The Magic of Stars
by Sandra Kynes
(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)
The idea of using the stars for magic and ritual is not new. Medieval texts included details about stars and constellations, and how to determine the optimal time to draw their influence into talismans for spells, healing, and other purposes. A small remnant of this remains today in the use of birthstone jewelry.
The stars have always had a profound influence on people. Who isn’t moved by a sense of awe when gazing at a star-filled sky? Many of the goddesses we acknowledge and worship have been known as star goddesses. Called by many names in numerous cultures, Astarte was ultimately known as the Queen of Heaven. An eight-pointed star was the symbol of Ishtar and her Sumerian counterpart Inanna. In addition, Wiccans and Pagans may want to take more of an interest in the constellations for the simple fact that our basic symbol, the pentagram, is a star. Unfortunately, beyond recognizing the Big or Little Dippers and maybe Orion’s Belt, what star patterns do most of us ...
http://kajama.com/the-magic-of-stars/
(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)
The stars have always had a profound influence on people. Who isn’t moved by a sense of awe when gazing at a star-filled sky? Many of the goddesses we acknowledge and worship have been known as star goddesses. Called by many names in numerous cultures, Astarte was ultimately known as the Queen of Heaven. An eight-pointed star was the symbol of Ishtar and her Sumerian counterpart Inanna. In addition, Wiccans and Pagans may want to take more of an interest in the constellations for the simple fact that our basic symbol, the pentagram, is a star. Unfortunately, beyond recognizing the Big or Little Dippers and maybe Orion’s Belt, what star patterns do most of us ...
http://kajama.com/the-magic-of-stars/