Welcome to new visitors from Earth Ancients! (and to returning friends)

Special thanks to Cliff Dunning for inviting me to join him for a conversation discussing Star Myths on his Earth Ancients radio show and podcast. 

Welcome to anyone visiting the Star Myths blog and website for the first time after hearing that interview!

Apologies to anyone who tried to tune-in live and found that we were experiencing unusual "radio interference" with the signal. After a few minutes of trying to figure out the problem, we disconnected from the "live feed" and re-booted the audio. That's why the YouTubevideo above, containing our interview, seems to start off somewhat abruptly, with Cliff and I joking about the audio problems. 

If you weren't listening live, below is a short sample of the audio problems we were having. After a few minutes of that, we disconnected so that Cliff could work with the system to try to fix it:

While we were disconnected and Cliff was tracking down a solution to the problem, there wasn't much for me to do, so I decided to turn to the Ganesh (Ganapati) mantra, because Sri Ganesha is known as the Remover of Obstacles (and at that point we were certainly experiencing some obstacles to communication! I had no idea whether or not we could get them fixed in time to continue the conversation). You can see more about Lord Ganesha, and what I believe to be the celestial foundations of the sacred tradition regarding his iconography here.

Perhaps with the assistance of Sri Ganapati, the obstacles were almost immediately removed, and the interview continued after that! But if you are wondering why the YouTubevideo above containing the full interview seems to start in a somewhat unorthodox manner, that's the back-story!

We covered a lot of ground -- hopefully some material that provides some new insights or perspectives that have not been covered as much in other previous interviews. Below are some links to additional material on some of the subjects we touched on during the conversation:

• The Perseid meteor shower, the Orionid meteor shower, and why some meteor showers have names.
• The "mental model" of the earth's orbit around the sun in your dining room (or other familiar part of your household or living space) -- see this video I made back in 2012.
• The importance of the constellation-outlining method proposed by H. A. Reyduring the 1950s.
• The metaphor of the ruins of a great, world-wide archaic construction described by the authors of Hamlet's Mill (1969).
• The celestial foundations of the Samson story as discussed in Hamlet's Mill, plus a video I made to show some of these celestial correspondences and explore possible spiritual messages in the story.
• The centrality of Orion and surrounding celestial "landscape" to the sacred traditions of the Lakota nation and other Native American peoples, which is discussed by Gary David in an interview with Cliff Dunning on Earth Ancients. I accidentally mis-remembered Gary's name during my interview (apologies for that), but his work sounds very important and I recommend people check it out. His own personal research and discussion with members of the Lakota and the Hopi definitely seems to line up with accounts that have been published by other researchers and others who have recorded the accounts of elders and holy men of the Indigenous nations and cultures in previous decades and centuries. 
• The metaphor of "languages" or "codes" which the ancient myths, scriptures, and sacred stories of humanity are speaking -- and how we can mis-interpret their message if we try to interpret them as if they are speaking a literallanguage, when in fact they are speaking a celestial and metaphorical language.
• Evidence that the ancient wisdom around the world shares a common worldview, which can be described as essentially shamanic in nature, in which there is an Invisible Realm which is present in every man and woman and animal and plant and even in rivers and rocks and places (it is well-known that the ancient Greek myths taught such a worldview, but there is evidence that the Bible is essentially what we could call shamanic in nature as well).
• The story of the wisdom of Solomon in the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, which has been discussed in more than one previous post (see here and here) and also examined in a video here.
• The story of the irresistible necklace of the goddess Freya, Brisingamen, and its relation to the Northern Crown (Corona Borealis).
• The importance of ancient disciplines which were given to humanity for our benefit and (very likely) for the elevation of the spiritual component of our dual physical-spiritual nature, such as Yoga, Chi Gung (or qigong), Tai Chi, meditation, chanting, singing, drumming, and many others.
• The evidence for the ancient knowledge of an earth-energy grid, discussed by many other researchers including John Michell, Graham Hancock, and Jim Alison (among many others), which seems to relate to some of the precessional numbers encoded in the myths as well as to the overall cosmology of the Invisible Realm which connects everyone and everything and which is in fact the "real world behind this one" upon which everything in this world depends and from which everything in this realm has its origin.
• The upcoming Conference on Precession and Ancient Knowledge (September 30 through October 02, 2016 in Southern California), which I will be attending along with several speakers who have appeared in previous interviews on Earth Ancients, including John Anthony West, Christopher Dunn, Carmen Boulter, Robert Schoch, and many others.

