The Celestial Hemisphere

Tuesday evening I had the pleasure of attending one of the best Fellowcraft Degrees I've seen in a long time. Over the years this degree has become more of a favorite of mine, mainly because the lectures are so incredibly difficult and it always amazes me at how some of the brothers have mastered the lectures and made them their own.

In the section dealing with the Seven liberal Arts and Sciences there are some peculiar lines in explaining Astronomy.....We are taught that Astronomy is that Divine art by which we are taught to read the wisdom, strength, and beauty of the Almighty Creator in those sacred pages, the Celestial hemisphere.

Upon researching this passage several things come to light. To begin with, as we know Astronomy is the science that deals with the material universe beyond the Earth's atmosphere. This section of the lecture describes Astronomy as that Divine art. By using Divine the author is indicating that Astronomy is heavenly or celestial and that Astronomy blurs the line between science and art and although it is a science it is really a form of art based in science.

The passage continues on by saying.... we are taught to read the wisdom, strength, and beauty of the Almighty Creator in those sacred pages, the Celestial hemisphere

The above passage was a tough, tough stumbling block for me when studying this lecture and still is. For some reason I have had a tough time understanding what the author(s) is trying to say. Here is my feeble attempt to make some sense out of this sentence which contains a ton of information.

We are taught or knowledge and skill have been imparted to us to read.....or we have the skills to look at carefully and understand or apprehend and interpret the wisdom, strength, and beauty of the Almighty Creator.......in those sacred pages.......pertaining to or related to religion or connected with religion and regarded with reverence......a page is a noteworthy or significant event or period.....the Celestial hemisphere......the universe beyond the Earth's atmosphere.....hemisphere being the area in which something happens.

Once again the author(s) of the ritual have packed a multitude of meaning into a very small package.
Astronomy is a scientific form of art dedicated to the study of the universe or outer space as we have come to know it. While the study of the stars, planets, and galaxies take us closer to God, we learn that it is a Divine art. As we read or recognize the wisdom, strength, and beauty of the Supreme Architect....we too recognize that the Celestial hemisphere is truly close to the Supreme Architect of the Universe......while we are now able to view the whole sphere or galaxy....during the writing of the ritual I think they were only able to discern a hemisphere or the covering directly above us...when there was an entire universe all around us.

When we speak of the universality of Masonry it is truly all around us.....some parts are quite visible...while other parts are a world away but still existent......this is a mighty powerful fraternity with endless bounds.....my brothers I feel we have only scratched the surface.....have fun while you study our great ritual.