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Author Topic: Significance of stars  (Read 2226 times)

bnther

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Significance of stars
« on: September 05, 2014, 01:00:41 am »
Can anyone tell me of any special significance pertaining to red stars or pulsating stars?  I'm researching the celestial aspect of faith and was getting nowhere via Google.  The stars have been with us since the dawn, it's hard for me to imagine that humanity wouldn't have found some sort of meaning in their presence.

Thanks

carillion

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2014, 02:27:30 am »
Quote from: bnther;158130
Can anyone tell me of any special significance pertaining to red stars or pulsating stars?  I'm researching the celestial aspect of faith and was getting nowhere via Google.  The stars have been with us since the dawn, it's hard for me to imagine that humanity wouldn't have found some sort of meaning in their presence.

Thanks


Any particular star in mind? Sirius, Aldebaran, Betelgeuse? All have associations with myth in different parts of the world.
Algol is a pulsating star which certainly had significance.

Probably the best way to go about it is to first look up the individual stars in various constellations. Those are easier to find.

carillion

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2014, 02:36:59 am »
Quote from: carillion;158131
Any particular star in mind? Sirius, Aldebaran, Betelgeuse? All have associations with myth in different parts of the world.
Algol is a pulsating star which certainly had significance.

Probably the best way to go about it is to first look up the individual stars in various constellations. Those are easier to find.

 
This an old (1889) stand by but much beloved ( click on the numbers on the right in the list) . It's a place to start and indeed, many people were entranced by this book as children. There are of course many modern updates (as it were) but none who seemed to have so much love for the stars.

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Topics/astronomy/_Texts/secondary/ALLSTA/home.html

EJay

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2014, 04:34:50 am »
Quote from: bnther;158130
Can anyone tell me of any special significance pertaining to red stars or pulsating stars?  I'm researching the celestial aspect of faith and was getting nowhere via Google.  The stars have been with us since the dawn, it's hard for me to imagine that humanity wouldn't have found some sort of meaning in their presence.

Thanks


Go back to the science.

Red giants are shining brighter, bigger than ever, but dying.

Pulsars can only be seen when the light flashes in your direction.

My interpretation:  Red giants signify the last great hurrah.  Pulsars are about focus and being in the right place at the right time.
If you understand, things are just as they are.  If you do not understand, things are just as they are.

Altair

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2014, 06:23:00 am »
Quote from: bnther;158130
Can anyone tell me of any special significance pertaining to red stars or pulsating stars?  I'm researching the celestial aspect of faith and was getting nowhere via Google.  The stars have been with us since the dawn, it's hard for me to imagine that humanity wouldn't have found some sort of meaning in their presence.

Thanks


Your question goes in at least two different ways.

The first sentence suggests you're rooting the question in the science, trying to attach a metaphorical significance to stellar mechanics that aren't necessarily apparent to the naked eye...in which case Ejay has given you a nice way of looking at things.
 
Your last sentence suggests you want some traditional interpretations, which aren't based on today's expanded scientific knowledge but mostly on what our imaginations came up with from gazing at the stars, transmitted through various cultures. In which case Carillion's answer is probably closer to what you want.

You'll notice my name here is the latter--based on traditional myth and culture, not science. The name of the star Altair comes from the Arabic phrase "the flying eagle", and it's the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle. That's the association that matters for me, and has little or nothing to do with the science (Altair is a very hot, main sequence star that rotates so fast that it's flattened at the poles).
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

random417

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2014, 07:50:57 am »
Quote from: bnther;158130
Can anyone tell me of any special significance pertaining to red stars or pulsating stars?  I'm researching the celestial aspect of faith and was getting nowhere via Google.  The stars have been with us since the dawn, it's hard for me to imagine that humanity wouldn't have found some sort of meaning in their presence.

Thanks
A single star usually doesn't have much significance on its own. There are a few exceptions, carrilion noted the most prominent in my mind.

Usually, constilations are much more important than single stars.
"Let it be that state of manyhood bound and loathing. So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that and no other shall say nay. For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is in every way perfect."

AL 1:42-44

random417

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2014, 07:54:57 am »
Quote from: random417;158141
A single star usually doesn't have much significance on its own. There are a few exceptions, carrilion noted the most prominent in my mind.

Usually, constilations are much more important than single stars.
2 notes:
1: there are exceptions, and sometimes (as with aquilla and Altair), a star will "lead" it's constilation mythically

2:I can only really speak for my culture and experience, which is pretty typical American, and a Western Ceremonial practice. I can't say anything for example, about how any if the Native American tribes might have seen the stars
"Let it be that state of manyhood bound and loathing. So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that and no other shall say nay. For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is in every way perfect."

AL 1:42-44

bnther

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #7 on: September 06, 2014, 12:24:37 am »
Quote from: bnther;158130
Can anyone tell me of any special significance pertaining to red stars or pulsating stars?


Many thanks to everyone who has contributed!  I was actually amazed to see so many responses (and not a troll in sight -- amazing!!)

The star in question is Mira, in the constellation Cetus. Google has the name being Latin for 'wonderful' and the star is unique in that it has a comet's tail.  Apparently it pulsates in and out of visibility and is also unique in that it is actually made up of 2 stars - a red and a white dwarf; the later eating up the energy expelled by the first.

What I am looking for would be common beliefs regarding this kind of event. While I have a small library of wiccan books, stars are something I know very little about.

carillion

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #8 on: September 06, 2014, 05:17:59 am »
Quote from: bnther;158196
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed!  I was actually amazed to see so many responses (and not a troll in sight -- amazing!!)

The star in question is Mira, in the constellation Cetus. Google has the name being Latin for 'wonderful' and the star is unique in that it has a comet's tail.  Apparently it pulsates in and out of visibility and is also unique in that it is actually made up of 2 stars - a red and a white dwarf; the later eating up the energy expelled by the first.

