The Value of Celestial Geography
You see I have introduced the “rebellion,” and to understand that history we need to know where we are and who the actors are. So that’s the reason for the emphasis on our celestial geography.
As a grammar school child my parents bought me a puzzle with pieces corresponding to the states of the United States. If you call out to me Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, I know in my mind you are listing, going from west to east, a swath of states across our Midwest, and the next state going further east in that line is Pennsylvania. I have internalized the geography of the states composing the continental United States. And this grounding helps me understand our national news.
My son married not too long back, and my new daughter was born in Ohio. As it happens, I have never set foot in Ohio, but I know a fair amount about that state from internalizing the geography of the states and hearing the news. Ohio is not a foreign idea to me.
In the same way, to understand the news of the Heavens, you will need to internalize the outlines of our celestial geography, not all the minutia because that would senselessly try your patience. But just the outline.
And I promise you this will not be so hard. I will repeat myself as we go along. Just hang in there with me on this.
And you have glossary term descriptions embedded in the essay text.
While reading an essay, hover your mouse or cursor over a term that has a light gray line underneath. A popup description of the term will appear. Move your mouse or cursor away when finished. The term will be underlined only the first time it appears in a given essay. On the secondary menu, under “Tools,” there is a link to the complete glossary with a search feature.
This should help you become more familiar with new places, and will help you understand the big picture I have in mind to share with you. The big picture is important and will not be hard to understand.
Ernest Clement