Astrological Knowledge Research Articles

Superstitious beliefs and marketing appeals

In recent years, superstitions and their characteristics have become a tool for brands to attract consumers to buy their products. This research aims to analyze how brands use astrological content in their digital media. Adopting a qualitative method, we conducted a content analysis on four Brazilian brands’ websites and Instagram pages (Risquè, Farm, Imaginarium, Skol Beats). Five categories guided the analysis, within which subcategories were found, presented in the results section: (1) Type of language: “humorous” or “mystical”; (2) Approach to astrology: “prognostic” or/and “personality”; (3) Knowledge of astrology: requires or does not require consumer’s knowledge of astrology; (4) Integration brand-product-content: astrological content “associated” or “not” with the products; (5) Partnerships: “presence” or “not” of partnerships with other brands concerning the astrology theme. In general, the type of content produced by these brands regarding astrology is interactional, and uninformative. Therefore, this research answers the question: Are superstitious beliefs important for marketing appeals? Yes, they are, especially in the current market context. This research contributes to the literature on superstition, by exploring astrology in the context of the market, and to the marketing literature, by studying how brands use astrology in their media. For managerial implications, it is important for brands to work on astrology with content of the interactional type, that does not need to be very informative, as consumers interested in this topic seem to already have prior knowledge about it. Additionally, we highlight a range of ways in which brands can work with astrology as a theme.

Астрология как сакральное экологическое знание в тибетской буддийской традиции

Introduction. The identification of specific responses generated by religious traditions to present-day global challenges actualizes the rethinking of astrology as a traditional understanding of the world structure and influence of natural forces on man in Tibetan Buddhism. Goals. The study attempts an evaluation of astrology as a form of sacred knowledge in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition from the perspective of understanding its principles of ecology. Materials and methods. To facilitate this, the work employs a systematic approach of cultural anthropology according to which sacred astrological knowledge is viewed as an integral element to the specified religious tradition. The paper focuses on The White Beryl: A Treatise on [Tibetan] Astrology by Desi Sangye Gyatso, as well as works by modern Tibetan astrologers. Results. Tibetan astrology arose from integrated Indian, Chinese and ancient Tibetan ideas about the influence of natural elements on human life, and is a required tool in Tibetan medicine. Those ideas are based on some esoteric premises of the Buddhist Kalachakra Tantra which articulates the relationship between external natural cycles and internal human energy ones, as well as suggests methods of restoring the latter’s balance. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, sacred astrological knowledge is widely popular both in cult practices and non-religious activities. Astrologers draw prediction and natal charts, calculate favorable periods for rituals, healing practices, harvesting, weddings, funerals, etc. The three Lamrim-derived motives — to improve this lifetime, gain liberation from samsaric suffering, achieve enlightenment for the sake of universal well-being — may accordingly direct the intentions of Buddhists toward the use of sacred astrological knowledge to solve problematic situations, identify oneself, understand others, restore the balance of external and internal cycles. With due account of that followers of Tibetan Buddhism are basically oriented to altruism and rationalism, the paper presumes astrology can be considered a form of sacred knowledge instrumental in understanding (and implementing) principles of ecology. Restoration of balance in man-nature interaction through the rational use of astrological knowledge for the common good predetermines the sacredness of ecological knowledge in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Keuneneng: Local Knowledge Of Aceh Fishermen

This article discusses the results of research related to local knowledge in Aceh's maritime community. The local knowledge discussed in this article concerns about astronomical knowledge in the fishing communities of Aceh. Where local knowledge in the current era is increasingly being eroded by technological advances, but on the other hand local knowledge is a treasure of the nation. This research was conducted in Aceh, using a qualitative approach. Then this study also uses concepts from interdisciplinary science, namely sociology, anthropology and history. This multi-disciplinary approach to gain a more comprehensive perspective. Based on this research, it can be described that local knowledge is a form of community adaptation to the natural environment in which they interact. One form of local adaptation which later became local knowledge was the astronomical knowledge of Aceh sailors. This astronomical knowledge in the people of Aceh is known as keuneneng. Keuneneng is knowledge in determining climate. Keuneneng is divided into twelve keuneneng, according to the number of months. Starting from the keuneneng dua ploh lhei, to the keuneneng sa. In addition to keuneneng, in Acehnese society, especially Acehnese sailors are also known for their knowledge of astrology. Apart from being a guide, this astrology is also used to detect natural threats at sea. This astronomical knowledge is a form of natural adaptation, which later becomes local knowledge in Aceh.

