History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium (with AceAstronomy, Virtual Astronomy Labs Printed Access Card)

Average customer rating:

Great - Simply Great
Great Astronomy Text
The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium

The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium (with AceAstronomy, Virtual Astronomy Labs Printed Access Card)
Jay M. Pasachoff , and Alex Filippenko
Manufacturer: Brooks Cole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 049501303X

Book Description

Jay Pasachoff and Alex Filippenko combine extensive research experience, teaching experience, and textbook-writing experience to offer a book that is unparalleled in its ability to present the latest science in a way that students can understand. This brief, beautifully illustrated text - one of the briefest available for the course - offers concise coverage of a wide range of astronomical topics. The authors have struck a balance between the fundamental concepts and the exciting topics at the forefront of astronomy, conveying the spirit of contemporary astronomy within a big picture context. The authors emphasize the central theme of origins in this text, first by singling out specifics in the headings of each chapter and then by dealing with a variety of relevant material in the text itself. An early discussion of the scientific method stresses an importance on the verification of observations, and sets the stage for the text's consistent focus on astronomy as a science.

Customer Reviews:

Great - Simply Great.......2006-05-16

As I look at a beautiful new astronomy book like this one, I am reminded of Galileo who was sentenced to be shown the implements of torture and then confined under house arrest for the remainder of his life for publishing that the sun went around the earth rather than the other way around. Galileo's first telescope was probably about eight power, about standard these days for binoculars.

Today with the advanced state of even inexpensive commercial telescopes, CCDs and advanced software which can be processed quite easily on the very powerful home computers fo today, the home astronomer is up to about where the pros were a dozen or so years ago.

If you are a student using this book as a text, you are lucky.

If you are just interested in astronomy, this is a highly recommended book. It's writing quality, and the quality of its printed pictures is supurb. It's up to date with as good a discussion on recent findings such as the accelerating expansion of the Universe (one of the authors AF, was on one of the teams that discovered this), dark energy, dark matter, and of course the eleven dimensions that make up superstring theory as you will find in any book. They even make these subjects clear without having to go into deep mathematics. (Then again, going into deep mathematics may well not make these subjects more understandable at all.)

Now updated in its third edition this book accurately reflects the current state of astronomy. It would make a great present to an amateur astronomer.

Great Astronomy Text.......2006-02-24

This is a great introductory Astronomy text. It is easy to understand and learn the material presented. There are magnificent photos and easy to understand illustrations for those who are visual learners. I recommend it to anyone wanting to just have an understanding of the subject, whether in an educatinal setting or just wanting to learn it on their own.

The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium.......2002-11-26

This is a five-star book! Designed as a textbook for basic astronomy courses, it also serves as a stand-alone book for the average person who wants seriously to find out more about the universe. The content is clear and easy to follow, moving from the earth through the solar system, stars, galaxies, black holes, quasars, and finally issues of cosmology. Pages are well laid-out for easy reading, and enhanced with beautiful four-color photos and diagrams. Each chapter concludes with a concept review and questions for reflection. Help in learning terminology is provided by boldfaced vocabulary throughout the book and a glossary at the end.
Special features that are set apart in the text, either on separate pages or in boxes, include interviews with people in astronomy (excellent diversity of persons), exercises in calculation, expanded "closer looks" at topics, biographies of scientific figures, and exercises in finding things in the sky.
Web-enhanced features for students that go with the book include www sites for more information using the Internet, web-links, chapter maps, quizzes, and even a source on popular misconceptions. Instructors' ancillary materials include photo resource catalog, overhead transparencies/slides, and a computerized test bank.
You don't have to be a scientist to read this book! Anyone can learn a great deal about the universe from these 395 pages. Pasachoff and Filippenko have produced a winner. Enjoy!

The Nature of Consciousness : The Structure of Reality: Theory of Everything Equation Revealed : Scientific Verification and Proof of Logic God Is

Average customer rating:

The Real Deal
A life changing experience??
Should be Required Reading for everyone
A Very Important Book
Illuminating!!!

The Nature of Consciousness : The Structure of Reality: Theory of Everything Equation Revealed : Scientific Verification and Proof of Logic God Is
Jerry Davidson Wheatley
Manufacturer: Research Scientific Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0970316100

Book Description

This book describes how understanding the structure of reality leads to the Theory of Everything Equation. The equation unifies the forces of nature and enables the merging of relativity with quantum theory. The book explains the big bang theory and everything else.

Customer Reviews:

The Real Deal.......2006-09-25

Although Mr. Wheatley is a little verbose in sections, his documentation of Zen Buddhistic Principles found throughout the disciplines of Mathematics, Physics, Theology, etc. forms a nice reference guide for anyone tuned into that wavelength. In particular, his explanation of how Godel's Theorem and Cantor's "Confusion" shed great light on the difference between GOD's Logic and Man's Logic should be a revelation to any undergraduate level math students who encounter these ideas for the first time. Curiously, Mr. Wheatley makes many misstatements about both Zen Buddhism Principles and the Bible, however. For example, by accepting the false biblical teaching of Original Sin, he misses the point that eating the proverbial apple gave Adam and Eve the ability to make Moral Discernments in fulfillment of GOD'S PERFECT PLAN. As proof, read Genesis 1 which states that Man and Woman were made in GOD's Image. Genesis 4 shows that Adam and Eve weren't the first humans on Earth at all, there were plenty of others by then. The allegorical meaning of the story of Eden, then, isn't that Adam and Eve were the first humans on Earth, but they were the first humans with the ability to make Moral Discernments (in GOD's Image). In fact, Moral Discernment is God's Unique Gift to Man, which is the basis of consciousness, not some Math Formula. But because the wages of the resulting, unavoidable sin are Death, many people foolishly try to return to Eden by: (1) living a sinless Life (2) by removing choice altogether by passing and enforcing strict Laws (3) by attempting to do away with Moral Discernment and the resulting consequences for our actions altogether by trying to remove Shame from Shameful actions. GOD is not some ethereal Man-In-Space, but is simply the Totality of all Real Things, The Set of All Real Sets. GOD's Love manifests itself from the amazing sub-atomic relationships that underly this magic Life all the way to the grandest of Macroscopic Scales, the Interconnected Totality itself. The Zen Buddhism connection can be found by simply superimposing the 0 symbol and the symbol for infinity (8 on its side) in Mr. Wheatley's supposedly "new" formulation that 1 = 0 x infinity. Superimposing them gives you the yin-yang symbol. A potential disadvantage of artificially separating the infinity from the zero, however, is that Mr. Wheatley is able to equate the entire expression to be equal to 1. This potentially might obscure the fact that the deepest meaning of the yin-yang symbol is that it is both 2 and 1 AT THE SAME TIME. His overall equation does preserve that important meaning by utilizing a single element on one side of the equation and two elements on the other side of his final TOE equation. This may be hard to see for some at first, however, which could potentially obscure the richest meaning of this beautiful symbol/equation. A much more GODLY TOE, in my opinion, comes from Euler, who discovered that e ^ (i * pi) - 1 = 0. When someone can explain that relationship, then they can say they know GOD.

