As the Christmas holiday approaches, today we enter the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year, after which the daylight hours start to increase again.
This has been traditionally a very important seasonal marker in all of human society, for agricultural and cultural reasons.
This year, this holiday season and solstice have an added feature: the conjunction in the night sky of the 2 largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Mars. The planets are going to appear to be the closest they've been in centuries. I've been watching these celestial bodies inch closer together in the sky over the last few weeks & it is an unmistakable formation that stands out even when the stars aren't very visible.
Although it is certainly visually very interesting, is there any significance to these planets being in close proximity?
My answer, as usual, is two-fold...
On a cosmic level, no, there is no significance. End of story. It just happens to be two visible objects that are nowhere near each other, looking like they're close together in our visual field.
On a personal level, you can apply any significance that you want...
Is it a good or bad sign from God?...
Is it a celestial prophecy, of the death (Saturn) of a leader (Jupiter)?...
Is it a reminder of the Star of Bethlehem that heralded Jesus's birth?....
Sure, all the above! It can mean whatever the hell you want it to mean... "Meaning" is not something inherent in The Universe. It is an abstract creation of the human mind, a narrative applied to external objects & circumstances by our thought patterns.
This does not take away for the value of the experience, as well as any subjective meaning you place upon it.
As we continue through the holiday season, I hope that the people of this world begin to find more value in these kinds of awesome experiences. If we can see the depth and beauty of the Universe, and appreciate the infinite wonders it contains, the human race would go a long way toward progress and enlightenment.
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