Maharishi Astrology and Indian Vedic Culture

In the presented research paper, we have tried to tell that Indian Vedic culture has a deep connection with astrology for human beings. Man is told through astrology that if he joins Indian Vedic culture then how he can do self-welfare in his life. Man can adopt Vedic life through astrology. With the knowledge of astrology, a person can improve the worldly and otherworldly life and can also get rid of the problems arising in life. And he can include happiness and peace in his Vedic life.

Health assessment by using medical astrology principles: A community-based survey

Abstract Background: Medical astrology is an extended arm of astrology that helps in understanding the association of various parts of the body, diseases, and disorders with the nature of the sun, moon, planets, and the 12 astrological signs. Despite the extensive availability of astrological literature, research conducted in the field of Vedic Medical astrology remains scarce. The study aimed at providing a general health assessment of participants using astrological principles, thereby implementing statistical analysis to prove the association amongst the same. Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of participants toward medical astrology. Materials and Methods: In this prospective, observational study, the Lagna Kundali of the participants was obtained using Astrosage software. The general health of the participants was assessed by implementing medical astrology principles. Thereby, the participants were interviewed for their pre-existing knowledge, level of satisfaction attained, reliability, and willingness to recommend medical astrology using a set of questionnaire. A study score was devised. Results: A total of 131 participants were interviewed, counseled, and analyzed. The study population had a slight male predominance (51.90%). The average age distribution of the study was 31 years (±10.99 years). The average score of the study was 12.38 (out of 20). On the basis of score evaluation, 46% of the total participants (59) showed a “good” response towards knowledge, attitude, and practice of medical astrology, whereas the remaining showed poor response. The correlation between the age of the participants and their familiarity with medical astrology principles was found to be significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The level of satisfaction was found to be very high in the majority of participants. Overall scoring was “good” in nearly half of the participants. We conclude that medicine and astrology, hence, if combined will help medical science and can prove to be a good therapeutic branch in the future. However, a lot of research work should be carried out to ensure advancement of medical astrology.

Burying the Alabaster Goddess in Hellenistic Babylonia: Religious Power, Sexual Agency, and Accessing the Afterlife Through Ishtar-Aphrodite Figurines from Seleucid-Parthian Iraq

This article presents a new evaluation of alabaster figurines wearing crescent crowns, identified as the syncretized deity Ishtar-Aphrodite, from the Seleucid-Parthian period in Babylonia (ca. second century BCE–first century CE). Unlike previous studies, this article recontextualizes the alabaster goddesses as the most opulent and explicitly divine versions of two popular types in the broader, flourishing figurine tradition of Hellenistic Babylonia. Miniaturization theory, which elucidates the sensory and perceptual effects of small-scale objects, forms the methodological basis of this analysis, in dialogue with archaeological data and textual sources from Mesopotamia and the wider Hellenistic world. Using this approach, I argue that these figurines were open to identification as both goddesses and mortals so that a girl or woman could use them to construct her own sexual agency and facilitate her journey to the afterlife, even as she invoked the goddess’ assistance with both. The few unambiguous goddess figurines were depicted with crescent crowns to link their elite owners to the Babylonian temples and their prestigious astrological knowledge. This article makes the contribution of articulating the significant intertwining of Greek and Babylonian cultural values and religious beliefs that shaped these figurines, which were hybrid in more than just style.1

Astral Cult in the Encompassing Mind: Rethinking the ‘Stellar Magic Circle’ from Khara-Khoto

