Sunday, January 31, 2010

An Appeal To Religious Groups On The Subject Of Astrology

This is not in any way a condemnation of a persons belief structure or ideology, but rather an enlightening exposure to some issues that are pertinent to disclosing certain biblical facts that can prove that astrology is an ally of religion, specifically Judaeo-Christian beliefs.

As a young girl, I grew up in a Southern Baptist tradition, complete with church membership, Sunday School Teacher, Choir Member, etc), and Jewish heritage from my Paternal grandmother. As I got older, I became more aware of the abrasiveness that exists on the topic of Astrology and as a result, the failure of organized religions, particularly the baptist faith to *evolve* beyond the rigid, puritanical, old church fathers guidance, validates my departure from mainstream worship, today!

This in no way, refutes or disputes the validity of Christ, his teachings, his mission on this plane of existence. If anything, my work in astrology, deepened my that relationship. Throughout my studies of comparative religions, some dating back several hundred years ago, I have found that humanity, under the rule of the newly forming church, was more or less imprisoned by the structure of religion.

In the Old Testament, the Book of Numbers predicted that a Messiah would be born, and the sign for the Messiah is a Star; God would let man know the Messiah was here by the appearance of a Star. The Gospel of Matthew clearly states that wise men (Magi; i.e astrologers) came from the east to Jerusalem seeking the newborn Messiah because...they had seen his star in the east. Christian tradition has given a name to the star that the wise men saw...."The Star Of Bethlehem".

The simple fact of the matter is...both the Old Testament and the New Testament contain many references to Astrology. But unfortunately, interpretation of these references varies greatly. Actually, I'm not an expert on Biblical interpretation, although, its been a lifelong study of mine (Mars 9th house, Sagittarius rising), but in my opinion, there is a great deal of evidence that at least some of the original writers of the Bible were believers in Astrology; therefore, there is no valid reason to believe that Astrology is condemned by God. To the contrary, the Bible specifically says that God uses the stars to give us signs and knowledge. This is not to say that there are not some verses that could be interpreted as being against stargazing. But there are certainly more Biblical verses that approve of Astrology, or tell us that the stars are messages from God, that there are verses that could be interpreted to the contrary.

Its my opinion, that the verses that negate Astrology were in fact not meant to do so in the original language of the scriptures. They were directed not at astrologers of the Magi Mold, but rather against misuse by other beliefs.

At this point, I will use the analogy of Electricity...a powerful force that may be used beneficially or destructively. We may use it to heat our homes, cook our meals, provide lighting, energy, or...we may use it to destroy...as in electrocution.

Besides the fact that astrologers from the East were the ones who foresaw the birth of Christ and they are referred to as "wise men" by Matthew, the New Testament has some unmistakable references to astrology that can only mean that the writers were very knowledgeable about it; perhaps they were even practitioners. And why should they not be practitioners if Matthew referred to the Magi, who were astrologers, as "wise men"?

As far as astrological references in the bible...The first one that is very important is in the Book of Genesis. It says..."And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for the days and the years;" (Genesis 1:14)

"Let (the lights) be for Signs....some scholars have told us that the actual Aramaic translation literally is "let them be for signs of things which in the ordinary course shall come to pass".. Whether or not this is true, it is highly significant that the first purpose of the "lights" (Planets and Stars) was for "signs"; then after that...the purposes of the "lights" were for the "seasons", and for the days and years.

King David is attributed authorship of Psalm 19. I actually believe he was referring to Astrology when he wrote..."The Heavens declare the glory of God...Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge". What knowledge could you possibly get at night other than....knowledge derived from the stars and Astrology? Especially since night "sheweth" the knowledge. The only things are shown at night are the planets and the stars.

The Book of Job has always been my favorite study, for quite some time.

Here is a man, who is a pretty good fella, is righteous, wealthy, upstanding, abides by the laws of the land, loves God and does his will. He becomes a pawn...in the hands of the adversary and God...minding his own business, doing what he's suppose to do...and suddenly his life is one catastrophe after another. I'd wager...that either he was having a Pluto or possibly Saturn transit to the 1st house or the 8th.

