This
article appeared in Zento Magazine -
Winter 2005 issue www.zentomag.com
Ever considered following a star? Many ancient cultures relied on
the stars to chart their destinies. Polynesian navigators discovered
the Hawai'ian Islands more than 1500 years ago by primarily following
Arcturus or “Hokule’a” - the star of happiness.
They followed a ‘star map’ to accomplish the amazing
feat of voyaging thousands of miles in small double-hulled canoes.
Astrologers in India have used a different kind of ‘star map’
for more than 4000 years to navigate the less tangible terrain of
one’s life journey. Their sophisticated system of astrology
is renowned for its accuracy in charting planetary influences on
time. The Polynesian system of star navigation, on the other hand,
is renowned for its precision in charting influences on space. Whether
navigating the turbulent seas or the complexities of our personal
lives, these ancient traditions have much to teach us about living
in harmony with life and staying on course with our purpose.
Let’s
face it - our lives are a journey into the unknown. No matter how
clear we are about our direction we often hit moments when we feel
uncertain or perhaps blown out to sea altogether. It’s not
easy to get our bearings amidst the chaos of our immediate environment.
We often step outside and gaze up at the stars to gain perspective.
They help us step back, way back, and get the broadest perspective
possible. To the Polynesians the stars were the “eyes of heaven,”
and knowing these celestial bodies gave them sight when it was otherwise
difficult to see. They are steady and reliable reference points
in a world of change. Because the wayfinders could see direction
when others couldn’t, they were given royal status in the
Polynesian culture and were trusted to safely guide their people.
The same is true for the astrologers in ancient India who were originally
consultants to the king and sages of the royal court.
To
navigate uncertain times the Polynesians set a wise example - follow
your inspiration or ‘bright star’ and don’t look
back. In their cosmology bright stars were believed to have their
zenith point in the sky over large islands much like the shepherd’s
star hovered over Bethlehem. For instance, the star above Tahiti
is “A’a” or Sirius, and above Samoa shines “Hikianalia”
or Spica. The bright star “Hokule’a” or Acturus
became their guiding light to Hawai’i, inspiring their voyage
of over 2500 miles to the North. Consider the courage that this
must have taken. For much of the journey they were more than 1000
miles from any landmass, vulnerable to storms and huge ocean swells.
They left everything behind to venture into the unknown.
In
our complicated modern lives with myriad distractions, it’s
not always easy to know our “star of happiness.” Astrology
has been used as a tool for centuries to help us see the big picture
of our lives. In the astrology of India, known as Vedic astrology,
one’s bright star is called one’s “dharma.”
Although sometimes translated as “duty,” dharma more
aptly means “doing what we were born to do.” It is the
inspiration that gives our life meaning, our unique life purpose.
This is seen at the time of birth in one's astrology chart, which
is a snapshot of the planetary positions in the sky. The planets
that influence certain key locations in the chart will reveal one's
“dharma.” In India, the family astrologer often reads
the newborn’s natal horoscope to the parents so that they
can raise their child according to his or her dharma. The astrology
chart is laid out in time periods like chapters in a book, called
“dashas,” which are governed by different planetary
influences. This shows the map of the soul’s journey. With
this knowledge a person can make wise, informed decisions about
any time period in his or her life. "There is no better boat
than a horoscope to help a man cross over the troubled sea of life,"
wrote the Indian sage Varahamira nearly 1500 years ago.
Old Style Vedic Astrology Chart
In
1992, while traveling in India, I decided to consult a Vedic astrologer
in New Delhi, the late R. Santhanam. I was at a crossroads in my
career as a schoolteacher and was uncertain about my next direction.
Santhanam was renowned for having translated many of the ancient
Sanskrit texts on Vedic astrology into English so I was very curious
about what he would say. He calculated my chart, and after studying
it for a few minutes, slowly began to reel off events that had happened
in my life: parent’s divorce, achievements in athletics, interest
in spirituality, etc. I was amazed because I had told him nothing
about myself. He eventually said that my dharma was to be an astrologer
and suggested that I get a masters degree in psychology, thereby
combining both disciplines. This again amazed me because it confirmed
what I had already intuitively felt. I later had two other readings
with Vedic astrologers while traveling in India who suggested the
same life direction.
