Big Dipper : the secret of the dark night
Big Dipper: the secret of the dark night
“Can you see the Great Dipper?
Wherever you are,
I will follow you and light up your path” – Roy Kim, The Big Dipper
East Asia, the cradle of civilization, is known for its knowledge of astrology, the interest given by Asians in the sky not involving the prediction of the future, but only a deep curiosity to understand heaven and the communion between earth and heaven. Korea is the country with the longest history of astronomy in the world and its ancestors developed astronomical instruments and left a rich heritage in the field of astronomy.
With a history of over 10.000 years, traced back from the Hwanguk period (7198-3897 BCE), Korean culture has a deep understanding of nature and divine energies that governs everything. Singyo, the Spirit Teaching in Korea, represents the origin of all religions and beliefs in both the East and the West cultures, joining cosmology, animism and the life-death cycle into a single principle. One of the beliefs passed until today from Singyo is the culture of Chilseong or the Big Dipper, the Seven Stars in the Ursa Major constellation, considered to be the origin of life. Besides the well-known philosophy of number three in Korean culture, symbolizing the fundamental elements in everything (heaven, earth and humanity; positive, negative and neutral, etc.), there is also number seven that governs good luck, humanity’s spiritual maturity and the afterlife. In China, this number is tightly related to the seven emotions of love, joy, anger, sorrow, fear, worry, and desire.
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| Big Dipper is located in the Ursa Major constellation |
From ancient times, the Big Dipper has been revered as the Chariot of Sangjenim, Father God, to whom people offered bowls with pure water for a longer life without illness. Thus, from early times and in all Asian religions (Taoism, Buddhism, and Shamanism or folk religions), the Big Dipper was considered the ultimate destination of humans' prayers and meditation. For instance, Taeeulju Mantra’s words used in meditation “Tae-eul-cheon Sang-won-gun” refers to the Lord of the Seven Stars. Moreover, the mantra Chilseong-gyeong conveys the secrets of the universe and the origin of human beings, and by chanting it we are placing ourselves in the high heaven as well. The Big Dipper is the place from where come all of the blessings and grace in our lives. One of the verses of the Chilseong-gyeong mantra resembles a prayer and it translates as follows: “May the primordial and proper qi of heaven and earth come and unite with my body”. This concept that heaven and earth coexist in the human body is one of Singyo’s principles.
Big Dipper position and stars
The Big Dipper is located in the Ursa Major constellation, also known as the Great Bear in Korean culture. All seven stars were formed about 300 million years ago, five of them having the same origin and time of formation (Mizar, Alioth, Megrez, Phecda and Merak). Since heaven and earth are conceived to be always related, based on the principle of the “nothing” embracing the “everything”, each star of the Big Dipper has a different meaning:
2. Merak (거문) The great gate (천선) The celestial rotating jade
3. Phecda (녹존) The blessing (천기) The celestial shining pearl
4. Megrez (문곡) The literate turn (천권) The celestial balance
5. Alioth (염정) The clean and pure (옥형) The jade sighting-tube
6. Mizar (무곡) The military turn (개양) The light’s opener
7. Alkaid (파군) The broken army (요광) The twinkling brilliance
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| The name of the seven stars in the Big Dipper |
All these meanings for each star could be condensed into a story that illustrates the connection between Yin-Yang and the Five elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Wood, and Metal) illustrated by Singyo and Korean culture. The greedy wolf (representing the light or Yang and the Emperor of Heaven) crosses the great gate (being the Empress of Heaven and governing the dark or Yin) and receives the blessing (represents the mundane people and is associated with the element fire) to take the literate turn (meaning to get rid of the inhumanity; associated with time and element water) to become clean and pure (meaning to get rid of the sinners; associated with the element earth), but he finally comes across the military turn (associated with the element wood) and founds out the broken army (represents the stars and the element metal), far away from the beginning of the journey and the bright Pole Star. Moreover, the handle of the Big Dipper is pointing in different directions, depending on the season: it points east in spring, south in summer, west in autumn, and north in winter. Every season and cardinal direction have their special meaning in Korean culture.
Big Dipper mythology
The Big Dipper culture was present in many regions around the globe carrying different meanings. In East culture it is considered that each person wears seven stars on his face: two eyes, two nostrils, two ears and one mouth. The seven stars also correspond to the human body points of spiritual energy named chakras. In ancient Arabic astronomy, the Big Dipper was associated with a funeral procession, where the stars of the handle represent the daughters of Al Na’ash, dead at the hands of Polaris, the brightest star in the Little Dipper, and the stars of the bowl represent the coffin. In India, the stars are called the Seven Great Sages, while in China they are known as the Government or Tseih Sing. In Malaysia, the asterism is called The Ladle, and in Mongolia, it is known as the Seven Gods. In Balkan countries, the Big Dipper is known as the Great Wagon.