What I am looking for would be common beliefs regarding this kind of event. While I have a small library of wiccan books, stars are something I know very little about.

 
 
Since Mira was only recognized in 1596, there probably won't be much in European myth. There are places in the world where it would have been more clearly seen but the problem will be finding the names in different languages for it!

I think you should make up your own story and/or meaning:)

Altair

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #9 on: September 06, 2014, 07:16:45 am »
Quote from: carillion;158211
I think you should make up your own story and/or meaning:)

I agree, esp. since (beyond the nice meaning of the Latin name) you're focused on the science of it. Mira has given you a lot of interesting attributes to work with, and obviously something about that has drawn you to it...

1. Binary star system--the idea of two in one
(BTW, binaries aren't rare at all; many of the stars named in our sky--half or more, according to Wikipedia--while they appear to be a single star from here on Earth to the naked eye, are actually multiple-star systems)

   A. the idea that one individual could contain two very different component identities
B. the idea of two very different lovers intertwined

2. Red giant losing mass to a white dwarf via a bridge of matter (not just energy; the substance of the primary is literally being drawn into its companion)--LOTS to work with there! You can go in any number of directions:
   --One thing "cannibalizing" another to sustain itself (the circle of life)
--One thing giving of itself freely to another (ties into B above)
--An individual taking the seemingly untameable violent or dangerous part of itself (the red giant) and harnessing it to convert it into something pure and radiant (the white dwarf) (ties into A above)
--bridge symbolism...but keep in mind this bridge is only 1 way

3. Variability--the idea that, like the seasons, something/someone could change cyclically

4. Age--both stars composing Mira are in the late stages of the stellar life cycle, so there's the idea of being ancient, and perhaps of wisdom

...those are just some of the ways you can interpret the science behind Mira.

If you want to throw in some myth, link Mira back to its constellation, Cetus, and you've got tons of water symbolism to work with:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetus

Obviously, I'm enjoying this! (But then I'm biased; my own pagan name draws on star symbolism, after all.) I'm unaware of any established Wiccan tradition of taking meaning from individual stars, but that doesn't mean we can't start one. It fits with the old tradition of wishing upon a star (http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_origin_of_wishing_upon_a_star). And personally, I find having a patron star--being able to look up into the night sky and feel especially connected to one small part of it--kind of fun.
« Last Edit: September 06, 2014, 07:19:41 am by Altair »
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

RandallS

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #10 on: September 06, 2014, 08:03:25 am »
Quote from: bnther;158196
The star in question is Mira, in the constellation Cetus. Google has the name being Latin for 'wonderful' and the star is unique in that it has a comet's tail.  Apparently it pulsates in and out of visibility and is also unique in that it is actually made up of 2 stars - a red and a white dwarf; the later eating up the energy expelled by the first.

Some of the science behind what you see:

Mira is a variable star, ranging from easily visible to the naked eye to not visible to the naked eye over a 332 day cycle. (However, in some parts of the world it is too close to the sun to be visible for a couple of months a year which means that ocassionally several years can go by without it being visible to the naked eye from those parts of the world.)
Mira is the brightest variable star of it class, but there are thousands known. It's recently (1995) been discovered that it is a binary system, with its companion confirmed to be a white dwarf in 2010. It's "tail" is invisible to the naked eye (you'd) need to see in the ultraviolet/X-ray range) and is probably caused by the white dwarf "sucking" off material from the main red giant star. While this sounds unique there are lots of variable stars and binary stars are extremely common.
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random417

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #11 on: September 06, 2014, 11:37:31 am »
Quote from: bnther;158196
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed!  I was actually amazed to see so many responses (and not a troll in sight -- amazing!!)

The star in question is Mira, in the constellation Cetus. Google has the name being Latin for 'wonderful' and the star is unique in that it has a comet's tail.  Apparently it pulsates in and out of visibility and is also unique in that it is actually made up of 2 stars - a red and a white dwarf; the later eating up the energy expelled by the first.

What I am looking for would be common beliefs regarding this kind of event. While I have a small library of wiccan books, stars are something I know very little about.
It's funny, about the one star eating the other... cetus is loosely translated as "big fish" and had connections with sea monsters. The 2 myths tied to cetus are:

The sea serpent that was sent to eat Andromeda was referred to as cetus (or a cetus maybe?) In her myth.

Some pretty shaky linguistics on Wikipedia connect the word cetus with the whale that swallowed Jonah, although I haven't had time to dig past that Wiki article

Maybe looking at the constellation as a whole might help?
"Let it be that state of manyhood bound and loathing. So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that and no other shall say nay. For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is in every way perfect."

AL 1:42-44

bnther

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #12 on: September 06, 2014, 08:57:39 pm »
Quote from: Altair;158216
and obviously something about that has drawn you to it...

 
Wow.  That hadn't even occurred to me until you mentioned it.

Thank you

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Re: Significance of stars
« Reply #13 on: September 07, 2014, 02:20:53 am »
Quote from: random417;158224
cetus is loosely translated as "big fish" and had connections with sea monsters.

*snip*

Maybe looking at the constellation as a whole might help?

You might also look into how other cultures interpreted the constellation(s) that include(s) Mira. Different cultures saw different patterns in the stars, so Mira could be part of different constellations and mythologies for different cultures. Even when the same group of stars was used, the "picture" and/or accompanying story was different.

F'ex, iirc, the constellation Scorpio appeared to be a fish hook to ancient Hawai'ians, so they had a totally different mythology for that constellation. (I could be completely misremembering the specifics of that, and I can't look it up to verify it right now, but the principle holds.)
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