Icalaran Astrology
Icalar's sky features several constellations, some of which are derived from myth and legend. As well as being used in navigation they have featured in homeschooling as rotes for educational analogies, in decorative art, and some in astrology.
(The First Realm is the most eastward, the Sixth Realm the most westward.)
Elder Star
Related Myth: The Great Sky Drake and the Plains Hunter The Great Sky Drake constellation is based on the Great Sky Drake and is the largest and most prominent, occupying up to a fifth of the visible sky; she is closest to the path of the Bane Star in the lower northern hemisphere. It depicts her as a long, coiled drake with four legs and wings, and consists of twelve bright stars forming her body, a further sixteen for her wings, four for her tail, and four for her feet; these groupings of four reflect her association with mathematics, though it is unclear which came first. Less bright stars form her head and spinal crest, talons, and facial details. Associations: protection, mathematics and intellect, wisdom, honor, water Plains Hunter
Elder Star
Related Myth: The Great Sky Drake and the Plains Hunter The Plains Hunter constellation is based on the Plains Hunter and is considered a medium-sized constellation; he is closest to the path of the Wellspring Star in the upper southern hemisphere, parallel to the Great Sky Drake. It depicts him as a leaping koza, and consists of five bright stars for his head and body, six for his wings, four for his feet, and two for his tail. Less bright stars form his facial details and talons. Associations: rebirth, hidden messages, opportunism, law/justice, education, practical skills, earth The Lantern
Elder Star The Lantern is one of the smaller constellations and, along with the Nest, considered the southernmost constellation, rarely shifting throughout the year. It consists of four bright stars forming a tapered rectangle with a single particularly bright star at their center, and three additional bright starts in a curve at one end for its handle. Associations: guidance, introspection, self-knowledge, focus, hope, air Mother and Child
Elder Star
Related Myths: Wrath of the Mother, The Mother and the Drought The Mother and Child constellation is based on the figures in either myth and is the northmost constellation, rarely shifting throughout the year. They are depicted as the mother sitting on her heels with her child in one arm and the other arm raised straight; it consists of four bright stars in a line for her knees and feet, three for her back, two for each arm, two for her child (sometimes three, depending on the believed source myth and thus the child's age), and three for her head.
Associations: maternal love, children, sacrifice, bravery, heavenly impeachment, fire The Wanderer
Related Myth: The Wanderer constellation -- sometimes called the Hermit -- is located northeast of the Lantern, and depicts a humanoid figure walking with an upright staff and a bundle on their back. It consists of three bright stars for the head and body, a further two for the legs, and one for each hand (one on the strap of the bundle, itself four less bright stars, and one holding the staff, made of two bright stars for either end). Associations: self-discovery, individuality Glaive-Bearer The Glaive-Bearer constellation is located to the northwest of the Great Sky Drake, and depicts a humanoid figure wielding a glaive in what is now called the Broken Bough guard stance. Interestingly, in some early depictions of the figure it has four arms. It consists of six bright stars for the head, body, and limbs, with a further three less bright stars for the shaft of the glaive and three brighter ones close together for the blade. Associations: duty, discipline, responsibility Bull The Bull constellation is located to the southeast of the Mother and Child, and in most depictions represents a bachal bull; it is shown at an angle, kicking upward with its hind legs. It consists of two close bright stars for its near horn and one less bright for its farther horn, three for its back, one for each of its four feet, and two relatively close for its head. Associations: determination, righteous anger Three Birds
Related Myth: The Three Birds constellation is located northwest of the Lantern, and is one of the most easily recognizable: it consists of a trio of 'V' shapes close together, formed by three bright stars apiece. Associations: free-spiritedness, travel, trade, messages Palace
Related Myth: The Palace constellation is the only constellation to straddle the Heavenly Road, and is located ahead of the three major stars; depending on the time of year, the major stars can either be said to be leaving the palace or approaching the palace (terms which have also entered common vernacular to mean a worsening or improving situation respectively). It consists of four lines of two bright stars apiece with two less bright in the middle, three bright stars forming a narrow triangular roof, and fainter stars forming stairs. Associations: wealth, prestige, the home, guardianship, charity Kekawa Blossom The Kekawa Blossom constellation is located to the southwest of the Plains Hunter, who is often said to be seeking the flower to give to the Great Sky Drake. It is notable for its near-perfect double ring of alternately bright and less bright stars with three at its center -- an almost perfect replication of the earthly flower. Associations: beauty, joy, good fortune, contentment Shield The Shield constellation next to the Bull and as such, it is often said that the Bull is kicking the shield. It is depicted as an elongated, horned kite shape -- not dissimilar from traditional shields still seen in use by the Dawnseekers -- and consists of four bright stars forming its points with two less bright stars on the long edges. Associations: guardedness, secrecy, steadfastness, tradition Nest The Nest constellation is directly west of the Lantern and along with it, the southernmost constellation, rarely moving throughout the year. It is depicted in a side-on bowl shape, with its brightest star at the bottom and two clusters of two and three bright stars at its outer edges, with three less bright stars forming the rest of the rim. Associations: growth, beginnings, safety
