As far as discernible historical record goes, the first people to divide the heavens into what later became known as the zodiac were the ancient Persians, over eight thousand years ago. Their division of the stars into recognizable patterns was not just a superimposing of images on groups of stars, but was instead determined by their relationship to the divine spiritual world and how it flowed toward them as the communication of a heavenly wisdom, as guidance for how to live harmoniously in the physical material world.
Among the many regions of the sky from which they gleaned this wisdom, they recognized four Royal Stars that indicated the directions, as well as the mysteries of dawn and dusk, midday and midnight.
All of this is all about to get active!
In the northern hemisphere we’ve just stepped into meteor shower season, with last week’s Perseids, which peaked overnight August 11 to 12, opening the door for falling stars that will continue nearly monthly from now through winter solstice.
What’s more, Mercury is in its retrograde loop, and readying to line up at conjunction with Sun and Earth on August 19th, the same day as the true Blue Moon, when all four celestial bodies ~ Sun, Mercury, Earth, and Moon ~ will create a 90 degree angle or square to the planet Uranus. The same day, Jupiter and Saturn will create their own square, their first since the great conjunction at winter solstice in 2020.
It’s fascinating to have all of this happening all at once, and it’s important to note that amidst the potency of all these particular angles, there’s the steadiness of the Royal Stars, which will be lit up by Moon and Sun on Monday, August 19, 2024, when everything else is also being activated.
There’s magic and mystery and poetry in the stars, and it’s time for tuning in.
~Mary
Hear this episode of The Storyteller’s Night Sky Monday morning, August 12, 2024 on Interlochen Public Radio, and on podcasts everywhere, at anytime. Cover image of Fomalhaut, one of the Four Royal Stars of Persia. This star marks the mouth of the southern fish that receives the nourishing waters flowing from the waterpot of Aquarius. It represents idealism, heightened spirituality, and human freedom. The August 19, 2024 Blue Moon will align with this star while the Sun is opposite near Regulus at the heart of the Lion, with Mercury in the mix at inferior conjunction, among other mysteries!