NANAHUATZIN, after jumping into the flames was reborn as TONATIUH, and subsequently became NAHUI OLLIN, the Sun of the Movement; upon observing this, TECUCIZTÉCATL jumped into the flames and was reborn as the MOON; and thus, humanity began to walk.
The Post presents an emphasis on Venus, as a planet; however, we will also have to analyze the correspondence of this star with the Goddess Venus for what mythologically has been established, and for the same reason, with the Greek Goddess Aphrodite.
Let’s start, but let’s go by parts.
A) Characteristics as a star.
Venus is the second planet of the solar system, being located at an average distance of 67 million miles from the sun. Its mass is 0.815 times the mass of the Earth, that is, it is 20 percent smaller. Its diameter is 7,520 miles; its orbit takes 0.72 Earth years.
It rotates in a retrograde direction, that is, in a direction opposite to that of its orbit, which causes its day to be longer than its year.
Venus has a dense atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid clouds.
The surface of Venus is one of the hottest planets in the solar system, with an average temperature of 460 degrees Celsius.
Its translation around the Sun takes 123 Venusian days (280 Earth days).
Of all the planets in the solar system, Venus is the most Earth-like in size and composition, yet its climate is extremely hot and quite hostile, making it inhospitable to life as we know it on Earth.
B) The planet Venus as the morning and evening star.
Since ancient times, the planet Venus has been known as the “morning star” and the “evening star” because of its bright appearance and its movement in the sky. From Earth, Venus appears as a bright star before sunrise and after sunset, which explains why it is called “morning star” and “evening star,” respectively.
Several ancient cultures called it this way: the Mayan culture, the Babylonian culture, the Egyptian culture and the Hindu culture.
In the ancient Mayan nation, the astronomical behaviour of Venus was very important, since its use was implicit in the determination of astronomical calculations related to the Sun: “All astronomical calculations were made by relating the stars to the Sun (Kín), fundamentally to the Earth, the Moon (Uh), Venus (Chac Nom Ek or Nohoch Ek), and to the visible constellations such as the Pleiades (Tzab). The astronomical coincidence of the Sun was defined in two ways: 1) with the culmination of the constellation The Pleiades, which occurred every 52 years (half a Mayan century) and 2) with the 65 synodic revolutions of Venus which occurred every 104 years (1 Mayan century)[ The Mayan calendrical reset period consisted of 18,980 days, which was the minimum number of days in which the two calendars, the Haab and the Tzolkín, both restarted from the beginning; this cycle corresponded to 52 Mayan astronomical years (365 days) or 73 . sacred years (260 days)]. “(1) El Dintornismo en la plástica de los Antiguos Mayas.
The astronomical trajectory of Venus as “morning star” and “evening star” refers to its apparent position in the sky as seen from Earth. It is considered “Morning Star” when it is on the opposite side of the Sun from the Earth and appears before sunrise. From Earth, it appears to move to the right in a straight line across the sky until it reaches the highest point in the sky, at which time it begins to fade.
It is considered an “evening star” when it is between the Sun and the Earth and appears after sunset. From Earth, it appears to move to the left in a straight line across the sky until it fades.
It is important to note that this description is based on the Earth’s perspective and that the actual orbit of Venus around the Sun is actually an ellipse, not a straight line. However, this simplified description is useful for understanding the appearance and disappearance of Venus as “morning star” and “evening star”.
The appearance and disappearance of Venus as “morning star” and “evening star” from Earth depend on its position relative to the Sun and Earth. In a tropical year, the following are some approximate astronomical data for the appearance and disappearance of Venus in the sky:
As the “Morning Star,” Venus may be visible in the east before sunrise for approximately about 2 to 3 months. The exact duration depends on the position of Venus in its orbit around the Sun and the geographic location of the observer on Earth.
As the “Evening Star”, Venus can be visible as in the west after sunset for approximately 8 to 10 months. The exact duration also depends on the position of Venus in its orbit and the geographic location of the observer on Earth.
