In the year 1115, Heloise Du Paraclete, a brilliant and educated young woman studied under the tutelage of Peter Abelard, then considered the eminent  philosopher and theologian of his time. Despite their difference in social status, they fell deeply in love and secretly married, giving birth to a son to whom they gave the most unusual name, Astrolabe. When their affair was discovered, leading to scandal and Abelard’s castration, Astrolabe was sent to live with Peter’s sister. Heloise became a nun, and Abelard a monk, separated by great distance, never to lay eyes on each other again. They continued to correspond through letters, expressing their enduring love and philosophical musings. Their letters are still considered some of the most passionate and intellectual writings of the Middle Ages, showcasing their deep connection and shared intellectual pursuits. Their story has endured through the centuries as a symbol of forbidden love and intellectual passion. There is a scholarly belief that the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare was influenced, at least in part, by this real-life love story.

But what of the boy? The product of two of the finest minds of their time, Astrolabe went on to become a scholar himself, despite the challenges and heartbreak that marked his childhood. Other than that, he became little more than a historical footnote to his parents’ tragic tale. But we know the rest of the story.

Astrolabe observed a physician re-breaking a badly set bone so it had the chance to heal properly. He understood the ramifications of his parents’ afterlife, learned the secrets of belief. He saw chaos in the world, but understood its purpose. He saw love, acceptance, and forgiveness as the key to real salvation. He discovered a way to give his parents the happiness denied them in life. He sewed a tent, a pocket of limbo, each stich a spell, each seam a blessing. Eight hundred years latter, that tent has returned. 

“Everything which comes from before leads to the now. Every choice everyone made in this tent has built to this. Even yours.”