Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Star - Symbol And Metaphor


"When you wish upon a Star,
Makes no difference who you are..."
-Jiminy Cricket, Walt Disney's "Pinocchio"

The Star presents us with one of the most beautiful and enchanting
of all Symbols. The Star Symbolizes: Aspiration, Inspiration,
Imagination, Wonder, Dreams, Pursuits, Magic (the Magical),
Creative Brilliance, and Divine Guidance.

To fully appreciate the Symbolism attached to The Star we must
first try to think back, and try to Imagine, what the night sky
looked like to Ancient Cultures.

Any of us who have driven through, or camped out in, remote
areas away from city lights have experienced an entirely different
night sky than the one we experience when we are within, or near,
a city. The number of Stars that can be seen in a remote area at
night seems Infinite. We experience an awe-inspiring and breath-
taking view of the real night sky that is always above us.

This is the same immense and awe-inspiring night sky that Ancient
Cultures experienced, and lived under, for millennia. It is the
Majestic "Canopy of the Heavens" referred to in Ancient Texts and
Symbols.

This Canopy consisted of not only an Infinite number of fixed-Stars,
but also Shooting-Stars, comets, meteors, and the Seven
"Wanderers". The Seven Wanderers are the five visible planets
plus the sun and the moon. This infinite night sky provided the
inspiration for their legends and mythologies.

The meteors ("Shooting-Stars") which fell to earth provided these
Ancient Cultures with Iron that they used to forge their many
different implements. They considered Iron to be a "Gift from the
Gods".

The Ancient Egyptians aligned their temples, monuments, and
buildings so as to be in Harmony with certain Stars. An
Alignment Ceremony called the "Stretching of the Cord" was
performed prior to the construction of their buildings. This
Ceremony aligned, and Harmonized, the placement of that
particular building with a specific Star. The Egyptian Neter Seshat,
who is recognized by the seven-pointed Star appearing above her
head, was invoked and honored during this Ceremony. Among Her
many attributes, Seshat Symbolizes Harmony and Equilibrium.

Our greatest Star, the Sun, not only radiates the energy that is
necessary for life on our planet but also determines which "Age"
our planet is currently experiencing based upon which
constellation of the Ecliptic (Zodiac) it is rising in on the Spring
Equinox. We are currently ending the Age of Pisces and preparing
to enter the Age of Aquarius.

And, in another interesting and charming piece of Symbolism,
Mythology, and Legend, many Ancient and modern Cultures
consider the Stars to be the Campfires of their Ancestors.
Ancestors who look down upon, and guide them; and to whom
they can look up to for Spiritual Guidance.

These are some of the Wondrous and Enchanting backgrounds from
which many of our current expressions about Stars find their origin.

"When you wish upon a Star", "Reach for the Stars" and
"Follow your Star" are metaphors for the Aspirations, Inspirations,
Dreams, and Creative Pursuits that live within each one of us.

"The Guiding Light" is a metaphor for Divine Guidance we rely upon
as we pursue our Dreams, Ambitions, and Adventures.

"Give me a tall ship and a Star to steer by": Mariners, both
Ancient and modern, use the fixed-Stars of the night sky to guide
them safely to their intended destinations. That fixed-Star by
which they steer their ship is also their "Guiding Light".

And, finally, to "Touch a Star" is a metaphor which means that we
have realized our Dream, Achieved our ambition, and safely and
successfully arrived at the end of our latest Adventure.

The Symbolism of The Star is a reminder to us that we can
embrace all the Wonder, Beauty, and Enchantment which The Star
represents. We merely have to "reach out" for our special Star and
allow It to "steer" us to our Dreams. Always keeping in mind the
immortal words of Jiminy Cricket, "When you wish upon a
Star, makes no difference who you are..."

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009
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1 comment:

Unknown said...

This is awesome! I accidentally stumbled into your blog when I was looking for info about the Star metaphor. I'll check out the other links too. It must have taken a lot of time to research all this. It seems to me that modernity is hurting from the absence of moral guidance and personal spirituality. Lisa Marie Hagerman