A life changing experience??.......2005-06-13

This book is an easy read and does succeed in being somewhat thought-provoking. However, I am a little surprised at the awesome, "life changing" experience it apparently was for many of the readers. Wheatley's conclusions were interesting but nothing really new. All of his material should have passed through the mind of any thinking person without the aid of this book.
The reason I gave this book three stars is because he uses unneccessarily wordy ways of describing simple things. Also, the author and many other reviewers insist that Wheatley makes only one assumption. Wrong-his whole theory is one big assumption.
Overall though it was a very interesting and worthy book.

Should be Required Reading for everyone.......2004-06-26

This book will change your life. You will never think the same way you did before reading it.
I have a degree in chemistry and I think this book should be read by everyone in the sciences. Without a doubt, the best book I've ever read. Why and what are two of our best friends

A Very Important Book.......2004-01-26

I must preface my review by stating that I have never been so excited and moved by a book that I have wanted to contact the author. That is what I found myself doing upon reading this book. This book is just what its title says. The author does not "miss a beat" describing in great detail using practically every aspect of scientific knowledge from atomic structure through logic to quantum theory---we are even given a valuable explanation of Love. This text may be challenging to read for those unfamiliar with scientific terminology. And it can also be difficult for those with a science background, such as myself. However, for me it is well worth the work necessary to strive to understand the unfamiliar terminology. (I am continually learning from this book. I am presently on my third reread).

One of the author's main messages is "not" to believe anything without first verifying it with reality, as we know it. He calls it the "Personal Explanation Principle". He indicates that religions are just such belief systems that we as people "fall" victims of; because we do not verify the beliefs with the facts, as we know them, of reality. He gives a very detailed explanation of how the New Testament can be explored using his methodology.

The author methodically and meticulously walks us through his thought processes, which took 30 years to assimilate, of delineating the structure of reality and the nature of consciousness. Included in the "walk" are many of reality's phenomena made revelatory. An example of that, for me, would be the dual nature of light. It's particle/wave duality, which is explained as "functions". Also, when the author took me on the mental journey of "Setness" an exhilaration of the magnificence of life swelled up in me.

To me this is a very important book that should be read by all that are seekers of truth. It is for all those wanting to gain an understanding of the purpose for their existence, wanting to know where life is headed towards, and wanting to know who God is.

This book will enlighten and develop one's mind substantially. You will discover that this is our objective.

And yes, I contacted the author and he responded openly.

Illuminating!!!.......2002-12-30

This is a really great book. It combines philosophy and science in order to tackle a multitude of existential problems. The author's style of writing is fresh and alive, I recommend ths book to anyone interested in expanding the fronteirs of their understanding. Books I also liked are a Universe in an Nutshell by Steven Hawkings and Descent into Illusions by Paul Omeziri.

Atlas of the Moon: Revised, Updated Edition

Average customer rating:

Excellent
Best Atlas for Lunar Tics
A beautiful book to help plan your next lunar adventure
Awesome guide to have on hand!
The standard for lunar atlases

Atlas of the Moon: Revised, Updated Edition
Antonin Rukl
Manufacturer: Sky Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1931559074

Book Description

The definitive Moon atlas is back! Revised, updated, and improved with expanded text and maps, this venerable atlas is the ideal reference guide for beginning Moon-gazers and expert lunar observers alike. Along with master lunar cartographer Antonín Rükl's exquisite maps, you'll find comprehensive lists of lunar formations and sights. This new printing is also free of red ink, making it much easier to use at the eyepiece.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-06-25

The maps in this book have an incredible amount of detail. They are hand drawn and Rukl has obviously invested a great deal of time in this work. It is an excellent resource for anyone looking for maps for our closest celestial neighbor. Personally, I think this book is as much a work of art as it is a practical map. This book is to lunar maps as Gray's Anatomy is to human biology.

The maps are hand drawn in order to give a consistent view of the entire lunar surface. Lunar observing is incredibly dependent on angle sunlight hits your target. Many lunar features appear drastically different depending on when you are looking at them. Many features, such as craters, look spectacular when they are on the terminator, but extremely dull and uninteresting when viewed during a full moon. Drawing a map allows you to closely examine and portray each feature in a consistent manner. Contrast this approach with trying to compile pictures of every lunar region. Certain pictures might highlight one aspect of a feature over another depending on the angle sunlight hits them, and there would be no consistency.

This being said, I'm sure Rukl has made some mistakes, or more accurately, he's made some misinterpretations in his drawings, but I have yet to find any in my observations or when I compare his drawings to photographs.

Every significant feature on every map is accompanied by a short summary. The summary gives historical information about who the formation is named after and usually includes geographic information about size and depth (or height).

In addition to the maps, this book actually has an excellent summary (about 60 pages) of nearly everything related to the moon. It contains eclipse dates, photos of the more famous lunar features, numerical figures, history of lunar probes and landers, and geological background on different formations.

This book is a must have for any serious lunar observer.

Best Atlas for Lunar Tics.......2006-12-21

This is the most detailed map of the moon I have ever seen. It's great for identifying smaller lunar features not shown or named on other maps. It also contains detailed information about lunar geology, exploration and so on.
It would make a great gift for a serious amateur astronomer who enjoys lunar observing.

A beautiful book to help plan your next lunar adventure.......2006-08-22

-This book is a beautiful complement to a photographic atlas or description. I was surprised to find how this graphically drawn atlas seems easier to use than a photographic one, even if the accuracy cannot be quite as good -- photos do not always look like the view in the telescope, they are far harsher, and the shading often affects your perception enough to confuse some features (the author did include photos of some of the more prominent features). The book obviously shows considerable love for the science and patience, which are terrific qualities for any observer to take to the eyepiece.
-The atlas is also divided up into small sections which makes it more enjoyable to plan a "visit," with plenty of description about the people for whom the craters are named (of course, one can never be satisfied that enough features are named). Users of both small and large telescopes can enjoy using this book. The author has complemented his research with a good bibliography, comprehensive charts, and a brief description of the art and science of observing the moon. Surprisingly, and disappointingly, he gives very little description about his work in drawing the lunar features or general astronomical sketching, which in my opinion is a missed opportunity to add some charm and value to an already aesthetic book. He also says little about some of the pre-scientific ideas and musings about this object which has captivated and enriched the imaginations, as well as the mind, of so many people for so much of our history. Well, there are other sources, but it would have been nice to have the artist's perspective.
-Observational astronomers often complain about the moon as a source of light pollution. So did I, until I decided to join in and enjoy what I couldn't change (the moon is also less subject to the many vagarities of astronomical seeing). This is a superb book to use with either a small or a large telescope and the rich artwork will add to your enjoyment of one of our most beautiful astronomical companions. May the moon brightly "light up" your observing.

Awesome guide to have on hand!.......2006-08-21

Being a Moon-lover, this book is a treasure to me. The text and charts are all first class, my only complaint being that any distances and sizes are given in metric not standard notation.

The standard for lunar atlases.......2005-05-15

If you are a serious lunar observer, this book belongs on your shelf. An absolute must since so many other refferences rely on it. The problem of red ink has been corrected in this edition. Get two copies: one for scope-side use, the other as a desk refference.

