#18 Hercules and the 12 Labors

Hello there good friends and followers,

This post heralds the news of the start of a parallel project that I believe has revealed itself through my fascination with the stars and the enjoyment of building this blog to share with you all.  With the Monsoon season out in Arizona approaching, this leads me to take a hiatus from the night sky, as most of July and August are hit-and-miss due to the thunderstorm activity brought to the desert.  I hope that the Monsoon will bring well-needed rain out here in Southern Arizona; we are beyond dry out here and I cringe to think of the damage that a half-finished cigarette or spark from a cheap firework or a lightning strike would cause.  I am grateful that the fires north of us are being contained successfully and give an even greater amount of honor and thanks to the firefighters, volunteer personnel, and other parties involved in that effort.  I personally have not boded well with the aftermath in the air; this week brought not only continued dry skin and cracked hands, but a near swipe at a sinus infection and terrible allergies and asthmatic symptoms.  I was not happy.

So to further explain; I will be taking a break from the blog after sharing about the summer triangle next post.  In the rainy months ahead, I will post short posts on the full moons of July and August, and return in September to the last third of the zodiac.  In the meanwhile, I am reviewing and starting to deeply understand and write the story of my life out into the desert and how it has created further spiritual reflection and growth in all aspects of my life, especially my spiritual recovery.  Within a five year span much has happened through my passion with the universe related to my personal recovery journey, and I feel it is time to relate it to others.  

But enough of that; let us explore the story of Hercules.  He is one of the few heroes to be immortalized in the night sky, along with Orion and Perseus. Theseus did not make it into the sky, only the wedding crown glitters as a reminder of his success over the Minotaur and the labyrinth.  Half-mortal son of Zeus, Hercules was born of Alcmene, known as one of the most graceful, wise, and respected royal women.  Zeus posed as Alcmene's husband through an illusion and lay with her.  Hera furious when she found out of Zeus' continued conquests.  What further angered Hera was that Zeus got Hercules to suckle at the breast of Hera, thus making him immortal.  The milk of the goddess was known to grant immortality, increased size, strength and skill.  While Hercules was still an infant, Hera sent a pair of poisonous snakes to kill him while unsupervised in his crib, but Hercules easily strangled the pair.  As an adult, he could still not find respite from Heras wrath; she set a spell upon him and he killed his children and wife in a stupor.  Hercules sought the oracle about how to go about atonement of the deed.  The Oracle told of the given name "glory of Hera" and the 12 Labors to be completed for his freedom.

King Eurystheus, who just so happened to be his half-brother, sent Herc on quite a quest:

1) He defeated the Nemean Lion (Seen in the night sky as Leo)
2) He defeated the Lernean Hydra (Seen in the night sky as Hydra)
3) He captured the Ceryneian doe, a difficult to catch animal with golden horns; he could not kill or harm the doe, as this doe was a favorite of the goddess of the hunt and the moon, Artemis
4) He captured the Erymanthian boar, the most ferocious animal alive
5) He had to complete a bet to clean Augean Stables in a day; he succeeded by diverting rivers
6) He drove drive away the Stymphalian birds, known for their razor sharp arrow-like feathers; he received the help of Athena and Hephaestus in the shape of a pair of bronze noisemakers
7) He captured the Cretan bull, known to breathe fire (Seen in the night sky as Taurus); this bull was a gift from Poseidon to Minos, King of Crete, and the King kept it instead of sacrificing it as he had promised.  This infuriated Poseidon and he caused Minos' wife to fall in lust with the bull, conceiving the birth of the Minotaur, which was put into the labyrinth and later slain by Theseus
8) He round up the Mares of Diomedes, gruesome flesh eating horses
9) He obtained the magic belt from the Amazonian Queen through completing numerous trials; the belt was given to the Queen by Ares, the god of war
10) He herded the cattle of Geryon, a triplebodied monster born of Medusa's body when slain by Perseus, which Hercules killed with one well-placed arrow

The King then became enraged that Hercules succeeded, and placed the last two tasks to be completed.  The King argued that Hercules tried to make a profit out of the cleaning of the stables, and was assisted in the slaying of the Hydra.

11) He had to obtain the golden apples of Hesperides, slaying a hundred headed dragon (seen in the night sky as Draco the Dragon)
12) He had to capture Cerberus, the three headed hell-hound and pet of Hades, and had to take caution that he would be able to leave the Underworld by taking up study and blessings to protect his soul

Something about all these trials is rather interesting, if you look at them as having a specific trait or skill that is heroic.  The first and second reflect endurance and teamwork.  The third and fourth are the success of the warrior in balancing the doe (golden innocence/gentleness) and the boar (taming the primal nature.) The fifth and sixth model ingenuity and creativity and the importance of brains over brawn.  The seventh and eighth show how the hero is a humanitarian, to serve and maintain safety and a sense of community.  The ninth and tenth show the use of diplomacy and discipline.  The last two trials could be seen as symbolically triumphing over heaven and hell through strengthening of the spirit.

