In this week’s portion of the symbol series I’ve been talking about numbers. A language of symbols, numbers are the only language shared by all human beings. There aren’t regional dialects. Number five is always five, a circle is always 360º, and Pi is always 3.14159…. It is what it is.

Because of this universality, it’s easy to understand how math came about as an instrument of trade. I have pouches of apples and you have pouches of acorns. How can we make this a fair trade? If we count what we have on our fingers we’ll be sure it’s value for value. What’s fascinating about mathematics is it quickly jumped from that to the stars.

I’ve said before that math is considered the language of the universe. There’s even a mathematical equation that says it’s highly likely we’re not alone in the cosmos. Because math is constant and true, the likelihood of many inhabited earths in the universe is a yes.  They may not be what we have, but math says there may be life from bacteria to mega fauna to civilizations out there.

Setting math aside briefly, science knows radio waves of all sorts exist. You do too. I’m sure you’ve heard of infra red and ultra violet — two ends of the electromagnetic spectrum. Your microwave uses them, so does your car radio, cellphone, TV, and internet, etc. Amazingly, these waves go out into the universe and will keep going to the end if there is one. The thing is, they not only come from earth and head into space, they come from space to earth. In fact, an assortment of radio frequencies penetrate the earth’s atmosphere. This led to the creation of radio telescopes (essentially large radio antennas) to investigate the different frequencies coming from the cosmos. Given the fact of radio waves, science contemplates communicating with life beyond our world.  Governments around the world have been listening for decades. Learn more here.

🙂 Now that I have your mind out in the galaxy ~
Here’s a brief introduction to the Zodiac.

“I will look on the stars and look on thee and read the page of thy destiny.”

~Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The topic of Astrology is huge so I’m tackling it in more than one post. To begin, I’ve read that the first records of astronomy come from the Middle East in the Sumer valley. Some 6000-7000 years ago people started to write down their study of the stars. It was believed the sun, moon, and planet Venus were gods in the sky. Many cultures saw stars as gods in the dome above. Tracking the sun and the moon told you when the four auspicious events would occur (the two solstices and the two equinox) In tracking Venus, they watch the planet draw a pentagram in the sky. This is the reason the five-sided star is a prominent symbol in goddess worship then and now.  It came from the heavens.

Some stars of the night sky not only stood out as brighter than others, they formed recognizable patterns we know as constellations. Big Dipper, Orion the Hunter, Cassiopeia etc. Before long stories developed around the pictures. But there were others pictures in the night sky — twelve constellations that moved in a definite circle and seemed to follow the path of the sun. These were called the Zodiac. The name zodiac is thought to come from Latin zōdiacus which means animals in a circuit. But the Greek word zoad also turns up. Zoad for the way. That might have to do with the circular path involved.

Based upon those early astronomers’ observations, they determined daylight hours would see the sun residing in a different constellation on this circular path each month.  A god resting in a constellation. How auspicious!

Tomorrow ~ What’s your sign?

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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 51 entries to come.

Here’s one for today:

Boscaresque (adjective 1734)

picturesque; scenically wooded

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It’s Wednesday and time for Hump Day happenings.

Hump Day Hook
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/
Books Hooks
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
Horny Hump Day
http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/
First Kiss Wednesday
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

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First Kiss Wednesday!

Over on the Exquisite Quills blog it’s a day dedicated to kisses. In 300 words or less taken from the pages of their novels, authors share their best smackeroos.

http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests. http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/
http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/
Exquisite Quills Yahoo Group

Free to join in each week
Wash Line Monday ~ share your descriptions of clothing in your novel.
Tickle Us Tuesday ~ Share fun and funny snippets from your novel.
First Kiss Wednesday ~ share your best 300 word kiss.
Set the Scene in Six~ share your backdrop or lead-up on Sundays.

Book a spot
The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel.
Author Interviews ~ We’re booking early summer now.

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Today is Author Molly Daniels/Kenzie Michaels’ blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/