Academic literature on the topic 'Astral worship'

Gula the healing goddess is one of the best-known goddesses of Ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest mentions of Gula date back to the first half of the 3rd millennium BC. In the 2nd millennium BC the worship of Gula became widespread in Mesopotamia. Later on Gula becomes an astral goddess; she is associated with Lyra, one of the brightest constellations in the northern sky. This article discusses the astral aspects of the goddess Gula as a constellation and her connection with the Goat and the Dog constellations, located respectively in the modern Lyra and Hercules. The complicated mythological relationships that existed between Gula and these constellations changed with time. Gula was regarded as the goddess of the Goat constellation while the Dog was Gula’s sacred animal. The article reviews the main characteristics of Gula and the two above-mentioned constellations, reconstructed from cuneiform sources pertaining to different types and periods, particularly astral epithets associated with Gula and images on the glyptics and boundary stones (kudurru). The figures of the Gula, the Goat, and the Dog constellations are reconstructed. It is shown that, at the end of the 3rd millennium BC, of these three constellations only the Goat and the Dog were identified in the Mesopotamian sky. Gula acquired astral significance not before the second half of the 2nd millennium BC.

The proposed article explores the ways of timeless communication of the au-thor’s consciousness of Ukrainian theologian Ivan Ohiienko and dissident writer Iryna Kalynets, clarifi es the intersections of their refl ections on the pre-Christian life of the Ukrainian people, characterizes the typology of transposition of pagan world and folklore-mythological narrative versions of the poetess. The similarity of views of both representatives of the analyzed discourse on the animistic world-view and mentality of Ukrainians is revealed, the integral meaning of their de-clared concepts of its pre-Christian ethics, mythology and culture, invariability of nature worship and personifi cation of the material world as reciprocal (mutual) We emphasize the important aspects of the poet’s lyrics in the aesthetics of the natural world in line with the core ideas and semantic concepts of the work «Pre-Christian beliefs of the Ukrainian people» by Ivan Ohiienko. In this context, we analyze in detail the traditional fl oristic images (evshan-potion, viburnum) permeated in the art world of Iryna Kalynets, singled out in this work by its author as markers of the national world. The second aspect of the interpretation of the poet’s lyrics lies in the plane of analysis of astral symbolism (sun, moon, stars). In her author’s text, as well as in the work of Ivan Ohiienko, the images of the astral cult regulate the co-herence of the earthly and celestial spheres, creatively realize the aesthetic function of the binary opposition earthly / celestial. The key images of the ancient Ukrainian world in Iryna Kalynets’ work are focused in the semantic fi eld of Ohiienko’s sci-entifi c concept. At the same time, they function in diff erent associative contexts, attesting to their individual artistic versions.

Summary The Mithraic evidence in Etruria and Umbria – VII and VI Regiones – presents some particular features of great interest, not only because they contribute to enlarging our knowledge regarding the extent of the diffusion of Mithraism in these regions, but also as regards the general study of the cult itself and the comprehension of certain facets of the cultic implantation patterns within the religious communities. The epigraphic corpus of Mithraism in Umbria provides valuable information concerning some grades of initiation and Mithraic priesthood, highlighting the specificity of this religion. The importance of such information transcends what we know about the local level, by revealing details about the functioning of the cult in general, especially regarding the degree of Leo and some variants of the priesthood, which are poorly documented elsewhere in the Roman Empire. In addition, the discovery of Mithraea, Mithraic images and other archaeological evidence in Etruria and Umbria provides a picture that shows an important spread of the worship in the private context, i.e., both domus and villae, with examples as relevant as Vulci and Spoletium. Further ahead, the prevalence of astral components in the material evidence also suggests a strong preference among local devotees of Mithras of higher social status for the cosmological aspects of their religion.

