While writing my recent article on Elemental Shields I noticed how out of touch people have become with the cycle of the year and even the progression of the seasons. We have come to such a point in social evolution that I even felt I had to explain why I chose green to represent spring and therefore the element of air. As you can see in the article, most people have become detached from the cycle of the year and the elements. They have removed themselves from the night sky and the elements so far that they cannot seem to name the seasons in the proper order or even point out polaris.
In my attempt to educate myself further on this subject I came across a book in Google Books written by Geoffrey Chaucer. The book is called Treatise on the Astrolabe. I started reading the book with the intention of building an astrolabe using cardboard and parchment. I have not gotten around to building the device yet, but I hope to get to it soon.
What struck me while reading Chaucer (I ended up reading more than the book linked to above) was that Chaucer knew the seasons, four winds, stars, constellations, and elemental attributes that confused Agrippa and Levi. Not only that, these things were better known by children in Chaucer's time than by so-called occultist today. While reading Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe, bear in mind it was written for a boy who was ten or eleven years old (sources vary on this point).
I find I've written more than I planned to write. So, here's the video about the astrolabe on Ted.com. Hope you enjoy it.
After seeing the astrolabe in the video I now want to cast an astrolabe in clear or translucent resin.
No comments:
Post a Comment