Today I’ll guide you through an exploration of the summer constellations; their stories, celestial wisdom and nature’s intelligence, for a deeper understanding of spiritual astrology.
The summer constellations are essentially those that rise in our night sky in summer; and I’ll be speaking of the Northern Hemisphere, as I’ll be also featuring images of the astronomy, so that you may know how to locate them in the sky also. For anyone interested in deepening their spiritual astrology understanding, celestial awareness is the path.
Often times, people may may limit themselves in knowledge, thinking, for example, that the celestial Scorpio constellation is just symbolized by a celestial scorpion; but there are many other stories that reside in this part of the sky, long lost constellations or secrets told only in hushed voices. In our entire sky there are also many fixed stars and asterisms, and each one like a seed or lunar mansion holds depth of spiritual wisdom.
Just like within you, exist constellations within constellations, and you have many layers, your own unique physical, emotional and spiritual wildlands. When we limit our outer world understanding, we are essentially limiting our inner one also. Expanding in knowledge and awareness deepens us, and that’s a beautiful gift we may give ourselves.
Let’s dive in!
In the summer sky of the Northern Hemisphere, the main constellations and asterisms visible are: the Sagittarius constellation, the Scorpio constellation and the Summer Triangle.
The Summer Triangle is not a constellation but rather a large bright prominent asterism, composed of stars from three different constellations. It is formed by Vega, from the Lyra constellation (the harp or lyre of Orpheus), Deneb, from the Cygnus constellation (the swan), and Altair, from the Aquila constellation (the eagle).
Additionally, the Scorpio and Sagittarius constellation can too be visible in summer, mainly in the southern skies, as they will be closer to the horizon, depending on where you are located. To orient yourself, they will be around the Milky Way, and the way to begin tracing their path would be to locate Antares, the bright reddish star from the Scorpio constellation.
To locate the Summer Triangle, the easiest way would be to first locate Polaris, our brightest star up North, the highest above you. Polaris is the North Star, located within the Ursa Minor constellation, also known as the Little Dipper. The Lyra constellation, with her brightest star Vega, is located south of Polaris.
In spring, and sometimes early summer depending on where you are located, we also see the Corona Borealis (the crown) with her brightest fixed star Alphecca, the beautiful maiden with the flower crown. Additional summer constellations are Hercules, the great hero, and Ophiuchus, the one whose foot dips gently in the Milky Way.
In the image above, showing the night summer sky currently in Toronto, Canada, you can see the Summer Triangle on the top, with Deneb, Vega and Altair; and then as you move further south you can see the reddish Antares, which is located within the Scorpio constellation. In Navajo cosmology, this is where to them this part of the sky related to the constellation of Átsé Etsoh, First Big One.
On the other side of the Milky Way is where the Sagittarius constellation is located, and where you see many bright stars.
The bottom south of the Milky Way, where you see a trail of stars, is where the tail of the scorpion is, or in Navajo cosmology this would be where the Rabbit Tracks are.
Before we move on and dive into the exploration of these beautiful constellations in our summer sky, let me also show you an image, with some general constellation art, just so that you may visualize the constellations a bit more easily. These images are all generated with Stellarium, for those of you who wish to explore on your own.
What we see above is also the constellation Ophiuchus, with his foot dipping in the Milky Way. We also see Hercules above him.
And beside Hercules is a beautiful constellation known as the Corona Borealis, which in our night sky looks like a crown, a crescent of stars. The Corona is mainly a spring constellation, though you may see her in early summer, depending on where you are located in our world.
The bright fixed star of Corona Borealis is called Alphecca, and she is one of the Behenian stars; I’ve written an essay on here, for those of you interested.
I’ve also written essays on the Sagittarius constellation, fixed star Antares, and Deneb from the Cygnus constellation.
Summer nights always have a sense of mystery, sensuality and romance; the songs of crickets, the songs of sirens from the sea, and emotional depth felt by lovers at night who cuddle and dream together outside, whether on a moonlit beach, a terrace with lanterns and flowers, or their sacred quiet private emotional lover’s cocoon.