Worship is a comprehensive name of all what God loves and is pleased either actions, deeds or sayings. Worship according to Islamic perspective is includes all the aspects’ life as long it is consistent and reliable with the rules of Allah and is featured with sincerity. This study sheds light on the broad insight of worship, and its importance in impacting the lives in a positive way by refraining humans from going astray. The researcher will be using some koranic verses that evolve around the worship and then he will broaden the scope to extract the general meanings of worship from the perspective of Sayyid Qutb. By implementing the analytical perspective, the researcher concludes that worship comprehends all the aspects of life, religious, political, economical, social and juridical.

The aim of this research are 1) to analyse the influence of motivation, perception, andattitudes of consumers in together about the decision of the purchase on Astra MotorHonda Palur dealer 2) to analyze influence in partial motivation , perception and attitudeof consumers on the performance of the purchase decision on dealer astra honda motorvehicle palur .The population in this research was consumers on dealer astra hondamotor vehicle palur that is not boundless .In this research sample taken namely 100respondents .Data collection techniques in this research using questionnaires and writeruses likert scale as a measuring instrument .Technical data analysis in this research useslinear regression worship of idols , t test , test f , the coefficients determined.The result of the research indicated that: 1) simultaneously variable motivation,perception, and attitude consumers influential of the decision the purchase by a dealerAstra Honda Motor Palur. 2) in partial variable motivation, preception and attitudeconsumers influential of the decision the purchase by a dealer Astra Honda Motor Palur.Advised for the Honda Astra Motor Palur, psychology consumers need to pay attention toone of them is from the perspective of motivation, the perceptions and attitudes ofconsumers by improving the quality of honda motor be even better by using bettermaterial so that the quality of on a vehicle increased.Keywords: psychological factors, motivation, perception, the consumer, the buyers.

In a hadith, Prophet Muhammad Saw said, “every bid’ah is a going astray.” Some people understand that the bid’ah in the hadith is anything new in Islam which is never done by the Prophet. This paper attempts to probe the concept of bid’ah in the hadith. After searching several books of hadiths, apparently there are some cases that occurred during the period companions of the Prophet and afterwards in which showing the companion’s creativity in worship, but the worship (practice) has never been done by the Prophet and had never been ordered to do. Nevertheless, the Prophet accepted it and gave it high appreciation since the new things were in accordance to Islamic teachings. On the other hand, there was also something new in religious matters conducted by some companions. Because it contradicts the teachings of Islam, the Prophet refused and banned it.

As the main achievement of Tibetan modernization in the 1970s, the promotion of winter wheat enabled wheat, which had rarely been planted in Tibet, to become the second-largest crop in the region. Surprisingly, Tibetan peasants, who at first had strongly resisted winter wheat, became active participants in just two or three years. During this process, how did the state change peasants’ attitudes? How did the national government negate their resistance? Based on documents and oral history materials, this research study shows that political movement played a crucial role. First, the class struggle consisted of a crackdown on the resistance to new technologies and also promoting rural community differentiation so that mutual supervision among peasants neutralized ‘weapons of the weak’. Second, the function of political movement in remolding belief and arousing affection inspired people’s enthusiasm for growing wheat and their sense of political identity by portraying wheat as a symbol of emancipation. However, this movement also had certain side effects on production, and the whole project in the late 1970s was driven astray by blind political worship and neglect of realities.

The Qur'an is the word of Allah, which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel, which is written in the Mushaf and reached us by oral route, was read by him to his companions, and continues to us in a mutawatir way, reading it is worship. which begins with Surah-Fatihah and ends with Surah an-Nas. Al-Qur’an is a holy book for Muslims all over the world, as well as a guide for all mankind. Whoever speaks with the Qur'an, then he speaks the truth. So whoever turns away from the Qur'an, and turns to other directions, he will surely go astray. Gabriel's method is needed to accelerate the process of learning to read the Qur’an correctly, tajwid and fulfill other reading rules. The biggest problem for Muslims is precisely their inability to read the Qur’an correctly. sadly, this figure reaches 65% of the population of Indonesian Muslims. Jibril's method helps provide solutions to these problems, practical, effective and accurate. Especially when we are dealing with Imams of Mosques and Mushollas, who are not able to read the Qur'an properly and correctly. Keywords: Al-Qur’an, Method Jibril, Santri