It is relevant to note that these periods may vary slightly from year to year due to the complexity of planetary orbits and the axial motion of the Earth.
However, if we place an observer at the Earth’s Equator, we can refine these data.
The exact dates of the appearance and disappearance of Venus as “morning star” and “evening star” for an observer positioned somewhere on the Earth’s Equator vary from year to year due to the complexity of the planetary orbits and the axial motion of the Earth. However, in general, the following approximate patterns can be expected. As the “Morning Star,” Venus may be visible in the east before sunrise for approximately about 2 to 3 months, beginning in December or January through March or April.
As “Evening Star”, Venus may be visible in the west after sunset for approximately 8 to 10 months, from May or June through November or December.
It is also relevant to make the clarification that these periods may vary slightly from year to year, and that the best way to know the exact dates is to consult an astronomical calendar or an astronomy program.
C) Relationship of Venus as a planet and Venus as a Goddess
Venus as a planet and Venus as a goddess have a historical and cultural relationship. In ancient times, Venus was regarded as a deity in many cultures, such as ancient Rome, where she was known as Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. The identification of the goddess Venus with the planet Venus was probably due to the fact that the planet Venus is one of the brightest and most easily visible celestial bodies in the night sky and was often associated with love and fertility in mythology. Thus, the relationship between Venus as a planet and Venus as a goddess is an example of how astronomy and mythology have been closely intertwined in human history.
Venus as a goddess was not venerated, in any mythology, as a protector of roads and wayfarers, so we will not include her in future posts. However, we will analyze her importance as a Goddess, both in Roman and Greek mythology, as Aphrodite (Goddess of Beauty and Love) in the future Post FOLLOWING THE STEPS OF ADONIS (VENUS-ASTARTÉ) is where I express what refers to the divine influence -in general terms- in walking, and likewise, in the participation of the Gods protectors of the roads and the walk (series of future Posts), mentioning Astarte as the infinite lover of Adonis, who was in turn one of the lovers of the Goddess Venus.
D) The relationship of the planet Venus with the human being’s walk
There is no direct, scientifically proven relationship between Venus as a planet and human walking. However, some ancient cultures have associated Venus with luck and fortune, and in some cases, it was believed that observing the movement of Venus in the sky could predict success or failure in human activities and actions, including travel and walking. For example, in the astrological discipline, Venus is considered a planet associated with harmony and cooperation, and its position in the sky can be interpreted as an indicator of the ease or difficulty of interpersonal relationships and the ability to reach agreements during a journey or walk. However, these interpretations are merely symbolic and have no solid scientific basis.
On that correlation, it is possible that some ancient cultures may have taken into account the trajectory of Venus to trace some antique paths, that is, a relationship with walking. The Mayan culture most probably took into account the astronomical trajectory of Venus in the construction of their roads and in the layout of their cities. The ancient Maya had an advanced knowledge of astronomy and were experts in the study of celestial bodies, Venus being one of the most important. It is known that they resorted to the observation of celestial bodies, including Venus, to predict eclipses and to establish their sacred calendar and civil calendar, and it is possible that they used this information to orient their roads and cities in relation to the movements of Venus. However, there is no conclusive evidence that the trajectory of Venus directly influenced the construction of their Maya White Roads (Post THE ANCIENT MAYANS AND THEIR WHITE ROADS. PART I). This is an interesting theory, but needs to be further investigated through archaeological excavations and more detailed studies of the astronomical and archaeological records of the Mayan culture.
For the ancient Maya, the appearance and disappearance of Venus as the “morning star” and “evening star” had important significance for their earthly journeys. Venus was seen as an important god in Mayan mythology and it is believed that its movement in the sky had an impact on agriculture, astronomy, religion and calendarization of this people. In addition, the movement of Venus in the sky was used by the Maya to mark the passage of time and to guide their treks in the jungle. In short, the appearance and disappearance of Venus in the sky had a profound meaning and functioned as a valuable tool for the ancient Maya in their terrestrial journeys. (1) El Dintornismo en la plástica de los Antiguos Mayas.
