Astrology and Cosmology in the World's Religions

New
Paperback
2012
$28.56

When you think of astrology, you may think of the horoscope section in your local paper, or of Nancy Reagan's consultations with an astrologer in the White House in the 1980s. Yet almost every religion uses some form of astrology: some way of thinking about the sun, moon, stars, and planets and how they hold significance for human lives on earth.

Astrology and Cosmology in the World's Religions offers an accessible overview of the astrologies of the world's religions, placing them into context within theories of how the wider universe came into being and operates. Campion traces beliefs about the heavens among peoples ranging from ancient Egypt and China, to Australia and Polynesia, and India and the Islamic world. Addressing each religion in a separate chapter, Campion outlines how, by observing the celestial bodies, people have engaged with the divine, managed the future, and attempted to understand events here on earth. This fascinating text offers a unique way to delve into comparative religions and will also appeal to those intrigued by New Age topics.

Synopsis

When you think of astrology, you may think of the horoscope section in your local paper, or of Nancy Reagan's consultations with an astrologer in the White House in the 1980s. Yet almost every religion uses some form of astrology: some way of thinking about the sun, moon, stars, and planets and how they hold significance for human lives on earth.

Astrology and Cosmology in the World's Religions offers an accessible overview of the astrologies of the world's religions, placing them into context within theories of how the wider universe came into being and operates. Campion traces beliefs about the heavens among peoples ranging from ancient Egypt and China, to Australia and Polynesia, and India and the Islamic world. Addressing each religion in a separate chapter, Campion outlines how, by observing the celestial bodies, people have engaged with the divine, managed the future, and attempted to understand events here on earth. This fascinating text offers a unique way to delve into comparative religions and will also appeal to those intrigued by New Age topics.

$28.56

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 25 Jun 2012
ISBN 10: 0814717144
ISBN 13: 9780814717141
Book Overview: Outlines how, by observing the celestial bodies, people have engaged with the divine, managed the future, and attempted to understand events here on earth

Media Reviews

This innovative study presents astrologies and cosmologies - broadly conceived - as counterparts and mirrors of human societies. Unlike most students of astrology, Campion transcends the limitations of the Western tradition to examine the nature and roles of astrological and cosmological concepts in cultures from all continents. His examples provide original insights into how cosmologies shape these cultures' artistic, intellectual, and religious activities. -- Stephen McCluskey,West Virginia University
The book is crammed with information, occasionally punctuated by interpretation or analysis. Over 50 pages of notes and bibliography enable readers to check the author's exactitude for him or herself. -- L. De Danaan * CHOICE *
Campion's Astrology and Cosmologyis an ambitious examination of cosmologies and astrologies from around the world. The diversity of cultures Campion includes is impressive. -- Jacqueline Feke * History of Astronomy *
What is up in the sky has significance in almost every religion, and this book looks at Australia, Oceania, North America, South and Central America, Sub-Sahara Africa, Egypt, China, India, Babylon, Judaism, Classical Greece with Christianity, Islam, and 'Theosophical, New Age, and Pagan Cosmologies.' -- Gareth J. Medway * The Magonia Blog: Astrology and Religion *

Author Bio

Nicholas Campion is senior lecturer in the School of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, director of the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, and course director of the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. His books include the two-volume A History of Western Astrology.