Libra Horoscope for week of March 15, 2012

[Dave Monroe]

Libra Horoscope for week of March 15, 2012

How did the Vikings navigate their ships through rough northern seas
on cloudy and foggy days? Medieval texts speak of the mysterious
"sunstone," a "Viking compass" used to detect the hidden sun. Modern
theories suggest that this technology may have been Iceland spar, a
mineral that polarizes light, making it useful in plotting a course
under overcast skies. Do you have anything like that, Libra? A
navigational aid that guides your decisions when the sun's not out,
metaphorically speaking? Now would be an excellent time to enhance
your connection with whatever it is that can provide such power.

http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/libra.html

Iceland spar

126; Iceland spar is a calcite, which gets its name from "chalix" the
Greek word for lime, a most amazing and yet, most common mineral. It
is one of the most common minerals on the face of the Earth,
comprising about 4% by weight of the Earth's crust and is formed in
many different geological environments. Iceland spar is basically
clear cleaved fragments of completely colorless (ice-like) calcite,
originally discovered and named after Eskifjord, Iceland where the
calcite is found in basalt cavities. This special form of calcite
became highly prized among scientists and optical instrument makers
because it is quite transparent (colorless) and flawless and occurs in
huge crystals (up to 7 meters long). Iceland spar is also found in
Mexico (Guanajuato), Siberia, Missouri and elsewhere, but the single
deposit at Helgustaðir in eastern Iceland was the world's chief source
from 1668 to the early 20th century. See this article in PDF format
for an excellent account of the properties, importance and history of
Iceland spar. This mineral best demonstrates the unique property of
calcite called double refraction where, when a ray of light enters the
crystal and due to calcite's unique optical properties, the ray is
split into fast and slow beams. As these two beams exit the crystal
they are bent into two different angles (known as angles of
refraction) because the angle is affected by the speed of the beams. A
person viewing into the crystal will see two images ... of everything.
Note that the text of the dust jacket of the book is split into three,
not two overlapping images. A strategic mineral during WWII used for
the sighting equipment of bombardiers and gunners. See this website.
There is a nifty Java applet here that demonstrates what Iceland Spar
looks like when it refracts something and another here that shows
actual Iceland Spar at work. Also of interest is the fact that some
scientists and historians have argued that the "sunstone," a
mysterious item that mentioned in Norse sagas which aided Viking
sailors in navigation, might be Iceland Spar. There exists a page that
lays out the basis of the theory, though without much detail as to how
the process would work."The Book of..." 133; "paramorphoscopes of"
250; Schieferspath, 305-06; Zombini's, 355; aka espato or espanto,
375; double-refraction, 375; 387; 391; 437; 564; "expression in
crystal form of Earth's velocity" 688;

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=I

Thomas Pynchon refers to the doubling property of Iceland spar in his
2006 novel Against the Day.  A section of the novel is entitled
"Iceland Spar".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland_spar#In_literature

Against the Day - Thomas Pynchon: Part 2, Iceland Spar

http://steampunkscholar.blogspot.com/2009/06/against-day-thomas-pynchon-part-2.html