One form of praising the Big Dipper, dating from ancient times, is the topknot or Sangtu, worn by the kings of the Sumerian civilization, the Shakyamuni of India, ancient Mayans, Native Americans and people from Thailand. It is depicted in many historical Korean dramas also. Placing Sangtu on top of the head, by turning the hair forward four times and backward three times, means that that person is entitled to receive energy from the seven stars and awaken his mind in connection with the seven stars.
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| The seven chakras corresponding to the stars of the Big Dipper (up, left); different representations of Sangtu in different cultures (up, right; down) |
In Korean culture, the Big Dipper is called Bukdu Chilseong, which means the seven stars of the northern sky. In ancient times it was believed that the northern skies represent the throat and the tongue of heaven, the gate to the underworld. Determining people’s fate, the Big Dipper was believed to have power over human lives, longevity, fortunes and disasters. Bukdu Chilseong was found engraved on Korean dolmens from the prehistoric era and painted on the walls of tombs from the Goguryeo period. Believing that the Big Dipper governs the human life span, ancient Koreans were placing a wooden plate with seven holes corresponding to the stars underneath the deceased, a custom still observed today. The Big Dipper was considered the place from where every human being was born and where every soul will ascend after death. Furthermore, in Islam and Christianity, it is believed that heaven is made up of seven levels of energy inhabited by seven types of souls. Bearing so much energy, it was thought that the Big Dipper was the realm of strong gods and there are some references in the Annals of King Sejong about offerings and rituals for the Big Dipper as a powerful god in charge of human longevity and wellness.
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The Big Dipper has a protagonist role in folk tales as well. According to a legend from Jeju Island, seven sons died to become the Big Dipper, so their mother could always see them in the night sky. Jeju Island’s Chilseong Bonpuri tells a story about how seven snakes born by a woman became the gods of households. Another legend says that the seven sons of Princess Bari, the princess of the underworld, became the seven stars of Bukdu Chilseong.
Big Dipper in Korean history
Hwanguk
The oldest evidence of the presence of the Big Dipper in Korean culture and everyday life is from 9000 years ago and was found in an ancient castle in Fenglin, located nowadays in the Heilongjiang province of China, a part of the original territory of Ancient Korea or Hwanguk. Also, there is an altar dedicated to the Seven Stars in the Forbidden Palace in Beijing and Seven Stars stones in the Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing.
Ancient Joseon
The Mt. Manisan on Ganghwa Island retains one of the oldest existing proof of Korea’s astronomical history: the astronomical observatory Cheomseongdan. Dated from 1000 BCE, the observatory was used in rites to honor the sky and the stars, especially the Big Dipper, and it was constructed following the prehistoric concept of Korean culture that the heaven is round and the earth is square. Also, many dolmens inscribed with representations of the Big Dipper were discovered in Korea and a very interesting thing about these dolmens is the fact that they were oriented in the same direction as the megalithic dolmens found across Europe.
Three Kingdom period
The oldest standing astronomical observatory in the world is Cheomseongdae in Gyeongju, the past capital city of the Silla kingdom (57 BCE-CE 935). Its tower has a curved bottle shape with a height of around 9 m and it is constructed as like its upper openness almost engulfs the Big Dipper when the night is almost gone. Tombs from Goguryeo (37 BCE-CE 668) have murals on walls depicting the five deities that protect humans in the afterlife, but, also, constellations, including the Big Dipper, to direct the soul of humans to heaven.
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| Different displays of the Big Dipper in Korean history |
Goryeo
A piece of evidence that the tradition of painting stars in tombs was passed on from periods like Hwanguk and Ancient Joseon to the Goguryeo kingdom and, after, to the Goryeo dynasty, could be seen in Seosamdong, in the city of Andong. The ceiling of the tombs in Andong is full of images of the Big Dipper.
Joseon
All the kings from the Joseon Dynasty believed that they were sons of the gods from the Big Dipper. Also, according to the ancient Korean culture, which declares that the energy of celestial constellations corresponds to certain regions on Earth, the place where the king was crowned was in the middle of Seoul, specifically Gyeonbokgung. This is the place with the highest energy in the country which can help the king to ascend to heaven in the afterlife.
Besides kings’ robes, the Big Dipper was displayed on other objects from Joseon, especially on those used in wars, believing that they will protect their masters in the battle. Four-tiger Sword Against Malevolent Power from the Joseon Dynasty, displayed at the National Palace Museum of Korea, has the Big Dipper engraved on its blade and it was believed that it gave its owner protection against evil forces, being made at the time, day, month, and year of the tiger when Yang energy was at its strongest. Also, the Big Dipper was recreated on the Joseon Korean military flag to guide them in battle. Another representation of the Big Dipper on commemorative coins (Byeol-jeon) from the Joseon Dynasty was used as a good luck charm.