Gaining fluency in the language of the myths

I have said many times, in interviews and in published materials (written and video), that the concept of "speaking in different languages" provides a very helpful metaphor regarding the interpretation of ancient myths, scriptures, and sacred stories.

If the myths arrive in our village speaking a language we don't understand (perhaps a language our ancestors understood, but a language we have long forgotten), and someone offers to interpret what they say for us -- but they don't actually speak the language either -- they could offer all kinds of misinterpretations which could lead to all kinds of confusion and chaos.

There have probably been scenes in movies or plays in which just such a scene is acted out for humorous effect -- perhaps with the visitor saying (in his or her own language), "This food is delicious -- I am honored that you are sharing it with me," and the deceptive translator telling the anxious listeners, "He said your food is disgusting, and he is extremely insulted that you have offered him such disgraceful refuse."

The point of this metaphor is my assertion (which has been made by others in the past -- stretching back at least to Plato) that the myths, scriptures, and sacred stories of humanity are not speaking to us in a literal language, but rather in the language of celestial metaphor. Therefore, if we try to interpret them as if they are speaking a literal language, we are almost certain to introduce mis-interpretations, mis-translations, and mis-understanding (with potentially disastrous results).

The fact that the myths of humanity, from virtually every culture in virtually every inhabited corner of the globe, can be shown to be built upon a common system of celestial metaphor is astonishing, and has incredible implications for our ancient history. Setting aside the question of how this situation came about (because there are numerous possible hypotheses which could be offered, each of which deserves careful investigation -- the question is by no means settled and the solution is by no means obvious or self-evident), the fact that this same system can be seen to underlie the myths and scriptures and sacred stories of peoples around the world, from Africa to Scandinavia to Australia to the Americas and all points in between, argues that someone in the distant past believed their message to be incredibly valuable and worth safeguarding and preserving with the utmost reverence. 

If we wish to understand this ancient message, preserved in the sacred myths which are the precious inheritance of the human race, then it would behoove us to try to listen to them in the language that they are speaking, and not in some other language that we wish that they were speaking, or that someone else tells us that they are speaking. 

(That last category includes me, myself: don't simply take my word for it when I assert that they are speaking in the language of celestial metaphor -- examine the evidence for yourself; I offer hundreds of examples from around the world which I believe point to the conclusion that the myths and scriptures, including those in what has for centuries been called "the Bible," are built upon a foundation of celestial metaphor).

If one examines the evidence and concludes that the myths are indeed speaking a celestial metaphor, then the next question might be to ask how we understand this language. It is a very good question. 

Some conventional scholars, detecting some of the solar and celestial and "seasonal" components in the myths (by "seasonal" I mean having to do with summer or winter or spring or fall, usually by the incorporation of metaphors or observations centered on the equinoxes and solstices, obvious examples being the celebrations of Christmas and Easter / Passover around the time of the December solstice and March equinox, respectively) assert that these elements in the myths and sacred traditions of the world are simply remnants of a time when humanity was working out the civilizational tools of agriculture and keeping a calendar, both of which do in fact involve complex sets of knowledge which would be helpful to preserve and pass on, once people have figured them out.

However, although that knowledge may certainly be part of the story (and while I certainly do not deny that the skills of keeping a calendar and successfully growing crops in order to keep a civilization alive are critically important skills, whose knowledge ancient peoples would want to preserve), I believe that there is more than sufficient evidence to argue that the myths are speaking a celestial language which can actually be described as a spirituallanguage (and even a shamanic language, as I have argued extensively in previous books and previous posts on this blog).

