Vega

Feb 19

Vega (Alpha Lyra) 15°38’ tropical Capricorn, 21°27’ sidereal Sagittarius

Alpha Lyra or Vega (Wega) is a pale sapphire star in the constellation of Lyra found at the projected zodiacal longitude of 15⁰38' tropical Capricorn, 21⁰27’ sidereal Sagittarius. It is brightest star of the constellation with an apparent visual maginitude of +0.03, making it the fifth brightest in the night sky.

Mythos & Star Lore

The ancient Greeks named Alpha Lyra, Lura. As the brightest star of the Lyra constellation, Lura came to be associated with the enchanting qualities of Orpheus’ Lyre. It is this lyre that subdued wild beasts, enamored nymphs, sirens and mortals, and enchanted Hades to grant Orpheus the chance to retrieve his beloved from the underworld.

According to Vivian Robson, the correct spelling is Wega though it has commonly come to be known as Vega. The name Wega is derived from the Arabic Al Waki, meaning “the Falling”. Latin translators also termed this star, Vultur Cadens, or “the Falling Vulture”.[1]

*relief of Orpheus playing lyre found in Thessaloniki, Greece*

The ancient Egyptians associated Alpha Lyra with the chthonic deity Ma'at, the goddess with wings of the sacred vulture who guides souls from this life to the next. Alpha Lyra was during this time the pole-star.

Ma'at was venerated as the goddess of truth, justice, balance and order in the cosmos. Alongside her consort Anubis, souls were weighed to determine their destiny in the otherworld.

The Babylonians called this star Dilgan, meaning the Messenger of Light. Under the Mesopotamian skies, Vega was the pole-star, hence the Akkadians called it the Tir-anna, meaning Life of Heaven, and the Assyrians named it Dayan-same, or Judge of Heaven.[2]

In Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cosmologies Alpha Lyra was seen as part of the Weaving Sister constellation. There's many variations to the story, but the most common sees Alpha Lyra as Zhinü, one of the Goddess of Heaven's fairy daughters who was responsible for weaving colorful clouds. A mortal cowherd, Niulang, represented by the star Altair (Alpha Aquilae), falls in love with and marries Zhinü. In her marriage to the mortal, Zhinü becomes distracted from her celestial duties which in turn angers the Goddes of Heaven. Their tale is a forbidden love story wherein the lovers become separated in the sky and are placed on opposite sides of the Milky Way, forever pining after each other.

*Vega and Altair on opposite sides of the Milky Way*

In the Indic tradition Alpha Lyra is named Abhijit (“Invincible”) and is the indicator star of the 22nd nakshatra. Under this nakshatra's influence it is said that Lord Krishna commenced the Mahabharatha War, which led to the vanquishing of the Asuras. Abhijit is thus associated with being victorious and fortunate, confering a particularly good omen against evil. This nakshatra is found between Uttara Ashadha and Shravana.

Astrological Magic

"...One may see among the stars the Lyre, its arms spread apart in heaven, with which in time gone by Orpheus charmed all that his music reached, making his way even to the ghosts of the dead and causing the decrees of hell to yield to his song. Wherefore it has honour in heaven and power to match its origin: then it drew in its train forests and rocks; now it leads the stars after it and makes off with the vast orb of the revolving sky.”[3]

Wega is of the nature of Venus and Mercury according to Ptolemy. It bestows “beneficience, ideality, hopefulness, refinement and changeability, and makes its natives grave, sober, outwardly pretentious and usually lascivious”.[1]

The Bodlein MS instructs that offerings to Vega are "savory juice with an equal amount of the herb called fumitory and with a little of the stone called turonso... grants favor with beasts, protects from scabies, that is, against demons, nocturnal phantoms, and fears."[4]

Agrippa prescribed talismans bearing the signature of Vultura Cadens for warding against spiritual and psychic attacks. The image to be used for its invocation and consecration is that "...of a vulture, hen or traveling man: these make men magnanimous and haughty, and give power over daemons and beasts."[5]