Big Dipper nowadays
Nowadays Shamanism and Buddhism have a very well-defined image of Chilseong God as seven standing male figures in traditional court robes, associated with the Sun and Moon along with the Five Elements. Chilseong is invoked in shamanic ritual performances in the Chilseong-gut, especially by women asking for the health, longevity and well-being of the family. A common example of a Buddhism representation of Chilseong can be found in Samseong-gak Hall and Chilseong-gak Hall. In the center of the Chilseong murals is the Heaven King Deity surrounded by the Bodhisattva of the Sun, holding a red globe in its hands, and the Bodhisattva of the Moon with a white globe. Although Buddhism is one of the main religions nowadays, the Seven Stars’ belief is still represented in special places in Buddhist temples in Korea, by pictures and shrines, as a reminder of the old culture. The most famous example is the Seven-layered Pagodas in Hwasun Unjusa Buddhist Temple accompanied by seven stones placed near it representing the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper.
Yut nori, the traditional Korean board game played by two opposing players has a distinguished and profound symbolism for Korean people. Its origins are estimated as far back as the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BCE–668 CE), with references being found in Chinese documents about the people in Baekje and a collection of Japanese songs, known as Manyo syu, about the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. In ancient times, the Yut nori board was represented as a circle meaning heaven dissected by a cross, each of the four sections symbolizing the earth. The center of the board signifies the Pole Star around which it gravitates the Seven Stars multiplied by four (resulting in 28 spots on the board). The board also represents summer and winter solstices and vernal and autumnal equinoxes. The four sticks used for playing (the four seasons) have two faces that symbolize the opposing forces of Yin and Yang. Petroglyphs representing the Yut board found across the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria, dated from the Goguryeo period, were believed to deliver people's prayers to heaven.
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| Nowadays representations of the Big Dipper |
Also, traced back to Hwanguk, the present-day 7-day week calendar system is believed to be related to the Big Dipper as the number seven carries a deeply spiritual and religious meaning. Recent discoveries tell us that the Big Dipper is the source of the most powerful subatomic particle known as the Oh-My-God particle carrying the highest energy known in the universe until now. This demonstrates at a scientifical level that the Big Dipper is not only a group of stars, but it embraces a great energy unknown by human technology.
A more recent and interesting display of the Big Dipper and Polaris can be found on Alaska’s flag adopted in 1927, representing the strength of the most northern state in the Union. And did you know about the Korean Chilsung soda? The manufacturers hoped their product would prosper in a growing beverage industry and glow like the seven stars of the Big Dipper.
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| Dramas depicting the Big Dipper |
There are also many Korean dramas that refer to the Big Dipper as part of Korea’s archetypal culture. Goblin, Alchemy of Souls, Stealer: The Treasure Keeper and Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 are a few examples of how much Koreans cherish their culture and heritage. Chilseong from Goblin is represented as a very powerful god in a human form that controls the time course. In the Alchemy of Souls, the King’s star located in the center of the Big Dipper contains all nature’s secrets and it shined the brightest when the principal character, Uk, the future master of all martial art and spiritual energy, was born. In Stealer: The Treasure Keeper, Joseon Tongbo coins were used to decipher the path to a stone that promises humans immortality and the Big Dipper is displayed in association with the Cheomseongdae astronomical observatory. And, finally, in the Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938, Big Dipper was portrayed as the God of good fortune that could bring a lost soul back to life.
References:
2. The three gates of enlightenment, Ahn Gyeong-jeon, Dragon&Phoenix Publishing
3. https://www.constellation-guide.com/big-dipper/
4. https://thenewkorea.wordpress.com/2015/09/17/the-seven-stars-of-the-north-5/
5. https://www.kasolym.org:449/english/sub05/01_1.asp
6. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/four-tiger-sword-against-malevolent-power/9wFIhor8dTiUfw
7. http://koreantempleguide.com/chilseong-gak-the-seven-stars-hall-%EC%B9%A0%EC%84%B1%EA%B0%81/
8. http://www.koreanheritage.kr/feature/view.jsp?articleNo=227
9. http://resources.sgarrigues.net/chilseong.html
10. https://www.upr.org/science/2020-03-04/the-big-dipper
11. https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-figurines-statues/tomb-attendants-offerings/warriors/eastern-han-dynasty-warrior-figure-with-pigments/
12. https://www2.siksikyuen.org.hk/en/religious-affairs/taoist-rituals/worshipping-the-great-dipper
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