Scorpius

“ The resemblance to a Scorpion is not difficult to see, hence this constellation is perhaps the most aptly named of any.
The ruddy star Antares, the brightest star in the constellation, is in the heart of the Scorpion. It lies about 40 degrees southwest of Ras Alhague, in Ophiuchus, and a little over 20 degrees west of the bow of Sagittarius. The fact that it is the most brilliant star in this region of the sky renders its identity unmistakable. ”

“ The brightest star, α (in the heart) , bears the ancient Arabic name of Antares, which means the wounding. It is called by the Latins Cor Scorpii, because it marks the scorpion's heart. It shines ominously with a deep red light. The sting is called in Hebrew Lesath (Chaldee, Lesha) , which means the perverse. The stars in the tail are also known as Leshaa, or Leshat.40
The scorpion is a deadly enemy (as we learn from Rev. ix) , with poison in its sting, and all the names associated with the sign combine to set forth the malignant enmity which is “set” between the serpent and the woman's Seed. ”

“ The constellation Scorpio is nearly as striking in outline as Orion, and its brightest star, the red Antares (α in map No. 12) , carries concealed in its rays a green jewel which, to the eye of the enthusiast in telescopic recreation, appears more beautiful and inviting each time that he penetrates to its hiding place. ”

“ Quite a dozen star-clusters of this kind are visible to the naked eye in the southern hemisphere, the most striking being in Scorpio, where it shines as a conspicuous silvery spot just beyond the Scorpion’s tail, midway between κ Scorpii and γ Sagittarii. It is named M 7, which means the seventh in Messier’s list of clusters and nebulae. In a binocular it is seen to be a group of very many stars, some close together, others scattered. Lacaille, with his little half-inch telescope, counted from 15 to 20 stars, and Herschel, with his large reflector, estimated the number at 60. ”

“ Scorpio is, like Aries, the house of Mars, 'and also his joy.' Its natives are strong, corpulent, and robust, with large bones, 'dark curly hair and eyes' (presumably the eyes dark only, not curly) , middle stature, dusky complexion, active bodies; they are usually reserved in speech. It governs the region of the groin, and reigns over Judæa, Mauritania, Catalonia, Norway, West Silesia, Upper Batavia, Barbary, Morocco, Valentia, Messina, etc. It is feminine, and unfortunate. (It would appear likely, by the way, that astrology was a purely masculine science.) ”

“ Hence the Scorpion-Man represents the boundary between light and darkness, between the firm land and the water region of the world. Marduk, the god of light, and vanquisher of Tiāmat, i.e. the ocean, has for a symbol the Bull = Taurus, into which he entered in spring. This leads almost necessarily to the supposition that both the Bull and the Scorpion were located in the heavens at a time when the sun had its vernal equinox in Taurus and its autumnal equinox in Scorpio, and that in their principal parts or most conspicuous star groups ”

“ The three stars in a line, β, δ, and π Scorpii, seem to have attracted attention in all ages, much as the three stars in Orion's Belt are always associated together. The Hindus figured these stars as a Row or Ridge, and on the Euphrates this group represented the Tree of the Garden of Light, associated with the idea of the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden of Eden, which has a special significance when it is recalled that Scorpio may be considered as representing one phase of the Cherubim which was set in the Garden of Eden. ”

“ The autumn sign was the Scorpion, the ruddy Antares and the stars clustering in the head of the Scorpion joining their rays with the sun's at the time of the autumnal equinox. And lastly the winter sign was the Water Bearer, the bright Fomalhaut conjoining his rays with the sun's at midwinter. It is noteworthy that all these four constellations really present some resemblance to the objects after which they are named. The Scorpion is in the best drawing, but the Bull's head is well marked, and, as already mentioned, a leaping lion can be recognised. ”

