The Planets, Part 1 (of 10)

Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” I know there is “a time to mourn and a time to dance;” what I didn’t fully realize until this week is that, sometimes, these activities overlap.

In the past few days my family celebrated a plethora of events—graduations, reunions, a milestone wedding anniversary. And in the midst of our joy, death unexpectedly appeared among our extended family.

This intersection of mourning and dancing put me in a reflective mood as I listened to a classical radio station during the drive home. Gustav Holst’s famous suite, The Planets, suddenly came to mind. From there my thoughts wandered over the significance of our galactic neighbors. Each planet, from Mercury to Pluto, holds a place in our mythologies and in our understanding of the cosmos.

Following this thread, I will be exploring the planets’ importance, culturally and astronomically, for the next nine weeks. Pluto will be included. I know it’s been demoted to dwarf planet, but I grew up seeing Pluto on the planet posters at school, so it doesn’t seem right to leave it out.

Taking my cue from Holst, I will start with Mars, “the Bringer of War,” next week.

Note: Any discussion of a planet’s namesake or astrological significance is not meant as an endorsement of astrology, but rather as a study of the planet’s place in human culture.