The aster has every right to twinkle, for aster is derived from the Latin, meaning "star."  (Think "astronomy.")

This flower has always been associated with heavenly bodies and astrologers.  Interestingly enough, it was also considered a powerful antidote against snakes.  Have you seen any snakes gliding through your flower garden lately?  Burn some aster flowers there and it is said that the snakes will never return.  Ancient Romans made wreaths of these flowers to lay on the alters of gods.  Since it is unlikely that these immortals were bothered by snakes, they probably used asters in divination.  According to the dictionary, divination means "discovering hidden knowledge or foretelling the future," which is exactly what fair maidens are doing when they pull off the petals one by one and murmur, "He loves me, he loves me not..."

The Chinese are very fond of aster flowers, but not as an aid for fortune telling or even because the flowers are so beautiful.  Rather, they long ago discovered that an excellent wine can be made from the fermented leaves and stems of the flower.  This elixir is supposed to be drunk on the ninth day of the ninth moon for the best results.  On one occasion, at least, it is credited with having saved a man's life.  This is how the story goes:  In accordance with a certain ruler's suggestion, one of his followers went to the hills to drink aster wine and fly kites.  When he returned home, he found that all of his domestic animals had been slain, to the last cat and dog.  But for the aster wine and the kite flying he had been told to do, he too would have surely been slain.

Another testimony to the potency of the aster comes from the Li district of China where people are frequently rumored to live to be 120 or even 130 years old.  Any native there will insist that such longevity is due solely to the fact that they are privileged to drink the aster-flavored water flowing from the surrounding hills.

Here in America, Chippewa Indians discovered that the dry powdered root of certain aster flowers, when smoked like tobacco, attracted deer.  The smell of the smoke was supposed to resemble that of a deer's hoof and had an irresistible allure.  All a smart hunter had to do was to fill his pipe with his aster "tobacco", hold his bow and arrow at the ready, and wait.  He was practically certain to be rewarded with an antlered trophy to feed and clothe his family.  Indeed, the young Chippewa owed much to this humble flower.