So, how does understanding their celestial foundation help us to hear the ancient myths in the language that they are in fact speaking? By understanding the way that the myths of the world use the heavenly realms, and the cycles of the heavenly bodies which move through those realms, as a way of describing a worldview or cosmology which includes both the Visible Realm and the Invisible Realm -- the second being the realm of spirit, the realm of infinite potentiality, the realm of the gods. 

This Other World is very real, but because it is invisible to us (most of the time), the myths and scriptures use figures and metaphors in order to convey teaching about it to our understanding. And the figures and metaphors they use to convey that knowledge are drawn from the heavens above -- the heavens which are in fact infinite in their own right, and which thus form a perfect vehicle for conveying to us truths about the infinite realm.

Alvin Boyd Kuhn, who was in my opinion one of the most articulate and insightful teachers regarding the way that the myths use the heavenly cycles as a language for conveying spiritual truths, gives an outstanding (and essential) translation of the spiritual meaning of the annual cycle which forms the Great Wheel of the year, divided into four different parts by the great stations of the two equinoxes and two solstices. He published thousands of pages of explication of the myths and their spiritual language, and the clearest and most concise explanation of the spiritual "code" in the annual cycle is perhaps found in a little volume entitled Easter: The Birthday of the Gods (based on a lecture he delivered in 1936).

It is my belief, after some years of study on this subject, that in addition to the references to the solstices and equinoxes found in the myths, we can also perceive references to specificconstellations in the myths and sacred stories themselves -- constellations which point us towards specific places within that larger framework, and which thus act as pointers to help us understand what specific themes and teachings that particular myth may be expounding for our understanding and our benefit.

This fact may be the key to understanding the language which the myths and sacred stories of humanity are speaking to us -- and the more we understand this "language," and the more time we spend "conversing" with the myths using that language (which is a spiritual language, and even a shamanic language, as most traditional peoples on earth already understand, but as the proponents of a literal approach to the Biblical texts wish to deny), the more we will gain "fluency" in hearing their message.

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Below is a video I made about a year and half ago which explains some of these concepts, along with some visual aids to try to make the points more clear and understandable (Thank you to everyone who has provided positive feedback on it!):

Please join me for a conversation with Cliff Dunning on Earth Ancients

Join me approximately 10 hours from now for a conversation with Cliff Dunning of Earth Ancients.

The broadcast will take place at 10am Pacific time (California) on Saturday, August 13.

To listen to the show live, follow this link (call-in details are available there).

If you're not able to listen live, the replay will be available on various web channels including the Earth Ancients websites and affiliated webcasts and web TV, and I will also post links once those replays are available as I usually do for all podcast interviews.

Hope you can join us and I look forward to talking with Cliff and the listeners at Earth Ancients!

New video: "You aren't supposed to take them literally"

I've just published a new video, entitled "You aren't supposed to take them literally," which explains that literalism can cause men and women to miss out on the message of the myths in two different ways:

• One way is for those who are able to convince themselves that the stories are actually describing literal events: if the myths are actually speaking a metaphorical and esoteric language, then interpreting them as if they are speaking a completely different, literal language is almost certain to lead to major misunderstandings and misinterpretations;

• The other way, however, can be almost as bad (perhaps even worse in some ways -- maybe we should just say "equally disastrous"), and that is to assume that because one is unable to take them literally, they must not "be true" and their message can be ignored: this conclusion is extremely widespread today and in recent centuries.

However, if the sacred myths given to humanity are not in fact speaking a literal language,then rejecting them because you can't take them literally is a big mistake.

The video presents visual examples of numerous Star Myths from various cultures, showing beyond doubt that they are built upon celestial metaphor. Many of the star-charts and ancient images shown in the video will be familiar to long-time readers of this blog, although some will probably be new.

I believe that the truths in the ancient myths, scriptures, and sacred stories of the world contain absolutely vital truths that we need today. 

It is tragic to miss the message they have to offer, and I believe that literalism causes a huge percentage of men and women to miss their message in one of the two ways described above, and in the new video.

