Episode 23

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Published on:

1st Jul 2024

For the Love of Stars

Ghia – Stars adorn the American flag. Why stars?

Transcript
Speaker:

Kia here.

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I'm this week's host of the creative

spiritual journey podcast, where I talk

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about what I've been learning while on

this remarkable journey we call life.

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Thank you so much for listening.

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Here in this first week of July.

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Where something patriotic, something

that shows my love of country

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seemed like an appropriate topic.

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I wondered what I could share.

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As inspiration.

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I got out the rhinestone American

flag broach that I inherited

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from my grandmother, Millie.

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And I placed it on my desk.

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In her older years, the first question

she had for a new acquaintance was.

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Are you a Patriot?

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To my grandma, that was a telling

sign of a person's character.

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She did ask about political affiliation.

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She just wanted to gauge a

person's love of country.

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With her twinkling rhinestones on my

desk, I got to thinking about stars.

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Specifically stars on flags.

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In my brief scan of world flags,

it appears that the star is one of

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the most well-used of any symbol.

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And I had to ask.

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Y stars.

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I understand that on the original

American flag, there were 13 stars

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representing the 13 colonies.

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And that we now have 50

stars, one for each state.

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But why not squares or triangles?

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Japan uses a circle.

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Canada uses a leaf.

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Why stars.

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Was it George Washington

that wanted stars.

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And if so, why?

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Not surprising.

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This got me wondering about

Elizabeth, Chris come Ross

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or Betsy Ross as we call her.

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Modern historians contend that Betsy

was not the only woman involved in the

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early renditions of the American flag.

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Still Betsy has received the accolades.

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When I was a kid, I attended

a Baptist grade school.

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The school didn't think celebrating

Halloween was appropriate.

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So as a replacement, we

celebrated American history day.

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Instead of ghosts and witches, we

dressed up like famous Americans.

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We also wrote reports

and delivered speeches.

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My mother was great at making

costumes and I loved dressing up.

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So this was the day I looked

forward to every year.

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I am sad now to say that

I was never Betsy Ross.

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But so many other girls chose Betsy.

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She seemed overdone and unimaginative.

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Looking at her life now.

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She seems extraordinary to me,

quite the woman of her day.

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Let me give you a brief history.

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Betsy was the eighth of 17 children

of whom only nine survived childhood.

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As a young girl, Betsy was

taught to sew by a great aunt.

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Sarah Elizabeth Ann betsy attended

a Quaker run state school.

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And after completion was sent to

apprentice with an upholsterer.

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Which is an amazing fact because during

the colonial period, only about one fifth

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of recorded and dentures were female and

of those most were apprentice to learn.

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Housewifery.

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How unusual for Betsy

to end up in upholstery.

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During this apprenticeship,

she met John Ross

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And they eloped getting married in a Tavern and Gloucester city, New Jersey.

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Because John was not a Quaker.

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Betsy was barred from associating

with her congregation.

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Which must have been a heartbreak.

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By the end.

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Betsy had three husbands outliving all of

them along with two of her seven children.

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She ran her upholstery business

into rehearse seventies before

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turning it over to a daughter.

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She was completely blind.

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The last three years of

her life and died at 84.

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Though disputed by many historians.

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The story goes that George

Washington brought his flag

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designed to Betsy in 1776.

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And that it was Betsy who

suggested the five pointed star

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versus a star with six points.

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Supposedly the five pointed

star was easier to cut.

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I checked this detail with my

sister who was an amazing seamstress

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and she doesn't see any advantage

to cutting a five pointed star.

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My mother is sure.

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The five pointed star was picked

because it's better looking.

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But all this set me to wondering if

there might be a different reason.

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Betsy sold Washington on

the five pointed star.

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I started looking into the symbolism

of different pointed stars.

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Oh, it turns out to be a deep subject.

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I want to talk about it, but

let's save that for a moment and

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continue this historical thread.

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While historians can't 100% confirm

who produced the first American flag.

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What we do know is that the

second continental Congress.

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Passed a resolution in 1777, which said,

quote, The flag of the United States,

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B 13 stripes alternating red and white.

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That the union be 13 stars, white.

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In a blue field, representing

a new constellation.

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And quote.

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A new constellation.

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What.

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I love that.

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The circle of 13 stars

represented a constellation

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And run up a flag pole.

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It was hung in the sky.

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I never knew we had our own constellation.

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Our current flag with 50 stars

does not have quite the same

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effect as the original circle.

