The following is an argument that Origen (who is my favorite Church Father by far, and among my favorite theologians) has for why stars ought to be considered living, rational beings, this is not an argument that I agree with, nevertheless, it is interesting, mainly because it’s based on an observation which many of us moderns would consider as evidence that stars are not conscious selves: they follow to mathematical regularities. Panpsychism is gaining popularity in philosophy at the moment, so who knows, perhaps Origen might be vindicated, either way, I don’t think I’ll be wondering what bundles of burning gasses spheres of plasma think any time soon, and I believe better grounds for consciousness, agency, and ipseity can be posited than those assumed by Origen or argued for by Panpsychists.
We think, therefore, that they [stars] may be designated as living beings, because they are said to receive commandments from God, for that does not normally happen except to rational living beings He speaks, thus, a commandment, I have commanded all the stars [Isaiah 45:12], What are these commandments? Clearly that each star, in its order and course, should supply the world with splendor to the extent entrusted to it. Those called ‘planets’ move in one kind of course, those called απλανεις [that is, ‘fixed’] in another. It is most clearly shown from this, that no movement can take place in a body without a soul nor can living beings be at any time without movement. With stars, then, moving with such order and regularity, such that their courses do not appear at any time ever to be derailed, how would it not be the height of obtuseness to say that such order and such observance of rule and plan is carried out or accomplished by irrational beings? In Jeremiah, indeed, the moon is even called the queen of heaven [Jeremiah 44:17–19, 25]. But if the stars are living and rational beings, without doubt there will appear among them both some progress and regress. For that which Job said, And the stars are not clean in his sight, seems to me to indicate some such idea. (Origen, First Principles, 1.7.3, translated by John Behr)
If they ought to worship them [stars], they ought not to do so because of the visible light which amazes the masses, but because of the intellectual and true light, supposing that the stars in heaven are also rational and good beings and have been enlightened by the light of knowledge from the wisdom which is ‘an effulgence of eternal light.’ Furthermore, their visible light is the work of the Creator of the universe, while it is probable that their intellectual light comes from the freedom of choice which they possess. (Origen, Contra Celsum, 5.10, translated by Henry Chadwick)
Musing on Theology 