First, the Sabeans attacked him and killed all of his Oxen and servants, except one. Another messenger comes and tells him that all of his sheep have been burned with the rest of his servants, another comes and tells him his camels have been taken, (The mode of transportation in that day), so he was without wheels...killed more servants..and ultimately another came and told him that all of his sons and daughters were partying, when a wind came and crushed the house and killed all the men.

Job, by now, a candidate for Ativan, forget Prozak...ripped his clothes off, shaved his head and fell down on the ground and worshiped God.

And he said. "Naked came I out of my mothers womb, and naked shall I return thither; the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

All that happened to him...he did not sin, nor did he blame God.

Even still..his trials were not over yet. The test continued with an attack on his health...Boils from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. If that wasn't bad enough, his wife started in on him.

"Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and Die." Job 2:9

Well, he actually told her that she spoke like a foolish woman, and asked her did she expect to receive everything good and never anything bad? (Transits and Progressions)

Still after all this..Job did not blame God.

His friends gathered around him, to help comfort him, which I'm sure given the nature of his suffering, was more like a persecution to him. His turmoil was beyond compare..his life was total devastation of a magnitude unbelievable. The man had lost it all, and now his body was stricken with infectious sores from head to toe.

This book is actually a good example of Karmic Retribution...inasmuch as even today, we see people, whom we think are the most upstanding, kindhearted, righteous people on the block, who seem to suffer calamity after calamity. Consider the baby born with multiple birth defects, the single mother stricken with Multiple Sclerosis...and we ask why? Why would such a loving compassionate God, strike his children with such affliction? Its an Eastern word..but is means the same as the parable of the sower...Karmic Retribution.

In Job's dialogue with Eliphaz, he observes that no one is ever completely sinless. In no uncertain terms Eliphaz upholds the theology of retribution. "Think about it. What innocent ever perished? Where were the upright destroyed? I have seen that those who plow evil and sow trouble reap the same. By God's blast they perish and by the heat of his anger they disappear. (4:7-9)

Another speaker...Bildad.. applies the theology of retribution relentlessly. He claims that Job's children must have been notable sinners to be treated so brutally by God. No doubt they died justifiably.

"Can God get justice wrong? Can Shaddai (Jewish ref for God) distort rightness? "If your children sinned against him, he delivered them over to the consequences of their violation. (Job 8:3-4)

Since Job is still alive, claims Bildad, he must not be too bad a sinner.

Then Zophar adds that Job must be suffering for his own sin. Even though Job will not admit it publicly, he must be a sinner.

"You say, 'My principles are pure, and I am innocent before you.' But if God would speak and talk to you himself, and tell you the secrets of wisdom--there are many nuances to wisdom--know that God is exacting less than you deserve. (Job 11:4-6)

Perhaps he's trying to tell him that Job should honestly face his sin and ask God for mercy.

Elihu speaks after Job's other three friends have had their say. He says that suffering is the way God communicates with human beings. It is the way God reveals that we are sinners and that he considers sin a serious offense.

"He opens their understanding by discipline, and orders them to turn away from wickedness. If they listen and obey, they will end up with good days and pleasant years. (36:10-11)

All four speakers maintain the theology of retribution in some way. Their approach is very much "top down." In other words, they hold a basic belief in retribution, and they try to square Job's experience with the theological principles they hold, rather than developing a theology out of human experience.

Karmic Retribution...works for me! Pluto and Saturn...are Karmic Planets...and the 4th, 8th, and 12th houses are karmic houses. Astrology states, where Pluto rests in your natal chart is where you are undergoing retribution from another age. My Pluto is in Leo..so I have brought back Karmic garbage from that era. Nobody knows...the karmic retribution they will encounter from day to day. We work through karmic debts with our friends, children, relatives, our mates, lovers. We work through challenges, personality conflicts..on the downside, and sometimes we get blessed with an abundance of good karmic rebounds..that's when we experience love, or close to it, the joys of friendship, the laughter of our children when they've achieved something special, or much needed hug from someone special. That's what its all about..its those bad times, that makes the good times feel so good.

