Mythological Allegories of the Power of Speech, Writing, Propaganda and Rhetoric: Ogmios, Hercules, Hermes, Thoth, Superman and Thulsa Doom

Speech is a powerful lord, which by means of the finest and most invisible body effects the divinest works: it can stop fear and banish grief and create joy and nurture pity. “ Encomium of Helen by Gorgias As our civilization becomes more complex and technologically advance, we also see a push for more centralization of power… Continue reading Mythological Allegories of the Power of Speech, Writing, Propaganda and Rhetoric: Ogmios, Hercules, Hermes, Thoth, Superman and Thulsa Doom

Useful Books and Sources to Study Western (European) Symbolism

In my opinion, the study of symbolism should be an important part of the education of any person that wants to understand our civilization. In this post I will focus on books and sources that deal with Western or European symbolism. The two big components of Western/European symbolism are the Greco-Roman derived symbolism and Christian… Continue reading Useful Books and Sources to Study Western (European) Symbolism

Mantegna Tarocchi Symbolism: Justice (Card 37)

Let’s try to analyze the symbolical elements of Justice from Mantegna Tarocchi. You don’t need to be familiar with Mantegna Tarocchi to appreciate the symbolism. Nonetheless, you can learn about this mysterious deck here and here. Some Context Justice is the 37th image in the Mantegna deck. Cards 31 through 40 can be grouped together,… Continue reading Mantegna Tarocchi Symbolism: Justice (Card 37)

The Hexagram/Six Pointed Star/Star of David and the Golden Ratio

Many people that are familiar with the golden ratio ( Φ = 0.5(1+ 50.5) which is about 1.61803), know that it appears very often in the proportions of the pentagon and the pentagram. In this post I want to present a diagram that connects the golden ratio with the regular hexagram or the six pointed… Continue reading The Hexagram/Six Pointed Star/Star of David and the Golden Ratio

Mantegna Tarocchi Symbolism: Grammar (Card 21)

In this post I want to explore the symbolism found in the Grammar card from Mantegna Tarocchi. Some of the symbolism can be traced to earlier sources, while some things require some speculations. You don’t need to be familiar with the Mantegna Tarocchi to appreciate the symbolism. If you want to read about this mysterious… Continue reading Mantegna Tarocchi Symbolism: Grammar (Card 21)

Review: Atlas of the Constellations by Giles Sparrow

If you want to begin stargazing, there are a few free tools that can help you understand the night sky. On your computer you can install a free-software planetarium such as Stellarium. On your phone you can install Stellarium or Sky Map. These are powerful and useful apps, but if you are like me, you also… Continue reading Review: Atlas of the Constellations by Giles Sparrow

The Significance, Meaning and Symbolism of the Number 40 in the Bible, Mythology and Traditions

In this post I would like to go over some occurrences of the number 40 in religions, literature, traditions and superstitions. My focus will be on the traditions of the Middle East and the Western world (European). I will also try to make a few speculations about the origins of the number 40, or the… Continue reading The Significance, Meaning and Symbolism of the Number 40 in the Bible, Mythology and Traditions

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Using Orion to find Stars and Constellations (part 2)

Orion’s beams,Orion’s beams: His star gemmed belt and shining blade His isles of light, his silver streams, And glowing gulfs of mystic shade.” Astronomica by Manilius If you want to read part 1, you can go here. Using the same method employed in part 1, I will show how to find a few additional important… Continue reading Using Orion to find Stars and Constellations (part 2)

Using Orion to find Stars and Constellations (part 1)

“The stars that Sirius and Orion boast In deepest night to human ken are lost” Phenomena by Aratus In this article I want to show a few tricks that can be used to locate various stars or constellations using the stars from the constellation Orion. Orion is useful as a reference constellation because it has… Continue reading Using Orion to find Stars and Constellations (part 1)