The New CCD Astronomy: How to Capture the Stars With a CCD Camera in Your Own Backyard

Average customer rating:

A superb book!!!!!!!!!
Pretty basic stuff
Great book, but get out your checkbook
What color is that?
Great for Beginners

The New CCD Astronomy: How to Capture the Stars With a CCD Camera in Your Own Backyard
Ron Wodaski
Manufacturer: Multimedia Madness Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0971123705

Book Description

The New CCD Astronomy is the #1 source of information about CCD astrophotography. It contains everything you need to know to become proficient at CCD imaging. Hundreds of detailed illustrations show you how to select equipment, take pictures, and process your images with a variety of software.

This book cover everything you need to know: How a CCD camera works; How to achieve critical focus; How to choose the right equipment (mount, telescope, and CCD camera); How to autoguide, and more.

You'll also learn the secrets of color imaging, the art of noise reduction, many image processing techniques, and specialized techniques for planets, nebulae, galaxies, etc.

Free with purchase: a one-year subscription to the New CCD Astronomy web site, including: a complete online version of the book; additional fully-illustrated tutorials; discussion groups moderated by the author; searchable database of CCD imaging targets; and a number of free software tools to improve your CCD imaging results.

Customer Reviews:

A superb book!!!!!!!!!.......2007-03-16

I bought this book because people said to me "this is the best book to learn astrophotography with CCD", I'd read about 100 pages and I'm completely agree with that affirmation.

Thank you Mr. Wodaski for your book.

Sorry for my bad English.

Juan Ignacio Solis Blazquez.
Getafe (Madrid).
Spain.

Pretty basic stuff.......2007-01-03

I got the book and was pretty disappointed in two respects:
1) no meat to the book from a technical perspective: really a superficial "what" instead of an in depth "why"

2) hard to find things after the read. It reads OK and has decent flow, but it isn't easy to find things after the fact.

If you are completely non-technical and want to get into ccd astronomy, don't; it will drive you crazy with frustration and bankrupt you. But if you insist then you may like this book: again if you are a completely non-technical type.

If you are a tekkie type, then you may find it to be a waste of time and not much more than a bunch of common sense hardware suggstions and a collection of photoshop tricks that anyone could mine off the internet.

Making matters worse is that the menus in photoshop change from time to time, so use it to try to extract the concepts and not look at it as a recipe for following to the letter.

I felt like the book was a waste of my time and money but I bought mine cheap, so the time was really the only loss.

Great book, but get out your checkbook.......2006-11-10

This book has been a fabulous learning tool for me. My only complaints are two 1) No color photos, which others have mentioned; 2) The equipment and software the author recommends are high end. Not all of us can afford to spend $7000 to $10,000 to get started in CCD imaging.

Much of the instructions are given for Maxim DL ($500) and CCDSoft (which primarily supports SBIG cameras). The most popular CCD cameras on the market now are the Meade DSI line for introductory users, and no attention is given to them at all, or the Autostar and Envisage software.

As well, many of us are LX200 owners who bought our scopes and went into imaging later and can't afford to upgrade to Astro-Physics mounts and Takahashi OTAs. Or purchase SBIG cameras. I would recommend some section devoted to entry-level equipment, as many of us will eventually upgrade later and use the information in the text, just not right away.

Other than that, I learned a ton from this book and still recommend it highly. It will last me for years, and the web site support is fabulous. Just wish I had the author's budget for equipment.

What color is that?.......2006-07-02

If you're expecting to see color images in what is considered to be the "bible" of astrophotography, you'll be disappointed. Don't even look for them in the 40+ page chapter on (get this) Color Imaging. Not sure what the reasoning is behind that choice, but Mr. Wodaski could have served the readers better by provided some color images so we could better understand the color processing techniques described.

Great for Beginners.......2006-02-25

If your interested in getting Astronomy CCD imaging, this is the book. Explains all the important concepts very straightforwardly. Also helps you understand your own scopes strengths and weaknesses.

Average customer rating:

Great but flawed printing
getting one for my kids
The best beginning astro book ever...
The Stars - The Way They Were Meant To Be Seen
curious george has hit the stars, by greinke, samuel

The Stars: A New Way to See Them
H. A. Rey
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0395248302

Product Description

The Stars: A New Way to See Them. By H.A. Rey. This remains our all-time favorite guide to learning the constellations. Written for older kids and adults, its simple style has made it a top seller for more than 40 years. Classy cartoon illustrations and star charts round out this fine guidebook. 160 pages, softcover.

Customer Reviews:

Great but flawed printing.......2007-10-03

This is a wonderful book but the version I was sent did not match the See inside version. The copy I received was printed in China, rather than the United States, and had numerous problems. The binding cracked when I opened the book, one page had obvious misprints in the constellation drawings (p. 30), and the constellation charts on pp. 74-105 were printed all the way into the gutter margins, making some of the text very difficult to read. Also, the text on facing pages was not aligned. Great book but poor production values, at least in the copy I received.

getting one for my kids.......2007-09-09

I love this book! My Dad had this book when I was a kid, and I had the best time using it to find the constellations. It was simple enough for me to understand. I'm buying my own to share with my kids.

The best beginning astro book ever..........2007-05-25

Purchase this book...even if you are taking college astronomy courses! This book actually places the cosmos in one's hand. Well worth the price.

The Stars - The Way They Were Meant To Be Seen.......2007-04-26

i love my curious george star book!
this book is an incredibly easy way to learn the star constellations, i have only had it for a week and i can already recognize alot of them. the night sky is making sense and becoming more familiar. the book shows the constellations in easy to remember shapes and easy ways to locate each.
in one week i have learned more about the stars and the earth's movement than i have in 39 years.
i think every average family needs to keep this book around, it is alot of fun for the whole family and will be a "must" to bring camping, and on those weekend trips to the lake.

: - )

wake.

curious george has hit the stars, by greinke, samuel.......2007-04-14

The Curious George author presnts the stars in easy to understand language "imagine the sky as if looking into the underside of an umbrella..."
It's a great book for basic understanding and knowledge of the heavens.

greinke, samuel

Average customer rating:

Awesome
Excellent
Lucidity for the Soul
Understanding and classifying the Livingness of Matter
A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire
Alice A. Bailey
Manufacturer: Lucis Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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A Treatise on White Magic or The Way of the Disciple
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Esoteric Psychology 1: A Treatise on the Seven Rays, Vol. 1
Initiation Human and Solar

ASIN: 0853301174

Customer Reviews:

Awesome.......2005-11-27

"Deep, profound, complicated and eventually simple, like all truths....", someone said.
Forget it! The views offered by D.K. and A.B. are awesome.
They offer depths within depths, within depths.
No simplicity here! Headache guaranteed.
No person can ever hope to fully understand.

If you are into New Age, please skip this book.

But if this is the quality Mrs. Bailey and D.K. offer, their books will find their way to my bookshelf!

Excellent.......2002-07-25

Deep, profound, complicated and eventually simple, like all truths....I have had this book for several years, I have read parts of many times and I am just about to delve into it yet again. A book to read and digest slowly. The information is so profound it takes time to assimilate and a certain level of previous understanding of metaphysical concepts to grasp at all. Not for the beginner on the path, just as a doctorate level physics text is not enjoyable for someone in secondary school. It takes some patience and dedication but is very much worth the effort. Profound.

