Navigating By The Stars
By
Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.
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Copyright
2004. All Rights Reserved.
This
article appeared in Zento Magazine Fall
2004
www.zentomag.com
O Na Hoku No Na Kiu O Ka Lani
“The stars are the eyes of heaven”
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 fish 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 Pialug, 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 journey into the unknown, to follow our bright star and not look
back. We journey because we feel called. It connects us and gives our
life meaning. Ultimately, life itself will respond, and may even surround
us with dolphins as we align with ‘Hokule’a’ –
our star of happiness.
Jai
Sri Ram
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