Take your field binoculars and view M13, the Cottonball Cluster in Hercules as a wonderful example of a globular cluster.  You can find M13 hanging out half-way between two of the keystone stars; see the image above for a guide.  Indeed you can see this in May at the horizon; be aware now that Hercules will be further up in the Eastern sky.  Why did I wait so long?  Well, to get a better view away from the horizon where all the city lights or particulates could mess with your viewing pleasure!  Enjoy!

#17 Full Moon June

A beautiful orange/red moon greeted the early evening Arizona horizon this past week.  My good friend V noticed the moon and asked about its significance.  Well, upon further review, there are a few things to be aware of when we view a orange/red moon:

1) red light is the least scattered near the horizon, as it is the longest wavelength, and as moonlight is just reflected sunlight, this is why the Moon takes on the reddish hue

2) specific particles from a recent volcanic reaction or large fire can cause a clouded and dirty horizon, blocking the shorter length wavelengths and leaving the red/orange spectrum (for those that do not know, Arizona is currently fighting its largest fire in its history)

3) the last is in relation to the celestial event of a lunar eclipse; the Moon is obscured by the Earth's shadow, but once again the red light from the sun's rays is able to breach the edges of the Earth's edge

June's Full Moon is named the strawberry or rose moon.  June was known by the Native Americans as the strawberry harvest.  Strawberries would be the most abundant and ready for harvest at this time of the year.

June's Full Moon was also known as the Rose Moon, especially in Europe.  It was known to spark love interests and romantic airs, and add to the ambiance of a June wedding.  I like the idea of the Rose Moon, especially out here in Arizona, as roses do rather well with the hot and dry climate, and tend to bloom fullest between April-June and November-December.

Next week we will espy Hercules and learn of his 12 labors, as well as a great globular star cluster nicknamed the "cotton ball" cluster in Hercules that is visible with a good set of field binoculars.

See you then!

#16 Midnight Cinnamon rolls and the Milky Way

Come to think of it, a cinnamon roll does kind of resemble the Milky Way galaxy, doesn't it?  The whole spiral shape, the dense and rich frosting, and the...wait a minute!

I stepped outside last weekend around midnight to enjoy the first view of the Milky Way galaxy from the balcony this year.  I am always incredibly impressed by the density of the stars across the sky above during the late spring and early summer night sky.  I took a moment to let my senses, especially my eyes, get adjusted.  Just then I got a whiff of cinnamon goodness.  My next door neighbor appeared to be making cinnamon rolls late in the evening.  What a treat!  I will never tire of the decedent taste of a greatly baked cinnamon bun...I mean, of the grand palette of the universe!

Let's take a look at two constellations this post: Draco and Delphinus.  I know I mentioned Hercules last time, but I am saving his tale for a stand-alone post, complete with a guide on how to find the cotton ball cluster, M13.

Draco the Dragon coils and weaves around and through the Big and Little Dippers.  The best time to see the whole constellation is late spring.  Look for the head of the Dragon to the left of Hercules and above and to the left of the brightest summer star Vega, rising slowly in the Eastern horizon.  It is easily noticed as a large triangle; from the head weave your way around the Little Dipper and between the Dippers to the end of its tail.

Draco symbolizes the great dragon guardian Ladon.  Ladon was appointed the guardian of the golden apples of life and knowledge, and made a great guardian with its near one hundred heads!  The tree was given to Hera as a wedding gift, and she chose to plant the tree on Mount Atlas.  It is here we can find Atlas holding the world upon his shoulders, his punishment from the Olympian Gods for challenging them during the Great Titan War with his brethren; at first, Atlas' daughters were placed in charge of the tree and precious apples, but they were pilfering them constantly and were quickly replaced by Hera and rebuked.

Hercules was charged with obtaining some of these apples as a labor, and the story of his success in this trial will be shared within the next post.  Ladon was placed in the night sky by Hera as a respect to the loyal servitude of the dragon to the Queen of the Gods. 

Delphinus the Dolphin is an addition to my constellation knowledge this year, and a challenge to those up to finding a sparsely known constellation.  This small constellation can be found on the Eastern horizon, under what is considered the Summer Triangle.  The Summer Triangle starts with finding Vega, the brightest summer star, then consists of both Deneb to the lower left and Altair to the lower right.  Connecting the three produce the triangle.  We will further explore the constellations within the triangle further into the summer months.

Below the triangle look for a diamond-shaped cluster of stars with a tail...perhaps a bit like a kite even.  A pair of binoculars is also a nice way to view the cluster up close.  This dolphin was the loyal servant and messenger of Poseidon, and was integral in Poseidon finding a wife for the palace he had finished soon after being awarded the realm of the sea.  He sent Delphinus out to scout the Nereids, underwater sprites or nymphs, and found favor with one of the Nereids.  They were most flighty, but when approached by the gentle and soothing dolphin, they calmed.  Eventually the nereid Amphitrite was coaxed onto the back of the dolphin and brought to the palace.  In gratitude, Delphinus was placed in the sky to revere the intelligent creature of the sea.

Hope you enjoyed the tales of two loyal creatures!  Catch you soon with the tale of Hercules!