For millennia, humankind has looked upwards to the stars for guidance. This is evidenced by the extant observatories in South America and the European megaliths such as Stonehenge. Astrological studies of the Zodiac have influenced all cultures. We perceive stars as the pinnacle of creation in physical reality and thus apply the word ‘star’ to people of celebrity, or the principal actors in theatre.
The word star itself comes down to us from Old English. We also use the adjective astral, which comes from one of the Latin words for star, ‘astrum,’ to describe the invisible counterpart to our body (corresponding to the old Egyptian part of the self they called the Ka), as well as the unseen astral plane. Actually, the ancient Romans most often used the word astrum when talking about constellations, or a ‘silver star’ in the poetic sense. When referring to one particular star, they tended to use the word stella, which is the root of our English word stellar. We use that to describe something great, such as a “stellar performance.”
In Latin they sometimes also used the word lumen for star, referring to a light in the sky. The idea of each person being connected to a star above them comes from that same era, a couple of thousand years ago. The Sun, of course, is a star, and personally I think of the small Orb above my head as being a miniature piece of the Sun.
This posting is extracted from a longer article I am working on. When my more comprehensive work is complete and posted, I will provide a link in a future blog.
Credit for Image Above left: https://www.starobserver.org/ap110405.html
The word star itself comes down to us from Old English. We also use the adjective astral, which comes from one of the Latin words for star, ‘astrum,’ to describe the invisible counterpart to our body (corresponding to the old Egyptian part of the self they called the Ka), as well as the unseen astral plane. Actually, the ancient Romans most often used the word astrum when talking about constellations, or a ‘silver star’ in the poetic sense. When referring to one particular star, they tended to use the word stella, which is the root of our English word stellar. We use that to describe something great, such as a “stellar performance.”
In Latin they sometimes also used the word lumen for star, referring to a light in the sky. The idea of each person being connected to a star above them comes from that same era, a couple of thousand years ago. The Sun, of course, is a star, and personally I think of the small Orb above my head as being a miniature piece of the Sun.
This posting is extracted from a longer article I am working on. When my more comprehensive work is complete and posted, I will provide a link in a future blog.
Credit for Image Above left: https://www.starobserver.org/ap110405.html
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