Gorgeous Illustrations From Prentzinger’s Celestial Atlas,1851
Astronomischen Bilderatlas von Ludwig Prentzinger (English: Prentzinger’s Atlas of Astronomy) was printed and published by William Nitzschke around 1851. The celestial atlas features 12 plates, five of which are perforated and backed with translucent coloured paper to allow planets, moon and more to be illuminated from behind. Continue reading »
Sky Burial – Tibetans Perform Celestial Burial Ceremony (NSFW)
China Photos/Getty Images
Sky burial or ritual dissection was once a common funerary practice in Tibet wherein a human corpse is cut in specific locations and placed on a mountaintop, exposing it to the elements or the mahabhuta and animals – especially to birds of prey. The location of the sky burial preparation and place of execution are understood in the Vajrayana traditions as charnel grounds. In Tibet the practice is known as jhator (Tibetan: བྱ་གཏོར་; Wylie: bya gtor), which literally means, “giving alms to the birds.” Continue reading »
