It must be in the stars

The endless fascination of the night sky

I wonder if other people have favourite constellations. Mine is Orion. He comes back in March and signals the coming of summer and, when I look up from the brightest star on his shoulder, Betelgeuse, I find Gemini (my own birth sign). The mythology behind the stars is fascinating.

The character Karl, in The Way Things Fall, is an astronomer and Egyptologist. He does not distinguish between astronomy and astrology and he believes there is a tremendous power in the forces of the universe that we must respect.

In In Love With The Night, Dominic, one of the French Moroccan brothers who own a hotel in Fez, is also fascinated by the stars, a love his mother passed on to him. When he meets a young boy with a similar fascination, he is determined to learn more.

Dominic’s love of the night sky continues in A Long Walk With Fate, and the introspection this inspires results in a life-changing decision.

Unfortunately, astrological study has been ‘dumbed down’ and many people shake their heads and think you’re nuts if you express an interest in it. I find it endlessly intriguing, especially if you explore the way ancient cultures, like the Egyptians, the Babylonians, and the Mayans, used to read the stars and how the night sky influenced their lives. The more you read, the more astonished you become!