CHRIS

Filipino Ethnoastronomy 🌌🇵🇭

How did our ancestors see the stars? What did they associate them with? How did they use them to mark the changing of the seasons?

Two prominent stars were Orion and Pleiades. While, some Spanish terms for the stars, such as Tres Maria or Tatlong Maria, used to refer to Orions Belt, and Rosaryo, for Pleiades to refer to the rosary, are more commonly known today, our ancestors had native terms and beliefs in these stars.

They used the movement of the stars, sun, and moon to know when the seasons changed from the wet and dry season, to when to start planting or clearing the fields based on kaingin farming. They saw images of hunting traps, crabs, coconut trees, ripples or bubbles in the water, a weaving loom, and more.

⭐ One of the most well known astronomers & known as the father of Filipino Ethnoastronomy, was Dante Lacsamana Ambrosio.

He paved the way to relearning about how our ancestors saw the stars and did fieldwork to collecting names and beliefs of different stars throughout the Philippines. He made several articles talking about Filipino Ethnoastronomy and also published his book, Balatik: Katutubong Bituin ng mga Pilipino. He unfortunately passed away in 2011.

➡️What about you? Do you know any local names and beliefs of stars in your language or hometown that you’d like to share?

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And it’s the children that pay the highest price. An estimated 85,000 children have lost their lives to extreme starvation alone. Every 10 minutes, a child under 5 dies of preventable causes in Yemen. When choosing what charities or goals you want to support during the last few days of Ramadan, I urge you to keep the children of Yemen in mind. And if you’re not celebrating Ramadan, or are not religious.. you’re still human.

These are a few of charities that I know of that you can donate to:

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/how-you-can-help/emergencies/yemen-crisis?

https://www.muslimglobalrelief.org/yemen-appeal (100% donation policy)

https://oxfamapps.org.uk/yemen

https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/yemen-crisis-appeal

http://sharethemeal.org

If Yemen was 100 people:

80 need aid to survive

60 have nothing to eat

58 have no access to clean water

52 have no access to health care, however since Covid-19 their healthcare system has effectively collapsed

But Yemen is not 100 people

where can i go when the world becomes too much?

that is up to you. perhaps you’ll find yourself nestled in a corner of your bedroom, surrounded by pillows and books. are you snuggled up with a pet? a loved one? is it dark outside, is it storming? oh, that sounds lovely, keep warm~

perhaps you’ll find yourself in an expansive meadow, golden sun dancing on dry grass. do you have on an old straw hat, or is the sunshine hitting your face? are you surrounded by butterflies, or can you hear the birds far off in the distance? are you barefoot, are you having a picnic? enjoy yourself, dear one, the sun will keep you safe~

or perhaps you’re around a campfire with your found family. is it windy? can you hear the branches swaying about, or is it silent? can you hear the frogs over the hill? are you roasting marshmallows, or are you boiling some water for tea? are you sharing jokes, or possibly a comfortable silence? listen to the crackling of the fire, warm your cold feet and hands, stay awhile~

1. You need to begin by thinking about what you want your life to look like. It’s important to be concrete and specific here – not general and vague. Then, use that information to set clear goals for yourself.

2. Be confident and believe in yourself. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t have what other people have, or should be that individual you’d really like to be. If you’re willing to work hard, and to pay the price required, then you can have what you want and find the right niche for you.

3. Keep your focus on your goal – don’t get sidetracked from your dream. You’ll have to keep on going and to push through trying times. The prize is worth the effort; you’ll be glad you persevered.

4. Don’t give into temptation to go for lesser goals, or to do something attractive that won’t lead anywhere. Don’t pretend that you’ll be happy if you give up on your dream. You’ll wish that you’d be stronger and looked at the “long-term”.

5. If you slip up – just get over it – and move on with your plan. It doesn’t mean it’s over. you can get on track again. The goal is too important to waste time on regrets. Your focus is the future, and what will take you there.

6. Recognise your weaknesses – then plan to manage them. That way you’ll have some strategies to help you deal with them.

Stunning Miniature Landscape Paintings on Mint Tins            

Colorado-based artist Heidi Annalise illustrates hypnotic landscapes inside mint tins, while showcasing the beauty of their color palette.  The impressionist paintings highlight Annalise’s love for the outdoors. Find them in their Etsy shop.          

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