Aldebaran, "The Eye of Illumination" Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the Bull, rises in the fall at sunset, and is the thirteenth brightest star in the sky. Its name comes from the Arabic Al Dabaran, the Follower, because Aldebaran appears to follow the Pleiades through the night sky. As the Eye of the Bull, Aldebaran is called the Eye of Revelation. It is referred to by astronomers and cosmologists as the Eastern Royal Star, one of the four Royal Stars considered the sentinels watching over other stars. It is also known as the Buddha’s star, the Star of Illumination, and God’s Eye. This magnificent star has been used for centuries in navigation, and is known by many civilizations to be connected with the spirits of rain and the fertility of the earth. Approximately 5,000 years ago, the rising of Aldebaran marked the vernal equinox (1) and marked the beginning of the Babylonian new year. Taurus is often associated with royalty and divine power. Throughout the ages Aldebaran has been spiritually recognized for its alignment with divinity. "... there is a symbolic relation between Aldebaran, the "eye" in the head of the Bull; the third eye, or the light in the head, and the diamond. The consciousness of the Buddha has been called the 'diamond-eye.'" (2) The Hindus referred to Aldebaran and Taurus as Rohini (the Red Deer), the name of the river in Nepal where the Buddha was born at the time of the May full moon, around 563 BCE. Another Hindu name for Aldebaran is Sataves, which translates to the "leader of the western stars." Pale reddish-orange in color, Aldebaran has a companion red dwarf star that shares its motion throughout space. Located slightly south of the ecliptic, in the path of our earth’s moon, Aldebaran has a magnitude of 1.2 and is one of the few 1st magnitude stars the moon may occult. Approximately 40 times the size of our sun, Aldebaran is 68 light years from the Earth, and is about 3 times the brilliance of Polaris, our current North Star. In addition to the star Aldebaran, there are two other very beautiful and famous star clusters in the constellation of Taurus: the V-shaped Hyades at the head of the bull, and the Pleiades in the shoulder. To locate Aldebaran or Taurus, follow the line of the three stars that make up the belt of Orion; they point directly west toward Aldebaran. Look up during the fall and winter months just after sunset, and you’ll see Orion’s Belt and Aldebaran rising in the east, traveling in a northwesterly direction. Aldebaran, the star of illumination, is directly across the zodiac from Antares, the star of anger, pride and revenge. In the only exact opposition of two major stars; Aldebaran is located at 9 degrees of the sign Gemini, with Antares at 9 degrees of the sign Sagittarius. Aldebaran is said to be a portal to the mysteries of the mind and when balanced with the fixed star Antares, a portal to the mysteries of the heart, this creates a powerful stargate axis that is illuminated bi-annally when the Sun passes by Aldebaran at the first of June and then Antares about six months later. Recently Pluto passed through the constellation of Scorpio and conjoined Antares, also known for its transformative qualities. Pluto visits Scorpio only once every 248 years. During its sweep through this part of the zodiac, Pluto’s orbit brings it closer to the Sun than Neptune for approximately 20 years. Pluto is a dynamic force of creation and destruction. Pluto, the first ray planet of will power and purpose in our solar system assists in the destruction of the lower desires so that more highly evolved qualities can be expressed by the human being. In the destruction of old forms ~ be they physical, astral or mental ~ Pluto literally changes their atomic structure. Pluto causes major changes and forces the transcendence of personal desires into a more universal orientation. Pluto is the planet of death and rebirth. It personifies the destruction of things whose time has come to an end, and the regeneration of what is new. It is like decaying autumn leaves becoming nutrients for the spring; the caterpillar changing into a butterfly. It is the transformer that stimulates and catalyzes the Will. For more about Pluto and the quality of Transformation, click here. This rare cosmic event of Pluto's having passed by Antares is significant, as it was also directly opposed to Aldebaran, the Buddha’s star of Revelation and Illumination. This brought an opportunity for humanity as a whole to evolve the energies of conflict, anger, pride and revenge, as we had the opportunity to call upon the qualities of Revelation and Illumination to work with the energies of Pluto on Antares toward bringing about transformation and evolution: In stellar myth, Aldebaran is Vision Holder for the starseed mission on Earth, defining what emissaries of light can best accomplish to serve humanity through evolutionary transition. In down to Earth terms, Aldebaran holds the vision for ...