Summer is a space we enter of fires and water; fires of heart, of light, passion, creativity, new beginnings, renewal of spirit. Fires of love that deepen us into oceans of intimacy and mysticism.
The Summer Triangle
This beautiful asterism shines upon our summer night skies all summer, bringing romance, creativity and listening to the subtle languages of all that which moves between the lines; love, art, mysticism, music, poetry, dance. All ways to experience something beyond the tangible, something that moves us outside of ourselves, while also opportunities for a deepening, and for shaping the intangle into tangible – to embody love through our movements and gestures and hands, and to shape emotions into art, poetry and music.
The Summer Triangle is formed by the three bright fixed stars Deneb, Vega and Altair; each of these from three different constellations.
Deneb, also known as Deneb Adige, is the bright fixed star of the Cygnus constellation, known as the swan, and found at the tail of the swan. Here we find symbolism and stories of swan maidens, creativity, dreams, music, dance, spirituality, and gentleness; stories of the “swan who hides a god, and the voice belonging to it”.
Vega is the bright fixed star of the Lyra constellation, which is often depicted as the lyre, or harp, of Orpheus. The lyre was the ancient Greek instrument, which Orpheus played for his majestic love songs moving people’s hearts and touching their souls. And then we have Altair, the bright fixed star of the Aquila constellation, the eagle, which connects the summer triangle.
With the musical harp, in this part of the sky music moves us with the wings of both the swan and eagle. Music moves our unique songs of souls. Whenever I see these stars, I always think of my time in Positano in summer.
There is a legend there that if you are at the beach at night, with someone with whom you share a true soul love, you’ll both be able to hear the love songs of the sirens from the depths of the sea. Surely, when we are in love we do hear music everywhere, everything becomes beautiful, we become a dance itself.
Dance has always been an important part of my life since childhood. As dancers we dance until we become the dance itself. It’s an art of surrender.
We empty ourselves of everything, so that we become moved entirely and wholebodily by the music that enters us; by the emotions conjured, we become a vessel for something to move through us and that we give it form through our movement.
And it feels weightless. Weightlessly surrendered we become a becoming to love, to music, to feeling. We give it our body. Not as sacrifice, but as an offering – because it’s the sweetest pleasure to offer ourselves as a bride to the dance.
And then we become a creation as we create of our whole body. We create through our movements various nuances, emotions, experiences, stirrings within the soul of the watcher and the witnesses.
This is also about hearing the subtle languages, and knowing how to listen. What as dancers we learn is that sometimes dance truly begins before the music; it’s a closing of eyes, and deeply feeling into the rhythms within. It’s about understanding rhythm, movement, languages unspoken, feelings deeply felt, as well as shaping these through our own choice of movements.
So we pay attention – we listen, we witness, we observe, we stay present, and we embody. We translate the subtle into the tangible, we give love our hands, creativity our hands, and we trust these movements and inspirations. We learn to listen to the unspoken things, and to understand the silent truths in the human souls.
So this part of the sky is about listening and learning to understand the subtle languages, and the feelings moving within you, and trusting inspired creativity. Swan, eagle, these are messengers, and nature itself is like a dictionary of spirit. All in interconnected here, and spirit moves through everything.
Just because a little rabbit in the wild cannot speak to you with human words, it doesn’t mean there’s no language to be understood there; and when we learn how to listen, truly listen, to each other and also to all around us, to the wings and to the winds, to the sea and to how your female body feels when your man touches you, we may deepen into a more fulfilling relationship, within and without. A deepening of intimacy with life itself. In romantic relationships, to sustain a true long lasting connection, all begins with knowing how to listen.
The Sagittarius Constellation
This part of the sky is closest to the densest part of the Milky Way; so here we see the adventurous quest for higher truth and wisdom, towards the universal wisdom and love, paved by the courage of the archer man. The higher purpose of Sagittarius relates to dissolving the boundaries, within and without, and contribute to union.