Lucidity for the Soul.......2001-04-09

In my opinion this book was written for the training of the Soul and not the personality. It has been my opinion that this is a book written in a harmonic that resonates in understanding at a level above the concrete mind and should be read through even if not completely understood at the moment of reading.

I have had others verbally express the same opinion as above to me without my input. In my opinion this is a book that will keep coming back at you for a very long time.

Of the hundreds of books of similar orientation that I have read, I consider this one book to be the most Lucid! Of the approximately 1300 pages, the first 6 to 7 hundred addressing the creation of reality through mind, may change the way you participate with life!

As Buckeroo Banzai said, " No matter where you go, there you are!"

Also worth reading (though not at the level of the above, but still superb!) I. K. Taimni (Science of Occultism, and his other books) Torkom Saraydarian (Especially his Science of Meditation, and Science)

Understanding and classifying the Livingness of Matter.......2000-01-06

This truly extraordinary book (abbreviated TCF) contains information at several levels. If you read and understand this book you will know and understand the Secret of Life. Matter is energy, as we know from E=mc(squared) but this book talks of all energy and matter as Life! This Life evolves at the atomic level, human level, planetary level, etc.
TCF has succeeded in describing and classifying many types of life inherent to matter/energy. It talks of the sumtotal of Life on the Physical Plane, the Astral Plane, the Mental Plane. Everything ever written about auras in Theosophical or New Age texts can be understood at depth in TCF. It talks about the chakras; not just the human ones, but those of animal/vegetable/mineral, and of the larger Lives such as for a Planetary Being (Logos).
The reader will soon see that TCF is an ambitious book; its words painting the inner bodies of humanity and a description of the Egoic Lotus or the vehicle of the human soul which "sends down" incarnations.
The remarkable thing about TCF is its coherence as a workable theory. Properly understood, it generalizes just about every New Age and Religious belief system, without being sectarian in any way. It accepts the sanctity of the Buddha, the Christ and other World Teachers. If you understand the "14 Rules of White Magic" from TCF you will have no need for Wicca as all of what it represents is subsumed in the knowledge of various devas and elementals. The "14 Rules" were themselves expanded into AAB's book "A Treatise on White Magic", which is written at a more superficial level than TCF.
My first reflective/meditative reading of TCF took me six months of daily 1 to 3 hour sessions in 1986. Even today, I count this time spent in real terms as an asset more valuable than my joy for knowledge which led me to obtain a PhD in mathematics.
My physical lifespan is of course limited. However, the insight I've gained from this book will serve me long after this incarnation is at an end.

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire.......1999-12-14

One of a handfull of the most significant writings of the twentieth century. The content is extremely deep and cannot be comprehended in one reading, nor in one lifetime. However, it contains many of the true secrets of the universe, but only for those who are truly prepared to understand. Along with the Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled by H.P. Blavatsky and Esoteric Astrology, The Dictionary of Astrology for the 21st Century, and the Jewel in the Lotus by Douglas M. Baker, the handful is nearly complete.

Maya Cosmogenesis 2012: The True Meaning of the Maya Calendar End-Date

Average customer rating:

Fascinating book
Maya Cosmogenesis 2012
2012 Research starts here
The real End Times on 2012
Fascinating

Maya Cosmogenesis 2012: The True Meaning of the Maya Calendar End-Date
John Major Jenkins , and Terence McKenna
Manufacturer: Bear & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mayan | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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Galactic Alignment: The Transformation of Consciousness According to Mayan, Egyptian, and Vedic Traditions
The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness
2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our time : The Mayan Calendar
The Orion Prophecy: Will the World Be Destroyed in 2012

ASIN: 1879181487
Release Date: 1998-08-01

Book Description

While researching the 2012 end-date of the Maya Calendar, John Major Jenkins decoded the Maya's galactic cosmology. The Maya discovered that the periodic alignment of the Sun with the center of the Milky Way galaxy is the formative influence on human evolution. These alignments also define a series of World Ages. The fourth age ends on December 21, 2012, when an epoch chapter in human history will come to an end. Maya Cosmogenisis 2012 reveals the Maya's insight into the cyclic nature of time, and prepares us for oue own cosmogenesis--the birth of a new world.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating book.......2007-09-27

Cosmogenesis 2012 is a compelling book about the meaning of the Mayan and Mesoamerican calendric images. It reveals evidence as to why the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012 along with explanations as to what this could entail for humanity. I recommend it for anyone interested in the end date of 2012.

Maya Cosmogenesis 2012.......2007-03-09

This work of Jenkins was all and more than I thought it would be. I share his path to where we are going in 2012. I would purchase any work of Jenkins as I know I would not be disappointed.

2012 Research starts here.......2007-02-18

John Major Jenkins has looked into the question of why the Maya ended their 13-baktun cycle in the Gregorian year 2012, and has researched the matter in incredible detail, and comes to conclusions that result from detailed study of many archaeological and specialist works. His study shows that the Maya deliberately targetted this point in time as the end of the cycle, and the evidence is found in king-accession rites, mythology, architecture, and the ball-game.

As you will know if you've read other reviews, the reason is the alignment of the winter solstice sun with the galactic equator - an event that happens only once in a cycle of precession - around 26,000 years. This IS NOT the "alignment of the solar system with galactic centre" or any of the other misrepresentatations of his work that have appeared.

This work stands whether or not anything noticeable happens in the years around 2012 - the fact is, that the Maya predicted that something would happen around 2012. This has become evident since the publication of this book, since the Tortuguero prophecy entered the public domain. In April 2005, the existence of Tortuguro monument 6 was revealed, (though known to a few specialists before that). The stela gives the end-date 4 Ahau, 3 Kankin, 13 Baktun (a combination of 3 calendars that gives the 21 December 2012 date) and gives an accompanying prophecy of the return of the Nine Gods.

The real End Times on 2012.......2007-01-23

I will make the boldest prediction of all... and when the time comes, you will remember this. Great spirits have come to me... great spirits... They have revealed their predictions and they have revealed their secret names to me. Remember this well on 2102. The named spirits were Jackson Danniels, James Beehm, Jonathon Wocker, and the ancient Russian sage, Stolly Chanaya... And here is what they said - in telepathic visions to me: On January 1, 2012, this is what will happen:

"The year 2011 will now be 2012." And later that year, many peoples will predict the end times will again visit in 2039 and that they never really meant 2012... it was a telekinetic typo....

Fascinating.......2006-11-30

Full of interesting facts about the Mayan civilization, how they saw the earth and their brilliant understanding of the Universe. I now understand how the complex calendar works. As to the prophecy, yet again, we can only wait and see!

The Mayan Prophecies: Unlocking the Secrets of a Lost Civilization

Average customer rating:

GOOD BUT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
Dissapointed with ending
Dodgy...
Very dissappointing
Nonsense

The Mayan Prophecies: Unlocking the Secrets of a Lost Civilization
Adrian Gilbert , and Maurice Cotterell
Manufacturer: Element Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1852306920

Customer Reviews:

GOOD BUT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.......2006-02-09

THIS BOOK IS FASCINATING, HOWEVER IF YOU DON'T LIKE SCIENTIFIC READING IT MAY BE HARD TO FOLLOW. OTHERWISE ITS A GREAT READ IF ARE INTERESTED IN ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS AND EARTH'S MYSTERIES.

