willow
May 10th, 2002, 03:59 PM
I live at the foot of a hill, with many obstructions to my western view. I had been hoping for many days to get a chance after sunset to go out somewhere where I could see all the planets lined up in the sky.
Finally, one evening, I was free. I climbed the hill at sunset, got a great view of the sun setting to the west, and started waiting. There was a tiny little cloud in the sky, but I didn't pay it any attention.
As the dusk came on, and I eagerly awaited the first star of the evening, I noticed the cloud had gotten a little bigger. Hmmm...
Venus came out, then Jupiter. No Mars or Saturn or Mercury yet. It was getting colder, and that cloud was getting bigger, spreading right over the mercury-likely areas, and little wisps of it were getting up to Venus. Still just two planets.
Out in the western distance, I could see the sky was clear -- probably a great view over there, I thought. That sort of put the location of the offending cloud in perspective - it was over the flatlands just to the north and west of me.
I realized that the cloud had not blown in from anywhere, it was forming as I watched. At which point a weeks worth of studying the I Ching kicked in, and I realized that I was seeing a hexagram in the sky: Lake over Earth.
A tiny speck of light glinted through a break in the cloud - could it be Mercury? Lake closed in again. Now it was coming overhead, Venus even was hard to see. Cold.
Home to look up that hexagram. #45. Gathering Together. Hee hee!
Next night, no clouds, free again, finally saw the alignment, mercury and all. Very beautiful.
Finally, one evening, I was free. I climbed the hill at sunset, got a great view of the sun setting to the west, and started waiting. There was a tiny little cloud in the sky, but I didn't pay it any attention.
As the dusk came on, and I eagerly awaited the first star of the evening, I noticed the cloud had gotten a little bigger. Hmmm...
Venus came out, then Jupiter. No Mars or Saturn or Mercury yet. It was getting colder, and that cloud was getting bigger, spreading right over the mercury-likely areas, and little wisps of it were getting up to Venus. Still just two planets.
Out in the western distance, I could see the sky was clear -- probably a great view over there, I thought. That sort of put the location of the offending cloud in perspective - it was over the flatlands just to the north and west of me.
I realized that the cloud had not blown in from anywhere, it was forming as I watched. At which point a weeks worth of studying the I Ching kicked in, and I realized that I was seeing a hexagram in the sky: Lake over Earth.
A tiny speck of light glinted through a break in the cloud - could it be Mercury? Lake closed in again. Now it was coming overhead, Venus even was hard to see. Cold.
Home to look up that hexagram. #45. Gathering Together. Hee hee!
Next night, no clouds, free again, finally saw the alignment, mercury and all. Very beautiful.