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The Definition of Astrology:

• Astrology comprises several systems of divination[1] based on the premise that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world.

Astrology by Region:

• Western astrology is the system of astrology most popular in Western countries. Western astrology is historically based on Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (2nd century AD), which in turn was a continuation of Hellenistic and ultimately Babylonian traditions. Western astrology is largely horoscopic, that is, it is a form of divination based on the construction of a horoscope for an exact moment, such as a person's birth, in which various cosmic bodies are said to have an influence. Astrology in western popular culture is often reduced to sun sign astrology, which considers only the individual's date of birth (i.e. the "position of the Sun" at that date).
• Jyotisha ( Or Jyotish from Sanskrit jyotiṣa, from jyótis- "light, heavenly body") is the traditional Hindu system of astronomy and astrology. Also known as Hindu astrology, and Indian astrology more recently Vedic astrology. The term Hindu astrology had been in use as the English equivalent of Jyotiṣa since the early 19th century. Vedic astrology is a relatively recent term, entering common usage in the 1980s with self-help publications on Āyurveda or Yoga. The qualifier "Vedic" is however something of a misnomer, as there is no mention of Jyotiṣa in the Vedas, and historical documentation suggests horoscopic astrology in the Indian subcontinent was a Hellenic influence post-dating the Vedic period.[4] This, however, is widely debated since an authoritative work on Jyotish called the Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra is said to be spoken by[weasel words] Sage Parashara who existed before the Hellenic Period and contributed to Rigveda.
• Chinese astrology is based on the traditional astronomy and calendars. The development of Chinese astrology is tied to that of astronomy, which came to flourish during the Han Dynasty (2nd century BC to 2nd century AD). Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy (theory of the three harmony, heaven, earth and water) and uses the principles of yin and yang and concepts that are not found in Western astrology, such as the wu xing teachings, the 10 Celestial stems, the 12 Earthly Branches, the lunisolar calendar (moon calendar and sun calendar), and the time calculation after year, month, day and shichen (時辰).

Homework: Look up information on your astrological sign, either in Western or Chinese Astrology, and write whether or not you believe what is written is an accurate depiction of you.

The Definition of Divination:

• Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency.

The Categories of Divination:

• An omen (also called portent or presage) is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. Though the word "omen" is usually devoid of reference to the change's nature, hence being possibly either "good" or "bad," the term is more often used in a foreboding sense, as with the word "ominous". The origin of the word is unknown, although it may be connected with the Latin word audire, meaning "to hear."
• Cleromancy is a form of divination using sortition, casting of lots, or casting bones or stones, in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but are sometimes believed to reveal the will of God, or other supernatural entities.
• Augury ranks a set of given possibilities. It can be qualitative (such as shapes, proximities, etc.): for example, dowsing (a form of rhabdomancy) developed from this type of divination. Augury is normally considered to specifically refer to divination by studying the flight patterns of birds.
• Spontaneous. An unconstrained form of divination, free from any particular medium, and actually a generalization of all types of divination. The answer comes from whatever object the diviner happens to see or hear. Some religions use a form of bibliomancy: they ask a question, riffle the pages of their holy book, and take as their answer the first passage their eyes light upon. Other forms of spontaneous divination include reading auras and New Age methods of feng shui such as "intuitive" and "fuzion"

The Purpose of Divnination:

Divination is a means to attempt some form of understanding of events to come. The true purpose of this form of magic is hard to say. It is used by some to plan their day to day activities, and by some to attempt circumventing or ensuring that certain things come to pass. It is a fluid magic and is not understood by many who do not have either the Sight nor the patience to learn to See. In this lesson, you will be taught the methods for Seeing, but in order to be successful, you must believe, and put in a fair amount of effort. It will come easier for some than others; any among you might be a Seer, blind to your talents due to lack of practice. For others, visions and signs will be difficult to see. This is natural, and all it means is that you must try harder.

Homework: Do some research and write a short essay on one method of Divination we'll study this year.

Location: Divination : Monday (2:00pm to 2:45pm)

Jasper had been looking forward to Divination. Alice had asked him about it only to be told he had an interest in it. Truth was he wanted to understand her better. There had to be some answers in this class for him. Taking a seat at one of the chairs Jasper had remembered hearing good things about Professor Somerset. It showed as he entered the class. Her little rules in class didn’t bother Jasper as he didn’t plan on being disrespectful. That wasn’t his nature and knowing someone who could see the future gave him a real appreciation for the art.

As Professor Somerset talked about the art of Divination Jasper took detailed notes. He wanted to know everything about the subject and was determined to do so. It appeared that the professor had the same moments that Alice had with blank stares. Jasper knew exactly what it looked like when someone was seeing something. Of course he wouldn’t tell anyone that. Jasper raised his hand slowly at Professor Somerset’s question. “Divination to me is the art of seeing future events before they happen. Its purpose is to predict those future events so we can better understand them and perhaps find a way to change them.” That was Jasper’s best guess, it came from the heart. He knew Alice tried a lot not to worry him about future events she saw and sometimes he didn’t even know what they were.


Status: Happy, interested
With: Class

Wearing: Hufflepuff Uniform

OOC: ---

You have the intellect of a Ravenclaw,
And the protective spirit of a Gryffindor.
However, if you are sure about being with Alice, then...
Hufflepuff!

