Sailors and Swimmers Astrology

‘Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship,
Yet she sailed softly too;
Sweetly, sweetly blew the breeze –
on me alone it blew – Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The merry youth, the poetic-eyed, a depressed few, a lonely lot and a family – assemble at the beach to have a look at the sea and the mystery behind her beauty. The azure (blue) sky seems to be touching the sea and turning her blue. Her vibrating soul is felt by all those around through the ebb and flow tossing the pebbles. There is a jubilant air. The endlessness of the sea mesmerizes us to forget the rest by her vast presence. Her changing face during the hours of her tidal waves is forgotten. Many turn to be poetic on her immense variety. Her motherly touch brings back life to many. Her charm makes a few to swim in the waters like a fish. Here is our astrological expedition on human life in waters for which our body is not tuned for.

Mermaid: a myth

The mysterious things always catch the eyeball of human. If something is incomprehensible, we start cooking tales in our imagination to pose as if we knew everything. The waters send us a thrilling effect and hence is the invention of a mermaid. It is a legendary aquatic creature with the upper body of a a woman and the tail of a fish. They are at times depicted as dangerous linked with flood, storms, shipwrecks and drowning. In folk traditions it is benevolent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans. The mermaid is equated with the Sirens of Greek mythology (odyssey), half-bird femme fatales whose enchanting voices divert the attention of the sailors to meet with accidents in their journey.

Mythological references to ‘Ship’

Noah’s Arc is the vessel in the Genesis flood narrative by which the Patriarch Noah saves himself, his family and the remnant of all the world’s animals when God decides to destroy the world as a punishment for the sin of human. In Norse Mythology, Hringhorni is the name of the ship of God Baldr and Naglfar (Nailship) is a boat made entirely from the fingernails and toenails of the dead. In Greek mythology, the Argo was the ship on which Jason sailed from Iolcos to retrieve the Golden Fleece. In Hindu Mythology, the Almighty God Vishnu assumed the form of ‘Matsaya’ (half fish and half human) to tow a ship in which Manu, the progenitor of the new human race, had taken refuge from a devastating flood.

The history of Ships: Ancient Maritime World

 
The ships are used to transport cargo across seas and oceans. In ancient marine times, people used rafts, logs of bamboo, bundles of reeds, air filled animal skins and asphalt covered baskets to traverse small water bodies. The first boat was a simple frame of sticks lashed together and covered with sewn hides. People used their hands instead of oar in the tiny boats. Egyptians take the credit for developing advanced sailing cargo ships. These cargo ships were used for transporting great columns of stone for monument building. The Phoenicians were the pioneers for the wooden sailing vessels to travel the high seas.

Types of ships in Ancient Maritime History

The medieval ships were clinker built using nails for securing planks. It was adopted from the earlier skin boats which had to be overlapped to make it water-tight. The Irish Vessels had wooden frames and a high covered wicker hull. By 1000 AD, the famed ‘Viking Long Ship’ was permitted to travel into the Mediterranean. These ships were wider and a more advanced mast stepping design. By 800 AD the hulk came into vogue. The Utrecht is an example of the hulk. The British relied heavily on the nef, a term is used for ships. At this point of time, ship design took a different turn – the first distinctive feature was the plank on frame construction.

The role of a helmsman in a ship

Helm is a person who steers a ship, sail boat, submarine, and other type of maritime vessel or space craft. On small vessels, the functions of skipper and helmsman may be combined in one person. On larger vessels, there is a separate officer of the watch who is responsible for the safe navigation of the ship and gives order to the helmsman. He is the sea captain. In the merchant marine, the person at the helm is usually an able seaman, during ship arrivals, departures and while maneuvering in restricted waters or other conditions requiring precise steering. Helm orders fall into two categories rudder commands and heading commands. A rudder command dictates changing the angle of the rudder. Steering a heading is a comparatively long event and will require ongoing or continuous rudder adjustments.

Sailors and Swimming

Splashing, wading and paddling – it must mean a great day in the water. Swimming is a lot of fun, but drowning is a real danger. Unlike fish, we need air to breathe. There was a superstition among sailors that it was extremely unlucky to learn how to swim, as a result most never did. But in the modern age, most navy train their sailors to be quite proficient swimmers. In 1539, Nicolas Wynman, a German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book Colymbetes. In 1958 Everard Digby wrote a swimming book, claiming that humans could swim better than fish. A journal mentions ‘Swimming skates’ in France, which may be an early version of a surfboard. In 1897, Capt. Henry Sheffield designed a rescue cylinder, now well known as the lifesaving device.

Planetary combinations for Sailors and Swimmers

Third house indicates bravery acts and energy level. The sporting act is indicated by the 5th house and 5th lord. The planet Moon is the significator of water bodies – be it a pool, lake, river or ocean. Ketu indicates the living organisms in waters such as fishes. The planet Saturn stands for a struggling phase of human in life. The dare-devilry act is possible with strong Mars. The combinations of the above planets in the 3rd or 5th house in a horoscope makes one a sailor.