Dissapointed with ending.......2005-11-02

I found the conclusion of the book to be inconclusive and feel that it is not based on any hard science; its the author's opinion supported by sketchy facts, figures and theories from other sources. It's artful and entertaining, but it's not like its going to leave you with the truth of 2012 being the end of the world.

I don't regret reading it, however, and would recommend it to someone who is interested in learning about the subject. It just gives you one more opinion to chew on and ponder. And, I like pondering things.

Futhermore, there is some historical information on the Central American Civilizations of the past, the Mayan calendars, as well as some interesting theories on Sunspot's.

Dodgy..........2005-06-21

The blurb on the back reads "The present world will end on 22 December 2012. So prophesied the Maya 5,000 years ago..." - yet on page 4 the authors indicate that the Maya appeared around 500AD, which by my reckoning is only 1,500 years ago.

Such internal inconsistencies riddle this book, and make it unreliable. On the face of it - and ignoring the 2012 prophecy, which uses some pretty tortuous mathematical manipulations - there is a lot of interesting information here about the Maya, but I'm afraid I just don't know how much I can believe or trust.

I'm sure many people will lap up this book, and simply assume that the "facts" on the Maya must be true because they are written in an authoritative manner, but please keep an open mind - which includes remembering that the authors may be wrong.

Very dissappointing.......2004-09-09

It was implied that the earth's magnetic field reversed 3K years BC. This caused Atlantis to sink and new lands to appear. This scenario would make sense. What doesnt make sense is that according to a geographic magazine (scientific fact), the last time the earth's magnetic field reversed was 780,000 years ago. Moreover, its occurrence is random and not in some sequence deciphered by the Mayan calendar. Assuming the Mayan calendar was true, then what would happen in 2012? The facts are that the sunspots activity align with the Mayan calculations. In a period of years before and after 2012, there will be instances of very few or no sunspots occuring. This will effect fertility and weather patterns but mostly in the equator area. Hence, Mexico, India, Southeast Asia, Africa will be affected. The only reason the rest of the world will be affected is due to the side effect of us polluting the world with CO2 from too much cars and waste dumping, thereby melting the polar ice caps. The sunspot event before and after 2012 will just make things worse. So the doomsayers would come out and point to the Mayan prophecy as applicable to the whole world. As you can see if we did not pollute, North America would not be affected.

I give this book 1-star for the first chapter and explanation of the Mayan number system. I dont agree with the chapter about how images came up when Pacal's tomb cover were superimposed. The fact is that one can superimpose any drawing or try even Michaelangelo's fresco's. By careful delineation, one would come up with weird forms as what the author found in Pacal's about a jaguar? a bat?

Nonsense.......2003-07-09

This book is about coincidences. The authors notice a similarity between certain large numbers in the Maya calendar cycle and their own astrological theories about sunspot cycles. The numbers don't match, but from this "coincidence" the authors conclude that the Maya warned of a cosmic disaster for the year 2012.

The book could have stopped there, but instead it digresses into a sort of personal log of the authors' visits to Mexico, then revisits old material on transatlantic contact, Atlantis mythology, Edgar Cayce, Velikovsky, and other nonsense. Some of the historical material about Mexico is interesting and well written, but is clearly taken from other sources.

Some of the claims are bizarre, such as that the crystal "skull of doom" was used as a magnifying glass in a fire ceremony. Or that the "loops" on the Palenque sarcophagus represent magnetic field lines on the sun, something the Maya couldn't possibly have known about.

The authors' contempt for those with other points of view is annoying. The book that derides Von Daniken, astrologists, and professional archaeologists all at the same time.

The sloppiness about numbers is also annoying, especially since their entire case rests on numbers. The authors cite a "remarkable correlation" between the dates given for the great flood by Plato (9500 B.C), Cayce (10,500 B.C.), and the Maya (11,205 B.C.) These dates differ by over 1700 years, a variation of 15% relative to the present day. Considering that one of the authors claims to be an engineer and a scientist, this is inexcusable.

The Maya civilization is a fascinating and impressive one, and no doubt there is much wisdom we have yet to learn from them. You won't find it in this book.

Lost Star of Myth And Time
Average customer rating:

highly speculative and non-scientific

Not as good as It could be

Sun has a twin ?

A must-have book for any thoughtful reader

Lost Star--Dark Star?

Lost Star of Myth And Time
Walter Cruttenden
Manufacturer: St. Lynn's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Great Year

Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory

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Civilization One: The World Is Not as You Thought It Was

ASIN: 0976763117

Book Description

The myth and folklore of ancestral peoples around the world hints at a vast cycle of time, with alternating Dark and Golden Ages. Plato called it the Great Year. Long believed to be a fairytale, there is now new astronomical evidence to show it has a basis in fact. Moreover, because it is caused by the acceleration of our Sun around another star, we learn that the Earth should soon be carried into a region of space that will have a beneficial affect on our atmosphere, nudging mankind into a higher age of consciousness.

Lost Star of Myth and Time weaves together some of the latest archaeological evidence with cutting-edge astronomy to reveal a history of the world that finally fits with myth, folklore and the archaeological record. While this book explores some of the most interesting aspects of a once advanced civilization that covered the Earth, it is really about what happens to the Earth and consciousness as our solar system moves through space in the mysterious motion known as the "precession of the equinox". This astronomical phenomenon has since Newton been attributed to local gravitational forces wobbling the Earth's axis. Lost Star now shows us in no uncertain terms that the Earth's axis does not change orientation relative to objects inside the solar system at the same rate that it changes orientation to objects outside the solar system, meaning precession must be due to our Sun's binary motion around another star.

Chapter by chapter it becomes clear that ancient cultures knew of precession, used it as the clock of the ages, understood it to be due to the solar system's motion through space, and realized this subjects the Earth to a cycle of waxing and waning stellar influences. It is these forces that affect our magnetosphere, ionosphere and indirectly create the larger seasons of the Great Year. As you will see this not only gives cause for a major rethink of human history and potential, but indicates we are approaching a tipping point in the awakening of consciousness.

Customer Reviews:

highly speculative and non-scientific.......2007-09-26

What defines civilization? Is it the magnitude of knowledge, or tools, or transportation, or commodities, or peace, or all of these? Some writers have postulated the easiest method to ascertain a civilization's height is sift through their garbage dumps. There is some predisposition to believe a civilization is more developed if the refuse shows signs of complexity in art or construction technique. Archeologists have sought in vain to find records in the dust bearing the knowledge of deceased civilizations. The best they have found is records of commerce or letters between merchants or rulers.

Walter Cruttenden makes a pretty good case for our sun being a companion star in a binary or trinary system. And he presents some curious research on the finer influence of energy upon living tissue. But the idea of information stored in rocks or the earth's surface stretches credulity. The storage of information involves the imprinting of specific, organized patterns. To date, no one has noticed patterns of any kind (geological phenomena aside) residing or emitted from rocks or soil. I submit that the mark of a truly advanced civilization is it's ability to record and PRESERVE its knowledge for future generations. What would be the point of life if what is learned is carried to the grave? Isaac Asimov wrote an interesting story of a world which self-destructed caused by superstition, each time all the planets and moons occulted the sun. After a great number of cycles some information was preserved, enough that those of learning could disseminate to subsequent generations the discovery of the cause for periodic occultation, as well as the technical knowledge gained since the previous conflagration.

