Omen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An omen, or portent, is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change.
Interpretation of omens and prophetic signs is a form of divination.
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[edit] Good and bad
Omens may be considered either good or bad depending on their interpretation. The same sign may be interpreted differently by different people or different cultures.
For example, a superstition in the United States indicates that a black cat is an omen of bad luck, while in the United Kingdom it is considered a good omen. Comets also have been considered to be both good and bad omens.[citation needed]
[edit] In ancient Rome
Ancient Roman religion employed two distinct types of professional omen readers. Augurs interpreted the flights of birds, while haruspices employed animal sacrifice to obtain the entrails necessary for divination.
[edit] Astrology
- See also: Eclipse cycle, Metonic cycle, Saros cycle
In the field of astrology, solar and lunar eclipses (along with the new moons and full moons, though to a much lesser degree) are often considered omens of notable births, deaths, or other significant events.
Princess Diana is sometimes cited as an example of such phenomena, due to several eclipses which occurred on or near days of significant events in her life.[1] . July 29, 1981, the day of her wedding to Prince Charles, was the date of a solar eclipse; June 21, 1982, the birth date of Prince William, was another. A lunar eclipse occurred on December 9, 1992, the date of her formal separation from Prince Charles. Another solar eclipse occurred on August 31, 1997, one day before her death.
Skeptics of astrology, divination, and clairvoyance frequently contend that such occurrences are coincidence, or that meaningful events can only be associated with portents after they have already occurred, thereby negating their value as a means of prediction.
[edit] References
- ^ Kollerstrom, Nick. "The Jupiter Cycles of Lady Diana." Skyscript.
