Avada Kedavra - Carson Alfonzo

The chapter titled “Power of the Planets” – Arabic astrology and astral magic in A History of Magic, Witchcraft, & the Occult caught my attention during my reading, specifically because I am somewhat familiar with the concept of astrology due to its significant popularity in modern times (particularly among my female friends). I intend to examine the analysis from the text and then also share my personal experiences with the practice / study of astrology. Prior to reading the text I had no idea that astrology started among the scholars of the early Islamic world; it always seemed much more European. However, this might be a result of European influence after the Arabic texts were translated to Latin in the 13 th century. Anyone who has played a game of “telephone” understands that much is lost and/or altered in translation, which has caused historians many challenges in understanding the past to its fullest extent. I would not be surprised if this early translation morphed the o...

After reading the "Interpreting Divine Will - divination in ancient Greece" chapter and the "Ensuring Cosmic Harmony - Chinese divination" chapter in A History of Magic, Witchcraft, & the Occult , I was fascinated by the similarities and differences across these two completely different cultures. More so, I am left to wonder how exactly these two societies, thousands of miles apart, were both able to come to the same conclusion in regards to the fundamental concept of divine will and its interpretation. The association of seemingly random natural or unnatural occurrences with the prediction of the future is difficult to take seriously in the modern day. Plus, humans are unable to accurately conceive just how long ago these practices took place. For example, if you asked a stranger to describe the differences between life in 1600 BCE and 600 BCE, they would likely provide a minimal amount of useful knowledge (if any) despite an entire millennium of development....