Celestial Foundations: Greek Myths and Biblical Scriptures

Here is a new video I made exploring evidence of close parallels between some of the myths of ancient Greece and specific stories in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Please feel free to add feedback -- 

It is my hope that this information will be a blessing to you and beneficial in your voyages across the watery oceans of the material-spiritual realms of this incarnate life.

Artemis and Actaeon on the name-vase of the Pan Painter

Artemis slaying Actaeon, on the name vase of the Pan Painter, early fifth century BC.

I hope you have had the opportunity, if at all possible, to observe the breathtaking panoply of constellations now turning across the night sky along the band of the ecliptic plane. 

The previous post explained that now is one of the best times of year for seeing the complete constellation of Scorpio for viewers in more northerly latitudes of the northern hemisphere, as well as stunning views of Sagittarius, Ophiucus, Hercules and the Milky Way (among many others).

Another earlier post also mentioned my visit last month to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the countless pieces of ancient art which attest to the ancient awareness of the system of celestial metaphor which forms the foundation for the myths, scriptures and sacred stories of virtually every culture on our planet.

The main piece of ancient art I wanted to see at the MFA (which I had never visited before) was the bell krater pictured above, which is the "name vase" of an ancient artist known as "the Pan Painter."

The image above shows Artemis in the act of slaying Actaeon, who is barely visible around the curve of the krater, in the act of being devoured by his own hunting dogs.

This artwork, and its astonishing and self-evident celestial correspondences, is discussed at some length in Star Myths of the World, Volume Two (Greek mythology), and the chapters about the goddess Artemis.

The modern scholar, John Davidson Beazley, who gave the so-called "Pan Painter" the name by which this artist is known to scholars of ancient Greece says of the above painting and bell krater in a text published in 1918: 

There is no finer vase in Boston, there is no finer vase anywhere, than the bell-krater with Pan pursuing a shepherd on one side, and Artemis killing Acteon on the other, published by Hauser in F. R., pl. 115.

The technique is admirable: the Artemis and Acteon is perhaps the most finished group in all vase-painting: the lean, surprising, devilishly elegant figures carry the mind far away from Greece to some Renaissance bronze worker, to Jean Goujon or Giovanni Bologna. In JHS. 32, pp. 354 - 369, I collected forty works by this artist and named him, after the Boston vase, the Pan Painter. 113.

The reader may agree or disagree with some of the sentiments J. D. Beazley offers above -- he certainly means the comparisons and descriptions as a compliment, and it is clear that he regarded this particular painting on this particular bell-krater, as one of the superlative pieces of red-figure art produced by the entire corpus of ancient Greek pottery painting. 

I agree that the artwork by this unknown ancient artist is amazing and moving. What I find most "surprising" about the images in this particular bell-krater, however, in addition to its high artistic quality and the mastery of the artist's conception of the scene and the force of the drama, is the incredible evocation of the stars of the night sky in this depiction of the encounter between Artemis and Actaeon on the name vase of the Pan Painter.

Can you see the zodiac constellations at play in the artwork above? If not, you may want to go outside and spend some time marveling at the glorious drama playing out right now in the zodiac constellations of the infinite night sky, while keeping the images from the ancient bell-krater above in mind as you do so.

(Note that it is, once again, imperative to keep the outlines which were suggested by H. A. Rey in mind as you look at the stars, or the bell-krater -- whether H. A. Rey was privy to some extremely ancient knowledge that was handed down to him in some way, or whether he just in his own genius came up with the system which also happened to have been used by the ancient system of celestial metaphor underlying the scriptures, myths and sacred stories of the world as well as the ancient artwork which depicts some of those myths and stories, is unknown to me and must be considered a very important question and a fascinating mystery; to my knowledge, he never made specific reference to the  precise correspondence between his constellations as outlined and certain pieces of fine art such as the bell-krater above).

