station 6: han'a
the camels leaning on each other (or: the brand on the camel’s neck, the twins’ 4 feet, the Leaners)
Hi y’all,
Today the Moon has alighted in the next station in our journey through the pattern of 28: al-Han’a, manzil #6, which falls in the first half of Cancer these days.
It couldn’t be more well-timed—a week before Valentine’s day together we will meet the most lovely and romantic station of all 28. This station isn’t about eroticism but rather about intimate and loving relationships of all kinds (which may or may not include eroticism). I really see its core meaning as interdependence. Sometimes we are the weak one, sometimes we are the resilient one, but when we bind ourselves to each other our fates become entwined. We have to share our resources and depend on each other to reach our shared dreams. Part of this, too, is being able to accept the support being extended to you.
Han’a, the Leaning Camels, also contains some surprises related to the mysterious origin of the manāzil and the subtle shifts they underwent as they transitioned from an Indic to an Arabic cultural context.
On the leaning camels of al-Han’a
Han’a is a very emotional manzil and perhaps a bit soft. It can be romantic or spurned and is inherently changeable and inconstant. It is a quite benevolent and auspicious station suitable for all kinds of workings involving love and relationships. Do note that we mean relationships in the broadest possible sense, including friendships of all kinds, even friendships with people who hold power over you.
Some key themes we’ll be exploring include:
Love, relationships, affection (romantic, platonic, and everything in between)
Interdependence and reciprocity, products of healthy relationship of all kinds that tie people together
The polarity of resilience and weakness. The camel may be able to forego water in the desert, but its humans cant. The body may be strong but the feelings may still be volatile
The refreshment of a thirsty traveler arriving at an oasis, the relief of access to healing medication and receiving of blessings from the divine
Slow Drag by Ernie Barnes, 1997 via Google Arts & Culture
Some Han’a correspondences
Tropical coordinates: approximately 29º23 Gemini - 12º14 Cancer
Letter: و wāw
Indicators: the five stars indicating the feet of the Twins—primarily Alhena, γ Geminorum and Tejat, μ Geminorum but also ν, η, and ξ Geminorum. Betelgeuse is also part of this station’s story.
Plants: Al-Buni gives us burdock and mugwort, two bitter plants, while ibn al-Hatim gives us camphor and oud, two fragrances with very different smells. Anything else is basically speculation but any plant that brings lovers together would be good to try. I’ve tried roses for example.
Substances: Sweet and sticky things like mastic and other natural gums. Things that can be used to bind two things together (like wax or thread). Things that come in sets or pairs or otherwise conjure love and relationships.
Animals: Camels, especially, but surely also any of the other camelids like llamas or alpacas. Horses too, maybe? Other ideas are oddly graceful ungulates like antelope or giraffes, animals that are highly adapted to desert environments, animals that mate for life like swans or black-backed jackals, or any other romantic animals (voles?)
Angel: Anār(i) أنار
Al-Buni tells us that the verb hana’a means “to lean” or “incline towards” and that this station was named because it’s indicated by a line of stars all leaning towards their neighbor. Though I haven’t been able to find that verb in any of my dictionaries, it does make sense—this asterism looks like a line of stars appearing to almost dangle from the ecliptic. It has also been described often as a “mark” or a “brand” on the neck of a camel. Allen suggests that this manzil might also symbolize a camel’s hump.