“The Watchers of the Heavens”
The Four Royal Stars
The four stars with their modern names, and their ancient Persian names (in brackets) were: Aldebaran (Tascheter) – vernal equinox (Watcher of the East) Regulus (Venant) – summer solstice (Watcher of the North) Antares (Satevis) – autumnal equinox (Watcher of the West) Fomalhaut (Haftorang/Hastorang) – winter solstice (Watcher of the South)
The Persians believed that the sky was divided into four districts with each district being guarded by one of the four Royal Stars.
The constellations of the Royal Stars were said to be fixed because their positions were close to the four fixed points of the sun's path.4 The sun was then surrounded by four bright stars at the beginning of every season.5 From this observation individuals began to denote them the Royal Stars.5
By 700 BCE the Assyrians had essentially mapped the ecliptic cycle because of the four stars and were in result able to map the constellations, distinguishing them from the planets and the fixed stars.
“Also included in the last pic is info on the four Royal Stars. These can be invoked using the same formula used when doing the LBRP: Before me - Aldebaran Behind me - Antares On my right hand - Fomalhaut On my left hand - Regulus. When doing this, the star itself is invoked instead of the archangel which rules it.”
- Damien
“Known since ancient times, the so-called Royal Stars are resonant and poetic. There are four of them and you’ve probably seen them before, even if you didn’t know their names. These are the four brightest stars in the sky, outside of planets such as Venus and Jupiter. The word “planet” – by the way – means wanderer. Planets move in pre-determined paths, whereas the Fixed Stars are always in the same place – at least over a single human lifetime. Aka the Watchers, these four were well known to sailors, soldiers, and priestesses of the centuries gone by, being used for navigation and occult purposes. They have many names. In Ancient Persia, they were the Four Royal stars. Esoteric Christians see them as the Archangel stars. To the Buddhists, they are the Four Heavenly Kings. They even turn into four Angel acupuncture points in Traditional Chinese Medicine. They are also known as the Four Guardians or simply – the Watchers, which I find thrillingly poetic. Individually, they are known by different names in Norse, Mayan, Maori – everything. But these are their main names and the current astrological placement is as follows: Aldebaran – Watcher of the East – Archangel Michael – the Bull’s Eye – 10 Gemini. Antares – Watcher of the West – Archangel Oriel – a red star, like Mars and currently near Mars – 10 Sagittarius. Fomalhaut – Watcher of the South – Archangel Gabriel – 3 Pisces Regulus – Watcher of the North – Archangel Raphael – 29 Leo/Zero Virgo These are Fixed Stars so they don’t move around like planets but due to the precession of the equinoxes, their positions shift slightly over the years. If you have the Sun, Moon or anything near these Royal Stars, they are your lucky stars, your guardian angels.”
- Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri, in Taurus)
- Watcher of the East
- Nature: The Eye of the Bull, a fiery red star of power, wealth, and martial vigor.
- Gift: Ambition and success, tempered by integrity.
- Shadow: Hubris or reckless force.
- Regulus (Alpha Leonis, in Leo)
- Watcher of the North
- Nature: The Heart of the Lion, a golden star of royalty, courage, and honor.
- Gift: Leadership and nobility, if free of vengeance.
- Shadow: Pride or downfall through retribution.
- Antares (Alpha Scorpii, in Scorpio)
- Watcher of the West
- Nature: The Heart of the Scorpion, a ruddy star of passion, intensity, and transformation.
- Gift: Depth and mastery of the hidden.
- Shadow: Obsession or destructive zeal.
- Fomalhaut (Alpha Piscis Austrini, in Piscis Austrinus)
- Watcher of the South
- Nature: The Mouth of the Southern Fish, a star of dreams, poetry, and mysticism.
- Gift: Vision and spiritual legacy.
- Shadow: Illusion or escapism.