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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1998)
tali on 5VR. Aggielife Page 3 • Tuesday, September 22, 1998 a c o c %. o S O i S ?lsi' til and Us E I <D i^N ives conning u to an... r pagan religions, fall season wbolizes beginning of new year to ' ^ TH!t : K\^ J'&COWty ir <r T here is a close connection between r M astronomy and the passage of time. » -Dr. D. Bruce Dickson, professor of anthropolosy BY MARIUM MOHIUDDIN The Battalion T he Autumnal Equinox marks the death of the pagan god and a celebration of the cyclical year beginning again. This is the belief many pagan re ligions hold for this holiday. The equiniox is a symbol of the change of the season and the beginning of the year The god is associated with the sun, and the goddess is associated with the moon. Winter is when the god is born from the goddess. From February through the spring it is growing and maturing. On May 1, he marries her and they mate. This is when May solstice is celebrated. The god is at his might iest at this time. Aug. 1 is the time of harvest. He is preparing to die and go to the un derworld. The autumn equinox is the death of the god and an nouncement of winter. In the win ter the goddess gives birth to the god and the cycle repeats. Carrisa Brown, president of the Pagan Student Association and a senior animal science major, said there are many theories about the birth of this holiday. “Some scholars say Celts were interested in astronomy, and they may have known what was hap pening with the sun and the moon,” she said. “They began cel ebrating this time because it was a change in their season.” Dr. D. Bruce Dickson, professor of anthropology, said the origins of the celebration of the autumnal equinox may have begun with the Celtic or Druid religions and their interest in tracking the movement of the heavens. “There is a close connection be tween astronomy and the passage of time,” he said. “People began keeping track of the celestial bod ies because of the relationship be tween agriculture events and the movement of animals and plants.” Dr. George Kattawar, a physics professor, said there are many reli gious explanations for this event but the scientific definition for the autumnal equinox is the seasonal change of the year. “It is the point on the celestial sphere where the sun crosses the celestial equator going south ward,” he said. “Also, when the sun reaches this point, autumn be gins in the Northern Hemisphere.” The autumnal equinox marks the beginning of the major harvest time and the end of the pagan year. It is the end of the summer and the beginning of the fall. Brown said pagans are aware of the importance of nature and life. “Our roots are with the people who lived with the land. It is a con nection with nature and the world outside the city,” she said. “Be cause of this, the ceremonies and rituals are based around nature and harvest.” Brown said many religions fall under the category of paganism. Not all observe the Autumnal Equinox. Graphic By Robert Hynecek/The Battalion However, those who do, cele brate with a gift from nature. “Some students make fresh loaves of bread,” she said. “They use some kind of grain product, fruits, vegetable or meat. They use the things they would be harvesting. “They may give a gift of meat because the farmers begin to slaughter their animals as prepara tion for the winter.” Brown said many take this time to contemplate nature. “Many modern day pagans live in big cities,” she said. “So the equinox marks a time for us to think about nature and to get back to our roots. “It is a time for us to plan ahead for the fall season. Nature and life are important for all pa gans and the autumnal equinox is another mark of the cycle of life and death.” SC OPEN HOUSE HAS COME AND GONE... tTILL LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO? i Faith? Cor- s religions jnityat7p. TS |T*S NOT TOO LATE! ute of Intk will be ask Zachry. Cs for details. r Center: eries “Do! QB?" will t i 206 0 A&NI Cor IEEE-CS) r from 0 ght builds id doorf# ISC Great Issues is an open membership committee, meaning anyone Qflfho is willing to join our team is welcome. Our goal is to increase mdent interest and awareness in current events through programming. ; jrjLt 'opic areas include: ember 2; Campus Issues Relationships ^^,1 Science and Technology World Affairs , n t System-^ residence a k ;i 'ast programs include: 1ortf0eate - The Responsibility of Photojournalism Cult Awareness The FDA Drug Approval Process The Origin of the Kiss Bonfire of the Profanities: A Civil Discussion on the Consequences of Vulgarity at Bonfire ( _ Ma’am. Yes Ma’am: Gender Integration into the Corps of Cadets ) not have j The Color of Fear ^ National Endowment for the Arts Funding gistraW1 ^ Drawing the Line: Technology and the Ethics of Cloning jig R ingd^f MSC Great Issues sounds like something you want to be a part of, drop >y our cube in the Student Programs Office (above the MSC Post Office) o pick up an application, and come to our next meeting: This Tuesday, September 22 at 6:30PM in MSC 223D. 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