Mankind, in order to survive, must have transportation. The nomadic way of life has never produced a culture or civilization of advanced degree. It may contain a significant body of knowledge, but the passing of that knowledge verbally and by myth are the least effective of tools. The Ancients Walter speaks of may have had some knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, and various technologies, but they certainly weren't highly developed when it comes to technology, nor do they evidence anything of the Calculus we have today.

The Ice Man of 3500 BC may have owned an axe of highly refined tool grade copper, but did that knowledge die with him? Where are the others like it? Today we may not know how to refine and harden copper to that level, but apparently that knowledge was not widely disseminated by the Ancients either.

Did these Ancients levitate all those giant megaliths around like Tibetan monks in meditation? The scientific investigation into Stonehenge shows that those stones were moved by raw muscle-power which was destructive to bone and sinew. The Sumerians may have had beautiful gardens, sewers, tools of metal, medical technique, and the wheeled cart. They also had war. But none of it was as highly developed as we have today. No evidence has come forth demonstrating widespread education, high technologies in metals, glass, oil derivatives, medicine, art, and transportation. All of these advancements over the basic knowledge the Ancients had have happened in less than 200 years. It is exceedingly difficult to overlay this explosive growth with the Cycle of the Ages as Walter presents it. It doesn't fit the gradual cycle curve controlled by an interlaced binary companion star.

We may have lost some of the ancient knowledge of more refined energies, but no civilization of the past can rival the developments in knowledge dissemination and preservation, technology and artistic materials as we have today. Where is the evidence that a Pavaroti could be heard and observed not only in real time thousands of miles distant, but repeatedly as often as desired? Where is there evidence that man has brought back soil from the Moon, along with the technology to transport him there and back? Where is there evidence that the Golden Age of the Ancients had pictures of the surface of Mars, of asteroidal impacts upon Jupiter, of those tiny light sources in the sky really being galaxies of endless number as far as we can see?

The Ancients may have known many things we have yet to discover. The Spinx and Giza pyramid may forever remain a mystery as to how, when, and why they were constructed. But their "Golden" civilization does not hold a candle to the opportunities of learning, mobility, health, and leisure of today. It has been estimated that 70% of all the people who have lived on this earth are alive today. Surely, we do not know the extent of population on the earth back 10,000 years and more. But this merely begs the point: any advanced civilization will leave a trail of evidence indicating that of all advancements, chief will be reliable record keeping. The Egyptians will remain embarrassed over the mystery of the Sphinx and Pyramids. Ralph Ellis can go rooting around the north slope of K2 for the fabled Hall of Records. But the pattern that has emerged to date indicates no knowledge more advanced than we have today lies anywhere on this planet, nor were there ever any people who had greater comforts and self-fulfillment than today. Nor were they able to preserve their "advanced" knowledge against the Decline.

I'll trade the stone commode or bath-house for a modern flusher and sauna in a thermally efficient, heated room. If the Ancients were masters at canals and waterways it couldn't be due to unwillingness to use advanced technology over stone building. Walter claims there is evidence of widespread prosperity, but that is an unwarranted conclusion about a culture based on digs. I'll take the modern instruments used to do cranial surgery (which replaces the entire bone in its original location) over the crude Egyptian trephine any day.

Walter contradicts himself in many places trying to fit the eccentric binary orbit into the gradual loss and accretion of knowledge. He attempts to account for the changes in life span via the precession cycle, without investigating research into the errors in the Bible and his other sources of ancient longevity. It is amazing in one place he can assert that Terra Preta pottery is more than 10,000 years old, yet high tech metals, plastics, glass, and ceramics couldn't possibly last for more than a few hundred years. Archeologists dig up clay inscripted tablets from several thousand years back which are still legible! The obvious conclusion points to the absence of such technologies because nothing like ours has ever existed in the past. To assert that the Ancients figured out how to recycle any advanced metals, glass, plastic and chemicals back into the earth without a trace and learned to live without it is absurd. Nearly in the same breath he points to evidence of metal working discovered inside coal and stone, and stone blocks in an Oklahoma coal mine that survived several millennia. His stroll through the beaches and bluffs of southern California finding assorted trash is hardly equivalent to unearthing evidence of civilization several meters into the earth like Mexico City, the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas, and a thousand other digs.

The main subject Walter overlooks in his presentation is the prevalence of war in all ages. We have not found evidence of any civilization in ancient times without it. Walter also does not mention the Caste systems of India and China which extends back into the Golden Age he so glorifies. Nor does he treat in detail civilizations declining because of catastrophism. People who build with stone (megalithic or otherwise) don't recover from severe climate changes or deluges in short order.

While Walter presents reasonable and cogent research by professional scientists, his own approach is not scientific. Like much of the phony astronomical science of today, Walter has his process backwards, and leads the reader to believe that our world civilization's decline and rise are explained by association of Precession with ancient myth and folklore (ancient "science"). To him it is a forgone conclusion.

His book contains many interesting discoveries. But his speculations, assumptions, and premature conclusions simply do not hold as an explanation for the fall and rise of this planet's civilizations.

Not as good as It could be.......2007-08-08

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I thought this is the book I always wanted to write.
After reading it I can summarize my feeling in just one word: disappointment. This book is about the connection between the cosmic cycles of the traditions and the precession. According to Walter Cruttenden there must be a companion star out-there. Why? First: because there are some astronomical problems with the precession (for more details see: "Binary Research Institute" web-page). Second: this is a chance to give material reason of the ascending and descending ages (golden, silver, bronze, iron). How: via electro-magnetic waves. If the companion stars nears our Sun we become enlightened, when it goes away we fall into the dark age. (Sounds weird?)
The other planet hypothesis is not new, but mostly scientifically unproved. The best theory I have ever read is from Woelfli and Baltensperger. This book is contains some vague predictions about the size and distance of this object, but the Sirius would be the perfect fit (as the book suggests). Only some very new laws of the universe should be discovered, and we will understand the importance of Sirius in ancient mythologies.
Until then I will have time to write my own book.
Anyway, this is not a bad book, it's like a work of Graham Hancock. Terra Preta was the most interesting for me, that would be worth a book on it's own.

Sun has a twin ?.......2007-03-09

I was little bit sceptic when i order this book from Amazon. Lost STAR ? huh, this is ridiculous. So i start reading and page after page it take my attention. I pass whole "Accepting truth" process during first chapters. Author did extraordinary work, collecting those facts/ideas/myths. It is easy to read, easy to understand, so don't be affraid about the flood of facts. Author really know his customers (readers). So everything is served well.
I love part about the "Yugas"( world ages ), but maybe some of the parts are little bit short, i was missing some of the major ideas/facts about the ages. I understand it was not the main line of the book, but for some not well informed readers it might be little bit "vonDaniken" style.
But i really recommend this book to all 2012 scientists and researchers.

