Strange and beautiful are the stars tonight

Tracey Turner /illustration by ted barker

If you’re like me, you not only know your sun sign but also the personality traits that go with it. Better still, have you ever searched out your astrological match or done a “karmic compatibility test” with your significant other? If you’re at all intrigued by astrology, you might subscribe to an online horoscope or two. I’ve gradually worked myself into a daily habit and onslaught of at least six different astrological reports that get magically delivered to my inbox in the twilight hours. Now, if there was anything to astrology at all, you’d think there might be some common threads between all these forecasts. This isn’t often the case, but they are fun. Simply type in your birth date, including birth hour if you have it, and voila, they profile you. Even better, type in that info on your current lover or person that you lust after and you’ll see what’s in the stars for you and your future flame.

Let’s see: my cosmic calendar courtesy of Astrology.com for today informs me that: “I must remain watchful of what I say and how I say it.” Also: “During this quarter moon phase, I will be able to cut through obstacles on a physical and emotional level.” Good to know.

“I should manage my life and business matters with greater finesse.” Sage advice, I’d say. And, from the romance angle, my love tarot-scope has informed me that I’ve drawn the “Death” card. Just lovely. With a logical, matter-of-fact tone it reads:

“When love goes wrong, nothing goes right. Whether you are avoiding an inevitable breakup, are in a rut, or simply trying to deny issues that are standing in the way of romantic happiness, you know what this means. This could be a sign that something’s got to give in order for you to move on to the next chapter of your relationship – or beyond that.” So, great, things don’t look promising for my love life, according to the great and powerful virtual astrologers at Astrology.com.

Maybe I can blame the comet! Yes, perfect, that’s it; let’s blame Comet Holmes for my love trials. If not that you can always say that Mercury’s in retrograde and leave it at that.

Starry soothsayers

The desire to make order out of the natural chaos of the world and the art of divining the future has interested humankind since our ancient and not so humble beginnings. Archaeological evidence of “divination” does exist, and our ancestors looked up to the stars to help guide them forward. On astrology, the great American writer Henry Miller once said that:

“[It] does not offer an explanation of the laws of the universe, nor why the universe exists. What it does, to put it in simplest terms, is to show that there is a correspondence between macrocosm and microcosm. In shor,t that there is a rhythm to the universe, and that man’s own life partakes of this rhythm.”

Astrology is an ancient art and pseudoscience whose influence extends back into ancient history, and was studied and practiced by most of the great nations of antiquity. Plato and Sir Isaac Newton, including more recently the astronomer Flamstead (the great astronomer royal who helped to build the Greenwich Observatory) are just a few of the incredible minds that have turned their thoughts to astrology.

According to a recent Gallup poll, 29 per cent of North American adults believe their lives are influenced by the position of the planets. If people weren’t interested, why would a large majority of newspapers and magazines carry an astrology column? Astrology consultation by telephone and the Internet is a growing business, and people want to have the inside track on things.

Archeo-astronomy

One only needs to look at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Stonehenge to be aware that the ancients were practicing what is now called “megalithic astronomy.” Here, sun and moon alignments delineated by stone markers precisely track the winter and summer solstices, two celebrations of the solar year.

Turning our thoughts to Mesopotamia, stone tablets known as the Enuma Anu Enlil, of which the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa is part, contain astrological text and document omens written in about 1600 BC during the reign of King Ammisaduqa of Babylon. The astrology in these tablets discusses the “rising and settling of planets,” allowing predictions for the country and the King. Later evidence of astrology could be found trickling beyond the Mesopotamian River valley, towards Turkey. Around 600 BC the mixing of Hellenistic Greek culture with Mesopotamian culture began, and later still, the invasion of Alexander the Great in 331 BC would mark the beginning of the birth of modern astrology as we know it.

Tailed stars streaking

So if a comet was streaking across the sky, like it is right now, just what would the ancient people in history have thought? What kind of omens would it have foretold? What changes in politics, or personal decisions did it influence? In the spirit of bringing order to chaos, and controlling the uncontrollable, let’s blame everything – good or bad – on the comet that is currently in the night sky.

There’s a new star in the constellation Perseus. Actually, it’s not really a star, but rather the appearance of Comet Holmes. If you haven’t seen it yet, now is your chance. Discovered by English amateur astronomer Edwin Holmes, in 1892, the comet has returned to our night sky in 1899, 1906, 1964, and now is stunning stargazers again in 2007.

Don’t miss your chance to connect with the heavens above you. Not only are they awe inspiring, there could be some truth to all this. So, look up, feel, and experience the impact of the universe that surrounds you.