Mesopotamian Astrology

Mesopotamian Astrology
Author: Ulla Susanne Koch
Publisher: Museum Tusculanum Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 1995
Genre: History
ISBN: 9788772892870

This book is intended to serve as a general introduction to Mesopotamian astrology, both its outward phenomena and its inner structure.

Mesopotamian Planetary Astronomy-astrology

Mesopotamian Planetary Astronomy-astrology
Author: David Brown
Publisher: Brill
Total Pages: 346
Release: 2000
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

Pliny wrote of Babylon that "here the creator of the science of astronomy was". Excavations have shown this statement to be true. This book argues that the earliest attempts at the accurate prediction of celestial phenomena are indeed to be found in clay tablets dating to the 8th and 7th centuries BC from both Babylon and from Nineveh. The author carefully situates this astronomy within its cultural context, treating all available material from the relevant period, and also analysing the earlier astrological material and the later well-known ephemerides and related texts. A wholly new approach to cuneiform astral concerns emerges - one in which both celestial divination and the later astronomy are shown to be embedded in a prevailing philosophy dealing with the ideal nature of the early universe, and in which the dynamics of the celestial divination industry that surrounded the last Assyrian monarchs account for no less than the first recorded "scientific revolution". This work closely adheres to the original textual sources, and argues for the evolution on the basis of the needs of the ancient scholars and the internal logic of the divinatory and predictive systems employed. To this end, it offers, for the first time, a Mesopotamian contribution to the philosophy, and not only the history, of science.

From the Omens of Babylon

From the Omens of Babylon
Author: Michael Baigent
Publisher: Penguin Mass Market
Total Pages: 225
Release: 1994
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9780140194807

From the Omens of Babylon examines the fusion of religion, astrology, and magic of ancient Babylonia and shows how many of the Mesopotamians' teachings and beliefs are present in contemporary astrology.

Astrology in Ancient Mesopotamia

Astrology in Ancient Mesopotamia
Author: Michael Baigent
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2015-07-17
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1591432227

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.

Babylonian Horoscopes

Babylonian Horoscopes
Author: Francesca Rochberg
Publisher: American Philosophical Society
Total Pages: 182
Release: 1998
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 9780871698810

Emerging for the first time in the 5th cent. B.C., horoscopes reflect the application of the idea and practice of celestial divination to the life of the individual. Whereas an omen focuses on a single astronomical phenomenon, the horoscope takes into account the positions of the moon, sun, and five planets at the moment of a birth. As such, Babylonian horoscopes presuppose the concept of the ecliptic and a methodology for obtaining the positions of heavenly bodies when they are not observable. This is the first complete edition of the extant cuneiform horoscopes -- with transcription and philological and astronomical commentary. This study offers a systematic description of the documents as a definable class of Babylonian astronomical/astrological texts.

The Heavenly Writing

The Heavenly Writing
Author: Francesca Rochberg
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2004-09-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781139455855

In antiquity, the expertise of the Babylonians in matters of the heavens was legendary and the roots of both western astronomy and astrology are traceable in cuneiform tablets going back to the second and first millennia BC. The Heavenly Writing, first publsiehd in 2004, discusses the place of Babylonian celestial divination, horoscopy, and astronomy in Mesopotamian intellectual culture. Focusing chiefly on celestial divination and horoscopes, it traces the emergence of personal astrology from the tradition of celestial divination and the use of astronomical methods in horoscopes. It further takes up the historiographical and philosophical issue of the nature of these Mesopotamian 'celestial sciences' by examining elements traditionally of concern to the philosophy of science, without sacrificing the ancient methods, goals, and interests to a modern image of science. This book will be of particular interest to those concerned with the early history of science.

In the Path of the Moon

In the Path of the Moon
Author: Francesca Rochberg
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 469
Release: 2010
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 9004183892

"In the Path of the Moon" offers a collection of essays concerning Babylonian celestial divination. It investigates various aspects of cuneiform celestial omens, horoscopes, and astronomy and their wide-ranging influences on later Hellenistic science and philosophy.

Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice

Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice
Author: DEMETRA. GEORGE
Publisher:
Total Pages: 622
Release: 2019-01-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9780473445393

DEVELOPED UNDER THE SHADOWS of the Egyptian temples, Hellenistic astrology is an ancient form of divination inherited from Mesopotamian wisdom traditions. Distilled in Græco-Roman antiquity, and refined in the fires of philosophy and astronomy, it forms the bedrock of traditional western astrology (while also bearing profound similarities to Jyotish or Vedic astrology). Drawing on a body of Greek texts that have remained largely untranslated for almost two-thousand years, Demetra George brings the contemporary practice of astrology back to its ancient roots. Scholar, translator, and practitioner, her work reveals the potent cosmological veins that bear the lifeblood of traditional astrology. Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice is, in essence, a training manual for the study and practice of Hellenistic astrology. In two volumes, it provides the complete foundations and detailed dynamics of ancient chart-reading techniques. Each volume and each technique is richly illustrated with diagrams, example charts, and practical exercises. Volume 1: Assessing Planetary Condition In ancient cosmology, the planetary divinities symbolised the hierarchy of forces that shape our lives in the sublunary world. Not all planets are created equal in a given nativity, however, and so the first step of the practicing astrologer is to assess the condition of each planet in a chart in order to determine its effectiveness (or lack thereof) in the native's life. To this end, this volume provides a series of rigorous methods for evaluating the condition of each planet in a birth chart through the lenses of classification (sect, gender, benefic/malefic), signs and rulerships (residences, reception, exaltation, trigons, bounds), the solar phase cycle (speed, direction, visibility, phase, phasis), lunar considerations (course, phases, bonding, nodes, bending, eclipses, prenatal lunation), and aspects (configurations, witnessing, testimony, bonification, maltreatment, adherence, overcoming, rays). Finally, it brings all of these factors together in a powerful synthesis that unlocks the layers of a chart with unrivaled precision.

Pagan Astrology

Pagan Astrology
Author: Raven Kaldera
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2009-09-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1594779872

A guide to the practice of planetary magic • Offers tools for practitioners of green magic and folk magic to incorporate astrology into their practice • Includes an extensive collection of magical remedies to resolve astrological afflictions • Provides information on creating planetary altars and the astrological correspondences of traditional pagan holidays Traditionally, magically oriented astrology has focused on Sun-sign horoscopes while modern Western astrology has focused on attempting to become as “scientific” as possible in hopes of aligning with its sister science of astronomy. In Pagan Astrology, Raven Kaldera, a practicing astrologer and Pagan shaman, uses the commonalities and strengths of Western astrology and Pagan green magic to introduce a hands-on astrological practice that incorporates intuition, spells, and other modes of folk magic into astrology. Kaldera includes an extensive compendium of modern magical remedies to counteract negative astrological influences and shows how to use planetary energy to aid Pagan worship and green magic practice through spell casting, love magic, and shamanic stargazing. Kaldera also explains how to create planetary altars that enhance the astrological correspondences of traditional Pagan holidays using the tools of folk magic. Practitioners of green and folk magic and those who love traditional astrology will welcome this unique approach to planetary magic.