Often times this happens through travel; and in summer, with this constellation shining bright in our nightly skies, it pulls us towards the adventure and exploration of distant lands, distant cultures, going after our heart’s desire, crossing oceans and entering wild unknown lands.
The arrow of the archer, which is where the brightest stars of Sagittarius are aligned, is essentially the arrow of truth and insight; it is about honour and integrity. On its dharmic path, the archer man seeks to dissolve the boundaries, dissolve the lines that separate us, and bring forth new insight based on higher truth. His arrow of fire is meant to break through anything stuck and no longer serving us and our evolution. This part of the sky holds energy that is highly independent and not bound to structures or dogmas of any kind. It’s about expansion and seeking.
In this part of the sky, I often think of the meeting of two worlds, and our willingness and courage to merge. What happens when two worlds meet? They touch. And we find that love isn’t just felt in the hearts, it is known by our hands also.
Within us all live our own unique physical, emotional and spiritual wildlands; we all have our own inner worlds, and when two lovers meet, it is about their ability to blend their worlds; their willingness to accept each other’s worlds, while also the humility that we will never know everything there is to know in another. There will always be something wild and unknown, and an acceptance of the union with the mystery of wilderness.
A happy relationship isn’t about the white fence and house; it is about the wilderness. It is about knowing that sometimes you will be out in the wild and you will need to re-learn to build fire with sticks. It’s about how you move through things together. It is about knowing that you will need to re-explore, re-discover and re-learn one another, the kissing, the holding, the caring. Because inner worlds change, and like a painting we need to re-explore each other, rather than taking each other for granted. It’s about paying attention.
In this part of the sky, as much as it is about seeking higher truth, it’s also about inner exploration; it is also about connection to the sea of higher consciousness, the cosmic robe of the Milky Way, and it is about walking with integrity, honour and virtue. Wisdom is born here, and wisdom connects us here.
One of the Vedic lunar mansion we find here is Purva Ashada, which is about cleansing in the waters of truth, and there is also a reminded that battles are won not by pride but with only purity. We also see the interconnection of all things within this constellation, the universal laws and balance of things, and a dedication fire of self mastery.
The Scorpio Constellation
As I look at our summer night skies, whenever I see this constellation rise I think of the Navajo cosmology and the Ojibwe cosmology. The various Native American and Indigenous people have their own unique understanding of the constellations, which are truly beautiful, and each one connects to stories also.
I’ve been told these sky stories, however, as per Navajo tradition and the respect we must hold towards them, such stories are considered Winter Stories, and as such, not to be told unless it is winter time, which is considered from end of September to beginning of March. In Navajoland, it is the sound of the First Thunder of spring that is the indicator to cease telling Winter Stories of the Navajo skies.
For the Ojibwe people, also, the stories related to the particular constellations and figures or deities associated with them are only to be told in winter time when there is snow on the ground.
For educational purposes today, I will only share what the names of these constellations and where they are found approximatelt in the summer skies, in relation to the Greek Scorpio constellation, because truly, they are so beautiful and full of wisdom, and I remain in deep gratitude and reverence, that I have been given these wisdoms, deepening my knowledge and connection to the skies.
The part of the sky where you see Antares, the reddish bright fixed star in the Scorpion constellation, is the Navajo constellation called Átsé Etsoh, First Big One. Átsé Etsoh is depicted as an elderly man with a cane and a basket of seeds. He represents the wisdom of the elders and the concept of Sá’áh Naagháii Bik’éh Hózhóón, which is that “with old age comes happiness or contentment.”
His cane provides strength and stability; and his basket signifies the entire cosmos and regeneration. This constellation holds the beautiful truth and reminder to us as humanity of the wisdom and knowledge that come with old age, and that we stand strong in assurance and stability of life like the elders do.
Átsé Etsoh as a constellation holds the upper parts of the Greek Scorpio constellation, including the heart of the scorpion with Antares, as well as stars from both the Sagittarius and Libra constellations.
