities and Saturn (Ninurta) as the principle of order imposed on chaos. He examines the connections between ancient astrology and the symbolism of Western religions, such as how the “Greek” or “Templar” cross may symbolize the Babylonian god Nabu, now known as Mercury. Tracing the hermetic transmission of this knowledge over the centuries from Mesopotamia to Egypt to Florence, Baigent reveals how the religious and magical aspects of early Babylonian cosmological speculation played a significant role in the Renaissance, influencing prominent figures such as Cosimo de Medici, Marsilio Ficino, and Botticelli.

Dr. Edwin C. Krupp in his latest book, Beyond the Blue Horizon, examines the myths and legends of the sun, moon, planets, and stars. He addresses questions such as: What is the moon's role in lunacy?; How is a match made in heaven?; and Is Santa Claus a modern shaman? More than 200 black-and-white photos.

The powers of ancient rulers emanated from the ritual center of the tribal territory. This center was also regarded as the birthplace of the tribe and belonged to the people as a whole. Installed upon this sacred rock (the omphalos or "navel of the world"), at the polar axis around which all revolved, the king could survey his realm, ordered from the center according to the divisions of the cosmos itself, reflecting the harmony and balance of paradise. Akhenaten's city in Egypt, Megalopolis of Ancient Greece, the world-centers of Roman Gaul and Celtic Cornwall, all provide clues to lead John Michell to the geographical and sacred criteria for locating a center. From studies of symbolic geography, particularly that of Celtic and Norse territories, he has discovered the leading principle for the siting of the "Thing" places, the main centers of religious and state ritual in Shetland, Orkney, the Faroe Islands and the Isle of Man. He considers the possible locations of the most hallowed centers of ancient Druidry and of the High Kings of Ireland. Finally, the esoteric foundation plan for these ancient societies is disclosed: the sacred geometry, the symbolic numbers. Symbols of the center are among the most persistent elements of myth and belief between cultures widely separated in time and space. Now John Michell traces their genesis, and suggests that their reflection of the ideal Platonic order of the universe can be relevant to the modern world.

The Apocalypse of Enoch and Bhuśunda The Apocalypse of Enoch and Bhuśunda challenges the underlying assumptions of the classical roots of civilization by restoring the original context of creation mythology. In this second volume of A Chronology of the Primeval Gods and the Western Sunrise, ancient myths from multiple geographies are correlated to spikes in cosmic rays over the past 120,000 years – as documented in ice core data. The chronology and content of these myths tell us that the primary forces behind these cataclysms were the most ancient gods - hyper-nova at the Galactic Center associated with Sgr A*(The Dragon), Sgr West (The Beast) and Sgr East (Hiranyâksha and Hiranyakas'ipu), with secondary supernova seen as the birth of new, destructive gods. Ancient myth has documented the cataclysmic destruction of the world on at least twenty occasions with four major geo-polar migrations, which has resulted in a shift of the earth’s equator on at least one occasion. Multiple myths are shown to represent a view of the sky that can only be seen from the Antarctic region. Multiple versions of the myths of Orion are analyzed, showing clear linkages between the Vedic myth of Trisanku, the Book of Genesis, Senmut's Tomb, and the myths of Prajāpati Daksa representing the oldest version of the Orion myth – older than Trishanku and Genesis by 20,000 years! The stunning conclusion explains how the “Watchers” of Enoch were the Vedic descendants of Ila and Iksvaku. These descendants of the seventh Manu had been observing and recording the stars as a source of cataclysm for at least 15,000 years prior to Enoch, thus allowing Enoch to prophesize a ‘new heaven.’ That prophecy became the foundation for St John’s Book of Revelations, which is shown to be a description of a series of cataclysms attributed to Sgr West. The book offers a new theory for explaining geo-polar migration. That theory suggests small shifts in the location of the earth’s center of gravity underlie each migration, but that there are multiple causes for the shifts.