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But still, I love the concept.

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And yes.

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Yes.

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You might be wondering why

I haven't mentioned stripes.

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Stripes are great.

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I love them.

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I'm sure they hold lots of symbolism.

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But I chose to defer to Francis Scott Key.

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Who mentioned broad stripes when

he penned his famous Anthem.

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But opted to leave them out of the

title, referring to our American

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flag as the star Spangled banner.

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If he can focus all his

attention on stars then.

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So can I.

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So once again, why stars?

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Stars represent hope wishes, divine

guidance, protection, quality,

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navigation, direction, destiny, fortune.

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They can be a spiritual compass.

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They remind us how small we

are, but also provide a gauge

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for our own unique brilliance.

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We have stars in our eyes, stars

in our sidewalks and billions

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of stars in our universe.

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The three pointed star has referenced

to the father, son and holy ghost, as

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well as the maiden crone and mother.

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The four pointed star often

appears as the star of Bethlehem.

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A light in the darkness

representing truth and hope.

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The five pointed star is a divine

symbol of oneness providing

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harmony peace and balance.

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The six pointed star

represents the God of Israel.

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And as a symbol of protection.

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The seven pointed star is related to

the seven days of creation and, uh,

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said to be a bridge between worlds.

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The eight pointed star.

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Notes the integration

of the four elements.

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Fire water earth and air, and the four

directions north, south, east, and west.

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Creating harmony in nature.

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The nine pointed star has been known

for the nine fruits of the spirit

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mentioned in the book of Galatians.

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Love joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness.

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And self-control.

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And then the 10 pointed star

in some traditions, this star

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symbolizes the tree of life.

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So, what do you think.

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What star would you have chosen?

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Personally, I have come to believe that

the five pointed star was inspired.

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The symbol of oneness in our current

country, rife with division seems like

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a message from our founders And I pray

the star will be seen as a rallying point.

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Ancestral people spent much more time

gazing at the stars than we do now.

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Interesting enough stars are

actually more accurate for creating

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a calendar than the sun or the moon.

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They have been used anciently to

tell time, weather and direction.

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Historically star mapping has been

done with many different techniques.

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But one technique that I recently

learned at a star lecture was done.

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As two people sat in a line east

to west, a small distance apart.

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One person would record the

stars as they rose over the other

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person's head and shoulders.

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Obviously this would make for a

long and rather tedious night.

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But here's what the presenter said.

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That this technique is the

reason we say Christ has risen.

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My jaw dropped at these words.

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I always assumed he has risen meant.

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Risen from the dead coming up

out of the ground, so to speak.

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I'm sure there are different ways.

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This word can be used.

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But a deep dive into ancient

astronomy suggest it was risen

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as an iStar rising in the sky.

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I love the idea of a star being

the sign of Christ at his birth.

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And then again, as his triumph over death.

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This isn't the only place we see Christ

esented as a star revelation,:

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calls him the bright and morning star.

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Coupled with references for

Christ as the day star or son.

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We can surmise as Jeffrey R.

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Holland says that Christ guides

us leads us, keeps and loves us.

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Through the dark of night

and into the bright of day.

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Isn't that beautiful.

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So after all this back to my

original question, why stars?

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My conclusion.

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Regardless of which God you worship.

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I believe there are stars on the

American flag because they represent the

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intention and belief of our forefathers.

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As well as our four mothers.

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That this country be based on

a belief and devotion to God.

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And that as the motto of the United

States says in God, we trust.

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If you have enjoyed this podcast,

please share it with a friend.

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And as the text that Judy

sent me this last week said,

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Good friends are like stars.

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You can't always see them,

but you know, they are there.

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Thank you for being our podcast, friends.

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Nama stay.

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About the Podcast

Creative Spiritual Journey
one small, deliberate step at a time
We are all on a journey—a journey home to our heavenly parents. Any experienced traveler knows there are days you laugh and days you cry.

We aren’t here to tell you how to live—we are here to share how we live—how we survive, thrive, and even find joy!

The journey gets messy with rainstorms and sleepless flights but the hard times—the miserable times—those make the best stories.

And the vistas, the sunsets, the little birds outside the window—those are the reminders that God is in the details, he is aware of us, he has trod the path before.

The Creative Spiritual Journey Podcast is hosted by Judy and Ghia Cooley—two sisters in their wisdom years—who love the savior and are dedicated to making this journey one small, deliberate step at a time.

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