I had never connected these two paragraphs in LOTR, but they are now forever linked in my mind as bookends to the quest. Frodo, in a peaceful place, Rivendell, is looking at an "earthy" star, either Borgil or Mars. It doesn't matter to me which. The sight of that star, even in his safety, is disquieting. It intrudes on his peace and rest. Sam, in an unsafe place, Mordor, sees a clear white star, shining through the wrack of clouds devised by the Enemy, an "other-worldly" star, Earendil, the light from the Silmaril he bears, and it brings such immediate relief to him that he is, for the first time in many days, able to cast himself into an untroubled sleep. He finds rest to his soul. It is not unlike the virtue in Elrond's ring, though it comes from far away, and as the world intrudes onto the virtue of Elrond's ring in Rivendell, that virtue is paused, at least for Frodo. For me, this is the quest we are all on, to let virtue be our guide, our refuge, our solace, and to not let the world intrude too much upon us and stop us from the healing power of that virtue. As a Christian, I think of Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and you shall find rest to your soul. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."