A quick list of some of the mansions (though not all)
Just as the Sun moves through the Zodiac, medieval astrologers of the Islamic world also noted the movement of the Moon through a zodiac of its own, known as manzil al qamar or the lunar mansions.
A thread on the astrology and magic of the moon
A quick list of some of the mansions (though not all)
Its talismans are made to cause harm and destruction
Its talismans are made to find buried treasure and to soften the anger of kings.
Its talisman is made to grant wishes and acquire wonders and goods.
Its talismans are made to cause strife and to kill poisonous animals
Its talismans are made for protection and for skill
Its talismans are made for love and friendship.
Its talismans are made to increase trade and wealth
I, and other scholars believe they originated in India with Vedic astrology’s nakshratas and made their way to the Middle East via Yemen and Southern Arabia.
Astrologers of the Islamic world would use the mansions of the moon to time major events, when to go to war, when to enter into diplomacy, and even advise rulers when to conceive children
Blending together natural and astral magic, the mage could invoke the powers of the moon for wonders
Like Buni, Ibn Arabi imagined the whole of the cosmos fashioned by sacred letters, utterances of God’s Divine Names which gave life to the universe.
Each mansion was associated with a letter. For example, the 7th Mansion Al Dhira was connected to the Throne and the letter Qaf.
The philosophical and mystical thought of Ibn Arabi has roots in older Islamic cosmology.
The lifespan of humans are decreed and then the tablets are taken by Mikai’l to the angel of death, Azrail.
The placement of the moon in a particular mansion would be interpreted as part of their character.
We can also see the complex interplay of early astronomy, philosophy, religious thought, and mysticism
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I just finished Eric Adler's The Battle of the Classics, and wanted to say something about Joel Christiansen's review linked below. I am not sure what motivates the review (I speculate a bit below), but it gives a very misleading impression of the book. 1/x
The meat of the criticism is that the history Adler gives is insufficiently critical. Adler describes a few figures who had a great influence on how the modern US university was formed. It's certainly critical: it focuses on the social Darwinism of these figures. 2/x
Other insinuations and suggestions in the review seem wildly off the mark, distorted, or inappropriate-- for example, that the book is clickbaity (it is scholarly) or conservative (hardly) or connected to the events at the Capitol (give me a break). 3/x
The core question: in what sense is classics inherently racist? Classics is old. On Adler's account, it begins in ancient Rome and is revived in the Renaissance. Slavery (Christiansen's primary concern) is also very old. Let's say classics is an education for slaveowners. 4/x
It's worth remembering that literacy itself is elite throughout most of this history. Literacy is, then, also the education of slaveowners. We can honor oral and musical traditions without denying that literacy is, generally, good. 5/x
As someone\u2019s who\u2019s read the book, this review strikes me as tremendously unfair. It mostly faults Adler for not writing the book the reviewer wishes he had! https://t.co/pqpt5Ziivj
— Teresa M. Bejan (@tmbejan) January 12, 2021
The meat of the criticism is that the history Adler gives is insufficiently critical. Adler describes a few figures who had a great influence on how the modern US university was formed. It's certainly critical: it focuses on the social Darwinism of these figures. 2/x
Other insinuations and suggestions in the review seem wildly off the mark, distorted, or inappropriate-- for example, that the book is clickbaity (it is scholarly) or conservative (hardly) or connected to the events at the Capitol (give me a break). 3/x
The core question: in what sense is classics inherently racist? Classics is old. On Adler's account, it begins in ancient Rome and is revived in the Renaissance. Slavery (Christiansen's primary concern) is also very old. Let's say classics is an education for slaveowners. 4/x
It's worth remembering that literacy itself is elite throughout most of this history. Literacy is, then, also the education of slaveowners. We can honor oral and musical traditions without denying that literacy is, generally, good. 5/x