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Old 27th June 2019, 10:09 PM   #11
Ibrahiim al Balooshi
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE
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[SIZE=4][SIZE=7][SIZE=6]Here an example of a completely different constellation The Plough or Big Dipper or Great Bear or URSA MAJOR but from the Chinese perspective. This star group famous as the pointer to Polaris or The North Star...

So below a Ming Dynasty Chinese sword with the main stars shaped in formation and inscribed on the blade top left.~

Naturally there are many interpretations of Ursa Major and although I am asked about the Chinese ..at the same time there are other fascinating accounts including Hindu and even North American Indian concepts worth viewing at https://howlingpixel.com/i-en/Ursa_Major

Staying with the Chinese concept please see https://www.chinasage.info/stars.htm from which I quote Quote'' The Great Bear is split into two constellations and is the seat of divine justice. The ‘Seven Stars’ in China can refer to sun; moon and the five major planets but also to Ursa Major ➚ (the Northern Dipper or Plow or Great Bear). The Great Bear appears directly overhead at times over parts of China and was therefore considered the center of the heavens. Known as 北斗 Běi dǒu ('Northern cup') in China it was represented as a red faced god who determining death and plays chess with the Southern Dipper. The seven stars of the dipper are important in Daoism and are often shown as august figures in pictures who can bring long life and wealth. In the ‘Flying Star’ system of Feng Shui it is these stars that determine good fortune. The Dipper has been used in the West to quickly find the pole star but the Chinese used other pairs of stars to find it, for example the stars in the constellation of Orion".Unquote
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Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 27th June 2019 at 10:55 PM.
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