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Greetings Zugzwang,
I’m not trying to bust your balls, but this confusion should be cleared up for the sake of all.
As you mentioned In the height of summer (June solstice for the northern hemisphere) the sun is at a northern extreme whereby it moves to the southern extreme (December solstice) moving 47 degrees across the horizon from left to right if facing east or right to left if facing west. The sun stops at these extremes for a period of 2-3days (hence "solstice" from the Latin "sun + standstill"). After this solstice period, the apparent course of the sun across the horizon changes direction, returning from right to left . Viewed as a 2-D plan it is a such:
NE ---------------- E ------------------ SE
+23.5 ---------------- 0 ----------------- -23.5
Where -23.5 is the declination for winter solstice (northern hemisphere) and +23.5 is the declination for summer solstice, 0 being the declination for equinox. The sunrises oscillate from right to left (from winter to summer) for 6 months and then from left to right (summer to winter) also for 6 months. In which case either direction could be argued to be sun-wise.
There is no circle! The sun’s path on the horizon is from 23.5 degrees NE to 23.5 degrees SE… this is about ¼ of the N-S semicircle. The circle is the ecliptic NOT the horizon. The ecliptic is what is represented in astrological charts. The perspective of an astrological chart is from the north celestial pole looking down on the subject. In which case, yes, the plotted course of the sun moves clockwise throughout the year. But this is not an astronomical reality (as it is based on a geocentric perspective) so will not have any “real” bearing on the flow of energy in the ritual. It is a system of charting the sun, and if the Babylonian astrologers wanted to, they could have reversed the system (sun move counter-clockwise) and nothing would have changed. It was a choice, much in the same way that some cultures read from left to right, while others read from right to left.
There is NO astronomical reason for claiming the sun moves in a clockwise manner. The term sunwise comes from the common usage of the astrological coordinate system to chart the course of the sun. This is a system of measurement NOT an astronomical (or even observable) reality.
You seem to have an interest in how pre-industrial peoples viewed the sky. I suggest that you pick up a copy of Anthony Aveni's Skywatchers , or Clive Ruggles Astronomy in Prehistoric Britain, or Ed C. Krupp's book titled Echoes of Ancient Skies. There are tons of books and articles on the subject , these three are my favorites and by far the most straightforward approaches to positional astronomy and the processes through which cultures developed calendars...Good Reads!
This post has been edited by Faustopheles: Dec 26 2006, 11:59 AM
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Lbrp Ritual, is there any differences in respect of the hemispheres?
mystick Lbrp Ritual Jul 11 2006, 01:13 AM
Jul 11 2006, 01:13 AM
