The Fish's Mouth

Piscus Austrinus, the Southern Fish, lies low in the south. If you can ever see it where you live in the northern hemisphere, this is the month. It will be at its highest point 11 PM as October begins, 10 PM after daylight savings time ends, and 9 PM by the middle of the month.

Its brightest star—and the brightest one you will see low in the south this month—is the famous star Formalhaut, the fish's mouth. The figures show the mouth open, and flowing into it, the water from Aquarius' urn.

Piscus Austrinus is associated with Oannes who was considered a god in much of the early Middle East. Oannes has been identified as Noah, the patriarch who survived the Great Flood. Since Oannes went through the sea and lived long afterwards, he pictures resurrection.

Aquarius pours pours living water from his urn. We, like the Southern Fish, may receive everlasting life from the One who is its source. Oddly, on many old sky maps, the Southern Fish is often portrayed turned on its back, lying upside down. No one seems to know why, but to me it shows that receiving the water of life requires submission.

It doesn't work to add Jesus to our religious beliefs. He must be all. He offers the water of life freely, but it is to Him, and Him only, that we must go for it. All other ideas must be relinquished in order to drink the living water.

"Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37-38.

For the beautiful story of Jesus and the woman at the well, click here to read John chapter 4.

For those interested in astronomy science, here is a link to information about a debris disk surrounding Fomalhaut and a planet discovered within it.