E) The concept of the appearance and disappearance of the stars.
It is of utmost importance to understand the essence of the appearances and disappearances of the Sun and the consequent appearances and disappearances of the Moon and the stars, of the eclipses and the movement of Venus. Light hides the existence of certain things, in the same way that when the Sun sets other forces that were hidden in the day appear and flourish in the dark night. In the period of 584 days it takes to complete its cycle to return to the same point of the solar system, Venus (NOHOCH) was observed appearing sometimes in the east and sometimes in the west, contrary to the sun, as the ‘evening star’. In the Mayan region, 43% of its appearances were made by the west and 40% observed it appearing in the east, as ‘morning star’; the rest of the days of its cycle, 17%, could not be observed on the firmament. “Such a knowledge of the apparent revolution of the planet Venus, which takes approximately 584 days in its apparent revolution around the Earth, enabled the ancient Maya priests to predict to their parishioners that Venus would appear as the morning star for 236 days; that it would not be visible after withdrawing from the east on its journey to the west for 90 days (disappearance in its upper conjunction); that it would reappear in the west for 250 days as the evening star, and finally, that it would take 8 days to return to the east (disappearance in lower conjunction)”. Pavón Abreu, Raúl and Morley, Silvanus G., Cronología maya, Ayuntamiento de Campeche, Mexico, 1985, p. XX. For that reason, of appearing in the morning and in the afternoon, some other cultures considered that they were two different stars. The Maya knew that it was the same celestial body.
I would like to mention some outstanding aspects of the archetypes and of the collective unconscious in order to better introject the importance that the planet Venus has had in all peoples since the most remote antiquity. The archetype “ABSENCE”, like all archetypes, is an absolute and universal concept (Jungian conception). It is also a psychic projection or spiritual images (productions) generated in the collective unconscious and that emerge to the consciousness after long periods of time, generated by repeated experiences fundamentally from the most remote times by the observation with the naked eye of the behavior of the stars (the Sun, the Moon, Venus, etc.) following one another, appearing and disappearing, in a reiterative and infinite way in time and space, in such a way that they have been engraved in the collective unconscious. They manifest themselves and reveal themselves to the physical medium in various ways, among them plastic art. It is probable that in this archetype “Absence” that I have been defining can or should be included the renewal of God as one of its forms of manifestation.
The archetype “Absence” is a variant or derivation of the archetype of Creation; it represents the concealment and annulment of images, as well as the appearance in both the conscious and the unconscious of the human being in an infinite persistence of occurrences. I have erected the archetype “Absence” to characterize and identify those spiritual projections and psychic images that the unconscious of the human being transmits by diverse means and that emerge to the consciousness after long periods of being stored generated by recurrent and controlled experiences in the collective unconscious since very remote times. The experiences were generated from the origins of the human being by the observation at simple sight of the behavior of the stars (the Sun, the Moon, Venus, etc.) happening in a reiterative and infinite way in time and space, in such a way that they have been recorded in the collective unconscious.
This antithesis or figuration of the astral occultation, the Mayas observed it more reliably in the presence and disappearance of Venus (NOHOCH), since the same star appeared on the opposite sides, sometimes from the east (the most) and other times from the west (the least). Venus appears in the west (black: Tlapallan) as “morning star” and is hidden in the east (red: Tlillan) as “evening star”. “This identification of the morning and evening stars has given rise to multiple myths in humanity and explains almost all the legends of Quetzalcoatl”. Caso, Alfonso, El pueblo del Sol, F.C.E., Lecturas mexicanas, S.E.P., Mexico, 1992, p. 37.