A must-have book for any thoughtful reader.......2007-01-10

Certainly one of the best books that I've read in recent years. Extraordinarily thoughtful review of the evidence that indicates that energy provided by the sun and its twin star affects our intelligence. In turn, this cyclical variation in intelligence results in cycles of dark ages followed by golden ages. Words fail me as I try to describe this remarkable book. Most highly recommended.

Lost Star--Dark Star?.......2006-09-08

Walter Cruttenden,
Lost Star of Myth and Time
(St. Lynn's Press, Pittsburgh) 2005
Paperback, xxii+340 pages
ISBN 0-9767631-1-7

Andy Lloyd
The Dark Star
(Timeless Voyager, Santa Barbara) 2005
Paperback, xiv+304 pages
ISBN 1-892264-18-8

Critiqued by Frederic Jueneman

Here is a pair of scenarios, very old ones in many respects, to be sure, but motifs that take the reader on multidisciplinary journeys through space and time, of history and cosmology, and of culture and tradition. Regular readers of such literature will find that all of these groups plow pretty much in the same celestial fields. Notwithstanding, in a somewhat eclectic exposition one author (Cruttenden) come uncomfortably close to what this reviewer regards as new age occultism. But then, don't we all take a lot of things on faith and hope.
Cruttenden himself is a nonprofessional archeo-astronomer who builds and relies on earlier authors, both contemporary and historical, as well as assembling his own cache of mythic material to fortify his case that our Sun is part of a double-star system which orbits one another in approximately the same period as the Precession of the Equinox--a polar retrograde wobble of Earth currently figured at 25,770 years. Moreover, as the most original concept in the book, the author argues that the binary motions and gravitational influence of the two-star system cause the precession itself.
In like manner, science writer Andy Lloyd takes inspiration from Zecharia Sitchin's ancient Babylonian interpretations although with marked reservations, while also delving into myth and alternative science. Yet he generally tends to follow es¬tablishment guidelines in giving credence to his argument for a solar binary system. His major theme is based on the cliff-like Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt of asteroidal objects and comets that drops off rather precipitously beyond some 45 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun--one AU being the Earth-Sun distance--a gap that ostensibly extends several hundred AU to the inner boundary of the the¬oretical comet-filled Oort Cloud beyond.
The Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt was initially proposed in 1943 by the British researcher Kenneth Edgeworth and later resurrected by American as¬tronomer Gerard Kuiper in 1951. This gap is argumentatively considered by Lloyd to be swept out by what might eventually be found to be a so-called brown dwarf star and its retinue of planetesimals, which have yet to be observed.
Such brown dwarfs were first theoretically described by radioastronomer Jill Tartar in 1975 as small, very dense and dim planet-like stars, which are radiating mainly in the infrared. They were called "brown" to differentiate them from the already designated black, red, and white dwarfs, although brown dwarfs were ultimately found to glow magenta to reddish.
Cruttenden's book, on the one hand, despite being replete with physical phenomena and apocalyptic mythology, also attempts to reinforce his earlier mercantile DVD exposé with additional detail from mythic and mystic lore by enumerating and expanding on the four stages of the Yuga ages: The primeval Kali Yuga, typifying the dark age of iron from which we have just emerged in the endless Hindu cycles of time, and our now having recently entered into the Dwapara Yuga, or bronze age, with the increasingly enlightening Treta and Satya Yugas, of the respective silver and golden ages, still some thousands of years ahead in the distant future. Our increased enlighten¬ment is apparently predicated on this approaching Lost Star, which endows mankind with field-induced expanded mental capacity. There are ascending and descending phases of these ages, the divya or half-yugas that comprise something over 12,000 years each, delineating the half-cycles of the equinoctial precession: The rise and fall of mankind's intellectual proclivities.
The Lost Star spends an inordinate number of pages on the significance of these ages on human culture, where a high point in human capacity and competence was reached some 11,500 years ago, and has gone downhill ever since, or at least until the end of the medieval period just a few centuries ago. According to Cruttenden, the lowest point--the Kali Yuga--was from about 700 BCE to around 500 CE; however, no allowance was made for the global renaissance of the 6th century BCE, where religious, philosophical, and intelletual thought burgeoned throughout the civilized world; a flourishing which gave rise to the received wisdom of India. Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece. This may have been an aberration according to his scenario, but the excep¬tion does test the rule.
This is where the two authors differ, in that Lloyd is less enthusiastic than Cruttenden about the mysticism surrounding recorded events in human history. However, both authors do pay tribute to Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend, who themselves had furrowed their pioneering groundwork of mythic lore by highlighting the Precession of the Equinoxes, and who also complained, "It goes without saying that the still more modern habit of replacing `culture' with `society' has blocked the last narrow path to understanding history. Our ignorance not only remained vast, but became pretentious as well."
Both of our authors under review bemoan the fact that astronomical ardor doesn't include many who, either through ignorance or hubris, even bother to consider an otherwise "unknown" or "unseen" massive companion to our solar system in the light of mounting evidence, other than minuscule icy worlds such as the recently discovered Quaoar, Sedna and Varuna, inter alia. But, as we all know, tradition is a very viscous medium.
Late 19th and early 20th century cosmologists, who had studied the perturbations on Uranus and relatively newly discovered Neptune (1846), determined that beyond these planets there was another massive body disturbing their motions; but, the discovery of tiny Pluto in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh didn't account for the expected discrepancy, although Voyager 2 in 1969 supposedly settled the cosmological question by assigning Neptune a greater mass than was previously reported.
Only Lloyd referred to the earlier research of the late Hughes Aircraft mathematician John P. Bagby, assisted by his wife Loretta L. Bagby, who were intrigued by planetary perturbations that seemed to indicate what they termed a Massive Solar Companion (MSC), situated out of the plane of the ecliptic in the direction of Sagittarius. Bagby, who was well known to this reviewer, initially and tentatively proposed this MSC back in 1972 but only formally and obliquely published his results some years later in a study related to earthquake periodicity. However, his investigation seemed to indicate that such an MSC, or perhaps a distributed mass in Lagrangian orbits, might be also located in the direction of Sirius. Bagby postulated Lagrange distributions for several of the orbital parameters, which much like the Trojans in Jupiter's orbit may either lead or lag the gas giant by 60°.
Sagittarius, however, would turn out to be a "star-crossed" option since it is well within our most abundant view of the Milky Way galaxy, which leaves astronomers looking into the headlights of millions of stars that would make finding a dim body among such stellar traffic toilsome at best. The latest IRAS (InfraRed Astronomical Survey) satellite exploration of the heavens showed an excess of 200,000 dim suns within relatively short telescopic range that are available for study. So, where do those who want to look decide to seek such a candidate star? In the other direction, of course, where there isn't quite so much glare. The comparatively open celestial sectors of Orion or Canis Major will do nicely.
Interestingly, one of Bagby's major postulated orbits had a period of 1467.6 years, which is uncannily close to the so-called Egyptian Sothic period of some 1460 years, which makes an enticingly roundabout connection with Sirius. This reviewer had corresponded at length with Bagby over this observation, and subsequently copies of his summary were distributed to his colleagues.
