Orion: Myths and Spirituality
Orion accompanies us during the cold nights. This constellation is one of the most recognised during clear sky nights. It rises above the horizon on the Northern hemisphere around 9pm and it crosses the sky slowly making it’s way west to set at dusk.
For practical purposes in this article, I will refer Orion as the Hunter and with he/him pronouns.
Astronomy
If you are in the northern hemisphere, look to the south southeast. If you are in the southern hemisphere, look to the north.
Find Orion's belt, three stars in a short straight line.
Look for Orion's knee, a bright star called Rigel, to the lower right of the belt.
Look for his shoulder, an orange-red star called Betelgeuse, to the upper left of the belt.
Draw an imaginary line from the lower left side of the belt and you will find Stella Splendida, the brightest star seen from Earth: the Dog Star, Sirius.
Photo taken by Rogelio Bernal Andreo in October 2010 of the Orion constellation showing the surrounding nebulas of the Orion Molecular Cloud complex.
The far right star of Orion's belt (δ Ori) is actually a double star system, where the stars orbit each other about every 6 days.
Hanging down from Orion's belt is his sword, made up of three fainter stars.
T
he middle of these stars is not a star at all. It is the Orion nebula (M42), one of the most famous and most studied objects in the night sky.
The constellation Orion contains two of the ten brightest stars in the sky – Rigel (Beta Orionis) and Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) – a number of famous nebulae – the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), De Mairan’s Nebula (Messier 43) and the Horsehead Nebula, among others – the well-known Trapezium Cluster, and one of the most prominent asterisms in the night sky – Orion’s Belt.
Orion Nebula M42
Mythology
Stories around Orion have circulated within many cultures. He has been the centre of tales in Greece, India, Turtle Island (Native America), Aboriginal Australia, Scandinavia, Babylon, Egypt, China and more.
In many religious beliefs, the stars and constellations are Gods. The sky representing heaven and the constellations, planets or distant star systems representing the Divine Beings that influence and watch over our Earthly existence. The stories about the night’s twinkling lights may differ over the world and some similar ones may be associated with different stars and constellations but a key theme that links them all is this idea of divinity, law and purpose. The myths conceptualise our observations and aid us along our journey.
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Orion was called URU AN-NA “the light of heaven” in Sumerian mythology. His closeness to the now known constellation of Taurus, Orion was associated to the myth of Gilgamesh and pictured as their hero fighting GUD AN-NA “the bull of heaven”.
Babylonians knew Orion as MUL.SIPA.ZI.AN.NA or The Heavenly Shepherd (The True Shepherd of Anu) in the Late Bronze Age (1200 BC – 1150 BC) and associated the constellation with Anu, the god of the heavenly realms.
Although he is the centre of many tales, Orion didn’t get a place in the realm of the zodiac in western astrology. Being near the Bull (Taurus) he is therefore on the opposite of Scorpius (Scorpio).
According to Greek mythology, this position his due to his past experience with Scorpius — the Hunter got bitten once by a scorpion and in order for that not to be repeated the Gods placed him the furthest away from scorpius. This antagonist nature between Orion and Scorpius is also observed by the Chinese.
Continuing with the Greek myths, the hunter found himself to fall for one of the Pleiades sisters :: Merope :: who didn’t return this sentiment, the Gods also took that into consideration when placing him amongst the stars. When we look at Orion, further along the right we will find the small constellation of 7 stars :: the Pleiades :: Orion as he dances across the sky is forever chasing Merope without ever reaching up to her.
In Navajo history, there is another reason why Scorpio and Orion are never seen within the same sky.
They called Orion :: Átsé Ets’óz :: the First Slim One or the First Slender One, and knew to plant their crops when Orion set at dusk, which is in May.
Átsé Ets’óz is often spoken of as the son-in-law to Átsé Etsoh, which includes part of the constellation Scorpius. In accordance with Navajo tradition of mother-in-laws and son-in-laws not meeting or speaking, they were both placed in opposite sides of the sky.
In Egyptian mythology, Orion was associated with Osiris and Sirius with Isis. Orion was also identified with Unas, the last Pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty, who was said to have eaten the flesh of his enemies and devoured the gods themselves to become great and bring inheritance of his power. According to myth, Unas travels through the sky to become the star Sabu :: Orion.
Some egyptologists have been researching for many years the link between Orion’s Belt and the three pyramids of Giza having found similarities within the alignment of the pyramids to the stars within the belt, this could be explained by the myth of Osiris assisting deceased Pharaohs to join the heavens.
In India, Mṛgmandala is the constellation of Orion formed when adding up the lunar mansion of Ardra and Mrigasirsha.
Mrgmandala is
Nataraja, Lord Shiva’s Celestial Dance from.
Nataraja performs his dance of bliss in the sky. He dances for the liberation of humanity and expels death as he faces South and gestures ‘Fear Not’ with His right hand. He offers liberation to all and offers refuge under his lifted left foot.
He is forever youthful and gentle.
Spirituality
The myths I shared are connected to our spiritual understanding as a species. First of all, let’s go over what spirituality means — I will quickly share my views as this concept can be individual but also somehow universal.
To me, it’s simply all things Spirit. It is what is beyond what we see but also deeply encoded in all that is within this physical realm. It is the subtle layer that connects all of life and death together. It is in a way a poetic lens of seeing the Universe.
Spirituality is also a way of making sense of life with intent, discrimination and intersectional awareness — knowing where we are coming from, our privileges and lack thereof, our imprint on the world as well as taking into consideration our internal realities and patterns of existence. It is something to actively integrate into our daily lives so we access deeper states of being.
It is being aware of all there is within the visible and invisible world.
Seeing their connection and bridging the gap.
With that said, what is Orion’s spiritual meaning - its energetic blueprint and impact?
Meditating upon Orion and taking into consideration the myths around the world. Orion has an interesting and mystical air to it. He his a hunter, a companion to the deceased, a marker of crop seeding, a man at his prime, a shaman or sorcerer according to the stories found across the globe. It’s fair to say he has accumulated quite the titles.
Connecting to Orion is connecting to our divinely destined path, fulfilling our role as a warrior, taking on what lays before us with trust and gazing at the horizon with confidence. What these myths reveal is our own potential to stay grounded and sure of one’s self so we can sow our seeds with faith of what will come.
Acting with accountability and accepting one’s circumstances while understanding we hold the power to co-create our destiny with every action and thought. When we consider Orion as a shaman or sorcerer, we come back to the ability to see between realms, peeking into our inner vision and the messages of the Universe with clarity.
I am interested in sharing this because of the mysteries, the uncovered wisdom and our apparent connection to the heavens. If I could do anything by sharing these pieces of information and ideas, it would be to evoke curiosity and wonder while also integrating this into our actions here on Earth :: being able to walk around with this sense of connectivity and live with this wisdom supporting us.
We have created stories and metaphors tied to what is in our physical reality :: the sky, the elements, the roots and flowers… The natural and cosmic world is like a mirror to understand our needs, desires and paths.
— Research & References —
www.nytimes.com/1985/11/18/us/6th-century-manuscript-adds-to-mystery-of-star.html
https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/orion-constellation/
https://tamilandvedas.com/tag/orion/
https://www.chidambaramhiddentreasure.com/orion-chidambaram/
