And the lunar maiden entered the chambers of the celestial hero,
wild roses and nature’s rhythm of honour, valour and patience,
under the blessing of Juno, goddess of love, marriage and soul’s procreation,
a seed of love, a hand holding the sacred knot of strength and surrender
As we are approaching a beautiful meeting of the Moon with Juno, asteroid of love, marriage and the soul’s procreation, in the Hercules constellation, the celestial kneeling hero, let’s today dive into the worlds of the star Ras Algethi where their meeting will happen. Whether she touches your natal chart, or you are merely seeking to deepen your knowledge and self understanding, may my sharing today be enriching to you.
Ras Algethi, also known as Alpha Herculis, is a fixed star currently at around the 16th degree of Tropical Sagittarius. The star resides within the Hercules constellation, also known as the Kneeling Man, and is found at the head of the kneeler. The traditional Arabic name of the star “ras algethi” literally translates to “head of the kneeler” or “kneeler’s head”. Visually, you will find Ras Algethi at the southern tip of Hercules, so you may wonder “how is this the head,” but that’s because in antiquity Hercules was depicted upside down on maps of the constellation.
Ras Algethi is a multiple star system of red and blue colours; most commonly, she is written as a double star, though some describe her as triple. Appearing as a single point of light to the naked eye, Ras Algethi is a pulsating variable star system that is resolvable into a number of components through a telescope, and is of red and blue colours. Primary she is red (Alpha Herculis A), but because her companion star (Alpha Herculis B) is an intense blue, she sometimes appears to have the bluish veil around her or merging into her.
Residing within the Hercules constellation, Ras Algethi is a star of great courage and valour, and has always been interpreted, known and perceived as a star of balance. Connections to this star often bring a great love of nature and its rhythms. There is a need for things to be in the “right order” or divine order, and often times, the natives touched by this star end up dedicating themselves to honouring something or someone who is more powerful or influential than themselves – whether it is a social cause, someone their love, or dedication towards their faith and spiritual life by devoting to god, or a higher calling of perhaps even bringing forth more justice or balance for humanity or the community.
Hercules at the feet of Omphale (1874), by Édouard Joseph Dantan.
To understand Ras Algethi, we need to understand its home, the Hercules constellation. In Greek mythology, the great hero Hercules was a divine hero, so this star isn’t just about having the courage to go after your goals – it is about you needing to commit to these goals, don’t take your commitment for granted.
When touched by this star, we are asked to be on a quest for something higher, and to take our quests with dedication and see them through to the end. It is not a quest for selfish reasons that resides here – it is a quest for something higher, and our actions too must be aligned to virtue, integrity and honour. We honour the passions our heart gives us, and we honour the commitment towards our goals, not just for our personal sake, but for the sake of the divine.
The word “hero” comes from the Greek hērōs, which means demi god. The sky is full of demi gods as constellations, but it is also full of animals, objects, and beloved wives of heroes and gods, who were loved so deeply that were put as stars to shine forever and shine the paths of people on earth forward – to remind us of love.
What makes us stars, or heroes? Some became that because of their actions and great works for all to see, while others because they were loved by someone deeply; and while they were quieter, their heart and kindness touched someone, and this is the great work they created in their life. So they became stars, demi gods, shining in our sky for us all to see now.
What we will all be remembered by is how we loved, who we were by our actions and the way we moved, spoke, touched people along the way. Some will build towers, high and bright, while others will keep their temples in the wild places, more retreated.
But from wherever you work and whatever you create, hero actions require a certain kind of skills. Ras Algethi reminds us of these skills; it isn’t just technical, there are subtleties and crafts here also, a potion and mixture of spirit and valour. There is perseverance here with this star, and as much as there is “muscle” and pure grit, there is also courage of soul, fire in the heart, and perhaps most importantly, there is humbleness.
Humility is the bridge to god, and all true heroes know this. Without humility, the red fires of the star can become forceful and aggressive, and there will be consequences when the native acts in this way; so this is why clarity of mind, temperance and acting according to some higher principles is important. Ras Algethi holds the underlying nature of Mars, so it’s important to know how to master the energy of fire, and channel it appropriately.
There can be strong pride, will and ego here, so we need to build a good relationship between our desires and actions. Both Mercury and Venus enter the nature of this star, and Saturn has its hand here also, so it’s important to be mindful of how we express ourselves and what paths we pave, and of our true intentions. As a word of caution, it is best to act in integrity, loyalty and honesty if this star touches your chart, otherwise it is said the gods will make you kneel and give you the taste of learning humility the more difficult way.
The Hercules constellation is tucked in between the Corona Borealis and fixed star Vega from the Lyra constellation, and is a summer constellation, meaning that we see Hercules rise in the summer night skies in the Northern Hemisphere. In the image above, you can see Ras Algethi at the head of the Hercules, as he is kneeling while facing towards Lyra, which symbolizes the harp or lyre of Orpheus.
To the Ojibwe people and their cosmology, this part of the sky where the Hercules constellation is, is called Noondeshin Bemaadizid; it portrays an exhausted man, who is walking towards, and then walking away from, the sweat lodge, which is Greek constellation of the crown, or the Corona Borealis. The man is going to the lodge 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.
Carrying the name of the Greek hero Hercules, the Hercules constellation symbolizes strength, perseverance, and overcoming challenges. In one myth story, Hercules 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.
And so the hero kneels, he kneels for love.
Portrayed in the sky, Hercules kneels and looks towards the harp, towards fixed star Vega from the Lyra constellation, symbolizing the eternal love songs played by Orpheus. Ras Algethi is a star of Tropical Sagittarius, and we need to remember this, because at the core of the hero is an archer, an adventurer, a knight on a quest for knowledge and truth.
On the adventurous path of life, 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.
Ras Algethi has Mars in its nature, and Mars is both warrior and lover. Mars knows to take off his armour for his beloved Venus, because a man with an armour still on cannot unveil his heart. To fall in love and merge with that which one loves, one needs to surrender their ego, pride and whatever else irons around their hearts.
So whatever one loves and devotes to – because this is a star where we honour our commitment and devotion to something greater than us – we offer ourselves completely, wholebodily and wholeheartedly. This is the higher spiritual purpose of this part of the sky – to honour the sacred knot of strength and surrender, for both are to be held by us. Surrender without strength is brittle, and strength without surrender is rigid.
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 and its wisdom. And we keep our faith strong, keep the temple inside of our heart sacred and nurtured.
Hercules kneels with his eyes towards the harp of Orpheus. The melody, 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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