I highly recommend that anyone who has the ability to do so make the effort to visit the Boston Museum of Fine Art. It is truly worth spending weeks within its walls and chambers -- I would recommend planning for more than one day at the museum if at all possible.

If you are not able to make the visit to Boston at this time, however, you can see the goddess Artemis in the sky this very evening. In fact, the ancient wisdom contained in the world's myths tells us very clearly that we have access to the divine realm at all times (see for instance this previous post).

One thing that surprised me about this bell-krater of the Pan Painter when I finally had the opportunity to see it in person is the sheer size of the vase. It was much larger than I expected!

Below is your humble author, standing next to this ancient treasure, for purposes of scale.

Now, for your benefit and blessing: best viewing season for Scorpio, Sagittarius, Ophiucus, Hercules, and the Milky Way!

Right now is a fantastic time of year to see some of the most breathtaking sections of the starry heavens -- which also happen to be some of the most "mythologically important" parts of the night sky, containing constellations who play major roles in the Star Myths of the world.

The moon is now in a period of waning, rising later and later each night (or, later and later in the early morning hours, on its way to being "overtaken" by the sun, which takes place each month and produces a New Moon when the sun catches up to the moon).

The next New Moon will take place on August 2nd, which means that until then the moon will be growing thinner and thinner in its waning crescent, and rising later and later, providing us with dark night-time star-gazing opportunities between now and then. Even after the point of New Moon, star-gazing is still quite good for a few days, even as the brand-new crescent moon is hanging low in the sky in the west just after sunset (although each day the crescent will trail the sun more and more, positioned higher and higher above the western horizon after sunset as the sun keeps getting "further ahead" of the moon, and the crescent will grow thicker and thicker until eventually the moon's brightness will interfere with star-watching opportunities in the hours after sunset).

In the meantime, if you have clear views of the night sky in your neighborhood, you may wish to avail yourself -- if at all possible -- of the chance to view the dazzling constellations of Scorpio and Sagittarius (both of which are very easy to see in all their glory right now), as well as Ophiucus and Hercules, neither of which are as familiar as Scorpio and Sagittarius -- but if you're not familiar with them and want some pointers to help you identify them in the sky, read on below.

The night-time lineup in the hours after sunset and leading up to midnight (and afterwards, if you are a night-owl) is so magnificent at this time of year (and so mythologically significant) that, if you live in a location with too much light pollution or without good views of the sky (especially when looking towards southern horizon, for viewers in the northern hemisphere), you may want to plan a little star-gazing journey to a location that can give you some better views, if at all possible.

The enormous figure of Scorpio dominates the "center-stage" position of the zodiac band in the hours after midnight right now. It is not always possible for viewers in the more northern latitudes to see the entire graceful sweep of the long and sinuous form of Scorpio, but the best opportunity to do so is when Scorpio is at its highest point in its arcing path across the sky (which will be towards the south, for viewers in the northern hemisphere north of the tropics). Scorpio's brightest star, Antares, currently reaches its culmination or transit point at a few minutes after nine in the evening, which is not long after the sky begins to grow dark enough to see the stars. 

It is a glorious sight.

As earth continues in its track around the sun, Scorpio will be farther and farther along each night at the same hour, which means that it will be creeping further towards the west and towards its point of disappearance beneath the western horizon (although the progress will take weeks). Thus, this is probably the very best time of year to see the Scorpion, unless your star-gazing hours are in the wee hours of the morning (before sunrise instead of after sunset). Be sure to look for the brilliant stars of the "Cat's Eyes," which are very distinctive and easy to spot in the tail of the Scorpion, near the very end (just before the "stinger" in the tail).

The constellation Scorpio is marked with the number "8" in the star-chart diagram above. It looks smaller in the chart relative to other constellations than it will look in the night sky, because the chart distorts the sky to try to give the impression of three dimensions (thus, constellations on either edge are larger, and those in the center of the page are smaller, to simulate the apparent "dome" of the heavens, or the curved walls of a planetarium, in order to help visualize the fact that the left and right sides of the image would curve around the viewer and those constellations would be rising on the left and setting on the right of the viewer, rather than "straight ahead" as you look due south).