<p><span lang="EN-US">The presence of philosophy in society is still widely questioned because it is considered capable of undermining beliefs, leading astray, and even having no benefits. The negative view of society towards philosophy is due to the religious and devout culture of the community. However, the development of education, especially at State Islamic Higher Education Institutions (PTKIN) and the establishment of Aqidah and Islamic Philosophy Department, it has given rise to philosophers within the student community at PTKIN. Moreover, the unique behavior of philosophy enthusiasts often attracts attention within the PTKIN student community, prompting researchers to examine the perceptions of philosophy enthusiasts regarding the dimension of religiosity in the midst of Indonesia's predominantly religious and devout cultural environment. This research employs a qualitative approach using Glock and Stark's theory on the dimensions of religiosity. The results show that the perceptions of philosophy activists at PTKIN regarding religiosity encompass three aspects. First, of aqidah, philosophy activists may become doubtful about their beliefs or, conversely, strengthen their faith, as well as cleanse impure religious doctrines. Second, in terms of worship, the non-performance of religious rituals is not solely caused by philosophy, but there are other factors at play. Third, morality or akhlak, philosophy has a positive impact on the behavior of philosophy activists.</span></p>

Isaac Newton remarqua dans la conclusion de ses fameux Principes mathématiques de la philosophie naturelle (1687) : « Les idolâtres s’imaginaient que le soleil, la lune, les astres, les âmes des hommes et toutes les autres parties du monde étaient des parties du Dieu suprême et que, par conséquent, on devait leur rendre un culte, mais c’était une erreur. » Le mathématicien observait de façon similaire en concluant son Traité d’optique : « A la vérité, si les païens n’eussent pas été aveuglés par le culte des faux dieux, ils auraient poussé leur philosophie morale bien au-delà de ce qu’ils nommaient les quatre vertus cardinales ; et au lieu d’enseigner la transmigration des âmes, le culte du soleil et de la lune, et des héros décédés, ils auraient enseigné la raison suprême pour laquelle notre souverain Bienfaiteur et véritable Auteur doit être adoré. » Une question se pose au lecteur contemporain : comment rendre compte de l’insertion de ces considérations théologiques en conclusion de deux traités de nature essentiellement mathématique ?Des éléments de réponse se trouvent dans un manuscrit inachevé de Newton intitulé « Les origines philosophiques de la théologie païenne » (Theologiæ gentilis origines philosophicæ), un traité d’histoire des religions comportant plus de 130.000 mots répartis sur quelque 200 folios. Newton y soutient notamment que la cosmologie des Anciens était de nature théologique du fait qu’elle procédait en partie de la projection sur les éléments du cosmos des âmes des ancêtres de l’humanité déifiés. C’est ainsi que Newton voit dans la catastérisation des premiers hommes l’origine de l’animisme astral, de l’astrolâtrie et de l’astrologie. A ses yeux, la chute originelle de l’homme dans l’idolâtrie aurait corrompu aussi bien la vraie religion que la connaissance de la philosophie naturelle, l’animisme propre aux cosmologies des anciens peuples orientaux formant le pendant philosophique de l’astrolâtrie païenne. Il importait dès lors de désacraliser les éléments du cosmos afin de rétablir aussi bien le culte pur que la science véritable.Après avoir identifié les sources et décrit les principes exégétiques qui sous-tendent le traité des Origines, nous examinerons l’historiographie newtonienne des origines et de la diffusion de la physico-théologie païenne, depuis la naissance du culte des astres en Egypte ancienne jusqu’aux doctrines émanationnistes enseignées par les scolastiques. Nous montrerons ensuite en quoi le système du monde proposé par Newton se présentait comme une alternative désacralisée aux conceptions cosmologiques animistes des Anciens. Nous nous interrogerons finalement sur la provenance de l’animus iconoclaste qui caractérise les écrits théologiques et philosophiques de Newton. Il s’agira de discerner les sources d’influence qui marquèrent sa formation intellectuelle et religieuse au travers de l’examen des polémiques qui divisèrent le milieu réformé au sein duquel il grandit. Il en ressortira que l’auteur des Principes entendait bien désenchanter le cosmos afin de satisfaire les exigences d’un monothéisme austère et intransigeant
Isaac Newton stated in his conclusion to the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (1687) : “Idolaters imagined that the sun, moon, and stars, the souls of men, and other parts of the world were parts of the supreme God, and so were to be worshipped, but they were mistaken.” The famed mathematician correspondingly observed in the conclusion of his treatise on Opticks : “And no doubt, if the worship of false gods had not blinded the heathen, their moral philosophy would have gone farther than to the four cardinal virtues; and instead of teaching the transmigration of souls, and to worship the sun, and moon, and dead heroes, they would have taught us to worship our true Author and Benefactor.” The modern reader may ask : Why conclude two treatises that are fundamentally mathematical in nature with these theological considerations?Part of the answer lays in an uncompleted manuscript by Newton titled “The Philosophical Origins of Pagan Theology” (Theologiæ gentilis origines philosophicæ), a treatise on the history of religions comprising more than 130.000 words on about 200 folios. Newton’s claim therein is that the cosmology of the Ancients was in essence theological since it partly proceeded from the belief that the souls of the deified ancestors of mankind had been projected into elements of the cosmos. This catasterisation of early men was, in Newton’s eyes, the actual origin of stellar animism, star worship, and astrology. Thus, the original fall of man into idolatry corrupted both true religion and the right understanding of natural philosophy, as the intrinsic animism of oriental cosmologies was the philosophical counterpart of pagan astrolatry. Restoring pure worship and true science required, therefore, that elements of the cosmos be first desacralized.In this work, I will first identify the sources and characterize the exegetical principles behind the treatise on Origins. I will then examine the Newtonian historiography of the origins and dissemination of pagan physicotheology, from the beginning of star worship in ancient Egypt to the emanationist doctrines taught by Medieval schoolmen. I will then show how Newton’s own system of the world presented itself as a disenchanted alternative to the animistic cosmological beliefs of the Ancients. I will eventually trace the roots of Newtons’s iconoclastic ethos which characterizes much of his theological and philosophical writings. To this end, I will consider the sources of influence that bore upon Newton’s upbringing in relation to the religious contentions which divided the Reformed milieu he grew up in. I will eventually argue that the author of the Principia meant indeed to desacralize the cosmos to meet the demands of an austere and uncompromising monotheism

