Out of This World

Astrology in the Renaissance was a common art form and religious matter to both nobility and commoners alike. I gave my presentation last week on astrology and actually found it to be a very fascinating topic to research. I had no idea how complicated astrology was, as it is full of scientific, mathematical, religious, and magical aspects. The most interesting part of my research, in my eyes, was the aspect of horoscopes and the creation of talismans and amulets. Horoscopes are obviously still around today, as nearly every magazine and newspaper prints monthly horoscopes for readers to view their fortune, if you will, for the upcoming month. Horoscopes, as many of you probably know, are based off of which month you are born in and then this period of time corresponds with a particular label and animal/symbol that is used to represent your prediction. I am pretty sure that almost everyone knows their astrological "sign", so horoscopes, while they gained popularity in the Renaissance, have lasted throughout the years and continue to be popular even in today's day and age.

Talismans and amulets, in a nutshell, are material objects that are created at an opportune, magical time (with relation to the stars) and thus have magical significance/powers. I showed this video in my presentation, but I think it does a good job of summarizing these items and so here's the link once again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzeuUDFo4zY

I will comment more on my findings in astrology in another post, but this was just a kickoff to my findings and further comments on my in class presentation...