Just behind the Scorpion on the same arcing path (low towards the southern horizon for viewers in the northern hemisphere above the tropics) is the constellation Sagittarius, following not far behind Scorpio and marked by several very bright stars. Sagittarius is marked with the number "9" in the star-chart diagram above. 

The stars are connected in the diagram with lines using the system suggested by H. A. Rey. However, although H. A. Rey's outline is indeed the suggested way which I would advise viewers to envision Sagittarius (both for star-gazing and for analyzing the ancient myths of humanity), the constellation is not going to "jump out" at the viewer in the outline he suggests, in this particular case. This is because a few of the very brightest stars in Sagittarius form the distinctive outline commonly envisioned as (and commonly known as) "the teapot." 

You can see the stars of the teapot diagrammed for you in this previous post and this previous post, both of which are (I maintain) worthy of reading again, even if you're already familiar with the teapot outline, because they may enhance your enjoyment when finding Sagittarius. You may also enjoy this previous post discussing my assertion that the stars of the "teapot" outline are almost certainly the "locusts" which the scriptures of the New Testament gospels tell us were a main part of the diet of John the Baptist.

Once you have located the stars of "the teapot" in Sagittarius, however, I would suggest that you may wish to try to see the rest of the constellation's outline. To do this, you can start with the oblong rectangle of the "chest" of the figure as envisioned in the H. A. Rey system, which actually uses the same stars as the "handle" of the teapot outline (on the left of the constellation as you face south in the northern hemisphere). From there, it should not be difficult to make out the narrow, triangular head, and even the long "plume" or feather which rises up above the triangular head and which is a distinctive part of the constellation. If you see it for the first time, you may feel a small sense of personal triumph! From there, you can go on to trace out the remainder of the Sagittarius. 

The constellation Sagittarius is not yet at its zenith at nine in the evening when Scorpio is culminating -- so if you are having trouble seeing the full constellation Sagittarius, you may need to wait an hour or two.

The next constellations, however, are above the traditional zodiac band, and thus should be high enough in the sky for you to see immediately -- and they are truly breathtaking in their own right, even though they are composed of much fainter stars, for the most part, than are Scorpio and Sagittarius. These are the mighty figures of Ophiucus and Hercules -- both constellations who play absolutely central roles in numerous Star Myths of the world (including many of the myths analyzed in Star Myths Volume Two -- Greek mythology). 

To locate Ophiucus, it is helpful to remember the fact that this constellation seems to be standing on the end of Scorpio usually envisioned as that constellation's "scorpion claws," or as the multiple heads of a great many-headed serpent. Ophiucus is marked by the number "8c" in the star-chart diagram above. The constellation (who plays both male and female deities and characters in different Star Myths) is known as "the Serpent-bearer" (which is what the name basically means in a literal translation).

When you look above the "heads" of Scorpio, you may first be able to locate the three fairly bright stars that mark the lower fringe of the constellation Ophiucus's widely-flaring cloak or tunic (forming the line at the top of the "legs" of the constellation as drawn -- the legs of the constellation are very faint and should not be the first part of Ophiucus that you try to identify). From there, look upwards still further -- remembering that Ophiucus is a tall and fairly rectangular figure in the sky -- and try to identify the constellation's very recognizable triangular "head" or "helmet."

A helpful hint is to notice that one foot of the constellation Hercules (the green constellation marked "8a" immediately above the green-lined outline of Ophiucus in the above chart) appears to almost step on the head of Ophiucus. The end of this foot of Hercules, in fact, can trick you -- because it makes a kind of "false triangle" with the two stars that make up the "right side" of the actual triangle of the head of Ophiucus:

In the above close-up diagram, Ophiucus is outlined in red, and Hercules above is outlined in green. The large triangle that makes up the head of the constellation Ophiucus is clearly visible -- but when you look for it in the night sky, until you become familiar with locating Ophiucus, you may accidentally "see" a triangle made up of the two "right-side" stars in the actual head of Ophiucus, along with the "foot" of Hercules which is marked in the diagram above with a yellow arrow. Can you see how this star that is marked with a yellow arrow can be seen as forming "another triangle" (a smaller triangle) next to the "actual" head of Ophiucus?

