If The Stars Are Gods

The greatest quest man will ever undertake . . . The original story from which If the Stars are Gods grew won the Nebula Award. Now the long-awaited magnificent full-length novel is complete. It tells the unforgettable story of the century-long search of a scientist-monk for the secret of alien intelligent life - a quest which leads him from the time-scoured deserts of Mars to the vast holes in the raging cloud-cover of Jupiter; from the radio winds of Titan to the true centre of a universe where Beings are collected like songs . . .

An in-depth look at the powerful story and symbolism behind God's unique design of our universe. Thousands of words have been written about the first ten words in the Bible: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," a simple and profound statement that has ignited a firestorm of debate and controversy. People often only focus on the "how" and "when" of creation, but Story in the Stars explores the "why." Why did God create such a vast universe? Why did He choose the sun and moon to light our paths? Why did He design images with stars in the night sky? The Bible is very clear when it states that God created, named, and positioned all of the stars of the universe in their place in a very specific way-a way that tells us the greatest story ever to be told. In Luke 21:25 Jesus says, "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars." Signs are meant to point us towards something: Jesus. Story in the Stars takes an in-depth look at the Bible and all the signs God mapped out through constellations, planets, and even the way the Earth is tilted. We are uniquely designed by God, and He loves us so much that He ensured a way for all inhabitants of the earth, through all of time, to see the messages of salvation and redemption that He painted in the stars.

This book, aimed in particular at beginners, tries to familiarize the reader with the (especially northern) starry sky as quickly as possible. The latter shall not be achieved in a sterile way by using coordinates or scientific techniques, but rather by means of the Greek myths that underlie most of the constellations. However, in contrast to other publications in this field, only those stories are presented that can be integrated into the predefined 12 myths. This and the brief description of the underlying myths make it easy to acquire the new knowledge. Following "Highway to God", "Of Stars and Gods" is Frank Fojtik's second popular scientific book, which shows, like the first one, points of contact between visible reality and metaphysical thinking. On the one hand, it represents a practicable astronomical orientation tool. On the other hand, it may be also a kind of key for the reader to touch something greater that goes beyond the purely scientific.

Changes in season, rulership, and human fortune are the stuff of which myth is made. Why should these themes pervade the mythologies of so many cultures? Might they even provide an explanation for seemingly unrelated myths and rituals? What these myths have in common, observes Thomas Worthen, is an ancient awareness that the heavens were subject to irregularities. The movement of stars we now attribute to precession was once a cause for concern about the stability of the world. Worthen here proposes the paradigm of "replacement" to account for the recurrence of common elements in the myths of many peoples. First citing the importance of rotation ritual in cultures as diverse as Buddhist and Gaelic, he draws on Georges Dum�zil's work with the Indo-European Ambrosia Cycle to lay the foundation for his paradigm. He then applies it to South American myths previously explored by Claude L�vi-Strauss, to the Greek myth of Phaethon, and to myths of dynastic replacement about Zeus and his forebears. He further shows show how the replacement paradigm explains a number of semantic puzzles in Indo-European studies, such as the relationship of words for "hammer" and "mill." The Myth of Replacement grandly illustrates the common knowledge of nature held by ancient peoples of the world. It offers scholars new perspectives on previously unconnected material as it provides general readers with a better understanding of the universality of myth.

Taking Johannes Kepler as his guide, Gingerich argues that an individual can be both a creative scientist and a believer in divine design--that indeed the very motivation for scientific research can derive from a desire to trace God's handiwork.

Set amidst the haunting, mysterious beauty of Ancient Egypt, The Second Coming of the Star Gods is an epic tale of magic, political intrigue, and mythology. Rich in historical and mystical detail, the story centers on Khem and Tiye, two young apprentice priestesses in the Temple of the Sun. As the girls are initiated into the secret arts of dream interpretation, astronomy, and astral travel, a battle for the great empire’s throne is being waged between the Pharaoh and his half-brother--a battle in which the young apprentices will unwittingly play the decisive role. Engaging and hypnotic, The Second Coming of the Star Gods creates characters and a world so real you won’t want to soon leave. She masterfully recreates Egypt’s 4th Dynasty--the Pyramid Age--a time in which gods, goddesses, and magicians were the true rulers of the land.