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Hi, my name is Brad.
About my perspective.
Not so long ago, relatively speaking, we were primitive
and tribal. Our primary connection to the cosmos was the patterns and motions in the sky. There are several dramas being played out repeatedly, some of them simple
and some complex. One of the more simple motions is the zodiac, which encircles us and spins about us marking time. Another simple motion is the annual victory of the sun,
rising high in the summer, conquering the darkness, then sinking lower to battle the winter again. There are more complex movements, such as the moon and its phases,
and the erratic planets, which play out amongst the all-important stations of the zodiac. And there are a few other heavenly matters of the utmost importance as well,
such as the precession of the equinox and the celestial pole.
Upon examination of the available history, I find one logical conclusion with which can I arrive with high confidence.
Religion is astrology, a preservation of the numeralology of the sky. The measurements and characters in the sky were eventually codified with the invention of the written word,
about the time of the rise of agriculture and city states. The stories evolved into mythology but preserved the essential numbers and plot elements. Those elements
have become more subtle in the modern religions of the world but they are there. They are clear and obvious to anyone who examines them closely. Theists generally
don't deny the survival of these ancient archetypes and symbols, but instead often label them either as divine prophecy, the foreshadowing of a better age,
or as "diabolic mimicry" meaning they are planted by an evil agency, like Satan, to lead mankind astray. I have no need for these hypotheses.
About my passion.
I am fascinated by tribal cosmologies and by archeoastronomy in general. Being part Choctaw Indian, I've long had a special
interest in preserving American Indian and other aboriginal starlore.
About my upbringing.
 I was raised by fire-breathing Baptists, the kind that pound their fists on the pulpit and scream and sweat and spray massive
bits of spit when they preach. My father was a Baptist minister and my mother was a minister's wife. My grandfather was likewise a hell and damnation preacher.
I was raised and prepped to follow in the pastoral profession. That didn't happen. After much soul searching, I didn't find one. In fact at an early age I decided
that the entire concept of a soul is poorly defined.
More about Brad’s apostasy: I once was a Baptist.
About my real life.
I am an astronomer with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, with an emphasis in Astronomy and Math, and a Master's Degree in
Science Education. I currently teach college astronomy courses and I design planetarium presentations. Opinions expressed here are entirely my own and are not
necessarily blah blah blah.
About my blog.
If you head over to Skywise Unlimited you'll find a light hearted blog about cosmology and maybe some other stuff.
I like to review traditional architectural frameworks that humans use to model the Universe. I especially tend to emphasize the short narratives of the supernatural
sort because I find them so much more interesting than long-winded dogma. Don't you just hate long-winded dogma? And besides, the narratives are where we so often
find reflections of the morality of the designers of a given cosmology. Besides my non-god-fearing secular viewpoints, expect some occasional prose, editorial
digressions, overuse of commas, and frequent cynical irreverence.
More me on Twitter on Google+
and on Facebook.
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