At this unusual moment in history there is an interesting array of celestial phenomena populating the morning sky and stirring the thought life.
First, this week brings the first New Moon of the Spring, on Tuesday, formerly known as the Year Moon because, as the first to occur after Sun returns to its more northerly climes at Equinox, it signaled the season of preparation for the sacred.
In the pre-Christian era, reading the star picture at this particular New Moon could reveal the intentions for the coming year of the divine beings believed to populate the celestial world. Then, in the early Christian era, March 24 was established as the feast of the Archangel Gabriel, also a divine being, and also carrying a message of Annunciation from the spiritual world.
On Tuesday, when the Moon is New, the planets Mercury and Venus will also be at greatest elongation, which means they’re as far away from the Sun as they can get: Mercury at dawn; and Venus at dusk. It’s like these two are forming a mighty chalice that’s being handed around at the divine gathering in the sky, and into it, the New Moon is pouring the elixir of dawn, having gathered forces from recent meetings with Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, all beautifully arrayed in the morning sky at this time.
In the Celtic Wonder Tale of the “King Under Wave’s Daughter” the hero must get the Cup that belongs to the King of the Plain of Wonder, to restore his beloved to good health. She has lost three drops of her heart’s blood, and only a draught of healing from the sacred cup will restore her to health. The Cup was one great sapphire, cut so that it flashed with blue and silver stars of flame.
This is the kind of starry set up and imagination that could come in handy right now~to secure a toast of good health from the celestial world!
Note: Both the title "At the Gates of Dawn" and the story "King Under Wave's Daughter" are from Irish poet and Celtic Mythologist Ella Young (1867-1956).