Re: OT Cardinal Points (was Re: Clockwise without clocks)

On Apr 3, 2005, at 6:48 PM, Mark J. Reed wrote:
> Steg Belsky wrote:
>> The reason i'm asking is because, for comparison, i've also picked up
>> ways to recognize cardinal directions (although i'm not quite at the
>> 'nearly subconscious' point yet) for religious reasons, since as a
>> traditionally observant Jew i need to pray 3 times a day in a specific
>> direction (Jerusalemwards).
> That would seem to be different, though.  Facing Jerusalem (or Makkah
> for Qibla) is not a simple matter of identifying compass points; you
> have to identify the exact bearing of the path from your location to
> the
> target city, which is not something you can really do subconsciously.
> Especially not if you follow the Great Circle route . . . :)
> -Marcos
Well, it mostly is a matter of simply identifying compass points; since
-- at least in the Jewish version -- you don't really have to be exact
about it; most people and syangogues just worry about getting it
generally correct.  It's only really an issue if you're in the vicinity
of Jerusalem that you have to worry about being more exact; once you
get farther away people generally think in a general NESW way.  For
instance, i'm pretty sure that everyone in the Americas, from Alaska to
Tierra del Fuego, just faces "east".
I'm actually pretty lucky, since the street i live on in Jerusalem is
oriented pretty much exactly towards the Temple Mount, so when i'm at
home i just need to face 'up the street'wards ;) .



-Stephen (Steg)
  "...i gave you love / you gave me fire
   i took you in / you took me higher
   if i wasn't what you wanted
   then tell me what it was..."
     ~ cailyn's song #2 ("all of me") by jms