A rare painting with unique subject matter among extant Tangut cultural heritage, the so-called astral maṇḍala (more accurately, Grahamātṛkā-maṇḍala) from Khara-khoto deserves focused academic attention. Now in the collection of Hermitage, this painting broadens the horizons of research from multiple perspectives, including the history of astrology, Tangut culture, Esoteric Buddhism, and ritual studies. Introduced into Tangut Buddhism likely via Tibet, the Grahamātṛka-maṇḍala contributed to the construction of both a new iconographical system and a new pantheon of astral deities. The painting provides important visual details that gradually reveal a complete series of liturgies based on the Tangut astral cult, from the maṇḍala construction to fire ritual with offerings and visualization. Therefore, it helps to demonstrate astrological knowledge and religious practices prevalent in the Tangut period but previously overlooked by modern researchers. The Tangut people learned with an encompassing mind and became skilled at new teachings, methods, and practices through transcultural communications with India and Tibet. They actively combined this learning with the existing Chinese astrological and religious traditions in the Héxī region.

Scope of Research and Advancement in Medical Astrology

Astrology and Medicine (Ayurveda) are both ancient and traditional form of knowledge in India. Both have their origin from Vedas. Astrology helps in predicting diseases through various combinations of planets in horoscope. In ancient times, Astrology had been an integral part of traditional medicine. There are certain diseases that have unknown etiology, which can be diagnosed on the basis of astrological factors. With the help of Astrology one can predict the time of onset of disease, course of disease, prognosis of disease and can treat them with the remedial measures prescribed in Astrology, along with the conventional medicine. In ancient times physicians were well versed with the knowledge of Astrology and use to treat patients with both modalities. This science remained ignored for last few decades. Nowadays a branch of Astrology called Medical Astrology is emerging among the Astrologers. Though, Astrologers have deep knowledge of planetary influence on body parts and can predict diseases, they are not trained in Human Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology etc., therefore it’s a need of time for physicians to gain knowledge of Medical Astrology and incorporate it with other modalities of treatment. Ayurveda believes in holistic approach towards wellbeing of mankind. There is a wide scope of research in Medical Astrology. There is also a scope for the development of tool like software, Apps etc. in the field of Medical Astrology. Allopath, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Astrology all have their limitations. Realizing the limitations of each of them and using them as complementary to each other and through this multidisciplinary approach towards health, with the help of new technologies, can open new avenues in health research and benefit the mankind

Wisdom of Onmyoji (Yin-Yang Masters, Strategists for Samurai Lords) in Japan for a Better World

Yin-yang master (Onmyoji) in Japan was something like Ambrose Merlyn of the west. They were initially bureaucrats to protect emperor and the country, using knowledge of calendar, Yin-yang, astrology and time about 1500 years ago. With the fall of emperors’ power, many of them served to samurai lords as military strategists with psychic power and martial arts. Their influence to management and organization in Japan has been great but their methods and tactics were not well documented to this date. This is because they were kept strictly within the family. There are only less than 10 top skilled Yin-yang master remaining in Japan now. Based on interviews with an existing Yin-yang master (Onmyoji), this paper discusses the characteristics of their wisdom and practices. Four characteristics emerged are: (1) conscious use of the collective unconscious, (2) avoiding labeling good and evil (not creating religion, not helping easily to the ones spelled), (3) familiarity to the IT and welcoming attitude to the digital transformation, (4) familiarity to nature such as trees and implications for the global environment. Their ancient teachings seem to become public, when we all need to understand the post pandemic world. This paper tries to address indigenous ways of knowing and non-Western logics.

Scientific Method in Late-Antique Paganism: The (Rational) Empiricism of al-Filāḥa l-nabaṭiyya (The Nabatean Agriculture)

Abstract The reputation of the late-antique or early Islamic al-Filāḥa l-nabaṭiyya (The Nabatean Agriculture) as an esoteric forgery has recently begun to shift and its value as a source for the study of early-Islamic or late-antique Near Eastern paganism has been restored. This article contributes to a further reinterpretation of the work by elucidating its value for the history of late-antique and early Islamic science. It argues that the work distinguishes between the epistemological categories of the rational and the marvelous and critically approaches both based on a rational empiricism which it shares with contemporary disciplines such as medicine and astrology. The concepts of experience (taǧriba) and reason (qiyās) are central to al-Filāḥa l-nabaṭiyya’s epistemology, and the work relies on observation and experiments, combined with methods of deductive and analogical reasoning to obtain applied botanical and agricultural knowledge. Al-Filāḥa l-nabaṭiyya also contains competing views regarding prophecy and astrological knowledge which are illustrative of epistemological debates within Pagan late-antique scholarship.

