To those who are not swept along in the majesty of it all, Astronomy and Astrology can seem a rather passive consumer of a person's time.

Comets though, being one of the more visibly dynamic aspects of the heavens, are likely to catch the eye of any earthly beings who still possess a shred of curiosity.

Omens?

Traditionally - and there is no way to sugar-coat it - comets have been seen as signs of doom.

In De Cometis (Otherwise known as A Discourse of the Nature and Effects of Comets) published in 1665, John Gadbury asserted that comets were "...messengers of unusual calamities," such as "death or deposition of Princes... destruction and ruin of kingdoms, empires, states and governments... and rot of communalty."

But as with many aspects of astrology, tradition has often portrayed the elements in either a very positive or very negative light.

Take the planet Jupiter for example. General consensus is that Jupiter is a good one - a benefic - because it bestows benefits on us by producing expansion.

I have no quarrel with that if the expansion is of the spirit, the mind or the heart. However we have all been living through the Piscean age ruled by Jupiter and we have seen the expansion of religious dogma and military-enforced kingdoms backed by country-specific inflated fiat money supply ($33 Trillion anyone?).

So as we can see, we should always be open to the full range of possibilities when studying astrology.

Despite what our forefathers say, the same applies to comets.

H.G. Wells Understood

H.G. Wells of literary fame certainly grasped that these things have more than one dimension as In the Days of the Comet (first published 1906) he portrayed a more positive outcome of a blazing star.

OK, I admit this is a fictional book, but it is worth pondering for a second because the content is the exact opposite of John Gadbury's book.

Although in the beginning a comet heading for earth does indeed promise doom things turn out for the better.

At the risk of spoiling the plot for those who haven't read it, Wells describes a world that has become a corrupt place where hate, theft and war are common place (sound familiar?).

A glowing orb is seen in the sky that spews a green gas in it's wake that goes on to engulf all of mankind. As people recover and begin to wake up they are profoundly different - and as Goodreads explains - "After the earth passes through the comet's tail, suffering, pettiness, and injustice melt away....everyone around them are reborn. They now see themselves and their world in a dramatically new and wonderful way."  

Incredibly - it is fiction after all - even a banker saw the error of his ways and became human-friendly.

Viewpoint Specific

Let's go back in time to 1066 and look at the appearance of Haley's Comet at the Battle of Hastings in the UK where the invading Normans took on the Anglo Saxons.

This comet is documented in the Bayeux Tapestry, a 230-foot long embroidery showing events leading up to the Norman conquest of England and King William’s ascendancy to the English throne.

Was it an omen of doom?

John Gadbury of De Cometis fame would undoubtably say yes. It saw King Harold Godwinson killed and ended the Anglo Saxon rule over England.

From that point of view it is hard to argue with him that comets tell of death of royalty and destruction of kingdoms.

Yet, the Normans wouldn't see it that way would they? The comet brought them great fortune and success.

Mr Gadbury and the Normans are both correct.

The good and the bad are different sides of the same coin (or comet). The Yin and the Yang. The All.

Today

Some of you may already be aware that we have had the Comet Nishimura visible in the early morning sky in the Northern Hemisphere for a few weeks now. It has passed through the constellation of Leo and will soon be leaving Virgo.

Route of Comet Nishimura. (Image courtesy of www.aerith.net)

The 23rd of September is the Fall Equinox and social media such as Youtube is rife with predictions from astrologers, mediums, psychics, channellers and remote viewers as to what this date entails for this particular year.

I am not here to say that any of them are right or wrong, just that we should always keep an open mind to how events unfold. 

In the same way the Normans and Anglo-Saxons were unlikely to agree on the outcome of their comet visitation, people around the world may well view the coming month with different eyes.

To end on a positive note, Comet Nishimura emits a green glow - here's hoping H.G.Wells knew a good comet when he imagined one.