All through that writing, about karmic retribution, I was peripherally thinking about some of the New Age trends..with channeling, psychic regressions, etc. Look, this is wrong..its not of God. God places the "Veil of forgetfulness" over our eyes when we come into this realm..for a good reason. We are not meant to know the details of our past...if we did, it would seriously alter our present, not to mention our future. We are just humans with free will, and do not have the capacity to delve in those areas...In astrological synastry...and natal placement, we can without a doubt, ascertain karmic ties within a chart...and depending upon the placement of certain planets and houses come to some kind of inclination as to the nature of the karmic tie. That's about all we need to know. Going further...would/could seriously alter our destiny and be out of accordance with Divine Providence (Gods will). Always..."Wait on the gates of heaven" is a good rule to follow.

Soon, Job had about all he could take...and finally opened his mouth and cursed not only the day he was born, but the day he was conceived... "Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived" Job 3:3

He really went into a deep dissertation...cursing his life, his entire world had become unhinged. Some of his friends were ragging him, persecuting him...driving him on and on, conducive to a "Everyone kicks you when you are down syndrome!"

Throughout the passages...we see a broken man, cast down, who by all practical purposes should have said..That's it..I'm checking out of here...but he didn't. He held his own, withstood the trials and tribulations that fell upon him...and God blessed him and restored his lot in life.

In that same book, in Chapter 9, Job makes reference to the constellations of the heavens. Its seemingly plausible that he as well, may have practiced astrology, or was quite knowledgeable of the stars. In his admonition of God almighty, in verse 9 "Which maketh Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south"__Job Chapter 9:9

The above passage is one reason why, I incorporate fixed stars and constellations into my readings...its more in depth, albeit more time consuming, but its highly accurate.

The most profound chapter of the book of Job for me is chapter 38, when God speaks to Job. The content of that chapter is very powerful. God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind...probably blew his mind. ("Hey Job..wassup?")

Lets face it, Job and his friends have been in deep debate over this entire situation...and throughout the wailing and ranting...I'm sure God was ready to correct their attitudes explicitly. Come on, the fact is, God lets them know pretty quick...how incompetent they are to judge or know the whys and wherefore's of his actions.

Another fact that is quite astounding is the reference to the Great Pyramid. For those of you that do not know...and since this follows closely with the measuring of the earth... the Pyramid lies in the center of gravity of the continents. It also lies in the exact center of all the land area of the world...dividing the earth's land mass into approximately equal quarters. The north-south axis (31 degrees east of Greenwich) is the longest land meridian, and the east-west axis (30 degrees north) is the longest land parallel on the globe. There is obviously only one place that these longest land-lines of the terrestrial earth can cross, and it is at the Great Pyramid! This has substantiated my conviction that the origin of our belief was closely tied in with Egypt. The verse referenced below...should confirm that...but that's another page...!

"Where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare if thou hast understanding". Chapter 38:4

"Who hath laid the measures, thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?" Chapter 38:5

"Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; (undoubtedly meaning...the Great Pyramid) Chapter 38:6

Another Old Testament reference to the Great Pyramid is pretty inclusive, to say the least, as it does depict the placement.
(19)"At that time there will be an altar for the LORD in the middle of Egypt and a monument to the LORD at the border of Egypt.
(20) This will be a sign and a witness to the LORD All-Powerful in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the LORD for help, he will send someone to save and defend them. He will rescue them from those who hurt them." Isaiah 19:19-20

Another area that depicts astrological constellations and the Zodiac (Mazzaroth=Animal Wheel)in the book of Job, is the following verse:

"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the (Arcturus in KJV) Bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?" Job 38:31-33 RSV

The Bear is what we call the "Great Dipper," and it points unerringly to the north. (If you stay up all night in the open and observe the stars, you will see them wheel in an endless circle around the north.) So the Great Bear points to the north, and in Scripture the north is always seen as the seat of God, so that the whole universe seems to revolve around his throne. It is said...On earth, when a soul leaves the body, it journey's to the Big Dipper...rather, the northern most star, which I believe is "Polaris". Job is being questioned here as to how much he understands about this.

