The 2012 Astrotheology Calendar
My astrotheology calendars are lovingly handcrafted by me, with the assistance of N.W. Barker. During the year, we keep an eye out for the finest images to represent the months of the year, with a focus on mythology, archaeoastronomy and, of course, astrotheology. Each image is analyzed for its best possible placement in the calendar, vis-à-vis       the months and their particular characteristics and holidays.For example, the image of Persepolis in Iran was chosen to represent the month of March--on the 20th of which falls the vernal equinox--because of the very ancient Persian spring celebration of Nowruz. As another example, the Pantheon at Rome was chosen for April because it is oriented so the sun shines as a single shaft to the floor on the 21st of that month, traditional date of Rome's founding. The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico, was chosen for the month of August because the temple's face is oriented to sunset on the 13th of that month, traditional date of Mayan origins. November's image of St. Peter's Square in Rome was designed to show how ancient astrotheological knowledge has been carried forward into our "modern" religions. The choice of the Burlington Earth Clock for December was made because it symbolizes not only the past but also the future, and we at Astrotheology Press would like to encourage the creation of such circles with so much important information regarding calendars and time-keeping.In addition to the images--which have explanatory captions highlighting the archaeoastronomical and religious meanings of the sites and artifacts--we have incorporated some fascinating information about ancient archaeoastronomically aligned sites, astrotheology, solar and lunar mythology, the zodiac, solstices and equinoxes, along with some "cool stuff" to follow up with.The calendar was designed and created by me, D.M. Murdock, also known as Acharya S, including both back and front covers. It is published under Astrotheology Press, a division of Stellar House Publishing. The text and images include citation where appropriate, and there is also a short      bibliography.