Star Mysteries: the Astrolabe

Legend tells us that early pagans were able to tell time by the stars, to navigate by the stars and predict celestial events. Not just pagans - sailors and scientists of all types had the ability to perform these tasks in the pre-computing era. I mentioned this to a friend recently, and lo! She had been to a class in which they made paper astrolabes and learned how to use them.

Last night, she was kind enough to begin teaching me. Turns out, one has to have a good deal of knowledge to even use the device. It also helps to have a good grasp on the maths. A major problem with using astrolabes today is the evolution of how we measure time.

In ancient days, timekeeping was based on the Sun and the Moon, our most familiar celestial bodies. The sun's position was charted by all using the astrological signs. Today, we have introduced time zones and daylight savings time. Plus we now know about the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit. So when using an astrolabe to, for example, predict sunrise on a certain date, one first finds the answer on the astrolabe. That answer is in solar time. Then we have to adjust for modern timekeeping. WHEW!

So last night, after getting a basic familiarity for the instrument, we learned how to find sunrise and sunset on a certain day, predict the solstices and equinoxes, locate stars in the sky and how to measure the height of trees and other objects. All this, from rings of paper printed with measurements!

It was good nerdy fun, but also excited me on a spiritual level. Step 1 to re-creating the wisdom of the ancients! Which makes me consider: did early pagans use this device or something similar? Is this the sort of mystery that modern Druids are concerned about? I would think so, but so far I haven't worked up the courage to ask any of the Druids that I know. Druid readers, chime in here, please! Would that be rude to ask about? I've read about the henges, and of course I suspect that they were used for a similar purpose: charting and predicting the movements of celestial bodies observable by the naked eye.

From an intellectual, history geekery and spiritual perspective, this was awesome. But there's more: I am an explorer. It's perhaps a misfortune that I was born into an age where most places have been explored by others. But I have not found it to be so. Simply because you can locate a mountain on a map, and look at its topographical contours on paper does not mean that you know a place.

For me, true knowledge of a place comes from traversing it on foot. In that intimate communion, I can smell it, taste it, feel it and see all of the nooks and crannies. Looking at a peak from a meadow at noon is very different than at dusk. Sleeping near a river allows its song into your heart. Getting to know its animal and plant inhabitants is to know the soul of a place.

But I digress. No matter if it's been mapped, no matter if it has been seen by eyes before mine (animal or human), it makes no difference to me. Still, I explore.

And one day, I'll be able to wake a from a deep sleep under the stars and know what time it is. I'll be able to pinpoint my position on the Earth, our mother, using an astrolabe. To measure a fir tree's height...just because I can. Because it fulfills some primordial need within me. Because...I truly don't know why. I just know that I want to know.