R. Santhanam and Vaughn Paul, December 1992
Although
finding our inspiration can be a defining moment in our lives, the
challenge then becomes to maintain our focus and actualize it. Eventually
we could hit storms that threaten to throw us off course, become
distracted by stray island paradises, experience times of cloud
cover when we’ve lost inspiration and can’t see our
navigational stars, or enter the doldrums near the equator that
take the wind out of our sails. The Polynesian journey is our journey.
The Polynesians had to learn to navigate under any conditions in
order to survive and stay on course. When there was cloud cover
they read the currents, waves, swells, wind, clouds, migratory birds,
and any available signs from their environs. They used their sails
to collect drinking water and fished for food. Evidence of their
extraordinary skill lies in the fact that they had discovered most
of the 10,000 islands in Polynesia, including Hawai'i, hundreds
of years before the European explorers reached the South Seas with
modern navigational equipment. When Captain James Cook arrived in
the 1770’s he was openly astonished. He found similar people,
language, and customs spread out across many thousands of miles
of ocean in what he called “the most extensive nation on earth.”
Hokule'a, 1976
It
took two hundred years to be proven scientifically that the Polynesians
actually used star navigation to accomplish such a feat. In 1976
the Polynesian Voyaging Society, based in Hawai'i, sailed a traditional
double-hulled canoe from Hawai'i to Tahiti without the use of any
modern navigational equipment. The canoe was aptly named “Hokule’a,”
and its construction sparked an immediate renaissance of interest
in the ancient system of star navigation. The voyage was covered
by National Geographic and later made into a 90 minute TV documentary.
The
most challenging part of preparing for this historic journey was
finding a skilled wayfinder who knew the traditional methods of
star navigation. Eventually they found one such master navigator,
Mau Piailug, on a small island in Micronesia called Satawal. Recently
I interviewed Maka’ala Yates, a respected teacher of Hawai'ian
healing, who was a crewmember on board the historic 1976 voyage.
He told stories that demonstrated Mau’s extraordinary navigation
skills. For instance, during a 7-day period of cloud cover, Mau
was able to determine their location with one small opening in the
sky that lasted less than two minutes! He was able do this because
he had a detailed star map memorized in his head that consisted
of over 200 stars and their rising and setting points. Mau had also
memorized about 15 different swell patterns. One time he jumped
up from his sleep and said that the canoe was off course, which
he could tell just by the subtle difference in the way the swells
felt while he was sleeping! Mau has since passed on his valuable
knowledge to Hawaiian born Nainoa Thompson who has navigated Hokule'a
on many subsequent voyages throughout Polynesia.
Mau Piailug
For
Maka’ala the most significant moments of the voyage were when
he felt a close relationship with everything in the environment.
“Nowadays we’ve lost that connection,” he said.
“For me I knew in my heart that I had to be on that canoe
and connect with the ways of my people and their relationship to
all living things. When we re-connect to the pulse of life we no
longer wander aimlessly.” On the return journey to Hawai'i
there were several examples of how nature responds to us when we’re
in harmony with that pulse. As the Hokule’a was leaving Tahitii,
they were escorted by a large pod of pilot whales. “In that
moment when I saw the whales swimming around us and under us I knew
that I was connected and the trip would be successful,” Maka’ala
said. However, his most amazing experience was when they were 300
miles off the coast of Hawai'i. “Out of nowhere came a huge
pod of Nai’a (dolphins). It was like a big welcoming committee
that stretched as far as the eye could see,” he exclaimed.
“One moment the water was calm and then it became so thick
with dolphins it was like white water.”
Maka'ala Yates
As
we face the complexities of our modern lives, we can benefit by
the wisdom of these ancient traditions. We can use astrology as
a tool to help us stay on course with our life purpose as well as
navigate the inevitable challenges of our journey. Navigating by
the stars is for today and not just a lost art. It’s choosing
to live from a broader perspective, connected with spirit, and in
harmony life. The Polynesian journey is a metaphor for our lives.
We always have the choice to stay on safe, familiar shores or to
venture into the unknown, to follow our bright star and not look
back. We journey because we feel called. It’s a choice that
often requires courage and leads to radical shifts in our lives.
The form it takes is entirely a personal matter that may or may
not relate to our source of income. The value we find lies in knowing
we’re connected and that our lives have meaning. Ultimately,
life itself responds and may even surround us with dolphins as we
align with ‘Hokule’a’ – our star of happiness.
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