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Have you 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.
Hand drawn 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.
Copyright
2010. Vaughn Paul Manley. All Rights Reserved. |
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