Astronomy

Polaris is our Polestar, the star to which the axis of the planet points in the northern hemisphere. This is true for our age, but not for all ages. For the precession of the equinoxes (the great circle drawn against the background stars over a period of approximately 26, 000 years) means that at other times the north pole will point more closely to Alderamin or Vega amongst others.

Polaris is the brightest star in Ursa Minor, the Little Bear, but counts as a second magnitude star – that is, rather less bright than the most prominent stars. The  constellation is smaller than the Plough, but very similar in shape. Through a telescope you may see that Polaris is part of a semi-circle of stars sometimes called the Engagement Ring, with Polaris forming the jewel.

The star is about 430 light years away and is a yellow supergiant 2500 times more luminous than our Sun with a radius 45 times that of the Sun and a mass six times as great. It is what is known as a Cepheid variable; it has reached a stage of evolution where its brightness fluctuates regularly. In the case of Polaris the fluctuation happens over a period of about four days and is now very slight. The star has two dwarf companions, only visible through a large telescope.

Finding Polaris

Of all the stars in the northern hemisphere Polaris is the one that moves scarcely at all, through the night or through the year. If you know where north is, look up and there will be Polaris, not especially bright but distinct. If you are not sure of true north, look for the Plough and follow the two stars furthest from the handle. These are known as the Pointers, because they point directly to Polaris, at about five times the distance between them.

Mythology

Being the guiding star for travellers in every land of the northern hemisphere has naturally made Polaris important. Because of its guiding role Polaris itself was also known as the Shipstar and Lodestar. In Wordsworth’s Excursion he imagines:

Chaldean shepherds, ranging trackless fields, Beneath the concave of unclouded skies Spread like a sea, in boundless solitude, Looked on the polar star, as on a guide And guardian of their course, that never closed His steadfast eye.

Its role as the unmoving star is used by Shakespeare in Julius Caesar:

But I am constant as the Northern Star, Of whose true fixed and resting quality There is no fellow in the firmament. The skies are painted with unnumbered sparks, They are all fire and every one doth shine, But there’s but one in all doth hold his place:

As the pinnacle of the sky it was imagined in other ways too; by the Norse as the Hill of Heaven and by Indians as marking Mount Meru ‘the seat of the gods’. In Hindu tradition it was known as Grahadhara ‘the pivot of the planets’ and considered to be Dhruva, a devotee of Vishnu who stood on one leg for many months praying that he might please God. The Romans, though, saw Ursa Minor as a dog and Polaris was sometimes known as Cynosura ‘the dog’s tail’, giving rise to our word cynosure, meaning the centre of attention.

Spiritual Qualities

Key Qualities: Direction, Aligning with Source, Purpose

Polaris could be said to understand of its role in relationship to the Earth, that in this age its light guides humanity in literal ways, but also symbolically.  The beings for whom this star was home have long since evolved beyond forms we would readily recognise.  But they have shaped programmes of light with their consciousness that inspire in us a sense of our alignment with purpose at very deep levels beyond the immediate limitations of time and space.

The beings of Polaris can be turned to for guidance, not so much in a personal way, but more in the patterns of consciousness which are conducted to us within the light of the star, rather in the way that ice holds the memory of its experiences in crystallised forms which we can observe and learn from.  The light of Polaris offers a graded path of ascension applicable to our own consciousness as humans.

Our inner journey

Sananda guides us to that aspect of the light of Polaris that helps us connect more strongly with Divine Will. We look especially at how the interaction of Polaris’ light with your etheric body can aid alignment with life purpose.

Please note: This inner journey may take you into deep states of relaxation. Do not listen while driving.

Listen

Music on Track 2 is by Thaddeus: Polestar from Star Journeys.
[mp3-jplayer tracks=”1. Christopher: Polaris Talk@AS0161T_Polaris.mp3, 2. Sananda: Polaris Inner Journey@AS0162J_Polaris.mp3″]

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