Now, even astronomy today does not understand this. There are mysterious objects in space we know nothing about. These great "black holes" are to us a puzzling, mysterious phenomenon that we have not begun to understand. So we cannot go much further than Job in the answering of these questions.

He goes on and on...referring to the treasures of the snow (Snowflakes, ever seen one through a microscope?) He mentions that in his storehouses of ice and snow...there is an energy that will be unleashed on the wicked at some obscure date in a future time...so evidently there is some kind of force or power behind the formation of hail, snow in the atmosphere, that scientists haven't got a clue about as of yet...and probably won't come close to figuring out.
Or, perhaps it has something to do with the polar regions of the earth...beneath the ice.

"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?" Job 22-23

Moving on into Chapter 39...God continues his litigation, as if he has to, but he actually gets down and dirty with this crowd. The magnitude of power that is unfolded in these final books and the knowledge within, is astounding.

When my life is in turmoil, or if I find myself in doubt of Divine Providence..I always refer back to this book. Its a good therapy for "Ye of little faith"!

Another highly prominent figure in Old Testament scripture is Abraham. Abraham was also a shepherd, like Job, wealthy with flocks and herds. How is it that he was brought to the attention of the pharaoh of Egypt and the King of Gerar in his travels? Was it simply that Sarah, his wife, was so pretty? The Jewish records say that Abraham was learned in the science of astrology and with his elaborate knowledge of the heavens and their meanings he attracted the attention of these kings.

We know from the biblical record that God communicated with the shepherd Abraham many times, several times using the "stars" as a teaching vehicle. YAHWEH Himself directed Abraham's eyes toward the heavens, indirectly corroborating the Jewish oral tradition that says Abraham was a gifted astrologer.

"And he brought him forth abroad, and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them': and he said unto him, 'So shall thy seed be.'" Genesis 15:5

There are 12 signs of the zodiac...Christ had 12 disciples, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 months of the year, 12 hours in a day, 144,000 souls referenced in Revelation is 12 squared, ...Twelve is the number that is used very often in the bible...not 10, which is the number of fingers on our hand and basically a more logical number to use.

In the book of Revelation, there is this amazing verse..."And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars...and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand and two hundred and threescore days." (Revelation 12:1-6). The last phrase refers to a time period that is 1,260 days long. That is an incredibly odd number of days to refer to.

It is my opinion, that the author of Revelation was referring to the solar eclipse cycle of 1260 years. Every solar eclipse repeats itself in the exact degree of the same sign every 1260 years. (You may validate this by looking at an ephemeris..) The Bible often equates a day for a year, which is another astrological reference because of the "day for a year" calculation of astrological progressions.

Where does the bible say a "day for a year"? In Ezekiel 4:6. God says "I have appointed thee each day for a year". This could be the reason why astrologers use the day for a year calculation for progressions....and it works!

There are hundreds upon hundreds of references to Astrology in the Bible, although some are obscure, except to biblical scholars.

And Electional Astrology and the Transits appear to be the background message when Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up....a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away... A time to love an a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace".

These verses seem to say...that there is a correct time to do everything and if you choose the wrong time, you will not be successful.

Astrology and the Transits, along with "fortune telling, psychic work, etc.. are also the likely background when Ecclesiastes continues in chapter 9:11 with...I returned, and saw under the Sun, that the race is not to the swift, no the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time; as the fishes that are taken in an evil net.."

These verses seem to say that everyone can have bad transits, and when they occur, you will not have the same abilities as when you did not have the transits....for example, if you were the swiftest runner normally, you will not be so swift when you have negative transits.

The points to an interesting thought...that the world would be completely different if there were no fluctuations in our abilities from day to day. Martina Navratilova would never lose a tennis match...and Sandy Koufax would always pitch a shutout, how boring...and unfair! You would never have a chance at beating someone who was better than you. But this is not the case... We have all defeated persons who were better. And we have all been beaten at something by a person who has inferior skills. The world is much better off with these ups and downs. It gives everyone a fighting chance and keeps almost everyone on top from getting to egotistical.

Copyright © Starmyste(Deborah Jean Nuckles)1998
Do not copy or reprint without express permission