Antares, the bright red star, resides within the heart of Átsé Etsoh. So within the heart of the scorpion is the heart of the wisdom of the elders and the knowledge we may learn from them.
Though today’s generation focuses on remaining young, the mindset of the elders back in the day focused on becoming an elder, and gaining the wisdom and respect that came with it. I find this very important for our world and current times, and for summer time also, which is a deepening of connections and generations.
Many of us, including me, when we were young would spend our summers with our grandparents or being out in the country or villages, exploring nature and connection to animals also. And at night, we would listen to their stories, stories told by our grandparents and the elders where around fire they’d share their wisdoms; stories we’d learn from, and stories through which we’d feel a sense of belonging.
Roots. This is where we find roots. Build values. Learn from voices and stories that have already walked the paths, and know the way. Witness the gift of aging, the wisdom that time gifts us, rather than be afraid. Learn to feel the root within us. To trust. To walk with patience of rhythm. This is where we learn the cycles of the land, the timing, the phases, the honouring of each.
As we to the lower curved tail of the scorpion, we find the Navajo constellation Gah Hahat’ee, Rabbit Tracks. Navajo hunters used these stars to determine when the traditional hunting season would begin. As long as the Rabit Tracks remained up right in one position, young deer still depended on their mothers for nourishment and thus, deer were not hunted. Only when these stars tip to the east, deer hunting season was to begin. The Rabbit Tracks is not really a summer constellation, because this part of the tail is further south, so it may not be visible in summer; it is mainly seen in the early fall, but for educational purposes, I just wanted you to know it is found here.
Moving further into the Scorpio constellation, adjacent to the First Big One, Átsé Etsoh, is the Kaalogi, the Butterfly constellation. It is considered a summer constellation, visible during the time when butterflies are migrating through the Navajo Nation. Navajos, like other southwestern tribes, respect the butterfly as a symbol of the process of change, transformation, growth and regeneration.
For the Ojibwe people and their cosmology, along the body of the scorpion constellation is the Nanaboujou constellation. Nanaboujou is a hero figure and a spirit that had many excursions on Earth a long time ago.
He helped the people by creating dry land after the last flood; and he had many human characteristics, such as making mistakes. This constellation shows Nanaboujou shooting an arrow at the Great Panther, Curly Tail, which spans the bodies of the Greek constellations of Leo and Cancer. There are many important Nanaboujou stories that are traditionally told about Nanaboujou, but like I mentioned in the beginning, these are only to be told when there is snow on the ground.
Going back to Greek mythology and ancient astrology, something interesting about Antares, is her connection to dreams and oats of fire she carries in her heart. There is often loyalty and deep feeling we find in her, and she supports us when we make a vow to something, when we stay true to our words, and when we don’t break promises made nor stray away from our oaths or vows.
She also holds deep desires and passion, burning with fires, being a red star. She connects to an ancient Mesopotamian goddess Lisi, whose name was sometimes referred to as “the burning one”, and she made oaths of fire.
Sometimes when this star rises during the beginnings of love stories in summer, you may find that your union goes back lives ago, and vows made and emotions felt go a bit deeper than a simple summer love story. Strong passions can be felt here, and you may feel a love more than one life should allow, and as if you’ve made vows to each other from long ago, you may feel responsible towards one another, and a deep sense of loyalty perhaps. But, it all depends. Sometimes we may find ourselves bound to something we need to untangle from, and we need to uproot roots no longer good for us.
In this part of the sky is also what some people believe is the long lost stag constellation; and that the ancients didn’t see this as a scorpion, but rather as a stag. There are some stone carvings found throughout Europe referring to this part of the sky as a stag, and it also relates to Vedic astrology also. The stag is a magical and majestic animal, with deep folklore and myth, and it often takes us into worlds not previously accessible to us.
From wisdom in the heart of elders, to ancient goddesses weaving oaths of fires and walking with their sacred stag protecting wildlife and those more vulnerable, they all speak and remind us as humanity of the wisdom that time allows us; we are reminded of the stories we weave in and out of, of the stories we’re made of and the stories we make.