To demonstrate that the astral positions and movements, fundamentally of the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars, and some other celestial bodies observed with the naked eye – without the aid of modern instruments – are the generators of that archetype “Absence” is a very complex task and it is not within my modest plans for this Post to reach that goal. “A different question is whether each of the forces of nature in particular are made the object of mythological interpretation and religious worship, or whether, so to speak, they only appear as carriers of a universal temporal order. In the first case we are still entirely in the realm of the substantialist view; the Sun, the Moon and the stars are animated divine beings, but they are also individual things endowed with perfectly determined particular forces. In this respect, between these divine beings and the subordinate demonic forces that dominate nature there is a difference of degree, but not of essence. But another conception, a new sense of the divine is maturing when the mythical-religious sense ceases to be oriented simply towards the immediate existence of the individual objects of nature and the direct operation of the various forces of nature and both acquire a well-expressive characteristic in addition to their direct existential significance; when that feeling becomes a means through which one arrives at the idea of a lawful order that rules and prevails in the universe.” Cassirer, Ernst, Philosophy of Symbolic Forms, volume II, F.C.E., Mexico, 2003, pp. 149-150.
The most important manifestation of the archetype “Absence” is that it is intuited, or in its absence, it is known and recognized with complete certainty that the “object” is hidden (since the star is somewhere) because it is out of our sight and that it will appear again. It is known, by one’s own experienced observation that one only has to wait for a certain period (time T) and the object will reappear. Surely this astrodynamic process of all celestial bodies is also the origin of the essential universal and cosmogonic myth of creation, but equally difficult to prove.
An outstanding aspect of this process of archetypal formation is the influence that leads the human being in three aspects of his condition: one, trying to recreate what his astro-god performs and is, during the time he cannot observe it, triggering mechanism of his imagination -not to say that it was most probably an essential element of his ingenital structuring-; in the other, having the conceptualization of space and time -surely of number as well-, driving element of inquiry (curiosity) and of the inclination to research (technique and science); and in the third, the circumstance and expectation that the star will not reappear, then we will be immersed in the case of non-existence, a stimulus towards the understanding of the meaning of death, as a constituent part of the continuum of life. Probably this third astrodynamic circumstance is the cause of the myth of the Apocalypse that has been generated in almost all the peoples of humanity.
I have no doubt that the Sun, the Moon and Venus are the 3 main actors (essential) creators of this archetype “Absence”.
Now, what closer relationship can we observe between what has been for mythologies the planet Venus and walking and with the WALK-RWD system, in what aspects and ways are they linked?
There are in total 5 cycles that relate the planet Venus with our essential cycles (rotation, translation, energetic, vital, mortuary, harvest, annual, solar, lunar, etc.).
1. Venusian cycle of 584 days that it takes to complete its cycle to return to the same point in the solar system.
2. Cycle where Venus appears as the morning star of 236 days.
3. Cycle of absence or non-visibility of 90 days.
4. Cycle where Venus appears as the evening star of 250 days.
5. Cycle of absence or non-visibility of 8 days.
The last 4 cycles (2 to 5) make up the complete cycle of Venus around the sun. We see it appear 486 days and disappear 98 days (Venus cycle of 584 days).
Our circadian rhythms are governed by the light of the sun and the darkness of the night. As we have observed, walking in these periods have a different influence on our body, both physical and mental, but what about Venus, does it have any influence?
Of course, archetypes are sources of human behavior. The archetype “Absence” also participates in our behavior and attitude.
Venus has always invited us to walk in the morning (very early) and in the evening at dusk), and the Moon, the always silver guest, to participate in our lives, inviting us to walk in the evenings.
I propose that we start walking in these Venusian cycles and observe the results that we will obtain, becoming aware of the movement that the archetype “Absence” generates in us.
(1)Loya Lopategui, Carlos, El Dintornismo en la plástica de los Antiguos Mayas, EMULISA, Mexico, 1995.