Post by tannis on Sept 26, 2009 17:27:06 GMT
Put your eye right up to the glass, now
And here we'll find the constellation of the heart...
Heart (Chinese constellation): From the time of high antiquity Chinese people have practiced agriculture. To these primitive folks an elementary knowledge of astronomy is indispensable; being without a calendar, they had to watch stars in the night in order to determine the proper time for planting of crops, repairing of buildings, etc. Chinese constellations are the way ancient Chinese grouped the stars. They are very different from the modern IAU recognized constellations. This is due to the independent development of ancient Chinese astronomy. Ancient Chinese skywatchers divided their night sky into 31 regions, namely Three Enclosures and Twenty-eight Mansions. The Twenty-eight Mansions occupy the zodiac region of the sky. They can be considered as the equivalent to the 12 zodiacal constellations in the Western Astronomy. Contrary to the Western Astronomy, the Twenty-eight Mansions reflect the movement of the Moon in a lunar month rather than the Sun in a Solar Year.
The Heart mansion (pinyin: Xīn Xiù; European constellation: Scorpius; Number of stars: 3) is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon. The Tong Shu Almanac is based on the 28 Mansions (or Constellations) of Chinese Astrology. The tong shu is sometimes used for feng shui practitioners in order to receive accurate information regarding specific environments and purposes.
When persons wish to feed the newly hatched silk worms, they must as first open a room with an eastern aspect. At the four angles, concave niches must be constructed, (small stoves) arranged like the three stars of the constellation of the heart, that is to say, in triangularly, in order to distribute the heat, in a uniform manner.
~ The Farmers' register, Volume 6, edited by Edmund Ruffin (1838).
It has its culminating point in the great southern constellation of the Red Bird. Being the essence of fire this planet rules the drought, and is considered to be the "Spirit of the Red Emperor Ch'ih p'iao nu, Red fiery Anger" (i.e. of Shen--nung, the God of Fire, the Sovereign of the South). It is, however, not this planet, but the Constellation of the Heart, called Great Fire, and especially one of its three stars, the bright Antares, which was connected with the ancient Fire-ceremonies.
~ Mitteilungen, Volume 17, By Berlin. Universität, 1914.
There is a tradition that [during the time of Duke Ching of Sung, the Planet Mars stood in the constellation of the Heart. The duke, alarmed, summoned Tse Wei and asked him what it meant that Mars was in the Heart.
Tse Wei replied: "Mars means a punishment of Heaven. Sung is that part of the earth which corresponds to the Heart. A misfortune is menacing Your Highness. Nevertheless, it can be shifted on the prime minister." . . . .
All this is absurd. Provided that almighty Heaven was wreaking its anger, and caused Mars to stay in the constellation of the Heart owing to Duke Ching's personal wickedness, then even if he had listened to Tse Wei's advice, it would not have been of any benefit to him.
~ Lun-hêng, By Chong Wang, 1962
It is obvious, that for the author of the Huainan zi, this interaction is not merely metaphorical. For instance, when the prince and his ministers hypocritically bear a grudge against each other, "horned halos" appear on each side of the sun; when the Fire star enters the constellation of the Heart, the earth trembles in the middle kingdoms; when, in the midst of battle, the holy King Wu brandished his sword toward the sun, the latter backtracked three stations in the sky to enable the king to achieve victory.
~ Beyond textuality: asceticism and violence in anthropological interpretation, Gilles Bibeau, Ellen E. Corin, 1994, p.67
IN MEMORIAM.
"Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God."—Matt. v. 8.
Toll, toll a knell! sad tribute to the dead!
Flow on uncheck'd, thou warmly-gushing tear!
Above the grave, One, more than human, shed
Those precious drops, and all are human here.
How truly Mem'ry pictures to the mind
That lovely form, expanding like the rose;
But chill'd and wither'd by th' unkindly wind,
E'er she more ripen'd beauties could disclose!
Dear to the heart the morn which hail'd her birth—
The childish sports in which she play'd her part;
Her warm affection, and her deeds of worth—
Her heav'nly mind—her purity of heart!
These—these are charms undimm'd by Death's dark frown,
These—these are flow'rs whose beauty cannot die !
These shall entwine around her saintly crown,
And bloom effulgent thro' Eternity!
How sadly, as each wak'ning sun arose,
We mark'd that visage pale—that form grow weak!
And, as a fair day crimsons at its close,
So lovelier grew the bloom upon her cheek :
Whilst that fair constellation of the heart—
Sweet beaming Hope—dispell'd foreboding fear;
But soon its rays did one by one depart,
We saw—we felt—Death's darksome hour draw near.
As o'er the mind float visions of the night,
And leave us dazzled by the light they shed;
So purely, peacefully, serenely bright,
Her seraph-spirit on its passage sped !
Within the grave her mould'ring frame may rest,
And dew-drops sparkle on the verdant sod,
Yet shall she rise, in spotless garb be drest—
In brighter regions shall she "see her God."