Saull’s public debut was in court in 1828 on blasphemy charges. He was indicted as a backer of the infidel preacher, the Rev. Robert Taylor, in a show trial, that, as the spy said, was designed to threaten off such “men of property”. Here we discuss Taylor: his rise (and subsequent soubriquet, the “Devil’s Chaplain”, at the Rotunda in 1830); how his blasphemy, at the time of Reform Bill agitation, went hand-in-hand with radical sedition; Saull’s funding of a succession of venues and support for Taylor, in prison and out (on Saull’s bail); and the value of Taylor’s Bible-demystifying astro-theology to Saull’s anti-clerical campaigns. When Taylor was jailed in 1828, Saull (the spy revealed) set up a new blasphemy chapel in Grub Street for another deist, the Rev. Josiah Fitch, for his “burlesque of religious worship”. More importantly, Saull founded a discussion group behind the scenes in this chapel—the “Athenaeum”—where geology could be mined for its anti-Christian meaning. Materialism justified by science was now Saull’s major topic, as revealed in his talks at his friend Pierre Baume’s Optimist Chapel. Taylor’s further incarceration in 1831, his harsh treatment in Horsemonger-lane gaol, and the perennial threat of Saull’s own postponed case, meant that Saull now switched from frontal attacks on Christianity to more covert undermining in geology lectures. He also moved from Taylor’s astro-theology to the radical publisher (or to detractors, “filthy jacobinical dog”) Sir Richard Phillips’ astro-geology: planetary orbital explanations of the periodicity of the earth’s strata, to explain the alternating hot/cold and marine/terrestrial sediments. This promised a more mechanical explanation of life’s rise.