“ Recalling that Hercules has his foot on the Dragon's head, that the head stars of the two giants' lie almost together, and the feet of the lower giant, Ophiuchus, are crushing down Scorpio, the Scorpion (a conspicuous anchor shaped constellation in the south) , one has a fairly good idea of this section of the sky from the Pole Star to the horizon, when Ras Alhague and Ras Algethi are near the meridian. Since both Hercules and Ophiuchus have very large but also very inconspicuous [Pg 110] constellations, it is well to keep them connected in some such manner. ”

“ The bright stars in the front of the body of Scorpio have an effect similar to that produced by the influence of Mars, and partly to that produced by Saturn: the three in the body itself, the middle one of which, called Antares, [38] is ruddy and more luminous, are similar to Mars and moderately to Jupiter: those in the joints of the tail are like Saturn and partly like Venus: those in the sting, like Mercury and Mars. The nebula is like Mars and the Moon. ”

“ Some authorities claim that Aquila is the flying eagle, the semblance of the fourth face of the Cherubim, but in view of the fact that Antares, the brilliant first magnitude star in the Scorpion, is always known as one of the so-called four "Royal Stars," known as such from remote antiquity, there seems to be some ground for the argument that the constellation Scorpio was originally considered to represent the eagle. ”

“ Scorpion, skor′pi-un, n. a name applicable to any member of the family Scorpionidæ, included along with spiders, mites, &c. in the heterogeneous class Arachnida—they have an elongated body, claws like the lobster, and a poisonous sting in the tail: one of the signs of the zodiac: (B.) a whip with points like a scorpion's tail: an old military engine: any person of virulent hatred or animosity.—n. Scor′pio, a scorpion: (astron.) a constellation and the eighth sign of the zodiac.—adj. Scor′pioid, curled like the tail of a scorpion.—n. Scor′pion-bug, a large predacious water-beetle.—n.pl. ”

“ The star β Libræ is a beautiful light-green star to the naked eye; in the telescope a wide double, pale emerald and light blue.
62In Scorpio there are several very beautiful objects:—
The star Antares or Cor Scorpionis is one of the most beautiful of the red stars. It has been termed the Sirius of red stars, a term better merited perhaps by Aldebaran, save for this that, in our latitude, Antares is, like Sirius, always seen as a brilliant "scintillator" (because always low down) , whereas Aldebaran rises high above the horizon. Antares is a double star, its companion being a minute green star. ”

“ Fig. 2.—Again at the date 3500 B.C. and in the latitude 35° N. I have drawn the constellation Ophiuchus as it would have appeared in opposition to the sun at the season of the spring equinox; triumphing over the powers of darkness—namely, the scorpion on which he treads and the serpent which he crushes with his hands. ”

“ Scorpio is ruled by Mars, the planet of dynamic energy, and therefore the children born during that month when the Sun is passing through this sign are filled with a force that must have an outlet somewhere or somehow. They partake of all the Martial qualities, either good or bad, according to the way the Sun is placed and aspected, and they are always ready to take up an argument or a fight, either on their own behalf or for someone else ”

“ It is the face of Antares whose red light shining through the heavy atmosphere is so diffused that it gives a rosy effect to the sky for a considerable distance around the star, like a miniature presentment of the sun as it rises on a hazy morning. ”

“ The Aztecs and Mayas saw animals there, including a scorpion, which does not correspond with our constellation Scorpio. The Peruvians designated a jaguar, a cross-bearer, and a sheep suckling her lamb. The Puelches of Patagonia set ostrich-feathers in the Magellanic clouds. The Oceanian peoples applied figures to the constellations that impressed them.
These facts will lead the reader to ask if the resemblance presented by the configurations of some of the stars with familiar objects has not provoked comparisons of which the pictured sphere is a result. ”

“ Extremely short-sighted and squinting outrageously, how does the Scorpion manage to steer himself? Like a blind man, he gropes his way: he guides himself with his hands, that is to say, his pincers, which he carries outstretched, with the fingers open, to sound the space before him. Watch two Scorpions wandering in the open air in my rearing-cages. A meeting would be disagreeable, sometimes even dangerous for them. Nevertheless, the one behind always goes ahead as though he did not perceive his neighbour ”