~ Songs by the way: a collection of original poems for the comfort and encouragement of Christian pilgrims, Henry Faulkner Darnell, 1862
And here we'll find the constellation of the heart...
Heart (Chinese constellation): From the time of high antiquity Chinese people have practiced agriculture. To these primitive folks an elementary knowledge of astronomy is indispensable; being without a calendar, they had to watch stars in the night in order to determine the proper time for planting of crops, repairing of buildings, etc. Chinese constellations are the way ancient Chinese grouped the stars. They are very different from the modern IAU recognized constellations. This is due to the independent development of ancient Chinese astronomy. Ancient Chinese skywatchers divided their night sky into 31 regions, namely Three Enclosures and Twenty-eight Mansions. The Twenty-eight Mansions occupy the zodiac region of the sky. They can be considered as the equivalent to the 12 zodiacal constellations in the Western Astronomy. Contrary to the Western Astronomy, the Twenty-eight Mansions reflect the movement of the Moon in a lunar month rather than the Sun in a Solar Year.
The Heart mansion (pinyin: Xīn Xiù; European constellation: Scorpius; Number of stars: 3) is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon. The Tong Shu Almanac is based on the 28 Mansions (or Constellations) of Chinese Astrology. The tong shu is sometimes used for feng shui practitioners in order to receive accurate information regarding specific environments and purposes.
When persons wish to feed the newly hatched silk worms, they must as first open a room with an eastern aspect. At the four angles, concave niches must be constructed, (small stoves) arranged like the three stars of the constellation of the heart, that is to say, in triangularly, in order to distribute the heat, in a uniform manner.
~ The Farmers' register, Volume 6, edited by Edmund Ruffin (1838).
It has its culminating point in the great southern constellation of the Red Bird. Being the essence of fire this planet rules the drought, and is considered to be the "Spirit of the Red Emperor Ch'ih p'iao nu, Red fiery Anger" (i.e. of Shen--nung, the God of Fire, the Sovereign of the South). It is, however, not this planet, but the Constellation of the Heart, called Great Fire, and especially one of its three stars, the bright Antares, which was connected with the ancient Fire-ceremonies.
~ Mitteilungen, Volume 17, By Berlin. Universität, 1914.
There is a tradition that [during the time of Duke Ching of Sung, the Planet Mars stood in the constellation of the Heart. The duke, alarmed, summoned Tse Wei and asked him what it meant that Mars was in the Heart.
Tse Wei replied: "Mars means a punishment of Heaven. Sung is that part of the earth which corresponds to the Heart. A misfortune is menacing Your Highness. Nevertheless, it can be shifted on the prime minister." . . . .
All this is absurd. Provided that almighty Heaven was wreaking its anger, and caused Mars to stay in the constellation of the Heart owing to Duke Ching's personal wickedness, then even if he had listened to Tse Wei's advice, it would not have been of any benefit to him.
~ Lun-hêng, By Chong Wang, 1962
It is obvious, that for the author of the Huainan zi, this interaction is not merely metaphorical. For instance, when the prince and his ministers hypocritically bear a grudge against each other, "horned halos" appear on each side of the sun; when the Fire star enters the constellation of the Heart, the earth trembles in the middle kingdoms; when, in the midst of battle, the holy King Wu brandished his sword toward the sun, the latter backtracked three stations in the sky to enable the king to achieve victory.
~ Beyond textuality: asceticism and violence in anthropological interpretation, Gilles Bibeau, Ellen E. Corin, 1994, p.67
IN MEMORIAM.
"Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God."—Matt. v. 8.
Toll, toll a knell! sad tribute to the dead!
Flow on uncheck'd, thou warmly-gushing tear!
Above the grave, One, more than human, shed
Those precious drops, and all are human here.
How truly Mem'ry pictures to the mind
That lovely form, expanding like the rose;
But chill'd and wither'd by th' unkindly wind,
E'er she more ripen'd beauties could disclose!
Dear to the heart the morn which hail'd her birth—
The childish sports in which she play'd her part;
Her warm affection, and her deeds of worth—
Her heav'nly mind—her purity of heart!
These—these are charms undimm'd by Death's dark frown,
These—these are flow'rs whose beauty cannot die !
These shall entwine around her saintly crown,
And bloom effulgent thro' Eternity!
How sadly, as each wak'ning sun arose,
We mark'd that visage pale—that form grow weak!
And, as a fair day crimsons at its close,
So lovelier grew the bloom upon her cheek :
Whilst that fair constellation of the heart—
Sweet beaming Hope—dispell'd foreboding fear;
But soon its rays did one by one depart,
We saw—we felt—Death's darksome hour draw near.
As o'er the mind float visions of the night,
And leave us dazzled by the light they shed;
So purely, peacefully, serenely bright,
Her seraph-spirit on its passage sped !
Within the grave her mould'ring frame may rest,
And dew-drops sparkle on the verdant sod,
Yet shall she rise, in spotless garb be drest—
In brighter regions shall she "see her God."
~ Songs by the way: a collection of original poems for the comfort and encouragement of Christian pilgrims, Henry Faulkner Darnell, 1862