Sirius, in Canis Major, visible in winter months just to the left (east) of Orion in the celestial sphere, turns out to be a candidate "lost" star for Cruttenden's argument, despite its 8.6 lightyear distance and -1.43 magnitude brilliance, making it the brightest nighttime star in the heavens. It is Cruttenden's nominee for a root cause of Earth's precession, because of some residual resonant effect, as well as Sirius' own unique proper motion. It is this singular proper motion, which remarkably is in the direction of our own locale in the galaxy that keeps it almost stationary over the centuries in its annual heliacal rising despite its gradual transit across the constellations.
Sirius has risen heliacally on almost the same Julian date for the past 4000 years, and is currently moving out of Canis Major. Here, however, Cruttenden makes an oblique reference to the calendar reform of Julius Caesar, whereas the Julian calendar used in the astronomical community was devised by Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540-1609), whose own calendar reform was published in 1583, one year after the Gregorian amendment devised by the Jesuit astronomer Christopher Clavius was instituted by Pope Gregory XIII. Scaliger's formula, however, using days instead of years, is called the Julian Day Count--a practice still in use by astronomers today and named after his father, Julius Caesar Scaliger.
Both authors had scrutinized ancient literature, which claimed that in ancient times this star was red in color, which Sirius currently is definitely not. However, up until about 500 AD, observers did record Sirius as reddish in color. If, in counter-argument, it had been something akin to Betelgeuse, which is a bloated bright red-orange star of 0.7 magnitude in Orion, north and somewhat west of Sirius, then sometime in the distant future we may be treated to a shedding of its reddish envelope, exposing a bright white star within.
As an aside, an intriguing point was made by Cruttenden that Sirius' own incredibly dense white dwarf companion, Sirius B, orbits in front of its parent star every 50 years, which it did in 1989 as observed and recorded by Canadians Karl-Heinz and Uwe Homann, and as it did so Earth's daily rotation slowed down by a full second over the course of this transit, returning to normal after the event. If this is found to be verified, then it also appears to suggest that gravitational waves travel at light velocity as well. However, we won't have this particular opportunity again until around 2039.
The Dogon peoples in West Africa had their legend about a massive diminutive and unseen companion of Sirius that had a 50-year relationship with the parent star, supposedly well before it was known to astronomers, according to historian Robert Temple. In the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, our hero has a dream in which he is drawn to a heavy star that cannot be lifted--an indirect reference to Sirius B.
One might also speculate that, by the mechanism of "accretion disk accumulation," the massive gravity of the dwarf Sirius B may have stripped its parent of a conjectured red envelope within own our historical past, fomenting a nova, and revealing the brilliant star we see today. This, moreover, is in contrast and contradiction to what Cruttenden described. We might not expect this of the red giant Betelgeuse, since it doesn't seem to have such a dense companion. But since Sirius does, it leaves open the question: Could Sirius actually have under¬one such a nova event within our own recorded historical past? Say, prior to 500 AD?
Cruttenden also makes the point that the Sun's angular momentum is almost entirely tied up in its planetary family, and argues that this runs counter to known physical laws for a solitary stellar body, but bodes favorably for a binary system where such momentum is focused and normalized with another gravitational source. The period of revolution for our binary is considered equivalent to the Precession of the Equinox, based on the resonant effect due to the angular curvature of the mutually orbiting systems, and which is the crux of Cruttenden's hypothesis.
Others, as UC Berkeley physicist Richard A. Muller, who also opt for a binary star system of our very own, prefer a 26-million-year orbit, because over Earth's geological history there have been periodic upheavals and extinctions coincident with this cycle. This is the "Nemesis" star of media note, although Muller thought that it might be a red or brown dwarf. Lloyd is more modest in his reasoning for a 3600-year orbit, more in keeping with Zecheria Sitchin's scenario, thereby keeping it within the confines of the Oort cloud within our own outer solar system, and sweeping out the void beyond the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt. (This reviewer may have to rescan some of Sitchin's endless writings to see if something critically important was inadvertently missed.)
Evidence for high-culture ancient civilizations abound in both the Old World and Asia. This is in addition to ley lines, stonehenges of various sorts, earthenwork mounds and pyramids scattered around the globe, and foundations of cities with no apparent prior historic past, such as found in Sumer. And, since the discoveries of Cornell geologist Charles F. Hartt in 1871, such evidence also surfaced in South America. The extremely rich, renewable soil of myriads of scattered pockets of what is termed Terre Preta do Indio (Indian Black Earth) throughout Amazonia, from Bolivia to Venezuela, has made archeologists sit up and take notice. While most of the Amazon basin is infertile "green desert," known as Oxisol, some ten percent comprises this extremely valuable and sought-after productive loam, which is also characterized by the multi-stratigraphic inclusion of abundant ceramic shards that indicate a sophisticated fire-savvy culture as early as 9000 BCE. This is in contrast, for example, to ancient abattoirs found by archeologists around the world, who indiscriminately consider them to be ritual sacrificial sites by primitive peoples who were overly concerned with religious practices.
If ancient Old and New World civilizations had been decimated by some periodic global cataclysms, it doesn't augur happily for Cruttenden's prognostication of the upcoming ages of enlightenment coinciding with the pending approach of another stellar body nearer to our solar system. But notwithstanding, if Cruttenden and Lloyd, and Muller as well, are all justified in their estimations, perhaps we are not merely a member of a binary star system, but conceivably part of a ternary or even a multiple star complex.
The Sumero-Babylonian astronomers and scribes, who had meticulously recorded disasters as they were observed, aren't given much credence by today's know-it-alls, who relegate most all such "myths" to the dustbins of legendary history. The Jesuit scholar Francis X. Kugler, who pioneered the study of ancient "star wars" (sternkampf) did give these ancients some credit, but seems to be ignored except for a few researchers outside the pale of academic science and history. Kugler's two-volume opus, Sternkunde und Sterndienst in Babel ("Astrography and Astralatry in Babylon"--literally, star-mapping and star-worship), did nevertheless question the competence of Mesopotamian astronomers before the reign of Nabonassar in the mid-8th century BCE because of anomalies in their calculations, but before he died left the door open for further investigation. And, Zecheria Sitchin evidently was also influenced by and receptive to these anomalies mentioned by Kugler, resulting in his aggregation of books on the subject, which ideas were later taken up by Lloyd with alternative explanations. Cruttenden is otherwise occupied with Great Cycles over the ages.
Nibiru, of Sumerian myth, is the name of the red star that entered the ancient Mesopotamian night sky, and was equated with Marduk, the god supreme of Sumer. Was this red star the Surya of Sanskrit texts, the Sothis of the Greeks, the Sopdet of the Egyptians, the Al Shi'ra of the Arab world, the Lost Star of Cruttenden, the Dark Star of Lloyd, the Venus of Velikovsky?
There are many more such mysteries to be solved, both here on Earth and in our night skies. And, both Cruttenden and Lloyd have given us something of an awareness of the interdisciplinary aspects of approaching some of these mythic enigmas from widely differing, sometimes opposing, and of course puzzling perspectives. Accordingly, this overlapping critique is basically in consideration of both of these interesting if not persuasive books. However, although each is recommended for their individual merits, this reviewer suggests that each potential reader make up his or her own mind as to which author comes closest to one's own personal inclination.

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