The Three Major Stars
In both navigation and astrology, the most important factor are the positions of the Bane Star, the Wellspring Star, and Maetes, known as the three major stars. They are not part of any constellations, and act as shifting polar stars that travel on laterally straight, equidistant paths to one another, known as the Heavenly Road, east to west throughout the year. The Bane Star is in the northern hemisphere, Maetes is at the equator, and the Wellspring Star is in the southern hemisphere: to the naked eye looking directly up, the stars appear to an adult hand's length apart, with Maetes in the lead followed by the Wellspring Star and then the Bane Star.The Heavenly Road and the Realms
The Heavenly Road is a laterally straight band followed by the three major stars, with Maetes' path being the exact center. Regarding the Heavenly Road at a right angle, the sky is then divided into six longitudinal sections, known as realms. In astrology, these realms are given certain positive and negative qualities; they are used as an aid in navigation when regarding the major stars. When all three major stars are securely in a realm it is termed 'full'; any time where this is not the case is termed 'shifting'. There are twenty-eight total shifting days; it takes four days for all three major stars to be completely in the next realm. Full realms are considered separately in terms of astrology, while shifting realms are grouped into two categories of their own -- east and west. Thus, for astrology purposes a starteller first notes whether the three major stars are in a full realm or shifting, and if in a full realm, which. For non-astrology purposes, the three major stars' positioning in the realms is still considered first, but a greater degree of technical measurement of the shifts is used. Associations with the Realms(The First Realm is the most eastward, the Sixth Realm the most westward.)
- First Full Realm -- 3rd-48th Season of Opening -- Confidence, ambition; but also pride, narcissism
- Eastern Shifting Realm -- 49th-52nd
- Second Full Realm -- 53rd Season of Opening to 23rd Season of Ripening -- Community, family; but also martyrdom, passivity
- Eastern Shifting Realm -- 24th-27th
- Third Full Realm -- 28th-73rd Season of Ripening -- Travel, curiosity; but also indecision, flightiness
- Western Shifting Realm -- 74th-2nd
- Fourth Full Realm -- 3rd-48th Season of Closing -- Mental pursuits, change; but also intellectual vanity, upheaval
- Western Shifting Realm -- 49th-52nd
- Fifth Full Realm -- 53rd Season of Closing to 23rd Season of Waiting -- Vitality, money; but also greed, overexertion
- Western Shifting Realm -- 24th-27th
- Sixth Full Realm -- 28th-73rd Season of Waiting -- Spiritual harmony, introspection; but also isolation
- New Year Shifting Realm -- 74th- 2nd
The Elder Stars and Birthstars
One's 'birthstars' consist first of which realm the three major stars were in at birth (or east or west, if shifting), and then the position of the brightest star in a constellation nearest to a major star. Only four constellations -- the oldest recorded, thus known as the elder stars -- are consulted by a starteller in this manner: the Mother and Child (the farthest north), the Lantern (the farthest south), and the Plains Hunter and the Great Sky Drake (roughly either side of the Heavenly Road). Determining one's 'birthstars' is usually noted at birth, or can be calculated later using an almanac. One's realm (or east/west, adjacent realms included or not) can be stated as a basic indicator of personality, but simple natal charts and a more nuanced view of the personality requires the position of the elder stars. Therefore, a believer can say "I was born under a Full Fifth Realm" or "I was born under an Eastern Shifting Realm / under the Shift of the Fourth and Fifth Realm"; or, they can provide greater detail: "Your son was born under a Full Fifth Realm. His Mother and Child, Hunter, and Drake are in the Fourth Realm, and his Lantern is in the Second Realm." Eastern realms -- shifting or full -- are considered to lend a certain extroversion and preoccupation with the future to those born in them, while western realms are considered to lend a certain introversion and preoccupation with the past. Those born in either category of shifting realm, meanwhile, are considered to have either incredibly good fortune or incredibly bad fortune, both feet firmly grounded in the present, and tend to have 'knacks' for things regardless. This practice is unusually widespread throughout the continent, but the first astrological system (albeit with different names for the constellations) is recorded in eisorcei and klatuut texts -- races which happen to be speculated to be the oldest, yet in modern times travel the least. Recorded systems become clearer in the Age of Discovery in Kivan divination, including most of the modern constellation names, and in subsequent generations the practice spread.The Constellations
Great Sky DrakeElder Star
