Ancient societies are seen as leaving behind the usual records, but some societies also left behind mysterious records. Among the text records enjoyable to decipher is the Babylonian text Enuma Anu Enlil. This text, a collection of thousands of omens written on clay tablets, comes from around 2000 B.C.E. and spans an enormous number of clay tablets. Most of the omens are predictions associating with stars, planets, eclipses, and other cosmic events. Scholars, even to this day, still wrestle with the hidden meanings of these omens.
What is interesting is that many of the predictions inside the book resonate with omens we still relate to today. Let us take a look at five of these cosmic predictions that still deeply confuse scientists, historians, and spiritual seekers alike.
The Eclipse as a Harbinger of Royal Fate
To begin with, the Babylonians recorded eclipses with great precision. They recorded both lunar and solar eclipses. They placed the greatest importance on the lunar eclipse, which, in some months, warned of fate for kings. Also, they reasoned that if the moon was dark, an occasion to warn rulers was available.
Science explains eclipses as natural orders of the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. The analysis of human psychology between light, shadows, and dark eclipses is undeniably interesting. Studies show eclipses awaken extreme emotional states. While some experienced anxiety, others experienced awe or worse transformations.
Did you know?? A small study in Psychological Research confirmed that unusual events in the sky disrupt human attention and memory. To mark human consciousness would mean that eclipses would genuinely “mark” human fate, never-mind royal ones.
In Islam, eclipses remain reminders of Allah’s dominance and authority over all. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, when he was in eclipse, said, “The sun and the moon are two signs of Allah; they do not eclipse because of the death or the birth of anyone.” A new potential for thought reflected in change. The Babylonians’ reasons then eclipsed warned kings. Islam teaches that eclipses warn humans of prayer and humility.
Read more: How Ancient Sky-Gazers Felt the Stars
Confounding Movements of Venus
Secondly, the book focuses on Venus, called “Ishtar.” The Babylonians noted that Venus had cycles that didn’t match the other stars they could see. Sometimes it was a morning star, an evening star. These cycles happen over eight years and continue to confuse sky-watchers today.
Interestingly, contemporary psychology observes the cycles of celestial events may affect human moods. Some studies examine moods with bright night skies and changes in sleep. A bright Venus may have disturbed some ancient peoples’ sleep and emotions enough to have created the foundations of their beliefs.
Did you know? Venus has a retrograde rotation; most other planets rotate similarly. A day on Venus is longer than an Earth cycle around the sun (one year). These fascinating cosmic facts make Venus a stranger place, perhaps partly why the ancient observers found it so perplexing.
The Qur’an recalls Allah saying: “And He it is who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases…” (Surah Yunus 10:5). Whereas, the Babylonians feared Venus movements as a sign of change, Islam teaches us that cycles of celestial events are manifestations of Allah’s Order, not merely chance omens of change.
Comets as Emissaries of Disorder
Third, Enuma Anu Enlil associates comets with disorder. If the comet appeared in such-and-such constellation, there was immense potential for famine, death, or uprising.
In modern astronomy, we can understand comets to be frozen bodies from the very outer reaches of our solar system. The long tails that glow seem to appear only once sunlight warms the icy body. Comets are not always a risk on any given day. However, their twisting long-tailed paths often capture worldwide attention as they appear intermittently.
Did you know? Panic erupted in 1910 when Halley’s Comet returned. People thought they would be poisoned by toxic gases being released and started selling “comet pills” to help survive the impending catastrophe. These human responses are fascinatingly similar to the Babylonian fears of bad news thousands of years ago.
Psychology tells us that the sudden arrival of the comet upset our human perception of order in the universe. The appearance of the comet is sudden, and we react differently to something appearing out of nowhere, versus repeating events that order the universe from our human perception, like the Sun or the Moon.
The Quran states that shooting stars are signals of human order: “And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars and have made from them what is thrown at devils…” (Surah Al-Mulk 67:5). Islam has begun to reframe the cosmic light previously seen to symbolize disorder as a piece of divine order and wisdom.
Planetary Alignments and Empires
Fourth, the Babylonians tracked the rare planetary alignments of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. When those three aligned, the Babylonians thought that great empires could thrive or crash. These types of predictions happen over and over again in Enuma Anu Enlil.
These events provide fascination today. In December 2020, we experienced the “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn. Millions viewed it online, and some made political predictions based on it. Scientists suggest this will not affect politics. Yet I’ve seen headlines that suggest this will be a “once-in-800-years” occurrence.
You may not know that NASA suggests the alignments are predictable thousands of years in advance. People still want to attach symbolic meanings.
Psychologists suggest that humans are pattern-seeking animals. What you see in the sky is connected to what you see here on earth. This may help explain why the Babylonians believed empires rose and fell with stars.
Weather and Cosmic Shadows
Now we have a much clearer scientific understanding of this relationship. Dust storms, volcanic eruptions, or solar activity can change the sky’s appearance. Red skies at dusk indicate that the weather is about to change. This demonstrates that the Babylonians were tracking patterns that existed in the natural world, even if they were defined based on divine omens.
Did you know? When Krakatoa erupted in 1883, virtually every sky in the world was red for months. Artists painted some of the strangest sunsets still in existence from that time. These similar events are reflective of what is found in the ancient omen tablets.
In Closing
While we have only partially decoded Enuma Anu Enlil, its spirit continues to live on. Eclipses, comets, and planetary alignments continue to move us. The ancient Babylonians experienced fear of these same phenomena. Islam taught reflection upon them. Science studies its mechanics.
But what is clear is that the cosmos is not silent. It speaks in patterns, it speaks through light, and it speaks through mystery. The real omen may not be about kings or wars, but the endless human desire to connect heaven and earth, the outer cosmos with our inner soul.
Leave a Reply