Notions of the celestial emperor were challenged in the 18th century when radicals seized on Isaac Newton’s demonstration that the entire universe was governed by one natural law, gravity, in order to argue the consequence-that all human society, being an integral part of the cosmos, must also be governed by one law, kings included. It will also be of great interest to astronomers, who are concerned with the history of their subject, its wider relevance, and such areas as “ethnoastronomy” and “cultural astronomy.” Astronomical theory fed through into the political and religious thought of the ancient world, when the sun, the king of heaven, was the celestial counterpart of the emperor on earth.4 The connection of the stars to politics is no less insistent in the modern world. This book opens new territory that will be of use for the study of comparative religion, especially addressing such issues as origin myths, sacred calendars, and time and destiny, as well as the question of astrology as an application of, and aid to, religious behavior.

Among the themes covered are the use of celestial myth and story to provide insight and meaning, the role of sky and stellar deities as organizing principles in both social and political organization, as well as in sacred texts and calendars, and the understanding of stars as offering a path to salvation. It looks at magic, ritual, and the actions that people take to negotiate destiny and find meaning in the stars. Which human beings locate themselves in space and time. It deals with mythic narratives, ways of seeing the sky, and the manner in | It focuses on astrology, which is the practical implementation of cosmological ideas in order to understand the past, manage the present, and forecast the future, in a range of cultures, past and present. This book considers cosmology as a meaning-system, examining its relationship with religion. For many modern cosmologists, cosmology itself remains a human study, we ourselves lying at the heart of it. Where we are in time, space, and size is part of situating ourselves in the epic of cosmic evolution.”3 And note the rise, in tandem with 20th-century cosmology, of beliefs in alien visitation and abduction, and of contact with spiritually superior beings from other worlds. It is still the case that “Like every earlier culture, we need to know our place in the universe. This is as true of modern culture as of ancient culture-witness the media attention given to recent revelations, via the Hubble and Herschel telescopes, of strange and wonderful visions of far-distant parts of the universe, millions of light-years from our own planet. Neither is there any society that does not express at least some fascination with the sky and its mysteries. There is no human society that does not somehow, in some way, relate its fears, concerns, hopes, and wishes to the sky, and to the organizing principle behind it, the cosmos. We are creatures of the cosmos and always hunger to know our origins, to understand our connection with the universe.2 There is no religion that is not both a cosmology and a speculation about the divine.1 We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.

It has long been known that the first systems of representation that man made of the world and of himself were of religious origin. I thank Ben Adams, Bruce Masse, David Pankenier, Keith Snedegar, and Ivan Sprajc for their very helpful comments on early drafts.ġ Cosmology and Religion Measurement and Meaning Theosophical, New Age, and Pagan Cosmologies: Nature and Transformation Christianity: Influence and Transcendenceġ6. Judaism: Myth, Magic, and Transcendenceġ3. India: Ancient Traditions and Modern Practiceġ2. South and Central America: Salvation and Sacrificeġ0. Cosmology and Religion: Measurement and MeaningĦ. Manufactured in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1ġ. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.

BF1729.R4C355 2012 202’.4 - dc23 2012008639 New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.

cm.a Includes bibliographical references (p. Astrology and cosmology in the world›s religions / Nicholas Campion. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Campion, Nicholas. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London © 2012 by Nicholas Campion All rights reserved References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Astrology and Cosmology in the World’s ReligionsĪ NEW YORK UNIVERSIT Y PRESS New York and London

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