Related Myth: The Great Sky Drake and the Plains Hunter The Great Sky Drake constellation is based on the Great Sky Drake and is the largest and most prominent, occupying up to a fifth of the visible sky; she is closest to the path of the Bane Star in the lower northern hemisphere. It depicts her as a long, coiled drake with four legs and wings, and consists of twelve bright stars forming her body, a further sixteen for her wings, four for her tail, and four for her feet; these groupings of four reflect her association with mathematics, though it is unclear which came first. Less bright stars form her head and spinal crest, talons, and facial details. Associations: protection, mathematics and intellect, wisdom, honor, water Plains Hunter
Elder Star
Related Myth: The Great Sky Drake and the Plains Hunter The Plains Hunter constellation is based on the Plains Hunter and is considered a medium-sized constellation; he is closest to the path of the Wellspring Star in the upper southern hemisphere, parallel to the Great Sky Drake. It depicts him as a leaping koza, and consists of five bright stars for his head and body, six for his wings, four for his feet, and two for his tail. Less bright stars form his facial details and talons. Associations: rebirth, hidden messages, opportunism, law/justice, education, practical skills, earth The Lantern
Elder Star The Lantern is one of the smaller constellations and, along with the Nest, considered the southernmost constellation, rarely shifting throughout the year. It consists of four bright stars forming a tapered rectangle with a single particularly bright star at their center, and three additional bright starts in a curve at one end for its handle. Associations: guidance, introspection, self-knowledge, focus, hope, air Mother and Child
Elder Star
Related Myths: Wrath of the Mother, The Mother and the Drought The Mother and Child constellation is based on the figures in either myth and is the northmost constellation, rarely shifting throughout the year. They are depicted as the mother sitting on her heels with her child in one arm and the other arm raised straight; it consists of four bright stars in a line for her knees and feet, three for her back, two for each arm, two for her child (sometimes three, depending on the believed source myth and thus the child's age), and three for her head.
Associations: maternal love, children, sacrifice, bravery, heavenly impeachment, fire The Wanderer
Related Myth: The Wanderer constellation -- sometimes called the Hermit -- is located northeast of the Lantern, and depicts a humanoid figure walking with an upright staff and a bundle on their back. It consists of three bright stars for the head and body, a further two for the legs, and one for each hand (one on the strap of the bundle, itself four less bright stars, and one holding the staff, made of two bright stars for either end). Associations: self-discovery, individuality Glaive-Bearer The Glaive-Bearer constellation is located to the northwest of the Great Sky Drake, and depicts a humanoid figure wielding a glaive in what is now called the Broken Bough guard stance. Interestingly, in some early depictions of the figure it has four arms. It consists of six bright stars for the head, body, and limbs, with a further three less bright stars for the shaft of the glaive and three brighter ones close together for the blade. Associations: duty, discipline, responsibility Bull The Bull constellation is located to the southeast of the Mother and Child, and in most depictions represents a bachal bull; it is shown at an angle, kicking upward with its hind legs. It consists of two close bright stars for its near horn and one less bright for its farther horn, three for its back, one for each of its four feet, and two relatively close for its head. Associations: determination, righteous anger Three Birds
Related Myth: The Three Birds constellation is located northwest of the Lantern, and is one of the most easily recognizable: it consists of a trio of 'V' shapes close together, formed by three bright stars apiece. Associations: free-spiritedness, travel, trade, messages Palace
Related Myth: The Palace constellation is the only constellation to straddle the Heavenly Road, and is located ahead of the three major stars; depending on the time of year, the major stars can either be said to be leaving the palace or approaching the palace (terms which have also entered common vernacular to mean a worsening or improving situation respectively). It consists of four lines of two bright stars apiece with two less bright in the middle, three bright stars forming a narrow triangular roof, and fainter stars forming stairs. Associations: wealth, prestige, the home, guardianship, charity Kekawa Blossom The Kekawa Blossom constellation is located to the southwest of the Plains Hunter, who is often said to be seeking the flower to give to the Great Sky Drake. It is notable for its near-perfect double ring of alternately bright and less bright stars with three at its center -- an almost perfect replication of the earthly flower. Associations: beauty, joy, good fortune, contentment Shield The Shield constellation next to the Bull and as such, it is often said that the Bull is kicking the shield. It is depicted as an elongated, horned kite shape -- not dissimilar from traditional shields still seen in use by the Dawnseekers -- and consists of four bright stars forming its points with two less bright stars on the long edges. Associations: guardedness, secrecy, steadfastness, tradition Nest The Nest constellation is directly west of the Lantern and along with it, the southernmost constellation, rarely moving throughout the year. It is depicted in a side-on bowl shape, with its brightest star at the bottom and two clusters of two and three bright stars at its outer edges, with three less bright stars forming the rest of the rim. Associations: growth, beginnings, safety
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