ℂ𝕌ℝℝ𝔼ℕ𝕋𝕃𝕐
╔═══════════════════════════════╗
Single
Looking Distracted in her classroom with her students
xxxFEELINGxxx
Dazed
xxxTHINKINGxxx
❝ Hm, I wonder if anyone will truly See... ❞
╚═══════════════════════════════╝


But what is this, that I cant see? ✥ ✥ ✥xxx
With ice cold hands taking hold of me. ✥ ✥ ✥xxxxxx
When God is gone, and the devil takes hold, ✥ ✥ ✥xxxxxxxxx
Who'll have mercy on your soul? ✥ ✥ ✥xxxxxxxxxxxx
═════════════════════════════════════════════════╗



spaceDrusilla sat behind her desk, staring forward, waiting. She watched the clock on the opposite wall, her head bobbing back and forth, left and right, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick tock... her students should be arriving any minute now. As they filed in she sat up straight and gave a smile, her eyes bright. This wasn't always the most... enjoyable, of lessons, what with muggleborn students taking offense for some reason (she'd never understand it, honestly), but it was an important one, so she would make it as brief and, hopefully, as unoffensive as possible. Thankfully, she was almost totally lucid today, which would hopefully make things easier. "Hello, duckies, today we're talking about the methods Muggles use for divining the future, and the reasons that it typically doesn't work. A bit of history first; as I'm sure you all know, there was a time in our history where the Statue of Secrecy didn't exist, and wizards lived openly with one another. Now, naturally, this caused a bit of confusion for some muggles, particularly because of the existence of muggleborns. Essentially, some muggles did not understand why some children born to their families could do magic and yet they could not. Some became convinced that their lack of magical ability was merely a lack of learning. So, they would pick of sticks, brandish them about, and attempt to cast spells. After that, things get a little fuzzy, and no one really knows how muggles got from there to divination, but they did. Some have speculated that perhaps it was the thought of a witch or wizard, feeling sorry for the muggles, and trying to help. Divination, you see, is an art that, while muggles can not properly perform, they can at least replicate." She paused; here was the part that got tricky. She'd have to be careful with it. "Now, when a witch or wizard attempts to See, their magic is instrumental in the driving force behind it. Their focused attention and energies enable their latent ability to conjure up images in crystal balls, to cause the runes to fall a certain way when cast, to tell them when the tarot deck is shuffled just right. If any of you have ever had your fortune told by a muggle, you may recall them attempting a similar practice, closing their eyes, breathing deeply, attempting to center themselves. This is their attempts to replicate our use of magic. Of course, having none of their own, they can not do so properly. Rather, when a muggle gazes into a crystal ball, they see a distortion of what is reflected in its surface. When they cast runes, it is all chance. When they shuffle a tarot deck, it is their mind that tells them when it is ready, not magic. What they fortell from their readings isn't a true prediction of the future; rather, it is an idea superimposed on the medium by their mind. Many muggles use Divination to answer questions about themselves, to help clear doubts or answer questions, but it is all their own interpretation of chance and their mind's trickery." Drusilla stopped, hoping she hadn't spoken too fast for them all to keep up. She rather wanted this lesson to be over; it never went well. After a moments pause, she smiled at them. "Does anyone have any questions? And thoughts they'd like to share?" She rather hoped that she'd done this well enough that the muggleborn students would be unoffended. She did hate putting someone off of her and her class by seeming to insult their families when really, she was simply speaking facts. She'd revised the way she ran this lesson greatly since her first year teaching had gone so horribly. Hopefully, it would be enough.



╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════
xxx✥ ✥ ✥ No wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold;
xxxxxx✥ ✥ ✥ Nothing satisfies me but your soul.
xxxxxxxxx✥ ✥ ✥ Well, I am Death, none can excel.
xxxxxxxxxxxx✥ ✥ ✥ I'll open the door to Heaven or Hell.




(( OOC: ))
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Location: Divination : Monday (2:00pm to 2:45pm)

Jasper sat in Divinations and waited to hear the lesson for the day. Apparently it was on muggles and their methods. Sitting quietly like always Jasper listened to Professor Somerset. It made sense that muggles didn’t understand and thought they could perform magic. When that didn’t work of course they would find something obviously leaning to Divination for answers. ‘So they just use a lot of guess work and mind tricks.’ He thought as he took detailed notes. Jasper listened to Inigo’s question and questions started to form in his mind. If all wizards could do it then what made someone like Alice so different?


Status: Happy, interested
With: Class

Wearing: Hufflepuff Uniform

OOC: Last lesson's homework handed into office.

You have the intellect of a Ravenclaw,
And the protective spirit of a Gryffindor.
However, if you are sure about being with Alice, then...
Hufflepuff!

"The answer, duck, is that yes, all wizards have a latent ability to See, using some form of medium, such as a crystal ball or tea leaves. It takes discipline to hone the inner eye so that you are capable of it... Seers, on the other hand, have an innate ability and, rather than needing to be trained to See, must be trained to control their Inner Eye. Seers do not need a medium to See, though many will use them to attempt to narrow their view of the future. Furthermore, only a true Seer is capable of giving a prophecy."