Argo Navis, the constellation named after the vessel that Jason and the Argonauts sailed in search of the Golden Fleece, is associated with success in business and mercantile affairs, and security and safety in such endeavors. I found this out when arguing with a friend of mine online. I had said, “Astrological magicians generally don’t work with constellations,” and he put forward a range of evidence that demonstrated that, in fact, they do work with constellations rather than just fixed stars.

Ooops. Egg on my face.

On the other hand, being shown a new form of magic naturally leads (for me) to new opportunities for poetry. The Dodekatemoria series is in publication now, with fewer than twenty poems out of 144 left to write. Maybe it’s time to start writing constellational hymns to cover some of the options that I haven’t covered yet.

Hymn for Argo Navis

6° Leo 17′ — for success and security in business

Argo Navis, on celestial sea,
ship of Jason and heroic sailors:
out on the Ocean, no one is quite free —
you hold to the ship, nor mind her failures;
nothing else exists until you sight land,
not broad bowl of sky nor Ocean's vastness,
not swagger of storm nor blue whale dorsal
will keep you feet dry, nor lend you a hand.
Hull and tall mast are your only fastness;
all we do is for safety of vessel.

By compass and sail we take the swan's road,
hoping to find our own Golden Fleeces.
Forth we set out, from impoverished abode,
for lives more lively than farmhand's leases,
the sower's satchel, and furrowing plow,
the harvesting sickle, and milling wheel.
For us, the bowline and figure-eight knot,
standing in the spray at the thrumming prow,
balanced cargo fore and aft of the keel,
and a course to treasures that men forgot.

Argo, with blue eyes painted on your fore,
help me take safe risks in trackless Ocean,
and ply my trade on a prosperous shore
with clients in delighted commotion,
filling my coffers with coin for my art.
Let me have advantage in honest trade
and steer swiftly past the dangerous reefs;
when profit wanes, help me swiftly depart
to new strands where my wares are best displayed,
bazaars where I prosper despite small griefs.

Notes

Argo Navis would be identified from its longitudinal position, which was 6° Leo 17′ in 2019 (and has shifted rough 06′ or six minutes of arc, which appears to be an apparent shift of position of about 1mm on the end of your pinky when your arm is stretched out straight to the night sky, in 2025). For most people in the northern hemisphere, you’ll have to face south with a clear view of the southern horizon to see it at all.

Today, Argo Navis is broken up into several constellations: the keel (Carina), the sail (Vela), the compass (Pyxis) and the stern or poop deck (Puppis).

In thinking about making a paper talisman for this constellation, I think I would use the methods that I proposed for Moon Mansion Talisman in this video, with some adjustments as I describe in the video here.

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