Armed with this information, you should now be able to identify the "actual" triangular head of massive Ophiucus, and also the "foot" of the forward leg of the constellation Hercules (that is, the foot that is marked by the yellow arrow above). This will enable you to continue upwards (almost straight up over your head, for northern hemisphere viewers) to the rest of Hercules. 

Before you do so, however, you may wish to try to identify the two "halves" of the mighty serpent which Ophiucus is often envisioned to be holding (these two halves of the serpent are envisioned as many other objects and implements in other Star Myths of the world, including as spears, vines, lassoes, tree trunks, and even a cornucopia in more than one instance).

Then, you can proceed to outline the constellation of the great Hercules, another one of the most important constellations in the sky, when it comes to the sacred stories of the human race.

The easiest part of Hercules to find is the constellation's distinctive, square-shaped head. However, if you start from the forward leg at the star marked by the yellow arrow in the diagram above, you will actually come to the distinctive narrow waist of the constellation first. Although faint, you should be able to make out the three stars in the waist of Hercules (almost like the three belt-stars of Orion, except that these three are not in a straight line, and are very faint; they are also not evenly-spaced the way the stars of Orion's belt are nearly evenly-spaced):

From there, you should be able to easily find the square-shaped head, and then the downward-reaching arm of Hercules, followed by the distinctive extended "rear foot" of the constellation.

Finding the outline of the massive sword or club which Hercules is brandishing overhead is more challenging: these stars are very faint. It is also easy to get distracted by Vega (in the constellation Lyra the Lyre) not far away (you can see it in the diagram above, shining brightly to the left of the elbow of the upraised sword-arm of the constellation). However, the diamond-shape of the sword or club, as shown in the H. A. Rey-inspired outline above, is in fact very visible in the sky, if you look above the constellation (use the square head as a general guide, and try to trace the upper arm from the point that it originates at one corner of that square).

If you can see it, that too should be a very satisfying moment (especially if you see it for the first time).

The myths involving these constellations are very abundant and familiar. Some posts in the past which have dealt with some of the manifestations of one or both constellation include those discussing:

• Bhima and the Python

• Heracles and Triton

• Salmacis and Hermaphroditus

• Mukasa, the Guardian of the Lake

• Jonah and the Gourd

Note that both Ophiucus and Hercules can and do appear as goddesses and female characters in Star Myths, and not exclusively as male characters. For instance, I believe that the famous "Snake Goddess" sculptures discovered in the region of Knossos or Cnossos on the island of Crete (and believe to be extremely ancient) can almost certainly be identified as having Ophiucus correspondences (including the fact that they typically wear a conical hat, and of course the fact that they carry two serpents).

Finally, I would be remiss not to point out that the widest and brightest and most glorious section of the entire glorious Milky Way band passes directly between Scorpio and Sagittarius, and proceeds upwards alongside Ophiucus and on past Hercules -- and this section of the Milky Way also figures prominently in many famous Star Myths of the world. If you are able to locate the constellations described above, you should be able to make out the shining band of the Milky Way, which is just now rotating into view in the hours after sunset, beginning in a "lying down" alignment along the eastern horizon as it rises, and then "standing up" to a nearly-vertical orientation as it crosses the sky along with Sagittarius.

While you are locating Sagittarius and Hercules, take some time to locate as well the two dazzling arcs known as the Northern Crown (close to Hercules and his lower arm) and the Southern Crown (close to Sagittarius, at the feet of the constellation, between Scorpio and Sagittarius).

I hope you will be able to take some time out over the next several nights to enjoy the rich treasures of the starry sky which are presently spread out for our blessing and benefit. And, if you have never been able to positively identify some of the constellations described above, it is my hope that the explanations and illustrations provided here can help you see them, perhaps for the very first time!