Skyscript Astrology Forum

The text I mentioned it is not on fixed stars, it's a story of the world creation. I mentioned just because it is example of the thema mundi where planets are considered in their exaltation (ie this is not the Egyptian version).

''Unfortunately, little of an astrological nature survives in Pahlavi itself; scientific texts in general were not preserved by those Zoroastroians who survived the Muslim invasions and resisted conversion in Iran or who fled to the west coast of India. The principle extant passage that is relevant is found in the fifth and sixth chapters of the Bundahishn in which the nativity of Gayomart is discussed.

"In this horoscope the ascendant was in 19 Cancer with Tishtar or Sirius... Each of the planets was in its balist or exaltation save for Mercury, whose exaltation, Virgo, is removed from the Sun's, Aries, by more than its maximum elongation; this planet, therefore, was placed with Venus in the latter's exaltation and its own dejection, Pisces. The position of the ascendant is undoubtedly a reflection of an attempt to arrive at a noon-epoch for the creation with the Sun in its Greek exaltation, 19 Aries (the Sun's Indian exaltation is 9 degrees before this)?

"This Sasanian horoscope is quite different from the normal Greek thema mundi, with which it has been compared. The Hermetic thema is based on the doctrine of the planetary domiciles: the Sun, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus are at 15 degrees of their masculine domiciles, the Moon, Saturn, and Mercury at 15 degrees of their feminine domiciles, and the ascendant at 15 Cancer. Rather, it is the Indian horoscope of a mahapurusa (great man) in which all the planets are at their exaltations [except Mercury].

"The earliest occurrence of this mahapurusayoga in India is in the Yavanajataka composed by Sphujidhvaja in 269/70; elements of this text are independently known to have been familiar to Sasanian astrologers. But it has already been noted that the Greek exaltation of the Sun has been used rather than the Indian; this is also true of the exaltations of the lunar nodes, and a Byzantine version of this Zoroastrian horoscope, more complete than the Bundahishn's, indicates that all of the exaltations were taken from a Greek rather than from an Indian source.

"The other astrological elements in the Bundahishn are equally a mixture of Indian and Greek materials?"

My source is not Brady.

But if you are asking me if I believe that Egypt (or Babylonia) was the mother of all the civilization, well I don't believe.

Mark wrote:

But if you are asking me if I believe that Egypt (or Babylonia) was the mother of all the civilization, well I don't believe.

I wasn't actually. But I'm sure you think its Rome.

However, the astrological chart in the Greater Bundahishn is likely to be quite late though. David Pingree believed it dated from the Sassanid Empire (227 CE - 635 CE). The chart in question can also be found in an article by Pingree, entitled "Masha'allah: Some Sasanian and Syriac Sources." The article is found in Essays on Islamic Philosophy and Science, ed. G.F. Hourani, Albany, 1975, pp. 5-14.

?The double star of Sirius?which for Pharaonic Egypt played the role of a central sun to our entire solar system?today suggests the existence of a cosmic system of atomic structure whose nucleus is this ?Great Provider? (Pyramid Texts), the Sothis of the ancients. There might well be a need to revise our cosmology in the not-so-distant future. Today we know what the Greeks seem to have ignored. The fact is that ancient Egypt possessed a very complete solar, lunar, and Sothic calendar. The Sothic cycle is established on the coincidence every 1460 years of the vague year or 365 days with the Sothic (or Sirian) year of 365.25 days. The Sirian, or fixed year, was established according to the heliacal rising of Sirius. For it is remarkable that owing to the precession of the equinoxes, on the one hand, and the movement of Sirius on the other, the position of the sun with respect to Sirius is displaced in the same direction, almost exactly to the same extent.? We cannot but admire the greatest of science capable of discovering such a coincidence because Sirius is the only Star among the ?fixed stars? which allows this cycle. It can therefore be supposed that Sirius plays the role of a center for the circuit of our entire solar system. Thus the double star of Sirius was chosen for these coincidences because it is the only star that moves the needed distance and in the right direction against the background of the other stars. This fact known four thousand years before our time and forgotten until our day, obviously demands an extraordinary and prolonged observation of the sky. Sirius, the Sothis of the ancients which was called the Great Provider, is constantly evoked in the Pyramid Texts. In the spirit of the temple, Sirius plays the role of the great central fire for our sun (which is the Eye of Ra and not Ra himself. It took our own discoveries in atomism and astronomy to suggest yet another characteristic of Sirius which coincides with what we are beginning to know about the atomic nucleus, made up of a positron (a giant star of very weak density) accompanying a neutron whose volume is exceedingly small in relation to an atom, but where all its weight is concentrated (a dwarf star of incredible density). In 1934, calculation still accorded the heavy companion of Sirius a specific gravity of 50,000 (whereas gold, for example, has a specific gravity of 19.3). This is an absolutely exceptional case with respect to other double stars and to our sun, which is generally accorded a specific gravity of 1.4 relative to water. But in 1953, according to new observations, it was possible to ascribe a density of 53, 000 to this strange Sirian neutron which has not ceased to astound us.? Pages 26,27,28. ?Sacred Science,? The King of Pharaonic Theocracy.

?Due to precession most stars will slip backwards through the calendar (Julian or tropical), whereas Sirius appears to keep up with the calendar. This means Sirius may be moving differently than other stars. Why is this important? Again, remember that in a binary model our companion star would always be at the opposite side of the binary orbit from our own Sun, and therefore from Earth the companion would appear to traverse the same path in the sky (just as the Sun has a steady path, the ecliptic), while all the other stars appear to precess across the sky. Thus, if we are correct about precession being caused by a binary motion, then all the stars in the sky would appear to precess except one: our Sun?s companion?Sirius. Therefore, if the Sun were part of a binary system with Sirius as our companion, then Sirius would appear to sync up with the tropical year (not the sidereal year like other stars). Judging by ancient records (Egyptian) of observations, Sirius fits this criterion.? Pg 168.

Anyway I have the Italian translation (from Bezza) of a byzantine text edited by Cumont and Bidez (CCAG V), which incipit is:

http://www.apotelesma.it/upload/Of_the_ ... _nodes.pdf

Mark wrote:

http://www.apotelesma.it/upload/Of_the_ ... _nodes.pdf

. I hadn't realised you had translated Lucia Bellizia's article! I like the historical art prints such as D?rer too. Did you have a hand in that? Maybe this could go on the news bit of the forum for more members to see it?

I just translated her article.

But funny enough I met her because she was writing an article about Teucer's paranatellonta

Deb wrote:Hi Margherita

I met Lucia in Perugia last year where she gave an excellent presentation on the Decans as described by Teucer of Babylon. She was keen to translate her lecture and have it published on Skyscript and I'd love to do that, but I'm not sure if what you describe would be the same piece of work. In any event, she struck me as both passionate and extremely informed on her subject, and I was very impressed by her. It will be great to have more of her work translated into English.

I met Lucia in Perugia last year where she gave an excellent presentation on the Decans as described by Teucer of Babylon. She was keen to translate her lecture and have it published on Skyscript and I'd love to do that, but I'm not sure if what you describe would be the same piece of work. In any event, she struck me as both passionate and extremely informed on her subject, and I was very impressed by her. It will be great to have more of her work translated into English.