by Rashee

I found an old post from my now-defunct Xanga blog that somehow seemed relevant a decade later:

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

One day, astronomers decided that they would change the way they classify planets. In doing so, they declared that Pluto is out. Absurd. Dreamers and forward-thinkers like Galileo worked so hard to show us that the universe was even bigger than we ever imagined. But now, well past the year 2000, we’d rather the universe shrink a little.

One day (not too long after the previously mentioned day), a sting ray decided to wig out and fatally injure the Crocodile Hunter. Not just absurd, but freaky. Steve Irwin died just the way he lived — dangerously enjoying the outdoors.

The universe is absurd, and it’s shrinking fast. Crappy things seem to come in threes. Make the most of every moment of your life while you can. And do not ask for whom the bell tolls — it tolls for thee.

R.I.P Pluto and R.I.P. Crocodile Hunter.

The universe will miss you both.

Friday January 29, 2016

All of a sudden, the same guy who demoted Pluto discovers a new ninth planet dangling at the edge of our solar system. And two months ago, Steve’s daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin, makes her dad proud by winning season 21 of Dancing with the Stars. What?! Could things be getting better??

It is part of Hinduism that there are nine celestial bodies, or nine planets, Navagrahas. Just so you know, there is no Hindu wikipedia – this is me “Brownsplaining.” Hinduism is super confusing, and possibly a reason why we do not recruit – we could not even begin to tell you how to join us. There is regular old wikipedia that refers to Hindu parables as mythology. Just imagine if you would be left alive after referring to The Bible as Christian mythology. There is a posting on Christian mythology, but it goes into great detail what the word “mythology” means. Another post for another day.

In one of the best descriptions I can find, the Navagrahas are the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and two “shadow” planets or lunar directions, Rahu (north lunar node) and Ketu (south lunar node). Graha roughly translates but does not exactly mean planet, considering that two of these simply indicate lunar directions. The placement of the Navagrahas at the time and date of your birth is essential to your personal astrological calculations. The nine “grahas” in your horoscope are said to control your karma, your desires and your outcomes. A Navagraha Puja, or prayer ceremony, can be done as a spiritual reset of sorts to reduce negativity and improve positive energies related specifically to you. Saturn returning to your life? Mercury in retrograde? In Hindu “mythology,” these are real things.

Either way, nine is the magic number. What a decade it has been. At first I thought this discovery would be a story of redemption. It would be Pluto being validated. A true underdog story where fairy tales can come true if you believe enough… Dream big, “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” all of that stuff. Nope. This is about the rise of a complete mystery. The ascension to power of something that we did not even know about. Pluto is out. Planet Nine is in. And in other news, five planets are aligning this week, all but Rahu, Ketu, the sun and the moon.

Just when you begin to believe that there is nothing new under the sun, the universe reminds you that you were looking in the wrong place. Maybe what is new and novel was never under the sun – it was somewhere else entirely. Whatever you do, make time to look.