Diotima Mantineia
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thread 1/5
Back when my book "Touch the Earth, Kiss the Sky" was going through the editing process, my editor challenged my statement that an astrology chart is an accurate map of the planetary placements in the sky and asked for some scientific backup from an astronomer.
04:03 PM - Feb 01, 2024
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Diotima Mantineia
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thread 2/5
I remembered some email exchanges I'd had with the folks at the astronomy site earthsky.org and found a blog post where they explained celestial coordinate systems. In it, they noted that astrologers use an astronomically accurate geocentric celestial coordinate system to cast charts. Whew!
04:03 PM - Feb 01, 2024
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Diotima Mantineia
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thread 3/5
Today, they have a post up that explains the cross-quarter days. A lot of Pagans refer to the "astrological cross-quarter days" which is when the Sun hits 15° of the fixed signs of the Zodiac -- Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. They fall a few days after the traditional dates.
04:03 PM - Feb 01, 2024
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Diotima Mantineia
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thread 4/5
But it's not just astrological. It's also an astronomical reality, and EarthSky gives a nice explanation of the astronomy of the Wheel of the Year in this post.
04:03 PM - Feb 01, 2024
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Diotima Mantineia
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thread 5/5
04:03 PM - Feb 01, 2024
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