“ Scoff not at it, my lord, as if he were too pitiful to give cause for alarm. The scorpion is a small, petty-looking insect, but yet there is death in his sting. And now, good night; when you have spent another hour in the sweet dreams that lovers like, betake you to repose, and early to-morrow you shall have some one to guide you on your way. ”

“ In SCORPIO, ANTARES, of the 1st magnitude, and remarkably red, was one of the four great Stars, FOMALHAUT, in Cetus, ALDEBARAN in Taurus, REGULUS in Leo, and ANTARES, that formerly answered to the Solstitial and Equinoctial points, and were much noticed by astronomers. This sign was sometimes represented by a Snake, and sometimes by a Crocodile, but generally by a Scorpion, which last is found on the Mithriac Monuments, and on the Zodiac of Dendera. It was considered a sign accursed, and the entrance of the Sun into it commenced the reign of Typhon. ”

“ The Star People may go in and be weighed on them, if Mlle. Virgo goes with them. But the Scorpion really does the weighing—puts on the weights for her—because she’s so ladylike. He lives next door, on the other side, and he’s very handy with his claws.”
“The Orion one?” asked Pat.
“The Orion one,” said the Princess, beginning in the middle to draw him. “Somebody will have to find a splendiferous red something for the star he wears above his fiery heart.” She drew down his body into his curled-up tail ”

“ The next step in human unfoldment is not so much along the physical lines as along the mental, its nature is shown by the Sun’s passage through the sign Scorpio, which is pictorially represented as a serpent or scorpion, emblems of cunning and subtility. It is plain from this symbol that the first faculty of the mind evolved by infant humanity was cunning, and we still see that that is a characteristic trait among the lower races, the lower classes and the lower natures even among our present-day humanity. ”

“ The moon passed with a motion opposite to that of the heavens, through the constellation of the scorpion, in which the sun is, when to those who are in Rome he appears to set between the isles of Corsica and Sardinia. ”

“ A numerous assembly soon gathers near the glass panes in the region discreetly lit by the lanterns. Every elsewhere, here, there, single Scorpions walk about and, attracted by the light, leave the shade and hasten to the illuminated festival. The very Moths betray no greater eagerness to flutter to the rays of our lamps. The newcomers mingle with the crowd, while others, tired of their pastimes, withdraw into the shade, snatch a few moments’ rest and then impetuously return upon the scene. ”

“ Where Scorpio to the south his claw expands,
Burning with constant fire an Altar stands.
Few are the hours it shines to mortal eye—
Short is its passage through the wintry sky—
Long as Arcturus o'er the ocean rides,
So long the darksome wave the Altar hides. 420
Primeval Night, who with the God of day
O'er earth and ocean holds divided sway,
Pitying the toils and dangers of the brave
Adventurous sailor through the pathless wave,
By certain signs the coming tempest shows,
While Zephyr breathes, and smoothly ocean flows. ”

“ And just as in the constellation above it, the Serpent is struggling with the man, while at the same time it is stretching out its neck to seize the crown,91 so here the Scorpion, while trying to sting the same man in the heel, is stretching out its claws to seize the altar. ”

“ Where the two are alike in colour and spectrum, like the two solar stars of α Centauri and the two Orion stars of α Crucis, it is found that they are also nearly equal in mass, so they keep the same pace and grow old together.
Among multiple stars there are some very remarkable instances in Scorpio. β Scorpii is a pair of bright stars (easily separated with a 3-inch telescope) with a third fainter companion, and besides these, [Pg 38] one of the bright components is a spectroscopic pair, and the whole company is travelling together through space. ”

“ Therefore the parents of these children should take them in hand as early as possible and teach them self-control by every means within their power; also strive to soften the Mars ray and instill into them a more kindly spirit. This may be very difficult because the sign Scorpio gives a very determined nature, still, in childhood’s years it is plastic to a certain extent and can be best worked upon then, They have a very strong and vivid imagination, with a clear, sharp and penetrating mind, also a personal magnetism that makes them very attractive to those with whom they come in contact. ”