Gersonides on Job's Ethical Error

ABSTRACT The Book of Job attempts to answer the problem of how a God who is omniscient, omnipotent, and good can allow evil to happen to a righteous person, Job. Maimonides' solution is that Job attained moral perfection but lacked intellectual perfection. Gersonides challenges this: Job may have achieved intellectual perfection in the natural sciences, but he lacked knowledge of astronomy and astrology. This deficiency led him to not fully understand the random effects of the stars on human life, an ethical mistake. Job misses an important part of ethics: cultivating the proper virtues that are necessary for preserving one's physical self against the decrees of the stars.

Influence of Cancer Lagna on Diabetes in Medical Astrology

Abstract: A medical astrologer plays a very important role in maintaining physical and mental health. Based on one's horoscope one can predict when and how one's health will suffer and make the horoscope to be preconscious. The horoscope can predict which organ of the body is most vulnerable to being overly weak. Knowledge of medical astrology is very important for the doctor. Navagrahas are the same color that had an impact on the human body. It is believed that the disease can be eradicated by knowing their impact and then seeking medical attention. It was common for astrologers to appear in the royal courts. Physicians would also treat patients surgically, and astrologers, in this case, were the ones who handled the medicine very well. Based on this, they predicted the harm to the country, knew the disease coming through it and treated the medical system accordingly. Keywords: Navagrahas, Dasa, Buddhi, Andara Nathan, Lagna.

The Interactions of Ancient Astral Science by David Brown with contributions by Jonathan BenDov, Harry Falk, Geoffrey Lloyd, Raymond Mercier, Antonio Panaino, Joachim Quack, Alexandra von Lieven, and Michio Yano

This book is an admirable attempt by its author, assisted by eight reputed colleagues, to present an overview of our present knowledge of astrology and astronomy as practiced in ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Egypt, Rome, India, China, and Japan, and of the possible interactions leading to borrowing and/or transmission of astral science between these cultures from ancient times onwards up to about ad 600. Reviewed by: Teije de Jong, Published Online (2021-08-31)Copyright © 2021 by Teije de JongThis open access publication is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (CC BY-NC-ND) Article PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/aestimatio/article/view/37719/28723 Corresponding Author: Teije de Jong, University of AmsterdamE-Mail: T.deJong@uva.nl

Sex Manuals in Malay Manuscripts as Another Transcript of Gender Relations

This article interprets the narratives of sex manuals produced within the Malay-Indonesian archipelago before the coming of Western colonialism and the dawn of postcolonial Islamic resurgence. In the collection of Malaysian libraries and museums, these manuscripts are largely classified as Kitab Jimak and Kitab Tib. They are all written in the Malay language with indigenous references, though the contents are likely derived from a common genre of texts transmitted from an early Arab-Islamic world and circulated within the region before the coming of European colonialism. The corpora of sexual knowledge in these texts emphasises the valorisation of sexual pleasure in conjugal relationships. Through an extensive list of prescriptions—from sexual techniques to diet, food taboos, medicine, pharmacopoeia, mantras, charms, and astrological knowledge—a near-sacral sexual experience is aspired. Couples are guided in their attainment of pleasure (nikmat) through the adherence of Islamic ethics (akhlak), rules (hukum), and etiquette (tertib). The fulfilment of women’s desire in the process is central in these observances. Nevertheless, despite placing much emphasis on mutual pleasure, these texts also contain ambiguous and paradoxical pronouncements on the position of women, wavering from veneration to misogyny. The article also highlights how intertextual studies of similar texts throughout the Islamic world can be a new focus of studies on the early history of gender and sexuality in Islam.