Abstract Pre-Islamic Arabia, before it was influenced through various conquests by Judaism, Christianity, and perhaps Zoroastrianism, was polytheistic in its religion. Jinn (spirits) were worshiped, and various tribal groups worshiped their own, often astral deities. Cult centers were marked by temples, and by holy stones (baetyls) representing these and other tribal deities. Also sacred trees could serve as cult centers. For instance, Muhammad’s tribe, the Qyraysh, worshiped a great tree called the Dhat Anwat on the road between Mecca and Medina. Given the nomadic nature of many of the tribes, objects—especially stones—in any given place could be invested temporarily with the sacred and used as a focus of worship (see Allouche, 364).

Abstract Japanese Buddhism received and implemented a kind of Sinicized form of astrology from the ninth to tenth centuries. This type of astrology differed from the type of court omenology that had earlier been received from the mainland and was based on ancient Chinese concepts of astroterrestrial correspondences and related chiefly to concerns of the country as a whole, rather than to individuals. The new form of astrology, originating from Indian and Indo-Iranian sources in Chinese translation, could be used for timing rituals to maximize their efficiency or to predict the fate of an individual. The planets, now viewed as deities, also entered the Buddhist pantheon in Japan and became an important object of worship. New ritual forms were also received and developed, in which one could negotiate one’s fate as it might be predicted based on astrology.

Abstract This section examines Henri Bergson’s attitude to and writings about spiritualism, mysticism, and psychical research. The Kabbalistic idea that the adept retraces the path of Divine emanations (charted in the Tree of Life) is related to Bergson’s view of metaphysics, and metaphysical insight, as a reversal of the normal direction of thought, or a search for “experience at its source.” The relationship between religion, understood as an organized worship of God, and the kind of mysticism found in the Golden Dawn (namely, a heterodox set of practices aimed at self-actualization and self-knowledge) is also related to Henri Bergson’s own theory of the self and inwardness. The chapter continues by looking at Henri Bergson’s theory of magic and fabulation before closely examining his approach to psychical research, in particular by comparing his theory of pure perception and hyperaesthesia with clairvoyance and astral travel, especially as described in texts by Mina Bergson.

There are a lot of pirs in the south-eastern region of Azerbaijan that continue the traditions of Sheikh Zahid and in which prominent Sufis of that period have been buried. Most of them are linked to the tekke of Ardabil. It is known that Sheik Jamaladdin was a pir of Sheik Zahid Gilani. At present his grave is located at the cemetery of the village of Pensar (Butasar) that is on the Lankaran-Astara highway. The grave is called “The pir of Sayyid Jamaladdin” and is a large place of worship. The mausoleum (turbe) of Sheikh Zahid and the monuments linked to it are ones of the monuments that demonstrate the principal role of the sheikh of Ardabil in the spread of sufism in the south-eastern region, including Shirvan. The pir of Sheikh Zahid is one of the most sacred places in the south-eastern region. The pir of Sayyid Ahmad is one of the most famous pirs that reflects the traditions of Sheik Zahid. This pir is located in the forest at the right side of the Lankaran-Astara highway, at the cemetery of the village of Mashkhan. One more pir that reflects the traditions of Sheikh Zahid is the mausoleum of Abi-Darda that is situated between the two villages of Yardymly – Larzan and Arsila. The mausoleum is known as Abuzara, Abudarza, Abidarza, Abazarda and Abidarda. The pir of Babagil that is located near the village of Babagil is one of the famous places of worship in the south-eastern region. The village was called in honor of the person who was buried in the same pir. There are a lot of sufi tombs that reflect the traditions of Sheikh Zahid in present-day Jalilabad in the south-eastern region. Moreover, there were a lot of khanegahs and tekyes in this region. Keywords: Azerbaijan, Sheikh Zahid, Sheik Jamaladdin, Pensar (Butasar), Ardabil, Mashkhan.