The Big Dipper is probably the most well recognized constellation for us moderns living here in the US. However, other cultures in other times have looked at the exact same chunk of sky and seen instead a bear (Greek), a stretcher (Pawnee), a chariot (Celt), and a coffin (Arabic). The same phenomenon applies to Orion and his belt, another constellation commonly known around the Northern Hemisphere. Some ancient Egyptians viewed the 3 stars of his “belt” as the crown of Sah, father of the gods, while certain Native American cultures viewed them as footprints of the god of the flea people.  

The important thing to consider for us here is that while the particular stars in play are bright and obvious, the constellations are much less so. Like many socially constructed “truths”, a culture’s commonly understood constellations may not be readily obvious to the eye. They have to be actively pointed out, and are often discussed or explained in terms of stories, myths, and legends tied to local flora and fauna. In fact, the mythos that informs the mental construction of constellations is usually much more important than the actual geometry of the figures. Only after going through the process of “learning” the constellations and the stories that inform them do they then jump out as figure to the trained eye, more easily discerned amongst the ground of the rest of the night sky.

This new clarity does come with a cost though. Being trained to spot and identify the constellations of one’s own culture makes it more difficult to identify different constellation patterns that other cultures have identified using some or even all of the same stars. Next time you see the Big Dipper check to see if you find the “obviousness” of it being a “big dipper” an impediment to seeing it instead as a big bear, coffin, or chariot. The exact same stars are being looked at, so why the apparent blindness to another pattern?

This tradeoff that occurs between clarity and blindness is common in many other areas where cultural framing occurs, and is often a large source of friction in communication. Next time you are struggling to either impart or intake information, pause and remember that facts and interpretations emerge from the same dark realm as stars and constellations. What are the obvious stars that we can all see? What are the apparent chunks or groups of them? How are we trying to connect them to other stars around them to create a meaningful pattern via story? And perhaps most importantly, what might we need to “unlearn” so that we can see what’s being offered more clearly and on its own terms?