If we choose fire as a sacred light, an inner flame, to nurture our heart with wisdom and to light our path with actions of intention, purpose, integrity and reverence, we create fires that warm people, feed people, and we raise each others in love.
The Hercules Constellation
The Corona Borealis is seen mainly in spring, though depending on your location you may see it visible even in early summer. The Hercules constellation, which is found beside her, and tucked in between the Corona Borealis and Vega from the Lyra constellation, is a summer constellation.
For the Ojibwe, the part of the sky where we see the stars of Corona Borealis, the crown, is the constellation Madoodiswan, which is the sweat lodge. The sweat lodge is a purification ceremony. It is returning to the womb, and
remembering and renewing of a person’s spirit.
Between the Corona and the bright fixed star Vega from the Lyra constellation is the summer constellation Hercules. To the Ojibwe, this constellation is called Noondeshin Bemaadizid, portraying an exhausted person, who is walking towards (and then walking away from) the sweat lodge, the Corona Borealis. He is going there to renew his spirit in a purification ceremony; sweat it out and cleanse himself. His physical exhaustion is only external and temporary, because he is full of life and renewed on the inside, after he comes back from the sweat lodge.
The Hercules constellation is named after the great hero in Greek mythology, and symbolizes strength, perseverance, and overcoming challenges. He defeats the dragon, which in the sky is constellation Draco (meaning dragon), found below the feet of Hercules. Hercules represents the hero’s journey in our sky, and our ability to overcome them with effort, dedication and loyalty.
The Hercules constellation is sometimes called the “Kneeling Man” or “Engonasin,” which refers to the mythological story of Hercules kneeling in prayer to his father Zeus, god of gods, during a difficult moment. In Roman mythology, Zeus would correspond to Jupiter, which in astrology as we know, is a very spiritual planet. This adds a layer of spiritual significance, highlighting the power of prayer, faith, and seeking divine guidance in times of need.
Some believe that the origin of the Hercules constellation was the Babylonian constellation known as the “Standing Gods”. This was similar to “Sitting Gods”, which was the majority of our modern day Ophiuchus constellation; and after Hercules defeated the dragon, and crushed him beneath his feet, which then became Draco constellation beneath the feet of Hercules, then the name of the constellation Hercules “The Kneeler” or “Kneeling Man” was essentially formed by combining the two Babylonian constellations: the Sitting Gods and the Standing Gods. In other words, the sitting and the standing, came together to form the kneeling.
With the gentle notes of the harp and the lovers songs upon the wings of swan and eagle, we learn how to listen and understand the subtle languages. Listening is an art; and it becomes our bridge to love and deepening.
On the adventurous path, with fires in our heart and courage of spirit, we reach our hands across the lines that separate us; to enter the wild unknown lands, to explore distant horizons and merge our world with another. This, the archer man knows and leads us.
Then comes elders’ wisdom. Knowing roots, values and how to nourish what we need for our mutual space of belonging, of loving, of warmth. We learn what and how each needs to be watered and nourished, we learn the vows hearts make; and have a choice whether to act of loyalty and integrity, or not.
Time for self care is where Hercules takes us; care for our bodies, care for our spirits. Spas, saunas, swimming in the oceans or lakes or hidden natural springs and pools, care is need. All starts from within, so the inner purity and cleansing is what holds us despite the external appearances.
Hercules, the great warrior and hero. The one who knows that dedication, virtue, goodness, loyalty, effort and courage will bring rewards, and keeping our spiritual core is key. In prayer and humility we kneel to the divine wisdom. And we keep our faith strong, keep the temple inside of our heart sacred and nurtured.
On the west of Hercules, behind his back is the corona, while on the east of him, where he is facing, kneeling, is the harp of Orpheus – the music, the songs of lovers, the things that move us, dance us; the things that soften us, soften hearts, soften skins, open palms; the things for which we feel fires in our hearts ready to conquer the world. The love.
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Cover art is by Edward Robert Hughes, Midsummer Eve, 1908c.