Plague and Astrology in the Fourteenth Century: The Plague Tractate by Augustine of Trento

The 14th-century plague tractate by Augustine of Trento addresses the matter of plague before the Black Death. The text aims both to predict plague epidemics and to prevent the disease’s spreading. The author attempts to forecasts the outbreak of plague epidemics thanks to the methods of judicial astrology. He also advises hygiene rules and dietary precepts in order to counter the spread of the disease. Moreover, Augustine makes clear that astrological knowledge and techniques serve medical purposes and medical practice can benefit from astrology. In fact, he discusses the topic of medical prognostication and defends the idea that medical practice should not be empirical but guided by astrological principles. The treatise draws on the major astrological and medical sources of Greek and Arab origin and contains references to contemporary masters of medicine. The article updates the author’s biography, examines the manuscript tradition, analyzes the two redactional stages of the text, and provides a new critical edition.

Cosmological, Astronomical and Astrological Elements in Sermons of Seventeenth-Century Ruthenian Authors

The development of oral preaching and the genre of sermon in seventeenth-century Russia was primarily brought about by Ruthenian authors influenced by the Latin tradition, e.g., Ioannikiy Galyatovsky, Lazar Baranovych and Simeon Polotsky. These authors incorporated their general knowledge of cosmology, astronomy and astrology into their homilies, which present a valuable insight into the intellectual background of the period through the prism of cosmological elements used mostly as parts of rhetoric constructions. While the functions of the particular elements of natural philosophy varied in different authors, they shared certain concepts common to both scholastic thought and Baroque aesthetics. Despite being considerably distant from seventeenth-century science, the homilies also served educational purposes and may be perceived as a step towards the Westernisation and secularisation of Russian culture.

Astrological Biochemistry of Vitamins

Vitamins are organic compounds and an integral part of the balanced diet. Biochemically they function as coenzymes. The vitamins belong to the zodiacal sign Virgo in astrological parlance. They complement medicine by the application of astrological knowledge for the eradication of aliments.

The Mechanism of General Providence in the Astronomical-Astrological Section of Levi ben Abraham's <em>Livyat ḥen</em>

The third book of Levi ben Abraham ben Ḥayyim's voluminous treatise, Livyat ḥen, is a compendium of astronomical and astrological knowledge. In its twelfth chapter, Levi describes a cosmological mechanism that ensures optimal thermal conditions for human life, thereby securing the persistence of the inhabited world. Levi identifies this mechanism with God's general providence, or at least one aspect of it. This article examines the mechanism in detail, and sheds light on Levi's views on the providential role of the celestial bodies. The article also shows that the mechanism was known to Gersonides, and compares it with Gersonides' naturalistic account of providence. In addition, the article identifies some of the scientific sources Levi drew on in compiling the astronomical-astrological section of Livyat ḥen, and provides insight into its overall profile.

Ein astronomisch-astrologisches Gedicht des persischen Dichters Ḥusain Ḥakīm Ṯanāʾī Mašhadī auf der Berliner Indischen Weltkarte

Abstract One does not encounter short astronomical-astrological poems in Persian very frequently. One such poem, by the Persian-Indian poet Ṯanāʾī (d. 1587/8) is inscribed on the Indian world map in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin. This map probably originated in the sphere of the court of the ruler of Rajastan, Sawai Jai Singh II. (1700‒1743). The poem does not bear a relationship to the other inscriptions and paintings found on the map, and is known only from this map. It presupposes a significant degree of knowledge of astronomy and astrology on the reader’s part, especially since Ṯanāʾī had developed a style in India by means of which he was able to “pack longwinded ideas and multiple meanings into a succinct expression”. The poem reflects a world view that is based on the cosmology of Aristotle and the planetary theories of Ptolemy. In particular, it addresses the heavenly spheres, with the earth at their center, the system of astronomical coordinates, the course and the characteristics of the planets, including Sun and Moon, and a short characterization of the four elements and the twelve signs of the zodiac. This article provides a philological reading, translation, and line-by-line commentary of the poem.

Unterwelt und Purgatorium

Abstract In this thesis the different notions of Hades that appear in the heterogeneous works of gre co-roman literature are in quired and interpreted with enormous scrutiny. The philosophical texts are written mostly by Plato and the Platonists (in particular Heraclides Ponticus, Plutarchus, and Proclus). They have to be compared with Christian ideas of purgatory originating in the early Middle Ages. Eschatology must be explained not only with regard to the cosmologies, that change during the centuries, but also on a solid base of astronomical and astrological knowledge.